"Danica," Helia called out nervously and Danica smiled at her."I got shocked at how close you both had gotten and I dropped my glass," Danica said."Dani—""Four weeks of me being in chains and slavery has really changed my mindset," Danica chipped in. "I had enough time to reflect on myself. You shouldn't worry about what I'll think. I'm no longer the old Danica. I came here to get water since—"Helia and Rendall glanced at each other. Their faces turned apart and they pulled away from each other."I'm sorry for interrupting.""It's okay," Helia and Rendall replied in unison."I'd help you with the shattered glass. You just recovered and need to rest."Danica smiled at Helia's offer of help. "It would be wrong to trouble you for my mistake. Don't worry. I'd do it myself."As Rendall watched Helia and Danica argue in order not to trouble the other, he smiled in satisfaction. He thought of how his and Danica's disappearance was a blessing in disguise. He was satisfied with how Danica
Brient roared in laughter."Both of you really crack me up," He remarked and continued laughing. "Selene? My mate? Very funny.""She is your mate. You'd regret it if you lose her," Rendall warned and Brient smirked."I'm not like you, Rendall.""You should go after Selene. She's at Ocean Ville. Go to Ocean Ville," Helia said. "You miss her, right? Go to her if you do.""There are much more important things to do, like going to Nyx's house to find clues. This is what we should be talking about.""We can find Nyx ourselves," Rendall assured Brient. "You should not worry too much. Just go to Ocean Ville. You can just pay at least a visit to her.""I'm not doing that," Brient huffed. "The only place I'd be paying a visit to is Nyx's house. We should begin preparing. We will go to Nyx's house in two days.""Go to Ocean Ville. We would go to Nyx's house," Helia persisted."I won't," Brient refused. "Let's forget about Selene and talk about how we would get to Nyx's house.""Now?" Rendall as
Rendall and Helia talked and laughed heartily as they waited for their bus. Brient was seated with them too but he showed no interest in whatever discussion they were having. He just sat quietly and when they both tried to engage him in their conversation, Brient just stared at them without saying a word. After so many fruitless efforts, they gave each other knowing looks, sighed, and continued with their conversation without trying to involve Brient. Since Selene's departure, Brient had not been his usual self. He became aloof contrasting his usual jovial and outgoing former self. Brient had become a shadow of his former self. "Helia," A voice called out and Helia beamed when she saw it was Danica. She waved happily at Danica who smiled at her and walked to them in a haste despite the huge luggage that was with her. "Move away I want to sit with my friend," she said to Rendall, and Rendall's mouth hung agape. "Have you forgotten that I am your childhood friend?" Rendall frowned at
"Are you saying that there is another house under the one you live in?" Rendall asked and the young boy nodded. He glanced at the others and then looked back at the boy. "What about the older man?" "Anytime grandpa comes back from the farm, he always goes into a deep sleep in seconds. Immediately he enters the house from the farm, he slumps on the couch and goes into slumber." "Take us to the house," Brient demanded in a flat tone. "Come along." The boy beckoned them and as he walked toward the backyard of the cottage, they followed suit. They got to the backyard and stopped in front of a heap of grass. The little boy bent down and with his hands, he pushed the grass away, and Danica gasped. The grass was covering a door that lay horizontally on the ground. Rendall took out his key but before he could hand it over to the little boy, the boy had pulled the door open, revealing long, spiral stairs that went way down. He took a few steps down the stairs and looked back at them. Hel
Rendall, Helia, Brient, and Danica were awe-stricken as they got to the base. Shelves with books that were as tall as a skyscraper surrounded the room. There was a section of the shelves that were filled with elixirs, magic potions, and spells."Now this is what can give us clues," Helia said as she looked around.The room they had stepped into wasn't the only room. As they took a tour around the place, they were bedazzled. The place had so many luxurious bedrooms and playrooms."This place is big enough to be a hotel," Brient commented and the rest concurred. They wondered how Nyx was able to stay in the room alone."This must be her workshop," Danica said as they got back to the first room they had entered."It is," Brient affirmed. "This place has her spells." He pointed to a shelf with the label spell."Her spell books, magic portions, all ingredients for making her magic potions, medicines, and even the solution to all of her curses," Brient announced as he pointed to each of the
"Let me see," Helia said and Rendall handed hers over to her. Immediately after, she snatched it from his hand in a hurry, unfolded the paper, and as she did, she stared at the paper in confusion."My paper is blank," Helia announced as she waved it for everyone to see."Mine too," Rendall said."Is this a prank or what?" Danica thundered. "What if, just like this paper, this room she had given the key to is empty of the clues she had promised?""Let me see the paper," Brient said to Rendall and Helia and they both handed their paper over to him."Fading ink," Brient muttered thoughtfully."What are you saying?" Danica asked."Some pieces of information are very confidential. People like Nyx are cautious. She must have used ink that would disappear in seconds when she wrote this. These words can only reappear if the person at the receiving end knows what to do. Whatever you need to make these words reappear must surely be in this room. It might be oil, powder, a special kind of light,
"I was the one who persuaded her to do it," Danica said quickly as she heard Brient's angry voice. "I'm really sorry."Helia's head was bowed to the ground. Today was the first time Brient had raised his voice at her. "Danica, stop trying to take the blame for my misdeed.""Helia," Brient called out in a mellowed voice. Helia raised her head and she saw Brient and Rendall standing in front of her. "I apologize for what I did. I just thought that it'd help if there was an elevator in place of a staircase.""Helia," Brient called her name again, gently. "This is dark magic. You shouldn't toy with it. For every spell you make, there's always something you would have to pay. Nyx's last pay was death. Don't ever make magic potions again. Okay?""Okay," Helia beamed and Brient gave her a pat on the back."I know that Helia shouldn't have used Nyx's spell book but can you imagine, she used it and it worked. She isn't a witch and it worked." Rendall was excited and Danica frowned at his exci
Rendall gripped her by the waist. The plate of cookies she was holding slipped from her hand, the cookies all jumped up from the plate and fell to the ground just like the plate did."Rendall," she called his name gently. He pulled her closer to himself and she gasped coyly."What are you doing?" She asked with a flirtatious smile."What do you think I'm doing?" Rendall's voice was low and husky."I thought you had a mate."Rendall leaned closer to her and placed his mouth on her ears. "I can have many mates.""I hate competition." Danica hissed as the hot breath from Rendall that danced about her ear made her skin burn with hot tingles."What if I make you my number one?""What if you make me the only one?"Immediately, Danica heard footsteps and she pulled away from Rendall fast before whoever was on the way saw them."Don't come near," Danica warned Rendall."Helia," she brightened up as Helia walked into the kitchen."So many cookies," Helia beamed. "You're the best.""How did the
Helia watched in terror as the silver bullets moved toward Rendall. She closed her eyes and without thinking about it, she muttered words. Words which she had seen somewhere but could not place where.Energy radiated from her and immediately, she heard the bullet strike someone. She felt her heart freeze, hoping it was not what she thought. Hoping that whatever she had done had worked.Helia's eyes snapped open and when they did, they moved to Rendall, then to Alpha Janus and they dilated.The son stared at the father and the father stared back. One of them was on their knees, gasping for his last breath."F— father?" Rendall's voice quivered.Alpha Janus' head was bowed in shame."You tried to kill me?" Shock was written all over Rendall's face. He knew that his father was evil and despite the threats, he never really thought that his father could try to kill him."Save me.""I can't. If I could, I still wouldn't. You deserve what has befallen you," Rendall spat disdainfully.Helia s
"Rendall!" Helia called out as soon as she got into Rendall's room. Rendall was seated on his bed with worry etched on his face."Helia?"Rendall got up from his bed. He began to look around and Helia sighed."You can't see me, remember?" "Oh! You're right. You're under an invisibility spell. You were still in my father's room after I had left, right?""Yes.""And you heard Mr. Wilkinson and my father talk about me, right?""Yes.""What did they say?"Rendall's question was followed by a long silence."Your father. He is so—""Evil?""Evil is too weak to describe what he is. No offense, but I'd rather not have a father than have a father like yours.""I know right? So, what did he say?" Rendall asked and he raised an eyebrow as he heard her sigh again."We have to be cautious.""What did my father say?""That he'd kill you if he finds out that you're trying to trick him," Helia said and Rendall chuckled sarcastically."Well, I'm not surprised. He'd do anything for power. Do you hear
"Everything that happened, happened according to how it was fated to. All this happened for one result. The werewolves are getting punished for taking the land of the witches. The werelions are punished for not helping their neighbors." "How do we get out of her punishment?" Helia asked "That's for you both to figure out. You both have the knowledge you need to break the curse of Khron and Wulfe. You have to. It is your destiny to do so." "Since we are destined to save Wulfe and Khron, we'll do so, right?" Rendall asked and Alecto smiled. "We have destinies. We can also choose whether or not we want our destinies. You can choose to save the werewolves and werelions. You can also choose not to save the werewolves and the werelions," Alecto answered with a casual shrug and Helia and Alecto glanced at each other. "We have to take down both my father and Mr. Wilkinson," Rendall said and Helia scoffed. "Like you would really take down your father. You would surely betray us," Helia s
"Do you really have to go? Again?" Damien looked downcasted. "Please, don't leave. Stay a little longer." Helia and Rendall exchanged glances. They both looked sad too. "We have to go. We have a curse to break," Rendall explained and Damien looked up at him with his eyes glossed with tears. Rendall's heart melted at the sight and he took Damien into his arms and hugged him. "Aunt." Damien turned to Helia with his body still glued to that of Rendall. "Please hug me too." Helia opened her arms and Damien gestured for her to come closer instead. "But—" Damien's face fell, interrupting Helia's protest. She waved her hands in surrender and joined them. Rendall froze as her skin touched his. His heart began to flutter and so did Helia's. At that moment, they both realized that the rejection did not work. Damien smiled to himself when he saw them look at each other. He disengaged from the hug and as he did, Rendall and Helia were in each other's arms without Damien acting as a middl
Mr. Wilkinson smirked at Alpha Janus, brought another pair of eye contacts, and gave it to him."What do you think?" Mr. Wilkinson asked when Alpha Janus wore it and Alpha Janus looked at him."How do you use this? Can you hypnotize simply by looking a person in the eye or do you have to do something else?"Mr. Wilkinson raised an eyebrow as soon as he heard Alpha Janus' question and then he grinned. "Why are you trying to move faster than your shadow?"Alpha Janus was thrown off guard by Mr. Wilkinson's question before he quickly put himself together. "I'm just very curious, you know. I'd really love to know.""You seem—" Mr. Wilkinson's voice trailed off and Alpha Janus frowned.‘Just tell me how to freaking use the Gizmo, stupid human,’ Alpha Janus cursed in his mind."Your thoughts matter too. Just think about it while you lock eyes with whoever you want to hypnotize and boom, he or she would be.""We want to hypnotize every were-creature, remember? Would we begin to look everyone
"Werewolves and witches have a history?" Rendall was shocked."A painful one at that. Haven't you heard any folklore concerning it? Or at least a myth? You werewolves are good at telling fake stories anyways just for storytelling's sake."Rendall scoffed and looked back at the book. "Let's check out what is written in it. Do you think it's because of the history that Nyx cursed Wulfe too?""My mother did a great job by cursing the werewolves. I would have done the same," Helia said."Let's just check the book," Rendall said. He was tired of hearing Helia's complaints.She rolled her eyes, removed the book away from his face, and opened it."What's written in it?" Rendall joined her in checking the book and they both turned white as they flapped through the pages. The book was telling a story.It was a story of how the werewolves had forcefully taken the land of witches away from them.A long time ago, werewolves had no particular land. They formed packs that were ruled by an Alpha. A
"Please, don't send us away," Helia pleaded and Damien's grandfather scowled at her."Get out," he growled. "Daughter of a witch. Heaven knows if she's a witch like her mother. These things must exist in the genes. Your mother killed my only son and my daughter-in-law. I have almost nothing left. You probably want to take all I have away from me.""But—""If you don't leave now, I'd make sure I kill you with my own hands," Damien's grandfather threatened. "It will be fair enough anyways. Nyx kic cflled my son and I killed her daughter.""Sir, we—" "You're pushing me," he growled, interrupting Helia again."We're here because we need to break Nyx's curse," Rendall said quickly before he'd get interrupted by the old man."She cursed you?" "Yes, that wicked witch cursed the both of us and our families too," Rendall answered and Helia glared at him for calling her mother wicked."She did?" The old man's hard expression was beginning to melt."And a demon called Janus too. He is also cal
Helia closed her eyes. Her greatest nemesis had caught up with her without her seeing any way of getting out of it. So, Helia stood, expecting an impact.Suddenly, she heard the sound of a bullet striking flesh. Helia froze. She wondered where the bullet had struck. She wondered if she would die anytime soon. Helia placed her middle finger under her nose to know if she was still breathing. She was. She placed her hands on her chest. Her heartbeat was normal."Does death come this slowly?" Helia asked herself and immediately she felt something lift her. She snapped her eyes open and as she did, she screamed.Peering down at her was a blue-eyed white beast. She batted her lashes as it dawned on her that it was Rendall in his wolf form. She was in the arms of Conri, Rendall's wolf."From frying pan to fire," Helia muttered to herself. She looked away from his face to their surroundings and gasped. Lying on the floor were Alpha Janus and his warriors. They looked lifeless and Helia wond
"You're joking, right?" Rendall frowned as he heard Alecto's words."Joking? Should your father killing Alpha Leander surprise you? You of all people know the kind of person your father is.""But he promised me that he would not kill Leander and Ariela told me she did. Why would Ariela tell me she killed Alpha Leander when she did not.""He he. All I know is that your father has a hand in Helia's father's death.""How do you know the things you know? Who are you?""He he! You'd be the first were-creature to ask who I am. The rest assume they know but I can assure you that I'm not what they think I am.""Then, who are you?""You would know how with time," Alecto smirked. "All you have to know now is to go to the human world to Nyx's house.""Nyx's house? But we—""Helia is on her way there," Alecto chipped in and Rendall did not bother to argue again."Did my father really kill hers?" Rendall looked down at his feet and Alecto heaved a sigh."I warned you not to ask me that it'll hurt.