A forced vote.Matthew’s eyes flashed with a thought when he heard his father-in-law’s words.He thought back to the woman sleeping in his quarters, whose hair was slowly going red.“One problem at a time. For now, we should hear what the other families have to say to call for an assembly,” Matthew said with a smile hidden in his eyes.“But who called for one?” Nyx asked and they stepped out to look at the runes in the sky. A glowing symbol floating above.“The Taylor family? Who?” an elder asked.“They are that family rumored to also be of Stoneheart bloodline,” Harold said and everyone had many thoughts in their head.“Things are about to get interesting,” Matthew said with a smile.They all made their way to the white halls.The white halls were a grand gathering place for all the great families. This was considered the seat of power where they all gathered and made the decisions of the ancient land. It was still dark, but the white marble walls still reflected light, almost glow
Preparations.The meeting went on for a while after that. The date for the hunt was set and many things prepared.By the time Matthew returned to his room, the sun had long since risen high in the sky. He found Emerald coming out from the side bathroom, her hair damp and her skin flushed from the heat of her bath.Without a word, he crossed the room and pulled her into a fierce embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he inhaled her comforting scent. Emerald tensed momentarily, surprised by his sudden display of affection, but soon relaxed into his embrace, her arms winding around his broad shoulders. She was sure irritated a lot these days as she was tired, but she was always calmed when she was in Matthew’s arms.They stood like that for several heartbeats, before Matthew finally pulled back, his eyes drinking in every detail of her face as if committing it to memory. Emerald thought that he sure was clingy. But for Matthew, he had only stepped out but it felt like
The Hunt"This hunt is not merely a test of strength or prowess," the elder explained. "It is a rite of passage for some, a chance to evolve for others, but whatever it may be, pure glory awaits those who hunt the best."The wolves howled and cheered at the elder’s words."Within the Ancient Land, there dwells many creatures." The elder continued and silence returned "Massive, fearsome beast that will test not only your physical strength but your mental strength too.Your task is to hunt and bring back the largest game they can find. Bring their essence stored in their hearts."A shiver ran down Emerald's spine at her words but the young wolves seemed undaunted, their eyes alight with a mixture of excitement and determination."The only rule in the hunt is to return alive,” she said solemnly and silence returned.“Some of you will die in the shadow realm. When you step through that door, you stand alone,” the elder concluded, her voice solemn. "I wish you all a great hunt. May the bes
The first Wave of Attacks.With those inside in danger, those outside wolves wasted no time in springing into action. Usually their kind involved the strongest surviving and would not usually help one another. But as it looks, if they look away, they will lose more than half the packs in existence.They surged forward, their powerful forms disappearing through the shimmering portal that led to the Shadow realm. If a person listens closely, they could hear a chorus of snarls and howls erupted from the other side of the shadow realm gate, signaling the commencement of a fierce battle.Inside the shadow realm, it was pure chaos.Towering creatures appeared with a ferocious speed that tore through the werewolves’ defenses. The werewolves fought valiantly, moving with lightning speed, their jaws snapping and claws slashing as they engaged these ancient beings in combat. The Stillwater family came together and led the charge with their imposing figure at the forefront of the fray. "Prot
Retreat As Nyx moved to stand protectively beside Emerald, the witches’ eyes widened in shock, their gazes fixated on the woman. How did she wake up so quickly? They heard she would be out for a few months. They even sent one of their own to place her under a spell so that she sleeps longer. “How has she recovered so quickly?” one of them hissed, their words dripping with suspicion. They had heard that werewolves shared their healing properties with their mates, but they did not think she would recover that easily. What in the devil’s name was going on? Matthew’s form rose, his muscles tensing as a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest. “Did you order the attack on Emerald?” he demanded, his eyes were darker than usual and His bloodlust filled the air. The witches remained silent, their lips pressed into thin lines as they refused to answer his question. Matthew’s anger flared, the dense bloodlust radiating from his powerful form almost choking them. He just attack
A Red Wolf Though the leaders escaped, along with a few others, one by one, the others fell. The forest was stained with the dark hue of blood and smelled of raw flesh when they were done. Some were captured, their limbs bound by glowing restraints woven from a magical tool made specifically to capture witches. Some were captured to be interrogated by Amanda, while other luckier ones died on those forest grounds. As the last of the witches fell, Amanda surveyed the aftermath, her eyes taking in the scene with a lot of satisfaction. “Take them to my torture room,” She handed over the guide for the restraints binding the captured witches, allowing her wolves to drag them forward for interrogation. She was sure that with a little help, their tongues would loosen. When the battle against the witches stopped, Matthew turned his attention to Emerald. He could sense her distress, her heartbeat was pounding so loud it scared him. The shock of witnessing such carnage and violence
A Child’s Promise.“Run, run Emerald” they taunted her, as their voices drew close, Emerald's heart pounded in her chest, she needed to escape her cousins who were chasing her with a whip, she could not let them catch her, gods knew she couldn't survive the terrible things they did to her this time, it wasn't the first time she had suffered at their hands and because she wasn't the favorite granddaughter of the Monquress, her grandmother let it happen.Her breathing was ragged, as she ran further into the forest, she could feel herself becoming weaker with each step she took, a shout of panic escaped her lips as she hit her right toe on a stone and she plummeted to the ground with a loud thud from the corners of her eyes she spotted her eldest cousin with a wicked smirk on his face, trembling she looked for an escape route, but there was none as three other of her cousins had encircled her, she couldn't fight them off she was just a little girl and small gaunt fist couldn't do much da
Finding Her HusbandEmerald, buzzing with a mix of excitement and trepidation, couldn’t wait to share the day’s events with her best friend, Emily. Emily was an investigative journalist who had been her friend since middle school, they had been inseparable ever since despite the fact that they were opposites of each other. She dialed Emily’s number, her fingers tapping anxiously on her bag while waiting at the bus stop.“Emily, I am dead, come and collect my corpse.” Emerald blurted out as soon as Emily answered.“It is not a good time to die, the economy has not been good on coffin prices,” Emily answered.“Can’t you at least worry if the mortuary is too cold for your friend’s body first?” Emerald asked.“Okay, spill the tea, Em, who killed you?”“Mark Hartley and my big mouth joined hands and plotted this murder,” Emerald cried.“ Is this about the big project?” Emily’s voice crackled with curiosity on the other end of the line.“Partly, Mark assumes I’m married and wants my husband