REID:
Hunter spun around the moment we step foot on the premises that we should not have entered. From the corner of my eye, I can see that he has his pistol held out but not pointed at me. And what warranted that? It’s because we were presently surrounded by several men in red who have guns pointed at us.
I look at the ones directly at my front, a dry smile starting to make its way to my lips. Of course, I anticipated this so it was no surprise that they showed up.
They are the warriors of the Red Legion which is where we had planned to come. Known to be deadly and quick in finishing enemies off due to their intense killing routine as training. To get past them would take a miracle, as so I heard. Fortunately, I didn’t come with my men or it would seem like I came here for an attack.
“We come in peace,” I announce loud enough for all of them to hear. My hands are raised high above my head in an act of surrender just so they could get the memo that we are not here for a clash.
“Yet your friend here looks like he is desperate to shoot at us,” a response comes from one of them but I cannot tell who it is due to all of them masking their faces. Pretty sure I would deduce it in no time.
I knew the only problem in coming here would be Hunter. His anger issues could be a problem for me sometimes. “Hunter, can you do away with the gun?” I ask him as I turn my head to the side to look at him.
“Tell them to do the same. Can’t you see we are completely surrounded by men with guns? We could be dead in the blink of an eye if a shooting spree occurs,”
He was right. But I do not want to agree with him so I say, “Just put the gun away,”
Reluctantly, he does so. And then I follow it up by looking at the front so a proper conversation with probably the leader would get us to why we came here.
“Alpha Reid, I believe you are,” the voice that had spoken earlier before says to my surprise.
“How do you know my name?”
“The Elder already told us you were coming,” and then, I notice as one of them takes his hand up to his face and swiftly takes the mask off his face.
Except I was mistaken. It is not a ‘he’. It’s a ‘she’ that I am seeing. Which means it is a ‘she’ that has been speaking to me all along. How is that even possible? The voice has nothing close to a woman’s voice.
Before I could process what is going on, the unmasked female announces, “Follow me,” She does it with a feminine voice which only surprises me more. I will have to believe that it wasn’t her that was talking to me initially. It makes no sense that she can produce two voices at the same time. Makes no sense at all.
The female warrior has already turned around to start leaving. And the warriors do the same. Instantly, without thinking it twice, I tag along because I sure wouldn’t want to be left behind. As for Hunter, he took his time before eventually walking up to my side so we could walk side-by-side.
The path leading into the territory of the supposed Red Legion is clear, so much so that it would be hard to believe that they could take advantage and create a hideout in the shadows. Wonder how much training they had undergone to perfect such.
“Does this feel right to you?” Hunter says in a sort of whisper and I look at him to understand where he is coming from.
“Wasn’t it your idea to come here?” I throw back a question at him.
“But you agreed to it,” he counters.
“And I’m not disputing that,” I tell him. “Look, we need to do this if we are going to understand the situation of the pack. I do not want another occurrence before we decide to take a step in preventing a potential crisis,”
I think that was enough for him to let things be as he does not say any other word to counter our decision of being here. I was reluctant as well before agreeing to this. So reluctant that I thought I was about to make a bad decision. But then I thought of the pack. I thought of the questioning they would place on me when the time comes. And that is why I took the next step in getting the mysterious issue solved once and for all.
The discomfort from the whole thought prompts me to look back. Immediately I come in contact with the number of guns being pointed at my back and it leaves me worried.
“Can you tell your men to put the guns down? It’s freaking me out over here,” I look forward and then request from the female warrior that I would say is the leader of the team.
“Because you are an Alpha does not mean you will be getting any special treatment. We have no idea what or who you truly are, and until we do, you will have to be treated as an intruder,”
And just as she finishes with her statement, there is someone ready to blast her with words — Hunter.
“How dare you talk to him that way? Do you know—”
Before he could say all that he has in mind, I hit him so hard on the arm with my elbow. Pretty sure he would feel it because I put a lot of strength into it.
However, his outburst gets a reaction from the female warrior who turns around. She looks really pissed off at the moment and looking at Hunter, he is prepared to have a go at her. This doesn’t look good.
“What right do you have to talk to me in that manner? Huhn, tell me?” she says in an acidic tone.
“Have you gone insa—”
‘Be quiet, Hunter!’ I yell at my beta but not in a form that anyone else would know of. It is through the telepathic mind-link that we share and that was enough for him to keep it shut. ‘Until we get through what we came here for, it is best if you keep that anger of yours in check. Do not be the reason this goes down the drain!’
“You were saying something, Beta Hunter?” the female warrior taunts, and I can sense how much willpower Hunter is putting in not to talk back at her. After a few seconds, she says, “Yeah that’s what I thought,” and turns around to continue walking.
I briefly stare at Hunter who looks back at me. And with a nod from him, we continue to follow from behind.
If the reason for being here wasn’t important, I would have complained about how long the journey seemed to be. By my calculation, it has been well over twenty minutes since we have been walking with them. And it’s more annoying than frustrating because they do not seem to care about how bad this looks.
I hold in my thoughts all the way, simply hoping that we arrive wherever we are being taken to in no time.
“We are here,” I hear the female warrior announce when the sight of a building comes into sight. And this is not just any building, it is a building with a shape that makes little to no sense in terms of structure.
It looks to have no definite shape with how the structure was formed. Makes it look like something just thought up one idea one morning about a unique but odd structure and decided to use that as the structure of this building. I will not go into details about how badly structured the building is because I cannot even explain the concept.
“So why do you want to see the Elder?” the female warrior asks and I frown because I do not see why she needs to be asking such a question from me.
“Do I have to tell you?” I ask while pondering on why she possibly needs the reason.
She turns around like the way she did the last time when it looked like she was about to clash with Hunter. But I am having none of it. “You do. Because it is with the info that I would know if it is worth the time of the Elder,”
“I owe you no explanation. And just like the way I have accorded you the respect you need, I would request you do the same because I am getting sick of the treatment being bestowed upon my beta and me. This is so uncalled for, especially knowing that it is the first time you will be having us here,” I give out a piece of my mind because she sure needs to know how annoyed I am with her actions.
“Let them in, Diana,” a husky voice catches the attention of all of us. And by looking ahead, we see a man with an aging physical feature standing right in front of the building ahead.
The female warrior gives both Hunter and me a once-over which is as cold as ever but I ignore her and then start to walk through the now open pathway created in the middle by the warriors, accompanied by Hunter.
The old man is surely the Elder that we came here for. The description I am seeing of him now points completely to him and it was soothing enough that he came out here to usher us in himself.
“Thank you, Elder Griffith,” I say when I arrive right in front of the Elder. What he does in response is a brief nod before he turns around.
“Come in,” he says and then starts to walk into the odd-looking building first. A few seconds later, I follow suit.
But just as I am about to get into the building, I could swear that I noticed a movement in the shadows.
REID:As I try to settle in, I notice how the interior of the building is nothing in relation to the structure outside. The edges inside were smooth and not some oddly shaped design with no definite explanation. Feels like a roundhouse inside a square-shaped structure.Where we are now is plain. And when I say plain, it truly is. Nothing of quality to show for it as they seemed to neglect anything that would make the room stand out.I just have to overlook all that as I focus on the Elder who is comfortably seated and looking right ahead of us through those eyes that seem pretty dead. The pupils were not even part of the regulars and if I had any other conviction, I would say he is blind.I’m totally uncertain about what to do. I have no idea if I am to speak first, judging by how the settings around here were. One thing I know now is that I have got some serious explaining to do once my father finds out that I visited the Elder.‘Hunter, should I go ahead and speak?’ I mind-link Hunt
KIRA:“So, Alexia, we are here now,” I say as I take a look around the woods. Won’t lie, being in here is giving me vibes from two days ago when I was on the run away from the warriors of the Night Blaze pack, even though I am not in their territory at the moment.‘You should try using the mind-link just as I’ve taught you. It’s going to be embarrassing if someone catches you talking to yourself,’ Alexia, my newfound spirit wolf, speaks in my head which startles me a bit. I’m still not used to this whole thing about having a living entity in me. Pretty sure it would take me a while even though I have come to accept my new identity.“It’s sort of difficult,” I say as I bend to pick up a stick on the ground.‘Just shut your mind off other things and you will see it would work. Takes quite a lot of practice but in no time you’ll get used to it,’I start to consider what she says. She’s right about it being embarrassing if caught. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m not used to this w
KIRA:Slowly I turn around, mustering enough courage not to reveal my emotions. “Wh– What are you talking about?” I ask.The distance between Bradley and me was a little much now due to walking out on him a few seconds ago. So what he does first is to cover up the distance a little.“I only asked a simple question,” he says, his eyes seeming like they could see through me.“That didn’t seem like a question to me,” I rebuff.“Do you have anything to hide?”Anxiously, I peel my eyes off him for a brief second before looking back at him. “Do I look like I do?”Bradley folds his arms below his chest. “You tell me,”“Well, I don’t. So stop questioning me like I’m doing something wrong,”So I turn around once again to leave. I do not even bother to listen to note if he was on my tail but I am sure he is.He proves he is directly behind me when his voice gets straight to my ears. “You could have just said ‘no’, you know? You didn’t have to be so dramatic about the whole thing,” was what he s
REID:I bend over to take a look at the slimy-looking substance on the pavement. It looked strange and possibly with no viable explanation of what it is by merely looking at it.“You said you saw what it looked like, right?” I say as I stand up to my feet and then turn around. Standing there was Hunter and Ryu, the pack head warrior that had put a link through to me during my visit to the Elder.The statement I made now was directed to him because he had been the one to inform me about the second wipeout of a household in the pack. And that is what I am trying to investigate with him.“Yes,” he responds with a nod.Briefly, I stare at the substance again on the pavement and then back at Ryu. “So what has it got to do with this?”“I think it has a lot to do with this. Because this is the only evidence that something actually happened in here. More like a remain,”“This looks like some kid made a mess of things and not like an evidence that something happened,” I say, proceeding to proc
REID:Ever since I took up the role of Alpha, my father has since moved out of the pack to go establish himself as a lone wolf. Although I won’t necessarily call it that way because the warriors and maidens around him indirectly make up a small territory. And not to forget him being with my mother and sister.The only time I ever get a visit from him is when it involves a serious issue. And I’m certain that is the reason he came around today.My best guess would be it was about the disappearances in the pack. And I hope not to be proved wrong, especially after trying to keep the other thing discreet.“To what do I owe this visit, father?” I ask him as I watch him from across the table separating us in the parlor of the main quarters.I noticed something about his expression despite him looking fascinated with his old territory. He looked distressed. Feels to me like he has been going through a lot. But I would like to doubt that because the man I know hardly has time to put too much o
KIRA:The whole atmosphere feels different now that I’m here. I wasn’t even dreading being here, but I can’t help but observe the oddity of it all. I guess being away from a place for a while changes your view about the place. But mine changes every time I do such a thing.School has always been my least favorite thing. Especially since the time I became intelligent enough to know that there were quite a few other things I could do instead of trying to be educated. Like who the hell thought it was beneficial for young ones to go through school?My dislike for school contributed a lot to my negligence. I just hate being here. Nothing about the environment gave me a feeling of satisfaction. And if it hadn’t been for my father who came back home last night and forced me to school today, I’m sure I would have begun my second consecutive week away from the educational sector. If that even makes sense.I hold on tight to the straps of my bag which I have strapped on my back. This was done a
KIRA:“What is going on?” I whisper to myself as I take a look at my hands that just performed some magic. How did I suddenly become this strong?I do not want to believe what is happening, but looking at the floor and seeing Sophie right there brings me to the realization of things. It really is happening. I just put the mighty Sophie on her butt.Looking around, I see that students like us have gathered around to witness the scene. Instantly spikes up the nervousness in me. I should get away from here this instance before things get out of hand.But before I can make any move, Sophie is up on her feet, looking ready to have another go at me. Although she looks humiliated, the fiery side of her won’t back down.“Sophie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you,” I start to apologize to her because even though I had just done something as magnificent as that, I still am scared about going against her. Who knows if that has happened as a mere fluke?But it seems Sophie is buying none of it
KIRA:“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,”Despite the sudden rush of my heartbeat after hearing Kelvin sound like he knows a secret about me, I manage to conceal my emotions when I talk to him.He still has his gaze on me just like I do on him. But I try not to look into his eyes because the last thing I need now is for him to get the wrong message that I was into him.A smile, and then he looks away. “You are confused,” he says after that.The first thing I try to do is correlate what we are discussing with the likely version of his newest statement. I am confused? Is that what he means by knowing what I am?“I still do not understand,” I have to admit.He taps his fingers on his lap as he takes his time to respond to me. And I have to peel my eyes off him as well because I was getting tired of staring at him like he was the most important being I have ever come across.“Don’t think too much about it. It’s nothing to dwell on,” and I hear him stand up to his feet which prompts
REID:I find Venice in her room about twenty minutes after my father left. Didn't even need to knock to get into the room because she left the door ajar.For a while, I stand at the entrance as I contemplated going over to sit beside her. She looked like she was thinking through a lot of things and I didn't want to meddle. But then I was here for a good cause.I eventually pushed myself to the bedside, taking a seat directly beside her. She doesn't even flinch or reacts to the fact that I've joined her and I stay quiet for a pretty long while until the courage to say something kicks in.“You sure about your decision?” is what I ask her. Trust me, I was not truly fine with speaking yet.She says nothing for such a long time that I thought she was going to ignore me totally. But then she speaks:“Why wouldn't I be?”I find myself nodding as if in understanding. Seems she has made up her mind about the whole thing before even confronting our father.I can't say I was a hundred percent in
REID:“Why don’t you wait? Let me teach you a good lesson!” Hunter yells at the already retreated Diana.He was already up on his feet with the sole aim of going after her but I was quick to get up on my feet as well and then hit him square in the chest, sending him back down on his seat.It was a good thing that I sat this close to him or he would have acted as the dimwit that he always is and go make trouble for himself. I wonder when he is going to learn how to comport himself.“If you dare go after her, I will have your head!” I threaten him with a glare.He does not even look threatened by what I just did as he scowls right in my face and then looks away. It took a lot of willpower for me not to smack him right across the face.I do the right thing by looking away from him. Damn it was exhausting having to control a grown-up. Wonder when he will learn to put himself at bay because I would be sure to do that for him if this goes on like this.I was just about to reprimand him once
REID:“We need to find a solution to your problem. We cannot keep letting you endanger the lives of others in this pack.” I say that with a bit of anger directed toward my beta seated right in front of me.It has been a week since the incident that had me having to put him down again. And for over a week, until yesterday, he was chained down to his bed. You could still see the scars that came with the silver chains used on his wrist. Must have hurt like hell.But I, for one, am not enjoying this. I should not be feeling endangered by the one I call my right-hand man. Literally makes no sense. How can I guarantee the safety of others when one of the problems comes from the one that should be assisting me in leading them?“I’m sorry, Reid,” he starts to say, reflecting soberness. “I wish I have a way of getting through this without putting the lives of others at risk but this is a tough call for me. The fact that I have no idea what is going on with me should be something I consider as
KIRA:I don’t know who suffered more from the attack between Bradley and me. Because we both look terrible at the moment.After the pack warriors had come around during the showdown between Bradley’s wolf and Kelvin’s, they had been able to handle the situation by subduing Kelvin’s wolf. But it took a lot before they were able to get that done even though they had come in their tens.Right after they had accomplished that, they took Bradley and me away from there while carting away with the struggling body of Kelvin who had been in his human form then. He was still not himself.The warriors had taken Bradley and me to the pack hospital which is where we both are now. The pack doctor had tended to our wounds already minutes ago now what we were made to do is rest so we could heal in time. It seems the claws that came with the possessed Kelvin had more than just ordinary swipes because it was taking time for either of us to heal.“That was your friend, wasn't it?” I hear Bradley ask, ta
KIRA:I feel I have lost a lot of blood. I can hardly move my body as I lay on the ground waiting for what fate has in store for me next.I can already hear incoming footsteps which means he is coming for me once more. The thought of it is frightening, especially judging that I have no defense against what is coming against me.When I hear nothing again, it prompts me to force myself to sit up so I can take a look at what is going on. I won’t necessarily say I succeeded in doing that because my elbows were just put up as a support to lift my body upward a little bit.I realize why I hear nothing from him again. This is because he is right now in the process of shifting. He has bent to the ground a little as the transformation starts to take place and in less than two seconds, a different entity was found in place of him which made me more scared than I was of him.His wolf is brown like almost other wolves I have sighted. The only difference is the size. Being that he is just an ordin
KIRA:“It’s the substance,” I say with my gaze still fully fixated on the spot Kelvin has his eyes on. Well, it did not come as a surprise to me because I was already aware of what killed my parents.I stand upright a little while later and look at Kelvin who cannot seem to take his eyes off the thing. And to be honest, it made me wonder if he had fallen into a hypnosis with the way he was acting.“Is this what you think we might find in here? There’s nothing special about this.” I say to him and then walk away from there to go check on something else.Even after a minute or so, I realize that I have not gotten a response from Kelvin which makes me look back at him. And to my surprise, he is still looking down at the substance.It was at that moment I knew something was wrong. How could he still be standing in the same spot since and be staring at the same thing? That was awfully strange.“Kelvin?” I decide to reach out to him by calling his name. But when he does not respond to my ca
KIRA:I’m out here freezing even though I got a pullover on. The weather seemed to have increased drastically in the last two days. And now I am beginning to regret that I agreed to be out here. At least, not by this time of the day.It’s way past noon already. I am certain it has hit the evening clock. But what do I know... I’ve been out here much longer than anticipated already.A few more minutes passed and I agreed that it was not wise being out here anymore. So I turn around intending to leave when I sight the person I’ve been out here waiting for.A frown makes its way to my face when the person’s gaze comes in contact with mine. I cannot believe that I got my time wasted just because of some link. He should have kept to the deal.The first words that leave my lips when he reaches right in front of me are, “You mind-linked me to be here yet you went on to delay me. Who does that?”He seems apologetic when he says, “I’m so sorry. I had to tend to something real quick at home. Did
REID:“What is wrong with him?” Diana, who just approached, asks. I know it is her even though I am not looking at her.I have full focus on Hunter who has already gone down to the ground. His situation has worsened because he now looks red all over. I cannot even place my hands on what triggered him to be this way.I finally respond to Diana’s inquiry. “He is at the point of going berserk.”“Berserk? Is this because of me?” she asks.“Not at all. The Abomination caused this on him. It is a long topic to discuss if I am going to go into the details with you.”I am glad he has not gone wild yet. I think he is fighting the urge to let the whole thing take control of his senses. Because if not, he should have switched already.Diana confirms my thoughts. “Whatever it is that he is fighting against, he is doing a pretty good job holding it off.”I nod. “So I see.”“What are we going to do now?”I look back for a second at Venice who just asked that. She looks all panicky as she stands in
REID:If I said I was not in awe of the activity going on right before my eyes, I would be a terrible liar. Watching the Red Legion train was something I would never hope to see in a million years but here was I witnessing it firsthand.Diana took permission from me this morning to use the training area to train with her men. According to her, it was the only way they could still be on track with their skills.I had agreed but only on the condition that I would be there to witness today’s training. And after today, they could have the training area to themselves whenever they needed to.She had thought it over first before agreeing to it. Not like she had a choice. And that is why I am here to witness the remarkable display of the skills the Red Legion possesses.Their prowess was much unique from what I have ever seen during any form of practice made by warriors. I could not seem to figure out the various forms of techniques they were showcasing. And it should not be much of a surpri