Chapter 23The witch had to be joking; Sebastian wondered why Mara would have to die on earth if he did not bring her to the witch's place. He already knew that getting her to the site would be a lot of danger and trouble in the sense that she was no werewolf and had not the strength and speed they had. Mara would be a drag on their journey as she would delay and cause them to lose a lot of time. That was not even as dangerous as what would happen if they happened to run into Grimshaw or any of his cronies. He did not have a whole pack yet and might not stand a chance at Grimshaw's army. The previous night had worked in his favor by sheer luck and an element of surprise. Those soldiers had been shocked at encountering the berserker himself and were indeed not prepared for what had come to them. That was nothing like now; he had known her to be his mate. She was his weakness and downfall; she could even cost his life this time. It was dangerous, and he needed an alternative to this
It and at this point that Gwen stepped in. She had been watching all along and probably thought things were beginning to get well heated between the two. She called out to Grimshaw in that lovely voice, and the latter answered her by showering praises on her beauty. He told her that he had also brought her gifts and nodded to one of his men that stepped forward bearing a small chest. He opened it before her and cooed with teenage delight that got Sebastian angry. It made him feel stupid, but he knew well enough she was playing along to protect everyone from whatever angry thoughts were cooking up in their various minds. She began that she had not been expecting Grimshaw, but now he was there, she could see him. Turning to Sebastian, she reminded him they were done, and he may leave. Sebastian nodded but not without one final glance at Grimshaw. When he looked, the older wolf was staring right at him as if to say he was coming next for him. Perhaps he felt he had let him live quite
Getting back to the castle late that night, Sebastian knew she must have gone to bed already. As they approached, Gemma and the others stood guard at strategic points. He caught their scent and called out to them that he was the one approaching least there be something that happened to lead to a surprise attack. It had not been easy for them to run through the night until dusk. It was quiet after 3 am, and one would say it was morning already. Sebastian entered as the trio emerged from their hiding places, approaching him. They had been waiting all along and worried that something had happened to him. Sebastian reassured them that he was alright while his companions started speaking about how they had survived the valley of death with him. The others could not believe it, but when they saw how composed he was and as he did not deny it, it was obvious that the two were telling the truth. Sebastian did not want to see those eyes staring back at him; he wanted very much to see Mara an
Getting to his study, which was dark now, Sebastian went to his seat and asked her to sit before him. They were going in for a long talk, and it was best she gets herself comfortable before anything else. The young girl nodded and sat opposite him with a shy smile. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but in their discussion, she would adjust. She kept fiddling with her fingers and would try and listen from time to time in the air like she was hearing something from afar, which was weird. Sebastian asked how she had been faring since the previous night, and Maria said she was okay. Gemma had already begun training her for combat and training her on using her ears. That was a good call, and Sebastian was impressed at how everyone was doing. It made him feel like he already had the army he needed to face Grimshaw, and the remaining bit was for him to get himself ready to make a challenge. The youngling was doing relatively okay, which worked perfectly well for him. He then proceeded
The voices around him started on little bits, and then they faded away. Caelum had successfully blacked out again. For days since he had been shot, he was yet to open his eyes, spreading anxiety everywhere. Right now, he had come to once again but this time all he heard was someone muttering a prayer beside him to the gods that he do not die. She kept swearing how she had not known he was human when she shot, and he felt he understood her plight well enough. She was probably out hunting animals when she heard him approach and shoot at him, but something was also really fishy. Caelum could feel the tenderness in her voice and how soft it was that he wanted to open his eyes and see who it was beside him. Slowly, he tried forcing his eyelids open, but they felt heavy, making him struggle to get them open for a long time. He needed to see, or perhaps he was by chance dead already, and only a figment of his imagination thought a woman was beside him. Caelum kept trying, and then final
However, Abby, too, was feeling awkward from the moment he opened his eyes to stare into hers. Usually, she was never one to fall for anyone or feel anything for anyone. She had been a hard woman since the werewolves killed her parents when she was only eighteen. Their family was that of a whole hunter's lineage. They sought out werewolves and killed them as which was known as purging. The creatures were considered evil and a menace to humanity by their ancestors. This practice had been in their lineage for a period so long that they lost questioning abilities. They were just groomed to carry on the family's legacy from when they turned sixteen. Yes, it was the same age as the werewolves' first transformation, and there was a funny reason for that. Every batch of sixteen-year-olds was initiated at the first full moon because for every werewolf made; there would be hunters to accompany it. During their sixteenth birthday initiation, it was never really easy as they passed through an eq
"You are much stronger now," she said to him."I guess I am," he said casually as the gentle breeze brushed across them and scattered her hair, making her look like a goddess when she tried taking it away from her face."Then you would have to leave soon," she said"Leave? Why would I leave?" Caelum asked her"Because you are not one of us. You do not belong here," she said"And what if I want in?" he asked"You cannot. You are just..." she began."A human. Same as you." he helped her complete her words"Not our kind of human. You have no idea what we deal with," she said and started throwing arrows to the ground before her so she could use them to practice her aim. Abby had this special bond with arrows and would take most of her training time on bettering her already perfect aim. She always hit the bull's eye, but these days, her target was always the arrows already at the bull's eye."What is so different about your kind of human? You bleed as I do and eat the same way, after all,
Caelum looked at her confused obviously but he took it however without questions as his determination at the moment strived above all the questions he might ever have. His hands were quite unsettled but as he nocked the arrow obviously nervous and the fact he had never used a bow like this one before. She came to stand behind him and asked him to steady up. When he tried positioning his arms, she showed him how to so he does not get hurt by the very rage of the arrow he might intend for his enemy. Following her instructions, Caelum positioned his arms and steadied his aim looking serious as he did so. He was scared and worried about his family. She then spoke behind him on if he was waiting for his enemy to strike the very first blow before he let's go of the arrow. Caelum instantly began to regain his focus and composure. He recalled the happy smiles of his family especially of Mara who he was not even able to see her body. The gods alone knows what those barbarians must have done to
His piercing scream and then the impact on her body from the way the old alpha had slammed herreached into her depths. Mara had never been more pained and even now, she had forgotten how toturn for a moment into her human form. Her baby was all that mattered to her and then she got over itand let it free. She had returned back to her human for, bare and all. The minute she opened her eyes, two things happen simultaneously. Grimshaw pulled a dagger andthen held it close to her stomach area just as she saw Sebastian in the action of trying to make it over. “Now you stop there boy or I would be sending her and your baby to hell.” He said “Baby?” Sebastian asked caught dead in his tracks Yes baby. Continue wizard.” Grimshaw said to the wizard whom yet again had been distracted. Sebastian must not have believed his ears when he closed his eyes and listened. He could hear it finallythrough the noise, the steady tiny beating heart of the child within her. He could not believe his ea
He pulled her along quickly taking the shorter route to the stone altar he already had in preparation fortheir rites. The wizard was there and Grimshaw had never been more excited over his plans ahead andof time of making the wizard key into all his plans with Alexa the late sorceress. The breach of his wallshad seriously extended to where they were and it was only a matter of time before they get closer andget to him. But not for long, he was going to make certain he beats them to it. He had some of his menstand guard around the place as he pulled Mara along. He was not going to waste anymore time.“You may begin.” He said to the wizard“Yes my lord. Everything is nearly prepared but we might still be needing the one inhabited by life.” Thewizard said.Grimshaw caught Mara smirking but he had a surprise for her.“Oh she is the one inhabited by light.” He said“But I thought Alexa…” the confused wizard said“Alexa was gullible and let a little girl play a fast one on her. But su
She has been unnecessarily frustrating since he took her to see Zyair and abruptly refused eating until hefrees the boy. Grimshaw also knew within that the knowledge that her own mother had put him onpermanent protection was something way more challenging for her. He felt really proud but morehappy about the fact that her powers were actually awakening. It was a go go for him actually as he hadbeen waiting patiently to be able to harness her powers. But since what happened with his men theother day, Grimshaw suspected that something was off with her and her powers. The sorceress hadAlexa had said that it was a force field of death that she wielded based on what Mara had told her buthe could point out loopholes around those words. He knew he had to revisit that issue himself and seefor himself to make certain that her powers were what they seemed. He had asked that his men looksaround and finds the sorceress text but it would turn out that it had disappeared miraculously.Grim
They had been trying hard at keeping their ranks for sometime now as they had been really busy with the enemies. It was really tough as Sebastian had not been to war in a long but luckily for him, he had the experience and the true qualities of a leader. More and more had been falling into his ranks and aligning with his troops as everyone seemed to be calling for an end to Grimshaw’s reign. There were leaders around him both young ones and older ones to advise him and brush up his strategies. They were not so much but they were doing really well at holding out on the enemies. They fact that theywere short numbered was a cause for alarm as this was war and not a fairytale. It would only be a couple of moments and then the enemies would see through the hidden loopholes in their formation and then it would be their turn to start suffering the ills of war. That was just what Sebastian had been fighting tooth and nail to avoid. He could not loose this war. Not with the glimmer of hope h
Three days since he sent out his men, he still was not getting any responses from the battlefield. He last heard that they were engaging each other already at a place not so far from his castle, and now he heard nothing more. Grimshaw had sent three ravens out already. Two to the light claw pack and one to his general out at the war front, but neither had responded. The panic of not knowing was killing him; all he wanted now was reassurance from the general that his men were doing well, followed by a backup from the light claw pack.Apparently, it would seem like the old pack wanted nothing to do with or assist him. Grimshaw was not short of surprises as he knew well enough that all this had everything and more to do with the distraction he had received the other night of the banquet.The heavens knew what his son and Mara had voiced to the alpha. He had been told that they met with the man away from the banquet table, and although they tried to make it seem like a tour of the sorts o
“You should stop pressurizing him about these things, Max. It is not his problem.” Artemia said to her brother.“So you think,” Maxwell said.“So I know.” She said to him, firing up.Maxwell had been at the top of his beefing with his father again; this time, he was not buying his cowardice. He could not understand why the old man was acting the way he had been, even after the young woman had affirmed that she was being married against her will to this old wolf that seemed tohave been brewing all the troubles in the entire werewolf history.Maxwell had never liked Grimshaw, not even as a child, and many times when his father would meet secretly with this man; he always felt uncomfortable about it all. His father had not sent troops to help when the first war had happened, and as a child, he had not understood the reason why but this time, he was already beginning to think about it having relations with Grimshaw.All these years, they had been living in the wild and away from everyone
"Well, good morning to you, my hubby dad," Mara said as she entered the dining room, smiling ear to earwith so much amusement, especially at his face. Someone else was seated a little too early on the table, and he snorted laughter that had him choking on the drumstick he was biting down on."That serves you right, boy, for not waiting," Grimshaw growled as he observed Mara come to sit at her place."Are you alright?" she asked Zyair, who just drank from his cup and nodded. Mara then turned to Grimshaw, who was glaring at her. There certainly was a part of him that wished she had nothing to offer him so he could snap her neck, but he could not now, could he? He needed her alive so his plans could mature into reality. Grimshaw then furrowed his brow even more profoundly as he glared."You know, girl, I would rather the other bit of our relationship be kept secret." He glared at her"I do not understand. But that's what we are, right? And sometimes one could get confused with identitie
"Are you sure you want to do this and trust those treacherous humans again as our ancestors once did, brother?" Silas asked him for the third time, but this was at the boundary of Blackwell.The past few days, or dare we assume the week, have been the most hectic as they had been up and busy with the re-establishment of Blackwell, and there have been a lot of changes. Successfully a few daysafter the barrier had fallen, they had completed the sealing around Blackwell entirely. It was far more than what little Sebastian had thought they would achieve. It would seem the hands of fate had played them with way better plans than they had ever dreamt of as it was walled a little higher. Even more exciting was the line of persons, wolves in particular, that lined outside the new gates of Blackwell to surrender themselves to the new dawn and hope which was in the person of Sebastian. A lot had been happening these few days, but also enough to remind them that there was no longer time for so
Mara stood there as the maids attended to her with sadness in her eyes.She could not believe that this was happening despite the discovery. She looked grim as they put the gown on her, as she stared back at the mirror.Here has a damsel in distress that perhaps her powers alone would not save her from her impending fate.After the last altercation with Grimshaw, he had come to her room afterward and spoken to her.Mara then went to bed and did receive a confirmation of the fact that Grimshaw was her father. In fact, from what she had seen, he had known from the moment of her turning and yet had decided to keep it safely away from her while she wallowed in his desperation to marry her. He had come and put her in the tightest of corners when he warned her of the fate of Sebastian. He had sent a spread of words about her, and he also had more news.Two days ago, he learned that Blackwell castle had been again found. The barrier had already been lifted.Hence he could easily make an atta