Mark sighed deeply before giving orders to one of the Beta wolves to bring his brother in. Phiri observed how sweaty his forehead was, even though the room was air conditioned. She really wished she could just hold his hand. Mark had been a very good friend to her and she only wished she could be someone he could lean on in this moment.Everyone turned their attention as the double doors swung open and led by Greg, Richard made his way into the room.Calvin lifted his gaze and watched the man they were all expecting to see, stroll in confidently.He noted that Richard had an air of authority about him. Unlike his brother, he exuded the aura of a real alpha male who’d seen things in his life. He was handsome and his gait portrayed confidence in a way that spoke not only of strength but also of experience. His brown hair was parted on the side in a way that looked intentional and styled to accentuate his facial structure even more than usual. He was a personification of good looks and
Richard had to think fast. As much as he hated this Alpha, he didn't want to be viewed as the enemy. Since thirteen years with John Hayford didn't get him what he wanted, he figured that he could get the Pentagon to help him instead. He had waited for too long and he wasn't getting any younger. He wasn't going to wait for his mate until he was old. A mating ritual had to be carried out and since John Hayford had refused to do it, the Pentagon was going to. Richard tried not to the smirk at the brilliant idea that just popped up in his head. As much as he didn't want Charlene to ever hate him, he had to do this to get her to be with him. It was the only way, he thought. "You ask where I've been and why I left my people" he began to say. "I deeply apologize that I was not able to return since all these years.""And why's that?" Calvin demanded to know. "You see, I was being held captive by the zealots" Richard lied and almost everyone in the room gasped in shock at the news. Richar
Everyone was surprised by Richard's request. Considering how he had been talking, they had expected him to ask for his alpha position back or maybe something of value. Asking for a mating ceremony to be held for him was unexpected. Like everyone else, Calvin was thinking in the same direction. He wondered why Richard was asking for a ceremony. The man was old enough to be mated. Did he really need the permission of the grand alpha?"I'm not sure what it is you're asking for, Richard" Calvin confessed, sliding his hands in his pockets and staring at the man full in the face. "What exactly are you asking for?" The grand alpha asked. "Are you asking for my permission or my blessings?""I'm asking you to give me your word that the ritual would be carried out" Richard answered. "You do know that a ceremony can only be held between mated wolves, right?" Mark asked his brother. "You cannot have a ceremony with a random...""She is my mate" Richard said with utmost certainty. "Then I don'
Calvin needed to know more but he didn't want to discuss anything about John Hayford in the presence of all this people, neither could he privately have a word with Richard. The Pentagon knew about his relationship with Charlene and that only complicated things further.They probably thought he was now unfit to be Grand Alpha. The Zealots had been a threat to the werewolf race and they had killed so many. To think that his girlfriend's family was the real enemy made him question his sense of judgement. Had he been wrong about Charlene?Calvin knew that he had to do something about all of this because there were so many eyes on him, too many. It was bad enough that most werewolves didn't trust him yet. What would they say once they found out about this?"Let's go" Calvin told the Pentagon members but they didn't look that they were ready to leave yet. None of them moved an inch and the alpha wolf felt disrespected. "Before we leave, I want to ask Richard one question" Lucille spoke up
On the way back to the Rex building, Mark stared at the beautiful setting sun. A warm breeze drifted through the car's open windows as it passed him by. The air was still and peaceful, but his mind, like a turbulent sea, was a jumble of emotions. His brother's words kept echoing in his head and he just couldn't shake off the bad feeling that it was accompanied by. "I know what you did for me throughout the years" Richard had said. "I am grateful for a brother like you."Mark knew exactly what his brother meant and now that he was finally able to connect the dots, he wished he could undo those things Richard had thanked him for. All these years, Mark knew that his brother was not dead. He remembered receiving a letter from Richard just a few months after he disappeared. It was a signed handwritten letter and Mark just knew that Richard had written it. In that letter, Richard had assured him that he was fine. He had mentioned that he just needed to get away for some time. Richard h
Watching the crescent moon as it adorned the endless dark sky was hypnotic for Roman and he did this every night. He would stand on the balcony whenever the moon appeared and admire it, while letting his mind travel. The moon was a beautiful sight, and he couldn't help but take the time to appreciate it as well as its symbolism to what he truly was.Though he has continued to feel this emptiness from the fact that a huge part of him was missing, he often comforted himself with the hope of getting it back someday. As cold night air nipped at his exposed skin, Roman began to think about Ivy and just the thought of her caused the sides of his lips to lift up in a smile. He remembered how he had suffered from a cold the first week of his stay with her. He remembered the panicked look on her face and how much she had complained about knowing nothing about how to care for a sick person. She had covered him up with blankets and as a last resort, she held him, hoping that the warmth of her
It was way past midnight but members of the Pentagon were still in the conference room, trying to come up with the best plan that would take down the zealots. It had been a long day and they were very tired, but they had a duty to their race and that was enough to keep them awake. Calvin hated being a part of this. Never would he have imagined scheming to destroy Charlene's family. He didn't want to do this, but being the grand alpha, he had more sense of duty than the others. For the umpteenth time, Calvin's phone vibrated, indicating that a call was coming in. He already knew who it was so he didn't bother taking a look at the phone which was right in front of him.The Pentagon members knew how hard this was for Calvin, and they wished Charlene was not involved in any of this. They knew that she was the one calling and they thought that their grand alpha made the right choice of ignoring her calls. "Don't mind the calls", Calvin said before finally switching the phone off. "Pleas
"But that's not possible" Lucille argued after Calvin told them all he had seen from Roman's memories. "Roman was able to give up his wolf. That's how I was able to have it, right?" Calvin asked.From what he had seen from Roman's memories, he was able to conclude that the former grand alpha didn't actually kill Adolphus. All Roman did was remove the man's wolf from his body, separating Adolphus from his wolf side. But now that Calvin had shared this knowledge with members of the Pentagon, they didn't think something like that was possible."No one knew that Roman was capable of separating himself from his wolf until the day he was killed" Rufus explained. "He gave up his wolf to save it, but that ability is not a werewolf feature.""I don't understand" Calvin said as he adjusted on the bed. "It wasn't a problem when Roman did it to himself when he was dying, but it's a problem that he did it to Adolphus?""We believed that Roman could give up his wolf because he was the strongest o
The struggling sounds ceased when Ivy got to the entrance of the building. She touched her back to feel her injury, but it was not completely healed. She knew she had to be careful as the wound made her vulnerable. She could go into shock if she bled anymore so she threaded carefully.Inside the building, Ivy gasped when she saw Adolphus's head detached from his body. She didn't know how to feel about what she was seeing. Adolphus, leader of the zealots and the origin of everyone's problems was finally dead. She quickly turned her head when she heard heavy breathing coming from the opposite direction. When she saw that it was Roman, she quickly ran to him and held him in her arms.She looked him over and saw that he was seriously wounded. Ivy figured that it was Roman that had killed Adolphus. Way to go, she thought proudly. He didn't use to be grand alpha for nothing."Shh. Shh. Shh", she whispered when he tried to say something. She wanted to encourage him by telling him that he wo
As the coven of witches storms the premises, the atmosphere crackles with tension. The werewolves, sensing danger, prepare to defend themselves. Knowing that werewolves draw their strength from the moon, the witches draw clouds over it, hiding it's light.Diana had given the witches an explicit order before this night. They were to invade the premises and put an end to the werewolf race if anything were to happen to her. The women of the coven sensed that their leader was already dead and so, they planned on carrying out her order.The moon, hidden behind dark clouds, casts an eerie shadow over the grounds, adding to the already intense atmosphere."They're here", Phiri mutters as she rises to her feet. Even Adolphus and Roman were now looking in the direction of the gates, while Calvin was more concerned about Ivy. She was still unconscious so he couldn't care less about the presence of witches.The witches, adorned in their mystical cloaks and wielding powerful spells immediately la
Calvin still didn't understand all the screaming and running that was going on around him. He also didn't realize that Diana had just saved his life and was even killed in the process.He had just taken his hand off Ivy's back because it felt wet and when he looked at it, he saw blood. He looked at Ivy and saw that she was unconscious. He shook her gently but he got no response.Calvin called out her name in a whisper, but she still move. He wished her eyelids would just move or even a low moan would have sufficed, but he got nothing.Ivy's unresponsiveness made Calvin panic. He knew that she was still alive but it wouldn't remain that way if she continued losing so much blood. And the fact that he didn't know what to do in order to save her made him feel useless."Help", he wanted to scream, but the words got stuck in his throat. He only breathe a sigh of relief when Lucille and Phiri came to him, both kneeling by his side."Please save her", he pleaded. He was literally begging but
Ivy wasn't sure who the target of Calvin wrath was. There was Roman, who was standing in front of him, acting like a live shield for the second possible target, Diana. The witch was definitely in Calvin's bad books. Irrespective of anything, Ivy didn't want either of the targets to get hurt. While she considered Diana to be the closest thing she had to a mother, there was also Roman who she had shared her first friendhip with. Though he obviously wasn't himself, she still didn't want anything to happen to him.Therefore, she tried to reach out to Calvin's mind again. She really wished that it would work this time, but it didn't. It felt like he had shut the doors to his mind and reasoning that even she couldn't get through."I think we have to evacuate", Ivy heard Lucille whisper. "Because we really don't know how dangerous one attack from him would be."Ivy looked around at all the people. Many of them had shifted into wolves as they could perceive the danger lurking with the formi
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the quiet city. From where he was, suspended up in the air, Calvin looked down to the werewolves. He saw them as ferocious beasts which the world no longer needed. But then, there was another side of him that was like a soothing voice whispering in his head. It made him feel like he was one of them. One of the werewolves.For hours, Calvin had battled to maintain his sanity, but he could feel himself slowly losing it. His wolf was trying to accommodate his retrieved powers, but it was too much. Since it proved impossible, the alpha wolf was fighting the sorcery and it just felt like an internal battle.Being a wizard, Calvin was a master of arcane arts and he had dedicated the early years of his life to mastering the powers of magic which he possessed. However, even as powerful as he was, he could not bring himself to connect his powers with his wolf side.Why he was up in the sky, Calvin didn't know. He was unaware of w
Charlene's heart skipped a beat when she saw the Pentagon members. She was even more terrified when she locked eyes with Richard's brother, Mark. He obviously still bore a grudge against her for killing his brother and she instinctively drew back."Ivy" Lucille called, ignoring the presence of the Hayfords. "What happened? We've been waiting for you and Calvin.""He got his powers back. The tree died and he just lost control", Ivy explained. "He doesn't seem to recognize him and he was just roaming the forest all day."While Charlene was trying to make sense of what Ivy had just said, her brother snuck back into the premises to report the Pentagon's arrival to his father. "So that's what happened?" Rufus asked rhetorically as he looked up. "What could he be planning up there?""The question should be how do we get him down here?" Mark said as he looked away from Charlene and up into the sky. Phiri was quiet as she looked from Ivy to Charlene. The latter was supposed to be the succee
"There you are".Ivy slowly came out of hiding when Charlene called out to her. If she were to have it her way, she would have preferred to stay out of Charlene's way. With everything she had been through that day, she didn't have time for this drama.Ivy had been keeping an eye on Calvin ever since he regained his powers. Apparently, things had not turned out the way anybody would have expected. It all spiraled out of control and she was here make sure Calvin didn't hurt anybody.Just hours ago, when Calvin regained his powers, she had tried to talk to him but he had stared at her in a very strange way. She had searched his eyes, but there was no recognition of any sort. It appeared that he had been possessed by something. Everything about him felt different. His eyes, his gaze, his aura... It was all different but Ivy just couldn't describe it. All she knew was that something wasn't right with him.Calvin wasn't himself anymore but even at that, she had tried to get through to him
"I saw a vision this afternoon".Adrian turned to his sister with a curious gaze. They were still outside the Rex building and he wondered if she was sleep talking as she stared at her feet as she spoke. "Stop looking at me like that", she said and then sat up. "Well, I was checking to see if you were sleep talking", her brother responded. "I only did that when I was child", Charlene said with scoff. "I've outgrown that.""Okay. So how could you have had a vision when you havn't gotten any sleep?""I don't know", she answered with a shrug. "It just came to me. It wasn't a reality, so I just concluded that it was a vision.""Was it a good a one?" Adrian asked her. "The vision. What was it about?""In the vision, I saw..."Adrian turned to his sister when she remained silent for too long. She was staring up into dark sky, so he raised his head too, towards the big white moon. "I saw that", Charlene muttered. "What?" Adrian asked, turning to face her and then followed her line of si
The Pentagon members exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the phone screen. They had been following everything that was happening in front of the Rex building."Roman is making us look bad", Mark said. "He's lying to the people.""He's obviously not himself", Phiri said. "I think the witch has somehow manipulated him.""This is not good", Lucille added. "If they succeed in brainwashing everyone, then it's over.""Where is Calvin for heaven's sake?" Rufus growled. "It's been almost twenty four hours. We cannot do much on our own.""Patience", Phiri said with a sigh. "He'll come.""He'd better hurry up" Rufus said under his breath. *******Right outside the Rex building, Adolphus's children and his men stood on guard, mounting every corner of the place, fully prepared for every surprise.As expected, military vehicles soon arrived at the scene, demanding to know what was going on at such late hours. The zealots had their orders. They were to prevent any kind of int