I know this chapter is a lot! And there isn't much of Cayden and Isla, but it's an important chapter in the development of the story’s plot. I hope you all understand Isla’s curse, and how and why it happens. The following chapters will contain more Isla and Cayden!!!
{Isla’s POV} So I might have chatted with a Witch for a whole evening. But since we had been in a Meeting Hall, I might as well call it a meeting. In fact, it should be called a meeting, with or without a meeting hall, because the contents of our dialogue were weighty enough to be tagged ‘important’. Finally, I understood the severity of the situation I had gotten myself into. You would think that being Cursed is the worst that can happen to you until you’re told that your deliverer was the same person that caused you to be cursed in the first place. Fate is really playing games with me. I know I had once played a similar game, but I’m done. I don’t want to play reckless games anymore. The Ugly Old Witch had said getting with Cayden would fix everything and I had replied to her with 15 words. “I would prefer to die of this torment than to get back with that Monster.” Count it. It’s fifteen words, and I meant every single one of them. Getting back with Cayden would be a to
{Isla’s POV} I took my time turning around to meet him. I already knew who I was expected to see. “What did you say?” I asked as my eyes met his. He didn’t spare a second of silence. “I said, I think it would be better if we took the North paths. We can catch up to the Rogues faster.” He said, his tone cold. He wasn’t scared of me and he wanted me to know it. Well, I didn’t want him to fear me. I just wanted him to stay the fuck away from me, but it seems that hope is already tarnished. Sigh. “General Cayden. I believe I didn’t ask you for your suggestion or contribution to the mapping schemes for this mission. So I’ll advise you, for future sake, to keep your mouth shut and focus on following my orders.” I dumbed the words on him and continued to the supplies table, leaving him there standing. I didn’t want to get too angry. Intense emotions, the Witch had warned, could get my tantrums fired up. I hissed at his guts as I packed up my bag. There were chips and cracker snacks
{Isla’s POV} Would I be required to sleep next to him too? No. Hell, no! The Witch lady had only said he should lay a touch on me anytime I was about to create chaos. Which happens anytime I think too intensely about the Mating moon night or feel any strong emotion. Which can’t practically happen while I’m asleep. So… I don’t need to be near Cayden to sleep. Phew. That realization gave me a breather. I’d rather end my own life than sleep near that Wretch. I’ll never be— Okay, this is no time for loathsome confessions. I need to sleep. I took out, unfolded, and spread my sleeping bag on the buffalo grass beneath my feet. The atmosphere was cold and windy now but some Warriors had set a campfire near my axis so that it took the temperature to equilibrium. Cozy equilibrium. I looked around. It was dark now but there were two other Campfires at some other strategic points and I was at the heart of everything. The warriors had naturally set up camp around me. It was their
{Isla’s POV} The Wind was taunting but the air was tense. Everyone was on high alert, staring in the direction of the rustling, ready to scrag anything or anyone that would stumble out. Yes, we might have just been set up for an ambush but it didn’t mean we would let fear consume us. But fear was consuming me in a way. This was my first mission and It couldn’t go badly. I needed to prove to my Dad that I could lead my people to victory and yet, here we are. We took our battle stance boldly and awaited the doom or victory that was about to come. The bushes rustled roughly again and whether I liked it or not, whether I was scared or not, I needed to make the first move. I needed to be the leader I was supposed to be. I paced towards the area and gestured three other Werewolves to inch towards the second area. With the noise, it didn’t seem like our attackers had numbers. Maybe they were spies and this wasn’t an ambush. But there was only one way to find out. My claws were cu
{Isla’s POV} It was tickling and gentle. It took its time to wet my clothes and bathe my hands with its warmth. My Blood! I wasn’t certain of the instance as any pain I was supposed to feel was lost in the shouts of the people around me. It was lost in my confusion. One second, a child was smiling at me and the next second, red. I was sure a part of me had been punctured but it hadn’t fully registered to me. I felt numerous hands tie onto my throat with haste and almost immediately, I was taking from being vertically oriented to being horizontal. I was placed on the ground. Several faces dug into my field of view blocking my perfect view of the sky. I could visibly tell that those faces were screaming out words as their mouths and lips were bouncing roughly up and down, but I couldn’t focus my ears on perceiving. It felt like my ears were covered with bubbles. The faces continued shouting their inaudible words however and they started wrapping my body with clothes— maybe my n
{Isla’s POV} Blood was still spilling from the body whose head I literally just squeezed to a snap and everyone was still staring at me, staring at me and the evidence of my brutality. None of them expected me to be this savage. I didn’t too. I couldn’t understand what had come over me, what had possessed me, ‘cause I knew I wasn’t going to snap off her neck. But I did. Cayden was still standing before me so by default, my eyes were still on him, and slowly I watched his hint of surprise melt into a sharp smirk. Why was he smirking? He answered my mental question. “Looks like you’re not as weak as I thought.” He said, still housing the smirk. He was praising me? For acting beastly? I motioned to reply to him but I reminded myself of the prominent issue at hand. I swiveled to face the warriors. “Everyone, settle and rest for the evening. Our search continues at dawn. All Generals, follow me.” I voiced and started towards a corner where the bushes seemed thicker. Will it be w
{Isla’s POV} So there was Huut, Ezekiel, Damien, James, Jack, Charles, Brian and… What’s the last one again? Fuebol. I’m talking about the Generals. Those are their names, according to General Raand. I finally know all of their names in my head— I’m rocking this princess thing. It’s just ten eight names, Isla. We were on our way to meet the “Praised Brothers”. The Rogues had willingly agreed to take us to their Rogue base, where all the Rogues were. Something about that scares me. But we were prepared nonetheless. Most of our injured warriors had healed and we had only lost three men, so we were still a force to be feared. I hope. We were marching through another route now. The Rogues had taken us off our map course as they led us through a much different path. Their hands were tied with thick ropes and they were made to pace before us. But they weren’t pacing. They were almost jugging and it made it seem like they couldn’t wait for us to meet their people. Like they were
{Isla’s POV} So, three problems! Problems that could put us on the other end of Victory if we weren’t careful. Everyone was waiting for me now. Waiting for me to order the attack on the enemies we so desperately abhorred. I scanned the area. It was more coordinated than I expected a Rogue camp to be. I mean, these guys were lawless malefactors who didn’t fancy societal dictations. Yet, here they were acting civil. Something about everything wasn’t right— I inched my gaze to a side and saw some Rogues smoking in a tent and two others smashing at a corner. Rogue behavior. —Or maybe I’m just overreacting. I gestured for the numbers on my left to make a small arc around the camp and told the ones on my right to do the same. It was time to surprise them. Once we were in position, I instructed that we begin sneaking through the grasses. Everything Combat classes had taught me, everything my Dad had imbibed in me, guided my every action as I led our army into the enemies' keep. The