Alpha Romulo decided to take action and ordered his pack to arrest the witch. However, Aiden and I, spoke out against his idea, hoping to persuade him to give Adelaide a chance. "What do you think you're doing, huh, Penelope and Aiden?" Alpha Romulo blurted. Good thing all of us were surrounded by this weird aura, causing us to move freely. Or maybe we can move but it is our worries and fears that preceded us to do it. Even my wolf hesitated to move, thinking that the aura that surrounded the witch might hurt me. "We're so sorry, Alpha Romulo, but we are simply trying to avoid this to happen." Aiden mustered the courage to let out those words. As far as I could remember, Aiden was not like his brother. Aiden always depends on Ethan. This time, he acted something that I could not deny and I am proud of him. He was once a coward. But right now, he just breaks it. "I know disobeying your decision might put us into trouble. You can chase me out of the pack. Then
"No, I should have done that sooner. My werewolf instinct is telling me something was off, but I did not listen to it. I need valid proof why I should believe you and Aiden." Ethan said. "Anyway, I will be assisting Aiden back to his place and you, Clark, can you send Penelope to her place?" Clark glanced at Ethan straight into his eyes and then smiled. "It will be my honor, Ethan." he humbly uttered. "Thanks for helping them." After a short talk, the four of us separated ways. Ethan hopped into Aiden's bike while Clark was in my car. As soon as we said goodbyes to each other, we took off. Ethan POV One hour later, Aiden and I found ourselves in his room. He once told me that his new room in their dormitory was not as big and comfortable just our old apartment. I agreed with him. The four bunk beds proved it to be true. Even if my wolf just stayed for about two minutes, I could sense and smell a lot of things inside. Smells of different scents of humans. Stinky
"Sorry-" she uttered the word again. "Saying sorry twice or more is for the sinners, Penelope," I said. "It means to me that you are guilty of the crime. And I can't imagine how my brother feels right now." As I was about to leave Penelope's apartment, she rushed to me and wrapped her arms around my broad shoulders. "Wait," she said softly. "Just... wait." My heart skipped a beat at the contact with the woman I had come to care for deeply. I tried not to let my feelings show, but they grow stronger with each passing second while she was hugging me. Penelope was smart, compassionate, and fiercely independent, and all of those traits had drawn me in. But as much as I wanted to stay with her, she knew I could not. The written rules of our werewolf pack were clear: Once we found our fated mates, we had to follow our hearts and heads, no matter what. And Penelope's wolf had already been claimed by Aiden, my younger brother. Needless to say, my wolf was already
"I think we should study it," I uttered. "We should learn more about the witches and their power. Maybe there's a way for us to harness it, to make our pack stronger. And at the same time, we must protect Hunter Grey from them." Romulo looked at me for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. A minute later, he nodded. "You're right," he said slowly. "We can't ignore this. We need to find out more." My wolf felt a surge of relief, but it quickly replaced my anxiety. What would happen next? Would the three of us be kicked out of the pack for going against the alpha's orders? As if sensing my thoughts, Alpha Romulo spoke again. "Ethan, I want to thank you for coming to me with this. You've shown loyalty to our pack and me, and I won't forget that. But you must understand that we must proceed with caution. This information could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. We must keep it under tight control." I nodded, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders. Alp
Unable to gather any more information, I took my team to a nearby inn to plan our next move. "Not that I am against your idea of helping humans, Ethan, but I want to remind you that we have a limited time to find Hunter Grey. And that is our utmost priority." The one talking is the werewolf guardian, Glenn. He is my second in command in this mission. Alpha Romulo assigned him to help me in making decisions about capturing Hunter Grey. His decision or advice also matters to me. "But I can't just leave them being hunted by a monster, one by one, Glenn," I said, my voice firm. "And besides, we still don't have any information about Hunter's whereabouts." "Well. Just my suggestions though." Glenn debated. "We can't risk our lives for them, Ethan. And you better know that." "I know," I said helplessly. "That is why I need to do it alone." "Come on, guys!" Marvin cut in. "We need to use this opportunity to help them. No one could help them but us. Besides, we nee
The Minotaur roared in pain as the dagger struck home. It threshed wildly, trying to dislodge me, but I clung on, my hands tight around the hilt of the dagger. Most of the prisoners in te cage also screamed with all their might. They could not see what was going on around them when the entire cave was swallowed by utter darkness. All the pack members also forced their wolves to back me up, but I was too focused on the fight to pay them any heed. The Minotaur and my wolf struggled. My strength was against the beast until finally, the Minotaur fell to the ground. ''Did you make it? Is the monster dead?" Glenn asked, he then shifted back to his human form. "Don't know yet." I moaned in pain when I just found out my wolf had this profound wound right below my right ribs. "Our weapons have no match against the Minotaur. Don't even know how on earth my dagger managed to penetrate the monster's skin." What happened earlier remained a huge mystery to me. The found that
Penelope nodded in agreement, "You're right. We should have coordinated with the pack before venturing out. However, if we do that, we might lose the monster for good." I took a deep breath, "Alright, well, since you're here, you might as well join us. We'll work together to take down the monster." Aiden smiled and bowed his head to all of us, "Thanks, Brother Ethan. We're so sorry for the inconvenience. We'll work and cooperate with you guys. Please, tell us what to do." As much as my wolf wants to shoo them away, we could not do it anymore. It was almost dawn, and letting them go is not an option for me. My brother's and Penelope's safety are my top priority. Leaving no choice, my team then showed Aiden and Penelope's group our plan for taking down the monster. It was a coordinated effort that played to each of our strengths. Clark and Aiden also explained to us what kind of monster we are facing. They often described the monster as that of a reptile with
There were three cages around us. Each of them had a monster in it. We plan to carry them by four werewolves in each cage every two hours. The rest will serve as our eyes and ears, especially the humans. From the way I see the situation, our usual number of days of the trip, I believed, will be tripled or more. We have traveled two weeks already from the last woods we stopped to the pack village. Perhaps we will be reaching the village in three weeks or so considering the weight of those cages. I don't even know how I made those cages with just ancient words coming out of my mouth. But I hope we can travel faster than that since we have dead bodies with us. "Is everything all right, Brother Ethan?" Aiden asked right after we handed over our cage to the next batch to carry it. He even approached me from the back to ask that. "What do you mean?" I asked, starting to feel suspicious of my brother. My wolf knows he had something to ask me but I believed he was simply w
"This changes everything, Ethan," he murmured softly. "We might stand a chance against the witches if we unite our forces." Despite that my wolf still hadn't gotten the picture of his plan, I nodded in agreement, feeling a newfound sense of hope coursing through my veins. "Then we must get this done, Hunter," Aiden replied on my behalf. "The entire city has been hunted by the witches. It was them who are behind this madness." "Count me in," Conrad seconded, "Even if I don't have anything about magic spells or my wolf being the weakest in this group, I will help you with all I could have." "By the way, who are you people?" I could not help but ask those two werewolves Hunter Grey brought with him. They barely open their mouths as soon as they appeared in the bunker. And if I am not mistaken, they are not Hunter's friends or part of his pack. However, my instinct tells me that they were twins or siblings when they did not just have the same physical appearance b
"Okay, I think we plan B?" Conrad asked, his voice strained with worries, especially when Penelope's wolf started getting wild. "Ethan? Aiden? Plan B?" Penelope was now in her full werewolf transformation. And just like the first time that I met her in my dream, even my werewolf eyes could barely recognize her anymore. She was as though everything changed in just a blink of an eye from the once loving and caring Penelope, who turned into a wild murderer werewolf. And it was proven when she just jumped on top of me and began attacking me with her sharp and elongated claws and fangs. Aiden and Conrad were both stunned and dumbfounded by how strong Penelope's wolf really is. They were simply standing on their spots with their eyes wide open while Penelope was trying to bite and rip me apart. But I did not let her do what she really wants to happen. So, I put enough strength into my fist and punched her straight in the face. Aiden and Conrad's jaws dropped to the g
"Who said I am leaving her here?" I asked. "I brought her here so we could save Penelope from the witches. But first, we have to make sure she cannot escape or do something to us." Conrad, without asking further questions, wandered the entire house to look for anything we could use to hold Penelope. Aiden kept on talking to her, begging her to wake up. My wolf, on the other hand, kept my sharp eyes monitoring outside the house. I had to make sure no werewolves managed to follow me, especially since the house we are in has no fences around. Anyone can barge in at any time. Needless to say, our scents are everywhere. Newly bitten or shifted werewolves have more heightened senses compared to us. "Are you sure, Brother Ethan?" Aiden's face started to brighten. "Please, we need to help her. She must remember us as soon as possible." I nodded to Aiden without looking at him. Based on my quick observation, Penelope's condition after getting hit by lightning and thunde
"Penelope?" Conrad and Aiden breathed out her name in disbelief. "Is that really you, Penelope? What are you doing? Why are you with them?" Aiden asked, his voice laced with concern. "Isn't it obvious?" Penelope extended her response with a smile on her face. "I am here to be with you and Ethan, Aiden. And I missed you both so much. Get out of there, Aiden. Come. You can hug me." Despite Penelope's sweet and convincing words, my heightened wolf could barely sense and feel any emotions from her eyes. She managed to spill those words but I didn't sense any sincerity from her voice. Sad to say, Aiden was blinded by it. He begged me to remove the protective barrier so he can hug Penelope. I cannot blame him to fell for her words. My little brother was still in love with Penelope even if he already knew that she no longer belongs to him. Penelope loves me. That is why she accepted my wolf to be her mate. "Please, Brother Ethan," Aiden continued. His tears began pour
"How I wish you won't regret losing us again, Alpha Romulo," I replied, my voice strained with utter regret and dismay. "If we were the monsters you think we are, isn't it ironic that we are still locked up in this hell of a place?" Alpha Romulo's expression remained impassive, save for a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. Perhaps he was intrigued by my sudden shift in tone, my sincerity flowing through each word. After a lingering pause, he nodded to his betas, signaling their departure. They evacuated the place, leaving us alone once again, a sense of resignation settled upon us. We were trapped with no way to escape the inevitable. The hours ticked by. And the weight of our impending doom hanging heavily in the air. "You could have done something, Ethan," Conrad highly suggested it. "The Ethan that I know would do something, everything, in his power to make things right. But you didn't. And I started to doubt if you are the real one." "We are the real ones, Conr
All the information Conrad and Alpha Romulo brought to us was news to me to the point that I no longer knows what to do. Using magic was no longer an option for me. If I am gonna use magic, then what? Aiden and I will be running for our lives again? Where? To the outside world where we could only see burned trees, abandoned buildings, shoved grounds, and empty streets? To start a new life? There is no life outside anymore. We see it with our own eyes. Everyone was already occupying this underground world in order to survive. The three werewolf packs, despite their differences, managed to survive for two consecutive years. It only means there is no hope outside. While holding onto those awful thoughts, I could not help but drop my butt to the ground with my arms wrapping around my knees and my eyes closed. The holding cell was dimly lit, with the only source of light coming from a small window, casting shadows across the cold, stone walls. Aiden and Conrad lay on
"The only person who can answer our questions is Alpha Romulo, Aiden. The two of us missed the chance for two years, remember? And I can't wait to see him," I replied, my voice filled with overwhelming excitement. "Me either, Brother Ethan," Aiden agreed before he shrugged at me. "But do you think he grows old that much in two years?" I don't know what kind of question was that but all I know is that within those years, a lot of things could have happened. That includes Penelope. My wolf missed her so badly. I want to hold her hands. Kiss her lips for like ten minutes straight. But then again, it has been two years passed already. A lot of things could have happened within those long years of waiting. Perhaps Penelope happened to have her new mate by now. After a few minutes walk, Dexter stopped walking. Then Alpha Romulo emerged from the shadows, his tall figure illuminated by the pale tube lights. His intense gaze assessed us from head to toe, suspicion clouding his piercing e
"Yes. He's pretty alive." Dexter replied, his voice calm. "If you have more questions to ask, please, address them to Alpha Romulo. I am not allowed to give you more information about anything. My wolf was simply tonight's in charge to keep an eye on the mansion." Indeed, I had a lot of questions to ask Alpha Romulo. Questions that he was the only one who knows the answer. On the bright side, knowing that he was alive gives us faith and hope. Who could have thought the protective spell I cast two years ago remains strong and become their source of protection? But two years? Sorry, but it was pretty hard to believe when we just stayed in the past for weeks. Meanwhile, Aiden and I walked side by side, our spirits high, as Dexter confirmed the incredible news. Alpha Romulo and some of our werewolf guardians were still alive. For the past two years, they believed we perished in the battle against the witches, but now there was hope shining through. Dexter had confir
"What about the pack?" Aiden highly suggested it. "Perhaps if we go there, we could find Alpha Romulo. After all, he is one of the most powerful wolves I have ever known. Or at least one from the pack, right?" Everything began with Romulo's pack. His mansion has been the haven for the witches. They come and go without being noticed. And as far as I could remember before these terrible incidents happen to our world, the witches were furious at me for breaking the deal. I involved everyone, including Romulo's pack, believing that my plan of saving humanity will work, but it didn't. Perhaps this was the result of what I did. So I highly doubt Aiden's claim to be true. The pack, I believed, was the first target of the witches. Even if Romulo is a powerful alpha, his claws and fangs, or even his wealth don't stand a chance to someone who can cast magic. However, we can't stay in an empty school either. We need answers as soon as possible. I need to find someone to ask