Following my confession of stark reality, no sooner had our hushed whispers and teary-eyed confidences faded to a close, Aiden, Penelope, and I quietly parted ways. Perfectly aligned twines of destiny abruptly severed, and our paths diverged in the eerie semidarkness of late evening. While Aiden's silhouette melted into the dimly lit corridors of our separate dormitory while Penelope's car roared to life, whisking her away into the mist enveloped roads, I stood alone under the dying, fluorescent street light. With the last rusty screech of Penelope's ancient Ford receding in the distance, my tentative steps led me back to the ghostly silence of my dorm room. Depositing my weary body on the worn-out armchair, I found myself impulsively reaching for the witch's book - an enigmatic link to our tangled past and an uncertain future. It lay forsaken on the corner desk, bathed in the yellow warmth of the desk lamp, an instrument harboring potent knowledge - knowledge
"What's with that look, Ethan? It's like you were mourning someone in that room." I almost stumbled to the ground the second my ears heard the voice coming from behind me. When I turned around, a flash of my terrible past flickered into my memories. "Mind your own business, Lilith." Right after letting out those words, I slowly dropped my eyes down to her stomach. Who could have thought? Lilith has been carrying Mark's baby for like how long? Five or six months now? Lilith was once my mate. And their baby was a product of their betrayal. Funny to say, but it seems that her goddess beauty no longer works for me. My wolf once high over heels every time I see Lilith. But it was all in the past now. My best friend and mate. I could not help but scoff. "A lot of things happened since then, Lilith. If you think that I am still interested in making up with you and Mark, you got it all wrong." "Once my baby gets born, can you be his godfather?" Those were Lilit
On our way to the nearest elevator, Mark's phone suddenly rang. He pulled it from his pocket and scanned the screen for a few seconds. "Change of place," he uttered and set the phone back in his pocket. "That was Alpha Ezekiel. He's waiting for you at the restaurant." We hopped out of the elevator and went back to the parking lot where a black BMW car waited for us. As far as I could remember, it was the same car Ezekiel kept on using in and out of the school. "Are you sure about using Ezekiel's car?" I hesitated to hop in but I was already left with no choice when Mark occupied the driver's seat and even put on his seatbelt already. "I mean, what if we meet an accident in the middle of our journey and scratch his car? I don't have a single cent in my account right now." To my surprise, Mark scoffed but in a good way, reminding me of the old time we shared when we were still best friends. Good memories flickered in my mind at the moment while looking at him. I also
Ezekiel also leaned his elbows closer to the table to hear my words loud and clear. "If I know anything about magic spells, you could have been dead by now. After Mark and I evaluated what you have done in your lab, you were the one whom I will cast some dark magic on." then I rested my back on the chair and took a sip from the glass of wine on the table. His expression changed right there and then. I could see a mix of sadness and anger in his eyes. But we know that between the two of us in the restaurant, he has no right to get mad at me. The situation in the laboratory was worse than I thought. Their conditions were worsening. My wolf could sense everyone's profound depression, hopelessness, and regrets. Regrets that they agreed to us locking them there. "Anyway, thank you so much for the meal, Ezekiel," I added before I moved out of my seat. Then, I grabbed a few bucks from my pocket and set them underneath one of the dishes. I did not wait for Ezekiel to say
"We'll make sure my plan will not fail, Aiden." I tried to remain calm as much as possible. "Even if I have to sacrifice my wolf for your and Penelope's survival. Anyway, do you still have the gold that I gave you?" Aiden hopped out of the bed and slide to his wooden drawer. "Yeah, I still have it with me, Brother Ethan. I am still feeling hesitant to sell this. What if it's fake?" "Appraise the gold first before selling it." I provided him with a good suggestion. "Let them check the quality of the gold if it's fake or not. Once proven its authenticity, it's up to you if you are going to sell it or not. It's for your future, Aiden." "What's the point of having a future if not without you, Brother Ethan." Aiden's statement somehow itches my heart. "We may have a few misunderstandings recently, but you will always be a family to me. No magic spells can change that." Aiden and I could not help but burst out laughing after realizing our conversation has started to beco
Penelope and I moved away from the crowd unnoticed, especially from the cops who were more focused on keeping an eye on the dead bodies instead of searching for a clue. We slide into Aiden's spot. "What the hell was that?" Penelope whispered while remaining her distance between me and Aiden. "Not sure what they were but it seems those marks looked like footprints. Huge footprints as if coming from a monster." I whispered back. "But why am I not sensing a monster's presence all over the place?" With swift and cautious steps, we made our way toward the alley closer to the footprints, our senses still heightened. As we entered its shadows, the scent hit us like a wave. An unfamiliar, pungent odor filled the air, a scent that spoke of danger and deceit. A chill wind howled through the desolate hallway as we continued surveying the scene before us. The floor was marred by footprints, each one leaving an imprint of the horror that had occurred. The sight of the two
"You can relay to us your message and we'll inform Alpha Romulo as soon as he arrives," he added. "I appreciate the effort, really," I replied with a humble smile on my face. "But I think it's better if I tell him myself. We haven't seen each other for so long, so I guess, I have to wait for him in his office." "That would be better as well." says one of the werewolf guardians. "Your name was always the talk in the mansion. I highly suggest you visit your friends here. "Really?" my smile was extended. "Do you have any idea what the rumors about me?" The two werewolf guardians suddenly exchanged glances. It was the kind of exchange that was telling me something is running around the mansion behind my back. Aiden and I have been unparticipative in the pack's regular activities. We were supposed to help the pack by all means but because both of us are committed to work and school, Alpha Alexander gave us the benefit of the doubt. "Nothing, in particular, Ethan
"Are you sure about this, Alpha Romulo?" the wolf who expressed his disapproval is one of our alpha's betas. "I mean, this is news to us. This is evidence of betrayal by the pack. Our werewolf pack to be exact. We should arrest him." All the werewolf guardian in the room nodded in agreement, supportng the beta's idea of arresting me. But I cannot blame them to feel betrayed. Even I, myself, find this confession a betrayal to the pack. However, confessing my hidden secret was supposed to be against my will but it was also the only way for Alpha Romulo to believe me. Everyone listens to him alone. They follow his words. "We should not keep a traitor in our pack, Alpha Romulo." sauggests one of the werewolf guardians. "If the rest of the packs in the world know about this, they will probably despise you." "Does Ezekiel knows about this too?" Alpha Romulo finally spoke up albeit the tension in the room was already inevitable. Everyone agreed to my imprisonment. But upon