Five hours later, Aiden and I went back to my dorm without anything new from the maintenance staff apart from two food packs we bought from the school canteen and freezing cans of beer. Despite our efforts combined, we did not get the chance to see the maintenance staff. Not even in their office. The rest of the staff don't have any idea about his whereabouts. Also, my wolf has been pretty swamped recently to the point that I even forgot to treat myself. Truth be told, it was Aiden's idea to buy cans of beer. He said that he wants to talk to me - just the two of us. And in order for that heart-to-heart talk to happen, he needs something to muster his courage. So I proposed beer and food snacks for both of us. Aiden was already of legal age right now. Denying or taking out that kind of privilege was not on my bucket list. I know Aiden and his friends have been drinking alcohol these days and as the big brother, though I hated the idea, we need this opportunity to ta
Mark and the Wendigo monster were both surprised about what just happened. And it worried me to the point that I can even have eye-to-eye contact with any of them. I mean, who could not be? My mouth casts continuous magic spells in front of Mark. There was no way he did not hear anything about it. He is a werewolf after all. Any werewolf abilities I have, Mark also had. "You're a-" Before the old man could say what was currently running through his mind, I cut him in by pinning him to the ground. My wolf already knew what he was about to say. So, before he could make things clear, I pinned him to the ground by force and covered his hands where I knotted him with chains made by magic. And I am now in the middle of deciding whether to kill him or not. My wolf cannot afford someone will unfold my secret. Not now. I know Mark better than anyone. He will do everything to drag me down. "Better shut your mouth if you don't want me to kill you." I closely whispered to
"What are you doing here? And how did you know where I live?" asks the old man, his voice sounding worried, especially when he was holding the kid's arms. Similar to me, the old man made a quick scan all over the place. And I can read what was running in his mind at the moment - to escape. My werewolf instinct kicked in and believed that escaping again was the only solution that comes to the old man's mind instead of daring to fight with us. "Don't worry, we are not here to hurt you, Mr. Cruz," Aiden said. "We know everything you did to those people. And we know that it was beyond normal." Aiden and Conrad were about to slide to Mr. Cruz and the kid but I stopped them before they could step forward. "Don't," I whispered. "We can't afford it if he shifts in front of the kid." "But what are we supposed to do?" Aiden whispered back. "There's no way this man would agree to our terms." "Let me talk to him first, okay?" Then I slide two more steps forward with a
"There's nothing we can do about it apart from running away." I highly suggested and lead the way, ignoring the fact that a monster was still lying on the ground. "What?" Aiden blurted but he followed me. "What about the monster? He's still alive!" Conrad exclaimed, he also followed behind us. "Shouldn't we bring him with us?" "There's no time," I said. "We cannot risk being captured by the cops. Not in our werewolf forms." The day air was thick with the smell of smoke and the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. All of us ran as fast as we could through the park, our werewolf forms allowing us to cover the ground at lightning speed. We had just defeated the Leviathan monster and now we were on the run from the cops. I knew that we could not risk being caught in our werewolf forms, so we headed deep into the woods where we could shift back into our human forms without being seen. Our hearts were pounding as we ran, adrenaline coursing through our vein
"My main goal in gathering these monsters is to make sure that the students are safe, Ethan. And you already know that." Ezekiel insisted. "We have students who come from different packs and as the head of this institution, I must protect my people. So, none of you like the idea, better stay out of my way." "But they were also your students, Ezekiel, have you forgotten that already?" Penelope mustered her courage this time. "Is that how you are supposed to uphold your vision to this school? Because if it does, I'm quitting." "What?" Ezekiel blurted, then he burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me right now, huh? Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Garcia would agree to that? Get out of this place, the three of you before I will change my mind!" The last thing I want to happen is to make things work, so I convinced Penelope and Aiden to step out of the laboratory and get some fresh air, feel the warmth of the morning sun on our faces. "I can't believe that old man could do it to us," I said,
"That was pretty close. I guess we almost got struck by a bolt of lightning." Aiden glanced at the corner of the road that was burning, shoved, and made a huge hole. If that lightning hits us, probably we could have been ashes by now. "Are you all right?" I asked Aiden when I could see blood coming out of his forehead. "You're bleeding." Aiden reached out to his forehead and wiped the blood on his forehead before he replied. "I'm a bit dizzy but I'd be fine. What about you? You're bleeding too." Both of us are fine apart from the car that got wrecked after getting bumped onto the trunk of the huge tree. Getting struck by a single bolt of lightning was one in a trillion phenomenon. And my werewolf instinct was telling me that a bit of bad luck has just befallen us. For that same reason, I started to wonder if getting us a new place to live under one roof was a bad idea. Then Aiden slid to the hole and took a glimpse. "What are we going to do now?" Aiden asked.
"What the hell is going on?" I could not help but ask myself. "What's going on is that your parents were supposed to visit our son on his mating night. But you leave us with no choice, Ethan." I glanced at them from head to toe. They all looked like my parents from head to toe since the last I saw their coffins being buried in the ground. Enough reason that even a fool would barely believe in their lies. My wolf and I agreed that there was no spell that can ascend someone from the land of the dead. "You can fool my brother and everyone in this place but you can't deceive my werewolf eyes and instinct." I said back. "there is no way you are our real parents, so better show your true faces... Witches!" To my surprise, the two of them burst out laughing. The woman snapped her fingers and a new phenomenon emerged. All the birds flying from the sky also dropped to the ground. Not even a single sound coming from their beaks or caused by the fall was produced ei
"Of course, not." I defensively retorted. "That's not what I meant by it." A part of me wanted to glance at them both, face to face, for them to see my utmost sincerity, however, I cannot do it because I need to focus my undivided attention on the road ahead of us. "Then what?" Penelope was the one who asked me this time. "Because if you regretted being my mate, you could have told me before it happened. I like you, Ethan. You and Aiedn were all aware of that already. I will never regret mating you." Guilt itched my heart all of a sudden even if my ears just heard Penelope's voice. The tone of her voice was stabbing every fiber of my muscles. The worst part is that I don't even have anything to say to defend my case. "Stop the car, Ethan," Penelope added, her voice sounding irritated. "What? Why?" I stuttered, yet I still stepped on the brake and parked the car on the corner of the road. "Are you mad at me because I did not answer the Mating Night?" Penelope hopped out of the car
"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