Chapter 4 - Hotel Setedesange

Over the weeks, the investigation on who attacked the Dragon Gate only led to dead ends after dead ends. Even the Betas are unable to catch the scent of this Hybrid. It didn’t leave any on the crime scene. It has masked itself well using wolfsbane. And even when they followed to where the smell of wolfsbane ended, it only led them to a cliff that overlooks the vast ocean.

Either the Hybrid jumped and swam across another continent, or it just vanished into thin air, is another question.

“Does it even burn in the sun?” Fridolf asked no one in particular. They were all sprawled at the Volkov’s library, trying and failing to find something about this new enemy. There was barely anything written about the Hybrid apart from a very old scroll dictating the prophecy:

A war-born child comes to thee

The dark and light side of the moon it’ll be

Blood of a Vampire, and a Lycan’s venom

On a red moon they’ll have one kind claim them

And every and all shall fall on their knees

To the child of all darkness, all darkness is free

Zeeb grunted after re-reading the prophecy, “Does this mean all evil will be released once this child is born?

“Hmm, not when the child is born.” Remus answered. “When it ascends, which should be on a Red Moon. At least that’s how I understood it.”

Fridolf took the scroll and read it again. “That will make sense as to why the Cold Ones haven’t attacked yet. They’re waiting for the child to ascend.”

“Ascend to what?” Asked Lyall. “Will there be a throne or something?”

“On a red moon they’ll have one kind claim them– could this mean that the Hybrid is meant to choose one blood over the other?” Zeeb offered, to which the rest seemed to agree.

“What will happen to the other kind it doesn’t choose?” It was Remus who wondered this.

Amarok growled deep and loud, “It doesn’t matter. The moment that filthy Hybrid shows its face. I’ll kill it right away.”

. . . . .

Remus, despite being impressed with Eden’s performance, refused to acknowledge her just yet. He still wanted to know up to what length the girl can go through for the company. She’d already completed all the menial tasks he could think of. From picking his coats up in the laundry to making him coffee. To the harder ones like actually representing Volkov Corporation on major campaigns and events. Each task was more successful than the last.

There was only one thing left for her to do.

On an island called Casiafell stood the Hotel Setedesange. Already old and disintegrating, the lands surrounding it are already owned by Volkov. Only that sole Hotel remains unclaimed. The owner, a man called Saxe Albanus, has refused to sell his property to them. Refused even, just to meet them.

This shall be Eden’s final test. If she’s able to get this Saxe Albanus sign over his hotel’s ownership, then she’ll officially be Remus’s Executive Assistant. She’ll no longer just be an intern. She’ll be absorbed full time. 

And the Volkov Corporation rarely absorbs anyone outside their family and the Conor Clan. Because working for them longer meant a step closer to knowing the family’s secret. And for you to be given this opportunity, means they already trust you. And to this, Eden is hell-bent on achieving.

“Will I be provided with a car to get there?” She asked Remus who only scoffed.

“Of course not. Only full-time employees are given a car. You’re an intern, remember?”

Part of the test is the path to get there which is definitely far from easy. You’ll only get there by a bus from an old forgotten station down south. And you’ll only get to that station by riding a ferry that is usually a three-hour ride. And to get to the ferry, well, you need to drive a car. Or take a cab if you don’t have one.

“Are you ready to just give up?” Remus asked. But Eden shakes her head defiantly. She’s not one to back down. Especially now she’s closer to her goal, more than ever.

“Watch me win.” Were her words before leaving Remus’s office.

That Saturday was the scheduled trip of Eden to Casiafell. Remus was a bit on edge the whole morning, wondering if she would actually be able to accomplish it. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was actually a bit worried she wouldn't succeed. Just when he’s starting to get used to having her around.

He’d been at that hotel once, to accompany his grandfather who was still the Chairman then. They weren’t even allowed within the hotel’s vicinity at all. Saxe threatened to call the police and Grandpa Conri hated altercations so much that he just let it be. But from afar, Remus remembered that the way it looked would be every girl’s nightmare. He hopes Eden doesn't scare easily.

A knock on his door snapped him out of his reverie. Not a second later, Lyall entered along with Zeeb. Their faces are a picture of urgency. He knew immediately it’ll be about the Hybrid.

“We found something.” Zeeb started. He was clenching and unclenching his jaw, a sign of his boiling anger and anxiety. The ring he wore which was laced with a bit of wolfsbane glowed red– his rage was going beyond his normal and Remus noticed it.

“Calm down Zeeb,” he commanded. His voice vibrated on Zeeb’s chest, willing him to calm down. “We cannot have you turning into a mindless Vargulf over this.”

Vargulfs are Werewolves who weren’t able to turn back into their human form. A mindless creature only driven by extreme rage and bloodlust. And Zeeb had always been an angry child, which made him a very strong werewolf but also a very unstable one. So a ring laced with wolfsbane was made especially for him to keep his anger in check. It’ll grow red when he’s exceeding the desired limit.

“What is it?” Remus asked when Zeeb seemed visibly relaxed.

“We found a trail. The scent of wolfsbane. We have reasons to believe it was from the Hybrid.” Zeeb said. His anger once again rising. He couldn’t help it. Every time he was reminded of the demise of his pack, rage felt like it would choke him.

Lyall continued on for him, “It ended by the cliff, right? And beyond that, was just the ocean. Or so we thought. I asked Helicent to kind of check if there was any island close to the cliff. You know, because I thought maybe the Hybrid really did swim out there somewhere.”

Remus nodded, glad that Lyall actually thinks sometimes.

“Turns out, there was an island about thirteen kilometres away–” Lyall stopped and searched for a map within Remus’s room. When he found one, he laid it in front of Remus and Zeeb and used his fingers to show the point of distance from the cliff to the island he was talking about. “–the closest island to where the cliff ends and where we think the Hybrid swam into is Casiafell.”