Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

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"Why should I trust you, Luna?" 

Azura's proclamation made Cora furrow her brows in astonishment.

"I just took an oath by the name of the moon goddess. Why would you think a wolf species would joke with her sacred name?" Cora questioned as Azura motioned her to stand up in her kneeling position and she did, dusting off the dust from her knees.

"Don't blame me, Cora. The wolves are sly creatures" 

"At least not at the expense of the moon goddess's name"

"Let's get back to business, Cora. You would really do what I want if I help you?" 

"That's correct. That is if you could help me" Cora affirmed.

"There is nothing Azura can not do. But the issue is that I have trust issues. I have gone through a lot in the past and wouldn't want history to repeat itself" She looked elsewhere as Cora sighed.

If she really wanted the witches to help her, she has to earn their trust.

"I will give you a top secret that would put the entire wolfdom in chaos if let out. If I do not do my own side of the bargain, then you spill it. I stand at risk if someone leaked it" 

Azura peered deep into her eyes and all she could see was sincerity and desperation.

"Hmm, you sound and look desperate. What must this secret be?"

"Alpha Creed of Mountain Howl Pack is dead, he died three d___"

Azura gasped and covered Cora's mouth with her right palm before Cora could finish her speech and she was openly shocked at this gesture.

"Shhhhh... You must not say that in the open. The woods have ears. Come on, we have to go to the coven right away!" Azura started walking away as fast as she could.

Cora arranged her stuff and trailed behind her back. They got to a place that looked every inch of the forest as Azura mumbled some words under her breath.

"Aperiatur mihi, demittatur velum"

There was a rumbling sound as a portal opened, Azura turned back to look at Cora who was staring back at her in surprise.

"What was that?"

"It has always been there. It is a cloaking spell. We made it that way after we were banished. Come on, let's go" Azura walked in first and was no more seen. 

Cora looked around, frowning, she was skeptical about trusting the witches. But she had no choice as she sighed and walked into the portal too, and it closed up immediately.

"Come on, over here" Azura beckoned to her as she took her time to look around the coven.

The witches were going on with their businesses but were giving her looks that were dreadful.

"Why are they looking at me like that?"

"You are an outsider and a species they considered an enemy" 

She kept following Azura as they moved toward a cottage in the village.

"How could they tell my species?"

"Your eyes are glowing like a flame of fire" She bulged her eyes when Azura pointed that out.

She quickly closed her eyes and opened them back, then her eyes were back to normal.

"What was that?" Azura questioned.

"A defense mechanism. My wolf's side, Cee, knows I am in the black forest" 

"Oh"

"Yeah, I guess the hatred for each species is mutual" Cora said.

"I dare say"

They got to the cottage in the middle of the town and Azura dropped the basket outside. She knocked twice at the door and opened it.

"Come on in" Azura spoke and walked in. Cora surveyed the environment before walking into the cottage.

Immediately she walked inside the room, she heard incarceration and before she could know what was happening, a strange wind swept her off her feet as she flew and hit the walls of the cottage.

"Hazel!! Stop it! She is with me!" Azura barked.

Cora's eyes glowed like a flame as she tried to control her wolf's side which was struggling to surface.

"We agreed that no more wolves in the dark woods after the last one! What does she want?" Hazel fired back.

As they argued, Cora kept battling with Cee and finally subdued her. She sucked in a breath of  relief and took her time to look at the old cottage. There was a chimney, and the fireplace looked old.

Herbs of different kinds were scattered on the floor, bottles, and portions could be seen hanging on the wall and there was a big pot on the fireplace.

Hazel looked exactly like Azura and another girl was sitting on a wooden chair, knitting a seess, and she looked exactly like them too.

Their hard voice to each other brought Cora back to the reality of things as she touched her aching head. By this time, she has managed to suppress Cee completely.

"Yes, I know I promised that after the other wolf, no more wolves would be allowed in the black woods. But this is a different and urgent situation and you have to trust me on this" Azura said.

"Whoa! This redhead has quite a lot of temper!" Cora stood up from the floor as they all looked at her.

"I don't care how urgent it is, I want her out of here!" Hazel insisted.

"Come on, Nora, please say something about this" Azura said to the other girl knitting the dress.

She stopped what she was doing and looked up at them, then she turned to look at Cora who just stared back at her.

"She does not seem harmful. At least not like the other wolf that came here the other day" Nora said with a shrug.

"Seriously, Nora? They banished us out of Mountain Howl but wouldn't stop coming here for help? This is outrageous!!" Hazel stormed out of the cottage as Azura sighed and turned to look at Cora.

"I don't blame her for being that way" Cora said.

"Come on, have a seat and let's talk" Azura motioned at her as Cora looked at Nora. 

Azura quickly understood what she meant by that and smiled.

"She would have to know about this. Even Hazel. I don't know what you want my help for, but whatever it is, I can't pull the spell alone and we have to cipher our magic to do whatever you want" 

"Oh, are you guys..."

"Yes. We are triplets. Azura, Nora, and Hazel. I am the eldest, and Hazel is the youngest, we are stronger together"

"But most werewolves only know about me because I am the one who accommodates and help them when they need help" Azura explained.

"Wow! How do other witches tell the difference between you three?" 

"We engrave our names on our wrists" 

She showed Cora her left wrist as she saw the tattoo of her name there.

"Wow!"

"Yeah"

"So, what wolf was Hazel talking about?"

"There was a wolf that came for a silver blade, we made one for him. You can imagine what he used in the exchange for that"

(Hmm, Creed was right. It was truly a wolf) Cora thought.

"What was the prize?" She asked.

"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry"

"What is the name of this wolf?"

"I can't tell you that either. We took an oath not to spill" Azura said to her disappointment.

"Well, that wolf killed the alpha" Cora declared as both sisters stared at her in shock.

"What, Alpha Creed is dead?" Hazel who was just coming back to the room asked in shock as Cora nodded.

"Yes, but the other werewolves do not know about his death, and I what it to stay that way" she added.

"Hmm, why do I sense division in the wolfdom?" Nora spoke.

Cora let out the breath she has been holding in and sighed.

"That's correct. That wolf that came for the silver blade is a member of the pack" 

"Why do you come to us then? We can't do anything for you. This has to do with the wolves and we can not interfere" Azura blurted out. 

"I can't back out. You three are in this as much as I am in it because you know too much already"

"What do you want from us, actually"

"Without them knowing the alpha is dead, a new alpha would not be crowned. I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands because no one knows who the traitor is"

"So, how do we come into the picture?" Nora questioned. She was no more knitting the dress and was fully interested in the conversation now. 

"No one knows there is a traitor in the pack. And I want enough time to fish him out before a new alpha would be crowned" she stopped to observe if they were following, when she was convinced, she continued. 

"They think the alpha is alive, and they have asked me to provide proof in seven days" she concluded.

"More like I blabbed I could provide him in seven days" She added.

"What? Are you nuts? You are not suggesting we perform some necromancy, are you?" Azura angrily stood from her stool.

"If that is the only way, why not?"

"We would never be foolish enough to tamper with dark magic. Life from the other world in exchange of life from this world" Azura spoke with her voice like steel.

"And dark magic would drain all magic in us, that is if we would be able to survive it. We can't risk it" Nora explained as Cora sighed.

"But we could use a cloaking spell" Hazel spoke for the first time as they looked in her direction.

"Who is going to volunteer to be used? Stop saying the impossible" Azura spoke, pacing up and down the room.

"If our dear luna would take the pain of going to the human world to get a human who could do it, I see no reason it shouldn't work" Hazel pointed out.

"Are you nut? How would she survive in the human realm?" 

"I will do it!" Cora spoke as they looked in her direction instantly.