"Is Everett here?" Cora asked as Ivan opened the door.
"No, he isn't. I think he went to shower, would you like to wait for him?"
Cora hesitated as she turned to go back.
"He'll be back soon. Why don't you just wait for him?"
Ivan opened the door wider and he let Cora come in.
"I didn't mean to intrude." She said as she sat at the edge of Everett's bed. Ivan was watching her closely, she felt naked under his stare. Cora had broken the school rules once again and was wearing tracksuit shorts. Ivan gawked at her legs.
"What are you looking at?" She snapped finally when she c
"Are you saying that there's a possibility that we find Abria Bechet once we cross the veil?" Everett asked as he cracked his knuckles nervously.Noah glared at him."Yes, a huge possibility. Now I want to know if you're in Cora, so I'll start making plans to take me with you. What about you Everett?""Of course I'm in. I'm definitely in. Everett what the hell are you thinking of? This is my chance!"Cora was confused as she watched Everett over think the whole situation. She trusted Noah whole heartedly to have helped her with finding the Mage. And he did. He delivered her with the information in less than twenty four hours.
The Veil was the oldest and first fixture in Avalon. It was old and ancient and the little Gatekeeper house next to it was just as old.It was a large impregnable timbered arched gate with a grimly ornamental look to it. It was tremendously spiked and it had poison Ivy creeping and growing at the sides.Next to the gate were monkshood and wolfsbane. Cora knew enough of her werewolf history to know that every single thing on the gate and next to the gate was deathly poisonous to werewolves.And the gate itself was a living breathing thing spelled with old mage magic forged by the very first mages and the very first lycans.She remembered her first crossing. They had to walk for hours and hours in the woods because the Veil was shrouded in a secre
The French Quarter, which was also dubbed as the Vieux Carré and Barrio Francés reeked of old and ancient culture. It was the oldest neighbourhood in New Orleans and also a national historic landmark. Because it was a primary tourist site, the whole quarter was teeming with people and Cora, Everett and Noah found a hard time navigating the crowd of people.They were going to the shop where they would find Abria Bechet. According to most of the wolves that had brought them to the quarter, she went by the nickname Voodoo witch of New Orleans. She owned a witch shop which was a major tourist attraction site in the Quarter. None of the humans knew the true extent of her power since she was hiding in plain sight.Mages had always been servants of nature. And their tight connection with the very first Lycans
The trip back home was filled with arguments and silence. Cora was conflicted, there were so many emotions running through her mind. Especially with Everett blatantly disregarding everything Abria the Mage said.He was right in a way, she could die in the process. He was right about that.There was absolutely no guarantee that she would survive drowning. There was no guarantee that it would give her her wolf back."What are we going to do now?" Everett asked Cora and she shrugged."I'm going to do it."Cora said with determination in her voice and Everett's eyes widened."
The next morning, even before her classes could hold, Cora was called into Principal Claude's office.She had been anticipating it, after all Diana was the one who reported her absence. And even if she didn't, a teacher would have noticed that she was absent.She didn't know what she would tell the Principal, but she knew that there was no way under any circumstances she was telling him that they crossed the veil.It would be catastrophic, not only for her and Everett but it could get Noah into a lot of trouble.Being a young Alpha Superior, Noah had to be extra careful not to make mistakes that would put him at risk of being evaluated.Walking towards the principal's office with Sydney
"Now is going to be a really good time to find that secret entrance."Cora said to Everett who still had his head buried in his hands. For some reasons he had been more shaken up that usual and he was silent.Cora wondered what was going on in his mind. So many things had happened in the past few days that it barely gave her time to evaluate her feelings and think about the things that had happened between her and Everett.Maybe he was scared of getting a taint on his school records, Cora thought as she sat close to Everett, absorbing the warmth that was rolling off from his body.She was mildly comforted with the fact that they were both serving the punishment together but she also knew that they ha
Cora felt herself die.She felt every last piece of life slip away from her till she finally felt nothing.All she could see and feel was darkness.And the pain.Hot blinding pain that racked through her body at an impossible speed.Low growls that emerged from her mouth was muffled by the water.Cora's muscles began growing and growing till they started twisting at unusual angles and every time she opened her mouth to scream, she was hit with freshwater. Her bones were breaking and crumbling painfully but they were moving, shifting, and growing taller and thicker beneath her skin. White hairs began to sprout from the pores along her entire body at a rapid rate.
Cora got back to Filli Lunae as a wolf. And she was received by her parents and Noah who was for some reason at their pack."You knew." She later asked him after making the shift back into human.It had been hard and they had to induce the shift back to her human self but Cora was happy she was back to being normal. She absolutely loved it when her wolf took over. But she was much more used to been human.Noah seemed to know what she was talking about without even looking at her face as the both of them stared deep into the woods."Yes, it was easy to know.""I didn't notice..." Cora whispered and Noah shrugged."He kept it well hidden
Cora knew they were in trouble the minute they reached Avalon. And not just any trouble, big trouble. Her father mind linked her immediately she was in the vicinity and he seemed angry and worried altogether. She was even more worried about Viola, who it seemed her father had figured out that she wasn't in Avalon, with Noah, who wasn't exactly the best person at the moment for her to be spending her time with. "We're in big trouble." She whispered to Everett as they neared the school and he turned to look at her. She quickly mind linked him telling him what her father had said and he glanced at Noah and Viola who were laughing together. "Shit!" He said out loud and Noah stopped to turn and look at them. "Everything alright?" He asked and Cora shook her head. "Not exactly. They know we're missing in school." Viola's eyes widen with fear and dread. "Wait! Who knows? Does my Dad know?" She asked with dread in her voice and Cora nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm sorry but he knows.
The Alpha convention like all things came and went. The entire saga had gone fairly okay. All the nightmares that Viola had about it did not come to past. Even though, the Alpha convention left a difficult choice for Viola – ‘Compete in the Alpha trials or marry Sylvester.’ It was something in the future and a lesson from dreading the convention so much was to not let the future steal the joy of the present because it was truly unpredictable. Now was the only thing to focus on and Viola only focused on now. She returned to school as quickly as she was allowed. She had come to love Avalon high, not the classes or its ever-looking students but the freedom. Freedom to do more or less. Before, when Viola was just Viola Hawkins school was an escape and now it still was. Here, she had Cora, Everett and Noah. Noah and her had become even closer. It was like they suddenly realised how quickly things can change and decided to use the time they had for as much as they could together. It bega
Viola had begun home training with Malachi. He was a really quiet man, comfortable with not talking. Viola had heard that he was one of the best fight strategists in the pack and in Avalon in general. He fought like he was two or three Lycan, one attack always built up to several others. When his blows connected it was like he had extra limbs but in truth he had just planned his actions in advance. He was also the best in terms of hand to hand combat. Most lycans would need to shift to fight better, but Malachi never needed to shift. He always trained her in his human form. Always. “Today, Viola the objective is to fight without your wolf.” He said. Her wolf had greatly exceeded his expectations and it was far more superior than it should have been for an halfbreed. “Hand to hand combat. There are situations where we cannot change into our wolf so it is important to be able to be excellent at fighting without the wolf.” Malachi said and Viola nodded. “The first thing I want you to
The Alpha convention had finally arrived after so much preparations. It was arguably the biggest event in the calendar of Avalon. It was a first for Viola, a beginning in Viola’s full-time journey as a lycan in Ortus Solis. It was astonishing that in a matter of months Viola had gone from an invisible halfbreed in Avalon Academy to being one of the highlights of the show. To make an appearance and join the most powerful and elite circle of Avalon. Itwas important to Eli. A successful introduction would make Viola’s presence at the Alpha trials more likely especially if acted like she belonged. Viola remembered her sister, Freya’s words to her. You have to remember ‘you are a part of the family’. Viola also remembered her father’s warning and his advice that she should correct her mistakes so he wouldn't have to. Thinking about the night made Viola anxious. A million things could go wrong and it would all be her fault. As if Noah could read her mind, he mindlinked her. “Hey, I ca
Viola’s father had asked her to come to his private training arena. He wanted to examine her himself, see what they had taught her in school. And most importantly, he wanted to know how powerful she was.If she was strong enough,fast enough to even stand a chance in the Alpha trials.This idea of examining her made Viola nervous all through the night. She even had a nightmare which made her even more nervous. She didn't know what to expect but she knew it would be difficult.The morning could not come soon enough as the anticipation of the examination was actually more terrifying than the examination."Thank goodness. It’s time to get it over with." Viola found consolation in the fact that the day had broken, Lillian still complained on some of her forms."You'll do good. You're strong and fast. Don't worry about it."Lilian patted her back as she esc
Viola had started to get Avalon. She no longer got confused about where her classes were or got lost in them. She had figured out her own little routine and it worked for her. She woke up at 5:30 am to have some time off, to take a run or a walk or to shift to her werewolf form. She did it to introspect alone and enjoy the cool breeze. It was really vital to her rapid adjustment and it helped her get more in tune with her wolf. At 6:30am she would return to her room and start to prepare for classes. She would go through her classes and what they would learn. It had helped a lot because the classes no longer seemed to be taught in some hidden ancient language, she started to understand her classes better. At 7:30am Noah would knock on her door and they would go get breakfast at the hall together. Sometimes, they saw Cora and Everett. After that, she attended her classes and practised with her dux, Lillian. The work part of her day usually ended when she was done with Lillian and ev
The past few days had been quite blissful for Viola. And only one person was responsible – Noah. Noah and Viola had been spending their free time every day with each other. Between them, things had been great. Noah looked forward to even more time between them, without classes, without Lillian, the dux and without any Alpha talk. They both deserved the peace he thought to himself as he researched the destination that would be most suitable. The place would have to be peaceful above all with as little intervention from their routine lives. Luckily for him, he knew a pair of mates, Everett and Cora. Being the third wheel in their friendship had come with its benefits after all. Even though he had been frustrated by it back then. He knew the perfect spot. It was a couple’s resort in Avalon that Cora gushed about for weeks after they went. And as much as Everett tried to play it down as a causal outing, Everett was really glad he made her so happy. The retreat was called Magarita, fo
Each pack had their pack house, a communal property in which all members of a pack were welcomed. The pack houses varied in design, beauty and size. In the earlier eras, it was more about functionality of the pack houses with focus on pragmaticism. It was typical to have a large, round bunch of rocks as some pack houses but the Ortus Solis pack house was truly an architectural masterpiece.The pack house was the biggest one, but it did not compromise on style. The house had over 150 rooms, each uniquely designed. The floors made of marbles, and thanks to Rosalina who managed the house neatly. Pack members could see reflections of themselves looking at the floor.In the Alpha room, Alpha superior Eli sat. He was thinking about the incoming Alpha Convention. Alpha Superior Eli was a handsome man, his skin showed little wear and tear but beneath it all. He was almost as handsome as he was in his younger days. Even with his slowed aging due to his strong
Viola’s dux was Lillian, a fifth-year student of Avalon Academy. She didn’t seem to have much personality and seemed to have mastered the act of sneaking up on people. Viola had to guess it was due to her invisible aura, Lilian was so stealthy she could have been standing next to Viola for seconds and Viola wouldn't know. Lillian also barely spoke, and every time she spoke it was only because it was necessary. She had brown short hair that covered her eyes and dark brown skin. She was tall and lanky, way taller than Viola ever imagined a girl would be. But her stature wasn't so frightening since she looked frail all the time.“Viola. You are not concentrating hard enough.” She said gently.It was Viola’s first training session with her d