Chapter 4

"I THINK, THE best thing you can do right now is to stay away from her, Hayes."

Hawthorne looked at Kyon with a warning and he didn't like what he said. They were outside his room, standing at the door while looking at Nina who was still unconscious until now as she was lying on his bed. Safiya is sitting next to her while examining her.

"I've been searching for her for hundreds of years and you will say that I should stay away from her—"

"Look at your claws. You can't control yourself when she's around, Hayes." Draco noticed as he was leaning against the railings of the stairs and looking at his hands.

He sighed deeply as he clench and unclench his fists, trying to control himself.

"They are right, Hayes." Safiya agrees, they didn't notice that she was now approaching them. "She can trigger your beast while you make her weak."

"That's absurd!" He almost shouted, being careful not to wake her up.

"You can't deny it, Hayes. You also know in yourself that what we said is true." Draco drawled. "She was the reason why you have been able to transform again to your beast after a hundred years, right?"

When Rosemarie died, he never transformed into his werewolf. even when he tried, even when he forced himself. He has also attended rituals several times but nothing has happened yet. He is not weak but his wounds healed for a long time. He's not that fast anymore but he's still stronger than the average person.

In the early years, he still drank blood. That was the source of his strength but as time went on the blood changed his mind that he just wanted to kill. There he met Kyon because his clan was chasing him.

And since then he has not drunk any blood.

His strength is back now but he still can't hold the woman who is the reason why he continues to live. Is this a joke?

"You both triggered each other, Hayes," Kyon stated.

Safiya looked straight into his eyes. "But there's a way that you can be with her, Hayes."

Hawthorne's eyebrows met. "What is it then?"

He's gambling all his life and he will do everything to be with the woman he loved till then and until now. Even if it's dealing with the devil then he will do it without a heartbeat.

"Mark her. That's the only way for you to be together."

He gritted his teeth as he shook his head disagreeing with what she had said.

"I will only mark her once she knows about everything. Once I told her what I am. Who I am. And who she is."

"But that's the only way, Hayes. Mark her and everything will be okay between the two of you."

"No. No. I will only mark her with her consent."

He wants to do it the right way. She deserved it even if there's a chance that she might not accept him, he will still do it.

"Hayes, you can't even get close to her without transforming. You can't control yourself. Just look at you, sweating and breathing hard. The next thing you know, her blood is in your hands already."

Hawthorne's eyes instantly changed to yellow, he showed his fangs too and tried to attack Safiya but Draco immediately held him while Kyon pulled Safiya away from him.

"Relax, Hayes. Try to control yourself." Draco calms him down and tries to keep him away as well but he's still stronger than him even though he's a vampire.

He blinked his eyes, took a deep breath while calming himself. And he knew that they were right, he can't control himself and worst he might harm her. That's the last thing he wants to do and he doesn't want that to happen again.

He looked at Nina who was still unconscious and gradually he calmed down. She manages to get the monster out of him but she can still make him calm down.

Hawthorne looked down, feeling very disappointed at their situation. At himself. When Draco noticed that he had calmed down, he let go of him.

"I searched the whole world to find her." He said but more to himself. "I will do everything for her but I will never go away from her. Not again. I will find a way. I know there's a way."

"Hayes—"

"Safiya!" Kyon warned when she tried to approach him.

He looked at Nina again. He wanted to hold and hug her but he knew he couldn't. He stared at the three of them. Since the moment he was with them, he never showed any weaknesses. He was only showing vulnerability when it's all about her but now, he let them see him this weak because he can't do anything.

He didn’t know what to do and that was the truth.

Kyon nodded as he understood him while Draco just shrugged and Safiya seemed to want to say something more but she was hesitant.

"Take care of her. Make sure she will return to their house safely." Though reluctantly he still said that, he forced himself to leave that place because for now, that was all he could do and he had no choice.

CONSTANTINE TURNED TO Hawthorne with a smile on his face. "You still don't want to talk about it? Come on, I have two shoulders that you can cry on."

He ignored him and just got out of his car as he looked around the streets and countless buildings surrounding them.

"I mean, I already predicted you would transform back to your beast but not her. Didn't expect that. Believe me."

"Are you sure this is the place?" Instead, he asked, he has this boredom in his face and eagerness to just finish the reason why they are there.

He groaned. "Don't you smell anything?"

"If I can smell something then it's only your rotting soul, dxxkhead."

"You're quite savage, Hawthorne Salvatrix." He even chuckled then got out of the car and stood next to him. "Aren't you wondering? This is a fortress of Rogues but you don't even smell anything?"

"Or maybe you're lying." He said then entered the building.

As before, he believed in him again. He said he knew someone who could cast a spell so that he could get close to Nina and she wouldn't suffer anymore. It's just that it's temporary, he will only be given time to tell her the truth and explain everything.

Hawthorne tried everything but he can't smell anything and there are no signs that there are Rogues there. Rogues are werewolves who were expelled or those who run away from their pack. They are dangerous, cunning, and also treacherous, just like Constantine Wilderheist.

He stopped when he heard something. His hearing and smells heightened.

"So what now? What do you hear?" Constantine asked in a stupid voice with his animated face.

"Your irritating breathing."

He didn’t know if he was fooling around just to annoy him more or he didn’t feel and hear anything at all. He remembered how powerful he was back then, though he can still feel his strength until now. Maybe he was just good at hiding and acting or maybe he just wants to ruin his mood every day.

They walked around the first floor of the building but they still didn't see any Rogues, they were already up to the second floor when they heard something on the third floor.

And there they saw the Rogues trying to run away, the others have already jumped out the window. They all growled at them and Hawthorne can see the fear in their eyes but they still attacked them. He respects their bravery even though they know that they won't stand a chance.

He held the rogue man's hair as he dragged him to where he pointed their leader was.

"A-Alpha..." The guy he was holding said when they entered a dark room.

The other Rogues huddled together, while a man was sitting at the end who seemed to be praying.

"Alpha?" Constantine laughed. "And do you think this is a pack? What? A pack of rogues?"

"Tell me where the witch is and I will let you live." He proffered then smirked and shook his head. "Nah! I changed my mind."

He broke the guy's neck and used his speed, in just a second he was in front of the guy they call "Alpha". His hands were already inside his chest and he was holding his beating heart in his palm.

"You're not an Alpha. You don't have what it takes to be one. You're a disgrace to my kind."

His eyes widened, he was chasing his breath and that's enough reason that he can't be called Alpha. His mouth opened but before he could even speak, Hawthorne pulled his hand out with his heart. He collapsed and he also let go of his heart before he faced all the Rogues who were terrified while staring at him.

While Constantine was just smiling as he leaned against the door. Unlike him whose clothes and face was stained with blood, he was very clean except for his bloody hands.

"Whoever can tell me where the witch I'm looking for will be, then I will let him leave this place. Alive."

THE FLAMES IN the torches grew bigger with each step Hawthorne and Constantine took as it illuminated their path. In the middle of the woods, there was a tall and old tower. It seems like that is the only surviving witness to the past of that place in recent years. Everywhere you look there is debris-strewn with wild plants and veins.

When they got inside the tower, they saw a woman sitting in front of a large fire as if she was praying. Based on her appearance, she is probably at the age of twenty-five, but he has also met a lot of witches who look young but have also lived in the world for several hundred years. Like him and Constantine, they are immortals. The only difference is, nothing can kill them.

This is the place where those rogues pointed out the witch he was looking for. In the ruins of ​​Psicadiasis. The sinister city.

She remembers Rosemarie telling her a lot of things about this place. How beautiful, how big, peaceful, and luxurious it was. But those things are just stories because this place is already terrifying. Sadly, he never got the chance to see the beauty of Psicadiasis. But as she recalls Rosemarie's happy face full of life as she talks about this place, it seems like that's what he has been seeing since they set foot in Psicadiasis.

The woman's eyes were closed, she didn't even look at them. She didn't even try to know who they were. It's as if she was already expecting them.

"The First Alpha and The Creator," she whispered, still with closed eyes. "What could I have done good and the two of the most powerful and feared creatures in Mysticshire visited me?"

"We're here because I know you are the only one who can cast a spell about the resurgence. The resurrection and controlling the essence of the souls of someone who was reborn again and someone who can't control their desires."

Hawthorne's forehead furrowed at what Constantine had said but it also disappeared from his mind when the woman stood up and faced them. She stared at him intently.

 "You know you have no choice but to follow us. A witch who helps rogues will receive a dreadful punishment. Not just in packs or covens as well as the free coven." Constantine reminded her.

"And if that's not going to be my fate, you two will definitely kill me."

"You have my word, do the spell of resurgence and we will not harm you or even touch your hair and fingertips," Hawthorne promised and he will make sure that it will happen.

For him, even though many people had betrayed him, he still believed in promises. You can judge a man by only their words.

The woman chuckled, baffled while her eyes were twinkling as she stared at him.

"Salvatrix's men. They will do everything for the woman they love. They will never hesitate to sacrifice their lives and make a deal even with death just for the safety of the woman they love."

Then she looked at Constantine and shook her head, turning her attention back to him.

"This woman. She's not your real mate, right? She's not also the woman destined for you. And hasn't your mate died long ago so why are you wasting your time with a woman who isn't your mate— "

"I don't think you need to know about that." He cut off the rest of what she tried to say, his head suddenly heated up but because he needed her, he suppressed the growing anger he was slowly feeling.

Rosemarie may not be his mate but she is his first love. He met her before he became a werewolf. She came first before he had a mate. She is his happiness, she is his life and she is everything for him.

"Then it's not true that you, werewolves, will only love your mate for life?" The woman blinked, but in the end, she nodded. "Then I need her blood and your blood and something that Rosemarie owns."

Hawthorne shot Constantine a deadly glare when he handed the woman a small bottle containing a red liquid and he knew it was Nina's blood.

"You piece of shxt—"

Constantine immediately raised his hand, moving away from him.

"You know that I'm always ready, Hawthorne. And don't worry, I didn't hurt her. She was unconscious when I took a little of her blood and I was also careful because I knew you couldn't do that because you can't even get close to her."

He clenched his first. "The next time you touch her, I won't restrain myself and I'll forget who you are. I'll do anything to kill you."

"Yeah! Yeah! I get it. Even if you're hurting my feelings." He said frowning but he didn't see any seriousness on his face.

After he cut his palm, he gave the woman his bloody hand then the ring that Rosemarie gave to him back then.

"DO YOU THINK Hawthorne Salvatrix won't suspect you and he won't immediately know all your plans, Creator?"

Constantine glanced at Payton, he shrugged his shoulders uninterested and then returned his eyes to the fire. Of course, he planned everything, from those rogues to this moment. He conspired with Payton who had also been serving him for a long time. It was all just an act but the spell of resurgence and their blood are real but he exchanged Hawthorne's blood with his.

The spell of resurgence was enough for them to control their feelings until Hawthorne gave the mark to that woman. He only has his plan about the blood because it will play an important role in his future.

Hawthorne had left earlier and he knew he would go to Nina Gabriel right away.

"Hawthorne Salvatrix is ​​blinded by his desire to be with that woman. If he finds out then not today or tomorrow. While he's still crazy about that woman, I'll use that opportunity to carry out my plans."

Constantine smirked as his hands touched the flames and played with them. It's hot but it didn't hurt him. He is even more empowered by it.

WHEN HE GOT up inside Nina's room, Hawthorne quietly approached her bed. She was still asleep like a baby. She's even snoring a little which made him smile.

He bent down to stare at her more closely. She's breathing calmly. Her eyelashes were long and her hair was scattered all over her pillow but she's still pretty and when he saw her parted lips, he swallowed hard.

Suddenly he sweltered and he was no longer comfortable in his position while staring at her. She looks so delicate. So innocent. It felt like if he touched her, he might hurt her again.

He took the small bottle then sat on the side of the bed. Carefully and slowly, he let her drink the blood from it.