Mrs. Keevah dropped the washing sponge and gave Harper her full attention. “What’s the problem?”Harper gulped before answering. She’s not entirely sure, but it’s better to be cautious than to be sorry one day. At least by being cautious, she could be mindful and alert of what’s to come in the future. She’ll get to be ready for the possible attacks.“Don’t panic, okay? But I think someone’s coming for us.”“Someone?”Mrs. Keevah’s heartbeat doubled. There’s only one enemy out there. If there’s someone threatening their life, she’s sure it’s gonna be Alpha Draco. Now that he has united the two rivaling packs, he won’t come alone for sure. he’ll be with the Great Beta, Brayden. “I think Alpha Draco has sent a small group to search for us.” – Harper said, unblinking“What made you think of this? Come on, Harper… you’re scaring me.”Harper looked at the faraway forest. Even with the buildings and towering apartments from this side of the city, her wolf senses were strong enough to know
Damon was still waiting for an update on whether or not Marion has arrived now. He had a couple of things to ask in his head. Also, as good news, the treatment of their soles was working. Aside from the warm wash, the ointment they apply and the potions they drank were also as effective. Now that they can walk properly, Damon chose to get out of the place on a brave attempt to search for a cellular signal again. As long as his phone’s not dead, he’s not giving up on this. It’s the number one priority on his list. Come on, just for one time. Just for one text.He was spreading his arms everywhere, trying to catch which part of the area can he get a wave of signal. Then, the woman who he first talked to the first day they arrived in the Virgo emerged from nowhere.“There’s really no such thing as cellphone signal here.” – the woman saidDamon jumped in surprise. The woman just appeared, didn’t even make a sound. Even her footsteps as quiet as a cat’s.“Everywhere? How do you communi
Because of the physical effect of the second test, Marion decided to postpone the third and final initiation rites after two days. The men were sent two witches to take care of them. They were only stuck in their rooms, waiting for the witches to bring them food and to apply ointments, potions and other charms on their burnt soles. Aside from that, dealing with the post-traumatic experience was also a different struggle. Among them, it was Norton who ‘s still deeply affected by what happened.“If I only knew it would be like this, I wouldn’t have switched places with Anthony. Hell, if I close my eyes I can still feel the coals sticking on my skin. It’s unexplainable. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much pain.” – Norton said, talking to Asher“It’s gonna be fine, man. The ointments are working, don’t you think?” – Asher asked“I think so… but still.”Damon could only listen. Despite how Norton reacted last night, he’s still appreciative of how well he managed to handle it. He didn’t t
Damon went back to their room with a heart filled with hope. “Where have you been?” – Asher asked, standing up “Woah, chill. I have good news.” By mentioning good news, the men stopped what they were doing and listened carefully. Damon smirked. See? He just knows what’s going to grab their attention. “What is it, Damon?” – Norton asked, getting out of the blanket he was covering himself with Damon cleared his throat. It may still be premature, but he knows Eva would not fail him. As soon as the letter gets dropped in the post office, it will only take it about a day for the delivery. The postman has a scheduled delivery every weekday. When he already got the men’s undivided attention, he started speaking. The words were unfiltered. Whatever the first words he got in his head, those were also the ones he let go of. “I found a way to communicate with Harper. Eva, she’s one of the girls who we met when we came here. She’s offered her help to send a letter to the city. One of the
Harper was sitting on a bench outside the house on a drizzling afternoon. Just one day left from the agreement she had with Mrs. Keevah about patiently waiting. After that, she would be free to look for Damon on her own. Where to start is not the question.The question is how. She already has a name: Marion. It was the name Damon mentioned that one time when he said he has discovered a new pack led by someone with the name. To say where it is would be easy. Being a Redmayne, she can always pull some strings. Hector cried, breaking the monotony of the moment. Harper looked down at the baby and gave it a smile. A soft reassuring smile that everything would be okay now. Some says babies can feel their mother’s stress. Maybe it was why Hector sleeps late now. Maybe it’s also the reason that he eats less. If those were true, then Harper should be worried. As what Mrs. Keevah said to her one time, she should take matters on her own hands. She’s with a child now. That meant everything sh
The last stage of the initiation rites was around the corner. Marion has instructed a messenger to tell the men about what they have to prepare for the coming night. The messenger has assured them there would be no fire tonight. There would also no wolves. However, what was told to them is to prepare their physical strength. So the three of them knew there would be a combat. The question left to be answered is, with whom? Or with what?“Come on, man. You can just tell me what it is. Maybe just a hint. Just give us something as an assurance of tonight. You see what happened last time, didn’t you?” – Asher was trying to reason with the messenger“No, sir. I wasn’t there on the previous nights.”Asher grimaced. A fail.“Well, Norton almost died of fear. The challenge was hard, not to mention torturous. It’s not friendly at all. If you tell us a little more now, you can save a life. Who knows, maybe one of us will have that privilege. What if this time, it would be so hard that one of us
Anthony was lucky enough that no one was looking when the call was received by the other line. Quickly, he stepped away from the small group, hiding behind a tall signboard for a nearby gasoline station. They’re approaching the city proper now, on foot, because the person they contacted to let them borrow two cars didn’t respond. Turns out, their contact person’s loyalty lies with Damon, not with Alpha Draco nor Brayden. He was sure none of his companions noticed him detach. He placed the phone on his right ear, hoping for a positive outcome of the call. “Harper? Hello? Is Damon with you?”“Anthony? No, he’s not here, he’s-““Okay, listen. I need you to deliver a message to him. Brayden and some of his men are coming to the city. They were planning to attack the humans in search of you.”Anthony didn’t waste any more time. He wanted to let out of the information as soon as possible. As soon as Harper and Damon would be aware of the real situation at hand, then it’s already a huge st
Damon could hear the bear catching his breath now. He couldn’t stop right away. He knew he already angered the bear too much. If he stops now, the bear won’t hesitate to tear him apart. No one wants that. As for him, he was panting too. The chase and the way he’s wearing the bear out requires his full energy. Asher and Norton could only observe him. The former was alert in case Damon would call him to hop in. Norton was on edge. He was hiding behind a huge board, didn’t want the bear to see him. “Anytime now… look at the bear, he’s slowing down…” – said Asher, pointing to the bear“Are you sure?” – Norton asked, couldn’t see what Asher was pointing at“Yes. I can attack now if Damon would allow me.”He was on alert. Anytime now, if given the signal, Asher’s ready to jump on the bear and wrestle with it to the death. He got himself a pointed dagger from the weaponry. Again, close contact. It’s what he needs to have and the beast is his. He just needs to have a close contact with it
“Alpha Draco requests your presence, sir.”The messenger talked in a slow fashion, careful that the Virgo Alpha would hear it properly. Marion just finished settling on an old room inside the common room. It looked like it belonged to a royal she-wolf, based on the expensive paintings on the wall and the hand-sewn dresses inside the closet. “Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”“He said it’s urgent, sir.”Marion nodded. There’s no excuses with the Great Alpha. Besides, he’s not in his territory. He’s at the Red Blood’s, the first time he got out of the roundhouse and housed in a different setting actually. The messenger left the door open. Marion put down the third pillow case he packed with him and followed the former to the main room of the common room. Inside, Alpha Draco was waiting. He’s sipping jasmine tea from a small teacup. A lady in waiting was at his side, holding the kettle by its handle. With a plain breakable plate placed under it.“You called for me, Great Alpha?”He lo
“I… I don’t understand. What do you mean, officer?”Harper was biting the edges of her nails in anxious anticipation. Surely, there’s nothing good that will come out from the end of this conversation. To mention the word “victim” mid-sentence doesn’t constitute good news. “You have no idea, do you?”Harper shook her head… then realized that the person she’s talking to is on the other end of the line. So, her nodding of head is not counted as a response.“I have no idea of what this is about. Please, just-“Harper couldn’t finish her sentence. She’s not even sure if she wants to. what has been unfolded before her eyes the entire day are facts - quickly given facts that either surprise her or catch her in the moment. And these facts aren’t even good news at all. “I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t think you are clueless about what happened in this house. It’s all over the news this past week.”What is?, she thought. But then, it’s Mrs. Keevah’s house. There’s no one else in the house that cou
In front of them were the men, the woman and the little baby that they all hated: the ones they denominated as “rebels”. They were on the front of Marion and Alpha Draco.“We meet again…” – said Damon.Harper and the rest of the group stood behind their alpha. The men were carrying their own choice of weapons, their own poison against the enemy. They stood gleaming at the site of fresh dead bodies on the floor. Proudly. The look on Alpha Draco’s face says it all. He wanted the war to be over. He wanted the war to begin as soon as it can. Right in this moment. Right in this spot. “Finally… I’m tired of chasing after your tail, Damon. You and Brayden can come here and let’s finish this once and for all. I’m tired of chasing and of canceling this to another schedule.”Damon licked his chapped lips. He has the same ideas. He didn’t come here to visit his father. He didn’t come here for peace. None of them believes in peace anymore. “I cannot agree more. Later, then. Once and for all.
Just when the silence stretched between Harper and Brayden, Damon got up from his sleep and pulled Harper closer from the waist.Brayden’s eyes followed where Damon’s hands were and gulped. In a moment, he turned to the other side and tried to forget what he has seen. He managed to turn and keep his eyes and body that way.“You’re up early…” – muttered Damon with a raspy voice.“Yeah… my body clock’s messed up these days.” – replied HarperThat was a lie. Her body clock has nothing to do with it. It’s always her thoughts that keep on saying something to her. It feeds her negative ones instead of empowering her to think of solutions. And of course, the place and the ambience did help with the thoughts. It even made the way for it. It even made her feel worse.“Is that because of the war?”“No, something else.”Harper looked at the ring that’s still on her finger. If Anthony didn’t cause a distraction, would that scary man really cut off her finger? For the sake of proving a point?Are
“Elias! You wouldn’t believe it!”Elias was cleaning the Great Alpha’s office when one of the guards from the office went to approach him. The guard was panting, his sweat rolling down his temples down to his neck and chest area. These droplets of sweat blurs his vision as they get past his eyes. “Do you have some news?” – Elias already has some expectations in his head. Hopefully, this is going to be good news. And hopefully, this is about the Great Alpha too. “Yes. you should go outside to see what’s up.”Elias nodded and then he got up to check if there’s really someone inside waiting for him. As it turned out, there’s a small crowd gathered outside over something. The question is, what’s the cause? Who is there that everyone seemed to be alarmed?“Is that…”The rest of the sentence got drowned in the air. the guard who brought Elias the news did not even let him finish. Whether it was excitement or worry, none of them can tell. However, it’s clear from the circumstances that the
“…and here we are!”Everyone of them looked around, expecting a tavern or a cabin in the woods. None of those things were present. They were only surrounded by different trees and the dark moon above them. “Here?” – Anthony repeated, confused“Yes. Over there.”Brayden pointed on the cavern behind him. The boys walked closer to see what he’s pointing to. Then, Harper followed. She already knows what it is, she only got closer so the others won’t speculate. They cannot know she’s been here before. “This is where your safe place is?” – Asher asked with a huge question mark on his face.“Yes. This is what I meant by that.”They all didn’t look impressed. But then again, they’re hiding from Marion and their men. Anything safe that they can use will do. Just not to be caught. Anything. Just not that. They cannot be captured. Not this time. With Brayden leading them, they approached the mouth of the cave and got inside one by one. Among them, only Hector seemed to be enjoying the show.“H
“Goddamn it, you have a knife! I don’t care if you cut her finger!”Harper’s eyes widened when the huge man on her right got a knife from his back pockets. It’s a new one and surely sharpened just before they went to the roundhouse. The slight shin of the knife reflected the fear in her eyes. Damon’s hip still hurt with the hitting. He was held by four men, struggling as he throws all sort of cure words upon Marion.The man with the knife neared Harper and she stepped back, pulling the two men with her. They can’t be serious. They surely cannot just cut off her finger when Marion tells them to. Or she could be wrong. It’s also possible that these men are Marion’s puppets and would do anything he tells them to. No matter howbrutal or illogical that can be. “Damon, just go… “ – Harper’s vision blurred as the tears welled on the corner of her eyesDamon shook his head. No, he’s never going to leave her. Not this time. Not ever. The man pulled her hand as one man from the side brought
Damon kept on looking behind him. He hasn’t seen Harper yet, the entire time that they were inside. The last time he did was when they were sitting on the benches. Back when nothing seemed strange yet.Aside from that, he hasn’t seen her yet. The thickness of the crowd barred him from doing so. However, he’s sure she’s still inside. The slight gap on the door cannot hold a person going out yet. Whoever attempts may be squeezed. “Harper? Harper, where are you?!” – the question roared in the air. They were stuck in the main room with lots of the Virgo aiming at them. Not to mention that the great number of its members were clawing their throats to make their way out. Aside from that, there are two Virgo men who’s at his back as he shouted. They were trying to catch him and bind him with a thick rope. The rope was too thick and Damon noticed that if that will be used against him, he cannot break it with his fists. He cannot set himself free from those.“Harper!”And then, like a mira
Hearts flutter in a negative manner. This isn’t good. It couldn’t be good.Harper sensed Damon’s tenseness. She looked at his brother and it’s clear that he’s also in his fight-or-flight mode. Any minute now, something is about to happen. She’s positive about that.“I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling there’s something odd here, right?” – Asher voiced out and Damon shushed himAsher nodded slowly. He has confirmed his statement. “… and it is the duty of the alpha to put his pack’s safety first. Even at the middle of the war, the safety of the pack shall not be compromised nor put aside. The safety of the pack has to be the paramount consideration. It is because of that that any threat, no matter how small or insignificant, needs to be gotten rid of.”- Marion ended his speech with a dangerous stare at the Red Blood pack’s direction. “This is not good. Come on. We have to get going.”“What’s going on?” – Norton saidHarper and Damon looked at each other’s eyes. They already understo