"That's it?" Nebra inquired, her gaze closely following the woman's movements around the room.The woman, who had been tidying up her materials, paused momentarily, casting a brief glance in Nebra's direction. "You should get some rest.""Get some rest? I was forcibly taken by your people and brought here to endure mental torment. I'm not typically one to question, but you've delved into my memories in search of something, so I believe I deserve to know what's happening," Nebra retorted, her finger gingerly touching her aching head.Only a few moments ago, the woman had removed the chains that had bound Nebra after completing her numerous spells. These spells had physically drained Nebra, and she couldn't shake the persistent dizziness."Forgive me if releasing you makes you believe you have a say in this matter," the woman hissed, grabbing her stuffed duffel bag and striding toward the exit.Nebra muttered, "You could at least share your name," realizing the woman was indeed right abo
"I'm surprised you're not trying to discourage me from going. Do you plan to nap me along the way?" Neon joked as Cleopatra handed her the blueprint of the Vause family house. "You haven't visited her in years. Even though she might not be in the right state of mind, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you. Who knows, she might even stop being crazy." Cleopatra shrugged, masking her sadness. Neon paused briefly. True, she and Nebra had left as soon as the attack ended. All this while, they never stopped to wonder how their aunt who lost her two brothers and sister in-laws, along with numerous close friends, was faring. "Is that guilt I see in your eyes?" Cleopatra scoffed and walked ahead. "Nebra and I should've gone to see her sooner." Neon murmured. "Despite being in so much pain, she made sure you tried to bring us back to the Council." "It's 18 years already, Neon. Besides, I think it's good none of you visited. My mother was a big mess. She still is, though." Cleopatra concluded
With five tournament winners being absent the following day, they were only five people in the training house.There were two sparring groups currently sparring while Daya had a cloth wrapped around her knuckles as she trained on a punching bag. The door soon opened and Madison walked in, hands behind her back as always. Everyone took their position opposite the mat, hands behind their back and eyes firmly staring ahead of them."Jenna, Tiffany and Mary will not be joining us for a while because they're still unconscious. Neon was excused out of the Council and will meet us in the human city." Madison said as she unhurriedly paced to and fro. "What about Freya Armstrong?" One of the boys with black spiky hair, suddenly butted in. Madison halted and slowly tilted her head to look at him. His eyes met her chilly gaze for a second and he quickly lowered them to the floor again, cowering in fear. "Forgive me." He apologized, but added, "I went over to Brianna's office this morning and
"No, Cleopatra. We can't go to war against the witches because simply because of your cousin. Look around. Over the past few weeks, we've lost a lot of men and currently, we have groups of them outside the Council doing one vital thing or the other. Facing off against the witches with the men we have at hand is nothing but sheer suicide." Hercules tried to reason with Cleopatra, desperation clinging tightly to his voice. She had her back to him and her eyes closed in thought. The silence that ensued after he made his speech scared Hercules. He knew Cleopatra long enough to know what happened whenever she went silent for such a long time.Hercules thought long and hard about what next to say before a brilliant idea came into his head. "How about this; you hasten the trip of the Combat Tournament winners to the human city. Nebra said she didn't know where they are holding her hostage, and since everyone knows we hold the tournament every year, they won't find it weird when the childre
"What's going on with Freya?" Sarah inquired, her footsteps echoing softly in Rose's room as she entered.Rose, who was diligently sharpening her knife, briefly halted her task before resuming it with a focused determination. "I have no idea," she replied in a tone tinged with uncertainty.Sarah, her voice laced with curiosity, continued her musings, her fingers gently encircling Rose's waist as she spoke. "Not even Cleopatra walks around with that many guards. I know she's important to the Council in a sense, but that doesn't mean she should be treated like royalty."Rose's body tensed at Sarah's touch, her usually unwavering gaze briefly betraying a hint of nervousness. Her eyes drifted downward to the knife in her hand, and she softly responded, "I'm sure Cleopatra has her reasons."Sarah, seemingly unbothered by Rose's reaction, nonchalantly expressed her disinterest in Freya's situation. Her fingers ventured further, sliding under Rose's top, and traced idle circles on her stoma
"Ten minutes ago?" Rose repeated, her voice tinged with frustration, and turned away from the girl."Thank you, Amy," Cleopatra expressed her gratitude to the girl and patiently waited until Amy had walked out of the training house. Only then did she shift her attention back to Rose. "Even if you leave now, you won't be able to catch up with them."Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. "How is that possible? And why the hell am I even here when the girl I'm supposed to be protecting is outside the Council?" She hissed, tilting her head to look at Cleopatra.Cleopatra maintained her composure, her tone unwavering. "Freya has spent time in the Council. She has learned how to defend herself, so I thought she should be allowed to go to the Council on her own.""Why?" Rose pressed."Because she has to be strong to be a Luna. She...""Don't say that nonsense about it being impossible for her to have people guarding her whenever she leaves her future pack, because she will be a Luna. Not just
"There's a significant obstruction looming ahead, and as a result, we've decided to seek shelter for the night in this very spot," Ryan proclaimed, the wind carrying his voice through the quiet forest. The group of teenagers nodded in unison, their faces illuminated by the dappled light filtering through the dense canopy above. They wasted no time, retrieving their tents from their backpacks and setting up camp.Freya struggled with her tent, attempting to wrestle the fabric into submission. Seeing her struggle, Mendoza approached her with a warm and friendly demeanor. "Hey, what transpired between you and Jenna last night?" Mendoza inquired after a few moments of assisting Freya. Her eyes were curious, yet beneath the surface, a well-concealed tension lingered.Freya paused, contemplating Mendoza's remarkable ability to mask her true feelings and maintain a facade of affection toward someone she secretly despised. She couldn't help, but chuckle within her. For what it was worth, M
"After the attack on the Council, I made my mother believe she was crazy. I even went as far as almost destroying the room she prepared for the baby." Cleopatra exhaled shakily, her voice tinged with guilt. She stood close to her office's window which had a view that made it possible to oversee the whole Council's activities."You didn't know. None of us knew." Neon shrugged, walking up to her. After making her discovery, she called Cleopatra as soon as possible and conveyed what she found out. "Neon, Nebra was right." Cleopatra exhaled heavily again, tilting her head to look at Neon, "I was the closest to Freya and I never caught on to any hint, but just a day in the Council and Nebra already had her suspicions." "If you're about to say something about Nebra going to take over the Council when she returns, then you should keep shut." Neon scoffed, directly cutting her off. "I used to be good. I've taken care of the Council and the people in it for so long that I let someone so i