The Council The chattering within the auditorium slowly stopped as Cleopatra climbed the podium. "I'm aware that many of you have heard the news." She began and scanned their faces before continuing, "Which is why I'm here to clarify you. Yes, werewolf hunters seem to have returned." "Is it true that they got the Combat Tournament winners? That they are likely to be dead?" "I also heard it happened just two forests away. If something like that can happen so close to the Council without anyone realizing on time, doesn't that mean the Council is no longer safe to stay in?" "Why weren't we informed when this happened? How many things are you keeping from us?" The crowd clamoured, each person raising his voice to ask his question and soon, chaos erupted. Hercules who was standing by the side had to step forward to calm them. "If she didn't have a solution to the present problem, she wouldn't be inform you about it. So calm down and listen to her!" The people found sense in what h
Rose gazed intently at Cleopatra, her eyes lingering on her for what felt like an eternity. Then, with deliberate slowness, she shifted her attention to the wall behind Cleopatra."I know what you're doing," she finally broke the silence, her voice dripping with a mixture of anger and taunting. Cleopatra's surprise was obvious as she asked, "What am I doing?"Rose's lips curled into a sardonic smile, "Using guilt to trap me? What are you going to say next? Mention my first mate that I couldn't save, then go on rambling about how Sarah will face the same fate sooner or later if I don't help you stabilize the Council. That's an old trick, Cleopatra. Learn a new one."A faint twitch at the corners of Cleopatra's lips betrayed her amusement. "Well, someone seems to be soaked up in guilt."Recalling how Rose lost her mate, Cleopatra wiped the smile off her face and said seriously, "I was going to ask you how you think Sarah will feel when she returns and finds out you did nothing to help
Nebra came to a sudden halt. Her eyes followed the witch's gaze, but her view was abruptly blocked by the appearance of a pack warrior who seemed to materialize out of thin air, effectively obscuring Hezell from her sight.She watched the man grab Hezell and forcefully push him in a different direction. The man accompanying Nebra furrowed his brow and voiced his confusion, "That's not the way to the dungeon. They are not going to the dungeon."Nebra mirrored his frown, "Then where are they going?"The witch, deep in thought, finally spoke, his words measured and laden with uncertainty. "Two possibilities. Either the new Alpha intends to obliterate the legacy of the former Alpha, starting with the man revered as the former Alpha's greatest achievement. Or, perhaps, the location of the dungeon has been altered.""No, that can't be. I must speak to Hezell before anything happens to him," said Nebra. She attempted to move towards the direction Hezell had been led, but the man accompanying
"I don't like this uniform. It's way too short," Freya grumbled, tugging at the restaurant uniform she and Sarah had been given.Leaning nonchalantly against a wall, Sarah observed Freya's ongoing struggle with her skirt. The uniform consisted of a collared black blouse paired with a skirt that barely reached past Freya's thighs. On the table nearby, there were three pens—black, red, and blue.While Freya was a server, Sarah wore the same uniform with an additional apron tied around her waist, equipped with convenient pockets—she had been assigned to the kitchen as an assistant chef. They both sported comfortable black closed-toe shoes."No matter how much you pull it, it won't magically get longer," Sarah sighed, pushing away from the wall. She picked up two neckties from the table and handed one to Freya. "We've already spent enough time changing. Let's not risk getting fired before our first shift, okay?"Freya reluctantly let go of her skirt and accepted the necktie. She wrapped i
Freya batted her eyelids a couple of times before she walked to the door, opened it, peeped outside, then locked it again. "What do you mean by they might be leading a group of werewolf hunters?" She retorted, her brain temporarily shutting down at the thought that she had been at such close proximity with the people who almost killed her a few days ago. Sarah hurried towards Freya and shook her by the shoulder, "Don't fucking shut down on me!" "I'm not. I'm not." Freya responded faintly, her eyes moving around in panic before she met Sarah's eyes. "They seemed civilized and important people amongst the humans." "If there's anything I've learnt from our few days of being here, it's that the humans are also submissive to anyone with power. Take a look at how our manager reacted simply because he thought you had chased an important customer." Sarah stated, "And because of this power they seem to hold, I believe that's why they can do things like hunt and kill us without facing any r
Cleopatra lowered the phone from her ear and turned towards Rose with a confident smile. "See? I told you she's alive."Rose cast a casual glance in Cleopatra's direction, her lingering resentment towards Cleopatra for bringing Syren into the Council still evident in her eyes."I've already informed Kourtney and Adley. They'll be keeping a keen eye out for the traitor among us. For now, I've granted Syren the freedom to acquaint herself with the Council," Cleopatra explained, choosing to disregard Rose's sulking demeanor.Almost immediately, Rose straightened in her chair, her eyes widening in surprise. "You've allowed a witch to roam freely in a place filled with werewolves?"Cleopatra remained unfazed. "Syren is no ordinary witch.""A witch is a witch.""In this case, she's a witch I've formed an alliance with to help us identify the traitor in our midst. You need to let go of your prejudice, even though I'm still in the dark about why you despise her," Cleopatra replied, her gaze s
York Teaching HospitalFreya sat on the hospital bed as a nurse took her blood in a vial. It was her first time in such a modernized hospital and the constant beeping of the machine in the room didn't sit well with her. The nurse was done drawing out the blood. She dabbed a cotton in a liquid Freya didn't recognize and handed it to her. "Press this on it until your blood stops leaking." Freya nodded and did as told. Then the nurse took the vial and walked out of the room. "Once again, I apologize." Cheyenne, who had been watching, said as she fully walked into the room. Pressing the cotton on the spot where blood was drawn out from, Freya glanced up at her and smiled faintly, "It's really fine, Ms. Nichols." "I can tell you're forcing yourself to smile." Cheyenne replied, raising her brows as she took her seat opposite Freya. Freya pressed the cotton a little harder on her arm recalling the woman in front of her had probably killed hundreds of werewolves. At the same time, she r
Cheyenne's HouseCheyenne had been absent from the living room for nearly an hour before she finally returned, her apology ready on her lips. "Sorry I took so long – Freya?" Her words trailed off as she scanned the room, only to realize that Freya was nowhere to be found. A growing sense of unease knotted in her stomach as she called out again, "Freya?"Her voice echoed through the spacious living room, a faint note of worry creeping in with each repeated call. She began to pace around the house, her footsteps tapping softly on the hardwood floor. Still, there was no sign of Freya. Then, suddenly, she went towards the direction Freya had taken and halted almost immediately. A gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened in surprise.There, sitting on the floor, was Freya. Her back was comfortably propped against the wall, and she was engaged in the unexpected act of petting a brown wolf nestled on her lap.Upon catching sight of Cheyenne, Freya gently set the wolf aside, rising to her