CHAPTER 2

“Wereheretic? What is that?”

“She is a werewolf turned vampire who has magical abilities.”

“You gotta be kidding me. How is that possible? To be turned into a vampire, you need to be bitten at least thrice. No werewolf can survive that kind of venom. She should have died the first time she was bitten.”

“She should have but she didn’t. She comes from a rare witch lineage that made it possible for her to survive the venom despite being a werewolf.”

“Fucking hell! Doesn’t that mean she is invincible?”

“You are right. She is indeed invincible. Vampires, witches, and werewolves have been trying alike to kill her but she just doesn’t die.”

He paused for a moment before holding my hand and leading me out of the house, “Come with me. We need to be somewhere.”

He led me to what seemed like the ruins of an old mansion. The faded charred walls peeking out through overgrown vines indicated that it was burned to the ground; probably long ago.

My gaze shifted from the ruins to my father to find that he had grown extremely still and his eyes had glazed over. He placed his hands over his chest, palms down, crossing his right wrist over his left. It was a gesture that showed respect to the dead, especially someone close.

My heart skipped a beat. Was this the place? Was he finally going to relent and tell me everything? I drew closer to him waiting with silent apprehension; too afraid to question him lest he changed his mind. Those few moments were probably the longest in my life.

His voice sounded distant as he finally spoke, “This was the place where…umm… your mother died…” he paused to let out a deep breath before continuing, “It has already been two years but…. It is still difficult for me to talk about that day.”

My breath got caught in my throat and tears gleamed in my eyes. My guess was right. He was finally going to tell me how mom died.

When my mother died, I was away; visiting my aunt for some special training sessions. It was only when I returned that I found out about her death. I had always been very close to my mother. So, the news of her death hit me hard. Harder was the blow that my father didn’t even bother to inform me.

My mother had died while I was busy with some mundane training. I couldn’t even pay my last respects. The guilt and despair weighed heavy on my heart but I had managed to keep my reactions under check.

It was when he refused to tell me how my mother died that I finally broke down. I cursed, fought, and threw fits of temper. I don’t even remember what I did. I had turned into a crazed freak. But, my father; he didn’t relent. He kept saying that he will tell me when the time is right.

Right time be damned! No son wants to hear such a response. We slowly drifted apart. I tried to figure out what had happened on my own but all I could grasp were some wisps of rumors.

“I still remember that day with stark clarity,” his voice sounded like a raspy whisper. “Marlone had given birth to twins and we had come here to visit her. We were busy making preparations for the feast when we heard an explosion outside. Naturally, I went to check….”

His voice trailed and his hands dropped to his sides, “If only I had resisted that reflex…” He closed his eyes and alone drop of tears rolled down his cheeks followed by a long, drawn sigh, “Anyway, I went to investigate the cause of the explosion. Catching a sniff of an unfamiliar scent, I shifted and started following it. Before I could realize it, I was miles away from the mansion. The next thing I know is that the mansion was blazing like an inferno….”

He stopped talking and a deep, oppressive silence engulfed me. My ears rang with his words, sending waves of agony and helplessness to every cell in my body.

I grabbed his hand and looked at him with desperation, “Didn’t you try to find out what had happened?”

“How could I not? Upon investigation, I found out that the fire was created using magic. The guards and neighbors tried so hard to put out the fire. They just couldn’t.”

My chest became stuffy as the air left my lungs. My mother had been brutally murdered and I didn’t even know about it. Tears rolled down my cheeks, “W… Why didn’t you tell me about it earlier?”

A sense of utter defeat crossed his features, “I just couldn’t bring myself to face you; to face the fact that my mate, my luna was killed because of my negligence. If I had taken precautions, I don’t know, maybe posted more guards or something; If I hadn’t been tricked so easily, she would still be alive. I wanted to tell you after I found the killer….”

The stuffy sensation that had formed in the depths of my chest intensified, threatening to suffocate me. I gasped, “Why are you telling me this now?”

His expression hardened and a flare of anger lit up in his eyes, “I am telling you this because it is the right time. I have finally found out the person behind it.”

A deep, primal roar erupted from the depths of my chest as the sense of desperation, agony swiftly turned to unbridled fury. My jaws clenched and I gritted, “I am going to rip that scab with my own hands.”

My father’s lips pressed in a thin line. He reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder, “I am afraid that is not an option, Son. Our opponent is literally invincible.”

“I don’t care who the opponent is, father. No matter how strong he or she is; I will find a way to turn that scum to dust!” The anger that I felt was so powerful that my entire body shook with its intensity. “Just give me a name!!”

“The Wereheretic. You saw her massacre Alpha Azarel’s family moments ago.” He raised his eyebrows, “Do you think you can turn her to dust?”

My anger deflated like a balloon that had been pierced. My knees gave way and I dropped to the ground. The sense of helplessness hit me with so much force that it shattered me on a different level.

My father knelt beside me, supporting me silently. We sat there with pieces of rubble digging into our knees; like criminals awaiting the results of their trial.

I don’t know at what point but I realized that I couldn’t ignore everything just because my opponent was weak. That thought gave me a sense of purpose, “Alpha, I know that this is probably a suicide mission but I have to try. I have to try to avenge my mother's death.”

A rare smile lit up his agonized face, “I was hoping that you would say something like this. The witches, vampires, and werewolves; all want to kill the Wereheretic. The only problem is that we don’t know her weakness.” His grip on my shoulder increased, “If you can keep a cool head and are willing to cooperate, you can play an important role in her destruction. However, I have to warn you, Justin. This might be very risky.”

“I am willing to walk through the fires of hell and sleep on the bed of nails to avenge my mother. Give me the word and I will do it; no matter the risk, no matter the consequences.”

A new chapter had started in my life; one that was going to try and test me at every point.