That night, I waited until the whole castle had fallen silent before throwing away the duvet covering my already dressed form.Climbing down my bed, I brushed a hand over my dark jeans and black turtle neck shirt that hid my magic restraint. I slipped into my shoes and quietly made my way over to Syb's corner. Grabbing a flashlight, I made a mental note to return it.Then I slipped into the empty hallway.Tonight I was going down the secret passage. With that thought, I slinked down the hallway, keeping close to the walls. After a while of tediously navigating through the massive castle, I came across an elevator. Quickly, I went over to it, keeping an eye out for the lycan warriors on night duty. Cramming in, I pressed a button to the top floor. The ride up was silent and nerve wracking, and all through it, my heart pounded a nervous best in my ears.Once the doors dinged open, I rushed out. Then came to an immediately halt when the lengthy barrel of a rifle was positioned before me

The flashlight in my hand felt cold and heavy for some reason, could be because my hands were clammy, and this drew to attention how nervous I was. My stomach pulled into knots as I slinked down the silent halls, hiding behind the tall white pillars at certain intervals--when an omega passed by, when a court of elders trooped across the hall, or when a fully changed lycan growled and grunted down the stairwells.Shadows moved on the red carpets of the dark hall. Looking up, I saw it was a product of the wind shaking the chandelier above. Focusing on the empty space before me, I made to turn left into another hallwa--"...Yes, although the nature of it all's still unknown.".A snarl. "It has to be those infidels. It has to."Paling, I pressed against the wall, my heart pounding against my ribcage. If the warriors were to turn around now, they'd see me flat against the wall, hands splayed on the white walls.Time seemed to go on forever,

That night, I went up to meet a bowl of grapes at my bedside table. Before drifting up to sleep, I popped a few into my mouth.The sound of seagulls squawking filled my ears. A twig snapped behind me and I turned, seeing Tabitha.Face drawn, she asked, "Did it open this time?"A dark feeling descended over me. My throat clogged and I stared at Tabitha, willing my tongue to produce words."Well?"I averted my gaze. "W-well..."Her voice thinned with worry and she searched my gaze. "Come on, Willow, say something."A variety of emotions fought for dominance within me. My eyes stung. When I made to talk, she peered at me closely, then asked on a vaguely suspicious note, "Are you okay, Willow?""Y-yeah. Why not?"Still looking at me, she said, "So I asked a question, did you find the correct combination to the lock?"What was wrong with me. It wasn't as if I hadn't made up my mind to provide a way into the castle for

LAN_"She's on the run."Even as my stomach sank, my eyes didn't waver from the floor length windows on hearing my Beta's voice. He closed the door behind him. Quickly he approached me, coming to stand at my side. "It's all going according to plan. What do we do now?"My eyes found my reflection on the transparent panes, and gradually, they turned a raging yellow. My chest constricted, and for the first time since I was a boy, I felt like I was drowning. Like any second from now I would start to gasp for air.Willow... She must've known I had started to lose my heart to her, like a fool. And yet, she ran from me at the slightest chance, going to prove that I was no better than I was two centuries ago. A curse."Like you ordered," Liam began, "I had one of our men tail her immediately she left her room. I couldn't sound it fast enough to Hick and the rest to stay out of her way if she went running." He pushed up his thick-

A sick feeling coursed through me and I made to hunch over, but the grip on my arm stopped me. I pried my groggy eyes open, and chills slid down my spine to see we'd apparated. White filled my line vision. Drifts of snow blew past the dark little village before us. Snow coated the leaves on large trees, gathering around the rooftops of the wooden cottages stretching down the wide settlement. A subtle note of pines and aspen tinged the air. Where the hell were we?The hold around my arm tightened and soon I was being pulled forcefully. Lan stormed down to the first cottage in sight. Pushing open the door, he barged in, startling the little man seated at the dinning table in a corner.The yellow bulbs above shone down on his heavily bearded face. Some strands were greying. He lurched up to his feet, his brown eyes widening as he took in Lan's bloody tunic, his scarred face, and my haggard state.He backed away, his voice coming out hoarse and heavily