After paying the fare, I got out of the cab and shut the door close before the driver hit the road. As the breeze blew on my skin, I tucked my hands inside the pocket of my coat and turned my back around to face the luminous, green grass sprawled on the roadside. I took a deep breath as I viewed the foot of the mountain from a distance as I watched the crows flew from one tree to another. The place was empty and there wasn’t anyone here but me. Silence reverberated in the vicinity and the only thing I heard was the whistle of the wind.
I had already anticipated this: the deafening silence, the eerie atmosphere, and the emptiness. But I was still uncertain of the coven residing here that Aunt Odessa was talking about. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would find some answers today because I didn’t come here for nothing.
She turned her back on me, clasping her hands together before her eyes met mine. Heaving a deep sigh, she flashed me a weak smile as I stared at her in anticipation.“Moon Goddess Selene ordered me to protect you. Having the blood of a werewolf flowing through your body is hard to suppress, no matter how much I tried to cloak you with a spell. So we have to keep you from knowing your true nature to keep you safe and to protect you from the humans who killed your parents. Since you’re the last living werewolf of your bloodline, the goddess wants you alive for the posterity of werewolves,” she explained.“So that time when my father handed me to you, that’s when Goddess Selene ordered you to keep me alive,” I concluded as soon as my realization struck me. “But I thought werewolves are afraid of witches? Why would you take
Mating— the most significant part of werewolves’ lives. I first heard about it when I saw a mark on Valerie’s back. In my research about mating, it stated that the goddess chooses who you were destined with. I was a newly turned werewolf and I was still figuring out how I could deal with this. “How did you know about this?” I asked in disbelief. “I will explain everything to you. But right now, I needed you to see this.” She gestured her hand on her side, averting her attention to something else as I did the same. When I turned to look at what Aunt Odessa was trying to show me, she transported me to a different place again. It was a different village— smaller than the other ones I’d seen. Heads of some wild boars and ot
After knowing that I slept for a while because I was in another time and place during that slumber, I immediately went back home to hopefully rest. My mind was racing and I couldn’t think straight because of the thoughts that began to devour my head. It felt as though I’d only been with Aunt Odessa less than a day, I didn’t expect it to last this long.I went back to my apartment as soon as I woke up from my slumber in the forest. I laid on the ground for days and I was supposed to feel rested, but I didn’t. My head was heavy, my back ached so bad, and I could barely walk from exhaustion. It was as if I’d ran a marathon or did a long-hour hike by myself. Maybe it was the fact that I traveled in another time and since my mind was overwhelmed by the things I’d learned from Aunt Odessa, I became mentally tired and my body suddenly stopped properly functioning.
“What?” I asked, just in case I heard him wrong.“Nothing.” He shook his head and fidgeted his hands. “I just don’t know if we can trust him again.”“I’m also unsure, but we need to try. It’s painful for me to accept Valerie’s death, and I was beyond mad at Tobias because he killed her. But right now, we don’t have a choice. Humans are gonna come after us and if we refuse to unite, we will lose against them,” I pointed out.I once loved Tobias. I trusted him, I gave my heart wholly, and I accepted him. But he ruined all of those when he killed Valerie. His lies were painful enough to make me turn away from our relationship, but I didn’t because
“You were asked to testify about Valerie Celeste’s disappearance last time, am I correct?” the officer asked, writing down on the stacked paper.I pursed my lips together and looked down at my clasped hands above the table before responding, “My testimony was precise enough to prove my innocence.”“Ms. Laurent, there are some serious allegations against you that the plaintiff wants to address.” He grabbed the brown envelope beside him and pulled some pictures out of it. Sliding one towards me, I flitted my eyes to the photo before I grabbed it. “These photos show that you and Mr. Sebastian seemed to be having an affair.”
I was caught off-guard at her response, raising my brows in confusion.“What?” was the only thing I could utter.“I’m sure that you have nothing to do with Valerie’s death,” she reiterated before sliding her hands inside her bag.“But why did you have us arrested?”“Because I was left with no choice and I also think that you two are hiding something away from me. If not something, then someone.” She pulled a piece of folded paper out of her bag and handed it to me. Thrusting my hand forward, I grab
He didn’t respond after that and he looked perplexed. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed before running a hand at the nape of my neck. “I know that this is abrupt, but I badly need you to be honest with me.” I held his arm as I noticed his jaw clenched. “Portia, I killed Val—“ I cut him off saying, “Did you?” But I got no response and he just avoided my gaze. “Be honest with me, Tobias. Did you kill her?” “I . . .” he stammered and at that point, I already knew the answer.
No. Before Tobias collapsed on the ground, I shifted my hand and grabbed his wrist. I flicked my eyes at him and after our gazes met, his lids fluttered close as his weight tugged me down. Crouching beside him, I flitted my eyes at Mrs. Celeste in confusion. “This isn’t part of the deal,” I said. “Portia, honey, I’m sure I’m doing you both a big favor.” She glanced at the Silver Stag agents who were surrounding us before she lowered down and laid a hand on my shoulder. “You need to leave now.” “No,” I protested. “You’re not supposed to be involved in this.” “I’m involved in this because I’ve worked in that organization. I’ve seen what they’re working on and how they