"Metis, keep an eye on Kitty for me." Erebus called Metis on his way back to the office.
"Yes, my Lord." Metis answered, "Something happened?"
"Long story... also, keep an eye on the princess." Erebus sighed.
"Which one?" Metis asked, "The Princess came here?"
"The most annoying one." Erebus said darkly.
"Ohh! Princess Allura?" Metis exclaimed, "We have her under our radar since she got the city. But I thought she came for official business?"
"Yes, she did. She just... met with Kitty." Erebus paused for a bit and chose "met" to skip that "long story", "And she took my car."
"Would you like your car back, my Lord?" Metis asked, trying to hold back her laugh.
That succubus had always been known to be in love with Erebus, who avoids her as much as he could. But her being the princess, there wasn't much that Erebus could do to her, and she had been exploring that forbearance in every way she could.
"No, it's fine." Erebus waved his hand, "I want a bigger car anyways. Get a SUV ready for me by tomorrow."
"SUV?!" Metis was a bit shocked. Erebus had always been a sports car lover. He collected all kinds of luxury sports cars but never SUVs.
"And I would need some refit, too." Erebus added, ignoring her surprised tone, "The usual, and make the backseat comfortable."
"Of course, my Lord." Metis said, "But I have to remind you, the functions won't be as good as--"
"I know." Erebus simply said.
"Of course, my Lord." Metis made no further protest. Of course he knew. He was the mysterious legendary racer, Silver Lightening.
He went to all kinds of top races around the world, but he always keeps his identity unknown. He just wanted to be himself somewhere, and he chose the nickname other werewolves gave him as a joke that only he knew.
He was also the Silver Lightening there, not just to werewolves.
Sometimes a wolf needs more than a small woods to release his extra energy. Race was Erebus's way to feel the rush.
Put down his phone, Erebus took the note with the lip print and gave out a slight sigh. How come it was so hard when all he was trying to do was to keep Kitty safe and happy?
He never really understood, or bother to try to figure out, how marking really works. It has been THE tradition ever since they existed on the face of the earth.
What if it could be wrong? What if marks don't work on witches? What if you CAN mark more than one?!
He never really believes that his King really marked again. After the old queen was banished, he had always thought that there was some scheme between how the King could mark another woman and gave them a new queen.
He didn't seem happy. And there definitely was a secret.
All his answers were now in his hand. Well, on the parchment roll held in his hand.
An inky bubble grew from the center of his palm, and once it was big enough, it devoured the parchment roll, shrank and disappeared into his palm again.
Erebus tore the note into pieces and threw them in the garbage can, knowing that being annoying at Allura was exactly what she was looking for.
He knew that the words were that she was into him. But it wasn't the case.
He knew.
He was the best warrior AND strategist the King had when they were fighting together. And now, the power was held in the Queen's hand. Even if she didn't want him, she wouldn't want him to be an enemy.
That was why she had been trying to push for the marriage between Erebus and Allura. And she only saw him as an addition of her power, if not just a toy at her disposal.
That woman was just a mini-version of her mother: she saw only power. Nothing else in the world mattered to her.
But Kitty didn't know. Of all the secret that he had to keep away from her, this one was the worst.
Erebus sighed again. His eyes fixed on the calendar hanging on the wall.
Seventy days. Only seventy days more to go.
No prince or princess could get in his way. He won't allow it!
Kitty finally woke up, curling under the small corner of the cover she pulled over her.
Her eyes were swollen and her head dizzy. She sat up, robbing her face for a while before she remembered why she cried herself to sleep last night.
If she had the habit of checking her phone, she would have seen the dozen messages Erebus sent her:
"Kitty, I'm sorry that you ran into such a scene, but I can explain."
"She was here to deliver an assignment from the King. There is this mysterious case going on at Mount Alaric, and I was ordered to go and check."
"Please, Kitty. I'm really not into her, and she wasn't into me either. She came onto me only as a joke because she sees every man her toy."
"You are right to be mad. I shouldn't have let her no matter what."
"I'm sorry that I didn't get to know what you came to talk to me about. Could you please give me another chance?"
Even if Kitty had seen this, she wouldn't have seen all the messages that Erebus typed in but only to delete:
"I'm actually a bit happy that you get jealous for me."
"I have only you in my eyes. I'd do anything if you could be the one I hold in my arms."
"I would wait for you no matter how long, but it pains me to see that you are hurt for it too..."
But Kitty didn't see any of these.
Even the modern communication method cannot ask someone to talk when they don't want to.
She pulled a backpack from the thin air this time, and packed only a few changes of cloth and her notebook.
She got the map of the country AND for Mount Alaric ready in her phone, realizing she didn't have much more to pack even if she wasn't going for a light package.
She shut the door behind her and sneaked out of the hotel in the twilight.
She was going to Mount Alaric alone.
"My Lord." Metis called Erebus on his phone, "Kitty left the hotel with a huge backpack, and she got a plane ticket for Mount Alaric.""..."Instead of a plane, Erebus got on his new SUV the same afternoon.He had to make arrangements of his city before he left. He left Tartarus in charge, and he didn't take neither Menoetius nor Themis.
"How many people do you have here?" Erebus dialed Kitty's number, and put the phone on his ear as he asked the two young wolf in the car."We have only two units here, my Lord." Harrison answered. He was sitting at the front seat, "We are the unit leaders.""I see, go get your people ready and wait for my order." Erebus nodded, frowning at the busy tone in the phone, "Where is the casino?""Casino? Downtown..." Harrison and Quinlan stared at each other, having no ide
"Allura is here, too?" Uranus squinted her eyes at Erebus, "You are enjoying this, aren't you?""Why?" Erebus smirked at her, "She's not your loving cousin?""You just don't want to handle her yourself!" Uranus clenched her fist but Erebus stopped her --They were standing in her top floor "warden office", face to face, with Uranus's hand held in Erebus's.
"Where's your car?!" Uranus hinted Erebus as she kept on the phone: "When was she there? How long has she been in there? Hold your men by the entrance, I'll send someone right over!""You are not coming?" Asked Erebus as she ended the call, starting the car."I can't. That place does not welcome magic." Uranus shook her head, "You will be fine. Just take your wolf form ALL the time. You just might find her sooner with a better sense of smell.""Okay. What's with that
"Lord Erebus." A dozen men were waiting at the end of the road.It was the edge of the Blood Moon Forest.Now Erebus understood what Uranus meant by "you will know when you are there." --
The forest immersed in dark red glow. Erebus could feel his magic flowing out of his body not many steps into the woods.The edge of the forest JUST disappeared out of his sight, and he was already feeling feeble. He tried to follow the now too obvious to miss small blue flower on the ground--He didn't notice them when he just entered the forest. They
Erebus turned into his wolf form at the sight of the shoe, and the whole world turned from red to blue.No scent.There was no obvious scent around the shoe, not even like someone throw it here, more like, it appeared there from thin air.
There was no sign on the boy Mason of a rose, or anything growing out of his body. It was just a single rose, sticking out of the poor boy, Tylor's chest.Could it be an accident? Some seed just happened to grew here? No, that was too odd, too intentional. And there won't be time. The boys went missing two weeks ago. No way a normal rose just grew out of the body by some nature miracle.