Ryn looked nervous. She turned around and moved to Lance's side. She was afraid Walter would be angry that she had left without permission.
"Walter," she squeaked, unconsciously holding Lance's hand as if seeking protection.
Walter stopped near them and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you to stay home? Why didn't you listen to me, Ryn? It's too dangerous for you outside." Walter spoke with a worried expression.
"Sorry. I was just bored," Ryn replied.
"I know, but this is all for your own good. I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Walter said. The man then turned to Lance and said, "It was lucky you met her. How did it go? Did you get what we need?"
Lance pulled the bag forward. He pulled out a bag that smelled like herbs.
"It's all here," Lance said as he handed the bag to Walter.
"Great, I'll give it to Merry," Walter said. "I'm glad you're back. You can keep Ryn company so she doesn't get bored," he continued as he patted Lance's arm.
To Ryn's ears, Walter's last words sounded like an order to keep a close eye on her. Not knowing why, Ryn has always felt suspicious of what is around her.
"I'll leave you guys alone. But please, don't cross this line. Do you understand?" Walter said before he turned around and walked away.
After Walter had gone far enough, Lance turned his body towards Ryn. The man furrowed his brows, looking curiously at the girl.
"What's wrong with you? Why do you look like you're scared? Are you hiding something?" Lance asked.
Ryn turned her head and opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to speak but suddenly decided against it. The girl closed her mouth and folded her lips. Remembering what happened that night, she didn't know whether Lance could be trusted or not. Ryn was worried that if she told him what she had been through, he would tell Walter.
"It's nothing. I'm just bored," Ryn replied as she swung away from Lance.
Lance scrunched up his face as he pulled his neck back.
"What's wrong with her?" the man muttered, scratching his head.
Lance shook his head lightly, then caught up with Ryn, who had already taken a few steps away from him.
"Hey, hold on to me!" the man shouted.
Ryn turned her head and saw Lance running a little after her, but the girl didn't stop walking until their steps were at par.
"So... we made up?" Lance tilted his head as he bumped his shoulder against Ryn's.
"Not exactly," Ryn replied.
"What do you mean by 'not exactly'?" protested Lance.
Ryn stopped walking and exhaled harshly. Her eyeballs rotated lazily, then she turned to Lance and said, "I'm still disappointed in you."
Lance relaxed his shoulders while staring disappointedly at Ryn, who had already walked away.
"Oh, come on, I'm sorry," the man said as he took a quick step. "I can't stand this for long. Forgive me, okay?"
"Talk to my hand!" the girl retorted, offering her palm.
Ryn ran away from Lance. She returned home and went straight into her room. She couldn't stand being outside with all those eyes watching her. The girl sat at the window, looking at the two men splitting firewood.
"Are they hiding something from me?" the girl murmured.
Ryn leaned her head against the wooden frame behind her. Some questions were deeply troubling her mind. There were too many mysteries that made Ryn overthink. The soul exchange, the werewolves, and the people who worshipped the moon. It was still fresh in her memory of the first time Ryn saw them shift. The girl trembled terrifyingly as the people turned into ferocious wolves. Not to mention when the mating season arrived. All the wolves were in heat. Walter even had to lock her in the basement so the werewolves wouldn't touch her.
***
In a different place, Albert was sitting across from Malik, one of his Scouts. Albert had ordered Malik to find out about Wolfsbane Hill, and now the man had returned with some information.
"If you see any signs of life there, they're probably inlanders hiding from our kind. I haven't heard of any werewolves living on Wolfsbane Hill. Besides, that sounds highly implausible. Only a few Rouges have been seen passing through the area. Remember, they're just passing through, not entering," Malik said.
"Have you ever heard of people with special abilities?" asked Albert.
Malik frowned. "You mean some kind of seer or witch?" he asked.
"A few days ago, we met a girl near the river. She was human, but Albert sensed something odd about her," Jayden explained.
Malik turned to the Beta and raised an eyebrow. The man pulled one corner of his lips up and said, "Are you saying that Albert's mate was the girl with the special ability?"
"I'm not in the mood for jokes!" replied Albert with a serious face, which made Malik instantly shut up. "So, what do you know about such people?"
Malik was silent for a while as he dug into his memory. Outside of their kind, Malik had never heard of people with special abilities other than seers and witches, of which there were not many in Wolfspring.
However,
Malik turned quickly to Albert and said, "I once went to a bar and met a Scout from the Dante Hills Pack. He told me about a prophecy. About a werewolf who would make the entire Wolfspring kneel down."
"You mean the girl?" said Albert.
"I don't know for sure. But if there really is a werewolf who can do that kind of thing, I think he or she would be an Alpha," Malik said.
Albert and Jayden exchanged glances. This information reminded them of the prophecy about the Bloodwolf. Then Albert looked at Malik and said, "You may go."
Malik nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Albert and Jayden alone.
"What do you think?" Jayden turned his head toward the Alpha.
"We can't let the other packs find out about the prophecy. I don't want them to take advantage of it to bring me down," Albert said.
"So, should we pay a visit to the Dante Hills Pack?" asked Jayden.
Albert lifted his face, looked straight ahead, and replied in a deep voice, "We go tonight."
The Dante Hills Pack is a wolf pack that hails from the outskirts of Wolfspring Forest. They interacted more with humans in Wolfspring City and only went into the forest to hunt. Their pack members were few. From the last information Albert got, they numbered no more than twenty people. A small number when compared to the Golden Moon Pack, which was the largest pack in the entire Wolfspring.Albert came to Dante Hills Pack with Jayden and five of his strongest warriors. With only twenty people, Albert was confident that they would be able to take down the pack in no time. Coming out of nowhere, Albert and his pack attacked the Dante Hills Pack mercilessly.Even so, the Dante Hills wolves put up quite a fight. Alpha Dante Hills Pack went one-on-one with Albert. He didn't know for what reason Albert suddenly came to attack. However, when he saw his pack being slaughtered one by one, the Alpha was furious."Stop!" ordered Leroy, Alpha Dante Hills Pack, in a loud vo
The wolfsbane plants surrounding the hill grew wildly. Thick and tall, it seemed to be a fortress so that no werewolf could set foot on the hill. That is one of the reasons why Wolfsbane Hill is also called the forbidden land for werewolves. However, what Albert found seemed to break the werewolves' stigma about Wolfsbane Hill. The zigzag pattern of the plants made Albert believe that there was indeed life on the hill."What do you see?" asked Jayden. Curiosity made him follow the alpha's lead. Standing on a branch, he gazed at the wolfsbane, which looked beautiful in the morning sun."You see that?" Albert pointed to the pattern. "That's a pattern. Someone, or maybe a group of people, have deliberately made it a path to the other side of this hill," Albert said."I can't believe this." Jayden looked at the purple tapestry in amazement. "They knew who they were dealing with," he continued."It's like a fortress to prevent our kind from coming there," Albert said."I think so. Who do y
Behind her eyelids, the eyeballs seemed rapidly move. Sweat flooded her forehead. Her breathing was rushing along, with her chest cavity expanding and deflating. The delicate fingers gripped the blanket, and she suddenly woke up and screamed with a pale face.The door was knocked on loudly and impatiently."Ryn! Are you okay?" The voice was heard outside the room. Walter was awakened by the scream. "I heard you scream. What happened?"Ryn turned her head and expected Walter to walk in immediately. However, her tongue felt numb, and her whole body was paralyzed. Ryn was terrified so much that she could do nothing but keep breathing rapidly."I'm coming in!" Walter said as he broke down the bedroom door.It only took two slams, and the door opened violently. Walter stood in the doorway,
"What?" Walter widened his eyes. "He's in there. Merry's checking on him," the man said, pointing back. Walter looked in the direction the man was pointing. He hurriedly ran to a crowd of people not far from his house. "What's going on?" asked Walter, walking through the crowd. Merry, who was crouching beside Jendra's body, turned to Walter. "He was poisoned. Wolfsbane," Merry replied. "Wolfsbane?" Walter's eyebrows were deeply furrowed. "How so? Jendra has good resistance to wolfsbane poison," he continued as he looked at Merry, who stood up. All of the Freemega members had better resistance to wolfsbane venom. That was because Merry made a potion from wolfsbane extract and some herbs for them to consume periodically at certain times. They felt an overwhelming effect, although only in small doses in the early days of taking it. Over time, their bodies have become accustomed to the poison. Because of this, they could pass through Wolfsbane Gate without worrying about suffocating
The complicated feelings Ryn felt made her mind blow up. The girl ran out of Freemega and went to the lake. Ryn knew the lake was just as unsafe as the river where Albert's territory boundary was. However, she felt strongly about going to the lake. The girl sat at the edge of the lake, silent and looking at the reflection of a face on the water. The unfamiliar face she now always saw in the mirror stared at her grimly. "Who are you? What exactly happened to you? How did my soul get trapped in your body?" asked Ryn. The girl bent her knees, then hugged them with both hands. She took a deep breath as she looked far ahead. "Should I drown myself in this lake so my soul can return to my body?" The girl chuckled as she relaxed her shoulders. "That would be suicide. I was already dead there. If I do it here, I'll die twice. And it's not cool," she complained. "Who are you?" asked a voice from behind Ryn. The girl was startled and spontaneous
Walter eyed the wolfsbane plants around him. He wanted to check out the place where Jendra was found."Do you know where exactly Jendra was found?" Walter asked."I have no idea, but I heard he was found on the path that leads into town," Lance replied.Walter looked at the young man and said, "Can you do me a favor?""You don't have to ask. I'm always ready to help you," Lance replied."Go find Ryn! I'll check out where Jendra was found," Walter said.Lance's face showed curiosity. "People think what happened to Jendra was an accident, but I don't think so. I know Jendra quite well. He knows the extent of his immunity to wolfsbane poison. So, there's no way he would be that careless. I'm sure there's something behind his death." Lance looked at Walter seriously. "Do you suspect anyone?" he asked."I can't answer you now. I need to check the place for clues," Walter replied.Most Rouges who joined Freemega were of Omega rank in previous packs, including Lance. However, Walter knew tha
Sitting across from each other and separated by a wooden table, Ryn and Walter looked quite serious. It is time for all to be revealed. Ryn must hear the story—the dark story—about her family that happened years ago."Before I tell you everything, would you mind telling me about your nightmare?" Walter said this without shifting his gaze.Ryn licked her lips and took a deep breath. It was hard for Ryn to tell him about the dream without getting goosebumps. It was so horrible. Indeed! And even just thinking about it, her heartbeat was racing."If you can't—""I will do it," Ryn interrupted. The girl took a deep breath to convince herself she could do it."Are you sure? I know this is hard for you. I won't be too pushy if you can't do it," Walter said."I’m sure I can do it." Ryn nodded confidently. The girl briefly paused her words as she summoned the courage to dive into the nightmare that haunted her every night. "I hid behind a giant white oak tree. There was a house with a large ya
'Is this the reason why God sent my soul to Wolfspring? To avenge the death of her family?' Ryn thought.She sat in front of the mirror, looking at the reflection of the sad-eyed face staring back at her."Talk to me, Ryn! Is this what you wanted? Do you want me to take your revenge?" She asked.Ryn waited for the reflection to answer her question for some time. But she felt even more foolish the longer she waited. She was not the Evil Queen sitting in front of her magic mirror anyway."This is ridiculous." the girl snorted and got up.Ryn turned around and walked toward the bed. Then a voice was heard calling her name, making her steps stop. Ryn turned her head and looked around."Who's there?" the girl asked.She turned vigilantly."Who's talking?" she asked again, to no one in particular."I'm here, Ryn," replied a voice.The girl traced where the voice came from, and her gaze lingered on the mirror she had left behind. She was shocked to see her reflection still there, sitting on