The Abused Wolf is Back for Revenge

Clank! The shell of the rifle dropped on the floor and a spurt of blood landed on Alpha’s face. She took a step back revealing the small hollow on her shoulder where the bullet had pierced through her. Alpha Azarel’s face turned pale and his body went limp. The automatic rifle slipped through his hand and landed on the floor with a thud. The girl pulled out a dagger from her belt and dug out the bullet, “I must say that this goes deep; how inconvenient.” She looked at the bullet with a condescending expression before throwing it away; the way you would if a small thorn had pricked you. She stood there, cocking her head to the side, rubbing her chin as if deep in thought. All of a sudden, her eyes flashed with a devilish glint, “I am getting bored of this play now. Shall we put an end to this?” It was shocking to see that the girl could talk so easily even after being shot. What was more, Alpha Azarel lowered his neck in submission; just like that. He was one of the most powerful Alphas in the world; next only to the Lycan King. Yet, here he was, accepting defeat without further struggle. The girl stabbed his neck with the dagger but stopped when it had lodged merely an inch. Blood trickled down his neck and he dropped to his knees. Right at that moment, the door swung open and two children ran inside. Alpha Azarel signaled them to leave but it was already too late. They had caught the attention of the girl. Her eyes twinkled and her lips curved in a smirk, “Wouldn’t it be nice to see your children die right in front of your eyes?” Her voice was icy and her gaze had turned colder than the ice on the arctic. I licked my dry lips as I staggered. She was probably just using them to threaten Alpha Azarel. No one in this world, not even the devil himself would kill innocent children without a reason. Alpha’s Azarel’s eyes widened in horror and panic; his lips opened and closed in an attempt to talk but he couldn’t say anything because of the blade lodged in his throat. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he shook his head vehemently. A whimper escaped him as the movement caused the blade to pierce into his skin further. The girl remained unaffected by his state. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him to a standing posture. He coughed out a mouthful of blood and whimpered yet again. This was too much for me to bear. “Are we going to just stand here and watch?” I snapped in a voice laced with restless desperation. “We should go and help Alpha Azarel. What if she really kills his children too?” Father shook his head and increased his grip on my hand. A sense of defiance surged through me. I couldn’t just stand and watch anymore. I had to do something. Forcibly extracting my hand from my father’s grip, I bolted in the direction of the entrance. Along the way, I grabbed a stick and started sharpening it. I had seen the blood lust in her eyes. She was probably a vampire and would be killed once a stake was driven through her heart. This thought gave me some confidence and my pace increased. If beauty was this dangerous, it was better that it didn’t exist at all. The sight that met my eyes as I entered the hall made my blood run cold. Alpha Azarel’s son and daughter were huddled in a corner. Luna Rachel was kneeling in front of them with tear-filled eyes. She shook her head and begged, “Please let them go…. They are too young to have harmed you in any way. Why do you want to kill them?” “Because I can….” Something flashed in her eyes and for a moment I thought that I saw something human in them. But, that was probably my wishful thinking. “Since when does one need a reason to kill in the Bloodfest Pack?” There was such vehemence, such hatred in those words that it made me shudder. She pulled out a revolver from her holster and click! Click! Fired two bullets in quick succession. Both the children dropped to the ground with soft thuds. Luna Rachel was too stunned to even react. Her eyes remained fixed on the girl’s demonic face. What the f****g devilish hell! Did she actually shoot the children? For a moment, I stood there stunned. Then a sudden surge of anger coursed through me, making my blood boil. No matter what feud she had with Alpha Azarel, she shouldn’t have hurt the children. I was gnashing my teeth so hard that I could hear my teeth chatter. She had to pay for what she had done. I adjusted my grip on the stake and lunged at the girl but someone pulled me out of the way and dragged me behind a cabinet. I hissed seeing that it was my father, “Why did you stop me again!” He grabbed my shoulder and shook me up. Struggling to keep his voice low, he rasped, “Don’t be a fool! You are just going to get yourself killed.” I was about to struggle again but the sound of rushing footsteps caught his attention. Moments later a group of about five men rushed inside with several weapons. The girl’s eyes darted from the man lying pale on the floor to the ones approaching her. She pointed her gun at them, “I could kill them in the blink of an eye but I think you deserve a farewell show.” She threw the gun on the floor and waved at the men with a proud toss of her head, “Show me your worst.” The man with a long, pointed stake in his hand attacked her first. She stood there unmoving; a soft smile played on her lips. She didn’t even flinch as the stake pierced through her stomach. The man attacking her was so terrified by her nonchalance that he dropped to his knees shortly after attacking her. I had expected him to beg for his life but he bit his lower lips and cried out, “Please kill me quickly.” The girl’s eyes changed from soft brown to a shade of light purple. She placed her palm next to the spot the stake was struck in her abdomen. A soft orb of purple light engulfed her. The piece of wood was ejected out of her abdomen as if it were pulled out by an invisible hand. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before striking the man kneeling on the ground. It struck his heart with absolute precision and moments later he dropped dead. He didn’t even get a chance to scream. The large gaping hole left on her stomach healed right in front of my eyes. Her skin became smooth again. There wasn’t even a trace left. If it wasn’t for the hole in her shirt, there would have been no proof that she was attacked at all. The remaining men looked like they were about to flee. I think they would have run away but one of them pointed his gun at the girl. Seeing this, the others gathered their courage and started firing at the girl in rapid succession. My shoulders slumped and I relaxed slightly. No matter how powerful this girl was, she couldn’t possibly survive so many bullets, could she? The girl raised her arms and a wall of purple light formed in front of her. It blocked all the bullets like an invisible shield. The men kept firing until they ran out of bullets but it was futile. All the bullets got stuck to the light wall like darts on a dartboard. The girl’s eyes turned a shade darker and she pushed the light wall away from her. The bullets hit the men like torrential rainfall. It didn’t pierce them but it did scare the shit out of them. They scurried out of the room like frightened mice. I was rendered completely speechless by this exquisite display of power. In an awestruck voice, I muttered, “Who exactly is she? How can a single person wield so much power?” “She is the wereheretic,” My father’s reply sent my mind reeling. I had never heard that term before.

“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.

One week later… My father and I arrived at the Lycan Palace. Stepping out of the coach, my father adjusted my collar, “This meeting is very confidential, Justin. There will be many high-profile guests and some of our rivals too. You must keep your temper under check. Don’t speak unless they address you specifically. You think you can manage that?” Drawing in a deep breath, I nodded, “Don’t worry, father. I will remain as cool as cucumber.” His eyes flashed with a warning, “This is your only chance, Justin. If you lose your cool, you will never get another opportunity to avenge your mother’s death.” My expression turned serious and I nodded, “You can trust me, father. I will proceed with utmost caution.” He pursed his lips and patted my back, “Very well then. Let us go inside.” He kept his hand on my shoulder as we walked inside. This gesture wasn’t driven by intimacy but fear; fear that I would break and start acting out at some crucial moment. His gaze drifted to mine restlessly every few moments. I wasn’t going to break; not this time. I wasn’t going to waver no matter what happened. I was here with only one objective in mind: to get chosen. “Justin?” A snort sounded to my left, “What is a loser like you doing here? Are you even allowed in here?” My blood boiled but I plastered a smile on my face and turned to face him, “Orlando, it is such a pleasure seeing you. You have the highest chances of getting chosen.” The color drained from his face, “Who wants to be chosen? I… I am too busy to do such a menial task.” “Orlando! Watch your tongue,” Alpha Derek snapped as he approached us hastily. He squeezed Orlando’s shoulder and gritted out, “It is an honor to be the chosen one.” “Of course, whatever you say, Dad….” Orlando stated in a nonchalant voice before shrugging his father’s hand and stomping inside. “My son likes to joke around….” Alpha Derek, stuttered before changing the topic, “How have you been, Alpha Hades?” My father’s eyes flashed with anger but he bowed anyway, “We have been doing great Alpha. Thanks for your concern.” He held my hand; his nails digging into my skin, “We… we need to be somewhere.” He gritted out, leading me inside. Our pack had suffered a lot because of Alpha Derek. He was a bully who liked to target smaller packs. A hiss escaped my lips as my father’s nails dug deeper. He released my arm instantly, “I am sorry, Justin. It is just that… That man makes my blood boil….” My gaze swept over the exquisite hall. It was a thousand square meters of sheer grandeur. Chandeliers, drapes, flowers, and magical flies adorned the ceiling making it look like something straight out of a fairy tale. But, even more impressive was the gathering: Alphas of the most powerful packs, leaders of prominent covens, and even vampire lords were present. With so much power, the atmosphere was naturally dense and oppressive. The hall was like a fucking box of Uranium; one splinter, one mistake, and the entire world would blow up. Only the Lycan King could host such an outrageous gathering. He had done his best to make suitable arrangements for all. The tables were color-coded; red for vampires, electric blue for the witches, and black for the werewolves. The chairs in each section were further arranged to represent the hierarchy of the social order. The most powerful leaders were allotted golden chairs, the less prominent ones, silver, and the weaker ones were allocated chairs with bronze headrests. The guests seated on golden and silver chairs had a bevy of attendants each while the rest were served by the common servants. My father walked up to a bronze chair and sat down. I chose a convenient place and stood leaning against a pillar. “My dear, Alphas, Lords, and Mystics,” The Lycan King’s magically magnified voice drifted boomed in the hall. “We are all gathered here for one sole purpose; elimination of the wereheretic. I want to know whether you all are with me in this mission.” “The werewolves are naturally with you. Wereheretics are not supposed to exist; nobody with that kind of power should be allowed to exist,” Alpha Aramus, the representative of the werewolves said in support. “She is messing the balance of the natural order, bringing chaos and we need to get rid of her; not because we are afraid. But, because her presence will doom the world,” Lady Naila, the leader of the mystics added in support. Now, all the gazes shifted to Lord Kaizen. He stood up and bowed respectfully, “Vampires usually don’t concern themselves with such matters. But, this time, it is personal. She broke into the castle of one of my men and slaughtered all of them. The Vampire Kingdom will go to any extent to uphold justice.” “That is great! This is the first time in the history of Supernatural History that all of us have agreed on something unanimously. Hope we can remain united until she is eliminated.” Everyone stood up. Placing their left hand on their chest, they said in unison, “We shall remain united until justice is served.” Goosebumps erupted all over my arms at the deep, sound that resonated in the hall. A shudder coursed through me involuntarily and my mind went numb. It was difficult to believe that a single woman had managed to elicit such a response. For the next few hours strategies were discussed, plans were made. Every strategy was amazingly portrayed and explained. The only problem was that the leaders didn’t agree on a single plan. Ultimately, the Lycan King suggested that the werewolves, vampires, and witches would finalize one plan each by the end of the month and they would meet again. A deep frown settled on my forehead and I shifted restlessly, shrinking further and further into the corner. By the time the meeting ended, I was drowning in a sea of insecurities and low self-esteem. How could I compare to all the affluent people gathered in the hall? There was no way I would get a chance to take revenge.

I was still wallowing in self-doubt when a sweet voice sounded, “Are you Justin, Alpha Hades's son?” I raised my head slightly and nodded curtly. She held my hand and quietly led me out of the meeting hall. Her face remained expressionless while we wove our way through the hall. But, once we were outside, she smiled at me, “I am Ana, The Lycan King’s daughter. I will take you to the back courtyard.” I stopped walking and looked at her with a bewildered expression, “I am not sure I follow you.” Her eyebrows twitched and her eyes widened, “Don’t tell me your father forgot to give you 101 on what you are supposed to do.” My lips pressed in a thin line and I shook my head, “I think he was too stressed to talk to me about it.” She burst into a peal of a musical giggle, “Never mind, I will help you out.” “Thank you, Miss.” My reply came out a little stiff as I didn’t know how to address her properly. “Hey, don’t be so nervous. My father forgets to tell me stuff all the time.” Her carefree reply put me at ease and I walked along with her through the long corridors. “These leaders, they are all dimwits. They didn’t agree on a single plan,” She spoke in a condescending voice, shaking her head in resignation as if she were talking about some children. The lingering doubt that I was being fooled faded. Nobody else could talk about such powerful men like this. “My father had expected something like this to happen….” “If the meeting wasn’t going to give concrete results, why call it all?” I shrugged, “Why expend so much effort?” Her face lit up and her eyes brimmed with admiration, “It is all a part of my father’s plan. All these stupid leaders have been giving my father a migraine; they are busy fighting with each other and quite often end up hindering my father’s plan. As a result, nothing ever gets done. We don’t even know her weakness till now." My jaws hung open as the realization dawned on me. My steps came to an abrupt halt, “So, your father came up with this plan to buy some time. Everyone will be busy creating the perfect plan and your father can utilize this time to find her weakness secretly.” Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a servant walking through the corridor. She grabbed my hand and dragged me along, “It isn’t safe to talk like this. Uncle Moreto will give you the rest of the details.” She led me to the lush garden behind the palace. The soft water gushed from the makeshift fountain creating an umbrella of rain. A man clad in a black suit was standing right under it; his body rigid and his arms crossed. Pointing to him, the Lycan princess said, “Go, talk to him.” Then, without another word, she left. My eyebrows set together and my lips pressed together. Was I really supposed to go into the water to talk to him? I waved at the man but got no response. When I say I got no response, it means no response at all. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence. I had no choice but to walk over. I was drenched by the time I reached him. I winced and patted my clothes trying to shake off the water. He still didn’t react. His face was set in a calm expression; his gaze straight ahead. When he didn’t blink for a long time, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a statue or something. Was this all a part of some prank? The torrential stream of water kept beating on me and I was now soaked to the core. I couldn’t just continue to stand like this. I had to talk to him even if that meant I would make a fool of myself. I cleared my throat and stated, “I am Justin; the son of the Alpha of the Moon mist pack. I was asked by the Lycan Princess to come and talk to you.” His posture eased and he turned to face me. However, his expression didn’t change, “I am Moreto; my king has asked me to brief you on the part you will be playing in ‘The Triple Concord.’ “The Triple Concord? What is…” “You don’t need to know that,” he cut me off before I could complete my question. “You just need to understand your role.” His expression turned serious and his eyes bore into mine, “Our King has zero tolerance for mistakes. Make sure you don’t screw this up.” I placed my right hand on my chest and gave him a curt bow, “I will try my best, Sir.” He merely nodded, “You will be our Trojan Horse. Your job is to get close to the wereheretic; win her heart so that she shows you her weakness.” “How in the world am I supposed to do that?” My eyes widened at the absurdity of the idea and I gasped, “She is the Wereheretic. What makes you think that I have any chance to get close to her?” “We have already set everything up. Details will be given to you on ‘need to know’ basis.” Before I could ask him any more questions, he just stepped out of the fake rainfall and walked away. I tore my hair as I walked out too. None of this made any sense to me. I bumped into my father who was waiting for me just beyond the bend, “Tell me what happened.” “This guy Montero, he is so weird and his way of conversing is even more cryptic.” “Did he talk to you?” “He did but I didn’t understand a thing.” My father’s face lit up and his eyes twinkled. He patted my back as he stated, “That is good…. Really Good.” I shook my head incredulously, “What is so good about playing a part that I don’t even understand?” “Don’t worry about that Justin. They will give us more details later…. This is just; let us say a trial phase for us.” “Trial Phase? What is that supposed to mean?” “Montero will be monitoring our movements over the next few days; You know just to make sure that we don’t have ulterior motives.” A sigh of relief escaped my lips, “It is like that…” “Hmm, once they are sure you are suitable for this task, they will get in touch with you.” My father’s gaze shifted to my right and suddenly his face turned pale. I followed his line of sight reflexively but there was nobody. “We should leave now.” He said abruptly and started walking. I followed him out of the palace quietly. I was still flabbergasted. But, the thought that I would get to play a part in killing my mother’s murderer was reassuring….

We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action. “Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan. “Don’t worry, We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action. “Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan. “Don’t worry, Melinda. I will keep everything you said in mind.” She raised two of her fingers and swirled them in the air once before climbing the nearby tree and concealing herself in the thick foliage. She was here just to be the Lycan King’s eyes. I held my breath and crouched lower making sure that the bushes covered me well. The anticipation mounted, making my heart beat with a frenzied rhythm. My entire body got covered in a thin layer of sweat. Those few minutes of wait were probably the most excruciating moments of my life. There was a soft rustle, then the sound of crunching leaves. She walked into my line of sight just like an angel ascending from heaven; bathed in the soft glow of the sunlight streaming through the leaves. She had donned a checked shirt and let her hair down adding a kind of softness to her features. Her soft golden eyes caught the glint of the sunlight revealing their soft purple streaks that were concealed earlier. Everything in the surroundings faded. Her beauty held me captive rendering me incapable of movement. I was hypnotized. The sound of cracking bones followed by a scream pierced through my haze, pulling me back to reality. My gaze shifted to her left to find a man lying under her left foot. Blood spluttered out of his mouth with short coughs. She increased the pressure on his chest and mere seconds later his head rolled to one side. My hand flew to my mouth and tears stung my eyes. What was wrong with me? How did I end up comparing someone like her to an angel? She was a killer, someone who had killed my mother in cold blood. Growls and roars echoed in the clearing as the rest of the men attacked her in their wolf forms. Soon, she was surrounded by a pack of about twenty wolves. There were so many of them yet she didn’t sweat a beat. She dodged their attacks flawlessly, moving with such swiftness that she became just a blur. One of the wolves kicked a stone toward me. It was my cue to play my part. I tried to get up but my feet had turned to jelly. The wolf cocked its head and gave a soft growl but I still couldn’t move; petrified to a level that my body was not in my control. One by one the wolves fell to the ground meeting their sad fate. Now, there were only four of them left. She stopped attacking and closed her eyes momentarily. When her eyelashes lifted again, her pupils had turned into a soft shade of purple. My heart went numb. She was going to use magic. Once she did that, I wouldn’t get a chance to act out my part. Pulling myself together, I grabbed the bushes and tried to stand up. My numb feet wobbled and I dropped to the ground with a thud. Everything happened so quickly after that, it was almost a blur. Someone grabbed me from the back, pulled me to my feet, and pushed me forward. I staggered and was about to fall but a shove pushed me towards the wereheretic. I slammed into her back and then slash! A sharp dagger lodged itself in my abdomen. An intense wave of pain seared through me and everything grew bleak. With the last shred of consciousness I had, I managed to stutter, “I am glad that you are safe.’ *** I groaned in anguish as I tried to move. It felt like someone had trapped a large cinder of burning wood within me. This wasn’t right. Why was I still suffering? I was supposed to heal after the dagger was removed. Unless… My hand went to my abdomen reflexively. My fingers brushed across the coarse fabric. Someone had wrapped me up with bandages. With a soft grunt, I forced myself to open my eyes. The blinding light of the sun blurred my vision again. All I could see was a silhouette of someone standing in front of me. My heart skipped a beat and I looked around to find that we were in a barren clearing of grass. We were alone. Through the numbness, I felt the hard bark of the tree pressing against my back. Another gasp left my lips as I tried to get up. The figure turned around and stepped closer. After blinking a couple of times, my vision cleared. The one standing in front of me wasn’t the wereheretic. It was a young boy with stark handsome features. This could only mean one thing; I had failed. A sigh laced with defeat and disappointment left my lips. The boy’s eyes lit up and he rushed towards me. His lips curved in a small smile as he took my wrist. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, “The wound didn’t get infected. So, you will live.” He smiled again, this time a brighter one. “Why didn’t I heal as usual?” My thoughts left my lips before I could stop myself. “I am a werewolf, an iron dagger shouldn’t injure me like this.” His eyebrows furrowed, “You sound surprised….” “That dagger was laced with magic,” a sweet, alluring voice sounded to my right, causing me to turn in that direction. I was still in a daze and could only see a vague outline against the backdrop of the bright light. I had, however, recognized that voice. My breath hitched and my heartbeat started fluttering like a hummingbird. “The spell on the dagger will remain active for seven days. You won’t be able to heal yourself before that,” she explained as she drew closer, step by step. A gasp left my lips as she came into view. She was indeed the Wereheretic. I hadn’t failed after all. “I have a question,” she said, coming to a halt a few meters from me. “Yes,” I stuttered, scrambling to my feet. Something about the tone in her voice made me shudder. This wasn’t going to end well for me. “You have seen what I am capable of at Alpha Azarel’s Packhouse.” Her expression hardened, “You must have known that the dagger would do nothing to me….” Something deeply sinister flashed in her eyes and with a swish of her hands, she pinned me to the trunk of the tree using magic. “Why did you pretend to save me?” My heart sank as my death sentence presented itself in the form of her question. Who would have thought that she noticed my presence at the packhouse? I racked my brain trying hard to think. If I didn’t come up with something quickly, I would die. She drew closer and ran the tip of her finger along my cheeks. Another wave of shudder coursed through me and I gulped. Drawing in a deep breath, I managed to stutter, “I… I wasn’t pretending. It was more of a reflex. I saw that man lunge at you with the dagger and I ended up intervening. I would have done the same for anyone.” I let out a sigh of relief internally; glad that I could come up with a perfect response. “I am the Alpha’s son, you know. It is my job to protect everyone.” Her eyes twinkled and she released me. Her lips curved ever so lightly, “So, you are one of those who suffer from a Superhero Complex.” I shrugged, “I don’t know what that means but saving people gives me happiness.” She lifted my chin with her forefingers; her gaze piercing into me. It was as if she were unraveling the very depths of my soul. She drew closer, her nose lingering along my jawline until she reached my ears. “So, you had no ulterior motives at all?” She whispered softly, close to my ears. The hair on my neck bristled and a tickling sensation traveled all over my shoulders. If my life wasn’t at stake, I would have found that action sexy. It took a moment to gather my wits. When I spoke, my voice was firm, “Is this how you thank someone who saved your life? Accuse them of having ulterior motives?” Uncertainty crossed her features reassuring me that I was going on the right track. I glared at her defiantly and snapped, “I wish I hadn’t saved you at all…” A sigh left my lips as I ducked under her arm and crawled out of her way. Straightening my back, I stated in a decisive voice, “Let us just go our separate ways and forget all about this.” Then, I walked away without as much as a second glance. The only way to get her to trust me was to pretend to be nonchalant. I have to say that my plan worked spectacularly. I had barely walked a few meters when she called after me, “Did I allow you to leave?” I didn’t stop. Instead, I continued walking. Moments later, wisps of blue light crept over my legs causing me to falter. She appeared before me and said in a voice laced with arrogance, “No one can defy me.” She rubbed her chin, as if in deep thought, “You said that you enjoy saving lives, right?” “Y..Yes…” Her eyes twinkled and her lips lifted in an evil smirk, “Why don’t we test that?” “Test? What kind of test are you talking about?” She grabbed my arm, “You will find out soon and I can bet; you are so not gonna love this.” My heart sank and a wave of fear gripped me. I had a feeling that this stupid plan of mine was going to backfire badly….

I trudged behind the wereheretic bound by invisible threads of magic. We had been walking for about an hour and she wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded but every time I took a step, a sharp pang of pain seared through me. My gaze shifted to the young boy accompanying us. He had been walking at a constant pace the entire time; exactly two steps behind the wereheretic. I wondered if he was bound by magic just like me. He had to be. Why would anyone in the right state of mind follow a sadist maniac? My steps must have faltered because I felt a sharp tug causing me to stagger forward. I stumbled but another wisp of magic stabilized me before I hit the ground. The wereheretic slowed down to match my steps. With a condescending sideward glance, she snapped, “Can’t you walk faster? At this pace, it will be days before we reach our destination.” I glared right back at her and crossed my arms over my chest, “I am wounded and not as powerful as you. What did you expect? If you think that taking me along is cumbersome, just leave me here.” She sighed, her gaze drifting toward my bandaged abdomen. Blood had seeped through the coarse fabric staining it red. She motioned to the young boy, “Carry him.” My eyes bulged out. This woman was totally crazy. What made her think that a frail, young boy could carry me? Drawing in a deep breath, I said in a resigned voice, “There is no need to torture him, I will try to walk faster.” She spun to face me so fast that a gasp left my lips. Her eyebrows twitched in amusement, “What makes you think I am torturing him?” “Isn’t that obvious?” I pointed towards the young boy, “Look at him and then look at me. How in the world can he carry twice his weight?” She smiled mysteriously and patted my back, “He can carry even thrice his weight...” Her gaze turned softer as they drifted to the boy who was standing beside me, “Dreki is the only one in the world I would never hurt.” He grabbed my hands and slung them around his neck. With a swift jostle, he managed to propel me to his back. To my astonishment, he walked with great ease even with me on his back. His steps were fluid and evenly matched with the wereheretic. Gosh! I was tired of using the term ‘Wereheretic’ even in my thoughts. Clearing my throat, I tried to strike up a conversation with her, “I know that everyone refers to you by the term ‘Wereheretic.’ But, you must have a normal name too; like he has, Dreki.” She shrugged with nonchalance, “What if I do? What if I don’t? It is none of your business.” “Oh, come on. It is just a name. Do you have to be so stingy?” Her gaze turned towards me, her piercing gaze boring into mine. My mouth went dry and I gulped. “If you don’t want to tell me, it is totally fine,” I stuttered. “I will just call you Hera; like a short for ‘Hellraiser.” She raised her eyebrows but didn’t comment. We continued to walk in silence, passing by a section of wild oak trees, then came the bushy wilderness. The forest thinned and we soon reached a lake. “Umm…mmm…mmm,” I wanted to ask where we were headed but only muffled sounds left my lips. She had probably used magic to silence me. Damn that stupid witch! How was I going to find out anything about her if I couldn’t even speak? After walking for about an hour more, we entered something that looked like an ancient human town. The boy set me on the ground and we continued walking at a slower pace. I stole a glance at him to find that he hadn’t even broken a sweat; his breathing seemed even too. “What are you?” The question left my lips before I could even think. I noted with delight that the effect of the spell had worn out and I could speak again. Dreki smiled, a pure innocent one. Looking at Hera, he confessed, “I am her slave.” Hera stopped walking, waiting for him to catch up. She ruffled his hair and something shifted in her eyes, “How many times have I told you not to say that?” His smile widened, “I am only telling the truth. I owe my life to you….” Hera’s gaze widened and she motioned to me. At this, the boy hung his head as if apologizing. She caressed his head, “Let us just continue walking.” One thing was sure, Dreki meant something to Hera; or maybe it was just an act on her part. I had to observe longer to be sure. The dusk had fallen, casting a strange orange glow over the town. The old, medieval-style buildings that flanked the road had started putting up lanterns to light up the surroundings. I wouldn’t say that the streets were crowded but it was desolate either. We would run into a couple or so every few minutes. They all seemed to be in a haste; panic and fear evident on their faces. Hera’s eyes suddenly lit up as if she had sensed something. She grabbed my arm and dragged me at a faster pace, “We must hurry or it will be gone.” I was going to ask her more about it when a thunderous growl shook the ground. My gaze landed on a public park at the end of the market. There in the middle of the park was the largest werewolf I had seen. It was twice the size of normal ones. What alarmed me was its eyes; they were ruby red. This could mean only one thing, the wolf had lost its cognition. It could no longer think rationally. It was purely driven by its thirst for violence and blood. It stomped through the crowds; sending people flying in all directions. Once in a while, it lowered its body and grabbed someone before throwing him away. Men, women, and children scurried to the exit as fast as they could. They tried to open the gate but it wouldn’t open. Hera drew closer and whispered, “Are you waiting for your superhero complex to kick in, or?” It was then it dawned on me. Hera had brought me here to test me. She wanted to know if I had lied to her. A deep sense of dread gripped my heart as my gaze drifted from her to the monster slaughtering people. If I jumped into the crowd to save the people, I would die. If I didn’t, it would be proven that I had lied to Hera and she would kill me. Today, I understood the meaning of the statement ‘Stuck between the devil and the deep sea’. I stood there frozen; too terrified to move. 1212/5000

She grabbed my hair and spun me around; her eyes dancing with menace, “I can see that your complex has still not kicked in. A little bit of motivation might help.” With a wave of her hand, she sent me slamming against the gate. It opened up with a creak and I stumbled inside. Screeches and piercing shouts echoed in the playground as everyone tried to get out of the playground. I was shoved and tossed around like a play doll by the crowd until I finally managed to grab the edge of a slide and ducked under it. Shielded from the frenzied crowd, I watched Hera as she jumped right in front of the monster. It towered over her by a good ten meters but she didn’t seem perturbed by its size. She looked at it right in the eyes, her gaze fixed on his movements. The monster lunged at her but she dodged it swiftly. The monster let out a fierce growl as he struck again and again. She dodged each of its movements like liquid electricity. A young boy was huddled close to the swing, his face pallid with fear. He was looking across at his mother who was trying to get past the monster. Every time she tried to get past him, the beast shifted his position or struck at something, causing her to step back. After some time, the boy overcame his fear and tried to get past the monster. His mother shook her head vehemently, telling him to stay in his place. But, it was already too late. The monster had noticed the small boy. ‘ He lowered himself from his waist and grabbed the boy by his neck; holding him aloft in the air. The boy’s legs dangled in the air as he shouted and cried helplessly. There was a flash of blue light and the next moment the beast was lying on the ground. His grip became loose and the little boy slid down. He sat there, staring ahead with a blank expression; his mind probably reeling with whatever had happened. Hera’s gaze landed on me and her expression turned cold. I knew I had failed terribly. If I didn’t do anything, I would soon be lying in the place of the beast. Thinking quickly, I stepped out of my hiding spot and praised her openly, “You are not as bad as you portray yourself to be Hera. If you were evil, you wouldn’t have saved the boy’s life. She cracked her knuckles; her gaze taking on a sinister edge, “I am every bit of evil you can imagine…. I just wanted to test my skills.” Her expression turned condescending, “I wanted to play with the beast for longer but you managed to catch my eye and I ended up killing him quickly.” She stepped closer and grabbed me by my collar, drawing me closer until we were inches apart, “It will be more fun to play with someone having a superhero complex.’ I gulped but looked straight into her eyes. Despite having little faith in her, I managed to keep my voice even, “I know you won’t hurt me without any reason.” She snorted and shook her head incredulously, “Just because, I apparently saved that boy, right?” Her gaze drifted to the woman who was holding her child to her bosom now. Their eyes met and something passed between them; I don’t know what it was but it sounded like a silent plea. Her eyes had become cold; dark like the bottomless hell when she looked at me again. In a voice icier than the arctic, she said, “You think that I will spare your life just because I saved that boy, right?” I bobbed my head; I don’t know if it was out of fear, belief, or just so I could give some response. Her gaze held mine for a long moment before she spoke in a dangerously low voice, “Something tells me that I have ruined my image by saving that little twit. I will have to fix that.” She released me abruptly and walked towards the boy with slow steps. She knelt in front of him and grabbed him by his collar. Tears rolled down the woman’s eyes and she mouthed, “Please.” The next thing I know the boy was lying on the ground, lifeless. She killed him so quickly that I couldn’t even see what she did. My jaws hung open and my eyes widened in horror. She dusted her hands as if she had just touched something gross as she walked towards me, “Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, let us discuss what to do with you.” I gulped; this time out of pure terror. I had run out of ideas to save myself. With each step she took towards me, I took two steps backward. At some point, I stumbled. This made me lose whatever hold I had on my composure and I almost shouted, “This is unfair, you know! You can’t judge me by the way I behaved. All of this was too sudden and… I…” I clutched my abdomen, “I am so badly wounded. I couldn’t fight that beast even if I wanted to…. I… I would have just added to the chaos.” “I think it is indeed unfair to judge him based on this incident; given that he is wounded,” Dreki spoke in my favor. I swear I could have kissed him. My gaze however landed on Hera, who still seemed to be thinking. Seconds ticked by at an excruciatingly slow pace. With each tick, my heartbeat became more and more erratic. Just when I thought my heart would fail, she finally spoke up, “We will test him again after Seven days; once he has recovered. Until then, he will be traveling with us.” Her gaze lingered on me for a moment before she climbed over a dead body and walked out of the park. A deep and eerie silence fell over the park strewn with dead bodies. It was a gruesome sight with blood and half-torn carcasses. It was difficult to differentiate the people killed by the beast from the ones killed in the stampede; not that it mattered. What mattered was that they were gone. They had just come here to have a good time with their family and now they were dead. They were all fucking dead and I did absolutely nothing. A deep sense of guilt and regret gripped my heart. With a weighed-down heart and laden steps, I trudged out of the park. I tried to see the silver lining of this dark cloud; reminding myself that my objective had been achieved. I was getting a chance to stay with Hera for another seven days. But for some reason, I couldn’t feel the joy. It was like the darkness of the night had engulfed me in its blanket just like the moonless night….

I sat up with a start, panting heavily. The scene from the playground lingered in my eyes for a couple of moments before fading. My hand flew to my chest as a gust of air escaped my lips; deflating the tension. Hera had decided to spend the night at a tavern and I was alone in my room. My gaze drifted to the open window. It was still dark. I crossed my legs and straightened my back. I took long deep breaths; recollecting and composing my thoughts. I had fared terribly the previous day, getting all flustered and jeopardizing the mission. I had to do better if I wanted to achieve my objective. I had seven days to find Hera’s weakness; seven days before she would pretend to test me and probably kill me. I had to retain my focus, attaining one objective at a time. The first step was to obtain her blood for research. I had to do that before I left the town. My mind veered to the conversation I had with Melinda about this. I had been completely boggled at the thought of collecting her blood, “This is impossible!” I had snapped, almost shouting. “Do you think, the wereheretic will just hold out her hand and say, ‘Here love, stick in your syringe and take all the blood you want?” “We are not that unreasonable, Justin. We don’t need a full syringe. Even a drop will do, just so we can analyze her DNA.” Another sigh left my lips and I massaged my neck. I had to find a way to make this work first thing in the morning. With a little meditation and self-talk, I managed to gather my thoughts; forcing myself to stash all the traumatic memories in the recess of my mind. This part of the plan played out surprisingly well. I pretended to stagger with weakness while heading toward the restaurant. Using this opportunity to accidentally bump into her, I stabbed her hard with a needle. She winced and tried to pull away reflexively but I held on, sneakily holding the vial close to her skin. I managed to collect only three drops of blood before her wound healed. I had just slid the vial into my pocket when I was thrown back by the impact of her magic. I bumped into a nearby table, crushing it under my weight. The waiters came rushing and helped me to my feet. She inspected her arm but there was nothing; given that her wound had already healed. We sat at another table and she ordered a selection of dishes. The savory aroma of the delicious food made my stomach rumble. I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing a sandwich from the table. Hera raised her eyebrows, “Who told you that you could eat with us?” My eyes widened and the sandwich slipped from my fingers, “Why am I here then? You could have as well left me in my room….” Her eyes narrowed and the table trembled, cutlery and all, “Don’t forget your place, wolf boy. You are my prisoner!” I gulped and lowered my gaze, “I am sorry…. I… I will ask permission before doing anything next time.” “Hmm… Now, look at me.” Her lips lifted in a smirk, drawing my attention to them. I zoned out for a moment but I didn’t let myself get drawn this time. “You are here to watch us eat…” Her smirk grew wider at my pained expression. “I want to see you squirm and twist as you watch us eat the most delicious food in the world. Your stomach will grunt and growl but you won’t even get a bite….” Water filled my mouth and a different kind of ache gripped me, “Are you going to starve me for seven days?” She shrugged, “I might… It depends on my mood.” I rested my head on my chin as I watched her put pieces of delicious food into her mouth. She took her time; stopping to moan in pleasure and describing how each dish tasted with great precision. Dreki supported her wholeheartedly; pointing out the flavors or descriptions she missed sometimes. When I volunteered for this mission, I had hardened myself to go through all sorts of torture but this was not one of them. You have no idea how tormenting it is to feel those pangs of hunger gnaw at your insides while you are forced to watch someone else enjoy their meal; that too when you haven’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. I was completely crazed with hunger by the time she finished eating. But, I held on to those threads of composure with everything. I had already obtained the blood. Now, I just needed to pass it on to Melinda. I couldn’t screw it up just because I was tantalized with food. It was a relief to finally walked out of the restaurant. The cool breeze slapped across my face. I noticed that the streets were more desolate as compared to yesterday. Most of the shops were closed except for one or two here and there. When we were about to pass by Zesta’s candy store, I asked, “Gigantic elephants are doing samba in my stomach. Can I at least buy a candy?” I held my head as I continued in a weaker voice, “I am afraid I will faint if I don’t get anything.” She stopped walking and turned to face me; her expression bemused, “You still eat candy?” I shrugged and averted my eyes indignantly, “It is not my fault that humans make such delicious candy. I can’t stop myself.” She giggled; mellow, sweet laughter followed. “Go ahead, buy your candies, Wolf Pup.” My face flushed and I rushed to the candy store. I knew this was embarrassing but we couldn’t come up with a better plan to relay messages. It had to be something so stupid, so silly that Hera wouldn’t suspect. Walking over to the counter, I stole a glance at Hera and Dreki. They had made no move to follow me. I tapped the counter three times and placed a gold coin on the glass counter. The shopkeeper’s eyes widened for a moment but he regained composure pretty quickly. He handed me two large eclairs. I opened the one with the red wrapper and scrawled quickly. ‘Point 1’ and added a tick mark beside it. Then I wrapped the sweet again before handing it over to the shopkeeper with the vial. With a curt nod, he handed me a pouch of colorful candies. I pocketed the other eclair quickly and rushed back. Hera’s arms were crossed over her chest and she was tapping her foot impatiently, “What took you so long?” “I am so sorry to keep you both waiting.” I gave them my silliest grin as I held up the pouch, “There were candies in so many colors that I got all flustered. In the end, I bought them all….” She shook her head but didn’t comment, “Let us just continue walking. We need to be somewhere before dusk.” “Are we going on a killing spree again?” “Maybe…” My face turned pale and I stuttered, “B…But, you promised to give me time to recover before testing me again….” “I promised to not make you fight monsters before you recovered. I will still be testing you in other ways.” A sigh of resignation left my lips. This was exactly what I needed. I took out a yellow colored candy and held it in front of her, “Will you spare me if I give you a candy?” She kept quiet for a long time, probably too stunned to react. I kept holding the candy in her general direction as I trotted along to keep pace with her. After a few moments, she grunted and pushed my hand away, “You think you can bribe me with candy?” “I had to try.” Shrugging, I continued, “You should try it even if you don’t want to get bribed; the lemon sherbets are absolutely the best.” “If you are so hell-bent on giving the candy to someone, I will take it,” Dreki said, whisking the sweet out of my hand. He popped it into his mouth before I could even react. Hera gave him a warning glare but he just smiled as if saying it is okay. I popped a blueberry-flavored one into my mouth. I had taken my first step in achieving the second point. I had to normalize eating candies and then convince Hera to try them out as well. That way, we could try out different drugs on her. We took the rocky road towards the east. Hera kept prodding me to walk faster but my legs just wouldn’t move quicker. I was still wounded and I hadn’t eaten anything either. The scorching sun wasn’t making it any better. My face had turned completely red and I was drenched in sweat. Reaching a shady tree, I grabbed a trunk and slid to the ground; refusing obstinately to take another step. I had expected wisps of magic to clutch my legs and drag me but nothing of that sort happened. I raised my head and looked up to find that Hera wasn’t there. Dang! Hera had just left at some point in the journey and I didn’t even realize it. That is how exhausted I was. My brain was so roasted that I couldn’t even curse myself for being careless. Dreki smiled at me kindly and sat beside me; stretching his legs just the way I had. He looked me in the eyes, “We return every act of kindness tenfold.” His smile widened as he held out a package, “You gave me your candy. So, I will give you my lunch.” I was so hungry that I didn’t think of anything else. I ripped off the package and gobbled the sandwich in two minutes flat. By the time I realized that something was wrong, it was already too late. My vision blurred and my head started spinning. The last thing I remember is my head dashing against the strong trunk of the tree.

“You poisoned me?” “Yes, wolfsbane.” “Why?” “As I said, I would be testing you in other ways.” Her nonchalance was annoying. I felt this deep, simmering rage emerge in the depths of my heart. I was going to teach this arrogant wereheretic a good lesson. If I were to die, I was going to drag her to the depths of hell with me. I don’t know how, but I was going to do it. It was high time, someone put an end to her atrocities. Now onwards, every word I spoke, every action I took would be to destroy her instead of saving my life! She grabbed my hand and moments later I felt a strange, warmth tingling all over me, “I have absorbed the power of wolfsbane. It won’t hurt you anymore.” I raised my eyebrow, “Does that mean I passed this test?” “Not exactly. I just don’t have evidence against you.” Her gaze grew distant as she continued to speak, “I had expected your comrades to come to your rescue but no one appeared. However, I can’t rule out the possibility that your comrades were just being cautious.” I was glad that Melinda didn’t show up. She had probably gotten the vial and must have gone to hand it personally to the Lycan King. My mind veered to the way I had gorged the sandwich without another thought. Now that I thought of it, the sandwich did smell funny but I was too crazed with hunger. This couldn’t happen again. I had to make sure that I was in the right state of mind at all times. Letting out a sigh, I pulled out the pouch of candy from my pocket. Holding out an orange-flavored one, I said, “Will you accept my peace offering now?” Her eyes narrowed as she took the candy from me. Throwing it over to Dreki, she stated, “Since you like candies, I will just give it to you.” He took it and ate it promptly. She had at least taken the candy from me. I just had to keep trying until she became used to eating them. A dry laugh almost left my lips. How could the fate of our plan depend on some stupid candy? My eyes twinkled as another thought formed in my mind. I could find other ways to get her to eat food and drinks together. “Now that you know you have treated me unfairly, can you let me eat something?” She snorted and shook her head, “You are worse than a baby. You were just poisoned by a sandwich yet all you want to do is eat again. Can you be less of a glutton?” “We are in the middle of the wilderness, Justin. There are no restaurants or houses nearby,” Dreki was the one who spoke up this time. My heart skipped a beat, “How do you know my name?” “Since we gave you a mild version of wolfsbane, you were just a bit delirious and kept rambling about stuff.” Great! That was the exact thing I needed. God knows what I had told him. The eclairs weighed in my pocket. I needed to get some alone time to gather my thoughts and read the message. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the setting sun, “It is getting dark. Where are we going to stay the night?” “Since there are no taverns, we will just keep walking through the night.” Dang! What was with her and her walking? Did she have some obsessive walking syndrome? I grabbed the trunk of the tree and scrambled to my feet, “Please let us stay here for a while and eat something…. Since we are going to spend the entire night walking….” Something flashed in her eyes; her gaze swept around before she sat down on a boulder in a careless fashion, “I will leave the arrangement of food to you then.” “But, there are no restaurants nearby,” Dreki said, wringing his fingers. His gaze drifted to me helplessly. I don’t know what I had rambled in my sleep but I guess it had earned me the boy’s favor. “Justin is a werewolf, Dreki. I am sure he can manage,” Hera’s gaze held mine for a moment. Something about it told me that this was another trap laid exquisitely for me. My jaws clenched and my expression hardened; recalling the extensive training session I had undergone. It was time to turn her own trap against her. “I have heard that there are many golden elks in the wilderness of Ayu. I will go and catch one for our dinner.” She dismissed me with a wave of her hand; indicating that I could leave. As I walked along the weatherworn path, their voices drifted into my ears. I walked with slow, light steps hoping to catch something important through their conversation. “Shall I follow him, master?” “No need.” “B..but he is injured.” “I am sure he can manage.” “What if he escapes?” “He can’t. There is nothing for miles. Even if he keeps running the entire night, he can’t get out of here….” There was a moment of silence, “I just want to see how he responds to the situation.” “Master…” “Dreki. You have spoken enough….” Her sharp voice made him go quiet. Realizing that they weren’t going to talk anymore, I increased my pace. After walking for a mile, I pulled out the éclair hastily and unwrapped it. A small slip of paper fell out. There were two words written on it ‘Feed her.’ I buried the piece of paper under the ground and wrapped the sweet again carefully. Now, it was time to continue with the act. I didn’t want Hera to be suspicious.” With a soft sigh, I started unbuttoning my shirt. Taking off, I folded it carefully and placed it on one of the lower branches. My gaze landed on the wound and another pained sigh escaped my lips; my fingers brushed lightly against the coarse material covering my wound. Something sharp twisted in the pit of my stomach as the sense of betrayal stung me. They should have told me that the dagger would be spelled. “Don’t look up,” A familiar voice sounded above me. I picked up my shirt again and dusted it, my gaze drifting around warily, “Melinda?” “Hmm…” “Are you alone?” “Yes, she is resting near the Tainted Brook.” Melinda jumped down from the tree, landing with a soft thud in front of me. “Did you get the blood?” “Yes. It has been sent for research.” “That is good news.” “Why wasn’t I informed that the dagger was laced with a spell and I couldn’t heal for seven days?” I ended up asking despite myself. “Would it have made a difference if we had informed you?” “No, but I would have been better prepared.” “Prepared to fail more pathetically?” She didn’t even try to keep the sting out of her voice. “Do you have any idea how badly you messed up our plan? If I hadn’t pushed you at the right time, we would have lost the golden opportunity.” I stared at her defiantly, “I did fix my mistake later.” She snorted and shook her head, “What is the point of fixing your mistake? You will just mess up everything again.” She ran her fingers through her hair, “I had told the Lycan King to choose someone more mature.” She placed her hand on my shoulders and squeezed it gently, “The time for regrets is gone, Justin. You are all we have and you can’t afford to make any more mistakes like today afternoon.” Dang! She knew about that too. I took a step back and massaged the back of my neck, “Did I blabber too much?” “You didn’t.” Her expression grew somber, “That is the only reason you are standing here.” A deep frown settled on my forehead, “What is that supposed to mean.” She looked away and her fingers clenched, “Umm… It’s nothing. I should leave now.” I grabbed her hand before she could make a move, “Don’t hide anything from me….please.” “I have instructions to kill you if you reveal any discrete information to the wereheretic.” Her words kept ringing in my head for a long time after she left. This was one hell of a twisted mission. Shrugging off all the gloomy thoughts, I decided to take one step at a time. Pulling off my trousers, I shifted to my wolf form. My vision became clearer, and my hearing sharper. Intense pain seared through me the moment I tried to run, making me whimper. This damned wound. I had expected it to feel better once I shifted but it just got worse. This was when my gaze landed on the shredded pieces of bandage. Oh, yeah… I totally forgot about that. Padding softly along the rocky path, I went deeper into the forest. Soon, my instincts took over and I hunted down an elk in no time flat. I dragged it back to the tree where I had kept the clothes. I shifted back to my human form and started dressing up. I had just worn my trousers when the bushes around me rustled as if being shaken by a strong wind. The next moment, four men dressed in smart suits emerged out of nowhere. One glance and I knew I was doomed. Their ruby red eyes with a blackish tint indicated that they were vampires and very powerful at that. The man in the blue suit stepped forward, crossing his arms with a condescending expression, “Look what we have here. A wolf.” His eyes lit up as he added, “A bloody wolf.” The man standing behind him drew closer, “Doesn’t he look all high and mighty after killing that poor elk?” “Isn’t it our job to uphold justice brother?” “It is.” “Then, we must punish him for killing an innocent creature.” Honestly, I was too flabbergasted to give them an adequate response. They were vampires who drank human blood and quite often than not; they ended up killing them too. If the vampire king hadn’t made strict rules, they would have wiped out the entire human race yet here they were taunting me for killing a deer. What exactly did they want to achieve? The man in the blue suit grabbed me by my shoulders and rammed me into the trunk of the tree. The impact caused my lips to split; blood trickled down my chin. I dropped to the ground with a thud. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the center of the small circle they had formed. Then, they started kicking and thrashing me for no reason; their heinous laughter rang through the forest. Wounded, weak, and without my healing power, I could do nothing against them.