Nature in Hiding

49- Trump Card

"Why didn't we follow our own rule?" Neer shouted, clutching his hair tightly, before whispering, "we should have let someone taste the food before consuming it."

"But we didn't. We got too hungry at the sight of food to even think about it," Gyaan said, feeling guilty as he looked at Avan's condition. "It's all because of me. If only I didn't make that decision. If only I was smart enough to not lose control at the first sight of food."

"You are not the only one at fault. So don't go berating yourself," Ahana said, patting Gyaan's shoulders slowly, before gritting her teeth with anger, "We all are at fault for even thinking of trusting the strangers after having betrayed by our known ones."

"Trust? You have no right to speak about it."

The elements turned upon hearing Hritika's voice to see the five leaders walking towards them with fury, with a whole army behind them.

"Why?" Neer asked in a low voice, his eyes only directed at Hritika.

He couldn't believe that the warm eyes that had made him laugh were looking at him so coldly. However, the fact wasn't that hard to digest. After all, Maanvi did something on a much larger scale and that too when she claimed to love her. And this girl was just someone who he just met. So what, if she made him laugh? So what, if she made him forget his dark past? So what, if she had helped his sister without showing it off? So what, if she made him feel like she was someone special who needed to be treasured at all costs? In the end nothing mattered. It was just the same everywhere.

"Why? You ask why?" Hritika scoffed, "Stop acting innocent, you murderer!"

Neer stumbled at his place upon hearing the accusation. The term that had been giving him nightmares since he saw that news.

Hritika's face pursed a little in thought when she noticed his stumble, and the colour draining from his face. The reaction seemed unusual. She had assumed that he would attack them once the cat was out of the bag. However she chucked it off thinking he was shocked that their secret was out too soon.

While Hritika was busy observing Neer, Ahana noticed the phone in Hritika's hand. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots. The term 'murderer' and the existence of the stupid phone in the middle of forest was enough for her to understand that the fake news about them being villains was seen and believed by these werewolves.

"You all saw that video," Ahana spoke out loud to confirm her conclusion.

"Yeah we did, and saw how stupid we were to house the wanted criminals," Vivaan said, barely managing to stop shifting into his wolf and rip them off into shreds.

"And so? You poisoned our food to take us out. What's the plan now? Experiment? Giving us off to human authorities? Or are you going for a direct kill?" Ahana let out a series of questions, while taking a step towards the five leaders.

Her one step immediately rang the bells in the minds of werewolves. It seemed like a direct threat to them, making all the warriors shift into their wolves instinctively.

Vivaan showed his palm to stop his warriors. They followed his silent command and stayed still, but they were ready to pounce at any given moment.

Ahana backed down at the sight of so many wolves. While Gyaan and Sameera covered the unconscious Avan as he wasn't in the state to protect himself.

"We wouldn't harm him. We had declared on the first day itself that we wouldn't fight the kid," Rehyaa said, having noticed their actions.

"Yet you didn't falter while poisoning his food," Ahana said, her voice firm and steady, despite the fear inside her heart.

"The food wasn't poisoned," Yara informed them. "His condition is probably because of eating too much after being hungry for so many days."

Vivaan took a step towards Ahana, having already concluded that she was one who was going to lead the fight.

"We don't stab people in the back, no matter who they are. Yes, we want you all ripped to the shreds, but that fight would happen face to face. Get ready, because this is probably the last warning you will get."

Vivaan's warning to the elements was his signal for his warriors. They jumped high in the air, ready to pounce on the elements, before they could harm anybody with their supernatural powers.

Ahana ducked instinctively, covering her head with her arms to reduce the effect, but the attack never reached her. She looked up to see the wolves back in their place, glancing at each other with confusion.

"What just happened?" Rehyaa asked out loud, before mind-linking the warrior wolves about the same.

"We can't attack them. There's some weird connection that's stopping us from attacking them," they all answered, in different sentences which more or less meant the same thing.

"What did they say?" Nihal and Hritika asked in unison, being out of loop as they didn't have a mind-link yet.

"He was awake," Rehyaa informed with a shake of her head, pointing towards Avan, who was still feigning unconsciousness.

Gyaan had healed him long ago while they all were busy throwing accusations at each other. Avan was his trump card. The only one who was capable of saving the elements without harming the werewolves. And so he let them think he was out of picture. So they would concentrate on them while Avan played out his game.