NIYA'S POV:-
I was excited to meet Adiya, the witch who practiced witchcraft, and learn more about her craft. Her interest in witchcraft began at a young age, and through practice, she had become a skilled witch. I was grateful that Blake had agreed to this, as finding Luna was our top priority, and this curse thing had been a complete enigma so far.
"Shall we get started?" Adiya clapped her hands, eager to begin.
"What do I need to do?" Blake asked, approaching us.
"Follow me," Adiya said, getting up from her chair.
We entered a dimly lit room, illuminated only by the flickering candlelight. In the center of the room, there was a table surrounded by chairs.
"Please, have a seat," Adiya gestured towards the chairs.
We sat down as Adiya retrieved a small bowl and a sharp object.
"Blake, please give me your hand," Adiya requested, a smile on her face.
Blake complied, and I recognized the process that was about to happen. The ring I was wearing was a promise ring given to me by Adiya.
Adiya made a small cut on Blake's hand and let some drops of blood fall into the bowl. She did the same for herself, and the two drops of blood mixed together in the bowl.
"Now, repeat after me, Blake, but use your name instead of mine," Adiya instructed.
"I, Adiya, witch of Perasoa, promise you, Blake, Gamma of the Golden Moon Pack, to be at your aid when you need my help," Adiya recited.
"I, Blake Hudson, Gamma of the Golden Moon Pack, promise you, Adiya, witch of Perasoa, to be at your aid when you need my help," Blake repeated.
Adiya chanted a spell, and the blood in the bowl transformed into two red stones. Adiya retrieved two empty rings from a small pouch and placed them on the table. She asked Blake to choose his size, and once he had, she inserted the stone into the ring and gave it to him.
"Whenever you need me, wear this ring, and go to your nearest witch. She will help you connect with me," Adiya informed Blake, a smile on her face.
Blake couldn't help but grin at Adiya's words. "Wait? So this is not a one-time thing?"
"No Blake, it's not," Adiya replied with a playful grin. "You can come to me for any help, and I promise to never take advantage of you. I'll only ask for one favor from you in one decade."
"Well, well, well, you aren't a skank after all," Blake chuckled, earning a giggle from Adiya.
"Niya has one too?" Blake turned to me, and I raised my hand to show him the ring.
"Wait, if you had that ring in your pocket, then what's the one I saw on your finger?" Adiya raised her eyebrow.
"Oh, this one," I pointed to my wedding ring. "I'm married." Adiya gasped.
"Oh God, why didn't you tell me sooner?" she hit my shoulder.
"My husband is a dick," I rolled my eyes.
"Every husband has a dick, Niya," Adiya winked at me, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes and drop my jaw.
"That was a good one," Blake laughed and high-fived Adiya.
I was embarrassed and looked down at my lap. Adiya came near me, her mouth inches away from my ears. "You know right? Werewolves are really rough in bed," she whispered.
"Ewww, why didn't I die before listening to this?" I made a disgusted face. "And how do you know that?"
"I had my share of fun with some," Adiya shrugged.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear any of this," Blake snickered.
"You both are the worst, go back to hating each other, please," I huffed.
"I like this guy though. Well, Blake, you're officially my favorite werewolf," Adiya winked at him.
"You're officially my favorite witch, Adiya," he winked back.
"And both of you are officially the worst friends I have," I huffed again as they both laughed.
"Ok, now I think we should start what we're here for," Blake turned serious, and damn, he looked hot when he turned serious.
"Do you have anything that belongs to the royals?" Adiya asked, and I shook my head. Adiya turned her gaze to Blake, who just sighed and gave her a coin.
"Wow! So you did wonders," Adiya scoffed as she narrowed her eyes.
"They were evil skanks, we had to," Blake sighed.
"I don't know what's happening over here. Care to explain?" I asked as they both turned their faces in my direction.
"When I was training with the royal coach, we were assigned some tasks. Mine was to look after a witch, whom I had to kill because she was sacrificing kids," Blake sighed. "And after killing her, I was rewarded by the royals with that coin."
I looked over at Adiya, who let out a sigh. "If she was sacrificing kids then I'm fine with you having this coin," she said with a small smile. Blake nodded in agreement.
Adiya carefully placed the coin in a small bowl and poured some clear liquid over it. She then set the bowl on a small stove and turned up the heat.
As the water began to boil, Adiya retrieved a map and placed it on the table next to the bowl. She carefully poured the contents of the bowl into a separate container, making sure not to spill any of the liquid.
"Lopos hamlaun sermitos repques amrlio antspilos sartiaos," Adiya chanted a spell three times, her eyes closed in concentration. She then poured the liquid onto the map, and as it made contact, the map started to burn and crumble to ashes. Only a small part of the map remained intact, saved from destruction by the coin.
Adiya pointed to the remaining piece of the map. "Here is where you'll find them," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Exhausted, she slumped back into her chair.
Adiya then handed us a small crystal ball. "Take this," she said, "It will glow white when you're moving in the right direction and will stop glowing when you're going in the wrong direction."
"Thanks, Adiya," I said with a grateful smile, taking the crystal ball from her outstretched hand.
I embraced Adiya, and Blake followed suit. He had taken a liking to her, that was for sure. As we stepped outside, the crystal ball immediately began to glow, indicating the direction we needed to go.
"We can't take our car there," Blake informed me, a look of concern on his face.
"Why not?" I asked, frowning.
"The route by road to the Cillary forest is very long. I know that place, but I had no idea the queen stays there," he explained.
"Then how do we get there quickly?" I bit my lip in frustration, trying to think of a solution.
"We can go through the forest. There are two forests on the way to Cillary," Blake suggested.
"God, seriously? I have to walk?" I groaned.
"You can ride on me, though," Blake said, winking at me.
"Ugh, you're so gross, Blake," I playfully hit him on his arm.
"Hey, woman! I mean literally ride on me, on my back. I'll shift into my wolf form, and then you can sit on my back," he explained, facepalming at my misunderstanding.
"Sorry, my bad," I scratched my head, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Blake chuckled and retreated behind a nearby tree to shift. When he emerged, he was a massive grey wolf. He was huge, yet so fluffy that I couldn't help but imagine cuddling with him.
I climbed on Blake's back, and we took off through the trees and valleys. Along the way, Blake paused to take a drink from a nearby stream. It took us two hours of steady travel, but we finally arrived at the Cillary forest.
Blake then shifted back into his human form, and we started searching through the forest. The crystal ball was glowing brightly, and we thought we were getting closer, but the light suddenly faded, and the ball stopped glowing.
"There's nothing over here, and no path to follow," I sighed, feeling discouraged.
"I know, but why is the crystal ball glowing over here and not showing any path?" Blake wondered aloud, frustration clear in his voice.
We were running out of time as it was nearly 8 pm, and Blake had warned us about the forest's safety after 9 pm. However, since Blake seemed exhausted, we decided to rest for a while.
"I'm disappointed. We're so close, yet so far," I exclaimed.
"At least you tried, Niya. Don't be upset," Blake consoled me by patting my shoulder.
"What do we do now, Blake?" I rubbed my face in frustration.
"We can attempt it tomorrow," he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
"Shall we head back now?" I asked, and he nodded in agreement.
As Blake went behind a tree to change, I threw a stone, but it made an unusual sound, as if it hit a metal door.
"How is this possible?" I wondered aloud, scanning the surroundings.
"What happened?" Blake returned without changing.
"Listen to this," I replied, throwing another stone with more force towards the same direction.
"I threw the stone with such force that it should have gone farther than this," I told Blake.
"And it sounds like metal," he mused, lost in thought.
He walked past me towards a tree, and I asked, "What are you doing, Blake?"
"I'm searching for something," he replied, and after a while, he yelled, "Niya, here!"
I went closer to him, and he extended his hand, and his nails grew longer. "What the fuck?" I whispered in shock.
He slashed his hand, drew blood, and placed his bloody hand on the tree. To my surprise, the tree started glowing, but only the symbol. Blake laughed and kept staring behind me.
Confused, I asked him, "Why are you laughing?"
"Look behind you," he pointed his finger.
I turned around and saw a palace being revealed. "What the heck?" I half yelled, turning to face Blake, and we hugged each other, laughing like kids who had just discovered that their mother brought ice cream.
"We found it, Blake!" I exclaimed, jumping like a little kid.
"You did it, Niya," Blake complimented me, holding my shoulder.
"No, we did it," I replied, the smile on my face refusing to fade.
As we walked towards the palace, we saw a man standing outside the gate, looking intimidating. Nonetheless, we approached him.
"State your name and purpose," the man said.
"I'm Blake Hudson, the gamma of the Golden Moon pack, and this is my friend Niya. I'm here to meet the former queen," Blake introduced himself, puffing up his chest.
"You can go, Gamma, but the human stays out," the man declared.
"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Only a pack member with a rank can visit the former queen," the man explained.
Suddenly, I remembered something. "Well, then I can go because I'm the beta of the Golden Moon pack."
"A human girl? The beta of the strongest pack? Impossible," he scoffed.
What's his problem?
I put my hand in front of his face, like literally my ring would poke his eye. Blake pulled my hand a little back and shook his head in a no.
"I'm married to the Beta of the golden moon pack, which makes me a Beta too," I explained, holding up my hand to show the man my ring.
He looked at the ring and then at Blake to which Blake nodded his head, the man sighed as he commanded "Let them in."
As we passed through the gate, I felt a strange energy pulsing through the air. The air was thick with magic, and I felt myself growing more and more excited with each step we took. Once we were inside, the gate closed behind us with a resounding boom.
Something weird caught my eye, a butterfly that looked different from any I had ever seen before. One butterfly sat on my shoulder as if it belonged there.
"Blake," I whispered, "Look at this."
"What?" he turned his head in my direction.
"Look at the butterfly on my shoulder. It's different," I said, pointing to the butterfly.
Blake tried to pick the butterfly, but as he brought his hand near it, another butterfly appeared and bit him.
"What the hell is this?" Blake caught his hand where the butterfly had bitten him.
"Don't try to touch any insect or animal you see here," the man warned us as he approached.
"Ronald," Blake whispered the man's name.
"The one and only," Ronald spread his arms, and Blake hugged him.
"What brings you here, my boy?" Ronald asked.
"We wanted to meet the former queen," Blake informed him, and Ronald's eyes turned to me as he smiled.
I walked near them. "And who might this beautiful human girl be?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow.
His gaze fell on my left hand. "Oh boy! Blake, did you get married and didn't even inform me?" he narrowed his eyes on Blake.
"What? No," Blake and I said in unison.
"Then?" Ronald laughed at our reaction.
"She's married to Cedric," Blake explained, and the man looked like he was in shock.
"You got a hell of a man, girl," Ronald chuckled to which I whispered, "You can call him devil."
As soon as I said the butterfly had bitten Blake, the man in front of us erupted in laughter. "I like her," he said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Let's go in then?" Ronald asked, and we nodded in agreement.
"But how can a butterfly bite?" I wondered aloud, eyeing the butterflies flitting around us. Ronald just chuckled.
"These aren't butterflies," he said, coming to a stop and holding out his palm. He poured out some cubes, and the butterflies began to swarm around his hand.
"Is that sugar?" I asked, watching the fairies gather around his hand.
"Yes, and these are fairies," Ronald explained. Blake and I exchanged a surprised look.
"I didn't know fairies were real," I whispered in amazement.
"They are, but you'll only find them here," Ronald said. As he dusted off his empty hand, all the fairies flew away.
He turned around and began walking towards the palace door, with Blake following closely behind him. But when we reached the door, a guard stopped us.
"No humans are allowed," the guard stated firmly.
"Excuse me--" I began, but Ronald cut me off.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this." He said something to the guard, who nodded and allowed us to enter.
"What did you say to him?" I asked, but Ronald ignored my question. "I'll be back; wait here," he said before walking away.
"Who is he? And how do you know him?" I asked Blake.
"Ronald? He's the Queen's 50th great-grandson and is stationed here as a warrior," Blake explained. "I met him during my training days at the palace."
As we waited for Ronald's return, I took in my surroundings. This place was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Ronald looked young, but Blake had told me he was actually 50 years old. He had dark hair, a chiseled jawline, dark blue eyes, and a well-toned body.
"This place is freaking crazy," I whispered to Blake, who chuckled.
"Just wait until you see the royal palace where the King and Queen are staying," he said.
Finally, Ronald returned to us. "The Queen has asked you both to stay; she'll meet you tomorrow morning," he said.
"We can't," I sighed, thinking about what they might say at home.
"We will stay, Ronald," Blake smiled, and I looked at him quizzically.
"Good, I'll ask someone to show you to your rooms," Ronald said before introducing us to Mike, who led us to our rooms.
"This is freaking cool," As I stepped into the room, my breath caught in my throat. I had never seen a place so breathtakingly beautiful.
The walls were painted in shades of lavender and lilac, giving the room a calming and soothing vibe. The room was filled with a soft, warm light that made everything look like it was bathed in gold.
My eyes traveled around the room, taking in every detail. There were floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall, through which I could see a lush garden.
A large, comfortable-looking bed was placed in the center of the room, with fluffy white pillows and a matching duvet. The bed looked like it was just waiting for me to jump into it and sink into its softness.
On the other side of the room, there was a cozy seating area with two plush armchairs and a small coffee table. The armchairs were covered in a soft lavender fabric, and the coffee table was made of dark, polished wood. The room was adorned with intricate paintings and beautiful tapestries, adding to its magical ambiance.
I felt like I was in a dreamland, surrounded by beauty and magic. I couldn't believe that I was actually here, in this enchanting place.
I closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the sweet, floral scent that filled the room. I felt at peace and completely relaxed, as if all the stress and worries of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
The windows were huge with white curtains hanging in front of it, there was a fireplace, in one corner there was a wardrobe and beside it was a dressing table. Just to the left of the wardrobe was a door, I guess it's the bathroom.
"These are your clothes for tonight and these for tomorrow," the girl said, pulling me out of my trance. I turned to see her holding clothes in her hand, looking younger than me.
"Thank you," I replied, taking the clothes from her. She returned the smile and left the room.
As I placed the clothes on the bed, I couldn't help but think, "How did I get this lucky?" The bed was so soft and bouncy, and I sank into it with a contented sigh.
But then, thoughts of Cedric invaded my mind. "What is he doing right now?" I wondered, but immediately realized, "Why am I thinking about him?"
I groaned, "Arghhhh, I hate him." Memories of the past few days flooded my mind.
"He made me sleep on the couch."
"He restricted me from going to my room."
"He asked me to stay out of the room and I had to sleep in the library when he was having his moment with that bitch."
"They literally were dry humping in front of me."
I couldn't believe it. "I don't believe in this marriage, but as his wife, he should respect it," I muttered to myself.
Tired of thinking about Cedric, I rested my head on the pillow and allowed sleep to take over me and my thoughts.
_________
°°°°
***UNKNOWN POV***
As I watched Niya enter the palace with the gamma, a twisted smile formed on my face. I knew what was about to happen next and I couldn't wait.
"Your life is about to change, Niya," I said to her, enjoying the look of amusement on her face as she talked about fairies.
The ones you think of as your companions. Are the ones to betray you first.
My words flew with the calm wind.
The calm wind is just the start for the big tornado Niya will experience.
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Author's Note:-
Dear readers,
I just wanted to let you know that this chapter has been edited since its original posting.
I hope the changes have improved your reading experience and made the story more enjoyable.
As always, thank you for your support and for taking the time to read my work
If any mistakes please let me know
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❣️🕊️PEACE🕊️❣️