IRENE POV
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I woke up early that morning. So many strangers laid with Ares and I on the floor. Nearly all of them still slept peacefully.
Ares was awake though and gone from my side. Instead, he stood by the door and looked out the window. I stood and approached him, carefully avoiding the scattered limbs of sleeping bodies on the floor.
"What is wrong?" I whispered so to not disturb those still sleeping. He glanced at me as I joined his side and looked out the window.
It was snowing inside of the barrier now. Some said that it happened sometimes on very snowy days. The snow didn't layer thickly on the ground like it did beyond the barrier, just a calm layer of frost.
"I think I miss home," he explained, and I frowned, "Though we are not far from it, it feels as if I'm in a whole other world."
I leaned my head against his shoulder, "Yeah," I agreed. I knew exactly how he felt. I had traveled what felt like all over the world recently. To think about the difference between my humble cottage and family to where I was now made me dizzy. "It's how I feel every time I see my sister," I admitted.
I had seen her a couple of times and it never grew easier. I didn't know what I was supposed to do about her. She was alive, though she was brainwashed, and I couldn't handle it.
I looked up at his face. He wasn't wearing the mask his mom made for him. I thought about our last interaction with her often, and each time it made my heart hurt.
She had allowed us to teleport all the belongings behind the scale wall right outside the tunnel, then she had Delilah come and collect it. Delilah didn't even spare us a glance.
"I'm sorry for what happened with your mom. I would never have insisted if I had known," I apologized like I had millions of times.
Each time, he always shook his head dismissing my apology, "that decision hurts her more than it hurts me," he said. I wondered how he could be so content with the idea of never being able to see his family again, but then I remember that's already how it had been for him.
I assumed he hadn't visited in a while until he brought me there to get cleansed of my curse. He had been on his own for a long time, so it wasn't any different for him.
"I'm sure she will get over it. She doesn't hate you and she won't stay angry with me forever," he now tried to comfort me.
"She doesn't hate me? She knows who I am, how could she not?" I scoffed at the possibility of her even tolerating my existence.
He shrugged and that didn't help. "She knows I like you, so that is enough," he answered. My face warmed like it often did whenever he spoke.
The sun was rising, and the sky was filled with a calm sea of orange and yellow. It was refreshing. Even though I was not outside, I could still imagine the cold air in my lungs.
I could see Reese approaching, her head held high and a serious look on her face. She was a giant and I felt like a mouse next to her. I knew what her approaching meant though. It was time.
Ares and I returned back up to the house. Majority of everyone was still asleep. The only others awake were Lonni, Leo, and both of the alphas of the yellow pack.
"We got everything just the way you instructed," Alpha Nommi said as she led me down the hallway into their bathroom.
It was dark, the only dim light was the ones from the dozens of candles surrounding the area. There were those beige candles around the rim of the tub, sink, and toilet seat.
The tub was filled with steamy water as I had requested. Rosemary decorated the floors and bath water.
"This is perfect," I praised. Alpha Nommi smiled.
This reminded me of Margret, when she was all, I had to rely on for magic. Now I was preforming a full ritual all by myself. Thinking of Margret made me sad a little. I hoped she was ok. I'm sure they kept her alive. Although she was one of the purple pack's healers, she was very talented, and it would simply be a waste to kill her. I just hoped the enemy realized that too.
Alpha Nommi shut the door and I was alone. Part of me felt nervous. I had just got my magic back and was already going to perform a high-level ritual. It was one of the ones I had read in the books back at Ares cave. I was thankful for my witch memory.
I got into the tub, my clothes still on. The steam stuck to my body and made me wet where water hadn't even touched.
Swirled my hand in the pool of water, watching as the orange light from the candles and rosemary swirled. I spoke the spell, repeating it over as if I hadn't learned any other words besides it.
A spike of cold shot up my body and I felt cold, dry hands push the back of my neck down until my head was underwater. I gasped and held my breath as I went under, trying not to scream from fear.
I didn't have to hold my breath for long. As soon as my head went under, it felt like I did a whole circle, and it came back up the other way. I was drenched in water and still sat in the tub, but I was no longer in the bathroom.
My breathing picked up as I looked around the black void surrounding me. There was movement in front of me. I could see the silhouette of a tall woman slowly walking past the tub. I move backwards and away, covering my mouth as I whimpered into it.
I couldn't see the woman, though. I could just see her black veil and long dress as she walked past. I watched her. She slowly walked like her joints were made from rust. The candles lit up the dark fabrics of her dress, and once she passed them, they went out leaving nothing but smoke behind. One by one, the darkness grew blinding. I could not calm the speed of my heart.
I had never been more still, my body turning into a hard stone. I couldn't even see the tub I was in. The was another spike of cold that shot up from my spine and I closed my eyes to wince. When I opened them, a scene appeared—a horrifying one.
It was still dark, but it was much more visible now. A black, misty fog cleared to reveal a small window into a dimly lit room. Noah and Ryan were restrained onto these giant metal tables that stood them up at an angle.
Worst of all were the two women sitting in the middle of them. Tisha and Daniela. I took a quick breath in, and I ducked down slightly into the tub. I just barely peaked above the rim to see what was happening.
This spell was a one-way window, they couldn't see me, but I still wanted to hide. I hadn't expected it to be so scary to see them.
Daniela had a syringe in her hand filled with some sort of dark metallic liquid. She held it up to the dim candle lights before she smiled.
"I've perfected it now," Daniela stood up straight and turned back to Tisha, "At least I hope so. I don't care what you do with them, just make sure to at least test it out and report back to me the side effects."
She handed Tisha the syringe who was smiling so widely. Tisha didn't look any different. She still dressed up luxuriously as if she were made of endless money. Not a single flaw was in her appearance.
Daniela walked away into the misty black smoke. I couldn't see past it, but it's because I wasn't meant to. The spell had its limits.
Ryan and Noah looked beaten up, especially Noah. He had a big puffy black eye, and dried blood still over his mouth. Ryan looked hysterical as he tried to pull on the leather straps keeping him in place.
"Stop struggling," Tisha demanded as she glared at Ryan. Ryan listened, but he still looked as if he wanted to sob.
"What do you want?" Ryan snapped. Noah looked to dazed to even process what was happening. His wounds looked as if they were slowly healing though. Werewolves were lucky to have quick healing.
"To win a war," she hummed. She looked at all of her disgusting torture devices. Whips, knives, syringes, hammers, so many things it made me sick, "Your pack is really starting to piss us all off."
Ryan didn't respond. I was grateful for Ryans quietness. He wasn't impulsive like Noah would've been, or any of the other people in the Alpha house. No, he didn't scream or threaten her, he just listened which definitely prolonged the inevitable.
Tisha finally looked up at Ryan, then to Noah whose face was healing faster by the second and was coming back to his senses.
"He's your mate, isn't he?" Tisha guessed. She had never been wrong before. Ryans jaw tensed, and she smiled, "You're the second wolf I've met with a same sex mate. How unique," she praised like he was some alien.
Noah groaned in pain, tensing his body and pulling on his restraints as well.
Tisha picked the syringe back up, "Do you know what this is?" She asked, showing off whatever Daniela gave her. Ryan shook his head, "Werewolves are composed of two times the normal number of genes. Their gene codes switch between one and the other as they shift, and sometimes they even mix to give their humans wolf like qualities, or their wolfs human like qualities," Tisha recited from a book I guessed Daniela had left for her.
I could see Ryans eyes widened. He got it a lot faster than Noah did. I sat up in the tub, listening and understanding.
"Do you know what would happen if you were to erase the certain genes that make werewolves, werewolves?" Tisha looked up at Ryan and his face turned pale.
I gasped as I stood up in the tub, ready to get out. As soon as I stood, the veiled woman appeared from in front of the tub and screamed. I jumped back, sitting back down in the tub as my heart nearly left my chest. Her screeching cry and rotting face made me shut my eyes.
She lowered herself back down into the shadows of the tub and my heart struggled to calm itself.
"Is that what you did with Grayson?" Noah asked, his voice weak. Tisha smiled.
"So, you guys do have Grayson," she gleamed, and Noah glared at her. She shook her head, "No, no. Daniela's previous spell only suppressed the genes. It can still be unlocked again. This, however, should completely erase the genes."
Both of them tensed up. I could practically hear how fast their hearts were racing. I covered my mouth to stop myself from getting jump scared again.
"So, which one should it be?" She asked. She had pure lust in her eyes. She knew the stakes. She loved this; she loved watching their faces twist up in horror.
Tisha approached Noah, "How about you?" She asked. Pointing the needle at his skin. All it would take was a little bit of pressure and the needle would've gone through.
"No!" Ryan snapped. He pulled at his restraints, but it was no use. All he did was tired himself out. She smiled and withdrew the needle from Noah.
She walked towards Ryan, instead. I looked around for any details to tell me where they could've possibly been, desperately.
As soon as I'd know, I could teleport there no matter the location as long as I had a general idea. But there was nothing but black mist surrounding anything other than the boys.
He tried to pull away as she teased him with the needle to his skin. Noah tried to jump forwards; the metal table shifted from his force causing even Tisha to jump a little. Luckily the metal table was bolted into the ground or Noah would've probably moved it forwards.
Tisha narrowed her eyes at the challenge. The needle pierced into Ryans thigh, and he winced, breathing heavily and trembling.
Noah's eyes widened, and he didn't even think before he acted. He shifted quickly and jumped forwards. The force had been so strong that the leather straps and metals chains either snapped or fell off.
He was quick to move on from there. He pounced at Tisha as she turned, taking the needle from Ryans thigh.
He held her down, his teeth grazed across her perfect face and left wide wounds over it. She was strong though and managed to push him off of her. Of course, she was strong. She didn't just become leader because of her beauty.
"Noah, stop!" Ryan called out as he also tried to free himself, "Please! Just run!"
Noah didn't listen, and my muscles tightened with anticipation. My fingers tightened against the rim of the tub as I sat up. I couldn't keep still.
Ryan shifted as well but the leather didn't snap like it did with Noah, he hadn't used enough force. It just tightened against his large body and strangled him. He yelped and shifted back quick. The metal chains on his hands had fallen off, though, but it didn't help him. He still couldn't reach the strap.
Tisha kicked her heel into Noah. Her form was familiar. She had learned it from the red pack, I was sure of it.
Ryan shrieked as Noah flew back against a wall. My eyes brightened. As he moved into the smoke, it cleared, and I could see a familiar door with an even more familiar symbol on it.
They were at the vampire's mansion. Majority of the doors were decorated with a symbol of the vampires. A bat with large wings. I knew it because I often went into their manor when they drew blood or wanted to test some experiments.
Noah winced but didn't stay down for long. Once he ran back, the mist engulfed the revealed area and hid it from my view again.
He pounced at Tisha again, but this time she didn't just take it. As he made contact with her, she stabbed him with the syringe that she had in hand still. It was quick, I almost missed it.
He pulled away from her and backed away, wincing. The syringe was now empty. He turned and ripped it out of his skin.
The room fell silent as Tisha grinned, overly pleased with herself. Noah shook his body, trying to shake the pain. He steadied himself and bared his teeth, but then he winced again.
It was a slow, and seemingly painful process. He shrunk and shifted. His yelps of pain turned into crying as his body crippled and turned human. He held onto himself as his legs buckled and he fell to his knees, nails digging into his arms. He cried immediately, tears running down his face as he gritted his teeth.
Ryan screamed hysterically. He tried even harder at before to reach Noah; the leather was beginning to give way. Tisha turned and glared at Ryan, blood dripping down her face.
"Escape, and I'll kill him," she threatened, and Ryan stopped. She turned back to Noah and smiled, "Tell me. Is it possible for a werewolf to be mates with a human?"
His eyebrows knitted with confusion. Soon his eyes flashed with shock, and he was filled with pain too for a reason unbeknownst to me. He leaned his head back as he sobbed in pain. His muscles tightening so much they trembled from being strained.
Sounds of sobs and pain filled the room, and I covered my ears trying to block it out. It was going to make me cry.
"Let me out!" I demanded. "LET ME OUT!" I screamed from the top of my lungs, pressing my hands harder against my ears.
Cold, dry hands touched the back of my head and shoved me under the water again. Just as before, I went under than rose back up.
I gasped as my head came up from the water, the water splashing around in the tub as I panted for air.
I quickly got out of the bathtub, not caring about the water that drenched the floor along with me. I exited the bathroom and rushed down the hallway. Everyone was awake now and waiting in the dining room.
Ethan stood as he saw me. Everyone's attention shifted to me as I struggled to speak. "I know where they are!" I stuttered my breath heavy.
"Ok, ok." Lonni stood as well and held up her hands like I was a wild beast she was trying to calm me down. I couldn't calm down, not when I just witnessed what I had.
Alpha Nommi got me a towel and wrapped it around me. I could not slow my breathing no matter how a hard I tried.
"Tell is what happened," Ethan said.
It was hard to. I stuttered as I tried. I watched their faces slowly shift from concern to pure dread and horror.
"And then she- Tisha- Noah is-" I tried to find the words, how to break the news to them. Ares came to me and took my hands.
I looked up at him and warmth spread from up my hands to my arms, and quickly spread across my body as his eyes glowed a bright golden color and small magic particles danced around our hands. My breathing slowed and I calmed.
"Noah is a human," Ares finished my sentence for me as if he had read my mind. The magic in his eyes disappeared and he turned back to face everyone.
Their faces were painted in broken expressions. Disbelief, anger, sadness. Not a single one of them capable of swallowing the news.
"Where are they?" Alec asked. His voice low and his eyes a dark glare. I knew his anger wasn't directed towards me, but I still flinched from falling under it.
"At the vampires manor. I can teleport us all there immediately!" I answered.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Leo snapped.
"No!" Ethan intervened, and we all turned to him. This was out of character for him. He stood next to me.
"What?" Leo asked, glaring at Ethan.
"We can't just go barging into the enemies house. Not when we don't even know the layout, or how many of them are there, or what is expected!" He explained.
No one seemed to care how logical he was being, they just wanted their friend. I understood. Even I had been ready to teleport everyone within a moment's notice, and I wasn't even close with Noah or Ryan.
He turned to look at me, "I also need your help with my own mission," he said, quieter than before, and it distracted me from the adrenaline.
"We will get you all supplies. While you are gone, we will make sure to distract the enemy here, so they don't know you've left," Alpha Nommi said. She waved her hands at her betas, and the two girls left to pack everything for them.
Ethan, Ares, and I walked out of the house together and away into the woods. The snow had calmed, and the sun was completely up. Thankfully all three of us had a tolerance to the cold, or this would've been a dreadful experience.
Ares and I glanced to each other as we all walked in silence, waiting for Ethan to explain. Once we were far enough from the village to his liking, he finally spoke.
"I had a dream last night," he told. I flinched but Ares didn't understand the importance behind Ethan's dreams—at least those he feels the need to tell us.
"What does she want?" I asked. I feared his answer. The idea of having to run away again like we did for the red pack worried me.
"That's the thing," he started, "I have no clue what Luna was trying to tell me," He frowned, and I did too.
He explained the dream. The corrupted, Cavnigrum, the chains, and the cave. Ares and I listened attentively, but even I was puzzled. All of those things were random with no real correlation.
"I thought maybe she was telling me Cavnigrum had Ryan and Noah back at the cave we were kidnapped at, but after what you've said..." he trailed off.
I crossed my arms and sighed, "Yeah, that doesn't make much sense," I agreed.
"Explain your dream again, in detail," Ares demanded. Ethan looked at him strangely as he slowly spoke, making sure to add more detail than before.
I looked at Ares. It's as if I could see the gears turning in his head. His eyes flashed with a short of realization.
"Wait," he mumbled, and Ethan stopped. "Ok, before I say what I think it might be, you need to tell me who the hell Cavnirgum is," he said.
I smiled a bit trying to hold back my laugh, "It's a very long story," I warned. Ares insisted though.
"I'll tell him, you just wait here," Ethan sighed. I'm sure he was tired of it now. I smiled and nodded. They walked off, and I could hear Ethan begin to explain.
I stayed where I was. While I waited, I made a hawk with magic. It was big and beautiful, as were all the animals I created. I had used three yesterday as scouts.
"Go scout the area," I ordered in my mind. I didn't need to speak aloud for the animal to understand. It flew away and hawked until it was gone.
I created other animals, giving simple orders just to test my limits. I had very few of them, I learned. I had a limit on the number of animals depending on the size of them. I still needed to train so I could make as many as I wished.
I recalled all the deer and rabbits I just made. Their bodies pixelating and returning to my hand.
A spike of cold shot up my body and I turned, looking to the vast woods behind me. As if the bird was close to me, I could hear it screech. I recalled it as I watched carefully in front of me.
From afar I saw a woman. She stood tall and approached closer and closer. My heart raced in my chest as Isabel was only a couple feet in front of me. She was alone, though.
She didn't waste any time, "Come on, Irene," she demanded. I glared at her but that didn't stop her, "Please don't be stubborn."
"Why are you here?" I asked, keeping my voice cold and distant. I tried to put on a strong face, but it didn't stop my heart from racing. I had to remind myself she wasn't my sister. I pulled out my knife from my pocket.
"For you," she answered, and I glared at her even more, "It's true, I'm here for you. I can't remove the curse so I can't hurt you even if I wanted to," she explained, her voice softening.
"Where is Daniela?" I asked, glancing behind her suspiciously. There's no way Daniela would've let her come all the way out here by herself.
"I told her not to come," Isabel answered, "She's out there somewhere, but I wanted to talk to you by ourselves." She took a step closer, "I don't want to be against you, Irene. I just want to go back to our cottage and live there peacefully," she frowned.
She was telling the truth; I knew she was. I wanted it too. I broke a little bit, lowering my guard and letting emotion bleed through.
"But you can't kill Ethan," I said. It hurt to see her in front of me, and I don't think I'd ever get used to it.
"It has to be done. I want the war to be over for good. I want to run away with you, and Daniela. We can go back to the blue enchanted forest—back to our home," Isabel described her ideas and I could imagine it, besides the Daniela part.
I wanted my family back too. We'd relax in the field just behind the house and we could even start our own garden there. We could bake pies like great grandma and mom-mom did hundreds of times.
"But Ethan is my family too," I whispered, and her face soured.
"I know I've been gone but don't replace me, I'm here now and it can be just us again," she promised.
"Just us and Daniela?" I corrected, narrowing my eyes at her, "You don't love her, you are just under her control."
Isabels hands grabbed my head and kept me in place, so I'd face her. I looked into her red haunting eyes. She was so close now, I could've stabbed her and gotten it over with. I could've, but I didn't. The knife just stayed in my hands, unmoving.
"I've known her before the war—before we were taken by the vampires. I'm not under her control because she loves me. She wants me back, the full and real me. I love her not because of a spell or mind control," she explained. My eyes widened.
"How could you really love her? She's a murderer! She's tried to kill her own son," I scolded. The mention of a son, or his attempted murder didn't surprise her.
"Killing him is the only way to bring me back for good. Daniela has spent years on trying to bring me back and killing him is the only way, it's the only reason he was born," Isabel explained desperately, and I gagged.
I couldn't look at her anymore. I removed her hands from my head and turned away, my stomach twisting as everything began to crash down. She spoke so sweetly and soft about such a horrifying thing.
This wasn't Isabel, not my Isabel. Isabel would've rather rotted than to have a child killed on her behalf. Isabel would've never talked so freely about murder, she'd never.
"Irene, please," she stepped closer as I stepped away.
"Stop!" I demanded, moving away and more. I couldn't listen to her anymore. To kill a child. To love someone so evil. I couldn't.
"I just want to be with family again," she continued as my heart began shattering in my chest.
Her arms wrapped around me and held on tightly so even as I tried to get her off, she wouldn't budge. My eyes filled with tears as I gave up. My breathing heavy and tears left my eyes. She used to do this to all of us when we were young.
"I don't want to be enemies, please don't make us enemies," she whispered, and my heart grew heavy with guilt.
Now was my chance, the only chance I'd get. I cried harder at the thought that'd soon take action. Guilt, so much guilt. Ethan was right, this wasn't easy.
My hand tightened against the knife as I hugged them back, crying hysterically for a reason she was unaware of, "I'm sorry," I apologized, "but you are the enemy."
She didn't get time to process my words. I raised my hand and crashed it down onto her back. The blade broke through her skin, and I felt it enter her. It's a feeling I'd never forget. I pulled the blade from her back, and I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see the blood spilling from her body.
She gasped and squeaked, her fingers digging into my back as I held onto her tighter. I said sorry so many times I couldn't even count. Her breathing quickened as her legs grew weak. I carried her all the way until she laid on the floor, her skin somehow paler.
She looked cold. Her eyes filled with tears, and she gasped. "I'm so sorry," I whispered thousands if not millions of times. I held her hands and pressed my lips to them, continuing to whisper.
My hysterical trance of sorrow was broken as a scream so loud and gritty ripped my attention from my sister. My eyes widened as my head looked off in the woods.
The woman's hysterical scream lasted long. Birds flew from the trees, and if I hadn't known any better, I would've thought the ground shook.
A wind so strong gushed through the forest, shaking the trees as it approached. I flew backwards as red magic engulfed my body. I slammed against a tree, and I could've sworn my spine cracked.
I fell to the ground, gasping for air that seemed as if it was never going to return to my lungs. The magic had burned, it felt as if my skin was on fire though there were no burn marks.
I didn't get a chance to call upon an animal or to even teleport. Shoes suddenly appeared in front of me, and I was kicked in the side. I flew against another tree. This time it was my ribs that felt broken.
I squeaked as I held onto my side, curling up in pain. I couldn't even bring myself to stand. My teeth gritted so hard I'm sure they'd break.
I opened my eyes to find Daniela at Isabel's body, holding it in her arms. She pet her hair as she looked at her still face, pained and sick.
Her hands tightened against her skin and my heart sunk. Isabel hadn't been lying—they really had been in love.
She groaned through her teeth as her eyes watered, but she didn't cry. It looked as if she didn't know how to cry, like it was foreign to her.
She waved her hand in my direction and the red light flew at me. It was over my body and this time I was sure all my bones were being broken, or that my skin was being burned and ripped from my body.
I screamed, curling up. She was too upset to do anything to extreme, and I was too upset to do anything to escape.
The snow didn't soothe the burning pain, not even a little. I was sure I'd die from pain alone.
Daniela stood, finally ready to kill me for good, but she never got her chance. Ice spikes grew from the ground and blocked her from moving forward.
"IRENE!" Ethan hollered. I turned to see him running towards me. Ares wasn't by his side, though.
Daniela broke the ice with ease. Ethan didn't take her attention off of me. She wanted revenge, and her next spell was bright, brighter than anything I'd ever seen.
Ethan wasn't going to make it in time. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing myself for my inevitable death.
I could feel the pain for a moment, only a split second. It was like heat of a fire approaching, but it didn't take over my body. I was lifted from my snow, and I was in the air. I opened my eyes. My shirt was in the teeth of a red dragon again. He flew up quickly.
Ethan fought Daniela, his magic pushing her back. She was good though, and I knew Ethan would not win.
"NO!" I screamed out. I extended my arm for him even if I knew I could not reach him. What happened instead was unexpected—unintentional. Blue magic shot from my hands and circled around them until it was like an explosion, pushing them away from each other.
Ethan regained his balance first and built a wall of ice and snow. He shoved it forwards, but Daniela broke it.
"We have to stop them!" I demanded but Ares didn't care, he wasn't even listening to me. We were returning back to the village. I begged and demanded. I tried to teleport, but I guess it wasn't affective when trying to escape the jaws of a dragon.
I looked back down to them. I could faintly see them. They had stopped fighting, a man stood before them. Ethan looked terrified and Daniela looked crazy. He helped Daniela up and they vanished before my eyes.