When the engine stopped I felt the knot in my stomach growing and my heart making its way up to the throat.
I was always watched, every step I managed to take and every breath I took was all a privilege they gave me. "You should feel blessed" they said but it is really something I should be feeling blessed about?
Sometimes I can't help but question everything when the stares become too much for me to handle. Sometimes the treatment I receive gets to me, and in those moments all I want to do is make it stop.
What I know for sure is that words and glares are the highest quality weapons and they are at the top of the worst things someone can experience. They both settle right in one's heart and they will not leave. They will stay imprinted there for a lifetime.
The intensity of a stare you receive can give you goosebumps and the words will cut you deeper and deeper, over and over in your soul and mind without letting the wounds to heal. It only takes a couple seconds to get them, but they remain in our souls, and we take them in the grave with us.
A big gray house was in front of us. I'm surprised the houses of Manyeo look rather European. In front of the house is a small yard with a path made from cobblestone which is connecting the house to the street. The door is made from dark maroon wood and in front of it has a couple stairs. The walls of the house have a couple cracks and the gray is faded.
"It's the coven's house." Dakho opens the door for us to enter. "You'll be staying here." I nod and I lean more on Zagan. The flight and the encounter I had with the wolf drained my energy.
We ended up in a spacious living room with a massive black table on the right, a few couches on the left and shelves with books all around the room. Beside the couches is another entrance for a room without a door. The rooms are not being separated by anything so I can see that room is also filled with books.
A big dark red book catches my eyes. We have the same book in our library. They forced us, all the young witches to learn it by heart. The book contains all the important events in our history. They thought that if we know what happened in the past we can avoid the similar situation in the future.
But, that's not how it works.
"Welcome." A woman in her forties stands up from the table. She was seating along with other three men and a woman. Stacks of books are occupying the whole table and other ones are laying open around the floor.
I assumed they are doing researches at how the room looks like. The matter must be very important.
The woman is walking towards us, and the rest of them have theirs eyes locked on the books flipping pages after pages, not sparing us a single glance. They seem in a rush to find something.
"I'm Mrs. Kan and I'm glad you're finally here." She stops in front of us and looks at Zagan smiling. "How was the journey?"
She was wearing a professional attire. A knee length dark blue skirt, a white button up shirt, and matching white stiletto heels. Her black hair was tied up in a ponytail and her posture screamed respect.
"I'm Zagan Axton." He takes a step forward shaking her hand. I manage to stay still maintaining my composure. She's from the Kan family. She's a royal.
I can't help, but fill uneasy about the whole situation. All of them are smiling, showing respect to Zagan, but they can change completely when it comes to me, after they find out who I am.
"She is Isla Quentin." He gesture towards me and the woman looks at me for the first time since I entered the room. She analyzes me from head to toes and furrows her eyebrows. The kind and respectful smile she had on second ago disappeared.
Her glare splashes me in the face like ice water. My whole body goes stiff and I'm suddenly thrown back against the wall. My body aches painfully and, for a moment, my vision becomes blurry, barely making out the contour of the room.
"Mother, no!"
I hear the scratches from the chairs being thrown back and quick footsteps approaching us. Two arms encircle my waist and I breathe in opening my eyes.
Bright blue eyes are starring directly into mine. A loud thud and a painful whimper echoes in the room. I gasp griping Zagan's arm roughly as I saw Mrs. Kan being thrown against the opposite wall powerfully.
We find ourselves in front of a semi-circle formed by the witches. They each extend an arm toward us. Zagan will definitely lose it, his anger already bubbling inside him.
He keeps staring at me without caring about the five witches threatening us. I shake my head to let him know I'm as fine as I can be, and he brings me closer to his body.
"Stay behind me." He whispers unclasping my hand from his arm, and slowly pushes me behind him moving my hand on his waist to sustain myself.
"Stop!" Dakho yells. He moves in front of us facing them. He puts himself between us and the witches, wanting to put an end to this conflict. "Mother, they are our guests." He says, the hardness in his voice reminding me of the brief encounter we had earlier.
Mrs. Kan gets up and stares at us. She looks furious, her breathing uneven and her fists clenched.
"Do you dare to disrespect me?" She fumes.
"You're lucky I haven't done worse."Zagan barks. I feel his muscles flex and I just pray that no one will die today.
"You're doing this for the disgrace?"
"She has a name!" He spats and I see his hands clenching tightly.
"She is a chosen. She's part of the ritual." Dakho states calmly. Mrs. Kan puffs and raises her hand.
"I want her out." She dusts off her clothes. "Take her out." Two men react quickly and approach me but they end up thrown against the wall.
"No one touches her!" Zagan snarls giving them a stern glare.
"Mother, they came to help us and they are our guests." Her son says, but Mrs. Kan furrows her eyebrows looking disgusted.
"Zagan, I deeply respect your father and because of that I'm willing forget what just happened. You can stay, but I want the disgrace out of my sight." She gesture toward me.
His breath became shallow upon hearing the witch talking. The veins from Zagan's neck become visible and his shoulders moves up and down quickly.
The only thought that came across my mind was "We are fucked".
"I told you she has a name!" I move around him trying to post myself in front of him, but he pushes me back.
"They are not staying here then. I'll drive them to the hotel." Dakho is resonating with his mother trying to solve the situation.
"They won't accept her under their roof." She glances at him before fixing me with her eyes. "Nobody will."
Dakho sighs desperately ruffling his hair. I told them I shouldn't have come, but Zagan insisted. Every single day for about a month he went to the council with counter-arguments.
After a long period of debates, the council accepted.
After the coven found out I was allowed to come, Kyle asked for me in his office. He knew how bad people's reactions at me are. He was worried.
Knowing that I have Zagan by my side didn't calm him down either. He knows his son's behaviour and how impulsive he is. Kyle knew he'll protect me, but he also knew that he'll end up getting ourselves in a lot of trouble.
"What about the pack house?" Dakho purposes and I snap my head toward him. Zagan puffs confused furrowing his eyebrows while Dakho smiles awkwardly.
"That can work." Mrs. Kan says thinking things through, nodding her head slowly. Her response makes Dakho smile widely. I give Zagan a confused look which he returns.
A pack house is a house in which werewolves are living. Their kind hated ours.
They must know something we don't because the wolf I met in the forest seemed to don't like witches. He didn't want me in his forest let alone want me in his house, his own private space.
"Can someone explain?" I ask and try not to look at Mrs. Kan.
"Kyle didn't tell you why he had sent you here?"
"Father has the stupid habit of letting out the most important information." Zagan rolls his eyes.
"Well, I'll tell you everything briefly now and tomorrow we will discuss more." Dakho tell us biting his lower lip. He looks nervous. I have a feeling I won't like the reason why we are here.
What Kyle and the council told us was that the Korean coven contacted them for help on a vital matter. They also specified they need two of the most powerful witches we have. The council choose Zagan immediately. After all, he's a royal so he's the most powerful right after his father.
They probably wanted someone else to come, but Zagan stubbornness has defeated them and I was selected. They let me leave even I'm one of the chosen ones. Even though, the process of completing the ritual got more complicated with me not being in England.
They let this happen because Zagan is our next leader, and, because they probably don't want a pissed royal, especially a pissed Zagan.
"How much knowledge about werewolves do you have?" Mrs. Kan asks as she walks around the room and sits gracefully on a sofa in front of us.
"I don't waste my time on something I don't care about." He shrugs his shoulders and puts his hands in his jeans pockets. I puff and I smile shaking my head.
Mrs. Kan purses her lips. "It's part of our history." She needs some time to adjust to Zagan.
"It's an insignificant part." She definitely needs time to get used to Zagan.
"Werewolves are supposed to find their soulmate until they turn 25. The alpha of the Geomeun pack didn't and he turned 25 months ago." She explains. "He didn't felt his mate die either."
"That's not our problem."
"The werewolves asked for our help and we will help them." She says sternly.
"They are our enemies."
"You are standing beside our enemy right now." Zagan's jaw snaps and my gaze fall on my shoes.
"If you don't stop, you'll regret it."
"You think you can stand a chance in front of me? I'm older than you." Zagan chuckles bitterly.
"Exactly, you got rusted." Mrs. Kan sucks in a breath.
"They are the reason she's here. She stays with them." She gets up and turns around to leave the room.
"One of them attacked her in the forest." Zagan says, and she turns her head around.
"That one has good judgement." She smirks looking at me.
"Mother enough." Dakho demands. "She won't stay."
"Good" Mrs. Kan leaves the room with the council following her steps. Each of them giving me disgusted looks while they passed by me.
"There's no way in hell I'll let you stay near those creatures!" Zagan ruffles his hair frustrated.