Bita could see that Helena was drifting in her thoughts once again. She wondered what was going on in that mind of hers.
"Hey! You are drifting off again!" Bita said, tapping on Helena's shoulder.
"I am not. I am just thinking of a game I am good at" Helena denied. She always feels guilty whenever she lies to her only friend in the mortal realm.
Although she isn't the only friend she has with her. Or rather, she came along with someone from the immortal realm.
"So what game have you come up with?" Bita asked.
Helena looked down sadly. "I couldn't come up with any game because I don't know any"
"Hey, stop this. Why are you sad? If you don't know any game, it doesn't matter as long as I know. I will teach you. Uhmm, let's play hiding to seek"
"Hiding to seek? But this place is very wide. It will take a long time to see someone" Helena disagreed.
"Come on, scary cat. You are just afraid that I will catch you" Bita challenged. Helena finally agreed.
Helena looked helplessly at Bita who was all ready to play the game.
"Okay. Am closing my eyes now. As I count till ten, I will come search for you... one...two..." Helen counted as she closed her eyes with both hands.
At the end of the count, Helena opened her eyes. She looked around her as she contemplated where to go. She was surrounded by bushes with three footpaths.
After walking along a path for a few minutes, she couldn't find her friend even as she called out her name.
Where could Bita have hidden? She was still walking along the bush path when she suddenly heard some voices in the bush.
"We need to execute this plan successfully or else the Elder will be angry at us"
"But you know the Prince hardly comes out. How do we do it without arousing suspicion?"
"On the day of the mating ceremony. He will surely come out. We shall strike on that day"
" Isn't that too dangerous? Did you forget who Alpha Demetri is? He would have our neck while our body roast in fire if we are ever caught"
Helena pondered as she quietly drew closer to hear more of their plan and making.
A growl was heard as it looked like the first person was angry. There was silence as the others quickly withdrew in fright.
"I have told you never to mention that name whenever we are having a discussion! Have you forgotten the torture we went through just because of that rule he made? If not for Elder Gomez, we would have been dead!" He growled.
After sometime when he seems to have controlled his anger, he explained his plans.
"On the day of the mating ceremony, the prince would choose his mate. One of the rules of accepting his mate is the sipping of the wine brought by the female he has chosen to be his mate"
"The prince has to drink it to signify his acceptance of the maiden. That's where we are going to strike. We are going to insert one of our men amongst the people in charge of the wine and I will make sure one of our girls becomes his mate. He can never resist her"
A skeptical voice asked after his explanation,"But Drake, how would the poisoned wine be in the hands of the finalist?"
"Are you dumb or just playing dumb? I just told you I am inserting one of our females as a Maiden there", Drake answered, sounding very angry.
He continued,"The gourd of wine given to the prince is kept specially. There is a drawing of a rose flower on it . That's the one to be poisoned"
"Okay, I will make preparations"
Helena quietly sneaked out of the bush so as not to be caught. She ran back to the open space. Her friend, Bita, was already waiting for her.
"What took you so long? You couldn't even find me!" She said in a disappointing tone.
"Let's leave this place, B. I will explain along the way" Helena said as she held her friend's hands.
They ran all the way to Helena's little cottage. They were panting heavily due to the race. Bita slumped down on the floor as she breathed heavily.
"Bita....I am sorry... I was very scared at what I witnessed just now" Helen said, hiding the anger and viciousness in her eyes.
How dare those mortals!
"What did you witness? What could make you so afraid?" Bita asked as she looked at her with doubt.
Helena was brought from her reverie. She kept quiet for some minutes contemplating whether to tell her friend or not.
She took a deep breath before blurting out. "Some people want to kill the prince"
" What??????" Bita asked in surprise with mouth wide open.
Helen sighed as she narrated the conversation between those men to her friend who equally looked scared.
"Did they sense your presence? Did you see any of their faces? What do we do now?" Bita asked a series of questions.
"No, they didn't see or notice me. I couldn't see any of their faces because I was too scared to go closer" Helen explained.
"That's a relief but what do we do now about the prince? We can't just go to the palace and tell them what you heard. They would think we are mad, that is, if we are granted an audience at the palace."
"That's true. Let me think about what to do" Helena said, clenching her fist tightly.
Binta looked at her friend and shook her head. She knows Helena would definitely look for any way to stop the plan.
"Just be careful, Hel. Don't do anything stupid. Don't risk your life for someone that wouldn't value it. If you ask me, I would rather you just forget you heard anything" Bita advised.
"Don't worry, B. I won't risk my life unnecessarily. I haven't had enough fun with you and if the goddess is so kind, she might bestow me with a knight in shining armor" Helena joked with her friend.
They both laughed as Helen started walking towards the kitchen to prepare something for both of them.
"Helly , can I ask you something?", Binta asked.
"Okay, ask your question"
"Why do you always keep staring into space? What's running through your mind?"
"You said a question but you have asked two questions. Tell me which do I answer?"
"Helly, I am not joking. Answer me please. It bothers me always to see you so forlorn"
"It's nothing, B. You know I'm the only one at home so I just can't stop thinking about my miserable life," Helena replied, avoiding her friend's gaze.
"Are you lying to me, Helena?" Bits asked.
Helena was taken aback by Bita's question but she quickly recollected herself, " I am not lying, Bita"
Bita walked closer to her and held both of her hands as she looked straight into those mesmerizing yet scary bluish molten lava eyes.
"You are not alone. You have me and the goddess guiding you. I will never leave you or forsake you. Always remember that I love you, okay?"
"Awww, so sweet of you B. Am blushing already" Helena replied jokingly with a smile.
"If only I was a man, I would have married you already" Bita jokes.
"I know... You are so crazily in love with me. Now, it's my turn to ask you. Everyone in the Pack is so scared of me, why aren't you scared?" Helena asked.
"To be honest, I was scared of those eyes of yours though I really wanted you as my friend. The villagers claimed you were a bad Omen and that you suck blood of people to stay alive. They also claimed you killed your parents"
She stopped before continuing. "But that day I saw you, I just wanted us to be friends forever".
Helena looked at her with a forced smile.
"I doubt if we could be friends forever…time is running out for me…I need to see him" she thought.
But first she needed to see one person.