It was a long night.
Landon sipped from the glass of wine he held in his right hand while looking out of the window staring at the moon. He was calm but his eyes could tell he was bothered.
The door to his room creaked open from the outside. Whoever was trying to gain access to his room was careful but not enough. His ears twitched and he began quietly sniffing with his nose as his eyes rolled to the right side of their sockets.
He heaved a tiresome sigh and turned towards the door.
"I knew you couldn't ignore my scent." The intruder said once she got in.
It was a pretty redhead lady with the perfect body. She was dressed in a black leather outfit down to her boots.
"What are you doing here?" Landon asked,
"Your aunt came to deliver the message to the pack on your behalf. I smelt your presence around her and traced it here.
You know, unlike the other werewolves, I am extraordinary." She said,
"I know what you are and it doesn't answer my question. If you got the message she delivered, you would be far away from me and helping the others prepare." He told her.
"You have been gone for years since the battle. You just– disappeared. I finally got to know your location, hell yes I was coming for you." She said seductively, placing her hands on his chest.
"You should have chosen another.." He took her hands off his chest and walked away.
"Chosen another? I – waited for you. You won the battle, we– won the battle and then you just ghost everyone including me.
We were supposed to get married, I was your fiance!" She said, turning towards him with a graceful look.
"We were betrothed against our wish! Gaining victory, the purpose was defeated. I moved on, you should have. You are a princess, finding another prince will not be hard for your parents." He replied.
"It is this prince I want!" She said,
He gave a surprised look.
"The same prince you didn't want?" He asked her with a faintly mocking smile.
"I thought I didn't but I– fell for you eventually. You did that to me. We were close. We planned out how to defeat Lucas together.
We fought together, we were mostly by each other's side before the war. I just didn't know how to tell you or when to tell you. I wanted you to make the move if you felt the same. I didn't wish to make a fool of myself and you just left." She said,
"I still don't love you." He said to her and turned away again.
She sighed.
"I know you are not married. I have done my research on you. Why have you chosen to remain single if not because you were waiting for me?" She asked him.
"The life we live, you call it living? I left because I wanted peace. I was tired of the bloodshed." He told her.
"Spilling blood is inevitable for beings like us. We kill or be killed. We are werewolves. Preys to even the humans you chose to be with." She told him spitefully.
"Respect my decision and my position." He said to her in a warning tone.
"Do you even have a position? You abandoned your pack. You lost your authority when you disappeared. You didn't even give another the chance to take your stead. You left!
The pack began to exist without a leader. You made them the target of every other pack. The scavengers came for them. The pack has survived because of me! I brought them to light from the darkness you put them.
Then you send your aunt to deliver your message. Not brave enough to show your face. At first, they doubted her. We all thought you were dead.
And even if you weren't, they just stopped believing in you. I convinced them to grant her an audience and this is what I get in return. Your rudeness?" She said to him,
"I am well aware that you have been in charge or do you think me to be stupid? I left for peace. I have had a taste of it and it feels wonderful. I only wanted you all informed." He said,
"Because you still care?" She said in a low tone.
"Because I am family. I wouldn't want to see any of you hurt because of me." He said,
"We will be hurt because of you. I know how hard it was choosing us over your brother but he had to be stopped. You must not blame yourself for his end." She told him kindly.
"I do not blame myself. I blame who we are. I wish we didn't have to be the way we are. Perhaps, life would be much simpler." He said,
"How will they fight beside someone who abandoned them?" She asked,
"They won't be fighting for me but for their own lives and the lives of the ones they love. Mia, I do not have the time for this, we do not have the time for this. Sentimentalism will only get us killed." He told her.
"Do you have any intel on any pure one?" He asked her.
"A pure one? Do they still exist?" She asked,
"I hope not." He said,
Mia's eyes opened brighter.
"He will need one." She voiced.
"And it will not end well. He mustn't get one." He started.
"Then we have to be on his tail. To know what he is planning. You two share the same blood. We can actually track him with yours." She told him.
"If he is out, he had help and whoever it was must be clever enough to know we could do that. Our primary focus now is to collect every pure one we can lay our hands on before he does.
He will be too weak to act, and someone else will carry out his evil. Station watchers in every corner to check for strangers and strange activities." He told her.
"Where does your mind tell you will be his first place to visit?" She asked him.
"The school." He replied.
"Well, he did hate humans but– if you are sure that would be his first target then the bond of blood is working.
That could truly be his first point of attack but why there?" She asked, sceptically.
"Shit. He knows a pure blood is there." He replied.
"Sure it isn't some diversion?" She asked,
"He is too proud to do such. He loves to fight. I need eyes on the college tomorrow. Whoever the pure one is, will be our bait." He told her.
––
MORNING.
Finally, the sun rose and the moon was sent to sleep. Naomi and Willow had gotten out of their rooms looking exhausted from the previous night because they didn't get much sleep and still had to prepare their niece for the new day.
They sluggishly dragged their crocs and bodies as they approached Keira's room door.
"Keira! It's morning…." Naomi knocked on the door weakly.
"Keira!" She repeated and still they got no response.
"Oh just go in already," Willow said, forcing the door open.
They only met emptiness. A tidied bed and open windows.
"F*ck – me," Willow said,
"She went to school," Naomi added with raised brows and sleepy eyes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"We got to go."
Keira said, dragging Sam by the arm towards the exit door of the student room. Her face showed worry as her eyes wouldn't stop roaming about in a way that said she was very unsettled on her inside.
"What– Let go of me." Sam pulled away, withdrawing her arm.
"What is going on? You can't just drag me out of my room and now head towards the exit saying we got to go. What is happening? Are you okay? Is this the effect of abusing those pills?" Sam asked her.
"Sam, I am totally fine and insane. I do not have all the time to do the explanation but if truly you were my friend and I know that something bad, something very bad was about to happen and told you to come with me which is me trying to save you from it, can't you at least just– trust me?" Keira asked her.
Sam couldn't get it. She looked at her with a worried and confused look on her face.
"I trust you. I just don't trust that this is you. You are not usually like this." Sam replied to her.
"Well yes, which should give you enough reason to believe that I know exactly what I am doing dragging you out of here," Keira told her.
Sam took in deep breaths while her eyes remained fixed on Keira. She saw the desperation in her eyes, she had to admit in her heart of hearts that she had never seen her that way.
It caused fright to settle in her mind but trying to be tough, she looked to the left and right before fixing her eyes back on Keira who wouldn't ease up.
"We don't have much time," Keira told her.
"Fine. But you better tell me what this is all about once we get out." Sam said,
"Whatever, just come." Keira dragged her by the arm again.
Soon they had gotten outside and were heading towards the main gate.
"You had better have a backup plan because we can't just go through that gate," Sam said to her, rolling her eyes.
It was at that moment, Landon drove in carefully. Someone was sitting in front and they were conversing.
"Sh*t, that's Mr Landon. What do we do?" Sam whispered, dragging Keith to hide behind one of the trees.
"We let them pass and we go," Keith whispered back.
What? No. No, we can't go through without a permit." Sam said,
"Why are you whispering?" Keira asked,
"I am not whispering, you are," Sam argued.
"Whatever, we are going with this," Keira said, bringing out a permit from her bag.
"How did you get that?" Sam asked with a surprised look.
"Uhmm, while you all were busy gushing over Mr Landon in his office, I got my hands on one of these knowing it would come in handy someday and it seems today is that day," Keira responded with a conqueror's smile before taking a peep to see how far Landon had gone.
"You are one smart-ass girl I love," Sam complimented.
"But is it signed?" She inquired.
"No..but not to worry. I have a plan." Keila replied.
"F*ck, he parked right there, he is so going to see us," Sam said,
"He will soon be out," Keira replied.
"Who is that lady? Think she is maybe his girlfriend or wife?" Sam asked,
"Do I look like I care? Maybe you should ask your fellow sisters-in-love." Keira replied.
––
"Is everything in place?" Landon asked Mia.
"Everyone is on standby. They aren't quite pleased with how you have them looking like college students though." She responded with a smile.
"Did you come with it?" He asked her.
She rolled her eyes and reached her hand into her black leather bag, bringing out a small perfume in the shape of a tube.
She was well disguised in official wear– A pitch-coloured office blouse tucked in a navy blue coloured skirt.
"Yes but forgive my asking, how do I put this in the air without looking like a suicide bomber?" She asked him.
"You are a woman, I am sure you will figure it out but how safe is it? We don't want the pure one dead." He said,
"The pure one's death will keep things alive. If we let him or her live then more will come.
Your Aunt said that once sprayed in the air the fume will locate the pure one and place a marking on him or her. With our super hearing and vision, we should be able to know who is." She told him.
"I will decide on what to do with the pure one. Till then, no harm should be done to him. It must be a he to have been alive this long." He said, getting ready to exit the vehicle.
"If it is a he then the more reason I suggest he be eliminated, we know how dangerous the male species can be." She told him
"You heard what I said," He told her.
"The last time I checked, I was the queen of the pack." She told him.
"I remain the Alpha, you will have to kill me first to assume my title." He told her, pushing the car door open.
––
"He is out," Sam said to Keira.
"I can see that," Keira replied.
"What do we do?" Sam asked again.
"You ask too many questions," Keira whispered loudly.
"You are the one who made it seem like everyone here was going to die today. I have to ask questions if I want to stay alive." Sam spoke fast.
"Hush. She is out too." Keira ducked.
"We have to go this way before he sees us," Keira said, crawling behind the garden flowers.
"My knees are so going to hurt," Sam said, crawling along.
––
Mia walked round to where Landon stood. She smiled at him and then looked around.
She dipped her hand in her bag and brought out the perfume.
The sky began to darken. It seemed a storm was on its way.