"Sophia, you have to wake up."
Who was that?
An unfamiliar voice reached her ears. As much as she wanted to respond, she couldn't. All she could hear was the sound of someone humming, and all she could smell was a campfire.
What had happened?
That's right. A Lycan attacked them.
Eli was dead. All of them were dead.
"While you rest, let me tell you a story," the female voice from before spoke.
"This is a story about a supernatural king from a land far away, a kingdom called Acrasia. He was known to be cruel and cold—with the most handsome looks. He lived a lavish life and had all the money and maidens one could've ever wished for."
Come on, Sophia.
Open your eyes!
The mission seemed hopeless as she squeezed them shut even more.
"Still, the power he wielded was merely not enough for him, and after hearing there were creatures named Lycans or the chosen ones in neighboring kingdoms, he desired more," the woman continued. "He pleaded with the moon goddess to grant him strength, but she could see through his ruthless heart and refused."
Nice.
Out of all stories she could tell, she just had to tell her a story of a Lycan.
"One day, a witch approached him and told him the secret to the power of the Lycan," the word made Sophia's skin crawl. "A single rose kept hidden in the moon goddess' garden. That rose was the last key to the moon goddess, her strength."
"The witch and the Lycan made a deal. A few petals would go to him, while the remaining petals would go to the witch."
"The king stole the rose from the garden and transformed himself into a Lycan, becoming the most powerful creature alive," Sophia had no choice but to listen to the story. "He didn't hold the end of his bargain and gave the remaining petals to his closest allies in the palace."
"The moon goddess found out he had stolen from her garden, and the witch was furious."
Hopeless, Sophia made another attempt to open her eyes, and a soft groan left her mouth.
"As the moon goddess grew weaker, she had put a curse on the immortal Lycan. She had given him 124 years to heal his selfish heart and find true love, and if he didn't succeed by that time, she would wipe away his kingdom and all of its memories—leaving him to wander by himself in his shifted form."
Come on.
"The witch who had gone into hiding couldn't accept the weak punishment and scratched the handsome king's face. That way, no one could ever love him."
"The king had brought maiden after maiden to the palace, looking for true love—but even with his mask covering those hideous scars on his face, no one dared to get involved with him," the woman spoke. "Meanwhile, the moon goddess struggled without her full strength and realized some things were beyond her control. She needed someone on land to keep an eye out for her—someone even stronger than a Lycan, someone she could trust."
"100 years later, she had used her last bit of strength and blessed a humble dragon lord she trusted and his infertile wife with a child—the Vespera, and she was granted the power of the moon."
Sophia's heart beat wildly in her chest as she tried to open her eyes.
"Six years had passed," the story continued. "When rumors spread about a wonder child, and an old soothsayer had prophesied this child would turn out to be so strong, she could one day even control a dragon, the supernaturals were livid and vouched to end her life."
"Witches, Fairies, Elves, Vampires, Lycans, werewolves—and so on," Sophia's ears hurt, listening to the long list. "All had united to take down the girl."
"Only the Dragons, who obeyed their lord—stood behind her," it seemed like the story was finally reaching its end. "When all the Dragons were wiped out, the Dragon Lord instructed his young daughter to create a portal, not knowing where it would lead."
At last, Sophia's strength had slowly but surely returned to her.
She gasped for air as she took a small breath and slowly opened her eyes.
"Her name—"
"Sophia!" She sat up straight with her eyes wide open. "Ma'am, my name is Sophia, and I need your help!"
Taking in her surroundings, she could tell they were in the middle of the woods in a tent that, without a doubt, belonged to a witch.
Turning her head, she met eyes with the gorgeous woman who carried a warm smile.
Her long red hair fell over her shoulders, and the cap over her head brought extra attention to her emerald green eyes and red lips.
"Oh, dear child," she sighed, using her hand to brush through Sophia's hair. "You're finally awake."
Yes, definitely a witch.
"Where am I, and who are you?"
"My name is Magdalene—Maggie for short," the mysterious witch introduced herself. "You're the one who has called upon us."
"What?"
"You have summoned the witches."
"No, I didn't," Sophia scooted backward, remembering the strange events from earlier. Her hands were glowing, and she had no idea how. "I don't have any power like that. I'm just a werewolf. I don't even have my wolf yet."
Magdalene chuckled, slightly lowering her head. "So she really doesn't know," she whispered.
"What?"
Her head shot up, and she forced her hands into Sophia's. "You're more than you think, Sophia!" Her eyes were full of hope.
"How do you know my name?" It was the most stupid question to ask a witch. "M-My pack, m-my mate h-he's—"
A hand rubbed her back. "I know, sweet child."
"There was a Lycan and…and…"
Oh, heavenly goddess, her mate was shredded into pieces.
Loud sobs left Sophia's mouth, and tears rolled down her face. That look he gave her in his final moments, she would never forget that.
Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around Maggie and cried in her shoulder. "He's dead!"
"I know, Sophia," the woman patted her back. "Lycan Castiel has been causing a lot of trouble for centuries."
"Castiel…is that his name?" She pulled away, wiping her tears. Now was not the time to cry. "You're a witch—you can fix my alpha!"
Sophia had always thought the witches were powerful, and there was nothing they couldn't do. Those creatures had the power to fix an ant if they wanted to.
To her dismay, Maggie shattered her last bit of hope. "I, unfortunately, cannot do that," she whispered.
No…
"Although there is one way," Maggie pulled her closer. "Legend has it that if you kill the Lycan who has killed your loved ones—time can be restored, and everything will go back to normal."
"H-how?" Sophia's eyes grew big. "I thought it was nearly impossible to kill a Lycan."
"Not completely…there is one way."
"What is it? Please tell me—I'll do anything!" If there was a way to bring back Eli, she would use every last bone in her body to make sure of it.
"You'll do anything?" Maggie tilted her head. She looked at Sophia as if she was insane, and maybe she was. She didn't need to know the conditions; she simply had to know what to do.
"Yes, anything!"
"Will you be able to keep your promise?" Maggie asked. "Are you that desperate?"
Determined, Sophia focused on her green eyes and nodded. "Yes. I'll do anything!"
Maggie rolled back her shoulders as she took a breath. "Somewhere hidden deep within the palace walls, there is a book with instructions leading to the forbidden sword."
Palace?
"So what? You expect me to walk into Buckingham Palace just like that?" Sophia snorted in disbelief, surprised something like that could make her laugh after everything she had just experienced.
"Not that palace, Sophia," Maggie slightly rolled her eyes, not losing her smile. "Are you willing to travel back in time?"
"How far are we talking?"
"Hmm," Maggie squinted her eyes, most likely thinking of a way to bring her the bad news. "Many years, about more than a hundred years after Castiel became a Lycan."
"What year?"
"Some time in the 17th century?"
"I'll do it!" She didn't care if she had to travel to the day the moon goddess announced her existence. For Eli, she would do it.
"Maggie, wouldn't it be smart to send me back before that?"
Maggie grinned, twirling her hair. "I'm afraid those are not the rules," she told her. "I can only send you back and bring you back once—and I do not want to take any chances."
"Right," Sophia agreed, not asking further. She was a witch, and she would not question her. She found it strange that Maggie hadn't told her her request or that a stranger would be that willing to help her—but she let it rest. "Where do I find Castiel?"
"You'll find him…" Maggie tapped her chin with her finger. "Someplace?" She winked. "Fate will lead you to him."
"What about the book inside the palace?"
"Fate will lead you to it."
"How long will I have?"
"One year, and no longer than that," she had made it clear. "If you do not return within one year, I'm afraid I can't help you find your way back. You'll have to stay there…forever."
Despite her beautiful, long, fairytale story—Maggie was not a woman of many words.
"And you're telling me all I have to do is kill him with the sword and come back within a year?" Sophia swallowed. "By doing that, I can bring back the love of my life and my pack?"
"Yes," the witch pursed her lips, shrugging her shoulders. "Once you complete your task, I'll bring you back," she clapped her hands. "You just have to trust me."
Trust a stranger?
Without Eli, she was nothing, so be it.
"When will I leave?" There wasn't any time to waste. The faster she could travel back in time, the faster she could kill the Lycan and bring back Eli.
A sound of laughter erupted from Maggie's mouth as she threw back her head and twirled her finger. "Now!"