"Finally, Raymond Brooks. You found your way. I am proud of you." One of the elderly women said touching his face lightly.
"Thank you so much, Ma. You look really pretty." He said taking her hand in his, kissing it.
"Alright, that's it." An elderly man said coming towards them and taking the woman's hand. "Now, get this straight. Flirting with my wife in my house and in my sitting room is prohibited." He said pointedly. Motioning to the couch, he asked Ray to sit.
"Awwnnn.. Sammy is insecure." One of the other elderly women on the other couch cooed.
"I am not. I'm just protecting what's mine." He defended.
"Ouiii, our bad boy is insecure" the others cooed in laughter, as Sammy huffed to his seat, taking his wife with him.
"Raymond Brooks, you finally arrived." A really tall man in a black coat and a black hat said standing by the door frame. The rest of the elders got quiet immediately bowing their heads before him so Ray followed suit.
"Yes sir" he croaked through his dry and itchy throat.
"How many we help you, Alpha king?" The man in black said, taking a tour round the small sitting room.
"I need your help, sir. My mate has been kidnapped. I-"
"We already know the details. They are boring and annoying." The man said scoffing. "You may all rise, please"
"Annoying dick. You always forget that our bones are weak!!" The pretty elder lady spoke up, scolding the man in black.
"I'm sorry. We just had to make it look really scary. Do not worry, Imma give you a back rub later, okay?"
"No one's giving my wife a fucking back rub, dick face!" Sammy scolded.
"Guys, we have a visitor. And a show to watch so let's get started." One of the other elderly women said.
"Okay. Alpha king, your friend was actually right. The witch was scared that day. She had every right to be. The magic used was a really powerful one for this age and was banned ages ago. That was why you couldn't see it or fell it during the war.-"
"-The use of that kind of magic is punishable by a lot of things worse than death. You will be sent to Lord Hades in a gift box. And trust me, it's better to have your arms and limbs cut out and fed to you than being sent in a box to Hades. That guy is terrible.-"
"- So whoever performed that trick and has that veil up, sounds crazy to me. No one escapes Hades." He said sitting on a couch, giving the woman beside him a little peck on the cheek.
Raymond sat there absorbing all the information he has received. This was way more deeper than he thought. Why would his father go this far?
"I know you are wondering why he'd go this far -"
" Yes!!. Yes, I am. Why does he do this? I'm his fucking son!" Ray screamed in frustration.
"Oh. He curses... just perfect." Sammy's wife muttered.
"I'm so sick and tired of it-"
"Then, why don't you let Santiago snuff him out. You wouldn't have to lift a finger and he wouldn't be missed by anyone. Not even your Mom, so put everyone at rest for fucks sake!" Sammy said, sighing in exasperation.
"I know, Sir. I just doesn't feel like the right time yet. He deserves death, probably by being dropped in a lava... just something horrible. But it doesn't feel like the right time just yet" He said bowing his head.
"You really trust your gut, don't you?" An elderly lady said. She looked older than the rest and hadn't uttered a word since the meeting began.
"Yeah, I do." Ray said putting his head in his hands. " I just can't help it. When I don't, I make a lot of mistakes and have tons of regrets."
"That's okay. Pay attention to your wolf too, he is a wise one. You would need him a lot of times in the future, so do not fuck up your relationship, understood?" She said without looking up from her knitting.
"Yes, Ma'am " said a very confused and exhausted Ray.
"We can help find another old witch, but not the one that put the spell. The witch might recognize the scent of the perpetrator, if she does, good for us. Hopefully, the witch queen would be able to deal with the perpetrator. I think you should speak to her first, so that she can be prepared."
"Alright sir, I will. I really appreciate your help." He said turning to everyone sitted in the room.
"You are not going to ask about the wolf king?" A very young girl said stepping into the room. She had bright round blue eyes. She looked really familiar to him.
"I have seen you before. I'm sorry but I can't place it."
"It's okay, I am Andy. We met at the hotel, when you went to pick your sister" She said going to the kitchen to get coffee.
"Ohh..the lady that told me to smile a little. That I looked horrible. Shit. I'm sorry I looked that way. It's nice to meet you.. again." He said stretching his hand for a handshake.
"It's nice to meet you again too. You should ask about the wolf king. You have 3 minutes till they disappear."
"Disappear?" He asked but Andy gave him a ' zip lip face' so he just said okay and went back to the sitting room.
"Done flirting with our daughter?" Sammy asked rolling his eyes at Ray.
"I wasn't -"
"Whatever..you have another thing to ask?"
"Yeah. The Rouge king. He has been a nuisance, a terrible one. We can't catch him because we do not know where he's going to be next. Rumor says he has a witch working by his side. I'm really worried. How do you catch someone you can't see."
"Well, we might know a thing or two. But you would have to wait until our next meeting. And concerning your mate, I believe you know who she is and what she is. Keep an eye out for clues.-"
"-Do not give up or stop searching for her. The day you give up would probably be the day you loose her. So do not stop. Okay?" Sammy's wife said placing an arm on his shoulder.
"You can do this, Raymond Brooks...you really should change that surname." She said, muttering the last part.
"Yeah, you should." Said the quiet lady.
"Okay, I will. But to what? And how do I see you guys for the meeting or get any information you guys send?"
"Oh poor boy." Sammy's wife said touching his chin. "It will be brought by a Raven. The letter would be on your bed, and would burn away five minutes after it's been opened. So be careful honey." She pecked him. "Toodles" She said as the all disappeared and he reappeared in his room at the Palace.
As soon as his eyes adjusted to the environment, he felt a huge wave of nausea, so he ran straight to the toilet to vomit. When he was done, he washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked brighter and a little younger. He was about to celebrate when he saw a patch of grey in his dark brown hair.
"Oh no."