ONE DAY BEFORE THE WEREWOLF QUEEN'S HEAT REACHES ITS PEAK
"I don't like this, boss" Ken mindlinked me. "Something has happened here."
I exhaled loudly. He was right. Something strange was going on.
When we arrived at the Nymph kingdom, there were no guards at their borders. Nymphs are notorious for not being fighters and being very careless when it came to security and war, but they wouldn't be this bad. I had never been here before because the Nymph King refused for me to even come. He insisted that there was no need for an alliance and refused to entertain any talks about Raphael. He seemed to think that if you ignored a problem long enough, it would disappear. But surely even he wouldn't be this negligent.
"We still have to go in, Ken." I mindlinked him back.
Then I mindlinked all the other warriors. "Everyone, proceed with caution and remember we're looking for a forest filled with orange and purple leaves. That's where the gem is. We have to get to it before Raphael does."
It was only once we set foot on the territory that we heard the distinct sounds of people fighting.
We still couldn't see anything though. The area we were in was filled with luscious greenery that stretched over an endless distance. Nymphs need to surround themselves with nature so this didn't surprise me at all. One of the reasons why nymphs aren't as successful in the human world is because most business transactions take place in a stuffy office. Nymphs can't stand being away from trees and flowers for too long.
After taking a few more steps, the endless greenery suddenly disappeared and a terrible scene unfolded before our eyes.
The nymphs were fighting black were-bears. Of course the were-bears were winning because they're natural warriors. The nymphs were using their powers to make trees fall on the bears, restrain and strangle the bears in vines, make poisonous plants bite the bears, but it wasn't enough.
Only a handful of were-bears had been killed, but dozens of nymphs lay dead on the ground.
I didn't know what the hell was going on or what they were all even fighting for.
Then ice started forming on the ground and over the trees until the nymphs had nothing to defend themselves with. The ice froze everything and made it impossible for the nymphs to control the plants.
A thick icy mist filled the air and the nymphs all fell to their knees while they tried to gasp for air. The black bears seemed fine. They kept fighting like nothing had happened.
"Boss!", Ken shouted through the mindlink. "The ice means Raphael is here. The were-bears are working with him."
We had to get to that gem before Raphael did, but if we didn't help the nymphs they would all die. My warriors weren't affected by this cold and ice. I knew this was because Elizabeth had made it to my territory and her presence managed to shield them. It was different for me though. I could feel the cold air slithering down my lungs, but the enchanted armour I wore made it bearable. The others didn't need such an armour. They were already immune against witch magic while I wasn't.
"Please help us", a young girl begged me while gasping for air and clutching at the hem of my pants.
I immediately recognised the small framed girl with dark grey eyes, pale skin and long brown hair. It was Princess Cecilia Appledoorn, the Nymph King's daughter.
The young eighteen year old girl was hanging by a thread. Her long green gown was covered in dirt and ice and she was wounded and bleeding.
"Everyone!", I roared at them through the link. "Get the nymphs out of here. Protect them against the were-bears and find that gem right now!"
A warrior picked up the princess and got her out of here. The other warriors started getting the few remaining nymphs out of the territory while the rest of us remained and fought the black were-bears.
I shifted into Orion and found myself ripping off the heads and limbs of multiple were-bears with almost no effort at all. Orion was much bigger and stronger. Within a few minutes, my black fur was dripping in the blood of dead were-bears.
Orion and I were bigger and faster than the bears. My warriors were slightly smaller than the bears, but this didn't put them at a disadvantage at all. They too had grown in size, speed and strength. Whatever was happening to the werewolves was good for us. I would have never imagined that I would be leading wolves who are almost as big as were-bears and who fought them with relative ease.
"Selene walks with us", Orion roared in my head. We were hungry for more though. We had never fought in our wolf form before. It felt like the most natural thing. We wanted more were-bears to attack us and continue ripping off their heads, but the few that were left retreated.
I kept waiting for any witches to appear, but none of them did. We didn't even see Raphael which confirmed that he wasn't here for the nymphs. He was here for the gem.
"King Mathew", one of my warriors reached me through mindlink. "We have found the forest filled with orange and purple leaves. The woman with yellow hair and eyes is here and she has the gem."
"Get her! Get the gem and get out of here!", I ordered him. I had no doubt he could sense my excitement and hunger through the link. This was the best news ever. Without the gem, Raphael couldn't touch us. He wouldn't be able to remove the shield that Elizabeth and I had cast over the people we met. He would probably have to stop his war altogether.
I could feel the warrior's tether. He was close. I started sprinting in my wolf form to go to him, but Orion and I stopped mid-run. Something felt off.
I sniffed the air, but all I could smell was the ice. I turned back. I dug my snout into the ice beneath my paws and sniffed until I got to one specific spot. My nose lingered there. Orion and I didn't know what it was, but that spot felt different.
"Something isn't right", Orion growled in my head. We both felt it. Fear and desperation was suddenly coursing through our entire body, but we couldn't understand why. We stayed on that spot with our nose firmly in the ground.
I looked at my front right paw and I could've sworn I saw a light flicker in one of the moons on it. "Mine", Orion and I growled at the same time, but neither of us could understand why we felt that way over a random spot on a battlefield.
"King Mathew! Danny-" The warrior's mindlink was violently severed and pulled me and Orion out of our thoughts over that strange spot.
I sprinted to where I had sensed the warrior without a second thought. I felt him dying and it wasn't just him. I felt my tether to nine other warriors also being severed. They had died a gruesome death.
When I entered the forest filled with orange and purple leaves, it really did fit it's description. Nothing was green in this place and yet all the plants seemed to be alive. Everything was either orange or purple. There was no other colour here. The place felt serene, holy and sacred. The energy in the place told me this was indeed some kind of sacred forest. I felt disrespectful for being in such a sacred place without being invited, but I had no choice.
I only took a few steps before smelling the blood of my warriors. When I got closer, a roar ripped out of me and Orion.
They were all indeed dead. All ten warriors were ripped apart. Their limbs were strewn about everywhere. They didn't even get a chance to shift.
There was no sign of the woman with yellow hair and eyes or the gem. The only person there was Danny. She was covered in my warriors' blood and was on her knees trembling and crying.
I shifted into my human form and stalked her while I tried to prevent Orion from killing her. All my warriors were dead and yet somehow she was left alive. She wasn't even supposed to be here. Only me, Ken, Keyon and the warriors knew about today and I ordered all of them not to tell a single soul.
"What the hell happened, Danny?", I growled at her.
She shook her head and continued crying. "Raphael killed them", she muttered. "He killed them and took the gem. I tried to...I was too late. I couldn't save them."
My claws were digging into my hands. This made no sense. Those warriors had the gem and the woman. I had just spoken to them no more than five minutes ago. How did all this happen in just five minutes? And why was she still alive, but they weren't?
"Why are you even here Danny?", I barked at her. "How did you know to come here?" How did you get here?"
She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face. "I just used the water to travel to the sacred river here", she explained through her sobs."I came because I wanted a quiet place to think about everything that's happening with my dad. The water led me here. I found Raphael killing them all. I promise I tried to stop him, but he was too strong."
Ken and the rest of my warriors came rushing inside the forest.
"Fucking hell!", Ken exclaimed. "What the hell happened here?"
I closed my eyes and tried to control my anger. We were screwed. We were so close and now we were screwed.
"Danny here claims Raphael killed all our fellow warriors, but for some reason he left her alive!" I roared at them. "She is covered in their blood, doesn't have a scratch on her body and Raphael has the fucking gem."
"What exactly are you accusing me of?" She stood up and wiped her face.
I was trying to control my anger because Orion and I were this close to ripping out her throat. This was too suspicious. Too convenient. The only reason I was letting her live is because I knew she was like a sister to Elizabeth. Hurting her would be the same as hurting Elizabeth and I could never do that.
"You know EXACTLY what I'm accusing you of Danny", I growled down her face. "You conveniently found a forest we were all looking for for days! You appear out of nowhere during a secret mission and warriors who had what we came for are dead all of a sudden and you're covered in their blood!"
"Boss, calm down!", Ken and a few warriors pulled me away from her.
"You're coming with us", I growled at her, "and you better have your story straight by the time we arrive in my territory."
I walked away without sparing her another look. I ran back to the spot Orion and I were standing on a few minutes ago. The spot no longer sent fear and desperation coursing through our veins. It felt normal now.
"Ken, don't let Danny out of your sight!", I warned him through the link.
I cut off the link before he replied.
When I stepped off the Nymph territory, I helped the rescued nymphs into our cars. There were a whole lot more of them that survived than I thought. Almost all the cars were filled with nymphs which meant most of my warriors would have to travel back to my territory in wolf form.
"Thank you", Princess Cecilia said in a shaky voice.
"Don't mention it", I tried reassuring her. "Your father..."
She tried holding back her tears as she looked at all her people who were filling up in the cars.
"He didn't make it", she finally said. "But my older brother, Owen, he survived and he will be our new king."
She pointed at a man behind her. Unlike all the other nymphs, he didn't have a small slender frame. He looked like a warrior. He was relatively short compared to a werewolf, but it was clear the young man trained each day. This was a very unusual thing for nymphs.
The young man, who couldn't have been older than Cecilia, stretched out his hand to me. He and Cecilia had the same grey eyes and dark brown hair. However, Cecilia's eyes were filled with pain and fear while his were filled with anger and determination.
"I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances, King Mathew", the young man said while shaking my hand.
"Why have I never heard of you before Prince Owen?", I asked him bluntly.
His eyes got darker. "Because my father and I disagreed on how our kingdom must be ruled. I wanted to make our people more disciplined and resilient and he wanted to drink and have sex the whole day. I urged him to meet with you for your alliance, but he refused. He hid me from the world because I was nothing like him. His decision has cost us our entire kingdom."
I sighed. "Well, you may be young, but luckily you have a good head on your shoulders, Prince Owen."
The stern young man smiled. "Don't let our youthful looks and light aura fool you, King Mathew. While other magical creatures have their ageing slow down after turning 25, our ageing slows down after our 18th birthday. Cecilia and I are 24 years old."
"I didn't know that", I chuckled and tried closing the door, but he stopped me.
"King Mathew, if it is at all possible, we would like to enter into that alliance with the Werewolf kingdom."
He looked desperate. Both him and his sister knew there wasn't much they could offer us anymore. There were less than 100 nymphs left. None of them were warriors and if it weren't for me and my warriors, they would have lost their whole territory today. The only reason it wasn't overrun by were-bears right now is because I stationed warriors to guard the territory while I made other arrangements to secure it.
"You and sister should focus on taking care of your people", I tried changing the discussion. "I will take you all to my territory so you can get settled in. We can discuss other things after you've rested."
He reluctantly pursed his lips and nodded. He knew what this meant.
I shut the door and signalled for the warriors to start driving back to my territory.
As soon as we were done, I shifted into my wolf form and started sprinting. Orion and I would arrive before any of the cars. I would find Elizabeth waiting for me. That's the only good thing that would come out of this day. I needed to hold her after what happened today. I needed to inhale her scent and hear her voice. I needed to kiss her. I needed to sleep in the same bed as her and engulf myself in her scent. Even if Raphael had the gem, Elizabeth and I would still find a way to kill him.
***
The closer Orion and I got to our territory, the more I noticed that Elizabeth's scent was nowhere to be found. I wanted to follow her scent until I found her. I was going to drag her to our suite. We would make love for the rest of the day.
She would tell me where the hell Agatha sent her and Mike and I would explain to her how close we were to getting that gem. Hopefully she would get Danny to tell her what the hell happened in that sacred forest without needing to use her aura to interrogate her.
She and I would come up with a plan.
"You said she would be back today, Agatha", I marched to her as soon as I shifted into my human form.
As expected, Ken and the other warriors weren't here yet because they had travelled by car. The warriors who travelled with me in their wolf form were still on their way.
She gulped nervously. "She should have been here by now. It doesn't make any sense. She left early enough. Maybe give her another hour."
"No!", I said with finality. "I'm not waiting a second longer. You gave me your word. Now tell me where she is."
She breathed nervously and bit her nails, but then mustered the courage to answer me. "I sent her to the Gryphon kingdom."
I took a few steps away from her. I must have misheard her. A 350 year old witch wouldn't be dumb enough to send my mate who was in heat to a man who tried claiming her for himself.
"I must have misheard you, Agatha", I narrowed my eyes at her. "For a second there I thought you said you sent my mate to King Killian."
"His kingdom has the necessary holy water to weaken the curse", she said nervously. "When I told his mother about the curse, she said King Killian would only let us have the water if Liz was the one to go get it."
I closed my eyes and turned my head away from her. Orion was roaring and clawing inside my head. He wanted me to let him out so he could kill her.
"Get out of my sight before I let my wolf kill you, Agatha", I said as calmly as I could through my clenched jaw.
I heard her and her witches quickly run away from me.
I sat down on the stairs infront of the palace. I was trying to calm down Orion. I had to keep giving him a list of all the reasons why he couldn't kill Agatha.
"You have to kill Killian", he roared in my head. "He has her! He has our mate. This means war with the gryphons!"
"I know", I agreed with him. "We'll have to go and challenge him and his beast. We'll kill him and bring her back. I promise, Orion."