CHAPTER 2
TAYLOR'S POV Although I said yes, my heart was plagued with second-guesses all day long. And even when I had finally made it there, I still thought of turning around but Delaney’s perfect timing saved the day. “For a second, I actually thought you wouldn't make it.” She said, enveloping me into a warm hug. “I had to or you would have killed me.” She patted my back gently. “You better not forget that.” I chuckled, finding it funny although there was something about her tone that made me feel like it wasn't supposed to be a joke. Delaney led me to a nice spot beside the big fire made of tons of giant logs. We sat alone. I glanced around. There was no one close to us. Everyone was standing in one corner or the other chewing at their partner's lips. She was right about the privacy and the icky romance too. “Here.” Delaney held a cup of beer to me, smiling childishly. “No. I pass.” She frowned. “Do you think I didn't notice? You walk with a limp. Zephyr bullied you again, didn't he?” I avoided her upset gaze. “Taylor. You are in pain. You need relief. The drugs won't help. They are bad for you. But this will.” She came closer. Holding my gaze. There was care in her eyes. Genuine worry about me. “Trust me.” I looked down at the cup. Delaney is never wrong. I took it from her and gulped down everything. I felt my throat burn. My injuries twitched. I gasped in pain. She kept smiling the entire time. Not saying a word. I tried to hand the cup back to her but my hands felt really weak all of a sudden. I looked down. Everything split into two. The ground beneath us blurred in my eyes and my mind felt so hazy. Suddenly I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. ‘What's going on?’ It was as though the world started spinning. I lifted my gaze to meet Delaney’s face. She grinned. ‘Wait… no. It can't be. Delaney… what did you do?’ ********* “Here is fine. Leave her here.” “Come on, hurry with those sticks.” The whispers continued. My eyes flickered, I tried to keep it open but I was so woozy and so weak. I couldn't even lift an eyelid. My body felt like it weighed a ton and the pain in my legs was throbbing again. “Should I tie her down before she wakes up?” Someone asked, their voice was so familiar. I tried again to look. This time it worked. My gaze fell on him. A puny wolf boy with pale skin and roughed up clothes. ‘Jeffery. What the hell is he doing?’ He was shuddering, his face as white as a ghost. He hugged onto a big stick. Terrified was an understatement of how he felt. He began to scare me too. I rolled my eyes around, There were others with him holding sticks too. But unlike him, they all wore nasty grins on their faces. They seemed to be enjoying this. Whatever it is. “Who is gonna swing first?” One of them questioned. He was fiddling with his stick, eager to be the one. “No way. Delaney goes first.” I turned sharply. My neck snapped because of it. But I didn't notice. I was shocked. Delaney was standing a little away from me, swinging a batton. ‘No… no. This isn't… possible.’ Our eyes met and she held up her head, a devious look on her face. “Yeah you are right. It's about time. I was really getting tired of this bitch parading herself like she has it all. This ought to teach her that filthy omegas keep their ugly heads down” “Delaney-” tears pooled in my eyes. It all began to make sense to me. What this was and what she did. There was this sick tradition to beat up a student every bonfire night. The school bullies made it up and they took turns picking a weak wolf who would be their dummy. I can't believe Delaney brought me here so I could be the dummy. “What are you guys waiting for, let's do this already.” Someone yelled from their midst. Delaney’s hands gripped her batton and began to come towards me. I felt my gut sink and every bit of my body began to shiver. I dug through the dirt with my claws, trying to crawl away. I could feel fear weigh down on me and my limbs refused to crawl with me. Tears blurred my vision. I felt shivers crawl up my spin. This was real. They were really planning to hit me with that. I whimpered in pain as my old wounds ripped open and my elbows scabbed by the pebbles on the sand. Delaney swung the bat. It hit me right in the head. The world went dark instantly, it felt like my head burst open. Screeching sounds filled my ears, everything else was quiet except for that. Another stick hit me on the side. Other blows followed. I covered my head and curled up like a ball. Their loud cheers filled the air. Beating me was like comic relief to them. It got their adrenaline pumping and it made them more eager to do new damage. Consciousness began to leave me. My mind went hazy and my body felt numb. My eyes wouldn't open anymore even though the power of the full moon made me heal fast. My clenched fits unclenched. The tension in me seemed to slip away. I wasn't holding on anymore. I was tired of trying to survive. The second before my eyes closed. I heard a mighty howl. I think It shook the entire place. The wolves froze on the spot. They all must have looked towards the sound. I couldn't. I was phasing out. The last thing I could remember was the thudding of footsteps scampering off and firm big hairy hands lifting me into their arms. In the fading silence, I heard someone call out. “Mate.”ZEPHYR’S POV“How could you let this happen? You have one job, just one. Make sure the witch is here tonight. Look at all the sacrifices that were wasted because of your mistake. What exactly is wrong with you?! How could you have failed something so important?!!!” I yelled in his face, squeezed the neck of his shirt. Oh, all the heavens knew I wanted him dead right now. “You are tired Zephyr. Hitting me, blaming me; none of it changes anything and you know that.” “I don’t know shit.” I growled, gritting my teeth. “If you say so then I will make it clearly. The witch has a minion that was not here tonight. She implanted parts of her broken spirit in this minion. It will really take her some time to regenerate herself from that body but it doesn’t make her any less undefeated. Like you told me, I made absolute sure she was here for the fight. It was when the bulk of her spirit destroyed, I noticed this incompleteness. If Taylor had not dropped a hole platform on her, I would have ne
TAYLOR’S POVI opened my eyes and I saw nothing. There was just darkness and that light except unlike before, the light was flickering, dwindling. I wanted to reach out to it, to go to it but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I felt dead.“Mother. Mother. Mother.” I called out, she didn’t answer instead the light went off and everything was peach black. I lost my voice immediately after it did.‘What’s going on? What’s happening? Mother. Zephyr. Oscala, van someone here me? Hello.’ I tried to communicate with my mind but even I knew it wouldn’t work. ‘Is this the work of the witch? That damn witch. That sick, disgusting witch, I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her’Out of no where, someone began to laugh. His voice, it was awfully familiar but I couldn’t wrap my head around who it is was. Hell, I couldn’t wrap my head around a anything.“Oh Taylor, even in this situation you find power from thinking of how to crush someone. You are always amusing.”‘Wait, I think I have f
CH174OSCALA’S POVI heard Taylor’s scream from the end of the main hall. I had the duty of keeping the guests safe but now but scream, to me, meant the world had come to an end. I left the guests, rushing out immediately. I ran faster than I had ever run before, crashing into anything and everything in my way.She was on the top of the platform, on her feet and striding backwards. She was definitely going to fall. I raced up the stairs but I couldn’t get to her before she fell. I screeched to a halt in the steps and catch her.Something on her burned my hands immediately. I let go. It was a reflex, before I could think I had already done it. Taylor fell fasting, hitting the ground before I could reschedule her again.“Oh hell, Taylor!!!!” someone from somewhere else screamed her name. I didn’t have time to think of who. I just rushed to her, conjuring a spell and sealing of the dark Magic infecting her body.I was on my knees, over here, looking at that was left of her body. She wa
TAYLOR’S POVI ducked her punch, her kick and another punch. She kicked me again, almost hitting my stomach. I summersaulted backwards, landing with a split. “Acrobatics, that’s your big plan for beating me, how cute. But it won’t do much for you because I have more the kicks up my sleeve.” She set up fore on her hands and threw them at me. I dodged the first immediately but the second grazed my shoulder. My clothes caught on fire and spread fast. It turned like wolfsbane. “Ahhh!!!”I screamed, ripping the robes off me immediately . Now I was down to my undergarments. My skin had been burned a little. “How does it feel huh. It hurts right?!!”She laughed maniacally. “This is just the beginning of your pain. When I carve your heart out, you and that worthless mother of yours will know how I felt when my lovely family stabbed me to death because they all thought Witches are curses.”“Bo ho.” I raised my head. “I’m I supposed to cry over your son story. Frankly when I saw you lying dea
ZEPHYR’S POVSo far, the anniversary party was going well. All the guests I had invited had arrived as well as some others I didn’t know. The feast had began and some of the visitors were in the main area, watching the dance show. The others were helping themselves out to the food and wine. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong so far. The hour for the TOAST was drawing near. I stood up to get the two wine glasses we needed for it. I couldn’t sense Shadow anywhere so I presumed he must have spotted a minion and followed him. I gave Taylor my hand and she took it. We stood before the crowd and ordered that the music be lowered so we could speak. The DJ was on it immediately, the dancers finalizing their act and the guests directing their attention to us, one at a time. Soon we got everyone’s attention and a little unwanted attention as well but we didn’t notice that. “I believe I have all your attention.” I started, letting Taylor come close enough for me to put my hand around he
THEODORE’S POVANNIVERSARY PARTY DAY “So what’s the plan?” Zephyr gestured to a large table inside the underground room beneath the library. Daisy, Taylor, Oscala and a man from the shadows, were with us, standing by the table. I joined them. Zephyr came up to us, and placed a sword before everyone. “This is the only weapon under the heavens that can slay the witch. Eden has informed us that she will definitely come for the party so let’s all be expecting this high table guest. Taylor and I will keep the show going up stairs. We will entertain wolves from all Kingdoms, watch the dramas and play your regular lovey-dovey couple, meanwhile you Theodore and your wife, Daisy; the both of you will enter the dungeons and free Taylor’s parents.”I looked at Taylor. She whispered to me. “Keep them safe.” I nodded.“Once you get them,” Zephyr continued. “I want you to leave through that secret hole in the whole. You will need to watch your step because there are bodies there.”I grinned.