Chapter 2

Cohen left the pack mansion without meeting anyone else. Liam was in a meeting when he arrived. But, Cohen was still not ready to face the Interim Alpha. He went to his lake house and was shocked when he saw the lake house was completed. Before the battle, Cohen was still working on the deck floor and several other rooms inside. Now, it all looked completed and...empty.

He climbed the stairs and unlocked the double slide doors. Every furniture was covered with white fabric to prevent them from getting dusty. At the corner of the living room which was facing the lake, there stood the easel that held a black canvas. He still remembered it well despite it being nine months ago. Cohen’s hand reached for the white fabric and pulled it down, revealing the painting of a Phoenix.

“What are you working on?” Cohen asked as he had just finished assembling the dining table.

Mira was staring blankly at the black canvas. Her legs were propped on the wooden stool. The lighting coming from the glass wall was shining into the living room.

“I have no idea. Amanda gave this to me,” she replied.

“You could paint?” 

“We’ll find out.” she grabbed the paint brush and began to paint.

Cohen’s hand fisted around the shirt he was wearing. The pain in his heart ached once more. It was like a waking alarm to his wolf. His hands began to shift from human to wolf form. But Cohen was having none of this. He couldn’t afford to lose control while his mate’s body was stolen from her resting place.

He growled as he tried to regain the fragile control he had before. This wasn’t the time for him to lose control. No, not in this place where it held a beautiful memory of Mira. He wouldn’t stain this house with violence.

After a few minutes, he regained his control. It wasn’t much but it was enough to get him by. Cohen pulled all of the white fabrics from the furniture and proceeded to clean the place. He went to his car and drove to the shop in the town to buy a few things he needed for the house. Then, he went to a flower shop that seemed new to him. He didn’t remember seeing the flower shop during his reign.

“Welcome to Rosey. May I help you?” A young woman said to him with a smile.

“Twenty-eight red roses,” Cohen said.

“Do you have any preference for the bouquet design?”

“No bouquet, please.”

The florist nodded and began to wrap the roses in normal wrapping. Cohen paid for it and left. He returned to the lake house and there, he went straight into the master bedroom after leaving other things he bought in the kitchen.

On the south wall was Mira’s photo hung on the wall. Cohen had rearranged the furniture in the master bedroom so that he could dedicate the space for Mira’s memorial. He lit the candles on the table below her photo. Cohen filled a vase with water and began to arrange the roses into the vase before placing it on the table. He plucked one rose petal and placed it on the table. Then, he took out the necklace she used to wear. It had a pendant of a Phoenix. The same necklace her allies wore before the battle. Cohen put the pendant on the rose petal he plucked earlier. 

He stood there, staring at her photo in silence. His arms yearned to hold her once more in his embrace. If he had to give up everything just to have a moment with her once more, he would have gladly done so. Cohen tried to soothe his heart. 

As the sun set down, Cohen decided to pay her grave a visit even if it was empty. The Enforcers on duty there bowed and greeted Cohen as he made his way to Mira’s empty grave. He stood before her grave, looking at the empty casket. Despite it having been nine months since she was buried, the casket remained new. Cohen crouched down and scanned anything that might give him an answer. Mira’s casket was as cleaned as ever. There was no trace of her body decomposing. There was no putrid smell either. It almost seemed like her body was never decomposed. Even her name was no longer on the tombstone. The tombstone was empty as if nothing was ever engraved there.

His heart raced and head pounding. Cohen’s hands began to shift, a signal that his wolf was trying to take over again. He groaned in pain, trying to control his wolf. It was no time to lose control. Ever since he returned here, Cohen felt the temptation to shift every now and then. But he knew that if he shifted, it would take everything in him to fight his own wolf to regain control.

“Cohen…”

Cohen heard someone was calling his name. He looked around and saw he was the only one there. The Enforcers earlier had left to give him privacy. Cohen felt a hand was placed on his shoulders. The warmth of the touch caused his heart to break as he knew it was Mira’s soul. When he looked at her tombstone, something was engraved on it.

“Do not grieve at my grave for I am not there,” he read the engraving on the tombstone. 

“That’s new,” someone spoke from behind.

Cohen spun around and saw Amanda who walked past him and crouched down, looking at the tombstone. Her hands touched the engraving that suddenly appeared.

“Why did it appear now? Why not right after her body was taken?” Amanda questioned. Then, she looked at Cohen and chuckled. “Of course. It had to be you.”

“Why do you mean?”

“Those words are for you. Even in death, she still cares for you. She doesn’t want you to mourn an empty grave.” Amanda stood and sighed. “I’ve been investigating her grave since the day her body was taken. Other than dry soil and white roses on her grave, nothing else seemed peculiar.”

“What about the missing name from the tombstone?” 

“And that, too.”

Cohen looked around. The cemetery was surrounded by trees and yet none of them were moved by the soft breezing of wind. There was a sakura tree planted near Mira’s grave and it was dying as well. Everything seemed to be frozen in time.

“You’ve done well, sorceress,” Cohen said before his shifted hand reached out for Amanda’s imposter.

The imposter laughed as she held onto Cohen’s hand that wrapped around her neck. A sudden emittance of dark shield expanded around the cemetery. The former Alpha spotted Liam and the rest of the pack were running to his direction but were stopped by the dark shield. Cohen had to pull his hand off from the Imposter as dark energy began to burn his hand.

“What did you do to Mira’s body?” Cohen asked the Imposter.

A bright light illuminated her body. Slowly, her body changed appearance. This time, she took the form of a beautiful woman with dark brown hair. There was an eyepatch covering her left eye. A scar on the left side of her neck. Her clothing turned into tight latex clothing, immersing the curve of her body even more. In her hand was a staff with black crystal orb. The marking on her chest confirmed Cohen’s suspicion.

After what happened in the past months, Cohen was barely surprised by anything anymore. Right now, anger was boiling in his blood as he saw the sorceress was standing on Mira’s grave. That didn’t bode well with him.

“I’ll ask one more time; what did you do to my mate’s body?” Cohen roared.

Amanda rushed as fast as she could out of the pack mansion but she slipped down the stairs. As she reached the floor, her heart raced wildly. Then, she felt the power she never felt before. Sweats dropped from her forehead as her eyes widened. 

“This power... “ she said to herself.

Shaking her head, Amanda ran as fast as she could to the cemetery. The power grew powerful as she came closer. Then, she saw the dark barrier preventing Liam and his pack from entering the cemetery. In the middle of the barrier, Cohen stood face to face with an unknown woman.

“Cohen!” Amanda yelled as loud as she could when she saw Cohen started to fight the unknown woman. “Don’t let her touch your skin!”

“Amanda, who is she? Can you dispel this thing?” Liam questioned.

Amanda dropped on her knees, watching Cohen in horror. Never did she think she would one day meet the woman. All these years, Amanda thought the woman already long dead considering her existence was nearly three millennia ago. Cohen evaded the woman’s attack as fast as he could but his speed wasn’t fast enough. 

“Amanda!” Liam called.

“That’s Trinity,” Amanda answered causing everyone to gasp in shock. “The Mother of Dark Magic.”