Chapter 6 - A witch's breath

Chapter 6

The next day at school, everything was normal. He got the usual dose of stares, leers, and growls and, as an added touch, a few scoffs. Nicolai ignored all of them as usual and got to his class.

It was a class he shared with rue. In fact, he shared all his classes with rue.

She waved at him from the front seat.

The wolves behind her were growing loudly.

He peered at her. She genuinely looked excited to see him.

But he was not. After what she said yesterday he became cautious of her.

He walked past her and took the third-row seat. The werewolf next to him was a nerdy guy with glasses and a starched shirt. He gave him a shy look.

“Nicolai,”

“Gary,” he said softly, exposing his gappy tooth.

“Nice to meet you, Gary. Say, show me your schedule.”

“y-yeah.. sure.” He readily handed him his schedule. They shared four out of five classes.

“Can you do me a help Gary. This is my schedule. Every class you go can you reserve a set for me. You see, the other wolves hate me. I assume you do too but you might have to tolerate my presence.”

He shyly took his class schedule. “I don’t hate you. You’re cool. Much cooler than the werewolves,”

Nicolai frowned a bit. There was a weird scent coming from him. he could not put a finger on it.

“I smell bad don’t I..” he mumbled, pulling up his collar.

“No, it’s just you smell different.”

Gary gave him an unsure look. “I’m half.. that’s why..”

“ohh.. You’re a half-werewolf. No wonder, you smell a bit like a human. I’m a half too, you know,”

“Really!” he looked excited at his admission.

“Yeah really. Mum’s a human.”

“that’s..... How are you so cool?! wait.. weren’t you bullied? It heard it’s worse for a vampire Halfie...”

Nicolai smirked. “I’m lucky. i have a very powerful dad. Anytime anyone bothered me, I will just give them a glare and say. Oh, my dad won’t approve of your behavior. It usually keeps them away,”

Gary nodded enthusiastically but soon his smile went away. “my dad’s a beta... yet i... it’s not that bad. But it’s not good either.” He leaned close. “wolves are immature,”

Just then rue turned back and gave him the death stare.

Nicolai let out a loud laugh. “They are. They really are,”

The class ended quicker than he had expected. The next class was classic art. He did not share it with Gary unfortunately. He packed his stuff and moved out of the class.

Rue was waiting for him by the door. Three wolves were standing beside her, trying to chat her up.

Nico walked past her without caring.

“Nico wait,” she ran after him. “is something wrong? Why didn’t you sit with me? I wanted to talk to you.”

He silently looked at her. “What is it?”

“not here.. I’ll only tell you when we are alone,” she grabbed him by his hand and pulled him over to the supply closet. She leaned close to his ear. “22 road, house number 3. it’s an abandoned house. meet me there after school. You have a lot of things to learn, Nico.....”

Nicolai frowned. “What makes you think that I want to be alone with you? Rue, you are the most suspicious person I’ve met here. I don’t trust you.”

She looked startled by this. “Why not? I have been nothing but kind to you?”

“You’re acting weird.”

“I’m not,”

“Ye you are. I don’t know. I still don’t know if I can trust you or not. so please give me some time.” Nicolai walked out of there.

The three wolves who were previously talking to rue were standing out there with matching glares.

“Don’t even start,” he growled letting his blood lust fill the corridor. the wolves did not back away “I said back off!” he shouted loudly.

Growling, one of the blond-haired werewolves charged at him and pushed him against the wall. Unhesitant, Nico bit his arms. His incisors pierced through the skin. The taste of bitter blood entered his mouth.

Even though he was half-vampire, he still had the powers of a fully grown adult vampire. Each one of his bites had the power to incapacitate even a huge elephant. What can a werewolf do but stand frozen in front of his feeding?

The other wolves next to him punched his face.

Nico let go and spat it out.

The two other wolves stood huddled closer to the wounded blond one, growling at him loudly. so were the werewolves in the corridor.

‘Fuck, I fucked up big time...’ Nico stepped back. His back hit the wall. he had nowhere else to run. The supply closet behind him would not even provide him a momentary shelter. If all the wolves attacked him at the same time, he will definitely be torn to pieces.

He can out one or two in a trance liek state but he is not cappable of putting twenty full grown werewolves in a trance!

His heart rate became high. He placed a hand on his chest, trying his best to calm down.

‘Escape route.. What can I do to escape...’

“Enough! Everyone!” rue came out of the supply closet. “you, take him to the infirmary. And the rest of you don’t you guys have classes,”

Everyone was at a standstill. Even if one of those wolves attacked him, the rest would join in.

“go back to class!” rue shouted going around and pushing away people.

Only then did the wolves walk away.

Nicolai’s heart calmed down.

“I’m sorry Nico..” rue tried to touch his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me. I don’t want any trouble but trouble follows you!’ he said and ran away.

He lost the mood to go to his next class. All he wanted was to be alone.

Like a dramatic teenager He rushed out of the school campus once again and back to his home.

But returning now, his father will definitely ask questions.

And by now the principal or the alpha must have given him a call informing him of his behavior.

“Fuck Why can’t I just control my anger? Why must I go chest to chest with those wolves... I should have just walked away..... fuck...’ he pranced in front of the house.

He placed a hand on the door.

He did not want to go in. He did not want to see the disappointed look on his father’s face.

Instead, he chose to run away and cool his head.

He was new to this town. If it was his old house, he would have visited the old abandoned park and played with the swung for a very long time until he puked his guts out.

Running through this icy terrain, he gritted his teeth. ‘Where can I be really alone?.’

His gaze fell on the frosty forest. It was the wolf’s territory. They can easily hurt him there.

Going there would be I’ll advisable.

‘Then where else?’

He blindly walked around the small town. The houses were built so extravagantly. The lawns had heated flooring, and it was all clean and ice-free. Some of the houses even looked like a fucking mansion.

‘How are these werewolves so rich? They stay in a remote part of the world yet own mansions? How....’

He wondered as he walked through the snow-covered road.

It came up to his knees. Since it was fresh snow it wasn’t so hard to tread through.

As he was walking, he came across a dilapidated house. it was the only house in this town that looked out of place. it had a thatched slanted roof, and the door was made out of ancient-looking wood. It was open, and it was banging against the walls.

The yard was filled with snow.

‘Who’s house is that huh?’

He curiously walked closer.

Just on the door, it was written in bold the number 3.

He froze. He swiftly took out his phone and checked G****e maps. It clearly showed the address, 22 road, house number 3.

“hmmm...’

This was the place rue wanted to meet him after school.

“There must be traps in there...let’s go mess with them a bit,’ he entered the house.

As soon as he stepped in, a weird feeling came to his heart.

His silent heart started to pound loudly. so loud that he was not able to hear anything other than his heartbeat.

His eyes started to blur out.

Nico reached out and wiped his eyes. It was tears... he was tearing up unconsciously.

“Poisonous gas?!” he glanced around the room.

There was no trap, no gas tanks or anything..

Just an old house with a huge broken couldren in the middle.

“A witch! A witch lived here....”

He did not stay three one more second.

Witches were a special type of human beings that had the powers to cast curses and wishes. Most of their kind were destroyed during the witch hunts but few survived. Only three witches existed in this world. But even those three were killed off by the vampire elders.

You see witches were old friends of the werewolves. They were the helpers. The supporters that helped the wolves during the war. They can heal wounds, they can cast a curse.

They were a potential danger to the vampires.

Nicolai ran to his house without stopping and ran to his room. going into a witch’s adobe can be a lucky encounter or it can lead to a curse.

He peeled off his clothes and switched on the showerhead. He needed to wash off that residue. Curses could stick to skin.

If it was not washed off in the time it would be irreversible.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Nico, are you okay? I just got the call from alpha... are you hurt?”

“no...”

“Then why are you bathing....”

Nico wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out. “Because I was touched by a witch’s breath...”

His father looked agitated. “Where did you go? Nico, who did you meet?!”

“No one. Just went to a fucking old house on the 22nd road. It was creepy...”

His dad’s face paled. “You... did you see anything there?”

“Just an old cauldron. Nothing much...”

“G-good... good.. Because it’s not time yet....” Kieran mumbled silently behind his back.