It took them three hours to finish the things they had to do before driving back to The Daire's homestead. Megan had to hand over the inn's care to one of her cousins, with a promise of a weekly update.
The mood inside the cars was somber. Rooka, Serena, Wayne, and Megan were in one car, while the twins and Kaz were in the other. The Spark was with the twins again, except for Lem who stayed with Rena.
Megan looked at the rearview mirror. Her friend was looking out the window while the man seated beside her was looking at her. He saw her observing them and gave her a reassuring smile.
"My brother will make sure Alpha Serena will be okay," Wayne said.
"You can drop the alpha thing, Wayne," Serena said. Rooka grinned.
"Okay."
Megan smiled. "She doesn't like formality. It depends on the people she is with."
"Can I give an order to Wayne?" She asked Rooka.
"Yes. But I can counter it if you will be in danger."
"Oh. Okay."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at her house. Everything looked the same.
The alpha pair were still on the porch. The front door was still open. What was missing was the smell of death.
Serena looked at her parents from inside the car. She took several deep breaths and opened the door. Rooka was immediately behind her. The others also got out. All of them looking at the house of a once-powerful pair.
"Lem," Rena called. He flew to her side and sat on her shoulder.
"I'm here, princess," he said. She nodded and started walking to the house.
Rooka wanted to go, but Wayne stopped him. He can see the tension, the sadness, the pain, and the anger in her, but when she talked, her words were calm.
"She was always slow to anger. She looks, observes, and categorizes everything. It was one of those traits that made her the perfect paper artist," Megan watched her anxiously. Something was going on in her mind, but what? No one knows.
Serena stopped when she reached her parents. She knelt and hugged them. Memorizing their face, the lingering smell of their perfume. The warmth of their skin. Somehow, the Sparks manage to keep them warm. She kissed each of their foreheads saying, "I love you", and stepped inside the house.
There was a loud boom when she set foot on the rug inside, the force made her lean onto the door frame, and the next thing she knew, she was seeing what happened that day.
Mackenzie saw his wife crying, again. This would mark the third week of him waking up with his mate quietly crying. He drew her into his arms and waited for her to stop. She looked at him and more tears fell.
"What is it?"
"We have to save her. It's time, my love," she whispered brokenly.
All Mackenzie Daire could do was hold his wife, and pray. Pray to God their sunshine will be able to overcome the events that will unravel after their deaths.
"You mom, had another vision the night before. All of us knew it was the last vision...the last death vision." Lem said. Flying in front of her. She nodded and went inside.
There were several bullet holes on the wall, but other than that, it looked normal. Her gaze landed on the sofa and walked towards it. She glided her finger on the surface and another memory was shown.
Celeste was sitting on the sofa thinking while looking at the flight of stairs. Her daughter was reading, she just finished another project and is relaxing. She felt her mate before she saw him. He looked so sad, and all she could do was open her arms and comfort each other.
"I have transferred all of our assets and accounts in her name. Even the property that we have. As for the rest, they were already in their name," he held her tight as if trying to absorb her into his being. "We don't have time to tell her, let's hope this will be enough."
"My parents were hiding something from me?" Rena asked Lem.
"No, princess, they want to tell you, but this happened."
"Do you have any idea what it was?"
"I do, but it's better if you read their memories."
She nodded and went to the kitchen. The counter still has some utensils that her mom used to bake some cookies. There were no raw ingredients on the counter. She laid her hand and saw her father on the phone.
"Clayton, it's me...yeah, a bit sudden. Say, do you have any idea where he is?" He paused, then he sighed. "Still no news of his whereabouts?... I got that, yeah, he takes after me. Listen, when you get a chance to talk or cross paths with him, tell him Serena is okay...yeah, bye."
He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Two black American Express cards besides him one for her daughter, and the other was for his long-lost son. Zahir Assem.
"I have a brother?" She looked at Lem with a shocked expression. "How can they not tell me?"
"He was not your brother by blood, but he was adopted by your father before he met your mother. Your father was the youngest lieutenant of the Daire clan when he saw Zahir. He was eighteen, while your adopted brother was five years old."
"What happened?"
"He was an Ursine Were. When the elders of the clan did some digging, they found out he was the last living were of his kind."
"What kind?"
"Cave bears."
Her eyes widened. For a cave bear shifter, to be adopted by an Alter Being, was rare. And in some cases, the kid being adopted regardless of what kind of Were they are, usually ends up in the right species. Her father had the guts if was able to raise a kid with that age.
I wish you could just tell me about him, she thought. All she has now are bits and pieces of random memories. She stepped out of the kitchen and headed for her father's office/workshop.
There were boxes of unused yarns in the corner. Sorted by colors, type, and where to be sent. There was an envelope on the very top of the boxes. She opened it and slowly read her father's instructions:
Tell Beth to deliver these to the location I have told her. These should be delivered before you burn the house, my daughter. There is a box on the top of my table, take it with you. Don't open it unless you have fully accepted your role at the Alpha of this region.
I know you have a lot of questions. And if your mother's spell has taken effect, you probably know about Zahir.
I do not know his current location. He is the lone Cave Ursine, and he is the leader of a group of rogue Weres. They are not causing trouble, however, our society sees them as trash.
I believe in his ideas, and all I can do is support him from the inside. The leader of the Lupine Nation agrees with me, the same with the Ursine and the Pantera. It is not easy for him, and with us dying, they do not have that backup like before. I will not ask you the same thing, what I need is for you to have an open mind.
I love both of you, and I am so sorry that you never got a chance to meet up. The mobile that you are using was a gift from him. Your mom was laughing at me. Say his name and you can call him.
Stay safe my darling daughter.
Btw, leave one vial on the property. They are on your desk.
Serena sighed and shook her head. His father hated technology but enjoyed online transactions. Mom had to watch over his shoulder whenever he buys yarns because he tends to overbuy. Hence, the boxes to be given.
'The box' as her father told her to take was an understatement of the year. It was a small chest, on top of it with their family coat of arms, a wolf surrounded by rose thorns. A key with the crest of a D in the center of a full-bloomed rose was beside it.
How the hell am I going to carry this thing around? She thought. Surprisingly, when she lifted it, it was light. She didn't even need an extra effort to lift it. The next memory though made her stumbled.
"Are you done with it?" It was her mother. She was wearing her normal house clothes, however, there was an odd note in her voice. When Kenzie looked up, he stilled. His mate was slowly unbuttoning her dress. It was something -
Serena dropped the chest and backed away. Her face was red, and asked Lem, "how long will the memory spell last?"
"It will be gone after five minutes once you touch an object."
"And if I don't finish the memories, will it still be there?"
"No, once activated, either you finish it or not, it will disappear."
"Good," she gave a big sigh of relief. That is one memory, she needs a bleach to erase.
Rooka wanted to run to Serena the moment she leaned against the doorframe. If not for Wayne holding on to his arm, he would have rushed to her side."You cannot enter the house Alpha," they all looked at Lily. She was sitting on Nuru's shoulder. "No one can enter.""Why?" He asked, even though he cannot see her, he was able to pinpoint where she was."Her mother. You were able to set foot yesterday because it was her will. Now it's her turn to understand why this happened. If not the whole thing, at least part of it.""This has been bothering me…" Nuru said, "you guys are so small, how can you have a loud voice.""Magic."&n
After leaving the office, she stood at the foot of the stairs. She looked up and began walking up. When she touched the handrail, another memory surfaced. Her mom was casting a spell over the entire house. A spell that will activate once they are gone. Celeste's heart was breaking, and there was nothing more they could do. They have avoided their death numerous times, and it is time to finally accept it. But it was so tempting to run again, to hide, to just forget everything. However, fate will always be one step ahead of them. "Lem, Beth, Lily, Mac," she called the Sparks. One by one they showed themselves. All looked the same, but their eyes and manner differ from one another.
"I want some ice cream." Serena whispered against Rooka's neck. Eyes closed, with an occasional sniff, it took her more than an hour to cry her pain. He knew it wasn't over yet, and the bravery she was showing was good. He looked at the house. It was slowly burning down to ground zero. Even the concrete walls crumbled. It was a testament that Rena's flames were hot, it even melted the metal support of the house. "Strawberry ice cream?" He asked. He felt her nod in agreement. She was moving a bit making Rooka close his eyes, counting in Arabic. It was not time for his body to react to his mate's shifting motions. When he heard a clinking of glasses, he looked down and saw her holding five empty vials. He gently draws her face away from his neck, tilts her face so he can look at her. He raised his eyebrow in question.
"She will be fine, princess," Lem said.Serena thought differently. Lily may be invincible, but it doesn't mean she cannot be detected. "Lem -"."You have to trust her," he said quietly. "My sister knows the danger we face. We have been dodging death for quite some time, so please, trust her.""Wait, Lily is your sister?""Yes, Beth and Mac are my cousins," Lem replied. He was looking at them while they interacted with Nuru and Layla. It was rare to find them with humans, other than the alpha pair and Rena, it was the first time they had any human int
It took an hour and a half to reach the private airstrip where the jet was fueled and ready to go.Rena and Megan were accustomed to private flights. Megan's dad, Mido is a well-known geneticist and would travel with Megan when she was little. While Rena was a paper artist, there are times that her works were transported with her because some of the paper she used was infused with gold or other precious gems. Their fathers would always hire a private jet, but this jet was a thing of beauty.The outer hull was stunning. Black monochrome covered the body. An outline of a wolf on a dune can be seen on the tail of the jet, while the word Shifter Dunes was written in both Arabic and English can be read on either side of the main body. The cockpit also looked like the head of a black wolf as the white outline was artistically painted
Supper was a success. The only leftover food that the two Alpha have prepared was coleslaw and garlic bread. The grilled meat and the rice were gone.Nuru and Kaz were on dishwashing duty. Surprisingly, the jet had no dishwasher. When asked, Rooka said to remind passengers they do not have servants to do things for them."Why do you have bears as your pilots?" Serena asked. She was beside Rooka, who was talking on the phone. She was seated near the window, while the man was on the aisle side. She looked at the amount of paperwork he was reading. She shuddered, he must have seen her reaction because he raised his eyebrow. She shook her head and looked at Wayne for an answer to her question."Ed and Ted? Yes, laugh, but it was their mom who gave the names. Father a
The princess, her friend, and the Middle Eastern Pack left six and a half hours ago. There was a hum in the air that made Lily rouse from her sleep. She was resting on the birdhouse Celeste made for them when they moved to the Philippines.Clutching the small vial, she watched as a sound of a motorcycle approached the property. A man on a black-colored Streetfighter V4 wore the same shade of jacket and helmet. It was impossible to see who the rider was, but at the back of her mind, there is only one person who she can think of.He stopped at the entrance of the property, looking at the remains of a house that he longed to return. Not a single structure was left standing, all were burned to the ground. He turned the engine off, kicked the stand, and stood up. The man took off his helmet and placed it on the handlebar. His silver-green eyes never left the house."Prince," Lily began.His ga
They did venture into the city where the statue of Lord Shiva was currently being presented to the public. While Nuru, Layla, and Megan were walking ahead, Wayne was behind the trio. Scanning the area as they walk.The place was beautiful; since it was almost dawn, there were few people on the ground. Some were barefoot, while others were giving tribute to Lord Shiva. There was an air of tranquility that would make you realize how precious life is.For Wayne, however, being in a sacred place was lost to him. What he did enjoy was the view of the Himalayas. The construction of the temple and the city at the foot of the mountains gave people an up-close look at it. With his eyes, he can see the jagged rocks and the slopes of the mountains.He remembered climb