Episode 10

"Aww..."

Kath immediately opened her eyes as pain pierced through her arm. She began to realize something was strange. A wooden ceiling greeted her gaze it looked completely unfamiliar.

Kath sat up quickly, glancing around at the walls covered in wood. Or perhaps this room was inside a tree.

Her eyes shifted to her arm, wrapped in a bandage stained with blood. She tried to touch it, but hissed in pain instead.

"You're awake?" said a voice belonging to someone Kath didn’t recognize.

"Where am I? I have to see Alpha right now!" Kath rose from the bed and made her way toward the strange house’s door.

"Hey!" The young woman tried to stop Kath from leaving.

"Let go!" Kath struggled, trying to free her hand from the woman’s grasp.

"Calm yourself."

"You just fell off a cliff, but thank the Moon Goddess she granted you safety and a miracle," the woman said softly.

"Who are you?" Kath frowned. She didn’t recognize the woman standing before her. Her scent wasn’t from any werewolf kind.

"I am Bellatrix," the woman said, locking eyes with her.

Bellatrix looked a little odd. Her gaze was cold and unreadable. Kath could feel a strange aura radiating from her.

"I have to go. Alpha needs me," Kath said, pulling her hand free from Bellatrix’s grip only to freeze at her next words.

"You’re going back... for someone like him? The one who destroyed your life?"

Kath stopped in her tracks. Her mind began to awaken to a painful truth. She had fallen deeply for Alpha her own mate who had rejected and cast her aside. Kath clenched her fists as her head throbbed violently, hurling her back into the darkness of her past.

Even with her body broken and her heart shattered, she still wanted to see Alpha.

"How do you know—" Kath halted her words.

Bellatrix walked closer, slowly, until she leaned near Kath’s ear and whispered,

"Don’t be weak."

"Are you mocking me?" Kath narrowed her eyes. Perhaps because of her weakened state after the fall, she thought Bellatrix was taunting her. Bellatrix only smiled sweetly.

"You’re so easily provoked. You should know the pain you feel was born from your own weakness."

"I am not weak. I— I..." Kath’s chest tightened as emotions surged within her. She clenched her fists again. The pain consumed every corner of her heart.

"Don’t live for them. Live in front of them, so they’ll believe you’re happy while never knowing you’ve already died inside."

Kath swallowed hard and took a deep breath at Bellatrix’s words.

Her body suddenly felt heavy. Perhaps the effect of falling from the cliff was still haunting her, though she had been pretending to be strong for Alpha’s sake.

Kath collapsed onto the floor, her body completely drained. The pain came in waves, overwhelming her. Her heart was in ruins her soul screaming in silence. Everything she had endured felt unbearably cruel.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking her face in despair. She was weak, helpless, broken pretending to be strong when all her strength was gone.

"Go back if you want to," Bellatrix warned, "but you’ll die a thousand deaths before it’s over."

"Help me," Kath whispered, reaching for Bellatrix’s hand as if begging for salvation. Bellatrix, moved with pity, reached out and took her hand.

"I will help you."

***

"Where are you from?" Bellatrix asked while gently wiping the wound on Kath’s forehead.

"I—" Kath tried to sit up, but Bellatrix stopped her.

"It’s all right, you’re still weak. Rest your back against the bed."

"I’ll finish dressing your wound," Bellatrix said, taking a bandage and carefully wrapping it around Kath’s forehead.

"Shhh... I’m from the southeastern kingdom," Kath muttered weakly, wincing from the pain.

"How did you end up here?" Bellatrix asked, her curiosity evident.

"My own sister, Keona, destroyed my life. Blaire and Alexa, her friends, pushed me off the cliff for the second time."

"The second time?" Bellatrix raised a questioning brow.

"Keona has planned to get rid of me more than once."

"Oh, you poor thing. I’m sorry my house is a bit shabby, but we’ll move somewhere better soon," Bellatrix said, noticing Kath’s confused gaze as she looked around. Kath simply nodded.

"It’s fine."

The house itself looked rather unique harmonious with nature. Every carving seemed so perfect, almost as if designed by a professional.

"Did you build this house yourself?"

"Of course. I’m an architect."

Kath’s eyes widened. No wonder the structure was so precise.

"That’s incredible," Kath said, genuinely amazed by Bellatrix’s talent. Silence filled the air between them until Kath spoke again, driven by curiosity.

"By the way, how did you find me? And where are you from?" she asked.

"I got lost here. I live in the human world and no longer mingle with werewolves. I’m a half-human hybrid who came here on a picnic but I lost my way. Something drew me to this place. Once you’ve healed, we’ll leave together."

"That night, while I was hunting, I found you lying helpless, covered in wounds. I felt sorry for you, so I brought you here to this treehouse," Bellatrix explained.

Bellatrix walked away from Kath to fetch the food she had prepared.

"How can you trust me so easily, Bellatrix? What if I were evil and hurt you?" Kath asked. She wanted to know why Bellatrix hadn’t been afraid to save her. Though Bellatrix appeared fearless, Kath couldn’t understand her calmness.

"I trust my instincts. Even though I’m a hybrid, I can sense you’re a good person," Bellatrix replied.

Kath had thought she would die, devoured by rogues, for who else would save her? But she was wrong Bellatrix had saved her like an angel descended from heaven.

"For now, stay here for your safety, and for your baby’s," Bellatrix said while arranging the food.

"Baby? What do you mean, Bellatrix?"