HERMES"THIS IS IT, the answer to your question," I said, after turning off the engine of the vehicle."This tavern?" Layla pointed sideways."Yes, this tavern," I answered, before opening the door of the vehicle to alight.Layla was surprised that I brought her to a pub. Where could she possibly have in mind I was taking her? I needed to pour out my mind to her or drown my mind and thoughts with alcohol. Either ways, an alcohol beverage store was the best place to make a choice."Do you come here often?" She asked, walking into the tavern. It was unusually crowded and I frowned at that realization.The bartender's face was lit up with a smile when he saw me. He rapidly lifted a bottle from the huge burnt umber décor behind him before settliing two shot glasses on the pub table whose brown was lighter than the decor.My head tilted sideways to lean closer to Layla's lower height whilst whispering. "His smile should answer your question." She threw her face up to meet my eyes, but I sh

HERMES"I Am NOT a mole, we have been through this before," Layla professed, her eyes running from one face to another."No one said anything about being a mole Layla," Gregory said, his head tilting below.They were expecting Layla's ability to detect moles as a true blood to be made manifest, but I doubt if she was fully aware of her abilities as a true blood except for the ones that had been made manifest earlier."You are a true blood, do your thing," a gruffy voice belonging to Rosa said.Layla's face scrunched-up in confusion. She kept the confused gaze fixed on me until I spoke."Everyone relax. She is not at that stage yet. She can't do what you want her to.""What do they want me to do?" Layla's whisper rung out involuntarily."So much for a true blood," Rosa scoffed, and the pack house was filled with laughter. Layla felt more anger than humiliation."Keep it cool," I whispered to her while the rest of the pack kept snickering and giggling except for James."Why can't I do i

HERMESGREGORY FOUND AN abandoned wooden shack that was roughly built, probably to pass the night in the thick of the woods, a path that led to Palmdale river. I inspected the sorry state of the shack. The woods used to create the shack were roughly chopped, It looked like it would collapse anytime soon. I inhaled deeply, trying to catch a familiar scent of any werewolf from the Crystal Crescent pack, I wasn't disappointed."They were here," I voiced out, furthering into the dilapidating shack that had no door. Roughly chopped woods were nailed together to form the letter n. A sofa was the only thing the wooden hut could contain. Partly burnt woods and ashes laid in front of the shack with smoke evaporating from the sticks in the absence of visible fire. There was definitely a little lighting causing smoke. The smell of ashes on grasses and smoke accompanied with the morning dew was satisfying to perceive. The Crystal Crescent pack had passed the night here. It would not be the first n

HERMES "DAMN IT! SHE doesn't have a cell phone." I cried out, disappointed at how dumb I was to have forgotten to get Layla a cell phone. I sank into the leather seat of the vehicle, my guts telling me how wrong I was for letting Jacob escape. As if he could read my thoughts, Gregory spoke. "I don't think we should have let the Crystal Crescent pack get away easily. We already had them and could have finished it once and for all." Gregory spoke with his eyes fixed on the road as he drove. Recently, he seemed to only speak when he wanted to counter me. The thought of it made me furious. "Shut up and drive Greg," I answered rudely. "They lost a member of the pack and you think it was an easy escape." I was done with Gregory always acting intellectual around me, like he was trying to be a counselor when I needed him to be a friend and be real. It was not intentional to reply him but shut him up. My heart was too heavy to hold the words he said, I had to let off my chest. "No, that's n

HERMES"WHAT DID YOU see?" I asked uneasily, stealing a glance at Layla amidst being behind the car wheel, driving wildly. Even when I drove leisurely, my eyes never came off the road. The tensity weighing on me was greatly immeasurable and I made my inquiries pensively.Layla seemed to be mad at me for letting James go, her anger had filled the whole space that I couldn't breath proper air."You really let James go on his own Knowing how hurt he was?" Layla broke out a pain stricken voice accompanied with quivering lips just when I thought she wasn't going to reply me. I couldn't bear to look at her more than I already did, she seemed so dejected like the boy was her child. What a good mother she would be. My conscience would not let me watch a good woman with tears in her eyes caused by me. There was really nothing I could do even if. James was really angry and he was a werewolf not human, the upbringing varies. Layla would not understand all of this. I answered in a calm but author