One week later…

My father and I arrived at the Lycan Palace. Stepping out of the coach, my father adjusted my collar, “This meeting is very confidential, Justin. There will be many high-profile guests and some of our rivals too. You must keep your temper under check. Don’t speak unless they address you specifically. You think you can manage that?”

Drawing in a deep breath, I nodded, “Don’t worry, father. I will remain as cool as cucumber.”

His eyes flashed with a warning, “This is your only chance, Justin. If you lose your cool, you will never get another opportunity to avenge your mother’s death.”

My expression turned serious and I nodded, “You can trust me, father. I will proceed with utmost caution.”

He pursed his lips and patted my back, “Very well then. Let us go inside.” He kept his hand on my shoulder as we walked inside. This gesture wasn’t driven by intimacy but fear; fear that I would break and start acting out at some crucial moment. His gaze drifted to mine restlessly every few moments.

I wasn’t going to break; not this time. I wasn’t going to waver no matter what happened. I was here with only one objective in mind: to get chosen.

“Justin?” A snort sounded to my left, “What is a loser like you doing here? Are you even allowed in here?”

My blood boiled but I plastered a smile on my face and turned to face him, “Orlando, it is such a pleasure seeing you. You have the highest chances of getting chosen.”

The color drained from his face, “Who wants to be chosen? I… I am too busy to do such a menial task.”

“Orlando! Watch your tongue,” Alpha Derek snapped as he approached us hastily. He squeezed Orlando’s shoulder and gritted out, “It is an honor to be the chosen one.”

“Of course, whatever you say, Dad….” Orlando stated in a nonchalant voice before shrugging his father’s hand and stomping inside.

“My son likes to joke around….” Alpha Derek, stuttered before changing the topic, “How have you been, Alpha Hades?”

My father’s eyes flashed with anger but he bowed anyway, “We have been doing great Alpha. Thanks for your concern.” He held my hand; his nails digging into my skin, “We… we need to be somewhere.” He gritted out, leading me inside.

Our pack had suffered a lot because of Alpha Derek. He was a bully who liked to target smaller packs. A hiss escaped my lips as my father’s nails dug deeper.

He released my arm instantly, “I am sorry, Justin. It is just that… That man makes my blood boil….”

My gaze swept over the exquisite hall. It was a thousand square meters of sheer grandeur. Chandeliers, drapes, flowers, and magical flies adorned the ceiling making it look like something straight out of a fairy tale. But, even more impressive was the gathering: Alphas of the most powerful packs, leaders of prominent covens, and even vampire lords were present.

With so much power, the atmosphere was naturally dense and oppressive. The hall was like a fucking box of Uranium; one splinter, one mistake, and the entire world would blow up. Only the Lycan King could host such an outrageous gathering.

He had done his best to make suitable arrangements for all. The tables were color-coded; red for vampires, electric blue for the witches, and black for the werewolves. The chairs in each section were further arranged to represent the hierarchy of the social order.

The most powerful leaders were allotted golden chairs, the less prominent ones, silver, and the weaker ones were allocated chairs with bronze headrests.

The guests seated on golden and silver chairs had a bevy of attendants each while the rest were served by the common servants.

My father walked up to a bronze chair and sat down. I chose a convenient place and stood leaning against a pillar.

“My dear, Alphas, Lords, and Mystics,” The Lycan King’s magically magnified voice drifted boomed in the hall. “We are all gathered here for one sole purpose; elimination of the wereheretic. I want to know whether you all are with me in this mission.”

“The werewolves are naturally with you. Wereheretics are not supposed to exist; nobody with that kind of power should be allowed to exist,” Alpha Aramus, the representative of the werewolves said in support.

“She is messing the balance of the natural order, bringing chaos and we need to get rid of her; not because we are afraid. But, because her presence will doom the world,” Lady Naila, the leader of the mystics added in support.

Now, all the gazes shifted to Lord Kaizen. He stood up and bowed respectfully, “Vampires usually don’t concern themselves with such matters. But, this time, it is personal. She broke into the castle of one of my men and slaughtered all of them. The Vampire Kingdom will go to any extent to uphold justice.”

“That is great! This is the first time in the history of Supernatural History that all of us have agreed on something unanimously. Hope we can remain united until she is eliminated.”

Everyone stood up. Placing their left hand on their chest, they said in unison, “We shall remain united until justice is served.”

Goosebumps erupted all over my arms at the deep, sound that resonated in the hall. A shudder coursed through me involuntarily and my mind went numb. It was difficult to believe that a single woman had managed to elicit such a response.

For the next few hours strategies were discussed, plans were made. Every strategy was amazingly portrayed and explained. The only problem was that the leaders didn’t agree on a single plan.

Ultimately, the Lycan King suggested that the werewolves, vampires, and witches would finalize one plan each by the end of the month and they would meet again.

A deep frown settled on my forehead and I shifted restlessly, shrinking further and further into the corner. By the time the meeting ended, I was drowning in a sea of insecurities and low self-esteem.

How could I compare to all the affluent people gathered in the hall? There was no way I would get a chance to take revenge.

I was still wallowing in self-doubt when a sweet voice sounded, “Are you Justin, Alpha Hades's son?”

I raised my head slightly and nodded curtly. She held my hand and quietly led me out of the meeting hall. Her face remained expressionless while we wove our way through the hall. But, once we were outside, she smiled at me, “I am Ana, The Lycan King’s daughter. I will take you to the back courtyard.”

I stopped walking and looked at her with a bewildered expression, “I am not sure I follow you.”

Her eyebrows twitched and her eyes widened, “Don’t tell me your father forgot to give you 101 on what you are supposed to do.”

My lips pressed in a thin line and I shook my head, “I think he was too stressed to talk to me about it.”

She burst into a peal of a musical giggle, “Never mind, I will help you out.”

“Thank you, Miss.” My reply came out a little stiff as I didn’t know how to address her properly.

“Hey, don’t be so nervous. My father forgets to tell me stuff all the time.” Her carefree reply put me at ease and I walked along with her through the long corridors.

“These leaders, they are all dimwits. They didn’t agree on a single plan,” She spoke in a condescending voice, shaking her head in resignation as if she were talking about some children.

The lingering doubt that I was being fooled faded. Nobody else could talk about such powerful men like this.

“My father had expected something like this to happen….”

“If the meeting wasn’t going to give concrete results, why call it all?” I shrugged, “Why expend so much effort?”

Her face lit up and her eyes brimmed with admiration, “It is all a part of my father’s plan. All these stupid leaders have been giving my father a migraine; they are busy fighting with each other and quite often end up hindering my father’s plan. As a result, nothing ever gets done. We don’t even know her weakness till now."

My jaws hung open as the realization dawned on me. My steps came to an abrupt halt, “So, your father came up with this plan to buy some time. Everyone will be busy creating the perfect plan and your father can utilize this time to find her weakness secretly.”

Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a servant walking through the corridor. She grabbed my hand and dragged me along, “It isn’t safe to talk like this. Uncle Moreto will give you the rest of the details.”

She led me to the lush garden behind the palace. The soft water gushed from the makeshift fountain creating an umbrella of rain. A man clad in a black suit was standing right under it; his body rigid and his arms crossed. Pointing to him, the Lycan princess said, “Go, talk to him.”

Then, without another word, she left. My eyebrows set together and my lips pressed together. Was I really supposed to go into the water to talk to him?

I waved at the man but got no response. When I say I got no response, it means no response at all. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence. I had no choice but to walk over.

I was drenched by the time I reached him. I winced and patted my clothes trying to shake off the water. He still didn’t react. His face was set in a calm expression; his gaze straight ahead. When he didn’t blink for a long time, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a statue or something. Was this all a part of some prank?

The torrential stream of water kept beating on me and I was now soaked to the core. I couldn’t just continue to stand like this. I had to talk to him even if that meant I would make a fool of myself. I cleared my throat and stated, “I am Justin; the son of the Alpha of the Moon mist pack. I was asked by the Lycan Princess to come and talk to you.”

His posture eased and he turned to face me. However, his expression didn’t change, “I am Moreto; my king has asked me to brief you on the part you will be playing in ‘The Triple Concord.’

“The Triple Concord? What is…”

“You don’t need to know that,” he cut me off before I could complete my question. “You just need to understand your role.” His expression turned serious and his eyes bore into mine, “Our King has zero tolerance for mistakes. Make sure you don’t screw this up.”

I placed my right hand on my chest and gave him a curt bow, “I will try my best, Sir.”

He merely nodded, “You will be our Trojan Horse. Your job is to get close to the wereheretic; win her heart so that she shows you her weakness.”

“How in the world am I supposed to do that?” My eyes widened at the absurdity of the idea and I gasped, “She is the Wereheretic. What makes you think that I have any chance to get close to her?”

“We have already set everything up. Details will be given to you on ‘need to know’ basis.”

Before I could ask him any more questions, he just stepped out of the fake rainfall and walked away. I tore my hair as I walked out too. None of this made any sense to me.

I bumped into my father who was waiting for me just beyond the bend, “Tell me what happened.”

“This guy Montero, he is so weird and his way of conversing is even more cryptic.”

“Did he talk to you?”

“He did but I didn’t understand a thing.”

My father’s face lit up and his eyes twinkled. He patted my back as he stated, “That is good…. Really Good.”

I shook my head incredulously, “What is so good about playing a part that I don’t even understand?”

“Don’t worry about that Justin. They will give us more details later…. This is just; let us say a trial phase for us.”

“Trial Phase? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Montero will be monitoring our movements over the next few days; You know just to make sure that we don’t have ulterior motives.”

A sigh of relief escaped my lips, “It is like that…”

“Hmm, once they are sure you are suitable for this task, they will get in touch with you.” My father’s gaze shifted to my right and suddenly his face turned pale. I followed his line of sight reflexively but there was nobody.

“We should leave now.” He said abruptly and started walking. I followed him out of the palace quietly. I was still flabbergasted. But, the thought that I would get to play a part in killing my mother’s murderer was reassuring….

We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action.

“Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan.

“Don’t worry,

We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action.

“Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan.

“Don’t worry, Melinda. I will keep everything you said in mind.”

She raised two of her fingers and swirled them in the air once before climbing the nearby tree and concealing herself in the thick foliage. She was here just to be the Lycan King’s eyes.

I held my breath and crouched lower making sure that the bushes covered me well. The anticipation mounted, making my heart beat with a frenzied rhythm. My entire body got covered in a thin layer of sweat. Those few minutes of wait were probably the most excruciating moments of my life.

There was a soft rustle, then the sound of crunching leaves. She walked into my line of sight just like an angel ascending from heaven; bathed in the soft glow of the sunlight streaming through the leaves.

She had donned a checked shirt and let her hair down adding a kind of softness to her features. Her soft golden eyes caught the glint of the sunlight revealing their soft purple streaks that were concealed earlier. Everything in the surroundings faded. Her beauty held me captive rendering me incapable of movement. I was hypnotized.

The sound of cracking bones followed by a scream pierced through my haze, pulling me back to reality. My gaze shifted to her left to find a man lying under her left foot. Blood spluttered out of his mouth with short coughs. She increased the pressure on his chest and mere seconds later his head rolled to one side.

My hand flew to my mouth and tears stung my eyes. What was wrong with me? How did I end up comparing someone like her to an angel? She was a killer, someone who had killed my mother in cold blood.

Growls and roars echoed in the clearing as the rest of the men attacked her in their wolf forms. Soon, she was surrounded by a pack of about twenty wolves. There were so many of them yet she didn’t sweat a beat.

She dodged their attacks flawlessly, moving with such swiftness that she became just a blur. One of the wolves kicked a stone toward me. It was my cue to play my part.

I tried to get up but my feet had turned to jelly. The wolf cocked its head and gave a soft growl but I still couldn’t move; petrified to a level that my body was not in my control.

One by one the wolves fell to the ground meeting their sad fate. Now, there were only four of them left.

She stopped attacking and closed her eyes momentarily. When her eyelashes lifted again, her pupils had turned into a soft shade of purple. My heart went numb. She was going to use magic. Once she did that, I wouldn’t get a chance to act out my part.

Pulling myself together, I grabbed the bushes and tried to stand up. My numb feet wobbled and I dropped to the ground with a thud.

Everything happened so quickly after that, it was almost a blur. Someone grabbed me from the back, pulled me to my feet, and pushed me forward. I staggered and was about to fall but a shove pushed me towards the wereheretic.

I slammed into her back and then slash! A sharp dagger lodged itself in my abdomen.

An intense wave of pain seared through me and everything grew bleak. With the last shred of consciousness I had, I managed to stutter, “I am glad that you are safe.’

***

I groaned in anguish as I tried to move. It felt like someone had trapped a large cinder of burning wood within me. This wasn’t right. Why was I still suffering? I was supposed to heal after the dagger was removed. Unless…

My hand went to my abdomen reflexively. My fingers brushed across the coarse fabric. Someone had wrapped me up with bandages. With a soft grunt, I forced myself to open my eyes. The blinding light of the sun blurred my vision again. All I could see was a silhouette of someone standing in front of me.

My heart skipped a beat and I looked around to find that we were in a barren clearing of grass. We were alone. Through the numbness, I felt the hard bark of the tree pressing against my back. Another gasp left my lips as I tried to get up.

The figure turned around and stepped closer. After blinking a couple of times, my vision cleared. The one standing in front of me wasn’t the wereheretic. It was a young boy with stark handsome features. This could only mean one thing; I had failed. A sigh laced with defeat and disappointment left my lips.

The boy’s eyes lit up and he rushed towards me. His lips curved in a small smile as he took my wrist. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, “The wound didn’t get infected. So, you will live.” He smiled again, this time a brighter one.

“Why didn’t I heal as usual?” My thoughts left my lips before I could stop myself. “I am a werewolf, an iron dagger shouldn’t injure me like this.”

His eyebrows furrowed, “You sound surprised….”

“That dagger was laced with magic,” a sweet, alluring voice sounded to my right, causing me to turn in that direction. I was still in a daze and could only see a vague outline against the backdrop of the bright light. I had, however, recognized that voice. My breath hitched and my heartbeat started fluttering like a hummingbird.

“The spell on the dagger will remain active for seven days. You won’t be able to heal yourself before that,” she explained as she drew closer, step by step. A gasp left my lips as she came into view. She was indeed the Wereheretic. I hadn’t failed after all.

“I have a question,” she said, coming to a halt a few meters from me.

“Yes,” I stuttered, scrambling to my feet. Something about the tone in her voice made me shudder. This wasn’t going to end well for me.

“You have seen what I am capable of at Alpha Azarel’s Packhouse.” Her expression hardened, “You must have known that the dagger would do nothing to me….” Something deeply sinister flashed in her eyes and with a swish of her hands, she pinned me to the trunk of the tree using magic. “Why did you pretend to save me?”

My heart sank as my death sentence presented itself in the form of her question. Who would have thought that she noticed my presence at the packhouse? I racked my brain trying hard to think. If I didn’t come up with something quickly, I would die.

She drew closer and ran the tip of her finger along my cheeks. Another wave of shudder coursed through me and I gulped. Drawing in a deep breath, I managed to stutter, “I… I wasn’t pretending. It was more of a reflex. I saw that man lunge at you with the dagger and I ended up intervening. I would have done the same for anyone.” I let out a sigh of relief internally; glad that I could come up with a perfect response. “I am the Alpha’s son, you know. It is my job to protect everyone.”

Her eyes twinkled and she released me. Her lips curved ever so lightly, “So, you are one of those who suffer from a Superhero Complex.”

I shrugged, “I don’t know what that means but saving people gives me happiness.”

She lifted my chin with her forefingers; her gaze piercing into me. It was as if she were unraveling the very depths of my soul. She drew closer, her nose lingering along my jawline until she reached my ears.

“So, you had no ulterior motives at all?” She whispered softly, close to my ears. The hair on my neck bristled and a tickling sensation traveled all over my shoulders. If my life wasn’t at stake, I would have found that action sexy.

It took a moment to gather my wits. When I spoke, my voice was firm, “Is this how you thank someone who saved your life? Accuse them of having ulterior motives?”

Uncertainty crossed her features reassuring me that I was going on the right track. I glared at her defiantly and snapped, “I wish I hadn’t saved you at all…” A sigh left my lips as I ducked under her arm and crawled out of her way.

Straightening my back, I stated in a decisive voice, “Let us just go our separate ways and forget all about this.” Then, I walked away without as much as a second glance. The only way to get her to trust me was to pretend to be nonchalant.

I have to say that my plan worked spectacularly. I had barely walked a few meters when she called after me, “Did I allow you to leave?”

I didn’t stop. Instead, I continued walking. Moments later, wisps of blue light crept over my legs causing me to falter. She appeared before me and said in a voice laced with arrogance, “No one can defy me.”

She rubbed her chin, as if in deep thought, “You said that you enjoy saving lives, right?”

“Y..Yes…”

Her eyes twinkled and her lips lifted in an evil smirk, “Why don’t we test that?”

“Test? What kind of test are you talking about?”

She grabbed my arm, “You will find out soon and I can bet; you are so not gonna love this.”

My heart sank and a wave of fear gripped me. I had a feeling that this stupid plan of mine was going to backfire badly….