“You want me to force me to get mated to you?” I repeat this statement as Ben approaches. “And who are these seven men?”
“Hi, Ben now has a clone. Beware!” Jude jerks the door open and with his vampire power, he takes me out immediately. We bump into the real Ben and I gasp for breath on sighting him.
“Ben?” I say, after few minutes of breathing out. “Who was that, in the room?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go check.” He tells me and takes my hands into his as we head to the room.
“It is your clone, Ben. You now have a clone. You had better put off the wizard power in you.” Jude says, selfishly.
“Ben.” I whisper into his ears. “The wizard power makes one gets his mate late. Put it off, I don’t have it as well.”
“Oh, really?” He fumes. “You don’t want me to have the power to fight Jude? I know your intention.”
“What are you insinuating?”
“I can insinuate anything.” He shrugs his shoulders. We get to the door step and Jude shouts on top of his voice.
“If you want to, I can help you to!!!!” He screams.
“To get your mate, put off the wizardry and I advise you go meet Robert to help you do that.”
He thinks for a moment, and then he speaks up.
“But I can’t get my mate late. I already have my mate. So, I don’t deem that necessary.” He says, and turn the doorknob. There is his clone staring at him intensely.
“My clone? I swear, I’m killing him right here.” He says, his vampire threatening to thrust out.
“Don’t kill. That’s an automatic disqualification from being a participant in the completion of the Alpha for moonstruck pack.” Robert had instructed. I hear this because he mutters it and you know, my ear works well. He shuts the door and locks it after we get out of the room. We head straight to Robert’s office and Maxwell bumps into my way.
“Sophia.” He says, melodiously and gives me a hug. Even in front of Ben.
“It’s the audacity for me.” Ben says, and detaches me from the hug.
“It was only a hug.” Maxwell says, and pecks my chin. Ben, without much ado, slaps him hard on his chin and he groans as he lands on the ground.
The school bell rings and all the students get out of the school premises with noise blaring the nook and crannies of this same school.
Jude doesn’t go home, Ben sticks to me still. Luckily, Robert hasn’t gone now, he’s still got some things to mark.
“Oh, Sophia.” He re-sits his glasses and peers into my face on seeing that I stand beside his door. “Come in, girl. What’s wrong?”
“Ben, please stop following me around. I need to see Robert. Just go home, okay?” He hesitantly nods, and frees my hands. I barge into Robert’s office and usually, I sit on one of the swivel chairs.
“Why haven’t you returned to your hostel?” He asks.
“Well, I’ll keep on living in the school hostel.”
“No, that’s not allowed. You’d have to go.” He retorts. “Any other thing?”
“Jude, Ben, Maxwell. They all want me as a mate. What do I do?” I ask, and he drops his pen on the table.
“Just be patient. You’ll get to know your mate next month.” He says.
“I can’t wait.” I blush and he chuckles.
“How’s your mate?” I ask him.
He pouts his lips, and replies, “Jessica is hale and hearty. We are both fine.”
“Okay, that’s good. Thank you. But Jude has the wizard in him, Ben also does.”
“That reminds me. You need not worry. Since they know you would eventually get mated to one. of them, the wizard power can’t stop them.”
“Oh, ugh.” I click my tongue, and stand up. “I’ll be going to the hostel now. See ya.” I wave at him, and get out of his office. Going straight into a vacant class, I see Maxwell and as I’m about to turn to another class, he walks up to me and walks me inside the class
“Sophia, I still love you and I hope you’ll consider me. Moon goddess has told me you’ll get mated soon and to me.* He says, pleading with his eyes. “Because of you, I’ll participate in the competition. I promise.”
“No. I’m not your mate. You can do what you want.” I jerk his hands off of me but inside of me, I really want him as a mate only if Robert would sign it and if Maxwell becomes the winner of the competition.
“For Jude to be able to get in here, he had to return the half of the members he stole from Karl’s pack.” Maxwell tells me, leading me to the garden.
“Oh, I see. That’s good. Moon Team pack, Split Moon pack, moonstruck pack. My Dad would eventually lead the moon team pack and my mate must either lead the Split Moon or Moonstruck pack.”
Now, he understands why I have been rejecting him as a mate.
“I gotta prepare well. Sophia, I’ll see you.” He says in haste and rubs his eyes. He sniffles as he stands up and gets out of here.
*******************************
Tomorrow’s afternoon is here. Ben and Maxwell top the neatly dressed, as they all march into a bus. The bus that would convey them to the competition centre.
They do that and Robert follows them behind in his car.
“Hey, Robert! Let me join you in your car. I would love to go as well.” I tell him, and he lets me inside his car. Jude drives his car, and asks me to get in instead but I utterly refuse.
Robert drives inside the field after thirty minutes, the bus stops too while Jude’s car also stops. Then, we all come out.
The first thing we’ll see is three grand witches holding three kids down.
“Here we are. Gladly, no one is to watch you compete here but moon goddess will convince all students once we give the feedback.
“First thing is, who can save the three kids from these witches’ hostage?”
Ben gasps and Jude clutches onto me from behind.
“Hey, stop that. Don’t try it.” Maxwell and Ben say at same time. Robert chuckles, and asks Ben to go on.
“We can’t do this without having the wizard power, can we?” Ben asks.
“No, you can’t. Not at all. Even with the wizard power, many people have been killed.” Robert retorts, and Ben gasps.
“Killed?” I repeat, covering my mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you the power is necessary?” He asks me.
“But you said it’s only viable for those who have gotten their mates already or those who have been marked.”
“He got one of the options correct. So, leave him the fuck alone.” He replies, and I keep shut.
With a loud growl, Ben develops into his wizardry form and he darts towards the large cage where the great witches are seated with their captives.
“The three.” Robert repeats, and Ben jerks inside the cage unannounced.
The three great witches fume and send Ben to the ground with just a tip of their fingers. I start to fear so that I even wanted to go there and defend him but Robert blocks my way.
“Why would you go? Let’s see if he wins. After a while of Ben groaning in real pain, he rises up and cries the hell out of his eyes as the witches shudder and escape the cage. We start to clap or palms together. Except Jude though who is only hissing. Ben destroys the cage and comes out with the three kids. He returns to his human form and weirdly, he’s still on his clothes.
“You three, go try your luck.” Robert takes us to another cage.
“We should all go together?” One of them asks.
“Yeah. But you can go alone too. It’s your choice but I hope you have the wizard power?” Without listening carefully, they nod their heads and as they cry the hell out of their eyes, they dart towards the cage. Breaking inside the cage being the last step to get the captives, it’s being noticed that they are only in their Vampire forms and not in their wizard forms. Robert runs towards them but it is too late. The witches drag them in and feed on them. With their so great teeth, they crunch their bones and blood floods the wall and ground.
“Tell me that didn’t happen.” I beat my and against Robert’s chest and he hugs me in return.
“It happened, dear. They have gone. Gone to meet the moon goddess.”
I sniffle and get into his car.
“Let’s go back to school.” Robert says but Maxwell protests.
“Why should we? I haven’t done my competition.” Maxwell says, with fear.
“I’m in charge of this. Please, any more word and you’re disqualified.* Robert instructs, and he keeps silent as he gets into the mini bus. A very small bus.