STARLETTE
I quietly slipped out of the bedroom before Maximus could wake up and met up with Bella in front of the pack house, where she was already waiting for me.
The land of the witches was far, and we couldn’t cover the distance even on our fours without burning out in exhaustion, so we opted to run our journey with a stolen car, Maximus’s.
We got into his black Mustang and fastened our seatbelts like we owned it. I had managed to steal the key from him while he was sleeping, and thankfully, driving was one of the few useful skills my father had taught me, although it was mostly so I could run errands for him and my sisters.
“So, what’s the plan?” Bella asked as I started the engine. “Do we even know where we are going?”
I reached into my backpack, pulled out a piece of paper I had taken from Maximus’s office, and handed it to her.
“A map that leads to our destination.” I told her.
She unfolded it and studied it before glancing back at me. “This is absurd.” She hissed, her disapproval evident in her voice.
“I know, but thank you.” I said, flashing her a smile. I really couldn’t do this without her.
As we approached the border, soldiers hailed us to stop, and one of them leaned into the car.
“Good morning.” He said, his eyes scanning the interior. “If I may ask, where are you headed?”
“The Alpha of Star claw pack; my father called for me, so I’m going there.” The lies rolled off my tongue.
“Does the Alpha know about this?” He asked.
“Of course.” I answered, my tone confident.
“I would have to confirm.” He prepared to mind-link him, but I quickly interrupted before he destroyed our plan.
“He’s sleeping, and you wouldn’t want to disturb him, especially after he stayed up late monitoring the borders with the warriors.”
He nodded, reasoning with me. “He must be tired.”
He tapped the roof of the car and straightened up. “Have a safe trip.”
He signalled the other guards to let us pass.
A satisfactory smile crept onto my lips as I stepped on the gas and sped off.
“What a professional liar.” Bella mused.
I winked at her. “Trust me to get whatever I want.”
We followed the map and arrived at our destination, but the area was eerily empty. No sign of an existing living being-just a vast grassland, with varieties of wild flowers ahead.
“Is this map correct?” Bella asked, perplexed as she got out of the car, and stared into the emptiness ahead. I followed, equally baffled.
“There’s no one here.” She stated, disappointment evident in her voice.
“Or perhaps they live underground?” I wondered aloud as I ventured into the grassland, hoping to find some hidden passageway.
Bella followed cautiously. “Starlette, I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s just go back, please, and ask the Alpha for help. He might know a witch we could call. We are in the middle of nowhere, a place that is supposed to be the witches’ lands, but we can’t see anything. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”
“It is suspicious.” I agreed, turning to her. “But Maximus would never agree to help Lucius. He doesn’t seem to like him very much.”
“He’s his brother, and…” Bella trailed off, a loud gasp suddenly escaping her. Before I could fathom what was going on, two pairs of hands grabbed my arms tightly, the once empty grasslands slowly fading into buildings, witches coming to view.
My eyes widened in shock. The witches had used magic to conceal their lands. Fear soon replaced that shock when one of the men gripping my arm groaned.
“You filthy creature! Who are you?!”
How foolish of me to think we could sneak into the witches’ land and leave undetected.
Bella whimpered, and I turned to look at her, my gaze meeting hers. Fear clouded her eyes, mixed with a silent ‘I told you.’
I tried to call Iris forward so I could transform and escape their grip, but I couldn’t reach her.
“Iris! Iris!! Iris!!!” I called over and over again, but to no avail. Realisation then hit me that they had suppressed my wolf, and I panicked.
“What did you do to my wolf?!” I yelled as they began to forcefully drag us forward. Bella and I tried to resist, but we were powerless without our wolves.
“You’ll know after you tell the clan elder what you are doing here.” One of the men spat.
The fear in me burnt like fire at the mention of the clan elder. From the stories I heard, that man was ruthless and executed anyone who crossed him. He was also the most powerful witch alive. Regret washed over me. I should have listened to Bella, but my stubborn determination to help Lucius without any witty plan had led us here.
We were dragged into a stone castle, its dark passageways creeping me out. We finally arrived at a gloomy room, the only source of light from the roof above, illuminating a grey-haired old man seated on a stone throne across the room. The clan elder, I presumed.
Bella and I were forced to kneel before him. She was trembling in fear, while I struggled to conceal the immense terror welling up inside me.
“Who are you?” Came the clan elder’s intimidating voice.
“We mean no harm.” I quickly responded.
“Who sent you!” He roared, and the fear I had tried so hard to conceal overwhelmed me as I shuddered.
“No one. We came by ourselves.” I replied honestly.
“Lies. The king of the wolves, Maximus, sent you to spy on us, right? You mentioned his name when you arrived.”
I lifted my head to meet his gaze, but the darkness that clouded his eyes intensified my fear, and I quickly looked away.
“No. He didn’t send us here. We came in search of someone.”
“Lies!” He roared again, and I shuddered, a fearful gasp escaping me and Bella. “We all agreed to stay in our territories for peace to reign. But you disgusting creatures want trouble, and we would give it to you.”
He turned to his subjects and commanded. “Execute them and send their heads to their king.”
The room closed in, and my windpipe narrowed, the air reaching my lungs seizing at his verdict.
No. No. No. I shook my head, horror filling my eyes. This was not supposed to happen. I turned to look at Bella, the same horror mirrored in her eyes.
I should have listened to her. Now my stubbornness and stupidity were going to cost her her life also.
“Bella…” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
She averted her eyes, and the pain in my chest dug even deeper. I dragged her into this mess, and I had to try with everything in me to make amends.
“Spare her. Please!” I begged desperately.
“No. Spare her, please!” She countered, her desperation matching mine. Surprise washed over me. I thought she hated me now.
“Interesting.” The clan elder mused, leaning back on his throne.
“We are innocent. Please spare us!” I cried. “We only came here in search of a witch I know. We are friends.”
“Who?” Curiosity laced his voice.
“Me.” A familiar voice suddenly said, and I turned to see her beautiful figure approaching. She wore a black lacy robe, her black curly hair cascading around her face-the beautiful witch girl I met years ago, Amelia.
She stopped in front of me and helped me up before turning to the clan elder. “She is my friend. And I summoned her here, father.”
My eyes widened in shock. Father?