ă€ŠHis Human Mateă€‹


 Chapter 1 - Prologue

    In the midst of the green and lush woods, a giggle of a young child could be heard. The young child, who looked about 8 years old, was laughing at the antics of wolves that were in front of him. Wind flutter his hair, sending a light breeze over his body but he did not feel the cold. Instead, the young child felt warmth as he watched the wolves run around and play. He felt envious of how carefree and wished how he could join them.

    There were three wolves that lay down next to the young child''s feet as he sat on a large flat rock. The wolves were thrice the size of a normal wolf, with sharp fangs and eyes that has a glint of intelligence and sharpness. One of the wolves nuzzled its snout against child''s leg, wanting attention.

    The young child laughed as he stroked the wolf''s soft black fur. It felt smooth and warm as the child bent down and hugged the wolf. The wolf began to prod against the child''s waist, bringing the child to loud laughter. "That tickles, Latham!" the child cried, laughing.

    Few meters away, there were more wolves running and howling. The sight of these ferocious wolves should have terrified this young child, who was alone in the woods. However, he seems more enamored by the sight, his eyes brightening with happiness and excitement as he watched them.

    Suddenly, a wolf, larger than the rest of them, walked towards the child, baring its fangs. Its dark eyes glistened in the bright sunlight as it let out a low growl.

    The three wolves that were lying next to the child stepped away from the child, bowing their heads toward the large wolf, as if in respect.

    The large wolf suddenly morphed into a n.a.k.e.d man. Its dark fur disappeared, changing to a smooth sunkissed skin. His arms and legs ripped with muscles as its claws transformed into fists and feet. Long gone the furry face of a wolf, and was replaced with a chiselled and strong face. He has a deep cleft chin and jet black hair like the dark night. But his eyes were still the same pitch black eyes that were filled with intellect and brilliance.

    The man grabbed the bag that was beside the young child and took out some clothes. He swiftly put it on and patted the young child on the head. "Aren''t you bored, Erick?" he asked in concern.

    The young child, Erick shook his head vehemently. Truthfully, he had fun watching the wolves. He did not want to say that he was bored because this was the first time his parents had brought him to the woods and let him stay there. Usually, children who cannot shift were not allowed to go to the woods while the shifters went for their monthly run. It was for the safety of the children and so that, the shifters were not exposed.

    In the town of Burkendall, there were history of shifters living there. Centuries ago, these shifters had lived together with humans in peace and harmony. They had worked and cohabitat the town peacefully, where the shifters were also be able to shift into their wolf form freely. Until one time, there has been an inner conflict in the shifter community, which leads to rogue. Shifters will be become rogue if they cannot control their wolf or has been without a pack for many months.

    During the inner conflict, one of the Alpha''s brothers were not satisfied with becoming a Beta. He had challenged the Alpha, who was his brother, again and again. But he has lost all of those matches. Unsatisfied, he had sworn himself out of the pack and became a rogue himself, together with his followers. Many innocent humans were sacrificed during the conflict. These rogues had involved the humans because they do not agree with living with humans. They believed that the town of Burkendall should be a Shifter town. This had angered the humans who in turn began to pit war against the shifters. Due to many of the shifters changed to rogue, the shifters were weak against the humans. They finally came to an agreement where the shifters should no longer roamed freely in the world. Hence, the shifters of today could only hide and act as humans.

    Though, these shifters could not suppress their inner wolf, thus, the Alpha of the packs had to choose days where they could be able to shift in their wolf form. Yes, there are some people who still accept shifters in their community but there are also other people who still hate them.

    Nowadays, the pack dwindled down to a few, and one of them was the Kendall pack. The Kendalls had sworn that they would not leave the home where they were born. The Kendalls was one of the founding families of the town. Not many people in the town knew that the Kendalls was also a shifter family. They had taken the name ''Kendall'' from the ''Burkendall'', so that they would not forget their history.

    The shifter who was standing in front of young Erick was the Alpha of the Kendall pack. And he was also the father of Erick, named Lachlan Kendall. In the human world, he was the Police Chief of the town, who had been in service for more than 20 years. Other than criminals, he has also captured rogues. It was one of the ways that he had done to keep the town safe and also to not expose the shifters further.

    Not long after Erick had shook his head, another dark brown wolf came up to them. It immediately morphed into a beautiful n.a.k.e.d woman. Her l.u.s.ter hair was a gorgeous shade of brown, a colour similar like melted chocolate. Her glassy brown eyes were round and clear, as if one can see the reflection of themselves in them. She was also tall, but not as tall as the Alpha with a pear-shaped figure and a sweet and mischievous smile.

    She took her clothes from the same bag that the Alpha has taken his clothes and put them on. She crouched down in front of Erick and stroke his dark hair. "Hello, sweetie. Are you having fun?"

    Erick nodded vigorously. "Yes, mom!" he said excitedly, his eyes sparkling.

    Erick''s mother, Luella Landis, stood up and gave a peck on her husband''s cheek.

    The Alpha gave out a low growl, as if he was not satisfied with a mere peck. He grabbed her by the waist and gave her a full kiss on the mouth.

    Luella wrapped her arms around her husband''s shoulder and returned his kiss.

    The two kissed as if they were in their own world, not noticing that their child was watching them. To be fair, Erick had watched them kissed all the time and it was kind of a norm for him. He did not mind their constant PDAs because he knew how much they love each other. Sometimes, they could not bear to be apart from each other, even for a day. That was how strong their love for each other was.

    ''Someday, I will have the same happiness as them when I find my own mate,'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 2 - New Girl in Town

    Nine years later.

    -----

    "Erick! Come on! You''re going to be late for school!"

    Erick Kendall ran down the stairs after he heard his father yell from the car. He stopped before the hall mirror and checked his face and hair. He grinned at his reflection. ''Looking good!'' he thought, winking at himself.

    Erick was a handsome young man with a well-built body. In fact, he looked similar to his father when he was young. Erick has a short side and medium haircut, smooth and glossy, making one feel like touching its softness. His eyes were deep black, so deep like a never-ending black hole that will suck someone in. He also has two deep dimples on both cheeks, making his smile more cheeky and charming.

    The front door was open and his mother was waiting for him outside on the front porch.

    Their house was a humble cottage with two bedrooms, a guest room, a kitchen, a living room and an office. It was located near the edge of the residential area, far from the bustling town but near the forest. It was a cosy home, fit for a family of threeˇ­ shifters.

    Erick gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before rushing out of the house with his backpack.

    "Have fun at school, honey!" his mother called out.

    Before getting inside his father''s car, Erick had sneaked a peek at Hamish''s house, which was beside theirs. Noticing that their car was not outside their house, Erick knew that they had left their house hours ago. Hamish was his best friend. But will talked about him more later.

    Erick got into the car and slammed the door behind him. "Safe!" he said, spreading his arms wide, like wings, unknowingly hitting his father on the chest.

    His father smacked him on the head. "Safe, your head."

    Everyday, his father usually sends Erick to school since his school was on the way to the police station. There were other times that Hamish would join them. But since Fergus Cairns, Hamish''s father, was able to send him to school himself that day, so it was just the two of them.

    The two of them were quiet as Lachlan drove, passing by several houses on the way. Berkendall town was a big town, with many shopping malls and parks. It was almost as big as a city. Years ago, the town had great luck in getting many investors to come and invest in their town. Currently, the town boasted of having one of the most successful business districts with zero crimes. This was also thanks to the great police force of Berkendall town, for keeping it safe.

    Despite the bustling atmosphere of the town, the residential area was quite serene and peaceful. This was because the town mayor had placed full importance on the noise level between the residential area and the business districts. They wanted to have distinct differences between both areas.

    The high school that Erick attended was located in the residential area, whereas the police station where Lachlan worked, was in-between the residential area and the business district. Hence, it was much more convenient for Lachlan to send Erick to school, rather than letting him wait for the school bus.

    Lachlan never trusted Erick, though, when it comes to going to school by himself. The last time he had let Erick go use the school bus, he got a call from the principal where he said that Erick hadn''t been to school for hours. Minutes after the call, Lachlan had used his senses and found Erick still asleep in his room. Lachlan immediately went home and poured cold water over Erick. He then scolded Erick to get to school or he will be off the school team.

    Erick was someone who loves to play games all night long. So, he was probably sleeping late during that time and broke his alarm clock. This was confirmed when Lachlan saw a shattered alarm clock on the floor beside his bed.

    Erick gave out a loud yawn as he looked out of the car window.

    "So, you''ll finally be eighteen, this year, eh, pup?" Lachlan said, smiling.

    A small smile graced Erick''s lips. "Yeah, can''t wait," he replied. "Dane has been itching to get out and run," referring to his inner wolf.

    Unlike other young shifters, Erick was unique. Most young shifters would only meet their inner wolf when they were eighteen. The year when they will learn to shift. However, Erick met his inner wolf when he was only eleven years old. Its name was Dane. Although, Erick had never shifted to his wolf, he knew how Dane looked like and its personality. In fact, the two were a complete opposite. While Erick was easy-going, loves to joke and play games, Dane was serious and actually dislike humans. Sometimes, Erick do wonder whether Dane got the wrong person to merge with, since Hamish was the serious one.

    Erick sighed as he leaned back against his seat, his arms behind his head. "Though, I''m kinda excited and scared at the same time." He remembered stories of how some young shifters did not survive the shifting ritual and had fallen to their wolf, making them feral and wild, losing their humanity. Some have also die from the pain and pressure.

    Lachlan laughed as he patted Erick on the head. "Don''t worry, pup! You''re the Alpha''s son! If I can do it, you can do it too!"

    Erick scoffed at his father. "Yeah. Perhaps, I would be much better than you too."

    His father smacked him on the head.

    "Woi woi! Easy on the head," Erick exclaimed, as he protected his head from his father''s abuse''. "You will ruin this gorgeous mane of mine!"

    Lachlan just rolled his eyes and began to talk about what to expect during the shifting ritual. He kept telling Erick to not worry much about the ritual because he was confident with Erick.

    They finally arrived at the school. Both father and son gave each other a fist bump and Erick climbed out of the car.

    Near the parking lot, there was a lone guy, standing while looking at his watch, apparently waiting for someone. He looked up when he heard his name being called.

    "Yo, Hamish!" Erick shouted.

    Hamish frowned when he heard Erick shouting like a mad man, waving wildly at him.

    Hamish Cairns, as mentioned earlier, was Erick''s best friend and he, too, was a soon-to-be shifter. He will be joining Erick this year for the shifting ritual. For now, he was like any normal human, with no inner wolf yet.

    Similar to Erick, he was a handsome young man with wavy dark brown hair. He also has a well-built body, like Erick, which was natural since the two of them were on the football team. But unlike Erick, Hamish hardly smile as he always wore a stern and cold look on his face. He also wore glasses which made him look more colder. It was a wonder how these two could become friends. But the two have been close since they were young pups. Also, Hamish''s father was the beta of the pack. There was a huge probability that Hamish will become Erick''s beta when Erick will become the Alpha of the pack in the future.

    "Keep it down, Erick," Hamish scolded with a frown on his face.

    Erick rested his arm on Hamish''s shoulder and laughed. "Chill out, Hamish! Its still morning and here you are, scolding me already."

    Hamish rolled his eyes as he pushed back his glasses. "Well, if you had stop monkeying around, I wouldn''t have scolded you."

    Erick stretched his arms up, showing his muscular arms. "Yeah, yeah."

    "Hey, Erick! Hey, Hamish!"

    Erick and Hamish turned to see a bunch of girls giggling and waving at them flirtatiously. One of them broke out from the group and slipped her arm around Erick''s. "Hey, s.e.xy!" she flirted.

    Erick grinned as he looked down at the pretty girl, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Hey, you." To be honest, he does not remember her at all. But since she knows him, he probably know her from somewhere. But then again, he was one of the most popular guy in school. Everyone literally know him, anyway.

    Ignoring Dane''s low growl in his mind, Erick pushed him at the back of his mind and went in the school with the girl linking arms with him. Hamish followed behind them, scrolling on his phone.

    Few meters away, a car stopped and a girl climbed out of the car. A man, wearing an army uniform also climbed out of the car and walked around the car to hug the girl. He gave the girl a small kiss on the cheek and patted her on the head. "Good luck on your first day, princess," the man said, smiling.

    The girl rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Thanks, dad," she said, giving a small smile.

    After her dad drive off, leaving her alone on the sidewalk, the girl turned around to face the school. With her backpack on her back and several notebooks and papers in her arms, she let out a sigh and said softly to herself, "This is it."

 Chapter 3 - Welcoming the New Girl

    Amber Keene looked up at the building in front of her. The bricked school was painted red with a brown roof. It seems like a typical school and it wasn''t as big as her previous school. It was a fair size and there was a thick forest that surrounded the school that reminded her that she was now in a different town and school. The school was a two-story brick building with large windows in front, with a sign above the entrance that read "Berkendall High School". Below it was a white banner that read "Welcome to the new semester!"

    Right, not something she needed to be remind of, she thought as she walked towards the entrance. Along the way, she noticed that she has gotten a lot of curious looks watching her. It ought to make her feel uncomfortable but she has gotten used to the stares. Probably because she had moved schools so many times, she needed to count the numbers using with her feet too.

    Luckily, this time, her family managed to move into town, just as the school semester was about to start. Her parents had worked super fast to get her into school and it was a bit hectic. With all the things happening back home, Amber was surprised that they managed to handle things that easily. Again, they probably got used to it since they moved town quite a lot.

    As she walked past the open large double entrance to the school, she saw a reception counter in the middle of the school lobby. In the school lobby itself, the room was decorated with the school flags. From what Amber could see, the logo of the school has a wolf in it, which was kind of unique for her. She did not think that a wolf would be used as a symbol for a school.

    Amber continued her walk towards the counter and saw a plump and young woman sitting behind the counter. She was looking down at her phone, scrolling.

    The woman saw Amber approach and stood up, greeting her with a warm smile. "Hello, what can I do for you?" she asked nicely.

    "Hi! Um... I''m new in school. I''m here to collect my schedule and also, my locker numberˇ­?" Amber answered slowly, tilting her head in uncertainty.

    "May I have your name?" the woman asked, as she began to shift through some of the papers on her desk.

    "Amber Keene."

    "Give me a second," the woman said as she continued to look for Amber''s schedule and locker number.

    Not a minute too soon, the woman handed Amber the schedule, together with the locker number and the map of the school. "Here you go, dear."

    Amber gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you."

    She then began to look for her locker, following the sign direction that read "Locker Area".

    Few minutes later, she found her locker and placed some of her items that she does not need for homeroom inside. She then locked her locker shut and began to study the map of the school in her hand, her backpack on her back. According to her schedule, her homeroom was located on the first floor, room 15. Despite not being as big as her previous school, this school seems to have many rooms. She just hoped that she would not get lost. Even if people say that women were supposed to be good at reading maps, Amber was not one of those women.

    Ignoring the blatant stares of the people around her, Amber continued to walk down the hallway. She looked up at the signs, hoping they will help show the way. She wished this place was like in the Pocahontas cartoon, where there was wind blowing the air, showing her the way. Alas, it did not work that way. She was not Pocahontas nor was this a cartoon. She can only rely on the map and her ''amazing'' map reading skills.

    Few minutes later, she was still lost. And the hallway was empty, leaving her alone, feeling anxious. "Great... this is only my first day and I''m already late," Amber let out a dejected sigh as she looked around her, hoping to find a friendly soul to tell her where she was.

    Just as she was about to give up and returned back to the reception counter, she saw a teacher walking towards her, carrying a thick folder in her arms. The teacher also noticed Amber at the same time. She walked over to Amber and asked in concern, "Are you a new student?"

    Amber nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I got lost."

    "Are you, by any chance, Amber Keene?"

    Amber''s eyes widened. "Ah yes!" she said, looking surprised that this teacher knows her name.

    "I see. I''m your homeroom teacher, Mrs. Harris," the teacher said, with a warm smile. "Come and follow me. We''ll go to homeroom together," she continued, beckoning Amber to follow her.

    Amber heaved her backpack up on her back and quickly followed Mrs. Harris from behind to the classroom

    Just as they reached the classroom, chatter and laughter can be heard from inside. It sounds like a scene out of the fish market where there were people shouting their goods to be sold. There were shouts and shrieks, making Mrs. Harris shakes her head in bemus.e.m.e.nt.

    Mrs. Harris opened the door and the noise fell into a deep silence. It was as if the noise was being sucked out of the room, leaving a soundless room. It was a funny sight to see as the noise miraculously disappears once the teacher enters the room.

    Mrs. Harris walked to the front of the class while Amber waited near the door. The teacher then turned to the class and greeted them with a huge smile. "Good morning, class! We have a new student today joining us."

    She then gestured to Amber to come to the front of the class.

    Amber walked over and stood in front, giving everyone a small smile.

    Just then as she looked up, her eyes met one of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. His dark brown eyes looked like the colour of the deep, earthy brown and stained like a hot chocolate on cold winter nights that wrapped around you like cosy warm blanket. Her breath hitched as she looked deep in his eyes. ''What is going on?'' she thought to herself, surprised at the feeling she felt.

 Chapter 4 - Not My Type

    Erick looked up and saw an average looking girl, standing near the door of the classroom. She looked calm and composed, as if this was nothing new to her. She has a small smile on her face, a bit of a smirk. Her eyes were like clear emerald, vivid and shiny, symbolizing the beautiful trees in the forest. But what attracts him the most was her white blonde hair. It was a unique shade of platinum and it does not even looked dyed, more of a natural shade. It was his first time seeing this shade of blonde in real life. It looked sleek and smooth. It made him want to touch whether it really felt as soft as it looks.

    A few minutes ago, he was playing catch with some of his friends from the same pack, jumping here and there, laughing out loud. Hamish, who was sitting next to him, ignored their horseplay and was reading the sport news from his mobile phone. When the rugby ball nearly hit Hamish straight up, he managed to avoid it and even captured it with one hand. Hamish had stood up and threw the ball back at the guy who had throw it earlier, hitting him straight on the forehead.

    Erick had laughed as he watched this. Sometimes Hamish can''t take jokes seriously and when he was seriously pissed, even Erick knew when to back away.

    Now, Erick was staring at the girl, a puzzled look on his face when he heard Mrs. Harris, his homeroom teacher, telling them that they have a new student. The teacher then beckoned her to come closer and introduced herself.

    When the girl stood in front of the class, she lifted her face and their eyes met.

    He could see the surprised look on her face before she put on a calm look. She broke off their gaze and looked away. "Hello everyone. My name''s Amber Keene. Just moved into town last week. First day in school," she said quickly, finishing off with a huge cheeky smile and a peace sign.

    The class fell into silence. And seconds later, erupted into laughter. This girl is a joker, it seems.

    "That''s it, Amber?" Mrs. Harris asked, smiling.

    Amber nodded, still smiling as well. Apparently, she does not like to talk much in front of the class.

    "Okay, you can get to your seat at the back of the class," the teacher said.

    Amber looked over and her eyes met Erick''s once more. It seems like there was an empty seat behind him. He watched her walking towards him and then past him to get to the seat behind him. He could smell the sweet smell of pine trees and honeysuckle. Erick blinked his eyes in surprise and shook his head. "What is this?" he mumbled to himself softly.

    Just as she sat down, a girl who sat next to her, leaned over and introduced herself. "Hey, I''m Dara. Nice to meet you, Amber."

    Amber grinned and gave a small wave. "Likewise."

    Mrs. Harris then began to call out the names of the students for attendance.

    Once done, she left them to their own devices, while she does her own work. And the class resumed its noisiness from before but not as much.

    Half an hour later, the bell rang, indicating that homeroom was over and class will be starting soon.

    Everyone in class began to pack their things up and leave the room. Some were still sitting in the class. Probably because their next class was in the room they were currently at, as well.

    Amber, who was still packing her stuff, looked at her schedule, which she placed on the table. Erick, who had turned around, accidentally saw that she has Maths for her first class. From what Erick could remember from his schedule, he, too has Maths for his first class.

    Trying to pretend that he was not interested, he saw, from the corner of his eyes, Dara standing next to her. "What''s your next class, Amber?" Dara asked.

    "Ugh, I got Maths, unfortunately," Amber answered, with a groan. Seems like she does not like Maths, Erick thought with a small smile.

    Dara laughed. "Oh, I have Maths too. Lets go. We can go there together."

    Amber nodded as she followed Dara out of the classroom. Dara was the class president. She has always been a friendly girl. Smart, as well.

    Erick watched the two girls walked away. He was still sitting in his seat with his chin on top of his palm, his elbow resting on the table. He could not figure out why there was something about Amber that attracted him. Although, he had always been a sucker for blonde girls, Amber was not that pretty. In fact, he had just noticed that when she smiled, her mouth was kind of wide. Her eyes were round and big, more like doe-eyed as if they do not have much experience in life. Erick has always go for girls with exotic cats eyes. He thought they looked more beautiful shaped that way. And she was not even that tall. She most likely could only reached his chest. He probably will hurt his neck, trying to talk to her. Nope, she was not his type.

    Hamish, who was sitting next to him, leaned over and asked, "What''s with you?"

    More of his pack-mates who were in the same homeroom as them walked over.

    Seeing more people joining them, Erick shook his head. "Nothing," he said. He did not want to voice out his concerns out loud.

    He then looked at the door where Amber had left. "Maths, huh?" Erick said softly to himself. He would get to the bottom of this, the sooner the better.

    ----

    Erick went to his locker, together with Hamish and his other friends. His other friends were also in the pack with him. He liked to see them as friends, rather than his cronies, as some rudely call them. But then again, he did not really care about what other people think because he will be the Alpha in the future. He has other things to better think of, rather than petty things like these.

    He grabbed his textbooks and notebooks from the locker before locking it shut. They then went to their next class together. Although, Erick does not really like Maths, but he was really good in the subject. It seems like his brain can calculate faster and logically, which helped him to score high on tests and quizzes.

    Erick was about to go to his seat, when at the corner of his eye, he saw Amber. He looked over and watched Amber laughing and talking with some other girls. Clearly, she fit in the crowds quite quickly. It can be seen from how she introduced herself earlier at homeroom.

    As Erick studied her more, he realized that Amber was not that bad. She looked quite pretty when she laughed. It would seem that when one let out that genuine smile of theirs, they can be pretty and even beautiful.

    Erick shook his head, out of these thoughts. "No," he said to himself vehemently. "She is definitely not my type."

 Chapter 5 - Am I Handsome?

    The Maths teacher began his class by welcoming everyone to the new semester. He introduced himself as ''Mr. Mitch Butler'' by writing his name on the board. He then handed some papers to the students sitting in front and told them to pass them along to the back. He told them about the syllabus that they will cover for the semester and along for the dates of quizzes and tests, which was written on the paper handed to them. He continued on saying that he expects every student in his class will work hard for this semester.

    He drone on and on, still talking about his expectations of his students.

    Erick, who was lying down on top of his table, did not seem to realize that he was still staring at Amber. She was clearly tuning off from the talk of the teacher by the blank look on her face. Her mouth was hanging open as she ''listens'' to the drone of the teacher''s voice. That vacant look in her eyes looked so dead, it''s a question of whether she was still alive or not.

    Then suddenly, her expression changed. Her eyes became bright and excited in an instant. She gave out a small dreamy smile as she continued to daze off. She was probably thinking about something nice from the way she looked.

    Erick chuckled softly as he continued to watch her.

    Hamish, who was sitting next to him, nudged him on the arm. "Why are you laughing by yourself?" he asked, curious.

    Erick jumped, startled that he did not realize that he was laughing by himself. "Uh, nothing," he quickly answered as he pulled his gaze away from Amber.

    Hamish rolled his eyes and turned back to the teacher. "Yeah, whatever."

    ----

    Amber had a hard time concentrating on what Mr. Butler was talking about. As soon as he began to talk about what he expects out of his students, her mind immediately shuts down. She tried so hard, even blinking her eyes numerous times, to get her brain to work. But her brain still drew a blank. It looked like the power of this teacher''s drone is more powerful than she had expected.

    As the teacher continued to drone on, Amber narrowed her eyes, willing herself to keep wide awake. She gritted her teeth, determined to stay awake but a yawn escaped from her mouth.

    When the teacher finally started on his lesson, he talked about the subject and what he will be teaching. He wrote the question on the board and showed to the class the working and how he got the answer.

    Unfortunately, from Amber''s hearing, she could only hear the mumble and jumble of the teacher''s voice. It seems like her brain could not accept numbers and calculations. Again, her brain went blank.

    She gripped her pen tightly as she tried to concentrate. Just then, she suddenly remember the time she went online to learn more about the school. She find it brilliant and convenient that the school even posted their daily lunch menu regularly. There was even an all-you-can-eat salad bar. She finds that so amazing that she inwardly clapped at the school''s brilliance of having that as part of their lunch menu. Apparently, the school had wanted to promote a healthy lifestyle and that why the salad bar was introduced. She also find it amazing that there were a grilling station in the cafeteria. It was no wonder that there were also some other people from outside the school who came here to have their lunch. In fact, the cafeteria was so popular that the school had to give priority to the staff and students of the school when it comes to the tables. There were other sections of the dining area where only staff and students can enter.

    Amber drooled as she recalled today''s menu. They will be serving mac ''n'' cheese, grilled lamb and chicken, aglio olio prawn pasta and more. She can''t wait for lunch time!

    Her Maths teacher, who was talking in front of the class, realized that one of his students were daydreaming. Looking behind him, he saw Amber with her goofy smile, daydreaming.

    He immediately grab a scrap paper from his many folders on the desk and crumpled it into a ball. He pulled back his arm and hit Amber directly on the forehead.

    Amber was still in her own world when she was suddenly hit by a wad of paper. She blinked her eyes as she looked up, looking confused.

    The whole class burst in laughter when they saw Amber looking around, getting confused as to who had hit her.

    The teacher put his hands on his h.i.p.s, looking stern. "It was nice of you to join us, Miss Keene. Did we disturb you?" he asked sarcastically.

    Everyone laughed even harder as Amber bit her lip, looking embarrassed and sheepish. "Sorryˇ­" she apologised. Gosh, she felt so embarrassed that she felt like digging a hole right now and hide there until everyone in this class graduate and forget about today''s incident. "How embarrassing.." she thought to herself as her cheeks flushed red.

    ----

    Classes were finally over and Erick was on his way to his locker. He wanted to put his stuff before going to a football practice when he saw Amber at her locker.

    She was laughing at something one of his friends were saying. He frowned when he saw them standing close to each other. His wolf, Dane, growled at the sight. Erick admonished him quietly in his mind and pushed Dane to the back of his mind.

    Erick was confused with this emotions that he was feeling about the girl. And also why Dane was being weird when it comes to Amber. He tried to ask him before but Dane did not answer him.

    Could it be because of Amber herself? Was it because she doesn''t fall for him like all the other girls? Was it because she doesn''t even approach him and make the first move? Did she expect him to make the first move? She did saw him in Maths class, right?

    But he doesn''t even know how to make the first move! In fact, it was always the females who made the first move at him. He frowned as he pondered over the thoughts.

    He was so deep in thought that he did not notice Hamish walking up to him.

    Hamish, who was curious about what brought that confused look on Eric''s face, asked him what was wrong.

    "Am I handsome?" Erick asked, a genuine look on his face.

    Hamish frowned, his face darkened. "What the heck are you talking about? What''s with this weird question?" he demanded.

    Erick sighed. "I think I''m too handsome. I don''t think I have approached a woman before. In fact, I''m like an adonis, aren''t I?" he asked shamelessly.

    Hamish rubbed his face in resignation and dragged him towards the direction of the football field. "Come on and let''s go. Or we will be late for practice."

    "Hey, hey! Wait! I haven''t even lock my fecking locker! God-demmit you, Hamish!"

    ----

    Every player on the football team were at the field, doing planks and push-ups. Because Erick was a few minutes late, he had to do double the practice. It was not that difficult for him since his strength and stamina was twice more than a normal human being.

    Erick was shirtless, wearing only his short jogging pants. He felt it was more comfortable doing exercise, dressed this way. He liked to take good care of his body, despite eating too much. Probably because he burns energy quite quickly. He loved to hear the girls at school, being awestruck by his well-defined body and his eight-pack abs. He does not like being too muscly so he tends to do cardio, as well, other than power-building.

    After planks and push-ups, the coach yelled at them to do 10 laps around the football field. Many of them groaned in pain as they struggled to do his bidding. Only Erick was calmed as he jogged leisurely, much to the annoyance of some of his teammates.

    Some of them had always questioned Eric''s stamina and see him as a monster. Only those who were in his pack understood where his strength and stamina came from.

    Other then Erick, there was also Hamish, who were also regarded as a monster. Not because he was as strong as Erick but also because he was the only one who can keep up with him. Hamish might be slower than Erick but it was good enough for him to be able to finish the laps ten minutes after Erick. It was no wonder that these two were Captain and Vice-Captain respectively.

    The two were resting beside the field, drinking their bottles of water. They were waiting for the rest of the team to finish their laps when a group of girls came into the field.

    It appears that the cheerleaders were having their cheering practice as well. The two watched as the girls did their warm-ups and stretches. Erick smiled and winked at the girls who were sneakily taking a peek at him.

    Dane growled again as if to tell Erick to stop watching. His growl was powerful enough to make Erick unconsciously growled out loud. Hamish''s eyes widened in surprise at Eric''s growl.

    "Dane?" Hamish asked.

    Erick rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "Yeah, I don''t know why but he acted weird today. He doesn''t usually voiced out his dislike towards humans."

    Hamish frowned. "Yeah, that is weird. You should go ask the Alpha if he knows anything about this."

    Erick nodded. "Yes, I will if it gets worse."

 Chapter 6 - Latham, Noaz and Roel

    Practice had just ended. Erick and the rest of the team were walking towards the lockers room to clean up and take a shower. However, before Erick could enter the room, the coach stopped him at the entrance.

    "Kendall," Coach Gundlach called out.

    Erick stopped in his tracks and turned. "Coach." He nodded to Hamish and the others, telling them go on without him.

    Coach Gundlach scowled at him, with his arms crossed across his chest. "You were late for practice today," he stated.

    Erick scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked down sheepishly. "Ah, yeah. Sorry about that."

    "Don''t make me regret making you the captain and letting you in the team," reminded Coach Gundlach. "Do you hear me?"

    Coach Gundlach was one of the people in town who knows about Erick''s origins. And he was neutral about it; he did not really care much about it. At first, he had his qualms in regards of Erick being in the team. He knew about the shifters'' superhuman strengths and abilities. He was a strong believer when it comes to fairness in life and sports. But when Erick pleaded at him that he wanted to join the team and that he would not be using his superhuman strength, Coach Gundlach reluctantly agreed. He could sense his sincerity and his passion for football.

    Erick sighed. "Yes sir! I''m sorry. I got distracted," he mumbled.

    Coach Gundlach slapped him on the back and said, "Alright, alright. Get going. Make sure to come on time for the next practice."

    Erick nodded as he walked back to the locker room.

    Inside, Hamish and the others were already done with their shower. They were now in front of their lockers, joking around and pushing each other. They fell silent when Erick walked in. He head over to his locker, grabbed his towel from inside and head into the shower.

    Few minutes later, Erick and Hamish were on their way to the parking lot, with the rest of the pack, who were in the football team, as well. At the parking lot, there stood three good looking men, who seems to be a couple of years older than Erick.

    Erick frowned when he saw them.

    One of them noticed Erick''s group and walked over. Before Erick could blink, he found himself in a headlock.

    Erick tried to break free and pushed the guy away but to no avail. The guy''s grip was too strong. "The feck, Latham!" he cursed out loud.

    The guy who had him in a headlock laughed and released him. "How''s my little pup?" Latham asked jokingly, ruffling his hair.

    Erick growled but Latham only burst into more laughter.

    The other two joined them. One of them, who had a beauty mark below his left eye, rolled his eyes and put his hand on Latham''s shoulder. "That''s enough teasing, Latham," he said sternly.

    The other guy just nodded.

    Latham shrugged. "Hey, it''s been so long since we haven''t met the pup, Noaz. Can''t help teasing the little pup."

    Erick growled at being called a ''pup''. The only person he could tolerate calling him a ''pup'' was his father. He does not has the guts to stand up to him, anyway.

    Latham, Noaz and Roel were the shifter triplets and used to be Erick''s guardians. But ever since Erick had his wolf, the three were relieved of their duties and were assigned as the Alpha''s agents outside the town. From time to time, they do still protect Erick as he was the future Alpha and has yet to shift fully.

    Despite being triplets, they were fraternal triplets and one could not tell that they were actually triplets. Latham was the mischievous and the oldest triplet, with sandy blonde hair and hazel green eyes. He always has a smile on his face and were known to be outgoing and friendly, compared with the other two. In the human world, he worked as a mechanic at one of the workshops in town. Noaz was the smart and middle triplet, with black hair and blue eyes. He has a doctorate degree and was one of the lecturers in Berkendall University, teaching History. Roel was the youngest triplet with the same black hair and blue eyes as Noaz. The differences between him and Noaz were that Noaz has a beauty mark below his left eye and Roel was much more muscular than Noaz. In the human world, Roel worked as a chef at one of the restaurants in town.

    Noaz rolled his eyes and smiled down at Erick. "Hey, Erick. Long time no see." A few months ago, the triplets were sent to another pack in another country, to discuss on several pack matters. The triplets went there, on behalf of the Alpha, showing how much the Alpha trusted them, despite not being a Beta or Gamma.

    "What are you guys doing here?" Erick asked, with Hamish standing beside him.

    "The Alpha told us that you might need a ride home so here we are," Latham said, spreading his arms wide, with a huge grin on his face.

    Erick frowned. "Yeah, but I was thinking of heading over to McClay''s for some grub," he said.

    "Then, you can use the van to go there if you want," Noaz suggested. "Glad that we decided to use the van," he laughed as he looked at the other young pups behind Erick.

    "What about you three?" Hamish asked, with a concerned frown.

    Latham shrugged. "We can just shift and run our way back home."

    Noaz stretched his arms up and said, "Yeah, it''s been awhile since I let Briven out for a run," referring to his wolf.

    The three of them lead the way to the van, which was hidden from sight and swiftly removed their clothes, before placing them in a bag. Roel placed the bag in the van and the three of them began to shift. Sounds of bones cracking could be heard. Erick and the rest watched as the triplet''s teeth began to lengthen, their nose began to elongate and furs began to burst out of their skins. The three men who stood before the van were now gone. And what replaced them were three large wolves; two black and one dark brown. But these wolves were larger than normal wolves and could nearly reached Erick''s shoulder in height, when on crouching position.

    The three wolves growled and immediately ran off to the direction of the pack house.

    Roel had already handed Erick the car keys before shifting. So, every one of them climbed into the van with Hamish at the driver''s seat and drive off, heading towards the McClay''s.

    ----

    The group finally arrived at the McClay''s. The place were brimming with life, where there were people standing nearby the jukebox, listening and dancing to the music and people sitting at the booths, enjoying their food. The place was designed in the 70''s style diner, with red and white booths, red bar stools, round and square tables and long bar counter. On the counter itself, there were displays of pies and cakes inside.

    Erick headed towards his usual table, where the owner usually left it empty for him. Erick was a regular customer at the diner.

    Erick was about to sit at his booth, when he saw Amber at the next booth, with a couple of girls. They were eating and laughing and did not seem to notice Erick coming into the diner. ''Why do I keep seeing her everywhere? Is she a stalker or something?'' he wondered.

    He continued to sit down and before Hamish could sit next to him, a couple of girls pushed by him and flanked both sides of Erick. "Hey Erick, we''ve been waiting for you," they sweetly said in unison.

    Erick grinned at both of them, resting his arms behind the girls'' booth seats. "Been waiting for long?" he asked.

    The two girls just giggled.

    Just then, somewhere inside his mind, Dane growled fiercely at Erick, telling him to push them away. One of the girls had just rubbed her hand against Erick''s muscled thigh, which made Dane growled. It really does not like to be touched by humans.

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes. ''You tell them,'' Erick joked at Dane.

    ''If I could, I''d probably kill them!'' Dane growled.

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes. ''Just cool it,'' he warned.

    A growl suddenly can be heard and everyone at Erick''s booth went silent. The two girls who were sitting next to Erick suddenly backed away from him, their eyes widened with fright. That''s when Erick realized the growl was from him. He put his hand on his forehead and sighed. ''Demmit, Dane,'' he inwardly cursed.

    Erick looked up and saw Hamish looking at him in concern. His look asking, ''Are you okay?''

    Erick nodded and let out an awkward laugh. "Hahaˇ­ I must have been hungry," he lied.

    Hamish immediately call for the waitress to take their orders.

    Half an hour later, their foods finally arrived. The two girls, who were sitting Erick now moved away, probably still scared of making Erick angry. Much to Erick''s consternation and Dane''s delight.

    Erick had ordered three burgers, five french fries and two nugget sets. Yes, he has a big appetite. Probably because he had to feed his wolf, as well and that he has a high metabolism rate.

    As he was about to bite into his second burger, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Amber standing up, looking as if she was about to leave.

    She walked past Erick''s booth and coincidentally, their eyes met again. It made Erick wonders why looking deep in her eyes made him feel warmth and at home.

    Amber gave a small but weird smile, as if she was thinking why Erick was staring at her that way. She pulled away from his gaze, walking out of the diner with her backpack and books in her arms.

 Chapter 7 - Erick and Dane

    It was quite late in the evening when Erick finally arrived home, full from the meal he had back at McCaly''s. He was about to climb up the stairs to his room to take a shower when his mother came out of the kitchen.

    "Hello honey, joining us for dinner?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron. His mother was a beautiful woman, who used to be the previous Beta''s daughter from another pack. She worked in the town hospital as a nurse, where she usually worked the night shift. This made it easier for her to work together with her husband who likes to hunt out for rogues and trespassers to town.

    His mother was named Luella Landis, a petite and caring woman who loved her husband and son dearly. She was also a quiet woman who smiled a lot but Erick heard that she also has a fierce temper that can match his father''s. In fact, sometimes even his father got scared of his mother if she was in a very bad temper.

    Erick stopped and walked over to his mother, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Nah, mom. I''m kinda full from McClay''s."

    His father, Lachlan, who just walked out of the kitchen, heard Erick''s words and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "You? Full? You sure?" he repeated in disbelief.

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."

    "But I''ve grilled some steaks," Luella said, tilting her head.

    The word ''steak'' made Erick drool. He sighed and said, "Fine. I''ll go up and take a quick shower first. And then I''ll join you."

    Luella nodded, a knowing smiling on her face while Lachlan went back into the kitchen, laughing.

    Shortly after, the three of them sat down at the dining table. Erick helped himself to some steaks and poured some mushroom sauce all over it. He loved how his mother grilled the steaks; raw but juicy.

    "Full already, huh?" Lachlan chuckled as he cut the steak on his plate.

    Erick ignored him and began to eat.

    "So, the next full moon will be the day you will start to shift, isn''t it?" Lachlan asked, starting the conversation. "Apparently, there will be lots of pups starting to shift this year and I''ve assigned one of the lead shifters here to be your trainer."

    Erick frowned. "Trainer?"

    "Yes, every new shifter will undergo their training as a shifter so that you all will get used to using your wolves. There will be times that I will send some of you on a mission, just like the triplet shifters."

    Erick''s mouth dropped open to an ''o'' as his eyes widened, sparkling with excitement.

    Luella laughed at Erick''s expression. "Someone seems excited," she teased.

    "What kind of missions?" Erick excitedly asked.

    Lachlan chuckled. "Now, you know that there are other packs other than us in this country. Not just other packs, but also other kinds of shifters. Well, we usually meet up to discuss on certain matters such as securities and assets. And we would need to bring some of you young pups out to the country so that you can experience the outside world."

    For shifters, once they have settled down in their packs, they cannot live alone on their own. They either go feral or go join other packs. Most would leave their packs because of marriage; joining their mates. This had happened to Luella, Erick''s mother. She used to be from another pack in a few towns over. But one day, when during one of the annual pack meetings, Luella had joined her father and her Alpha to the meeting. That was when she met Lachlan. They fell in love with each other at first sight, even before Lachlan''s wolf, Willem, recognized her as ''mate''. Lachlan immediately claimed her and brought her over to his pack. And that was twenty years ago. They are still madly in love with each other now.

    Lachlan chewed on his steak before continued on, "Coincidentally, the full moon will be after your birthday, so it should be fine. And you will have enough time to get ready for your first shift."

    Erick frowned. "Get ready? Why do I need to get ready?"

    Luella tut-tutted at her son. "Now, now, Erick. Don''t underestimate the shifting ritual. It will be painful and you have to be ready for it, for your mind and body."

    Lachlan frowned, looking serious. The shifting ritual was not a joke. It was not like any normal ritual where you would just come and change. The shifting, combining two souls into one body fully will be difficult because of the pain it will inflict, mentally and physically. "Your mother is right, son."

    There were some young shifters who can sense their wolves at a young age. Erick was one of them. He already knew about Dane when he was only thirteen years old.

    Other young shifters could only sense their wolf when they first shift at age eighteen. That was also when the wolf would take note on whom to merged with. Wolves were prideful animals. They will only choose the strong and intelligent.

    When Erick first sensed Dane, he was in school, studying. When suddenly, he felt pain in his eyes and mind. His head had hurt so much that he kept blinking. But what scared him during that time was that when he opened his eyes, it was as if he was watching from another eyes. Minutes after that, he fainted. The next moment when he had opened his eyes, he found himself in his room. And there was a sound of whimper. But it soon growled happily when it sensed that Erick was awake.

    ''Are you awake?'' it asked in concern.

    Startled, Erick had looked around him but could see no one. It was then he realized that the voice came from his head. ''Who are you?'' he had asked.

    ''I''m Dane. I''m the wolf inside you.''

    When Erick told his parents about Dane, they were ecstatic. It was a rare chance for a wolf to inhibit a pup at a young age. It could only mean that the pup (who was Erick at the time) was someone worthy and strong.

    What amazed Erick more was that he was also able to use some of his wolf''s powers such as super speed and sense of smell. Although, he could not fully use them until he fully shift. And he believed that his connection with Dane will be much stronger, compared to his dad and Willem.

    "Well, since you''ve already have Dane, the pain would probably be less for you," Lachlan said.

    "Again, the pain is still something you should not underestimate. In fact, there are some pups who went rogue because they can''t stand the pain," he continued.

    Erick inwardly shivered. "What will happen to them?"

    Luella and Lachlan looked at each other. Lachlan shook his head as Luella continued eating. "You don''t need to know about that now, son."

    "Speaking of which, the other day, Mary told me that something had happened at the edge of the town," Luella said, changing the topic. Mary was the Beta''s wife, also Hamish''s mother. "What was it?"

    Lachlan''s face turned grim. "They found dead animals near the farm located there. Most were beheaded and the stomachs were ripped open," he said bitterly. "There were claw marks all over the bodies. It appears that it''s not a work of a human, but rather animals. To be precise, rogues."

    Luella gasped. Erick looked up, suddenly interested in the story.

    "The weird thing was that the hearts and eyes were missing," Lachlan continued.

    "That''s horrible!" Luella exclaimed.

    Lachlan nodded. "We''ll be having a meeting about this at the next annual meeting. For now, we should only lay low and investigate more."

    "I should join! I can help with the investigation!" Erick said, a look of determination on his face.

    Lachlan frowned and shook his head. "No," he rejected firmly. "Wait until you fully shift and trained."

    "B-b-but--!" Erick sputtered out.

    Lachlan frowned deeply at Erick. "When I said, ''no'', it means, ''NO''," he said firmly. "Listen to your father and Alpha!"

    Erick groaned, frustrated. "Yes, Alpha." He really cannot wait for the time when he finally shift.

 Chapter 8 - News on rogue attacks

    It was eight o''clock on a Sunday morning and the sun had just rose up in the horizon, blanketing the sky in soft blue. There were birds chirping cheerfully in some trees nearby, making their presence known. Children were already out in the park with their parents, playing in the playground.

    Erick was on his way to the police station. He yawned as he briefly watched the children running around from across the street.

    ''Kids are so active these days,'' he shook his head as he continued walking. He was carrying two huge lunch bags in both of his hands and a huge backpack on his back. His hair was still ruffled from sleep. He was only wearing a thin t-shirt and cargo pants with flip flops.

    Earlier that morning, Erick was having a nice sleep when his mother grabbed his quilt off him. Luckily, he did not sleep in the nude but he only wore his sleeping pants. She holds up an empty pot that she brought upstairs and hit the bottom with a metal cooking spoon.

    *BANG! BANG!*

    "Wake up! Wake up!" Luella yelled.

    Erick sat up, screaming. "What the f---!!!" he screamed. He covered both of his ears, wincing as his mother continued to bang on the pot.

    Luella stopped and scowled down at her son. "Did you just curse at me, son?" she asked slowly.

    His eyes widened as he furiously shake his hands in front of him, slowly backing up on his bed. "No, no, I didn''t," he said, panicked.

    She picked up the quilt that she pulled off him and threw it in his face. "Get up and send some food for your father."

    Erick fell back on his bed and groaned. "Mom, it''s freaking Sunday. Can''t I even sleep for a few more hours?"

    Luella crossed her arms across her chest. She looked quite cute, frowning as she wore her flowery apron. "No, your father was working the night shift and is still in the office. He didn''t bring any food for his breakfast. I''m worried that he might get hungry."

    Erick pulled his quilt over his head and said, his voice a bit muffled, "Just let him get his own food."

    Immediately, sounds of loud banging could be heard incessantly.

    Erick quickly jumped out of his bed and said, "Alright, alright. I''m up!"

    Luella stood up on tip-toes, ruffling his hair and said, "Good boy."

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Woof!" he sarcastically said. He felt like a little puppy that his mother found and needed to pet.

    When he finally arrived at the police station, the place was quiet. There were only a few people inside the lobby. The receptionist table was still empty. ''They''re probably inside,'' Erick thought. Well, Sunday mornings were usually quiet as most people would spend their time at home or still sleeping in. ''As I would have,'' Erick thought grumpily.

    In less than a minute, he saw his father''s Beta approaching him. Fergus Cairns, also known as Hamish''s father, clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey there, pup. What are you doing here?"

    Erick hold up his two hands and answered, "Brought some food for dad."

    Fergus nodded. "I could smell," he said. "Come on. Let''s go to your dad''s office."

    Fergus led Erick to the Alpha''s office, passing by a few rooms. Erick nodded hello at some of the pack members who were also working in the police force. The Alpha''s office was way at the back, right after Fergus'' office.

    Inside his father''s office, Erick found him behind stacks of papers, writing and looking hard at work. Fergus went over and sat on the chair across his father''s table and grabbed a donut from a donut box, which was also on the table.

    Erick rolled his eyes. ''What a clich¨¦. Policemen with their love of donuts,'' he thought sarcastically.

    Fergus narrowed his eyes at Erick in suspicion, as if he heard that Erick said in his mind. And then he threw a donut at Erick, who immediately caught it with his teeth, since his hands were full.

    Fergus smirked. "Exactly like a mangy mutt," he laughed.

    Erick rolled his eyes. His father''s Beta loves to tease him. He was so unlike his son, who was serious and brooding. Sometimes, Erick would joked saying that Hamish wasn''t his son at all, which earned him a beating, both from Fergus and Hamish.

    The Beta''s mate, Mary, runs a bakery in town. Her bakery was one of the most popular joints in town, even before she became a shifter. Yes, she used to be human until she met Fergus. After claiming her as his mate, he had turned her into the shifter. Being turned into a shifter was different compared to being born as a shifter. They do not need to wait for the Full Moon. Instead, once they have mated, they will immediately become shifter. And yes, they will experience the same pain as the new shifter when they first shift.

    Back then, because they can share the same emotions and pain, Fergus felt the same pain that Mary was experiencing when she first shift. It was one of the most painful experiences Fergus had had. It was like he was shifting for the first time twice. But most mated shifters would claimed that it was worth the pain, finding your true love.

    This morning, she had sent over her best sellers donuts because Fergus had been working the night shift together with Lachlan.

    Erick rolled his eyes and ignored him, munching on the donut, finishing it. He dragged a table with his foot and pulled it near his father''s desk. He then placed the huge lunch bags on the table.

    Erick placed his backpack on the table and continued to take out more food containers from inside. His mother had made them some mashed potatoes, grilled raw steaks, fried chickens, roasted broccoli and one huge chocolate cake. Yes, it looked like a feast, but these were normal for them. Shifters usually have big appetite.

    As the three of them dig in, (Yes, Erick too. He said that he was quite hungry after walking which made the Alpha and Beta rolled their eyes), Lachlan suddenly received a call from one of his secret hotlines.

    Both the Alpha and Beta looked at each other with a serious look on their faces. They hardly received any calls from that line unless it was about pack matters.

    Lachlan immediately picked up the call. "Hello, what''s the situation?"

    ''Alpha. We have sighted rogues near the edge of the town. This time, there were innocent people were involved. They are now being rushed to the hospitals, as we speak. We have heard there were serious injuries.''

    Lachlan stood up so suddenly, shocked at the news. "What?" he shouted angrily. "They dare to trespass into the town and hurt the people! Send me the coordinates immediately! Stay on the lookout! We will have to go during nighttime!" he ordered.

    ''Yes, Alpha!''

    Lachlan hang up the phone and turned to Fergus, who had stood up too. "Who will be working the night shift today?" he asked.

    Understanding who the Alpha meant, Fergus stated out a couple of the pack mates who will be working later.

    "Tell Roel that he is needed for the night shift. Join the other shifters to secure the area and apprehend the rogues before we get there," Lachlan ordered.

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    Erick looked around him in surprise. He could not tell what was going on exactly but he could only hear rogues. He assumed that there must be a rogue attack. He quickly stuffed a slice of chocolate cake in his mouth and said loudly, with his mouth full, "I WANT TO JOIN TOO!"

    Lachlan and Fergus both turned to him. Their mouths curled in disgust when they saw his mouth and cheeks smeared with chocolate.

    "No," Lachlan immediately rejected.

    "B-b-butˇ­" Erick sputtered out.

    "No!" Lachlan rejected firmly, using his Alpha''s voice.

    Erick visibly trembled and quickly stood up straight. "Yes, Alpha," he meekly said.

    Lachlan turned to Fergus, talking to him in a soft voice, his back to Erick.

    Erick narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the two of them. ''I wonder if I could get Hamish to go with me to check it outˇ­'' he thought to himself, already thinking of a plan.

 Chapter 9 - Meeting in the diner

    After saying goodbye to both his dad and Fergus, Erick walked out of the police station and immediately set off for home. His brain was already working on some plans on how to go and watched the rogue attacks.

    While walking, he took out his phone from his pocket and made a call to Hamish.

    ''Hello?''

    "Hamish, yo! Lets get out tonight!" Erick said. "I found a place that will be fun!"

    ''Out where?'' Hamish asked, sounding suspicious. Whenever Erick was this excited, sometimes it can spell trouble for Hamish.

    The previous time, he was this excited, he had actually brought Hamish to steal the official mascot statue from their rival in the neighbouring town. They had hid it inside one of the store rooms back in school. After there has been report being sent to Erick''s father, his father already knew it was Erick''s idea. He had already sniffed the guilt and excited air off Erick when he returned home from the heist. He had punished both Erick and Hamish by telling their coach to let them off the football team for 3 games. It had hurt them a lot since they loved playing.

    Erick began to tell Hamish about what he had heard back at the station, in regards to the rogue attacks. He had managed to get the coordinates of the rogue attacks and had made a deduction of where its going to happen later that night.

    Hamish immediately rejected Erick''s idea.

    "Why not?" Erick asked, sounding disappointed at Hamish''s rejection. He sounded as if he got rejected for a date.

    ''Actually, just before you call, the Alpha had already sent out orders to everyone in the pack that anyone who has not shift yet should not wander about at night. Especially near the edge of the town.''

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Wow, that was fast," he muttered. He was too absorbed, thinking over his plans, he did not hear the order. "Come on, Hamish. We''ll just take a quick look and see what is going on."

    Hamish adamantly refused until Erick promised him that he will give him his mother''s homemade shepherd''s pie for the whole month. He knows that his mother''s homemade shepherd''s pie was Hamish''s weakness. Hamish then reluctantly agreed after Erick kept pleading non-stop.

    ----

    That evening, Erick walked down the stairs, from his room, carrying his backpack. He had stuffed flashlights, a silver baseball bat, a couple of black masks and a cap. He decided that he probably need some protection, hence the baseball bat. He looked around and found his mother in the kitchen, preparing dinner. He dropped his backpack onto a chair and walked over to his mother. He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Hello you gorgeous creature!"

    Luella rolled her eyes and patted him on the cheek, pushing him away. "What are you up to, Erick?" she asked, looking suspicious. Her son would only be this cheeky if he has something he wanted from her or he had done something bad.

    Erick grabbed an apple from the dining table and took a huge bite. "I''m going out for dinner with Hamish. We were going to discuss about some game-play for our match with the Mystic Hollows," he lied, referring to their rival in the neighbouring town.

    Luella frowned. "You''re not going to have your dinner at home?" she asked, still suspicious.

    Erick shook his head. "Nah, we''ll probably eat at some place," he said.

    Luella nodded. "Be careful. Make sure to get back home early. Your dad had sent out orders to not wander around late at night because it''s not safe."

    Erick rolled his eyes. "I know, I know," he mumbled. "Hamish told me about it. I''m not a kid anymore."

    Luella laughed and ruffled his hair. "Yes, yes, my little pup has grown up."

    Erick rolled his eyes again and went over to the hall mirror to fix his hair. He then grabbed his backpack, which he left on a chair in the kitchen.

    "Right, I''ll be going now!" he yelled out as he ran out of the house.

    "Don''t forget to be back home before 9PM!" his mother yelled back.

    Erick and Hamish had agreed to meet up at the diner, which was a few kilometers away from the edge of the town. It was a bustling diner, similar to McClay''s. But the patrons here were mostly tourists or those who were only stopping by before going to the next town. And the diner was in fact, a bit larger than McClay''s. Probably from the huge number of people who come and go to the town.

    Erick and Hamish decided on this diner because Erick had checked that it was nearer to where the rogue attacks were located. And of course, because they were hungry as well. Erick also heard that the burgers at the diner were pretty good too. So, for him, being there was like hitting two birds with a stone.

    Erick was waiting for Hamish a few metres away from the diner, his bag beside his feet. He was fiddling with his phone, while whistling an off-tune song. He looked carefree and relaxed, inviting few admiring glances from people who walked past him, especially the young ladies. Few minutes later, he saw Hamish walking towards him, a frown marred his handsome face.

    "Just so you know, I actually did not agree to this," Hamish stated, once he was in front of Erick.

    Erick laughed. "Good to see you too, bro!" he said, slapping him on the shoulder.

    Hamish looked down at Erick''s backpack and saw a baseball bat sticking out from inside. "What the heck is that?" he asked, pointing at the baseball bat. He looked baffled at the fact that there was a baseball bat in Erick''s backpack.

    Erick bend down and hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. He glanced at the baseball bat over his shoulder and said, with a grin, "A baseball bat to knock off the rogue if they come any closer, just in case."

    Hamish rolled his eyes and scowled. "If the Alpha and my dad were to found out about thisˇ­" he warned.

    "Yeah, yeah, I will take all the blame," Erick quickly interrupted, resting his arm around Hamish''s shoulder in a brotherly way. "Come on, I''m famished, Hamish."

    He suddenly laughed. "See that? See how I rhyme the words? Famished, Hamish!" he joked.

    Hamish rolled his eyes. "Yeah, lame."

    Once they entered the diner, Erick suddenly felt comforting vibes in the air. It made him felt like he was in the forest, safe and relaxed. The bustling atmosphere of the diner suddenly felt soothing and peaceful. He looked around him in confusion and then his gaze fell on a lone blonde girl.

    She was sitting all alone in a booth, her burger and fries in front of her. Apparently, she had also ordered an extra fries and a packet of wraps. Beside her plate of burger, there were two drinks; an ice-cream soda and a coke.

    In front of her plate of burger, there was a book laid open and a small tablet being placed on a small stand. It seems that she was studying as well as eating.

    Erick frowned as he watched Amber taking a huge bite of her burger. "What is she doing here?" he mumbled thoughtfully.

 Chapter 10 - Officially meeting Amber

    Amber was eating her burger with great relish when she felt something tingling down her spine. She frowned as she felt confused as to why she was feeling like that.

    She looked up from her burger and saw two handsome guys standing at the entrance of the diner.

    Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized the two guys. They were the popular people in her school. She slide down her seat as she tried to hide herself, looking at the other way. She cursed under her breath. ''Shoot. What the heck are they doing here?'' she thought.

    She thought she had found a perfect place to pig out. She knew that hardly people from her school come to this diner. So, here she can be herself and eat as many as she wants.

    She then realized as to why should she hide herself. She never had any contact with these people so she doubts that they would remember her. In fact, they might not even know who she is, at all! She quickly straighten herself and forced herself to keep calm, as if nothing had happened.

    However, she began to panic once more when she saw them walking over to her booth.

    She immediately started to stumble over her things on the table. She nearly toppled her drinks over her panic. She quickly continue eating, pretending that she did not notice them walking over.

    She nearly choked herself when the two of them smoothly sat across her, making themselves comfortable.

    "Do I know you?" Amber croaked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

    The guy who had two dimples on his cheek shushed her as he tried to hide himself. He hunched over his seat. "Shhh. Go continue eating and pretend we''re not here," he whispered, his index finger on his lips.

    Suddenly, his hand shot off to grab some fries off her plate. Amber watched in surprise as he eat them, hand reaching non-stop for the fries again.

    When her fries were nearly gone, she slapped his hand with hers and asked angrily, "What the heck are you doing?"

    The guy jumped, startled. He then looked down at her plates and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn''t realize that I was eating your fries. Guess I was just hungry."

    The other quiet guy with glasses, who was sitting next to him, rolled his eyes. "Let''s go and order before you steal more of her foods."

    He raised his arm, calling for a waitress to take their order.

    The guy with the dimples smacked his friend''s arm down and hissed, "Woi, we''re going to get caught if you expose yourself like that."

    The bespectacled guy rolled his eyes again and ignored him.

    When the waitress came to their table with a small notepad and a pen in her hand, the two guys immediately shot off their orders. Amber was amazed at how fast the dimpled guy talked. It was as if he was chanting a long but quick spell.

    While waiting for their food to arrive, the bespectacled guy turned to Amber and holds out his hand. "My name is Hamish. And this doofus beside me is Erick."

    The dimpled guy aka Erick glared at Hamish. "Who you calling doofus?"

    Both Amber and Hamish ignored him as Amber shook Hamish''s hand. "I''m Amber. So, what are you two doing here? Its not the place you two usually go, is it?" she asked, curious. She knew because this was not her first time here. But it was definitely their first time here.

    Both Hamish and Erick looked hesitant to answer, at first. But then, Hamish looked at her and said, "We''re actuallyˇ­"

    "We''re on the adventure!" Erick cut in.

    Amber turned to Erick and frowned. "Adventure? How old are you? Three?" She scoffed.

    Just then, she suddenly heard a growl, making her trembled in fright. Her eyes widened as she swiftly turned to Erick. She blinked her eyes furiously. She could have sworn she saw his eyes turned to amber for awhile.

    Erick blinked in surprise too. Then he laughed awkwardly. "I must have been hungry," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

    Hamish just turned his face away and let out an awkward cough.

    ----

    Earlier, when the two of them walked in, they had caught sight of Amber who was eating alone in a booth. She looked like she was studying as well with her tablet and books in front of her.

    And also, before they went in, they also caught sight of Roel with the other pack mates. They were in deep discussion at the end of the diner, their heads close together. Erick and Hamish immediately went over to Amber, just so that they could hide from them. The two of them pretended that they had not seen Roel and the other pack mates.

    Every now and then, both Hamish and Erick would look over their shoulders to see whether Roel and the others had left or not, without making Amber suspicious.

    Hence why Erick was distracted that he did not notice that he was eating Amber''s fries until she smacked his hand. He felt embarrassed. And when she suddenly mocked him for acting like a kid, Dane suddenly let out an angry growl. He doesn''t really like being mocked at. He was a proud werewolf and does not like being looked down. Erick immediately apologised, feeling sheepish.

    There was an awkward silence after Erick apologized.

    Fortunately, the waitress had returned with their ordees, easing out the awkwardness between them. Amber''s eyes widened in surprise again, this time as she watched the waitress placed Erick and Hamish''s food in front of them.

    They had ordered four burgers for Erick and three burgers for Hamish. Six french fries for Erick and seven french fries for Hamish and there were another big bowl filled with chicken nuggets as well as three milkshakes each for Erick and Hamish. The waitress even had to drag another small metal table to accommodate the plates.

    Amber was surprised to see all the food in front of her. She thought that she was the one who ate a lot. It seems she pales in comparison when it comes to these two guys.

    The plates of food were taking too much space that Amber had to place her tablet beside her on the booth chair. Erick was eating his burger when he noticed Amber was still shell-shocked. He pushed a plate of french fries closer to her and invited, "You can have some of my fries."

    Amber shook her head. "Thanks but it''s okˇ­ Are you able to finish all this?" she asked, gesturing to all the food in front of her.

    Erick tossed a fry into his mouth. "Of course. I''m gonna get some ice-cream later."

    Amber blinked her eyes in surprise. "Oh, wowˇ­" she said slowly, feeling speechless.

    Hamish then elbowed Erick on the arm. "Don''t forget what we''re here for," he hissed.

    Amber leaned forward in her seat when she heard Hamish. "Oh yeah, what are you guys doing here, anyway?" she asked, curious. "No, don''t tell me it''s for an adventure. This is not Dora the Explorer," she scoffed.

    Hamish and Erick looked at each other and then back at her. Erick then shook his head. "Nothing that you need to know."

    "Oh come on, aren''t we friends already?" Amber pleaded. She was really curious to know, she doesn''t even know why. She suspected that there was something going on and she wants to know about it, as well.

    "Friends?" Erick repeated, surprised.

    Amber nodded. "Aren''t we french fries buddies?" she smiled.

    Erick was stunned at first and then laughed out loud. Then he suddenly became quiet, his eyes widened. "Shit, was I loud?" he hissed, asking Hamish, as he discreetly looked behind him.

    Hamish also looked behind him and then shook his head. "But it seems like they''re gone now."

    Erick cursed under his breath and quickly finished his food.

    Minutes later, there was literally nothing left on the plates. It was as if everything was sucked clean by a vacuum cleaner. Amber blinked her eyes in surprise. It happened so fast that she did not realize what was happening.

    She jumped when she saw the two of them were getting ready to leave the booth. "Where are you going?" she asked.

    The two of them ignored her and left the diner after paying for their meal.

    Amber quickly packed her stuff and ran over to the cashier. She was surprised to find out that they had paid for her meal too. She thanked the cashier and quickly ran after them.

    She watched as the two of them were walking silently, heading towards the abandoned barnyard a few meters away.

    Amber frowned in confusion. ''What are they up to?'' she wondered as she followed them from behind.

 Chapter 11 - Abandoned barnyard

    That evening, the Beta had mind-linked Roel, passing him an order from the Alpha. He was to be on the lookout duty, together with some of the pack mates from the police force. There were five of them in a team. Roel was also ordered to be the team leader since he was the most experienced of them. Although, he does not work in the police force, the Alpha probably sent him because he was a skilled shifter like a ninja; swift and silent. Roel was also good with the knives, which was unsurprising since he worked as a Chef in the human world.

    Roel walked inside the diner, with the others following behind him. Before he took a step further, he quickly sniffed the air, checking whether there were potential threats and dangers. And once he confirmed that everything was alright in the diner, he gestured the others to go in. They picked the furthest booth, deep in the diner, away from other patrons. They did not want other people to listen to their conversations.

    Roel had prepared for the duty. He had his small knives tucked in his boots and also wore a protective vest that was immune to silver bullets. He did not bring any guns since other than his knives, he prefer to use his fists or his shifter powers.

    They ordered some coffees and beef steak strips while discussing their plan. It was good to have something to munch on while discussing the plan.

    Minutes later after they had strategize their plan, Roel smelled something familiar in the air. He discreetly looked up and frowned when he saw two familiar figures at the entrance of the diner. ''What are they doing here?'' he thought suspiciously as he watched them looking nervous.

    He watched them walking towards a lone girl sitting in a booth. He then watched Erick stealing some fries off her plate while looking at Roel''s direction. He frowned deeply. It seems too much of a coincidence that they were in the same diner. He could not listen in to their conversation since he was also listening to his teammates, discussing about the plans.

    Roel quickly dismissed his suspicions. ''He''s probably feeling cautious because of the warning the Alpha had sent out earlier,'' he thought as he turned back to his team.

    He continued on with his discussion with the other pack mates.

    Shortly after, he received a mind-link from his Alpha, telling him that he will join them soon after.

    Once they all agreed with the plan, they immediately went out of the diner after paying for their meals and leaving some tips for the waitress.

    Roel took a quick glance at where Erick and Hamish were. Seems like they did not notice that they were leaving. Roel mindlink to the other four packmates and ordered them to go their separate ways but meet up at the abandoned barnyard.

    Few minutes later, the five of them arrived at the barnyard one by one. There were three old barnyards in the area. The smaller ones were used to store hay, whereas the larger one was where people used to store farm equipment and providing stalls for the farm animals.

    They surrounded the larger barnyard because that was where the rogues were last seen. Roel was on the west side, moving closely to the wall of the barnyard, the smaller barnyard few metres away from him. He could hear the sounds of growling and smell death and fear from inside.

    Roel peeked through one of the small windows. The windows were all cracked, sending a cool draft in Roel''s face as he looked in. He saw that there were actually more than five rogues. According to what the Beta had told him earlier, there were supposed to be only three.

    Roel frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. ''Seems like their plan would be useless'', he thought. They did not expect that the rogues were this many.

    Roel felt even more unsettled when he saw that there were three unconscious people lying on the floor, surrounded by the rogues. What made him more troubled was that one of them were on the brink of death as he could smell death emitting from the man.

    Roel immediately request for a mind-link to the Alpha to update him on the situation. He was feeling so unsettled that he did not realize that one of the rogues had smelled and sensed his presence.

    He was too busy talking to his Alpha through the mind-link when he was suddenly grabbed from behind and crashed against one of the smaller barnyards behind him.

    -----

    Erick and Hamish quickly tried to follow Roel and the other packmates from behind, without being detected. They did not want to get into trouble with Roel. Roel may be the quiet one among the triplets but also the scariest, as well. Erick can tolerate Latham''s jokes and Noaz''s fussiness. But not Roel''s quiet glare.

    Every once in awhile, Hamish told Erick to sniff the area since he was the only one among them who already has some of his wolf''s sense of smell. Erick would frowned at Hamish whenever he told him to sniff. He thought that Hamish would purposely tell him to do that because it made Erick seems like a dog. But looking at Hamish''s serious face, Erick thought twice.

    Since Erick has not fully shifted yet, he could not fully utilized Dane''s power. He could only get a small whiff of Roel and the others. It was faint but still there. Hamish quickly followed Erick''s lead.

    They continued on their path until they were a few metres away from the barnyard. They hid behind one of the big water tanks, near one of the smaller barnyards. They did not notice that they actually had one person with them until they heard a ''crack'' sound from behind him.

    Both Erick and Hamish turned, their bodies in a defensive stance. Eyes widened in shock to find that it was Amber, who was leisurely munching on pocky sticks.

    "What the heck are you doing here?" Hamish hissed, shoving his glasses up his nose. "And for feck''s sake, stop eating!"

    Amber quickly shoved the whole pocky sticks into her mouth and gulped them down. She grabbed her water bottle from her backpack and drank.

    Once she was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at them with excited and glittering eyes. "So, what are we doing here?" she asked excitedly, in a soft voice.

    Hamish growled at her, his eyes narrowed through the lens of his glasses. "Not we. What are YOU doing here?" he hissed again.

    Amber frowned, not liking the tone Hamish was using with her. "I followed you two."

    "Go back, it''s dangerous here!" Erick said softly, shooing her away with his hands.

    Amber frowned again. "What about you two?"

    Before the two of them could answer, they suddenly heard a loud crash sounds from behind them.

    "CRASH!"

 Chapter 12 - Busted

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    The three of them jumped in surprise. Their eyes widened in shock as they watched a person being flung away, hitting the smaller barnyard. The smaller barnyard which has not been not stable after years of deterioration started to crumble against the impact of a body hitting it.

    Erick immediately jumped up and ordered Hamish to quickly cover Amber''s eyes.

    Soon after, there were sounds of bones cracking from the destroyed barnyard. There were also sounds of clothes ripping and tearing.

    Amber, who had her eyes covered by Hamish''s hands, was startled by the sounds. She suddenly felt fear at the unknown yet curious. "What was that?" she asked softly, her body unknowingly trembled.

    Erick and Hamish ignored her question as they watched Roel stood up from the debris. His body had changed from skin to fur. His teeth grew to fangs and his eyes filled with murder and rage.

    Just then, Erick and Hamish received a mind-link from Roel. "I will deal with you two later. Now, go back and bring that human girl with you."

    Erick and Hamish gulped in fear. Because they had not fully shifted, they cannot mind-linked a reply. Rather they can only received mind-link from other shifters, whether they want it or not.

    Suddenly, Roel vanished and Erick and Hamish could hear the sounds of howling and growling.

    The two of them watched as Roel jumped onto the rogue who had flung him earlier. Roel dodged many of its attacks and managed to clawed the rogue''s abdomen, making it bleed.

    The rogue howled in agony as it attempts to claw back. But Roel was faster. Blood began to drip down from the wounds of the rogue, making it lose more blood. Grabbing his fallen knives, Roel grabbed them with his canine teeth and skilfully swung them towards the rogue. It smoothly hit the rogue straight in the heart as it tried to jump on Roel.

    The rogue fell. And before it could catch its last breath, Roel had bit its neck before pulling its head off its body. The rogue died, headless.

    Roel howled. Soon after, more of Roel''s teammates came out of their hiding place and immediately went inside the larger barnyard.

    Roel turned to Erick and Hamish. He then growled, mind-linking them, "Go, now!"

    Hamish immediately carried Amber over his shoulder and ran off from where they came from. He ignored Amber''s pounding and screaming to let her down.

    Before Erick could join Hamish, Roel had gone inside the larger barnyard.

    Apparently, curiosity was stronger than fear for Erick. Instead of joining Hamish, he quietly went to the larger barnyard. He went to the side of the building and peeked inside through the small cracked window.

    Inside, Roel''s team was outnumbered. Some of the pack mates had to fight two against one.

    Roel himself had to fight three. But unsurprisingly, he had the upper hand. It was no wonder that he was known as one of the best fighters in the pack.

    Erick watched as Roel had one of the rogues in his jaw, while avoiding the other two''s attacks. Roel dug deep into the rogue''s stomach with his claws. He then swiped his claws up, ripping apart the rogue''s stomach. Blood spluttered in the air, pelting Roel''s mane in red. However, with a cold look in his eyes, Roel ignored the showering blood and turned to the other rogues.

    Roel threw the dying rogue to the side and went to clawed the other rogues. With his large paw, he swiped the second rogue''s head down, crushing its head. The bones of the skull crumbled into bits. The third rogue howled out his anger at the sight of its two dead rogue mates.

    Before the third rogue could attack Roel, Roel had already jumped on the back of the rogue. With his bloodied claws, Roel tore the rogue apart by ripping its neck down to its spine. He had successfully ripped the rogue into half.

    Erick shivered at the bloody sight. Before he could run away, one of the rogues had caught sight of him.

    It broke away from its fight and ran over to Erick.

    Seeing this, Erick felt terror taking over his body. But then he gritted his teeth with determination. ''I am the future Alpha,'' he thought to himself proudly. ''This shouldn''t frighten me!''

    Erick ran towards the fallen baseball that was near the area where he, Hamish and Amber had hid earlier.

    As he raised the bat into the air, the rogue came crashing into Erick. The two of them hit the ground, making Erick dropped the bat once more. Erick had closed his eyes after the crash. But his eyes widened when he saw the rogue was about to bite his face off.

    With quick instinct, Erick kicked the rogue off him and straddled the rogue. Swiftly avoiding the rogue''s attacks, Erick pummelled the rogue in the face. It felt like hitting a stone wall but this did not hinder Erick, even when his fists became bloody and painful.

    Before Erick could land another hit, he felt his leg was bitten. Erick screamed in agony and saw one of the rogues had grabbed his leg. And before Erick could retaliate, the rogue had flung him against the barrels, which was in-between the smaller and larger barnyards. His body came crashing down, knocking all the barrels.

    Erick tried to sit up but the rogue was already in front of him, growling. It was about to bite Erick''s neck but Erick managed to block the attack with his arm.

    Erick gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the burn of his injury. He felt like he was about to lose an arm. And before the rogue could do further damage, Roel came barreling in. He torpedoed against the rogue''s abdomen and flung it against the other rogue from before.

    Roel mind-linked Erick in anger. ''Why the feck are you still doing here?''

    "I just want to help!" Erick shouted.

    ''You''re just a hindrance to this mission.''

    Erick''s face fell as he realized the true situation. Roel was right. He was only bringing more trouble for Roel. Roel had to protect him while attacking the rogues.

    Erick staggerily stood up, trying hard not to wince in discomfort. "I''m sorry," he mumbled as he cradled his bloodied arm.

    Roel ignored his apology. He was focusing on the two rogues which were walking towards them, slowly. Their fangs dripping with spittle and blood as they came closer.

    Roel pushed Erick behind him with his snout, trying to protect him from the two rogues.

    Shortly after, a breeze swept past them, knocking against the two rogues. Howls of pain and agony echoed in the air. After howls, it changed to whimpers and slowly turned to silence.

    Erick''s eyes widened as he watched the shifter in front of him stood up in its glory on its hind legs. The aura that Erick could feel radiating from the shifter terrified him, almost bringing him to his knees.

    ''Roel.''

    Roel immediately bowed his head. ''Yes, Alpha!''

    ''Get him out of here and return here once he''s safely out of the danger zone,'' Lachlan ordered, not looking at Erick.

    ''Yes, Alpha.''

    Lachlan''s Beta, who was still in his human form, threw over some spare clothes to Roel.

    Roel quickly changed into his human form and put on the clothes that Fergus threw over. He then carried Erick over his shoulder, careful not to touch his wounds and ran out of the area.

    Shortly after, Erick, who was hanging over Roel''s shoulder, received a mind-link from his father.

    ''You''re in so much trouble once we''re done here.''

    Erick winced. ''Oh feck.''

 Chapter 13 - A pup to discipline

    Hamish placed Amber down once they were in front of the diner where they had their meal earlier. He was tired after carrying Amber, running all the way to the diner. He gasped, trying to catch his breath. He ignored her, who was visibly scowling at him, with her arms crossed.

    "Exaggerate much?" Amber asked sarcastically, narrowing her blue eyes.

    Hamish looked at her for a second. He then studied her from bottom to top. "You need to lose more weight," he said as he took off his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. She was not really that heavy. But because he was running at quite a distance, at the same time, carrying her, it took a lot out of him.

    Before he could finish his sentence, she had already hit him in the arm, nearly making him drop his glasses. "Screw you," she cursed out loud. ''Was I really that heavy?'' she thought grumpily, pouting.

    Hamish winced and then turned to look at the direction of the abandoned barnyard.

    "Where''s Erick? Is he alright?" she asked, coming over to stand beside him, also looking over at the direction. She thought that Erick would have been behind them. So, she was quite surprised to see that he was not there. She knew how fit he was so he should have not lagged behind.

    Hamish shook his head. "I don''t know," he mumbled. He was worried about Erick. He too had thought that Erick was behind him. He did not noticed that Erick did not followed him back. All he could think as he ran was to carry Amber to safety.

    Few minutes later, they saw someone running fast towards them. Before they could say anything, Roel had stopped in front of them, with Erick over his shoulder. He looked pale, grimacing after they came to a stop.

    Roel dumped Erick on the street walk unceremoniously and turned to Hamish. "Let the doctor over at the ''house'' examined this idiot." The ''house'' he refers to was the pack house where most pack mates lived. Other than the Alpha and Beta''s family, the other pack mates lived there. Though, these pack mates were mostly for those who have not found their mates. Those who already have their mates would live on their own, but not far from the ''house''. ''House'' was the code name they used to refer to the pack house when they are in the vicinity of a human. Out of the triplets, only Latham has his own house since he already has a mate.

    Hamish nodded as he helped Erick up onto his feet.

    Roel glanced at Amber and frowned. Amber, who was watching the whole conversation, found herself being stared at by a cold man. Her eyes met his icy eyes and she visibly shivered at the coldness of his look. He looked apathetic with just one glance.

    "And youˇ­" Roel said slowly to her.

    Amber immediately stood up straight. "Yes, sir!" She nearly raised her arm to give a salute.

    "If you say another word of what...." he warned icily, narrowing his eyes at her.

    "No, I did not see anything!" she quickly cut in, shaking her head. She felt like she would freeze to death, just by one look from this man. Even the atmosphere around them suddenly turned cold. This is one unfriendly man.

    Roel nodded. He then ran off again, back to the direction of the abandoned barnyard.

    Watching as he had gone out of sight, Amber turned to Hamish and Erick, who was leaning on the former for support. "What exactly is going on?" she asked, feeling curious. Even if she promised not to tell anyone, it doesn''t mean that she was not curious.

    The two of them looked at her, surprised. "Didn''t Roel just told you not to say another word about it?" Erick asked, frowning. She was really one curious child.

    "Yeah, but-"

    Hamish shook his head, cutting her off. "Better off not knowing."

    She pouted, sad that she will be left confused and lost about the whole thing. "Fine."

    "Come on, we''ll send you home," Erick said, as he tried to walk on his own. But he staggered after a few steps.

    "Whoa there!" Hamish said, grabbing Erick''s arm as he tried to help him stand.

    Not realizing that Hamish had grabbed his wounded arm, Erick hissed in pain. It felt like thousand of needles had pricked underneath his wound, making it stings.

    Hamish quickly let him go, his hand now covered in blood. He stared down at his hand with his eyes widened. It was then Amber and Hamish noticed how badly injured Erick was. His arm looked like it was bitten, as there were teeth marks on it. And his foot, above his ankle, was bleeding, with a huge tear on his pants.

    She gasped, her hands covering her mouth in shock. "What happened to you??" she asked, looking appalled. How could she not notice how serious his injuries were, she chastised herself.

    Both Erick and Hamish exchanged a look.

    Hamish cautiously supported Erick by placing his arm around Erick''s waist to support him.

    "My foot was caught in some old trap in the barnyard. I tried to get it free but instead, my arm got caught in one of the sharp edges too," Erick lied, forcing a smile as he tried not to show how much in pain he really was.

    Amber began to wring her hands in agitation. "We should bring you over to the hospital!" she exclaimed. Her brain already working on how to bring him over to the nearest hospital.

    Erick shook his head. "Nah, I''ll be fine once I get to the ''house''."

    "The house?" Amber repeated, confused. Earlier, that unfriendly guy also mentioned ''house''. Just what is this ''house'' they are talking about, she wondered.

    "Yeah, we have a live-in doctor at the ''house''," Erick replied, not knowing what was going through the girl''s mind.

    Amber nodded as she finally understood. ''These guys probably have a huge ''house'' with their own group of doctors or something,'' she thought to herself. She studied the two guys in front of them. ''They sure are rich.''

    As Amber helped supported Erick, gingerly placing her arm around his waist, Erick could sense Dane purring in his mind. He inwardly rolled his eyes. Dane seems to liked Amber. He was surprised to see Dane being amicable to humans, especially female humans.

    The three of them walked slowly, with Amber and Hamish supporting Erick on each sides.

    ----

    Meanwhile, at the abandoned barnyard.

    Lachlan hurled a dead rogue onto a pile of rogue corpses. He spit out the blood in his mouth to the ground and moved his icy glance at one of the rogues that they had kept alive for interrogation.

    The barely alive rogue was snickering as he watched Lachlan walking towards him. He unwillingly shifted back to his human form when Lachlan ordered him to shift. At that moment, he was sandwiched by both Fergus and Roel. Both of them were also in their human forms, with Roel holding down the neck of the rogue with his hand.

    Lachlan shifted back into his human form, accepting the clothes from one of the pack mates. He put it on and hunched down to look at the rogue straight in the eyes.

    "Why?" Lachlan asked. It was a simple question of trying to understand what was the rogues'' purpose.

    Instead of answering Lachlan, the rogue tried to spit in his eyes. But he did not get the chance as Roel knew what he was going to do and pushed him further roughly to the ground. His cheek kissing the ground unceremoniously.

    "Don''t make me repeat my question," Lachlan warned, scowling as he looked at the rogue icily.

    "Answer the Alpha!" Fergus warned too. His face no longer the cheeky look Erick used to see. In fact, if Erick was to see Fergus'' face at that moment, he would be surprised to see how similar Fergus and Hamish''s looks were.

    The rogue only kept quiet, still smirking as he watched Lachlan with his beady eyes, his face bruised from the pummeling he received from Fergus.

    Tired of waiting, Lachlan stood up and ordered, "Fergus, you and the other three, go and bring him to the underground bas.e.m.e.nt." The underground bas.e.m.e.nt Lachlan mentioned refers to was the bas.e.m.e.nt of the ''house'' where Lachlan and the higher members of his pack usually did their interrogation. It was also where they kept the rule-breaking shifter prisoners.

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    Lachlan turned to Roel. "Roel, you and the others burned the corpses. Make sure to leave no evidence behind."

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    Lachlan turned as he began to leave the area with stride steps.

    "Will you be heading straight to the ''house'', Alpha?" Fergus asked, as he grabbed the rogue from the back of his neck. The rogue''s arms were shackled with silver handcuffs.

    Lachlan scowled, a determined glint in his eyes. "No, I will join you later. I have a pup to disciplined first."

 Chapter 14 - Punishments

    After sending Amber off at her home, despite her protests of wanting to help Erick with his foot, the two of them finally arrived at the pack house.

    The pack house was located just a few metres from the Alpha and the Beta''s house. But it was shrouded by the vibrant blanket of trees. And one could not see it unless they went into the forest themselves. The pack house was hidden from view to ensure the safety of the shifters living there.

    The pack house was a huge but modest cottage with a high thatched roof and thick walls. It has more than ten bedrooms to accommodate the pack with another two separate houses for the kitchen, dining area, common room and more. It was more than double the size of the Alpha and Beta''s cottages. Inside the pack house, other than the bedrooms, there were the nursery, bathrooms, offices and the doctors'' rooms. It looked quite modern with its contemporary design and architecture.

    In fact, to get to the pack house, one would need to go passed several houses, which actually belongs to the pack mates who already have mates.

    Hamish had to call a cab to send them nearby the pack house. They could not risk of having the pack house being exposed so they only had the cab driver to send them to Erick''s house. The cab driver was worried when he saw an injured young man being helped by another young man. Throughout the journey to Erick''s house, he kept telling them he would send them to the hospital instead. But the two of them insist on going back to Erick''s house.

    Once they arrived at Erick''s house, they waited for the cab driver to drive off before setting off for the pack house. Luckily, the pack house wasn''t that far from Erick''s house.

    Few minutes later, Hamish helped Erick get inside the pack house, leading the way to the doctors'' rooms.

    Melody was one of the pack doctors. There were actually four doctors in the pack house, including Melody. But Melody holds one of the highest positions in the pack, due to her identity of being Latham''s mate. She looked young for her age where she can be mistaken as a high-schooler. She always wore her dark brown hair in a high ponytail, hence why she always was mistaken as a teenager. She has a sweet disposition, always cheery. And she was the only one who can tolerate Latham''s lame jokes. To everyone''s amus.e.m.e.nt, whenever Latham made a joke, she would laugh it off and then quickly changed the subject.

    Melody stood up abruptly when she saw Erick staggered into the room, with Hamish supporting him on his side. "What the heck happened?" she asked, looking appalled at the bloody gash on Erick''s foot and the gash on his arm. "And why does your wounds smell of a rogue??" she further demanded.

    Hamish gingerly helped Erick onto a patient examining bed. Erick propped up his wounded foot onto a pillow while cradling his injured arm with his other arm.

    Melody immediately went into her doctor''s mode, getting her needle, gauze pads and so forth. While she was helping Erick with his wounds, bandaging them, she told Hamish to return home. Apparently, the Beta had mind-linked her to tell him that.

    Hamish reluctantly went home. Not sure whether he felt bad about leaving Erick alone or because he did not want to face his father''s wrath. Then again, it could be both.

    It took Melody less than an hour to examine Erick and to bandage his wounds. She gave him advice on what to do and whatnot. She also gave him some antibiotic ointment to help with the healing. Though, Melody thought it wouldn''t help much. Because Erick has a shifter blood. Even if he has not yet fully shift but he still has their fast healing rate. And it was much faster than a normal human''s.

    Once his foot and arm were all wrapped with bandages, Melody told him to take it easy and sent him back home. Apparently, the Alpha was waiting for him at home.

    Soon after, Erick found himself in front of his father''s office. Earlier before, when he entered his home, his mother greeted him at the entrance with a disappointed frown. His heart clenched at the sight of the disheartened look on her face. He hated knowing that he had disappointed her. Seems like his curiosity had brought him trouble.

    Although, he knew that his father was aware he was waiting outside his office, Erick still knocked on the door. It was after five minutes, only then did his father called out for him. He probably was letting Erick wait a bit longer on purpose.

    "Come in," his father''s voice sternly called out.

    Erick cautiously opened the door and poked his head in. "Uh, hey dad."

    Lachlan frowned deeply. "Get inside."

    Erick slowly trudged slowly into the office and sat himself down in the seat in front of his father''s desk. On top of his father''s desk laid several papers and photos spread out. In the photos, there were black and white pictures of several werewolves in some buildings. The pictures were very likely taken from security cameras nearby the area. And apparently, before coming here, his father had been investigating further about the rogue attacks.

    Lachlan leaned back against his seat, his elbows rested on the armrest of his seats. He linked his fingers together and stared at Erick broodingly. He stared at Erick for a few minutes, with Erick not meeting his eyes as he looked down at his lap.

    Erick began to fidget in his seat, feeling awkward. He felt like he was back to being a kid, when he was first scolded by his father.

    Suddenly, Lachlan shouted at him for disobeying his orders, abruptly standing up. He went on, saying that Erick could have gotten a human killed or even worse, killed himself!

    Lachlan was so furious, his veins popping in his temples. He scolded Erick for being irresponsible. "Is this how a future Alpha would do?" Lachlan yelled, pointing at Erick.

    "Soon, you''re going to be a full shifter! But you are still acting like a pup! Ignorant, selfish and reckless!"

    Lachlan continued, his face still furious, "If you weren''t my son, I would have kicked you out of the pack! That''s how serious your offence was!"

    Lachlan took a deep breath and sat back down again. He tried to calm his nerves and emotions. Knowing how close Erick was from being killed, Lachlan had felt scared and at the same time, tensed.

    "There will be a punishment for you and Hamish," Lachlan stated calmly. "Both of you will be suspended from the school football team for three games. I''ve already talked to Coach Gundlach. You will still join practice but it will be double the practice. After practice, you will go straight to the pack house, get your assigned tasks from Roel. Do the chores for the elders and the single mothers in the pack for two months. And listen to everything Roel says, for once!"

    "Don''t worry, you will still do your shifting ritual, which will be in the next month but once that''s over, I will assign more tasks to you and Hamish."

    Erick inwardly groaned. But he could not do anything because he knew that he was in the wrong. He could only nod and accept his punishment with a bow of his head.

    Lachlan nodded and said, "Now, get to your room and think about what you have done. You have brought this to yourself. Oh, and you''re grounded for two months too. Once you''re done with your tasks, go straight back home."

    Erick inwardly groaned again. ''FML,'' he thought as he grudgingly stood up and left the office.

 Chapter 15 - The Great Seer and the Researcher

    The next afternoon, after class, Erick and Hamish were at the football field for their practice.

    At that moment, their coach was indirectly killing them with a 3-hurdle drill, sprinting and a 100-meters back and forth exercises. Although, it would have been a piece of cake for Erick but because he had injured his foot, he had to forgo the drill. His arm had already healed but his foot was still healing and he could not put more pressure on his foot. Hence why he was told to be a waterboy. It was a degrading position for Erick, who was a captain. He had to fetch water for the rest of the teams, who were sneering at him, especially those who were jealous of his position.

    Luckily, Erick was also a carefree person that he did not bother to acknowledge their ridicule. Instead, he rather see it in a positive way, meaning that he probably had done too good of a job as a captain that these people were resentful of him.

    Erick smirked as he could feel the mocking and jealousy glance towards him. He sighed. ''Really hard for someone like me to have an easy life,'' he thought to himself. ''There will always be someone who gets jealous of me. Such a life.''

    Coach Gundlach was really working on the legs as he also told the team to do squat jumps as well. He knew that Erick and Hamish were suspended from the team for the time being but he still made Hamish do the work. Erick, on the other hand, had to do long toss drill for arm strengthening.

    Hamish felt like he nearly died on the field. Earlier on, Hamish was found sprawling on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. His sport glasses lying beside his head as he gazed off space. But the coach soon yelled at him to get up and get going.

    As Coach Gundlach watched his team practiced, once in awhile, he also watched Erick. He felt it was regretful that Erick was not able to go pro. The coach knew that soon, Erick will become a full shifter and an Alpha of his pack. He has his responsibility and duties to stay in this town and protect the townspeople.

    He remembered how happy Erick was when he told him that he actually has the capability to go pro. But then it died down when he found out that he would have to leave his hometown. He had to humbly reject the coach''s support to go pro because he could not leave the town. He was born in this town and his wolf was from this town. They could not live apart from their home, even for a year. They could tolerate two months but more than that, it would slowly kill their wolf.

    The practice session went on for quite a long time.

    Shortly after, giggles and laughter could be heard from the other side of the field. Most of the guys in the team had looked over and saw cheerleaders walking towards the field. It appears that they were going to do their cheerleading practice for their next home game. Erick was sitting on one of the benches when they came out on the field. He saw some of them waving at him and he waved back with a smile.

    He watched them did their warmups, such as head-to-toe stretching, splits and backbends. He admired at how high their flexibility were and how strong their endurance levels were. He did not think that he would be that flexible.

    Some of the guys from the football team, who were obviously not from the pack, watched in envy as the cheerleaders had called Erick to come over. The girls were planning to practice their vaulting skills and they needed a spotter to help them. A spotter was a name for the position where they usually stood behind the cheerleader who was doing to stunt, with their hands ready to catch them if something goes wrong.

    While the guys were busy with their jumping jacks and squat jumps, Erick was busy catching the girls in his arms. Some of the girls probably fell into his arms on purpose, just wanting to be in his arms. Which Erick does not mind but the guys mind.

    Once practice was finally over, the guys at the football team and the cheerleaders decided to go out at the McClay''s as usual to hang out. As they were walking out of the field, a couple of girls were wrapping their arms around Erick''s waist, as they helped him walk. Erick did not mind this at all since he liked the feeling of soft warm body next to him, much to the displeasure of Dane''s. And the fact that they smelled sweet.

    Just as Erick was about to climb into one of the guys'' cars, he received a mind-link from his father saying, ''Go straight to the pack house now.''

    Erick inwardly groaned. He thought he could escaped but apparently not.

    It also looked like Hamish had just received his father''s mind-link from the stiffened look on his face. He abruptly turned away from the car and patted on top of the car. He leaned down near the car window and said, "We just remembered. Erick and I can''t join you all since we were grounded."

    Some of the pack mates in the team had known what had happened so they nodded in understanding. But those who were humans, especially those who were secretly envious of Erick, guffawed. "You still got grounded at this age?" one of the guys laughed.

    Hamish narrowed his eyes at him and glared. "Yeah, what about it?"

    The guy became stiffened at the icy glare he received from Hamish. Most of the guys in the team, if not all, were scared of Hamish, rather than Erick. Probably because Erick usually laughed it off and ignored their jibes. "Uh, nothing at all," he stammered.

    Hamish gave him one last glare before turning to Erick. "We''d better wait here for Roel. He''s on the way to pick us up."

    Erick nodded.

    The two of them said their goodbyes to the others and waited near the sidewalk for Roel. Shortly after, a car stopped in front of them. A tall and lean guy got out of the car, a cold look on his face, frowning. He turned to Erick and Hamish and gestured for them to get inside.

    The pair got in and were quiet as Roel got back inside the car again. He then started to drive them towards the pack house.

    Throughout the journey, the three people inside the car was quiet. There wasn''t even a radio that was switched on. It was very tense as if one can cut the air with a knife. This went on until they reached the outskirts of the pack house.

    Roel drove the car all the way to the entrance of the pack house. He parked the car in front and got out of the car. He then told them to get inside and wait in his office.

    A few minutes later, both Erick and Hamish found themselves sitting in one of the offices on the first floor. There were murmurs all around them as people looked over, wondering what kind of things that these two have done that were so terrible that they ended up in Roel''s office. Everyone in the pack knew that, out of the three triplets, Roel was the strict and hard shifter. He was not lenient and soft as his older brothers.

    People were still whispering and pointing at Erick and Hamish as they sneakily looked over, wanting to know what was happening. Soon after, Roel walked in with a tall and gangly man, wearing glasses. He has a very messy hair and his clothes were unkempt, as if he hasn''t washed his clothes for days.

    Erick blinked his eyes in surprise at the appearance of the man while Hamish still wore an expressionless look on his face. But the flicker in his eyes gave away his emotions. Apparently, the two of them recognized this man.

    The man gave them a mock salute, as he stood in front of them. "Howdy, boys," he greeted, grinning.

    The two of them quickly stood up and gave a small bow in respect.

    Dewei was the pack''s researcher. Unlike Melody, who was the pack''s doctor, he was more into weaponry research. He was an unusual man who loved to study on new technology. Lachlan first met him as a rogue after he was kicked out of his previous pack. This was because he was of a different race since he was of a Chinese descendent. Fortunately, Dewei had not lost to his inner wolf back then. And Lachlan managed to make him pledge his loyalty to the Kendalls before he did. Lachlan promised that he will be assigned him to the weaponry laboratories, where he will study more on weapons and silver material, which Dewei jumped at.

    Currently, Dewei was busy with his research where he had worked together with other researchers on how to create silver bullet that can only obliterate those with rogue symptoms and so forth.

    Roel looked at Erick and Hamish. "I''m sure you two know about him. But let me officially introduce him. This is Dewei, the pack''s head researcher." He then turned to Hamish. "For your punishment, you will be his assistant for the whole two months. You will do whatever he has asked you to. Do not disappoint me."

    Hamish''s eyes widened behind his glasses. He then nodded silently.

    Dewei walked over to Hamish and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice, nice. A big and fit guy to help me with my stuff," he chuckled. He then pushed Hamish to the door, "Lets go. We don''t have all day."

    After the two had left the room, it was only Erick and Roel in the room. Erick sat back down while Roel sat in his. "What about me?" Erick asked, confused.

    "She''ll be here," Roel said, as he continued with his paperwork, ignoring Erick.

    The two were quiet for awhile until the silence was broken, a few minutes later. The door was slammed wide open, startling the two inside the room. Erick swiftly turned, startled at the sudden intrusion. Roel was much calmer as he only looked up with a frown.

    An old woman with grey white hair in a bun stood at the door. Her face was overly wrinkled due to age but it does not seem to hide the mischievous smirk on her lips. She was short, with a hunched back, using a cane to support her. Her eyes were gray, similarly like smoke as if almost all color has been sucked out of them. If it wasn''t for that little glint of black in them, Erick would have thought that the old woman was blind.

    Roel immediately stood up and walked over when he saw who was at the door. He bowed low in respect and said, "Greetings, great Seer."

    Erick quickly stood up when he heard what Roel had said. The great Seer in the Kendall pack was a mysterious person. Her name was Paccia. He had never seen her before but he had heard of her before. She has been in the pack, even before Lachlan was the Alpha. And the most curious thing about her was that she was not even a werewolf.

    Erick bowed low in respect. "Greetings, great Seer," he repeated.

    Paccia chortled in glee. "I see. So, this is the little pup, who will be helping me out this month," she stated, smiling.

    Erick jumped in surprise. He did not expect that he was assigned to Paccia.

    Roel nodded silently.

    "Look at me, kiddo," Paccia demanded.

    Erick looked up and stared at her face. His eyes widened.

 Chapter 16 - Adorosa

    Erick''s eyes widened as he unconsciously stared deep into the great Seer''s eyes. Her grey eyes seems to suck in his life, just by staring deep into his eyes. Erick''s mind began to fogged as he stared back.

    Just then, a sharp voice demanding Erick to snapped out of it made Erick blinked into realization. He looked around him in perplexion. He felt out of place as if he could not remember how he got into the office in the first place.

    "Paccia!" the sharp voice demanded again.

    Erick looked up to see the great Seer chuckled, not bothered at Roel''s reprimanded tone.

    "I was just testing him out," she reasoned out.

    Roel frowned. "Remember what we agreed on," he reminded her sternly.

    Paccia waved his concern away. "Yes, yes," she said lazily. She then turned to Erick, who was still staring at her in confusion. "What an interesting little pup you are," she said, with a cheeky smile. "I definitely look forward to the day when you become the Alpha."

    As Erick looked closely at her face, he noticed a faded star shaped tattoo on the corner of her left eye. His eyes widened at the recognition. He recognized that mark! That''s the mark of a witch!

    He did not know that there were witches in the pack.

    Seeing the stunned look on Erick''s face, Paccia clocked an eyebrow. "Just realized it? Didn''t you know that I''m a witch?"

    Erick slowly shook his head.

    Paccia shrugged. "Well, I am the only witch in the pack. There used to be more of us but they went back to their clans once their mates have died."

    "Yes, we can be mated to werewolves," she added, when she saw the shocked look on Erick''s face. She then leaned closer to Erick and said in a soft voice, "And werewolves can be mated to a human, as well."

    Erick staggered back. "Wait, what?" he asked, confused.

    Paccia feigned ignorance. "What, what?" she asked back, innocently.

    She then continued to talk, before Erick could ask any more questions. She talked about how she used to have a mate but her mate had died centuries ago. She then became a wandering seer until she decided to stay in the Kendall pack. She felt the pack was more comfortable and the people here welcomed her. And she also liked how the people there were not judgmental, unlike some other lofty and egoistic packs. Once, she was scorned by other packs before joining the Kendall pack. She laughed, reminiscing about how she once cast a spell at the shifters'' ''important'' organs in their body. She made it so that it couldn''t get up, even in the presence of their mates. She laughed more as she remembered the grave looks on their faces. She only lifted the spell after months of them kneeling and presenting her with gifts.

    Roel rubbed his forehead in dismay as Paccia continued to laugh. Erick could only watched and shivered in fear as he unconsciously covered his lower part of the body with both of his hands.

    She used to have her families joining her into the Kendall pack, until some of them decided to return to their mates'' packs. They still keep in touch but not that often. Because Paccia tends to wander about. Sometimes for days and even years. Roel was just lucky enough to catch her in time before she wanders off. Though, probably not lucky but more of a coincidence because apparently it was Paccia herself who requested for help. And she specifically ask for Erick.

    Roel was also curious as to why she had specifically ask for Erick''s help. Hence, why he had stayed behind to find out.

    Paccia suddenly stood in front of Erick. Her height only reach Erick''s waist. But her confident stance made her looked more domineering, rather than meek. And how she looked at Erick showed how powerful she was. It was as if she did not care that she was standing in front of the future Alpha.

    The two held each other''s gaze for a couple of minutes until Erick looked away. Paccia guffawed. "Haha! I won!" she said, laughing out loud, one of her hands on her hip and the other still gripping her walking cane.

    Erick frowned down at her. ''What the heck?'' he thought, baffled at her childish actions.

    She then poked him at his waist with her walking cane. "You haven''t fully shift, have you?"

    Erick shook his head in answer.

    She continued to poke him. "But you can ''smell'', right?"

    Erick froze.

    Roel frowned. "Smell? Everyone can smell," he repeated, looking confused at Paccia''s question.

    Paccia frowned back at Roel. "I do know everyone can smell. Do you think I''m an idiot?" she reprimanded. "I meant, smell as in ''smell'','''' she said, stressing on the word ''smell''.

    Roel''s eyes widened in surprise. He whirled around and stared at Erick, who looked uncomfortable. "Erick, does she mean what I think she meant?" he demanded. He knew that Erick has Dane as his wolf. But he did not know that he could also possess his powers, without fully shift.

    Erick did not answer him. Instead, he stared at the seer in front of him. How does she know? He never even told his father about this. All his close family and friends knew about him having Dane as his wolf early before the shifter ritual. But not about him having half of Dane''s powers.

    Paccia smiled mysteriously at Erick. "I can see," she said simply.

    "Is this why you requested for his help?" Roel asked.

    Paccia nodded. "Yes. I need his help to find me something in the Kraken forest."

    Both Roel and Erick looked surprised at her mentioning the Kraken forest.

    The Kraken forest was a woodland few miles away from town. It was an uninhabitable place where wild animals roamed around. There were rumours of rogues settling in the area, just to get away from humans and packs. It was a dangerous place where the sun hardly shines in, and the air was thick with menace and peril. The reason as to why it was called the Kraken forest was because most of the trees inside were uprooted, spreading their roots, just like a kraken.

    Roel immediately rejected her request. "Great Paccia. That is impossible! Erick is still a pup. He has not shift yet! That place is too dangerous for him!"

    Paccia shook her head. "No," she said. "Only he can do this mission."

    "How can that be? I''ll find some other pack members to exchange this mission with Erick," Roel insisted. He could not bear to let Erick go to this dangerous mission. He still has his vow to protect Erick until his death.

    Paccia shook her head once more. "No," she said firmly. She walked over to Roel and patted him on the arm. "Rest assured that this pup will be safe. I promise you that."

    "Butˇ­"

    "No buts," she shushed. Paccia turned to Erick and said, "Don''t worry, little one. I will conjure up a spell that will protect you from harm."

    "But why must it be me?" Erick asked, confused.

    Paccia smiled mysteriously. "You''ll find out soon enough."

    A couple of hours later, Erick found himself sitting on a small armchair in Paccia''s living room. It seems like Paccia also has her own house. She probably lived here when her mate was still alive. Hence, why she was still living here now. But what surprised Erick was that she still stays here, even after her mate died. He heard that if your mate had died, you will be moving back to the pack house, unless you have young pups.

    Paccia herself was standing in front of her huge and long bookshelves, apparently looking for something. The bookshelves were huge and long that it covered up most of the walls in the room.

    Erick was drinking tea, which was prepared by Paccia. He watched as she walked back and forth in front of the shelves, mumbling as she goes.

    Earlier at Roel''s office, Paccia had told him that she wanted him to help her search for a specific plant, which only grows in the Kraken Forest. Paccia''s eyesight wasn''t so good anymore, hence, she needed a second eye to help her. The reason as to why she wanted Erick''s sense of smell was because the plant also has a distinctive smell. A faded yet distinctive smell that Erick can smell. To be honest, she could have asked other pack members, who has a stronger sense of smell than Erick. But again, she also has her own reason. She wanted to test this future Alpha''s abilities.

    Shortly after, she finally found the book that she was looking for. She took it from her bookshelves and began to flip through the pages. Once she found the page, she immediately walked over to Erick.

    She placed the book on his lap and pointed at a picture of a plant. The plant looked like any other plant, except that it has a reddish orange roots with dotted blue and black markings on its leaf.

    "This is the plant," she said. "It''s called the ''Adorosa''."

 Chapter 17 - Entering Kraken Forest

    "Adorosa?" Erick repeated, as he stared down at the picture in the book. It looked eerily colorful. There was something about this plant that gave out a weird vibe.

    Paccia nodded solemnly. "The Kraken forest is the only forest that grows this kind of plant because it loathe sunlight."

    "Then, won''t it die if I took it out of the forest?" Erick asked, looking up at her.

    Paccia slowly walked to one of her wooden cupboards and took out a dark ceramic pot. She carried it with her and placed it on top of the book on his lap. "You will need to place the plant inside this," she instructed. "This will help keep the plant stay moist and away from sunlight. Not a little peek of sunlight can get through this pot."

    Erick holds the pot and tested its weight. It felt heavy in his hands, probably around 5 kilograms or so. It would be a bit bulky in his backpack.

    He felt himself getting more excited yet bothered about the rumours he had heard about the Kraken forest. It was not a normal forest where one would go for a picnic nor a place where any normal person would go. Despite him having half of Dane''s powers, it does not mean he was strong enough to go against shifters. Especially those who had fully shift and gone rogue.

    "What about those rogues that I heard about?" Erick asked, voicing out his concerns. He did not care whether he sounds cowardly but he knows his limits.

    Paccia rolled her eyes and tutted at him. "Don''t you worry about them. I know for sure that you won''t encounter any rogues in there."

    "How can you be sure?" he pressed. "People had talked about the Kraken forest. And it''s not something to joke about."

    Paccia narrowed her eyes at him, disliking at the fact that she was being questioned by this little pup. "Do you not believe me?" she asked coldly.

    "It''s not that I don''t believe you," he said. "This is just something I''ve heard about. And it wasn''t something nice." He knew that he was pushing the limits, questioning Paccia but he was a bit concerned about himself.

    Paccia scoffed. "Again, as I said before. It is not something that you should worry about."

    She then leaned closer to Erick and whispered in his ear, "Would you like to know why those people said it is dangerous?"

    Erick nodded.

    Paccia pulled back and gave out a loud laugh. "Wouldn''t you like to know?" she teased.

    Erick growled, feeling slightly annoyed at her teasing.

    Paccia laughed even harder. "I thought you like to joke around. Seems like you''re just another party-pooper, like that best friend of yours."

    Erick sighed as he rubbed his face with both of his hands, wondering how he ended up with this crazy old woman. He felt like his patience will grow thin if he spent too much time with her.

    Paccia chuckled as she walked over to the other armchair across him. She sat down and placed her walking cane beside her. She holds up her index finger and made a little twirl in the air. Little sparks shot off from her finger. And suddenly, a sound of tinkling and clinking was heard.

    Erick looked up and was surprised to see a tea cup on a saucer was floating in the air. It was floating towards Paccia. It looked as if someone who was carrying the tea cup and saucer was invisible. But he knew that there was no one in the room, other than Paccia and him. Or else, he could smell another presence.

    He knew that witches have the power of telekinesis but he has never seen it being done in front of him. Looking at Paccia using her telekinesis power, he looked awed. But then again, this kind of power was probably just a mere easy power. She probably could bring the whole house up.

    The teacup on the saucer landed softly on the palm of her hand. She brought the teacup to her mouth and took a sip.

    Erick waited for her to have her fill, leaning back against his seat.

    Paccia gave out a small chuckle as she placed her teacup on the table in front of her, with its saucer.

    The two of them were quiet for a few minutes until Paccia broke the silence.

    "The Kraken forest has an illusion magic being placed there."

    Erick blinked his eyes and leaned forward in his seat. "Eh? Come again," he said.

    Paccia tapped her fingers rhythmically against the arm of her chair and repeated, "The Kraken forest has an illusion magic being placed there. That''s why people have always thought that it was dangerous."

    "Once people walked into the forest, they will immediately be casted under an illusion. Not just any illusion but an illusion of their darkest fear."

    "They will experience a fate worse than death. They will keep wishing for themselves to die. Not many people will realize that they were under an illusion. And once they did, sometimes it would be too late for them," she continued.

    "How did you know?" Erick asked, curious.

    Paccia stared off daze for awhile before she confessed, "I was one of the survivors."

    Erick''s mouth dropped open in surprise. He did not expect that Paccia had been to the Kraken forest.

    "I went there by mistake. It was just after the death of my mate. I was wandering around, with no goals and direction. I stumbled upon the forest by chance. And when I stepped into the forest, it was one of the most agonising experiences of my life. Luckily, I was strong enough to believe that it wasn''t real. It took quite awhile to figure out that it was an illusion spell. I tried to break the spell but it was too strong. I believed that it has been placed there for many centuries. It probably grow stronger as the years passed by," she explained.

    "Do you know how to counter the spell?" Erick asked, still leaning forward in his seat. His fingers linked together as he waited for her answer.

    "Have a strong heart," she answered simply.

    "Excuse me but what?" Erick asked, confused.

    Paccia looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "You must have a strong heart. Don''t fall into the trap. Be strong in your belief. Keep a clear and positive mind."

    Erick sighed. "That''s it?" he asked in disbelief. He did not expect that Paccia would not be much of a help.

    Paccia smiled. "Yes. You will know soon enough once you''re there."

    -----

    A couple of days later, Erick was getting ready for his ''adventure'' to the Kraken forest. His foot has fully healed and he was raring to go.

    He was in the car, on the way to the Kraken forest, with Roel driving him there.

    Before he left his home, he had packed a few essential things into his backpack, such as clothes, food and more. His mother was crying, hugging him tightly to her bosom after Erick had told his parents that he will be leaving for the Kraken forest. He told his father to help him send a letter to the school to tell them that he would not be able to attend classes for a few days. He believed that he probably will spend at least two weeks in the forest.

    And this news had made his mother crying with tears. She was hugging him, not wanting to let go of Erick. Lachlan had to pried open her fingers to make her release her death grip on Erick.

    At first, Lachlan did not agree to the mission as he too heard about the rumours. After Erick and Paccia explained and told him about her story and what she knew about the Kraken forest, Lachlan reluctantly agrees. He was not surprised that Paccia had been to the forest, as Erick was. Lachlan knew how powerful Paccia was, even before she was mated.

    After the teary goodbye from his parents, Roel had volunteered himself to bring Erick to the Kraken forest. He too has his own opinions regarding the forest. But since the Alpha has allowed it, there was nothing Roel could do.

    Shortly after, they arrived at the entrance of the forest. Meters away, both Roel and Erick could see how gloomy the place was. There were vines everywhere and the place looked dark, with not a flicker of light could be seen.

    Roel turned to Erick and asked, "Do you have your flashlight with you?"

    Erick nodded, holding up his flashlight.

    Roel slapped him on the back. "Be careful out there. You know my number. If there''s something that you can''t handle alone, just give me a call. I will drop everything and get to you."

    Erick nodded again. "Thanks," he said.

    A few minutes later, Erick found himself at the entrance of the forest. His backpack and his duffel bag was at his back and over his shoulder. By then, Roel had long gone. In front of him was an endless line of darkness, ready to shrouded him in the dark.

    Erick took a deep breath and breathe out again. "Okay. Time for me to go," he said, a look of determination in his face as he took the first step towards the forest.

    He walked further in until the darkness blanketed him, leaving nothing but blackness.

 Chapter 18 - Side story: The Triplets [1]

    Scene before the Abandoned Barnyard.

    Roel had just walked into the pack house, after working at the restaurant in town. He worked as the Head Chef at The Starved Wolf Restaurant for more than five years now. It was one of the most popular restaurants in town, rated high for its location, as well as dishes.

    Roel loved cooking since he was a young pup. Being the youngest triplet among them, he was used to cooking for their meals while Latham and Noaz would hunt for foods. The three of them were actually orphans. They did not know where their parents were, whether or not they were still alive or not. The one thing he remembered as a young pup was that he and his brothers were found stranded in the forest, with no recollection of what had happened.

    It was Alpha Lachlan who had found them when he was off for a run. The three of them were sleeping, huddled together, against the cold wind, with only a small blanket shared between them. They were only five years old when Lachlan had found them.

    Lachlan had felt great relief when he saw them unharmed. Just cold and hungry. He had suspected that their parents were on a run and had to leave them here so that they would not get killed. He was not surprised by that revelation because he knew of how many shifters had escape from their current predicament.

    Lachlan immediately brought the sleeping pups back home. It was then, he decided to adopt them as his. His wife, Luella, was pregnant at that time. He thought it would be a perfect idea to bring them back home He hoped that the three pups would become brothers for his child. The four of them doesn''t have that large gap of age so it should be alright.

    And since then, the three pups had been forever grateful to Lachlan. Although, they do not call him, ''father'' or ''dad'' as Erick does. Instead, they looked up to him as a great father figure. Lachlan had helped them a lot. From sending them to schools and supporting them in their careers. In return, they pledged their loyalty to Lachlan in protecting the pack. And because of that, other than his Beta, Lachlan trusted them with the pack and always invited them for any important conversations that he had with Fergus.

    Taking off his jacket, Roel walked past the offices and went up to the bedrooms. On the second floor of the pack house, most of the rooms were for sleeping. It was designed like a dorm, and was provided for those who doesn''t have any mates yet. There were also shared bathrooms and a small kitchen on the second floor.

    Latham, the oldest triplet, already has a mate so he had moved out of the pack house, a couple of years ago, and into one of the small cottages behind the pack house, together with his mate, Melody. Though, he always like to hangout at the pack house. Probably because Melody always came home late from the pack house. Her doctor''s office was also in the pack house. Hence, rather than waiting at home, Latham usually wait at the pack house, much to Noaz and Roel''s annoyance.

    Once he had already wore his comfy clothes, Roel walked down the stairs and headed straight to the common kitchen, which was at the back of the house. It was connected with the common mess hall, as well. He had to walk past the offices to get to the kitchen.

    Inside the mess hall, Noaz was already inside, occupying one of the tables. He was watching a TV show from the mounted television, hanging from the ceiling. In front of him were piles of papers and some books. Apparently, he was marking some papers while watching a TV show.

    Sitting across him was Latham, with his mouth wide open, snoring. He lay exhausted, sprawled in his chair. His head hung limply over the back of the seat; almost as though someone had dr.a.p.ed him their as a coat. Seems like Melody was working late again tonight.

    Roel walked over to the cooking area, put on an apron and began to prepare some food to eat for dinner. Minutes later, the aroma of caramelized onions and garlic can be smell through the air. Latham''s nose started to twitch. His eyes snapped open and started to frantically darted about, trying to look where the smell had come from. He looked up and saw Roel cooking at the stove.

    He jumped up from his seat, his fatigue immediately gone, as if he wasn''t snoring earlier. He walked quickly towards Roel and stood in front of the wooden kitchen island. He looked down and saw several dishes laid on top.

    He was about to grab one of the fried chickens when suddenly, a knife came flying and nearly hit his hand. It landed neatly in between his fingers. He let out a shriek. "What the--!"

    He looked up to see Roel''s narrowed eyes. "I just want a piece!" he protested. Dem, the knife nearly cut his fingers off. Roel had always kept a couple of small knifes with him, even when he was cooking or bathing.

    Roel just shook his head and gestured him to get back to his seat, with a stern look on his face. He does not tolerate those who likes to steal food. And Latham was always guilty of the crime.

    Latham sighed. "Stingy," he muttered under his breath. But he did returned back to his seat, much to Noaz''s amus.e.m.e.nt, who was watching everything that had happened.

    Latham slumped back against his seat, groaning. "I''m so hungry!" he exclaimed.

    "Weren''t you sleeping earlier?" Noaz asked as he continued to mark his students'' papers. He was quite immune to the antics of his brothers, especially his eldest brother. Sometimes he wonder whether Latham was doing it on purpose to annoy Roel.

    "Yeah, but now I''m hungry!" Latham replied. He turned his head towards Roel, who was still cooking. "How long do I have to wait??" he whined, rubbing his poor stomach.

    Roel ignored him.

    "So, the shifting ritual is coming soon, huh?" Noaz said, starting a new conversation.

    "Yeah, our little pup is all grown up," Latham said, with his finger underneath his eye, as if he was wiping away a tear.

    Noaz chuckled. "Indeed, he is. I can''t wait to see Dane in person." They have learned about Dane when Erick first told them about him a few years back. From what Noaz know about Dane, from the way Erick had talked about him, was that he was a very proud wolf. He seems knowledgeable from the way he once guided Erick when it comes to making a decision. Rational and strict as Noaz had heard Erick once grumbled about Dane not letting him get his own way.

    His older brother leaned against his seat, his arms behind his head. "Yeah, me too," he mused. "Our future Alpha."

    Just then, he noticed Roel standing still at the stove, as if he had just received a mind-link. He watched as his younger brother quickly shutting the stove off and removing his apron. He ran over to his brothers and said, "I''m off for a mission. You can eat the food without me."

    Noaz looked at him, concerned. He understood that the three of them will always receive a last minute mission. "Sure. I''ll go and leave some for you."

    Roel nodded and immediately disappeared from their sight.

    Latham frowned, looking serious now. "Must be the recent news about the rogue." Earlier, while he was working at the workshop, he too had received a mind-link about the sightings of rogues in the area. Those who hasn''t shifted fully yet were not allowed to roam around freely, as it might be dangerous.

    His brother nodded. "Yeah."

 Chapter 19 - Inside Kraken Forest

    The Kraken forest was moist and humid. The air felt suffocating as Erick walked cautiously deeper into the woods. It was a bit dark inside as only little light seeped in through the cracks of the leaves and branches of the trees. It was eerily quiet inside as if time stood still. Further in, the area was overrun with numerous plant life and it seems like it has been years since someone had stepped into the forest.

    Erick had to avoid several branches along the way as he walked further in. There were no man-made paths so most of the walking that he had to do usually call for climbing over several large rocks and uprooted trees. He wanted to explore the forest and get himself familiar with the place. He took note of several locations that seems like a good place to hide or rest. As he walked, he did not forget to check on the ground and even the branches on the trees, to see whether the plant was there. He also marked some of the trees to indicate that he has been there. And with the markings, it would help him if he got lost, trying to find the exit.

    Although, Erick knows how the plant looked like but the book did not tell where to find them. So, Erick has no clue whether its grown on the ground or on the trees. The picture itself was not that helpful as it literally only shows the plant itself.

    He had been inside the forest for more than two hours now. He touched the amulet that was hanging from his neck. Before going here, Paccia had handed him an amulet, which seems to be a strong protective amulet. It seems very effective because for that few hours he had been inside the forest, he had not encountered any monsters or danger inside. Which, of course, he was grateful for.

    Though, he should not be too dependent on the amulet itself because he believed that even though it may protect him from supernatural being, it might not protect him from others, such as wild animals.

    Erick immediately set out to look for a long wooden stick. And when he found one, he sat down on the ground and began to carve a sharp tip at the end, with his utility knife. As he was carving, his stomach began to growl with hunger.

    He ignored his stomach for a moment as he wanted to finish carving his stick. Once he was done, he hoisted up his backpack onto his shoulder and began to walk towards the safe spot he had taken note earlier.

    With his long stick on one hand, he maneuvered his way, ducking many low stray branches and jumping from one large stone to another. It was a good thing that he has a very good memory. He does not really need a map since he can rely on his photogenic memory.

    Following the path from his memory, he finally reached the safe spot.

    The area that Erick had found was quiet and serene. There was a small stream in the middle of the area. What surprises Erick the most was that he had just noticed that there were more lights in the area, compared to the other places.

    Earlier on, he did not notice the light because he only glance at the area before taking off to explore more. Now, advancing more into the area, he felt the air was cleaner and fresher. How does he know this? Dane was jumping around inside him, in joy and happiness. It has been awhile since Erick went to the forest for camping and hiking. But Erick was surprised to feel Dane being so happy like this. Erick sniffed the air. The atmosphere and environment here must be perfect for Dane.

    Once Erick had looked around the area and investigate whether it was safe or not, he went on to look for small twigs and wood to make a campfire. Even though, it was a bit dark here, but from his wrist-watch, it was still around six o''clock in the evening. So, before it was getting darker, Erick planned to build a campfire.

    A couple of minutes later, Erick squatted in front of the pile of twigs and wood that he had collected. Luckily, he once joined the boy scout when he was a child. Learning how to make a campfire was one of the basic tasks every boy scout should know.

    Once the fire was lit, he began to get some water from the stream, which he used his pot that he brought with him, to scoop in. He boiled the water, placing it on top of the campfire, which was covered with a grill pan.

    While waiting for the water to boil, he took out his notebook and pen from his backpack and began to plan what he wants to do. With the light from the campfire, it was easier for him to see what he was writing. Using his thigh as a table, he began to write down the areas that he went to and so forth.

    After a couple of minutes, the water was done boiling and Erick reached out inside his backpack to grab a few instant noodles packets and tore them open. He then put the uncooked noodles inside the water to cook and started to tear open the packets of the sauces and oils into his big plate.

    His backpack was like Doraemon''s pocket. He has a lot of things inside that it was no surprise that it was huge and bulging. He only packed things that he thought was useful and important for this mission; items necessary for camping such as food utensils, tent and so forth, a notebook and a pen, some change of clothes and underwear and small box of first aid kit. Oh, and of course, some foods. But all of those foods were inside his duffel bag. That was the purpose of the duffel bag. For his food. He certainly won''t be eating beef jerky everyday.

    After he was done eating, he settled down for the night. He did not want to rush into searching for the plant. He wants to take his time, looking around. He had a feeling that he probably would be visiting this place again in the future.

    The next morning.

    Erick was already packing his stuff into his backpack. He took some snacks from his duffel bag and put them into his backpack. He planned to leave his duffel bag here since he did not want to carry too much stuff while searching for the plant. He climbed up one of the tall trees, with his duffel bag and placed the bag on one of the sturdiest branches. He tied a rope around the duffel bag to the branch, to ensure that it would not get stolen or fall from the tree.

    He climbed back down the tree and hoisted his backpack up on his back. He stretched his arms up, relaxing his muscles with a big yawn. It was only day two but it felt like a week. It was probably because the day was always dark and there was hardly any sunlight seeping in.

    Few minutes later, Erick was in another area, with his stick on one hand and his backpack on his back. He was plodding through the vines infested areas with low branches. He had to duck here and there to avoid the branches.

    He was about to crawl down on his knees, to go through an uprooted tree. The root was uprooted high enough for a human being to go through. But then, he suddenly heard a cracking and growling sounds. He froze and cautiously looked up.

    A few meters away, there was a huge animal. Erick wasn''t sure what kind of animal it was. But it does look like a tiger yet not a tiger. It has a light yellowish orange mane with deep dark strips all over. Its body was of a tiger but its head was large, similar to a lion. Its fangs were long and sharp with its tips reaching below its chin. Its eyes were glistening in the dark, as it flickered around its surrounding. It looked like it had smell Erick but could not find him.

    Erick stealthily hid behind one of the big trees, climbing on top of the uprooted root. He held his breath, not wanting to catch the animal''s attention. Erick fingered the amulet that was around him. The amulet may have protected him from supernatural beings but it probably was ineffective against living things.

    Erick was glad that his sense of hearing was better than normal.

    He looked around to see whether it has a "friend" with it. He let out a breath of relief when he saw it was alone.

    Erick held his breath again as he backed against the trunk of the tree. He waited for the animal to walk passed him. He hoped it doesn''t smell him.

    Erick discreetly smell himself and nodded inwardly. Nope, no smell.

    He waited for a few more minutes until the animal was finally out of sight. He let out a breath of relief again. ''I need to get out of here and fast,'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 20 - 18: The little wolf

    More than a week has passed and Erick was still inside Kraken forest. Darkness still persist inside the forest, making Erick to be unaware of the time. He himself did not even realize that he had spent a week inside the forest. He spent most of the days, trying to avoid the animals that roam in the forest, at the same time, looking for the plant.

    Many times, he also encountered several rogues. But as he got closer, he realized that they were just illusions. He was glad that he had kept himself calm and with the help of Dane, who constantly growled him into reality, the illusions were not working against him. In fact, it was the least of his worries in the forest. It wasn''t as scary as he thought it would be.

    Erick had also taken note on which areas that were infested with dangerous animals and which were not. He had encountered several animals that seem dangerous to him. It had been a nerve-wracking time for him, where at one time, he had hid in a small cave for nearly a day. After hiding, he went straight back to his safe spot. Luckily, at that time, the distance between where he was and where he had stashed his duffel bag was not that far.

    A few days ago, he noticed something abnormal about the safe spot. He wondered why the animals avoided the place. He did not mention about the supernatural beings because he assumed it was probably because of the amulet he was wearing. It was then he carefully explored the area, looking through every inch of it. After much exploration, he noticed several sparkling white rock, the size of a big pebble that looked like a diamond, on the side of the stream.

    Erick had noticed it when he was swimming in the stream. He had dived underwater and saw it laying on side of the stream walls. It looked out of place with all the grey rocks around. He had grabbed one of the rocks and brought it out of the stream. He wanted to test whether the rocks had something to do with the animals not coming closer to the stream.

    One time, he was exploring other areas, with the rock inside his pocket. For several days, he did not encounter any dangerous animals. So, since then, he usually carried the rock with him.

    At the safe spot, Erick was sitting on the ground with his duffel bag in front of him. He was getting worried. His food supplies were decreasing at an alarming rate. In another week, he would no longer have any food left.

    Erick scratched his head, trying to think of a solution. This is very troubling. How could he survive without food? He gave out a long sigh. Seems like he really to find the plant as soon as possible.

    He was contemplating on what to do next when he noticed some rustling at the nearby bush.

    He frowned, wondering what it could be. He knew it couldn''t be an animal because the rocks here helped to prevent them from entering the area.

    Just then, he saw something fluffy walking out from behind one of the large bushes. Erick blinked his eyes in disbelief as he watched a little wolf struggling to walk. It was quite small, just the size of a little puppy. Its grey mane was covered with blood. It was limping but then it stopped when it saw Erick in its sight. It tried to hide back behind the bush but it seems too weak.

    This made Erick more curious. How could the little wolf walked here? He assumed that it probably did not sense the rocks and it was too weak to detect it.

    Erick slowly approached the little wolf. When the little wolf saw Erick approaching it, it struggled to move faster. In the end, Erick stopped in front of it, a few meters away so that it won''t be scared. Erick slowly held out his hand, saying softly, "Hey there, little guy. It''s OK. I won''t hurt you."

    The little wolf warily looked at Erick''s hand. It seems to be afraid of Erick.

    Just then, Dane''s voice voiced out in his mind. ''Let me help,'' he said.

    Seconds later, Erick felt something changed in him. He looked down at his body and saw nothing physically changed. He wonders what Dane was doing.

    Then, to Erick''s surprise, he saw the little wolf approached his hand at its own will. It weakly licked Erick''s fingers, as if to show that it trust Erick.

    ''What did you do?'' Erick asked Dane.

    ''I just let out a bit of my power around your body,'' Dane replied. ''It sensed that you''re not a danger and is the same kind as us.''

    ''Same kind?'' Erick repeated.

    ''Wolf.''

    Minutes later, Erick was cleaning the blood off the little wolf and had wrapped bandages around its hind leg. ''I should bring him over to Melody when I get back,'' Erick thought grimly. ''I just hope it doesn''t get worse if I just leave it like this.''

    ''It should be OK. The injury doesn''t seem to be serious. And the leg is just sprained,'' Dane reassured. ''And the blood doesn''t seem to be coming from it.''

    ''You think the blood was from something else?'' Erick asked.

    ''More like something it was close to. Probably its parents.''

    Erick''s eyes widened. ''Then we should look for them. They might be in danger.''

    ''I believed we''re too late. If we weren''t, it wouldn''t have run here,'' Dane answered.

    ''Even so, at least we should give it a proper burial,'' Erick insisted.

    ''Alright,'' Dane agreed.

    Erick carefully placed the little wolf inside his backpack, with its head sticking out of it. He hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder, with its compartment in front of him, on his chest. He was wearing his backpack backwards so that he can see the little wolf in front of him.

    Once he was done, he set off to where he had found the little wolf. He retraced back the path that the little wolf had come from. It was different from the path that Erick had taken. He became more alert, careful not to get trapped or get sneak-attacked. Even if he has the rock and amulet with him, it does not hurt to be cautious as well.

    Less than an hour later, Erick found himself in another area of the forest. The trees were more thick, making the area darker than the area Erick previously went to. He had to switch on his flashlight to see his way.

    He climbed several uprooted roots and dodged several vines along the way. And after passing by several trees, the little wolf let out a small whimper.

    ''I smell dead bodies,'' Dane said.

    Erick stopped and became more alert. He moved his flashlight around and finally, the light shined on two dead wolves, lying amidst the pile of leaves. Apparently, something had covered them with leaves before moving on. Something as in the little wolf. It probably tried to make a burial for its parents and it can only cover them with the leaves.

    Erick moved closer to the dead wolves, cautiously stepping near, afraid that it might wake up at any moment and kill him.

    Erick could sense Dane rolling his eyes and said, ''I already told you that they are dead.''

    ''You might never know~'' Erick replied back.

    ''Do you not trust my instinct?'' Dane snarled.

    Erick winced inwardly. ''I do, I do,'' he said hurriedly. He then crouched down in front of the bodies. It were frozen stiff as if it has been hours since they had died. Looking at their wounds, it seems like they had been in a really tough fight. With what, Erick did not know. But one thing for sure, he has to get out of the place before the attacker comes and kill him as well. It does not seem safe around here.

    Erick stood up, his hands on his h.i.p.s. ''Wait a minute,'' he suddenly thought. ''How am I going to bury them when I don''t even have a shovel??''

    ''Find a digging stick, dumbass,'' Dane scolded.

    ''What the feck? Why are you calling me a ''dumbass''?'' Erick asked in disbelief. Sometimes he wonders whether Dane hates him or not. And even if he did, why did he chose him as his human counterpart?

    ''What''s a digging stick?'' Erick asked again, confused.

    ''It is what people used to use when there were no shovels and diggers around. Find the sturdiest and durable type of wood and make sure it has a flat head point,'' Dane instructed.

    Erick immediately went to look for one, placing his backpack with the little wolf inside on the ground. He began to search the nearby area with his flashlight. It took him more than an hour to look for one that Dane was satisfied with. Earlier, Dane had been rejecting all the woods that Erick had found, with reasons such as ''not strong enough'', ''break easily'' and ''are you just too lazy to look for one?''

    When Erick finally found one, he went off to dig a hole big enough to bury the two wolves. It had taken him hours as well since he was alone and the ground was hard. But luckily, his strength was stronger than normal humans. Usually, digging a hole would take nearly half a day. But for Erick, it took him two to three hours.

    After burying the wolves, Erick decided to return back to his safe spot.

    Few minutes later, Erick was already in his safe spot, where he had already pitched a tent. He also had set up his campfire. He decided to eat some instant noodles again. This time, he had the cup noodles version. He boiled some water and once it was done boiling, he poured it into his cup noodles. He began to eat it, giving some to the little wolf, which was on his lap, covered with a small towel.

    After eating, he began to settle down for the night, with the little wolf beside him.

 Chapter 21 - 19: The legend of the White wolf

    For a couple of days, Erick had been busy taking care of the little wolf and also walking around to look for the plant.

    He was glad that at least, he has someone to talk to, other than Dane. Even if the wolf could only growled and yipped out its answers.

    For now, the wolf''s injury was not as serious as before. It was lucky that it only sprained its hind leg, and there were no other visible wounds on its body. All Erick had to do was keep on retying its bandage and make sure it does not put any weight on its leg. The fact that Erick had always carried the wolf in his arms helped a lot in its healing process.

    It was getting darker when Erick finally called it a day, he was walking towards the stream, about to get some water. He was cooking instant noodles again that night. It was then, he saw something in front of him. He could not be sure whether it was real or not.

    ''Huh, another wolf?'' he thought, looking up.

    Just across the stream, on the other side, stood a lone and large white wolf. It was bigger than the size of a normal wolf. It probably has the same size as Dane''s.

    It was a beautiful white wolf, white and pure as snow. Its mane looked shiny and clean, making it looked brighter against the dimmed sky. Its eyes were of clear amber colour; a tint of yellow copper with hues of green-hazel and brown. As their eyes met, Erick could see the reflective light casted from the wolf''s irises, making it look more golden.

    What Erick did not notice was that the wolf was actually translucent, a bit blurry. Currently, what Erick was seeing at that moment was a white wolf spirit, not a real wolf. He was too mesmerized and in awe at the sight of the white wolf. This was exactly the same white wolf spoken in legends. According to their history, a white wolf was rare, especially one with amber eyes.

    Every few centuries, there were talks about how there were usually a white wolf that will appear in a pack. One should take note that all werewolves/shifters in a pack are usually brown, grey or black. Never white.

    So far, Erick had never heard any news of an appearance of a white wolf in any pack. The latest news of its appearance was centuries ago. He believed that having a white wolf in a pack can be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it was believed that they will bring prosperity, luck and wealth. A curse because whenever there is a white wolf appearing in a pack, it usually means that there will be a war or disaster about to happen.

    Though, it was also said that only the white wolf was the one who can make everything alright. Historians of a pack once researched about the white wolf where they had believed that the white wolf was actually born from a Lycan. And its blood and mane colour were hereditary.

    Lycan was another one from the legends. It was said that before werewolves exist, there were the lycans. They used to rule over the werewolves and had more power than the werewolves. And another thing that differentiates the lycans was their pure white fur.

    Centuries ago, before the war that took place in Burkendall town, there was another huge war. That time, it was between the Lycans and the Hunters. Similarly before, humans and lycans used to roam the earth together in peace. But there were many anti-lycans who were jealous and fear the power of the lycans. They do not believe that lycans should be alive. These anti-lycans were worried that they would submit and perished under the lycan''s rule. Hence, they pretended to befriend the lycans.

    For many years, they had deceived the lycans into becoming their friends, before exterminating the whole lycan species. Only a few had escaped the massacre and hid among the humans, weakening their lycan powers because they had to suppress their inner lycans.

    But years after in hiding, with the help of some helpful humans, who still believed that they can work and live together, the lycans rose up once more.

    Unfortunately, without them realizing it, their lineage started to fade. This was because they had spent many years together with the humans, not just working and living together but also mating with them.

    Soon after, the lycans diminished to a few. The appearance of the pure white fur of the lycans were rarely seen. Hence why most werewolves'' furs were darken to grey, black and brown. And that is the werewolves of today.

    Despite the fact that they were at peace with some humans, there were still some anti-lycans roaming around. Years after the great war, it was thought that there would no longer be more wars. But unfortunately, it was proved wrong when there were news of a town being destroyed. Town after town were destroyed. It was later found out that these anti-lycans thought the towns were hiding lycans.

    Back then, the werewolves were not as strong as the lycans. They were more peaceful and decided to hide in the shadows. They always thought that they do not have the same powers as the great lycans. Even if there were less lycans, it was unsure whether they were still alive or not, at that time. Ashamed and weak, the werewolves back then, did not stood up to defend their honor and helped.

    Until one day, one werewolf, stood alone, amidst the crowd. Furious at how these anti-lycans had insulted his heritage and race, he declared war against these anti-lycans. He was one of the Alpha of a pack in a Southern country. Standing before the faces of the anti-lycans and much to everyone''s shock, he shifted into a werewolf. What comes next, shocked everyone more. Instead of the usual grey, brown or black fur, the werewolf in front of them were of magnificent white. The eyes of the werewolf were the colour of the brilliant blue; clear blue like the impeccable sky.

    After watching the Alpha killing off some of the anti-lycans, it was then they realized that the werewolf was different from them. It has faster healing abilities, seeing how the Alpha''s wounds from the fight speedily healed and its speed and power were doubled, compared to werewolves. They further realized that this Alpha was a lycan. To be exact, one of the descendents or those who inherit the lycans.

    With a roar from the Alpha, the other werewolves became more motivated and their belief in their strength soared. They, soon, followed the Alpha''s lead. To their surprised delight, there were also some humans who had joined in the fight. They, too, were angered at the fact that the anti-lycans were too absorbed into their hatred for lycans, that they would also killed their fellow humans.

    The war took two years to end.

    The werewolves and the humans soon won the war against the anti-lycans. It was a devastating war where hundreds of thousands were killed and injured. Towns slowly disappearing after being destroyed. And the werewolves themselves slowly kept to themselves, not wanting to add more to the destruction. Even if they won the war, it had weakened the powers of the werewolves badly.

    The Alpha who had inherited the lycan''s power has also slowly disappear. After the war, he and his pack had moved away from the town they lived before. It was unsure whether he was still alive or not but he had left great stories behind. And also hope that should not have died.

    There were rumours of where people had seen many white wolves but they were just normal wolves, not werewolves. So, now, even if some people lived together harmoniously with some shifters. It was not the same for everyone, and this includes the Kendalls. Even if there were some people who knew about the shifters, it was kept quiet.

    Hence why Erick fell speechless when he caught sight of the white wolf. He shook his head and closed his eyes, thinking, ''Could it be real? How can it be?''

    But when he opened his eyes, the white wolf was gone. Erick frowned. ''Was it really my imagination?'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 22 - 20: Mission accomplished!

    Shaking his head out of the image, he continued to scoop more water into his pot. He has no time to think about the white wolf. Even if it was real, he doubts that anyone would believe him. So, he rather kept the news about the appearance of the white wolf to himself. He did not want to be mocked by others.

    After he was done getting the water, he placed the pot on top of the campfire and waited for the water to boil. He tore open the instant noodle packet and put the noodles inside. After putting six uncooked noodles inside, he started to tear open the packets which holds the sauces and oils. Setting aside his big plate with the sauces and oil, he waited for his noodles to cook. At the same time, he looked over at the little wolf, checking to see if it was alright or not.

    Earlier on, he had laid a small towel on the ground and wrapped the wolf with it. He then placed the wolf beside him, thinking that it might receive some heat from Erick''s body. He was worried that it would get cold during the night.

    After the noodles have cooked, Erick strained and poured it onto his big plate and mixed them well. He finished them within minutes. He did not expect that he would be this hungry. He poured a bit of water in a small bowl and placed it near the wolf. Erick also fed it some biscuits so that it would not get hungry.

    Erick scratched his head. ''Maybe I should go fishing tomorrow and get some fish for the pup,'' he thought. ''I don''t think it would be good to keep feeding it biscuits all the time.''

    Once the wolf had finished off the biscuit, it began to rubbed itself against Erick''s leg. Erick carefully carried the wolf, along with the towel and brought it inside the tent. Before settling in, he did not forget to put out the fire, worried that the fire might have caught onto something.

    Erick pulled the wolf closer to his body and watched as the wolf started to doze off. Once the wolf had fallen asleep, Erick, too, began to sleep. ''I''ll probably continue my search tomorrow morning,'' he thought to himself.

    The next morning.

    It was six o''clock in the morning and the sun has just rose up, slowly lightening the darkened sky with soft blue blanket.

    Seeing that the little wolf was still asleep, Erick decided to go fishing in the stream. He took a long stick and tied a durable string with a bait, made of crickets that he had found nearby. Luckily, he saw some crickets at a nearby bush and remembered that it was good for bait.

    After he was done making his fishing rod, he sat down on a rock, beside the stream and began to fish. While he was fishing, he was also thinking on how to find the plant. It was making him feel helpless. With vague description and a glimpse of how it looks like, Erick was worried that this may take weeks or months.

    Erick shook his head in resignation. He was lucky that he was able to get leave from school. It was nearly the end of the semester, hence why it was easy for him to get leave. And he has Hamish to help cover him, by writing notes and all. Erick was not a studious person by default. But he just doesn''t like to feel lost, especially when it comes to studies. Even if he does not like studying.

    Minutes have passed and the bait was not biting. At some point, the little wolf has woken up and weakly walked towards Erick. It collapsed beside Eric''s leg and rubbed its snout against Erick.

    Erick rubbed its head. "Don''t worry, I''ll catch us some fish to eat," Erick reassured.

    ''Seems like it has gotten attached to you,'' Dane commented.

    "It probably sees me as its parents already since it no longer has one," Erick replied.

    ''What will you name it?'' Dane asked. It has been more than a week and he still had not given it a name. Before, Erick would only call it, ''hey you'' or ''woi''.

    Erick scratched his head. He was never good at giving names. "Uh, Whitey? Snow? Fluffball?" Erick suggested.

    Erick felt Dane rolling his eyes at his name suggestions.

    Erick stroked his chin, thinking. "Lukaˇ­" He murmured.

    Dane was silent before he said out loud, ''That''s a good name, for once.''

    Erick nodded. He then turned to the little wolf and stroked its mane. "From now on, your name is Luka. It means ''Light'' in Russian. In this dark forest, you are basically my ''light'' here."

    The little wolf or now, Luka, growled his agreement, seemingly to like the name already.

    ''Lameˇ­ But alright,'' Dane replied.

    Erick rolled his eyes. Dane never did have anything nice to say to him.

    Just as he was about to change his area of fishing, he thought he saw something sparkling. It was beside a bunch of rocks piled up beside the stream. He placed his fishing rod on the ground and walked over, trying to get a closer look.

    As Erick got closer, he also smell something earthy. To his surprise, it came from the rocks. He crouched down in front of the rocks and saw a sparkle in between the rocks. As he pushed the rocks away, his eyes widened.

    There stood a lone plant. The sparkle came from its pores and it has an uprooted reddish orange roots. And the leaf was covered with dotted blue and black markings. As Erick sniffed at the plant, it emitted a strong earthy yet minty kind of smell.

    Erick grinned, a look of happiness evident on his face.

    It''s the Adorosa!

    Erick quickly got up and ran to his tent to grab the pot that Paccia had given him to place the plant in. With the pot on his hand, he carefully dug through the ground with his hand and place the plant carefully inside it, together with its soil.

    Erick happily went back to his tent and placed the pot inside his backpack.

    With that done, he was so happy that he did not think of food.

    But then Luka whimpered, indicating that it was probably hungry.

    Erick laughed awkwardly. ''Oh, I forgot that I got an injured wolf here,'' he thought sheepishly.

    He quickly washed his hands and continued to fish. He planned that once they were done fishing and eating, they would immediately set out for home.

    It took them nearly an hour for his bait to finally caught onto something. Erick felt even more happy. He felt like today seems like his lucky day.

    He caught a couple few and put them on his cooking pot. He made another campfire and poke a stick through the fish lengthwise. He then directly placed the fish near the fire and waited for it to cook, turning flaky.

    Once cooked, Erick carefully debone one of the fish and feed it to Luka.

    Few minutes later, the campfire was out, the tent was already folded and placed inside his backpack. The pot that contained the plant was also carefully stored inside the backpack. Cradled in his arms was Luka, who looked more energized after eating.

    Erick took out his phone and saw that the signal was still off. He sighed. Seems like he would be able to use the phone once he was out of this forest.

    Again, it was a good thing that Erick had a good memory. So, he still could remember the way out. And even if he doesn''t, he did remember to marked the trees to indicate the way out.

    He then began to venture out of the forest, relying on his memory and the markings.

    In less than an hour and a half, he was finally out of the forest. He collapsed at the exit of the forest, letting out a breath of relief. "Feels good to finally out of the forest," he said to himself.

    He quickly shot a message to Roel, asking him whether he could pick him up.

    Roel replied back, saying that he will be there soon. Roel had let out a sigh of relief when he received Erick''s message. From how Erick had texted him, it appears that he was quite alright.

    An hour later, Erick was finally at Paccia''s house. Roel had dropped him there. At first, he was surprised to see Luka in Erick''s arms. He was about to ask Erick some questions but Erick had said that he will explained later after he gave the Adorosa to Paccia.

    Standing at the front door of Paccia''s house, Erick knocked on the door.

    The door slowly opened.

 Chapter 23 - 21: Back to school

    An hour later, Erick finally arrived at Paccia''s house where Roel had dropped him there. At first, he was surprised to see Luka in Erick''s arms. He was about to ask Erick some questions but Erick had said that he will explained later after he gave the Adorosa to Paccia. Roel nodded and trusted Erick will tell him what had happened in Kraken forest. Personally, Roel was actually surprised to see Erick safe and sound. He was expecting a broken leg or something. He did not expect Erick to be safe and added to that, has a little wolf with him, as well.

    Standing at the front door of Paccia''s house, Erick knocked on the door, with Luka on one arm and one hand holding the pot with Adorosa. Erick had hoped to finish this mission as soon as possible. So that he can rest before moving on to another mission.

    The door slowly opened.

    Before he could say anything, the pot that was in his hand was suddenly taken from him.

    Erick''s eyes widened and he began to panic. "What the-" he stuttered, his hand still in the air. He thought that there was a fast thief waiting to steal the pot.

    "I knew you can do it!" a gleeful voice rang out.

    Erick looked up and saw Paccia holding the pot with both of her hands, an excited look on her face. She was rubbing the pot gleefully, snickering. Behind her, stood a huge cauldron, that was nearly her height. It was a black metallic cauldron, similar to how it looks like in most books with witches. It also has a wide mouth, supported by four legs. Though, Paccia was a witch herself, so no surprise there.

    Erick followed Paccia inside, who was walking towards the boiling cauldron. He watched in shock, at the same person who has been cradling the pot like a newborn baby earlier on and now, had roughly opened the lid of the pot . She then grabbed the plant out of the pot and threw it unceremoniously into the boiling cauldron. There were sounds of hissing and crackle coming from the cauldron.

    Erick became more shocked as he watched Paccia grabbed a long wooden stirrer, which was the height of a small child and used it to stamped the plant inside. She began to roughly grind the plant in the cauldron until it flattens.

    "Uhhhhˇ­" Erick began. "What are you doing?" he asked nervously. In his arms, Luka began to yelped non-stop at the cauldron. It seems like it, too, suspected something foul and suspicious. Erick began to feel that something was wrong.

    Paccia stopped and turned to him. She then let go of the stirrer and walked towards Erick. She stood in front of him and on her tip-toes, took a strand of his hair.

    "Ouch!" he howled, his hand went straight to his head where she had plucked a strand of his hair. "Why did you take a strand of my hair? What do you need it for?" he began to shoot questions at her.

    Paccia ignored his question and walked back to the cauldron. She dropped the strand into the cauldron and continue stirring.

    "What are you making?" he asked again. He was confused by Paccia''s weird actions.

    "I''m making a love potion," she declared. "I''m gonna get me a man!" she chuckled as she waved away the smog and fumes coming from the cauldron away from her face.

    Erick unconsciously stepped back in fear, his eyes widened. Funnily enough, Luka also nestled deeper into Erick''s arms. Again, it seems like it, too, was suspicious and scared of Paccia

    Paccia, who noticed the pair''s action, let out a loud laughter. "Haha! I was just kidding, pup," she reassured him, as she turned back to the cauldron, stirring.

    Erick ran a hand through his hair, cold sweat still on his back. ''Why does it seem like she was not kidding?'' he thought, inwardly shuddering.

    ------

    A couple of weeks later, Erick had fully recovered from the injuries that he had. It was his first day of school, after the weeks he had spent in the forest. His father dropped him near the entrance of the school with a warning to not get into trouble again.

    Erick could only nodded wearily. He was getting tired, mentally and physically. Ever since he got back from his small adventure at the forest, Paccia and his father had given him lots of tasks. Other than looking for certain items, he had helped around the house, doing his mother''s chores as well as helping the elderly humans at the town''s nursing home. He did not expect that the elderly people could be so demanding and nagging.

    Erick was still standing on the sidewalk, watching his father drive off. He could see Luka inside the car, his paws on the window, looking at him. He felt like he was the one who was being abandoned by the little wolf.

    For Erick, he was glad that Luka had healed pretty well. After being nursed to good health by Melody, Erick had adopted Luka as his pet. His parents were surprised when they saw Erick brought it back home. At first, Luka was scared of them, not used to other people, other than Erick. Soon after, his mother had ''bribed'', wait no, babied it with lots of food and love. It then slowly came to like his mother. In fact, it probably loved his mother more than him. It was still scared of Lachlan. Probably, it could sense Lachlan''s Alpha aura.

    Even though it was still scared of Lachlan, his mother still ordered his father to bring Luka to work. This was because his mother had to clean the house again. She has this obsessive-compulsive disorder when it comes to cleaning. It seems like she was not satisfied with the work Erick had done around the house. Not that he really care much.

    Erick sighed. He wished that he was Luka right now. He doesn''t feel like going to school. But he had missed so many classes so he could not afford to miss one more. Also, he misses practice a lot.

    He was still standing on the sidewalk. Hamish had texted him earlier that he was on his way to school. So Erick decided to wait for him.

    A few minutes later, Hamish arrived. He waved his father goodbye as he stepped out of the car. After watching him drive off, Hamish turned to Erick with a weary look on his face. There were bags underneath his eyes, which can be seen through his glasses. Even though, he looked tired, but it doesn''t stopped Hamish to looked smart, wearing his usual dress shirt and slacks.

    "That bad, huh?" Erick commented, looking at him from head to toe.

    Hamish could only sighed in resignation.

    The two of them walked together towards the school. There were a group of girls hanging out near the entrance of the school. One of them broke away from the group and went towards them. She slid an arm around Erick''s arm. "Hey, you''re back! How are you?"

    Erick looked down at the pretty girl beside him. ''Feck,'' he thought. He was racking through his mind, trying to remember her name but still, nothing rings a bell. Erick let out a forced smile. "Hey, yeah. Doing good here, babe."

    The girl tightened her hold on Erick''s arm, pressing it closer to her chest. "That''s great. What do you say to a movie with me later tonight?" she asked, giving him a flirty smile.

    Before Erick could say a word, Hamish cut in and said, "We''re still grounded, Tania."

    ''Oh, that''s her name,'' Erick thought. ''Thank god Hamish has good memory.''

    The girl, Tania, pouted. "Grounded? How old are you to still be grounded?" she protested.

    Hamish stared at her with cold eyes. "Who''s to say that age has to do with being grounded? Even if you''ve become an old hag, you''d probably be grounded for disturbing the peace with your face."

    Tania gasped.

    Erick inwardly face-palmed himself. Sometimes, Hamish can be too blunt with his words. Especially to those who annoys him, no matter what gender.

    The girl dropped Erick''s arm and huffed. "Well, I''ve never!" She then stomped off towards her group of friends, who had been watching the whole conversation.

    If it''s not Dane, it''s usually Hamish, who "help" push the girls away from him. Sometimes Erick wonder what has he done in his past life to deserve a "friend" like Hamish or a "wolf" like Dane.

    Erick sighed as he watched another girl slipped through his arms. All "thanks" to Hamish. Erick whirled around and frowned at Hamish, who pretends to not know anything.

    Erick sighed again as he followed Hamish inside the school.

    At the locker area, they were stopped by Coach Gundlach, who reminded them to not forget about practice after school.

    The two of them cursed inwardly. They nearly forgot about practice, which was unusual for them. They assumed it''s probably because they were too tired from the punishment given by the pack.

 Chapter 24 - Side story: Hamish [1]

    The scene after receiving punishment from Roel.

    Hamish followed behind Dewei warily. He had heard stories about the shifter in front of him. If he needs one word to describe this researcher, it would be ''crazy''. He remembered about the stories that the triplets told him and Erick about Dewei laughing maniacally in the wee morning.

    Although, it was the first time that Hamish had met Dewei but from the stories that he had heard, it was like he personally knew him. Some of the older shifters used to warn them, telling the younger ones to avoid this researcher. There were also stories of Dewei dragging unruly and mischievous young shifters to his laboratory to experiment on them. Hamish wasn''t sure whether that was true or not but back then, as a young pup, he was terrified. His father, the Beta of the pack, also like to talk to him about Dewei to make him feel scared. He was like, the ''bogeyman'' of the pack.

    Watching him now, Hamish was trying to find out what makes this shifter crazy. Was he really crazy, like those typical mad scientists in fictional stories? Or was he just eccentric and misunderstood? He knew that he was a nice man, or else, the Alpha wouldn''t have welcomed him into the pack a few years ago. Though, he knew some of the pack mates avoided him because he was different. Different in the sense of how he looked. Hamish was disappointed at some of the pack mates for having such ignorant thinking. One should not see a person based on their colour and race. At least, that''s what his mother has always taught him.

    A few minutes later, they finally arrived in front of a small cottage, which was in between the pack house and several cottages for the mated shifters in the pack. It was a small brick bungalow with a chimney. Inside, there were a couple of rooms; a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and a huge laboratory space.

    Hamish was lost in thoughts when Dewei called out to him to come inside. He stood inside, an awed look on his face as he looked around him. It seems like the shifter had converted this house as his personal laboratory. Hamish was surprised as he only know of it now. He knew that only mated shifters have their own house. And he also knew that Dewei does not have a mate. Yet he has his own house. It seems like the Alpha hold high regard for this researcher. He pursed his lips, thinking. Probably shifters who have a high position or hold great responsibility, have their own house, despite having no mate.

    "What are you doing standing there? C''mere!"

    Hamish blinked his eyes, shaking his head out of the thoughts. He looked up and saw Dewei grinning at him. He was standing in front of three huge machines. Two machines were arranged side-by-side while the other one was placed on the other side, making a ''L'' shape. The machines looked sophisticated and complicated. There were several monitors with touchscreen interface implanted in the machines, together with output trays. The machines have a flat top surface. Other than that, there were also several trash bins near the machines and papers littered on the floor. Huge boxes were piled up on the other side of the room that reads ''Silvers'' and ''Cylinders''.

    He walked over to stand beside Dewei and waited for orders.

    Dewei laughed when he saw Hamish standing still. "You young ones are so stiff these days," he chuckled. He then began to instruct Hamish on things to do. His tasks were simple. It was to clean the area and helped him with the stuff. Because Dewei wasn''t getting any younger, he needed someone young to helped him carry the things he needed for his research.

    Hamish was sweeping the floor, when he noticed something in the kitchen. He walked over and was shocked to see the scene in front of him.

    The kitchen was a mess. There were literally food on the floor, piles of dirty dishes in the sink, and the rubbish bin was full until it cannot be closed by the lid. He immediately covered his nose from the smell. It smells really foul inside the kitchen. He wondered how Dewei can really survived in this place. He quickly ran over to Dewei, who was writing something on his clipboard.

    "Uh, sir," Hamish called out softly.

    Dewei looked up with a frown. "What is it?"

    "When was the last time you used the kitchen?" he asked.

    The researcher frowned, as if he was trying to remember when. Then he suddenly guffawed as a flash of remembrance swept by him. "Probably few months ago," he replied, chuckling.

    Hamish''s eyes widened in shock. No wonder it smells really foul in there! He probably forgot that the kitchen even exist! He sighed. "Then I''ll go clean the kitchen."

    Dewei nodded, his eyes already on the clipboard as he continued writing. He waved Hamish away, already forgetting about the kitchen.

    It took Hamish nearly a day to clean the kitchen. He had made several trips to the dumpster, throwing the expired food and utensils that can''t be used anymore. He had wiped the windows, tables and chairs twice, as well as mopping the floor. He even had to rearrange the utensils in the cupboards and clean the fridge.

    Once he was done, he sat down on the chair, slumped over the table. He felt exhausted. The only time he was this exhausted was during practice. He did not expect he would get this tired from cleaning the kitchen. And it was just one room. While he was throwing the trash, he also noticed the bedroom as he walked by. From the glimpse of it, he could tell that the bedroom was also a mess. He sighed in resignation. This researcher was probably one of the messiest people he had ever met. This was probably why Roel had assigned him to this shifter. He knew that Hamish was a neat freak.

    He walked out of the kitchen and saw Dewei still standing in front of the machines. The researcher looked up and noticed Hamish standing at the kitchen door. He then asked, "Are you done?"

    Hamish nodded.

    "Great. Did you see the boxes outside, with the word, ''Metals''?" he further asked.

    Hamish nodded again.

    "Great, bring them over here. All of them. Thank you."

    Hamish inwardly groaned. ''I''m going to die of exhaustion,'' he thought to himself. He then wonder what Erick was doing right now. He probably has a great time, compared to him.

 Chapter 25 - 23: Memories

    Erick walked straight, heading towards the backyard, passing by the empty offices and mess hall. Before going inside, he thought he heard some noises from outside. But since Dane was quiet, he assumed that it must be safe. He knew that Dane would only called out to him if there was something amiss.

    Pushing open the door, he was suddenly bombarded with party streamers and yells of ''Surprise! Happy birthday, Erick!''.

    He was frozen for a split second before he blinked his eyes, pushing him back into reality. He looked around and saw that everyone in the pack had gathered at the backyard. There were some who even shifted into their wolf form. Apparently, his mother had worked hard to gather everyone here, together with his friends to celebrate his birthday party.

    He did not realize how fast time passes by. So many things had happened that it had just slipped his mind. He smiled sheepishly as he return their greetings with thank yous.

    The backyard had been beautifully decorated with balloons decorated on the wall at the back of the house and streamers that had been lined around the area. There were also a medium-sized banner just across from where Erick had walked in, that reads ''Happy Birthday, Erick''. At the back of the banner, stood a tall backdrop that looked like it will be used to take pictures with. Additionally, the foods were arranged in buffet style, where there were two long tables on both sides of the area, adorned with varieties of dishes.

    Erick inwardly groaned. It seems like they had gone overboard with the celebration. He did not expect it would be this hyped. He had always expected that he would celebrate his birthday in a low profile kind of style. But it seems like his mother was too excited. And knowing his father, he probably just follow whatever his mother demand.

    As Erick looked at the food that were arranged on the buffet table, more girls around his age began to swamped him, saying their congratulatory messages. There were many kinds of girls that were in the pack; short, tall, beautiful, brunette, blonde and etc. But they have the same goal in their mind, which was to be his mate. Since he was of age, he will be able to fully shift in a couple of weeks, when the full moon arrives.

    Erick loved the attention that the girls had given him so he did not mind and began to enjoy his time with them. He always sees this as a harmless flirtation since he wants to wait for his mate.

    Few minutes later, Erick''s father walked to the center of the backyard and began his speech. He talked about the full moon and also talk about Erick; how he was proud to have a son like him. Speaking of full moon, Erick looked over at Hamish, who was standing and talking with the other pack mates. Hamish''s birthday will be in a couple of days so he too, will be able to shift soon.

    He really can''t wait for the day to come. Who knows that he might be able to meet his mate once he has fully shift? That would bring such great joy to Erick if that were to happen.

    ----

    Once the celebration was over, there were only a few who had stayed behind to help with the clean up. Most of the men, though, went for a run with their wolves. So, it was only the women and the young ones, who has yet to shift left behind.

    In the kitchen, the women gathered around, gossiping, while cleaning the dishes. The young ones cleaned up the backyard, picking up the trash and clearing the area.

    After everything was done, everyone began to say their goodbyes to each other. The ones left were the Alpha''s family, Beta''s family and the triplets. The Alpha, Beta and the triplets were in the Alpha''s office. It seems like they were discussing something important. The women; Luella, Mary (Hamish''s mother) and Melody were still in the kitchen as they discussed about cooking and baking. Since Mary was a baker, Melody was asking for tips on how to bake wile Luella listened on. Erick and Hamish, on the other hand, were outside in the backyard, playing ball. They were practicing their tossing as they kept playing passing.

    "Soˇ­" Erick said, as he held the football up high above his head. "In a two days, huh?"

    Hamish caught the ball easily after Erick had thrown it. He nodded and tossed the ball back.

    "Are you nervous about it?"

    Hamish shook his head silently, again catching the ball.

    "What are your thoughts on it?"

    Hamish just shrugged and threw the ball at Erick.

    Fed up at his silence, Erick slammed the ball on the ground, glaring at Hamish. "Woi, speak to me, man!" he exclaimed.

    Hamish sighed and said, "I really have no thoughts on it. All I can do is prepare for the worst."

    Erick frowned, confused by his statement. "What do you mean?"

    "Hmmmmˇ­" Hamish said thoughtfully. "Before I could think about shifting, I am a bit concerned about my wolf. Will we be compatible like you and Dane? If yes, it makes me wonder on what aspects does it choose me?" he then looked at Erick straight in the eye. "What about Dane? How did he came to choose you? Have you ever talked to him about what happened? How was it you were able to control him?" he asked, curious.

    Erick stopped and looked down. He then recalled the time when he first acquired Dane.

    He was only in middle school when Dane came to him. He was in class and as usual, was joking around with his friends. Hamish was there too but they weren''t as close as they currently were. Yes, they were close friends but only because their fathers were the Alpha and Beta. To be frank, he didn''t like Hamish, at first because he was quiet and brooding. Erick remembered that just as he was about to jump onto his chair, he suddenly felt a prick of pain in his mind. The pain soon consume his whole body, making him tremble and shake uncontrollably.

    He remembered how he noticed that it was actually Hamish who first came to his rescue. He had grabbed Erick before his head hit the corner of his table. He could vaguely hear Hamish shouting for help as his consciousness started to fade.

    After he regained his consciousness, he thought he was blinded because he could not see anything. Instead, it was dark. He looked to his left and right. But what he sees were endless darkness. Just then, he saw something twinkling at the end. He felt himself moving towards the blinking lights. And as he came closer, the blinking light slowly changed into a dark brown wolf. It was a huge wolf, unlike the wolves that he had seen in the wild. Instead, the wolf looked like a shifter wolf, thrice the size of a normal wolf. He was shocked to realize that this was a shifter wolf, similar to the size of shifters when they shifted.

    Before he could raise his arm to touch it, the wolf began to bare his fangs and jumped onto him. What surprises Erick was that the wolf jumped through him. He turned at the same time as the wolf did. The two faced each other. Just then as the wolf started to howl, Erick started to feel extreme pain in his mind. His eyes began to twitch. His body felt like it was about to burst as heat began to consume every blood and veins inside him. He felt like the heated blood started to rush towards his brain, making him gritted his teeth. He could feel blood about to spurt out of his mouth. But he persisted as he held his head.

    He had to bite his tongue to regain his consciousness, blinking his eyes rapidly. He, too, began to scream as the wolf continued howling. He heavily trudged his way towards the wolf. His steps felt so heavy that it felt like he was carrying a fifty pounds load. As he became nearer to the wolf, he did not notice that the wolf was lowering its howl. When Erick was in front of it, the wolf stopped its howling and studied him with its glistening eyes.

    Erick dropped down on his knees and reached out to touch the wolf. He was surprised that this time, he could feel the wolf''s mane. Its fur was soft to touch, soft as a baby''s bum. The pain suddenly disappears and he finally could see straight. The two eyes met. Amber eyes met dark brown eyes.

    "I''ve chosen well."

    Erick blinked as he quickly stood up, backing away from the wolf. Did the wolf just speak? He had heard a voice but it seems to be coming from the wolf. But from what he understands, wolf can''t talk. It sounded rough yet serene. And the sound of a strange voice does not seem to frighten him. Instead, it sounded familiar.

    "My name is Dane. And I''ve chosen you as my human counterpart."

    "Wait, what?" Erick asked, shocked. "Who are you?"

    "I''m a shifter wolf. I''ve been searching for someone like you. A true Alpha."

    "But it''s not the time for me to shift yet!" Erick exclaimed. "I''ve not come to age!"

    The wolf began to quiet down. And instead of replying him, it dissipated into thin air. Then Erick suddenly felt something flew inside him, causing him to fall onto his knees again. He gripped his shirt where his heart beats and let out a ragged breath. He felt like he was out of breath when the wind went inside his body. The air felt thin and his lungs felt it was blocked. He couldn''t breathe at all. After a couple of minutes, his breathing and heart began to beat normally.

    He then suddenly began to feel sleepy. And the next time he opened his eyes, he was in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. His parents were sitting beside his bed. His mother was crying, with her hands gripping his tightly. Behind them, the triplets stood together, all wearing a grim look on their face. Noaz''s eyes were bloodshot as if he had spent the night crying. What had happened?

    "Mother? Father?" Erick asked hoarsely. His throat felt dry and his lips were chapped dry.

    The room went silent. His mother looked up in shock as she saw Erick looking at her, confused. Luella jumped up and hugged her son tightly as she continued to cry. This time, in happiness. "Oh my dear! You''re alive! Thank the moon goddess!"

    Erick hugged his mother back, still confused. With his arm around his mother, who was still weeping, he looked up and saw his father shedding a tear away. "What''s going on?" he asked.

    The triplets moved to his other side of the bed. Noaz gave him a pat on the head, smiling, while Latham gave him a thumbs-up, laughing. Even the silent Roel gave a rare smile.

    Lachlan, his father and Alpha, rubbed the back of his mother, soothing her, whispering to her to calm down. He then looked down at Erick, relief and joy reflected in his eyes. "You''ve been out for nearly a week. We did not know what had happened. But we did everything we could. We weren''t sure but youˇ­" he trailed off, unsure whether he could say it out loud.

    "Is this how a shifter meet their wolf?" Erick asked.

    The five shifters froze, looking at him, surprised.

    Luella straighten up, her tears now gone. Her hands on her mouth as she looked at her son. Lachlan was a little bit better. He frowned as he bent down towards Erick, looking straight in his eyes. "What do you mean, Erick?"

    "I''ve met my wolf," Erick said simply, looking back.

    His mother gasped. The triplets looked dumbfounded as they stared at the boy on the bed, disbelief on their faces. Lachlan frowned down at him. "Explain," he demanded softly.

    So, Erick began to explain to them of what he had experienced. He thought it was a dream but he knew it wasn''t because he could feel Dane inside him. They were all surprised by the revelation, yet ecstatic because it was rare for someone as young as Erick to get their wolf before they shift.

    Erick was soon swamped with lots of questions, especially from his father. It was then he knew that he was kind of special. He felt blessed yet burdened as well. Because this was just the beginning.

    Shaking himself off the memories, Erick picked up the ball and tossed it back to Hamish. "There wasn''t much that he was telling me. But I assumed that he has his reasons," he replied. "I guess I will just have to wait for the full moon for the answers."

 Chapter 26 - 23: Memories

    Erick walked straight, heading towards the backyard, passing by the empty offices and mess hall. Before going inside, he thought he heard some noises from outside. But since Dane was quiet, he assumed that it must be safe. He knew that Dane would only called out to him if there was something amiss.

    Pushing open the door, he was suddenly bombarded with party streamers and yells of ''Surprise! Happy birthday, Erick!''.

    He was frozen for a split second before he blinked his eyes, pushing him back into reality. He looked around and saw that everyone in the pack had gathered at the backyard. There were some who even shifted into their wolf form. Apparently, his mother had worked hard to gather everyone here, together with his friends to celebrate his birthday party.

    He did not realize how fast time passes by. So many things had happened that it had just slipped his mind. He smiled sheepishly as he return their greetings with thank yous.

    The backyard had been beautifully decorated with balloons decorated on the wall at the back of the house and streamers that had been lined around the area. There were also a medium-sized banner just across from where Erick had walked in, that reads ''Happy Birthday, Erick''. At the back of the banner, stood a tall backdrop that looked like it will be used to take pictures with. Additionally, the foods were arranged in buffet style, where there were two long tables on both sides of the area, adorned with varieties of dishes.

    Erick inwardly groaned. It seems like they had gone overboard with the celebration. He did not expect it would be this hyped. He had always expected that he would celebrate his birthday in a low profile kind of style. But it seems like his mother was too excited. And knowing his father, he probably just follow whatever his mother demand.

    As Erick looked at the food that were arranged on the buffet table, more girls around his age began to swamped him, saying their congratulatory messages. There were many kinds of girls that were in the pack; short, tall, beautiful, brunette, blonde and etc. But they have the same goal in their mind, which was to be his mate. Since he was of age, he will be able to fully shift in a couple of weeks, when the full moon arrives.

    Erick loved the attention that the girls had given him so he did not mind and began to enjoy his time with them. He always sees this as a harmless flirtation since he wants to wait for his mate.

    Few minutes later, Erick''s father walked to the center of the backyard and began his speech. He talked about the full moon and also talk about Erick; how he was proud to have a son like him. Speaking of full moon, Erick looked over at Hamish, who was standing and talking with the other pack mates. Hamish''s birthday will be in a couple of days so he too, will be able to shift soon.

    He really can''t wait for the day to come. Who knows that he might be able to meet his mate once he has fully shift? That would bring such great joy to Erick if that were to happen.

    ----

    Once the celebration was over, there were only a few who had stayed behind to help with the clean up. Most of the men, though, went for a run with their wolves. So, it was only the women and the young ones, who has yet to shift left behind.

    In the kitchen, the women gathered around, gossiping, while cleaning the dishes. The young ones cleaned up the backyard, picking up the trash and clearing the area.

    After everything was done, everyone began to say their goodbyes to each other. The ones left were the Alpha''s family, Beta''s family and the triplets. The Alpha, Beta and the triplets were in the Alpha''s office. It seems like they were discussing something important. The women; Luella, Mary (Hamish''s mother) and Melody were still in the kitchen as they discussed about cooking and baking. Since Mary was a baker, Melody was asking for tips on how to bake wile Luella listened on. Erick and Hamish, on the other hand, were outside in the backyard, playing ball. They were practicing their tossing as they kept playing passing.

    "Soˇ­" Erick said, as he held the football up high above his head. "In two days, huh?"

    Hamish caught the ball easily after Erick had thrown it. He nodded and tossed the ball back.

    "Are you nervous about it?"

    Hamish shook his head silently, again catching the ball.

    "What are your thoughts on it?"

    Hamish just shrugged and threw the ball at Erick.

    Fed up at his silence, Erick slammed the ball on the ground, glaring at Hamish. "Woi, speak to me, man!" he exclaimed.

    Hamish sighed and said, "I really have no thoughts on it. All I can do is prepare for the worst."

    Erick frowned, confused by his statement. "What do you mean?"

    "Hmmmmˇ­" Hamish said thoughtfully. "Before I could think about shifting, I am a bit concerned about my wolf. Will we be compatible like you and Dane? If yes, it makes me wonder on what aspects does it choose me?" he then looked at Erick straight in the eye. "What about Dane? How did he came to choose you? Have you ever talked to him about what happened? How was it you were able to control him?" he asked, curious.

    Erick stopped and looked down. He then recalled the time when he first acquired Dane.

    He was only in middle school when Dane came to him. He was in class and as usual, was joking around with his friends. Hamish was there too but they weren''t as close as they currently were. Yes, they were close friends but only because their fathers were the Alpha and Beta. To be frank, he didn''t like Hamish, at first because he was quiet and brooding. Erick remembered that just as he was about to jump onto his chair, he suddenly felt a prick of pain in his mind. The pain soon consume his whole body, making him tremble and shake uncontrollably.

    He remembered how he noticed that it was actually Hamish who first came to his rescue. He had grabbed Erick before his head hit the corner of his table. He could vaguely hear Hamish shouting for help as his consciousness started to fade.

    After he regained his consciousness, he thought he was blinded because he could not see anything. Instead, it was dark. He looked to his left and right. But what he sees were endless darkness. Just then, he saw something twinkling at the end. He felt himself moving towards the blinking lights. And as he came closer, the blinking light slowly changed into a dark brown wolf. It was a huge wolf, unlike the wolves that he had seen in the wild. Instead, the wolf looked like a shifter wolf, thrice the size of a normal wolf. He was shocked to realize that this was a shifter wolf, similar to the size of shifters when they shifted.

    Before he could raise his arm to touch it, the wolf began to bare his fangs and jumped onto him. What surprises Erick was that the wolf jumped through him. He turned at the same time as the wolf did. The two faced each other. Just then as the wolf started to howl, Erick started to feel extreme pain in his mind. His eyes began to twitch. His body felt like it was about to burst as heat began to consume every blood and veins inside him. He felt like the heated blood started to rush towards his brain, making him gritted his teeth. He could feel blood about to spurt out of his mouth. But he persisted as he held his head.

    He had to bite his tongue to regain his consciousness, blinking his eyes rapidly. He, too, began to scream as the wolf continued howling. He heavily trudged his way towards the wolf. His steps felt so heavy that it felt like he was carrying a fifty pounds load. As he became nearer to the wolf, he did not notice that the wolf was lowering its howl. When Erick was in front of it, the wolf stopped its howling and studied him with its glistening eyes.

    Erick dropped down on his knees and reached out to touch the wolf. He was surprised that this time, he could feel the wolf''s mane. Its fur was soft to touch, soft as a baby''s bum. The pain suddenly disappears and he finally could see straight. The two eyes met. Amber eyes met dark brown eyes.

    "I''ve chosen well."

    Erick blinked as he quickly stood up, backing away from the wolf. Did the wolf just speak? He had heard a voice but it seems to be coming from the wolf. But from what he understands, wolf can''t talk. It sounded rough yet serene. And the sound of a strange voice does not seem to frighten him. Instead, it sounded familiar.

    "My name is Dane. And I''ve chosen you as my human counterpart."

    "Wait, what?" Erick asked, shocked. "Who are you?"

    "I''m a shifter wolf. I''ve been searching for someone like you. A true Alpha."

    "But it''s not the time for me to shift yet!" Erick exclaimed. "I''ve not come to age!"

    The wolf began to quiet down. And instead of replying him, it dissipated into thin air. Then Erick suddenly felt something flew inside him, causing him to fall onto his knees again. He gripped his shirt where his heart beats and let out a ragged breath. He felt like he was out of breath when the wind went inside his body. The air felt thin and his lungs felt it was blocked. He couldn''t breathe at all. After a couple of minutes, his breathing and heart began to beat normally.

    He then suddenly began to feel sleepy. And the next time he opened his eyes, he was in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. His parents were sitting beside his bed. His mother was crying, with her hands gripping his tightly. Behind them, the triplets stood together, all wearing a grim look on their face. Noaz''s eyes were bloodshot as if he had spent the night crying. What had happened?

    "Mother? Father?" Erick asked hoarsely. His throat felt dry and his lips were chapped dry.

    The room went silent. His mother looked up in shock as she saw Erick looking at her, confused. Luella jumped up and hugged her son tightly as she continued to cry. This time, in happiness. "Oh my dear! You''re alive! Thank the moon goddess!"

    Erick hugged his mother back, still confused. With his arm around his mother, who was still weeping, he looked up and saw his father shedding a tear away. "What''s going on?" he asked.

    The triplets moved to his other side of the bed. Noaz gave him a pat on the head, smiling, while Latham gave him a thumbs-up, laughing. Even the silent Roel gave a rare smile.

    Lachlan, his father and Alpha, rubbed the back of his mother, soothing her, whispering to her to calm down. He then looked down at Erick, relief and joy reflected in his eyes. "You''ve been out for nearly a week. We did not know what had happened. But we did everything we could. We weren''t sure but youˇ­" he trailed off, unsure whether he could say it out loud.

    "Is this how a shifter meet their wolf?" Erick asked.

    The five shifters froze, looking at him, surprised.

    Luella straighten up, her tears now gone. Her hands on her mouth as she looked at her son. Lachlan was a little bit better. He frowned as he bent down towards Erick, looking straight in his eyes. "What do you mean, Erick?"

    "I''ve met my wolf," Erick said simply, looking back.

    His mother gasped. The triplets looked dumbfounded as they stared at the boy on the bed, disbelief on their faces. Lachlan frowned down at him. "Explain," he demanded softly.

    So, Erick began to explain to them of what he had experienced. He thought it was a dream but he knew it wasn''t because he could feel Dane inside him. They were all surprised by the revelation, yet ecstatic because it was rare for someone as young as Erick to get their wolf before they shift.

    Erick was soon swamped with lots of questions, especially from his father. It was then he knew that he was kind of special. He felt blessed yet burdened as well. Because this was just the beginning.

    Shaking himself off the memories, Erick picked up the ball and tossed it back to Hamish. "There wasn''t much that he was telling me. But I assumed that he has his reasons," he replied. "I guess I will just have to wait for the full moon for the answers."

 Chapter 27 - 24: Lunch time

    Few days after his birthday, Erick was still busy doing errands while attending school. This has gone for several days that he was beginning to feel the consequences of it all. He doesn''t have much free time to himself, much less, spending his time with his friends. He wanted to complain at his father but he knew it will only anger him. He couldn''t complain to his mother because it may seem like she was spoiling him too much. So he could only endure for it. And also, he did not want people, especially those from the pack, think that he was complaining too much and was being a sissy.

    Currently, he was at the cafeteria in school. It was rowdy as usual with people chattering and a couple of guys here and there horsing around. He was sitting alone at the usual table. The others were still waiting in line to get their food. He was poking his beef steak with his fork, with dead eyes. His body radiated tiredness as he looked like he was about to collapse at any time. His food was in front of him; there were three burgers, two beef steaks, a couple of vanilla milkshakes, 4 small bowls of mashed potatoes and one small bowl of vegetable salad. His whole dishes already covered one corner of the table.

    Hamish arrived with his own tray of food. Despite the lack of food variety in the cafeteria, they still enjoy the food being served there. Because the cafeteria ladies always served great steaks. What they did not know was that it was actually Lachlan who sponsored the steaks every month. Though, the cafeteria do not serve steaks everyday, they usually try to serve it on alternative days. And today was one.

    Hamish placed his tray onto the table and sat beside Erick. On his tray, there were a couple of burgers, two bottles of water, one beef steak, two bowls of fried rice and a medium-sized bowl of vegetable salad. There wasn''t enough space in his tray for all of his food that he had to stacked some of them. For example, the burgers were placed on top of the beef steak and the bowl of vegetables was a bit tipped, nearly touching his bowls of fried rice. He picked up his burger, unwrapped the wrapper and looked over at Erick''s. He saw the puny thing called a bowl of vegetable salad and smirked. "That''s your vegetables for today?" he mocked.

    "Bro, at least, I eat my greens," Erick protested.

    Hamish scoffed before taking a bite of his burger. "Haven''t seen any dent on that veggies yet," he commented.

    "I''ll eat it later," Erick answered, looking away. He cut his steak into half and stacked them together. He then eat it in one bite before reaching for his bowl of mashed potatoes. "So, how are things been working out for you?" he asked.

    The two of them hadn''t had a real chance to talk with one another until now. During class, they either don''t have class together or Erick would be sleeping. And during lunchtime, most of the time, Hamish need to go back to the pack house and helped out with Dewei. So, they hardly had lunch together. Even if Hamish had lunch at the cafeteria, they always missed each other since Erick would have a quick lunch to go to the library and review back his notes. He may not seem like a studious student but he really wants to maintain his high grades.

    Hamish groaned as he propped his chin on his hand. "Sometimesˇ­" he started. "I feel like a maid or a babysitter or something."

    Erick raised his eyebrows in surprise. He did not expect Hamish to complain. In fact, he did not expect Hamish to say anything at all. He thought he would keep it all to himself because that''s just his personality. It must have been so bad that he had to voice out his complaints.

    Looking at the surprise on Erick''s face, Hamish let out a low chuckle. He finished off his burger and reached for his bowl of rice. He cut a piece of beef steak and placed the meat on top of his rice. He began to eat his rice and beef, while ignoring Erick''s stare.

    Erick rolled his eyes and said, "Woi, waiting here. What do you mean?" he was curious because he knew that Hamish had been working for Dewei, who was known for his eccentric personality. He wonders what kind of tasks he had been given by Dewei to make him be like this.

    Hamish sighed. He regret starting the conversation. He doesn''t like to talk about his complaints. But recently, he has been so tired that he hasn''t even had the time to study at home. Even when it was his birthday two days ago, he told his parents that he only wanted a quiet one. So, it was a small family dinner with him and his parents. He didn''t even invited Erick because he was worried that he might be too tired to entertain his guests. Luckily, Erick had understood.

    He reached for his second bowl of rice and pulled his bowl of vegetable salad closer to him. He was still contemplating whether to voice out his complaints to Erick, who was still waiting for him to continue. It was not that he does not trust Erick but he was just not the type to complain. He likes to keep his problems to himself, even from his parents and best friend.

    Before Hamish could say anything, Erick let out a sigh himself.

    Hamish frowned. "What''s with you?"

    Erick shook his head. "Nothing. I''ve just remembered that I need to buy some stuff for Paccia later after school."

    "What stuff?"

    "Warts remover."

    Hamish cringed. "Dem. That''s nasty."

    Erick groaned. "Wouldn''t you believe it?" he said. "Although, the cashier at the store where I bought the stuff is quite cute," he grinned. "Just thatˇ­ yeah, it''s embarrassing to buy those kind of stuff. I once told Paccia to conjure it up herself. But she said that magic doesn''t work that way. Dane''s pissed."

    Hamish sniggered. "What was he pissed off about again?"

    Erick frowned as he recalled the conversation he had with Dane a couple of days ago. Dane was pissed that Erick had to do the chores of a witch. He was a proud wolf and he does not like witches either. In fact, Erick believed that he doesn''t even like anyone, even other shifters like bears. He once asked Dane, why doesn''t he like this?

    He had answered that he doesn''t really like or hate them. But he could not tolerate them.

    Erick pressed on, asking why and what was the difference between them. Then Dane replied, ''I just don''t like them. But I dislike witches more. Other shifters like those bears and tigers, they are just annoying. Witches? They are both noisy and annoying.'' and that was the end of the conversation.

    Erick sighed again and said, "Just the usual."

    They then began to eat their lunch quietly, both seemingly into their own world.

    When the lunch bell rang, indicating the start of the afternoon class, the two of them had already finished their meal. They quickly returned the trays and threw their rubbish into the rubbish can. Again, the two of them have a different class from one another. They waved each other goodbye as they went off on their separate ways.

 Chapter 28 - 25: Potterhead

    Amber was copying her notes to her other notebook when someone walked into the class. Her next class after lunch was literature in English. So, before class starts, she wanted to get into class early to do some studying. She was never good in writing. She only likes to read but not writing. She never seems to be able to write proper grammar and get some good content, especially when it comes to essay.

    Her English literature teacher was a strict teacher, who apparently loves to give homework every week. Amber discovered that when she realized that her literature homework never seem to lessen. Instead, it increases. And every new assignment from her would be more difficult than the previous ones. Her teacher''s name was Mrs. Evan; a thin woman who wore spectacles with a frown on her face. She never smiles, even when the book that they were reading has a comedic plot. Amber believed that the frown must probably be surgically stuck on that mouth of hers. And Mrs. Evan also likes to wear her white hair in a bun. She looks like she was in her fifties.

    When Amber felt a light breeze blows by her, she looked up and saw Erick walked past to get to the seat behind her. Once he was seated, she quickly turned on her seat and asked him in a soft voice, "Hey, long time no see. How''s the leg?"

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. He was surprised that she was finally talking to him. He didn''t know why but it seems like she has been avoiding him the past few days. He did not know what he did wrong but he was annoyed that she likes to pretend nothing had happened. "Leg''s good. Healing better. Erick is also good. Want to check my leg in a private room just to be sure?" he teased, grinning as he stressed on the word ''leg''.

    Amber immediately made a face at him and then rolled her eyes. She quickly turned her back on him. ''How shameless. I was only concerned for him and he went on to say all thatˇ­ how despicable,'' she thought angrily.

    After the incident, she really was concerned about Erick. He had been limping his way to school and sometimes even had Hamish to support him. There were many times that she wanted to help him but whenever she saw him, he either was surrounded by his football teammates or a bunch of pretty girls. She wasn''t really that self-conscious but knowing how competitive the girls were when it comes to Erick, she could only watched from afar. Jealousy of a female can be a scary thing.

    Now, she regrets of being too concerned about him. It was just that she kept remembering how hurt he was, back then. She felt a bit guilty for leaving him all alone while Hamish had carried him off. If they had ran together, he probably would not get himself hurt. Though, she knew that they were still hiding things from her, being all secretive. But she couldn''t help but feel that there was something about Erick that made her feel overly anxious. It was weird since they weren''t this close, even though, they seem to be getting closer after that barnyard incident. And now, it seems to drift apart.

    She sighed inwardly. Seems like there are some girls who were not meant to have a guy friends. It was sad but she actually prefer to have guy friends over girl friends. Probably because girls tend to make more drama than guys.

    She then continued to copy her notes while ignoring the poking from behind.

    -----

    Erick continued to poke Amber with his pencil. "Hey, hey," he hissed softly. "Are you angry?" Seeing that she was still ignoring him, he continued to poke her. But apparently, her patience was something to be impressed. She doesn''t even turn to glare at him. She continued writing on her notebook as if there wasn''t something that''s annoying her at that moment.

    He leaned against his seat with a sigh. He was getting bored. And Hamish wasn''t in the same class as him so he can''t talk with him.

    He was about to grab a book from his backpack to read when suddenly he felt Dane letting out a low growl in his mind. "What''s with you?" Erick admonished.

    ''Stop with your childish acts with this human,'' Dane growled.

    Erick frowned. He was surprised to hear Dane was backing Amber up. She was a human. Something that Dane dislike or even detest. Even more so than witches. And he just told Erick to stop annoying a human?

    ''Dane,'' he started slowly. ''This girl is a human. As you can see, she got no wolf. Nothing. Now, do your job and growled at her.''

    Dane just ignored him and fell silent.

    Erick rolled his eyes. He could never understand Dane. He was such an enigma.

    Few minutes later, the teacher finally came in, carrying some files in her arm. Her narrowed eyes scanned the room as she stood in front of the podium in the class. She then began her rollcall for the attendance. She called out each name and ticked something in her notebook when the students answered her.

    Erick was daydreaming when Mrs. Evans repeatedly called out his name. Worried that the teacher might get annoyed with him, Amber quickly turned and patted him on his arm. "Hey, the teacher just called out your name."

    "What? You love me?" Erick said, as he blinked his eyes to consciousness.

    Amber cringed. "How can you mistaken calling out your name with I love you?" she scolded, her face beet red.

    "I know. I love me too," he replied. He then looked up and said loudly, "Sorry, Mrs. Evans. I''m here."

    Mrs. Evans scowled at him. "The next time you don''t answer my call, I''m going to mark you as absent, Mr. Kendall."

    He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologised. Turning back to Amber, he winked at her cheekily.

    Amber rolled her eyes and turned back to her seat. Why did she ever thought they could be friends? He has become even more outrageously shameless.

    The class continued on very well. Mrs. Evans started off her lecture with a fun topic to talk about, even if she was still not smiling. Nevertheless, it made most of the students laughed and became more interested in the topic. The topic was ''Harry Potter and its impact on English Literature.''

    Erick had never heard of Harry Potter so he was confused when people around him got a bit excited when the teacher mentioned his name. Even Amber seems excited as she smiled a lot and became an active speaker about the topics.

    Apparently, it was one of the most popular novels from a British author named J. K. Rowling. It depicted the lives of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his friends. Hearing them talk, Erick scoffed in his heart. ''Wizard?'' he ridiculed. ''Everyone knows that werewolves are better than wizards.''

    He looked up when he noticed Amber had turned around in her seat again to face him, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "So, which one is your favourite house?" she asked, a big smile on her face.

    "House?" he repeated.

    Amber nodded.

    "What kind of question is that?" he asked, confused. "Why do you think I have lots of houses that I would pick one as my favourite."

    She looked confused when she heard his question. She did not realize that Erick has no idea what is Harry Potter. She did not expect that there was anyone in this world who doesn''t even heard about Harry Potter.

    "Uhh, what I meant wasˇ­ Do you like Gryffindor? Hufflepuff? Slytherin? Or Ravenclaw?" she asked again.

    Erick looked even more confused. Gryfin-what? Puffpuff? Curry puff? Was this something he should know? Was she hungry for curry puff? Does she wants samosa too? Looking confused, he asked her whether she was hungry.

    Amber gasped. Erick really have no clue what Harry Potter is. She discreetly clenched her fists as she watched the dumbfounded Erick with a determined look in her eyes.

    She patted him on the arm and said, "Don''t worry. I''ll make you a Potterhead before you know it."

    Again, Erick could only looked at her in confused. What the heck is this woman talking about? Are they even in the same topic? Potterhead? Is he suppose to wear a pot on his head? It was then he decided that he should ignore her for now and listened to the teacher.

    When he heard what the teacher was talking about, realization dawned on him. He groaned inwardly. Seems like he has another thing to learn about. What a pain in the arse.

 Chapter 29 - 26: Dimples

    After Mrs. Evans had explained what she would be expecting from her students, she told them to get into pairs and discussed about the topic that she had given. Following that, she sat down on her seat and began to do her other things, leaving the students to themselves.

    Amber was gathering her things and was prepared to turn around when she just realized. ''Wait, why do I assume that he wants to work with me?'' she thought. She sneaked a glance at him and saw him quietly gathering his things as well. She sighed in her heart. ''He''s probably going to team up with some other girls in this class.'' She unconsciously placed her hand on her chest. ''Why does it feel like it''s hurting me inside, knowing that he''s with another girl?''

    Her eyes widened. ''I couldn''t have fallen for him, could I?'' she shook her head vehemently. ''No, no, he''s a playboy and a flirt,'' she reasoned with herself. But then she still couldn''t help sneaking a glance at him. Even if they don''t really spend too much time with one another, she still feels some kind of attraction towards him. Though, she does not know what was so attractive about him, other than his good looks. He was smart, yes. But personality wise? Remains to be seen.

    ''I couldn''t have fallen for him this fast, could I?'' she asked herself again. She mentally smack herself on the forehead. ''Wait, wait. That''s not right! It doesn''t matter whether its fast or not!'' She inwardly groaned to herself.

    Just then a couple of girls walked up to him. One of them placed her hand on Erick''s bicep and with a flutter of her eyelashes, she smiled flirtatiously at him. "Hey Erick, want to partner up with me for this assignment?" she asked.

    "Zoe, I thought I told you that he''s going to work with me!" one of the other girls protested.

    "No, he''s with me!"

    Erick held up both of his hands and said, "Girls, please! I''m sorry but I''m already partnering with Amber for this assignment."

    The girl whom the other girls called ''Zoe'' frowned as she narrowed her blue eyes. "Amber who?" she repeated snarky.

    Erick pointed at Amber, who looked shocked.

    All the girls turned towards Amber in unison. Zoe scowled. "Aren''t you the new girl in school? Seems like you have the guts, trying to steal our man," she said nastily. "Do you even look in the mirror and see whether you''re worthy of my Erick here??"

    Amber blinked her eyes at her rude comment. Whew! Jealousy of a girl is definitely awful. She did not expect that Erick would really hold up to her words. Before she could say a word, Erick had cut in by saying, "Now, now, girls. Let''s not be rude here. There''s plenty of me to go around, alright?" he grinned, showing his deep dimples.

    Zoe''s scowl changed to a beautiful smile as she turned towards Erick. She poked him on the chest, flirting. "Fine, we won''t. But don''t forget that you''re mine for the next assignment." Amber could hear her unspoken words of ''and the rest of our lives.''

    "Don''t forget me as well, Erick," one of the girls piped in as she placed her hand on Erick''s forearm.

    Erick grinned. "Sure, sure. Now ladies, I''m gonna need my arm back since Amber and I need to start working now."

    The girls nodded and waved goodbye as they went on their way.

    Erick turned to Amber and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "So, shall we?" he asked.

    "Um, you sure you don''t want to work with them?" she asked as she walked the girls walked away. Though, she could see Zoe looking back over her shoulder, giving her a glare. To be honest, she does not really care much about the girls'' opinions about her. But she felt like she was forcing him to work with her when she wasn''t sure whether he wants it or not. She forgot that the guy she had been talking to was regarded as the ''School King'' and she was just a mere ''commoner'' who dares to interact with him. She sighed again. ''How tedious,'' she thought.

    He frowned when she asked the question. "Didn''t you want to make me a Potterhead?" he returned.

    Amber shrugged. "Alright then," she said nonchalantly. And before Erick could say anything, she had already placed her books on top of his books. She turned around and pushed her chair aside. She continued to lift her table to place it in front of Erick''s, connecting the two tables. And again, before Erick could utter a single word, she had already grabbed her seat and sat down, facing him. She reached for her books and began to arrange them on her table.

    Erick raised his eyebrows in surprise. Such an independent woman. It was the first time he had encountered a female human like this. The other girls such as Zoe and what''s-their-names would usually wait for him to carry their table over and also waited for him to hold out their chairs for them. He doesn''t mind it at all. Because his mother taught him to always become a gentleman, even towards a human. But this Amber. She was different, alright.

    After he had sat down on his seat, he began to rearrange his books as well. He watched as she took one of her notebooks and began to scribble in it. She had wrote in huge letters, ''Harry Potter''. She then began to doodle a little picture beside the heading. She drew a small face with glasses and a thunderbolt on its forehead. She continued to colour the hair black. Seems like she was also very creative, he mused as he watched her concentrating on drawing.

    He cleared his throat to get her attention. He felt bad for disturbing her but they really need to get started on working before Mrs. Evans noticed them playing around, instead of studying.

    Amber looked up from her doodles and saw Erick smiling down at him. ''He really does have a nice smile,'' she thought. She liked how deep the dimples are when he smiles. Made her want to poke on it, which she did.

    Erick was taken aback when he felt a soft finger poking his dimples. The two of them froze. One guy was surprised because he did not expect Amber to be the touchy kind of girl. One girl was surprised because she did not realize that she had acted on impulse.

    She pulled her hand back away, gripping her hands underneath the table. Her blonde bangs softly covered her eyes from his gaze. And Erick could see her face turning red from embarrassment. If anyone could see them now, it looked like the two of them were flirting with each other.

    Erick let out a soft chuckle and acted as if nothing had happened earlier.

    Amber sighed and started to open her textbook, placing it in-between. She turned the book sideways so that the two of them can see. The two of them began to discuss among themselves, with Amber patiently explaining to him what Harry Potter was all about.

    She suggested that he should also watched all the Harry Potter movies so that he could easily understand; the houses, the characters, the plot and so forth.

    The two of them were in deep discussion until the end of class.

    They couldn''t continue working after class because they have a different class from each other. And later after school, Paccia had already told him to come over to her house. So, in the end, they should just meet up during lunch tomorrow.

    They waved each other goodbye and went on their separate ways.

 Chapter 30 - 27: The Elders

    Knocking on Paccia''s door, Erick waited for her to give him permission to come in. Moments later, the door was thrown wide open and he saw Paccia grinning up at him, with her walking cane on one hand. She poked him on the stomach with her cane and walked past him. "C''mon, kiddie. We''re going over to your house."

    Erick frowned, confused. "What''s happening?" he asked.

    Was his parents alright? Did something happened to them?

    As if she knows what he has been thinking, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. "Nothing to worry about, kiddo. Come. Your Alpha and the others are waiting for us."

    The walk to Erick''s house did not take quite long. After awhile, they finally reached the house. Erick did not knocked on the door, and instead, pushed it open. It was quiet but he could hear murmurs from the living room. Paccia walked past him and went straight to the living room.

    At the entrance of the living room, Erick saw Noaz standing in front of it. His eyes widened when he saw Erick with Paccia. He hurriedly rushed over and grabbed his shoulders. "Erick! Are you alright? I''m sorry that I haven''t got the chance to see you!"

    Erick brushed his hands off his shoulders and gave Noaz a huge grin. "What are you saying, Noaz?" he said, laughing. "I''m good."

    Noaz leaned closer at Erick, looking straight at his eyes. "You sure? Thatˇ­.''weirdo'' didn''t do anything to you, did she?" he asked, his voice lowering when he said the word ''weirdo''.

    Unfortunately for him, even if Paccia was older than him, she could still hear. And her hearing was not less than any shifters'' ears. She snapped her fingers and suddenly, Noaz could feel his mouth being glued shut.

    Erick''s eyes widened when he saw Noaz''s mouth being glued shut, right in front of him. He then let out a loud laugh as Noaz was trying to release his mouth, his hands trying to claw them open. Paccia let out a chuckle as she walked in and sat on one of the armchairs.

    Inside, the Alpha, Lachlan was standing in the middle of the room, his back to the fireplace. His Beta, Fergus, stood behind him on his left. In front of him, there were other people already sitting on the armchairs and sofa.

    Erick was surprised to see many people inside. It was not just the triplets but there were also the elders of the pack, the Beta and his wife and Dewei. He looked around to look for Hamish.

    Dewei, who was sitting next to Paccia, noticed Erick looked around. He knew who he was looking for and told him that Hamish will be here once he was done with the cleaning.

    Erick cringed as black lines appear on his head. He really did become a maid there, he thought to himself.

    Noaz came walking in with angry steps. His eyes blazing as he glared at Paccia, furiously pointing his muffled mouth. Paccia only smirked at him.

    Lachlan sighed as he watched the scene in front of him. He glared at Noaz to shut him up, which he did. He then turned to Paccia. "Pacciaˇ­" he slowly warned.

    Paccia rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers.

    Soon after, Noaz''s mouth was free. And knowing that his Alpha was watching him, he only glared at Paccia and went on to the back of the room, where his brothers were standing. Latham, who was standing near to where the Alpha and Beta''s wives were sitting, covered his mouth to hide his laughter. Roel, who stood next to him, just rolled his eyes and shake his head.

    Erick walked towards Fergus and stood beside him. He gave a small smile at his mother, who was sitting not far from them. Although, the wives were not required to join the meeting but both the Alpha and Beta requestedˇ­ or more like, demanded their presence there. So, all they can do was to sit there and talk quietly with each other, while watching the meeting carry on.

    Erick looked around the room. In front of him, seated the elders. Dewei and Paccia sat in an armchair, to the left side, with Dewei nearer to Fergus. Behind them were his mother, Beta''s wife and the triplets. There were five elders in the pack. Although Dewei was not considered as an elder but he was one of the most important figures in the pack.

    On Dewei''s left, two male elders sat on a sofa. The elder who sat on the right seat of the sofa was a man who looked a bit older than Lachlan. He has a full beard with dark eyes, that was alert and keen, as if he could sense any happenings around the room. His jet black hair was thick, with a few silver hairs on the side of his head. His body was also thick with muscles. He looked like someone who loves to fight. His name was Aziel.

    Beside him, there was another man, who wears a scowl on his face. He looked strict with his wrinkled brow and squinty eyes. Although, he doesn''t look as strong as Aziel but Erick could sense his strength even from the entrance of the living room. His name was Reginald.

    Then another man, who sat beside Reginald and across from Lachlan. He was thin, unlike the other two elders, with his lanky and lean body. He has no facial hair on his face, making him look younger. He wore his dark brown hair in a short messy top with scissors cut sides. Erick could tell that even though he looked quiet but there was a killing aura that radiated from the man. His name was Zyair.

    Erick turned to the two women on the right side of the room. The two female elders each sat on an armchair. The one who sat nearer to Zyair wore a flirtatious smirk on her face. She looked sensuous with her sharp black cats eyes and sleek wavy brown hair with red highlights. Even though she was an elder, she did not look that old. In fact, she looked like she was only in her late twenties. She was sitting with one leg over another and her arms crossed under her bountiful b.r.e.a.s.ts. Her name was Omorose.

    Beside her, sat the other female elder. She looked quite young. Younger than Omorose. She has that innocent look with that fiery red curly hair, just like the character ''Merida'' in the animation film called, ''Brave''. She looked quite an opposite of Omorose, with freckles on the bridge of her nose and big round eyes. Although her appearance screams innocence and naivety but Erick knew that was just a front. Why? Because he had heard stories about this certain elder. Even if she was known to be a caring person but she was also ruthless. She has a knack of slicing her enemies in half, whenever she was in a fight. Her name was Ulanni.

    Looking around at the elders, appearances can be deceiving. And he knew that all of these elders are probably in their 200''s as they were already elders even before Lachlan became the Alpha. And seeing how they had gathered together at that moment, he knew that this was not such a simple meeting at all.

 Chapter 31 - 28: The Elders meeting

    The atmosphere in the living room was tense and serious as everyone had kept quiet. Zyair still wore a scowl on his face while Aziel and Reginald sat back on their seats, with the latter''s arms crossed across his chest. Ulanni was fiddling with the hem of her long sleeve as she awaits the start of the meeting. Her eyes darted back and forth between the Alpha and the other elders. Omorose, on the other hand, was still smiling that seductive smile of hers as she tapped a dainty finger against her bright red lips.

    Erick''s mother and Hamish''s mother were sitting at the back, talking with each other in soft voices. They did not want to disturb the meeting with their little gossip. The triplets stood behind them, as if to protect them from harm, with their arms behind their back.

    Paccia, who was on the left side of the room, was quietly sipping her tea as she, too, awaits for the Alpha to start the meeting. She looked relaxed as if she has all the time in the world. Dewei, who was sitting beside her, was playing a game on his phone. Looking closely, it looked like he was losing the game as it can be seen from his grip on the phone. He looked like he was about to break the phone in half. Erick shook his head in dismay. Such a sore loser.

    Seeing that everyone in the room had begun to feel restless, Lachlan cleared his throat, getting all their attention. Fergus, who was standing behind him, took another step away, giving his Alpha space.

    "I thank you all for coming here on short notice," Lachlan began. "As you all know that the full moon is coming in just a few days. According to Roel, who are in charge of the new soon-to-be shifters, there are 73 pups who will be attending the ritual." He paused and gave Erick a look before turning back to the others. "This includes Erick, my son."

    "This would be our biggest ritual as it included those who had waited for five months [1]. I seek your help during this ritual as there might be some unpredictable outcome to this," he continued.

    Everyone in the room became tense after the Alpha had spoken. It was because they had recalled something that had happened a couple of years back. More than half of the pups became rogue and it had been difficult and saddening that they had to kill them. Even if there was a chance to make them not turn to rogue, it was hellish and strenuous to try to make them calm down. Only a few managed to calm down but the number of them turned rogues was high. After the ritual, instead of being happy that there were those who became a shifter, but it was also upsetting to see family members who lose to their wolves.

    Luckily, last year was alright. Although, there were those who had turned rogue and some of the shifters in the pack had to killed them, it wasn''t much. In fact, only three pups had turned rogue. Again, it was saddening for the pack, especially the parents of the pups to see their child gone rogue. It was the parents themselves who had to kill their children.

    Lachlan let out a long breath and said, "This year will be a difficult one due to the high numbers. But I believe that we will get through this and be able to protect everyone in the pack. Hence, again, I seek your cooperation to help with the ritual."

    Omorose smiled slowly as she licked her lips. "Looks like we''ll have another fun this year. So many new pups coming of age," she tittered.

    Reginald rolled his eyes. "Start acting your age, old hag," he muttered.

    Omorose''s nose started twitching and she whirled around in her seat, glaring at Reginald. "Say that again, you b*stard," she threatened, her fingers started to change to claws. It looks like she was about to shift right there.

    Fergus and the triplets started to come forward, ready to intervene if a fight starts between the two elders.

    Lachlan cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at the two elders. "I dare you two to disrespect me in my own house!" he roared.

    The two elders stood up and bowed. "We apologize for our disrespect, Alpha," they said in unison.

    Lachlan nodded and told them to sit. He then continued, "This year will be the 107th since the first shift in the Kendall pack. I pray that this year, the Moon Goddess will gift us with a successful shifting ritual. And I hope that I can count on all of you."

    Everyone in the room stood up and bowed down towards Lachlan with their head bow and fist against their chest. "Yes, Alpha!" they said, all at once.

    After the meeting was over, some of the elders stayed behind to talk with Lachlan and Fergus. Erick and Hamish''s mothers both went to the kitchen to continue their talk there.

    Omorose, who was looking around the room, found Erick standing near the entrance. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes as a smile started to bloom on her mouth. She sauntered over and placed her hand on Erick''s shoulder, who jumped in surprise at the sudden touch. "So, you''re the Alpha''s son?" she asked, still smiling.

    Looking closer, Erick admit that although Omorose wasn''t really beautiful but she has that seductive aura around her. And he had to keep telling himself that the woman in front of him was decades older than him. He gulped nervously and nodded.

    Suddenly, Reginald appeared near them, standing beside Erick. He scowled at the bewitching woman in front of him. "I swear that you must have been born into the wrong species."

    Omorose glowered at him, her lips pursed. "Shut up, Reggie," she said, using his shortened name that he despises.

    Reginald growled back. He really did not like the name, ''Reggie''. He always felt that the name was too demeaning for him. He prefer being called with his full name, rather than an endearing nickname.

    Paccia, who was watching the whole scene in front of her, giggled. She then beckoned Erick to come over to her. He turned and stood beside her, away from the bickering couple.

    She gestured to him to bend over so that he could hear her. She whispered, "Those two are actually mateless. But they are exclusive bedmates to each other." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Do you know what that means?" she chortled.

    Erick cringed after he heard Paccia''s words. Seriously, that was kind of TMI. He really did not need that kind of information and he does not even want to know.

    According to Paccia, Reginald actually has a crush on Omorose. It seems like he has that soft side of him. However, Omorose doesn''t care about things like emotional feelings. She had hurt a lot after her mate had died in the war decades before. She only cares about her high libido. Some shifters, especially werewolves were known for their high libido). Hence, she does not lack of bedmates. It wasn''t until a few years ago that Reginald had actually confessed to Omorose and had claimed her for himself. This was, of course, rejected by Omorose, who keep saying that she only wanted to bed around.

    But apparently, the Moon Goddess has granted them a second chance. After the confession, it was found that they have become each other''s second mates, much to Reginald''s hidden happiness and Omorose''s obvious discontentment. Since then, Omorose would call Reginald, her lover, instead of her mate. And whenever Omorose tried to flirt with another male, Reginald would mock and teased her. Which leads to their bickering.

    Erick smiled as he watched the two elders still bickering. It was interesting to find that there was actually a second chance at love.

    =====

    [1] Please check timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/full-moon.html for more information on the full moon.

 Chapter 32 - 29: The full moon

    It was late in the evening as the night slowly covers the sky with its darkness. There was a slight breeze in the air which cools the area from a boisterous tone in the afternoon to a peaceful and calm tone in the evening. Among the darkness, there was one lone moon, illuminating its brightness down on the ground. It was eerily beautiful as it looks down at the shifters gathered around deep in the woods. It was time for the full moon to appear. And everyone in the pack have gathered to await the coming of the full moon. There were many kinds of emotions that accompanied these, such as excitement, fear, anxiety and happiness.

    The shifters have gathered in a circle where they were all in their werewolf forms, standing on their hind legs. Their furs glimmered in the dark from the night dew falling from the nearby leaves. Their eyes glinted with exhilaration and anticipation as they awaited the full moon. However, they were also on guard, to ensure that there were no bystanders, intruders or rogue coming in to disrupt the ritual. Although, accidents were inevitable, it doesn''t hurt for one to be cautious. They, too, wished for less accidents for this shifter ritual.

    They were deep in the woods, far from the town, yet near to their own residential areas. The area was actually used specifically for the shifting ritual as it was closer to the sighting of the moon. And it was also appropriately secure with the trees covering the area, out of prying eyes. Though, there were some shifters who like to use the area to roam around in their werewolf form. The air was much cleaner here as well. Hence why they like to use the area.

    Inside the circle, the soon-to-be shifters stood there, as they too await the full moon. Again, many kinds of emotions consumed them; fear, anxiety and worry. Yet, no one was as excited as the one who stood fearlessly facing the Alpha. He stood in front of the soon-to-be shifters, with his arms crossed across his chest. It was like, he was the leader for the soon-to-be shifters.

    On the other side, the Alpha stood inside the circle as well, with the elders and the other shifters behind him.

    The two Kendall males stood, facing each other, legs apart. One with a strict look on his face while the other with a smug smile on his. Both with their arms crossed across their chests.

    Lachlan''s frown grew deeper. "Confident, aren''t you?"

    Erick smirked. He patted his chest loudly. "Yep! Thanks to the pep talk from Dane. He had helped me to calm down."

    His father just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and kept quiet.

    Inside, he was actually grateful for Dane''s help in this. Earlier, no matter how hard he and Luella tried to console Erick, Erick was still worried about the shifter rituals. It probably wasn''t that good of an idea to let the pups learn about the shifter rituals and what had been happening. But then again, if they do not know the story behind it, they might encounter some problems during the ritual. It was just that Lachlan did not expect that Erick was a worrywart. He probably need to trained Erick to be more confident.

    Lachlan inwardly sighed. ''I probably baby-ied him too much. And he can be quite naive, as well,'' he thought sadly.

    Sneaking a look behind him to where Paccia stood, holding her broom, he thought that it was actually a good idea to send Erick under Paccia''s guidance. Although, there were concerns and disagreements from the other elders, over him sending Erick to Paccia for her teaching, all because of her being a witch. But Lachlan always believed that it does not hurt that Erick should learn more outside of the pack. Not just being a shifter but rather as an all-rounder. At least, he will mature physically and mentally.

    Lachlan turned to look at all the soon-to-be shifters who had gathered around behind Erick. "Are you ready?" he shouted.

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    He turned again to face the shifters behind him. "Get ready! The full moon is about to shine fully in few seconds!" he announced.

    He was answered by roars and growls from the shifters.

    "Elders, take your position," Lachlan further instructed.

    The elders quickly took their position, each at a different spot in the circle.

    Just as the elders have taken their position, the sky started to darken more. Clouds slowly scattered away from the moon, like a curtain opening. The little stars that dotted in the night sky, were gone, in an instant. The solitary moon which stood alone began to brighten bit by bit. The air around the area began to feel more tense and stiff. The shifters moved to a defense mode, getting themselves ready to ensure nothing will happen. There were two lines of shifters. One line faced the soon-to-be shifters and another line protect their backs, in case of back attacks.

    The elders started to take their clothes off and shift. Paccia herself began to levitate in the air, the mark on the corner of her eyes glowing as she used her magic. Her face looked solemn as she looked down and around her. Her eyes scanned throughout the whole area to detect any intruders.

    Only Lachlan stood alone in the circle, shiftless. He wanted to wait until the moon finally reveal its full shape. He felt confident in his pack that he did not think that he would need to shift. If it comes to worst, he will only allow his alpha wolf, Willem, to let out its alpha aura.

    The air grew even more tense as everyone in the area felt the pressure and stress from waiting for the ritual to start. Their nerves were so tight as the strings of a bow. The waiting was agonizing.

    A few minutes later, the wait was over.

    The full moon has finally graced them with its presence.

 Chapter 33 - 30: The shifter ritual

    The full moon was finally in sight.

    The moon looked spine-chillingly beautiful with its ethereal glow, shining down on the shifters below. It stayed high up in the dark sky, surrounded by the clouds. But it did not stop the moon from brightening itself among the clouds. There were no stars to accompany the lonely full moon as it only has its own brightness to add to its luminous presence.

    When the full moon was sighted, Lachlan had his gaze on the soon-to-be shifters. The moonlight began to shine on them, as all of them, including Erick, looked up at the moon.

    Their eyes began to turn to amber and their mouth was open, revealing small fangs that continue to grow longer. Soon, the sound of bones cracking, like the crack of thunder was heard. Low growls filled the area as the shifters behind Erick began to growl as well.

    Lachlan ignored the growls behind him as he watched in silence. They have started to change now.

    However, Lachlan only had his eyes on Erick, who was shifting right in front of me.

    ''Now, Dane. Show yourself.''

    -----

    When the moonlight shone down on his body, Erick could feel the change inside him.

    Dane, who was usually quiet, began to stir inside his mind. And in the next moment, let out a loud piercing howl.

    His howl pierced through Erick''s mind and hearing. It felt like numerous daggers were stabbing through him. He could feel the blood in his veins getting hotter as Diane''s power was trying to consume his mind and soul.

    He bit down on his lips until he could feel the blood dripping down his mouth. He could feel the pain that Dane was going through. He knew that shouting to gain his own sanity wasn''t working. Dane couldn''t even recognized Erick, as he, too, was trying to fight his own demons inside him.

    He felt like his bones were beginning to crack, like thousands of needles pricking inside him. The agony was excruciating painful as he felt his blood blood began to heat him up inside and out. His ears began to twitch and it felt like his eardrums was drumming non-stop.

    Erick felt his insides were twisting and he did not realized that he had dropped down on the ground, writhing. He held his head tightly as he tried to endure the pain and agony.

    He could feel changes in his physical appearance. His vision was blurred as he looked down on his hands, which was supporting him from laying down. He was on his knees, gasping for air. It was as if there was no air around him.

    He saw, with his blurred vision, his hands began to grow. His nails began to lengthen to claws. He could hear the ripping of his clothes as his body began to grow larger. Fur began to cover his whole body, arms and legs. His teeth began to grow longer in sharp fangs.

    As he began to blink more, he felt like his vision was getting more clearer. His limbs began to contort, making him more tall.

    Inside him, he could feel Dane howling and growling as he tried to devour Erick''s soul and sanity. More piercing pain hit Erick as each of Diane''s growl stabbed at him.

    He clenched his jaw tight, trying to withstand the pain. And suddenly, he howled out in his mind, "DANE! ENOUGH! I WILL NOT LET YOU CONTROL ME! I COMMAND YOU TO GET HOLD OF YOURSELF AND SUBMIT TO ME!"

    Fighting against the pain, Erick tried to stand on his hind legs, still clenching his jaw tight. Dane was still fighting against his demons in his mind.

    When he succeeded in getting up, Erick exhaled a long breath. Dane, too, began to quiet down.

    Apparently, he had finally came to his senses. Erick could feel Dane calming down as a wave of tranquil spread all over his body.

    Just then, he felt Dane bowing down to him in his mind. "I submit myself to you, Erick," Dane said.

    -----

    Lachlan looked around him.

    It was chaos everywhere. Many shifters had begun to move forward, ready to be on defense when the moonlight had shone on the soon-to-be shifters. Soon after, there were many shouts and growls.

    Paccia immediately set up a shield around the area, to ensure no sounds were leaked out. She also scanned the area, looking around to make sure there weren''t any enemies to attack them when they were occupied with the ritual.

    There were some who had fainted but managed to shift. And unfortunately, there were some who had turned rogue. They lost to their inner wolf and became feral. They began to attack those around them. With wild eyes and their newly formed fangs and claws, they had already injured some of the new shifters.

    But fortunately, by the looks of how the other shifters had subdue the rogues, these rogues should be able to gain their sanity once they were placed in the detention room at the pack house. Then again, there were those who truly lost to their wolf that some shifters had to killed them.

    Those who had fainted out of exhaustion were quickly moved aside, away from harm''s way.

    In front of him, Lachlan watched as Erick was still fighting with Dane. More like, fighting with Diane''s inner demons.

    Lachlan, who still hasn''t shifted, looked on quietly.

    He became stiff with tension as he watched the shifter in front of him slowly stood up.

    He wasn''t sure whether it was Erick or Dane.

    The shifter had his eyes closed.

    And when he finally opened his eyes, Lachlan could see his shimmering amber eyes.

    He narrowed his eyes as the shifter howled up in the sky.

    The shifter looked down at Lachlan. The shifter in front of him was taller than him. He could only reach to his chest.

    The shifter pushed his shoulders back as he rolled his neck on his shoulder.

    The two of them looked at each other in silence, oblivious to the chaos around them.

    The shifter let out a smirk and to Lachlan''s surprise, dropped to his one knee. He then said, in a voice so different from Erick, more raspy as if it had been some time since he talked. "Greetings to Alpha Lachlan."

    A smile bloomed on Lachlan''s face and he said, "Nice to meet you, Dane."

 Chapter 34 - Side Story: Luka [1]

    A few weeks after Kraken Forest.

    Luka looked up from its bed where it just woke up. Its ears began to twitch as it could hear people talking outside the door. It has been staying in the Kendall house, ever since Erick had rescued and technically, ''adopt'' it. At first, the pack doctor, Melody had suggested to leave Luka at the pack house, where it can stay with the other packmates.

    But Luka had been clinging to Erick ever since the two got out of the Kraken Forest. And Erick, too, wanted to adopt Luka as his pet. So the two of them had come into an agreement. Melody allowed Erick to keep Luka but Erick should bring Luka over to the pack house whenever he was in school or has a mission. The reason as to why Melody wanted Luka to stay at the pack house was so that it won''t get lonely when Erick wasn''t at home and at the same time, Melody can help take care of it and let it mingle with the other packmates.

    That day was a Sunday so everyone was at home, including Lachlan. Erick had just showered and was about to get inside his room when his mother caught up with him. She was telling him to buy some items from the local grocery store.

    Erick was m.o.a.ning how he had plans to go out with Hamish and the rest of the football team. They were going to hang out at the McClay''s before heading off to one of their friends'' house to watch a football game.

    So, the two of them were arguing outside Erick''s bedroom door, with Luella scolding him to bring Luka out for some fresh air as well. Erick protested that he had already went with Luka yesterday for a walk. Luella argued back that it was not enough.

    Luka opened its jaw to let out a loud yawn. It knew that Erick was preparing for the shifter ritual, hence, why he has been going out on his free time to hang out with his friends. Because on other days, he would be busy with Paccia''s chores and tasks.

    It rolled around in its bed, playing with its blanket when Erick walked into his bedroom. He went straight to his clothes and began to put on his clothes. He then walked towards his bed and fall flat on his bed, face-down. He sighed loudly.

    Luka got up from its bed and went towards Erick. It began to lick Erick on his cheeks, making Erick laughed, telling Luka to stop. After licking, Luka nudged its head towards Erick, as if it was asking for a pat on the head.

    Erick petted it and laid back again on his bed with another sigh.

    Luka tucked itself underneath Erick''s arm and slowly drifted to sleep.

    ----

    It was dark as usual in Kraken Forest, where few sunlight graze the ground inside. There were more moisture in the air, making the surroundings more wet. Hence, it wasn''t that dry inside. Though, because of the few rays of sunlight, there were not many animals that can be found inside. Many have managed to escape the forest as there were less food that can be hunted. Unfortunately, a pack family of three wolves were one of those who did not managed to escape.

    Instead, everyday, they were constantly on the run. Away from other predators and supernatural beings called rogue. Earlier before, the father wolf had gotten into a fight with another predator and it had gotten injured, wounding its abdomen. Since then, it hasn''t been healing well and hence, why they have been in a run. The forest was a dangerous place. It''s a place where those who have strength and a strong will will be able to survive.

    Because they were not be able to hunt well, they have become weak. The mother wolf had to protect both father and pup.

    It was until one day, they were ambushed by a couple of rogues. The mother managed to protect the pup from the rogues by hiding it far from rogues, covering it with mud, to cover up its smell. And the two parents fought the rogues until their death.

    The pup had stayed inside the hole few metres away, too frightened to get out from its hiding place. It had stayed inside for more than a few hours. And once it thought that it was safe to go out, it ran towards where it last saw its mother ran off.

    It was feeling too agitated that it had fallen down several mounds, hurting its leg in the process. When it finally reached its parents, it whimpered sadly as it limped towards them. The two wolves lay unmoving on the ground, side by side. It whined as it nuzzled its snout against its mother''s lifeless body. Feeling no movement from the two wolves, it limped closely between them and lay in-between the two wolves. It slowly drifted to sleep; a tear can be seen sliding down the corner of its eyes.

    It had stayed between the two dead wolves for days; not eating. Its mane was covered with their blood but it doesn''t seem to care as it constantly nuzzle against its father or its mother''s mane.

    Soon after, its ears perked up as if it sense something in the air. The pup started to be on guard as it looked around it. Wanting to protect its parents, it limped around the area, looking for something to protect them.

    Few minutes later, the pup can be seen carrying a bundle of leaves in its jaw. It covered its parents'' bodies with them. It continued doing this until they were properly covered from head to paws.

    The pup was about to continue getting more leaves when suddenly, it saw a human being in front of it. It tried to hide in a nearby bush but it was getting too weak. It hasn''t eaten or drink for days and it was still hurting from the fall.

    When it noticed that the human being was getting closer, it struggled with difficulty to get away. But just then, it felt something changed over the human being. The pup sniffed the air and felt the aura around the human being was becoming familiar and comfortable. It could also sensed that the human being was not a threat; he smelled a bit like those rogue but nicer. Hence, it moved closer to the human being and weakly licked his fingers.

    Since then, the human being had taken care of it; giving it food and protecting it. The pup then thought it was lucky that it was able to meet someone who would give it a home. The human being even gave its parents a proper burial. It then began to see the human being as its parent as well. It began to constantly followed and cling to the human being, even after they got out of the forest.

    The day when they got out of the forest, they were met by another human being, who smelled a bit like his human being. And it finally know that the name of his human being. His name was ''Erick''.

    *Poke, poke!*

    Luka groggily woke up to find Erick poking him on its snout. "Wake up, sleepyhead," Erick teased.

    It growled softly and nuzzled closely in Erick''s arm. ''I''m finally home,'' the pup thought.

 Chapter 35 - 31: Aftermath

    Erick woke up, groggily. He still felt numb and sore, as if he hadn''t moved his body for days. He shook his head awake as he tried to gain back his senses. It was then he realized that he was in his room, on his bed.

    He looked down at his body and found that he wore different clothes from what he wore during the shifter ritual. His eyes widened. Oh yes, the shifter ritual! It seems that after Dane had bow to him, he lost his consciousness and fell into a deep faint.

    He exhaled a long breath as he looked around him. His room seems normal. Nothing has changed. He looked down at his body again and assumed that one of the triplets probably had put it on for him.

    As he stretched his arms over his head, he felt something inside him. In fact, he felt surprisingly strong. He could feel the strength in his body. Looking around his room, he felt like he could see better. In fact, he can even see the pin needle that was beside his trash can. ''I should pick that up,'' he thought.

    While he was daydreaming, he was startled by the sounds. Apparently, he could even hear voices from downstairs. And it looked like his hearing has improved a lot. He was so surprised that he did not realize that Dane had been calling out his name.

    After awhile, Dane''s voice finally got through him. ''You''re finally awake,'' he said.

    Erick frowned. "What happened?" he asked, curious.

    ''You''ve been sleeping for more than two days. Congratulations,'' answered Dane.

    Erick was really shocked. ''For more than two days?? What exactly had happened??'' He thought, raking through his mind, trying to remember what had happened. He then asked, "What do u mean by congratulations?"

    "Congratulations. You''re now a fully shifter. And I apologize for making you go through all the pain,'' Dane said, sounding a bit remorseful.

    Erick shook his head. He couldn''t blame Dane for the pain. It was inevitable, anyway. Then something occurred to him. He immediately asked, "Oh yes. Do you know what happened to Hamish?" he had not seen him since the shifter ritual.

    ''He is still unconscious, from what I''ve been hearing from the conversations below. But he should be fine. We will meet him when he wakes up."

    Erick nodded. He then jumped down from his bed and ran out of his room. He went downstairs into the living room, to find his father, Fergus, Latham, Aziel and Ulanni, standing in a circle, deep in discussion.

    They immediately stopped what they were talking about and turned around. Each of them wore a solemn look on their faces.

    Lachlan quickly turned to Aziel and spoke to him in soft voices. He assigned him to be in-charge of the dead. Apparently, there were few soon-to-be shifters who did not survive that night. And what troubled Lachlan was that the fact that even their parents killed themselves when they found out that their child had not survived. This kind of death was like a profanity to the shifters because they believed one should treasure their life, even if their loved one has passed away.

    He then turned to Fergus and Ulanni. For them, he had given the task of talking with the parents whose children did not survive. He had hoped that the two of them can give some counseling and support.

    Latham, on the other hand, will be in-charge of checking the new shifters. Lachlan had given him the task of supervising and training the new shifters. This was to ensure that they are used to their shifter form.

    The four of them bowed their heads in respect, before going off. Before leaving the room, each of them nodded at Erick, with a smile. Latham ruffled Erick''s hair on his way out, laughing when he saw Erick''s disgruntled look.

    After they had left the two of them alone in the room, they went quiet, studying each other. Then Lachlan broke into a huge grin as he stepped forward to give Erick a big hug.

    "I''m proud of you, son. That''s a true Alpha. It only took you four days to recover," Lachlan praised, patting his son on the shoulder.

    "Thanks, dad," Erick grinned. "So, what had happened? You were all serious in your discussion," he asked, frowning.

    Lachlan sighed before he took a seat on the sofa. Erick followed suit. He scratched the back of his head, unsure whether to tell Erick about what had happened. In the end, he thought it was better for Erick to know since he will be experiencing when he will become the Alpha.

    So, Lachlan began to talk about what had happened; about how there were casualties among the shifters as they tried hard to control the soon-to-be shifters, how they even tried to control the rogues and subdue them. Even Lachlan, in the end, had to shift and used his Alpha powers to get them get a hold of themselves.

    He also spoke about how Dane managed to pledge loyalty to him and he complimented on how strong Dane was. And that Erick was lucky that Dane had chosen him. Lachlan could feel the strength of Dane and he was probably stronger than Willem.

    It would seem that Lachlan managed to order Noaz to bring Erick into safety before he had collapsed. Apparently, after Dane had pledged his loyalty, he had fainted out of exhaustion and unconsciousness. While Noaz quickly carried him to safety, Lachlan had stayed behind with the rest of the elders and the shifters to deal with those who had turned rogue.

    Erick looked down at his feet. He then gathered all of his courage to ask how many were dead.

    Lachlan was quiet for a couple of minutes. And then he answered, "Twenty of them."

    Erick sucked in some cold breath as he became silent with shock. Although it may not seem like a big number but he still feel upset. Because he knew that at least, most of those who had died that night were his friends. Even if he was not close to some of them, he had this friendly bond with them.

    The two of them went silent again.

    Lachlan then broke the silence by saying that he will soon have a meeting with the other elders, in regards of the shifter ritual.

    Erick nodded. It was usually the standard procedure to hold a meeting after an important event. They were probably going to discuss on the deaths of the shifters and those soon-to-be shifters.

    He then sighed and asked about Hamish. He noticed Fergus earlier and he did not seem to be worrying too much. Perhaps Hamish was alright and just needed some rest.

    His father told him to not worry and that Hamish will probably wake up soon. Earlier on, Fergus told him that Hamish was still unconscious. Though, it was more like, he was still sleeping. So, he will be alright in a day or two.

    Erick nodded again. He hoped that he will be able to see him tomorrow at school.

 Chapter 36 - 32: Mate!

    The day after Erick woke up, he decided to go to school. At first, his mother told him to stay at home to rest more but he was determined to go. He did not want to miss any more of his classes. And he believed that he has enough rest. He felt like he was going to morphed together with the bed if he stayed there longer.

    His father had bought him a new car. Technically not new but rather a secondhand car. Erick did not mind at all. He wasn''t a big fan of cars as most guys were. Probably because he felt more comfortable running, than being stuck inside a ''box''. Though, he does feel that there were some usefulness when it comes to car. At least, he has more space to ''dump'' his sports equipment. It would be tedious if he ran back and forth for his equipment, even if he runs *fast*.

    The car that his father bought him was a grey saloon car. It was an old car, probably had spent more than ten years on the road. But it was still drive-able. Lachlan gave him the car for his successful shifting. And he probably thought its better for Erick to have his own car, rather than relying on others to send him to school or other places.

    Erick had his driver''s license a couple of days before the shifter ritual. If he was not with Paccia, doing her errands and tasks, he had spent the day with his father, who taught him how to drive. Luckily, he was a fast learner. Though, more like, because he used to take his father''s car for a joyride.

    Erick finally arrived at his school and had parked his car at the students'' parking lot. He got down from his car and looked around. He could not see Hamish anywhere.

    He took a deep breath and sighed. His sense of smell was getting stronger. He could smell so many unfamiliar scents now. And looking around, he also felt like his sight was getting better too. He could even see beyond the school. His five senses really grew stronger.

    Up ahead, he saw his friends from the football team hanging out with a bunch of cheerleaders. They were standing in front of the school, just talking and laughing.

    Erick walked over and gave each of his teammates a hi-five greeting.

    Just then, a strong foul stench hit his nose. Surprised at the sudden stench, he cringed at the smell and felt someone hugging his arm. He looked down and saw Zoe wrapping both of her arms around his, giving him a flirtatious smile. She was wearing a black halter top and pink short skirt. Her hair was bundled up in a high messy bun, making her look pretty.

    Unfortunately for her, Erick was immune to her looks. Yes, he does admit that she looked hot but she stinks so bad that he could not stand it.

    He gently pried his arm away and backed away a bit. He did not realize that this little action was noticed by Zoe, who frowned darkly. She quickly changed her expression and gave him a confused smile.

    "What''s wrong, Erick?" she asked, feigning confusion. Inside, she was burning with anger.

    He just shook his head, giving her a forced smile. He did not realize how repulsive her stench was. He did not know he was able to smell clearly now. It was not a surprise as to why Dane dislike humans. They probably smell revolting for him. What''s worse was that she smells badly than the other girls. She probably slept with a lot of guys, he thought with amus.e.m.e.nt. Seems like her talks of being faithful to him before were all lies. He knew that she wasn''t that faithful. And he only accepted her dates because he wanted to eat and he did not mind being seen with a pretty girl.

    In fact, other than Zoe, he can actually ''smell'' the others as well. Some were alright and some were a bit disgusting but still tolerable. He was surprised to smell the bad stench from the other girls, who were there at the moment. Seems like he could smell who is ''pure'' and who is not.

    Now, he could only forced a smile and nodded, while trying not to gagged. ''How can mom and dad and even the other shifters endure the smell?'' he thought, inwardly wincing.

    Just then, Dane answered him in his mind, ''You need to practice your endurance.''

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes. ''I don''t need to hear that from someone like you,'' he thought grimly.

    After talking for a few minutes, the school bell rang. They all immediately went into their own classes.

    Inside the classroom, everyone had settled in their seats. Erick looked around the class and could not find Hamish anywhere. He has the same homeroom with him. It was then his homeroom teacher walked in and announced that Hamish and a couple of guys will not be coming to class for another week. It appears that there was a flu coming around in town.

    Erick recognized the other guys as his packmates. He let out a breath of relief. It seems that they had survived the shifter ritual. This made him more curious as to who did not survive. And as he looked around him again, it seems like he was the only one from the pack who came to school.

    He sighed again as he leaned back against his seat, tuning off from the drone of his teacher. Its going to be boring without his packmates.

    As he was daydreaming, he felt Dane stirring inside him.

    He seems to be restless as he was moving around in his mind. Erick could feel his teeth starting to change. He had to bite down his lips until it bleeds to stop the change. It was as if Dane was getting edgy and fidgety.

    Shortly after, he looked up and his eyes widened. Erick did not realize that his eyes had turned amber for that short while. He then heard his voice, or rather, Dane''s raspy voice coming out.

    "Mate!"

 Chapter 37 - 33: Do you think my mate is a male?

    As Erick was daydreaming, he felt Dane stirring inside him.

    He seems to be restless as he was moving around in his mind. Dane was pacing back and forth, growling in his mind. Erick could feel impatience and edginess from Dane.

    It was then he looked up and his eyes widened. He did not realize that his eyes had turned amber for that short while. He then heard his voice, or rather, Dane''s raspy voice coming out.

    "Mate!"

    He abruptly stood up, looking around him, surprising his teacher and classmates. He sniffed the air and sighed in bliss. It was faint but it was so pleasant, like woodsy and sweet. It was the kind of smell that he can get addicted to. From the faint smell, Erick could tell that his mate was not in the room but rather outside.

    He ran out of the room, ignoring his teacher''s shout to come back.

    Is my mate in this school?

    Is she one of the packmates? Or human?

    He frantically looked up and down the corridor but he still could not see anyone. The corridor was empty as everyone was in their classes. He ran down the corridor, too absorbed in trying to look for his mate as he sniffed the air until he accidentally bumped into someone.

    He looked up and was surprised to see Hamish, looking very well.

    Hamish frowned at him as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "What''s wrong with you? And what are you doing out of the class?" he asked sternly. Earlier when he came to school, his father had told him that Erick had already went to school. It seems like he had recovered well. In fact, Erick had just woken up from his unconsciousness a couple of hours before Hamish. And like Erick, Hamish was determined to go to school because he did not want to miss any class. And he wants to make sure Erick was alright.

    Erick''s eyes widened. Then a huge grin bloomed on his face as he slapped Hamish on the back. "Bro! I thought you were still ''dead'' to the world!" he exclaimed in surprise. He was shocked to see Hamish looking alright, although, he does look a bit pale. His father did not even mentioned that Hamish was awake that morning.

    Hamish rolled his eyes. "Well, barely," he admitted, not feeling ashamed. Then he frowned again. "I just asked you. What are you doing out here?"

    "I think I found my mate," Erick whispered excitedly, leaning closely at Hamish, as if it was a huge secret.

    Hamish raised his eyebrows in surprise. "And did you find her? Have you seen her?"

    ''That was fast,'' Hamish thought in envy. He didn''t smell anything, other than some foul stench here and there. Hence, he wasn''t too sure how the ''smell'' of a mate would be like. He was envious yet happy for Erick at the same time who was able to find his mate in a short time.

    Erick scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I''m not sure. I mean, I kinda smell her." Then he leaned closer to Hamish again. "Hey, do you think she''s a student or a teacher?"

    "Damn. I hope it''s not a male," he continued, visibly cringing. He did not want to think of being mated to a male. He wanted a female mate, who is soft and nice to cuddle. He''s a straight shifter, alright?

    Hamish shook his head in bemus.e.m.e.nt. He then pushed Erick towards the class. "Come on. Let''s get into class. Your father will be furious if he knows that you''re skipping class. If your mother too find out about you skipping class, she probably will push you back to bed"

    Erick nodded and together, the two of them went to class.

    -----

    Amber slumped over her desk. That morning, she decided to skip her homeroom because she needed to do her homework. She had forgotten all about it last night and it was due that afternoon. At that moment, she was in the library, where she had chosen a secluded place where she can sneak in some food to munch. It was also a perfect place to sneak in some sleep as it was one of the most quiet places in the library.

    She was also late that morning so she had missed her breakfast. To curb her hunger, she brought along her bag of biscuits, which she will ''devour'' as she studies.

    She was never good at studying. She always get at least a borderline passing mark. And if she was lucky, she probably might get a C+. This was probably because she had spent too much time daydreaming in class, rather than listening to her teachers. Don''t let her get started on her notes. Sometimes she doesn''t even understand her own notes. There were either illegible or doodles that she likes to draw. It was like, her notes were more like art portfolio, rather than study notes.

    It was not that she did not make an effort to study but she get sleepy easily when listening in class. Especially on topics that did not interest her. She does like to read, though. Mostly fictional and fantasy genre type of books, such as Harry Potter. Other than reading, she loves to watch cooking videos and her favourite chefs were Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. She wished she could cook, just like them.

    Unfortunately, the other day when she attempted to cook, she found out an awful truth about herself. It was then she realized that she probably has the skill of an eater, rather than a cook. She tried to make some homemade patties. But it failed as the meat crumbled when cooked inside the frying pan. Instead of patties, it looked more like minced beef. Luckily, it was still edible. She did not burn it at all.

    Hence, she used the leftovers to make some spaghetti. Amber was proud of herself for coming up with the idea. All she had to do during that time was to boil some pasta and mixed the ''minced beef'' with some spaghetti sauce. And it was all good.

    She licked her lips as she thought of the packed lunch box she left in the locker. She really cannot wait to dig in.

    As she daydreams about her lunch, she did not realize that there was someone who was watching her from the background.

 Chapter 38 - 34: No one will take him away from me!

    Zoe stood behind the bookshelves of the library as she stared daggers at the blonde girl sitting alone at one of the tables in front of her.

    She doesn''t get why Erick would want to work with her. She was surprised when she heard that he was determined to work with this b*tch. Usually, he would say ''yes'' to her. He hardly says ''no'' to her, unless it was with Hamish.

    From what she had heard about this girl was that she wasn''t even that smart. She likes to daze off in class. And one time, she even fails at one of the first tests. Zoe also remembers that that girl wasn''t even pretty. Her mouth was wide. Her eyes were a murky green. The only thing that was pretty about her was her white blonde hair. But when it comes to the whole facade, Zoe was even more beautiful than that blondie. Her body is more s.e.xy than hers too. Additionally, she''s one of the head cheerleaders as well.

    She did not know how close they were. And she doesn''t even know how they got to be so close. During Literature class, it was her first time seeing Erick interact with her. They never talked to each other before! And earlier during that class, when Zoe walked over to him, she saw him flirting with her as well, giving that heart-melting smile of his. She had gritted her teeth in jealousy at the look of Erick flirting and the blonde acting all coy and shy. It made her sick!

    She has been in love with Erick for some time. She had given him so many hints to tell him that she''s really into him. He might not know this but they both came from the same middle school too.

    But back then, she was fat and had terrible acne problems. It was so terrible that her mother had sent her to numerous face treatments. And she was already a size 18 in middle school. There were times that she was mistaken as a fat college girl, instead of a middle schooler.

    And it was back in middle school when she first met Erick. He was friendly and handsome. Even at 11 years old, he already has that charisma and good looks. She did not think that he even had an acne problem. It was love at first sight for her. All it took was a smile and a word of ''hi'' from him to make her fall hard. Although he was friendly and popular, he never hung out with her. Most of the time, he was either with his friends or other pretty skinny girls. She doubts that he would remember her from back then. She looked so different now.

    Wanting to change her image and make him fall for her, she had begged her parents to send her to fat camp where she was determined to change her look and become slim. Her parents were rich, so there weren''t any problems when it comes to money. And because she was an only child, they liked to spoiled and dotted on her. Luckily, back in middle school, she had some friends so she wasn''t bullied. The pretty girls and popular guys back then tend to ignore her. Probably because of her parents.

    Her father was one of the city''s council members and her mother used to be an heiress, who spent most of her time doing charities. Because they were busy with their work, they usually gave her whatever she wanted, as long as she was happy. Guess it was one way for them to compensate Zoe from being lonely and missing them too much.

    At the fat camp, she had spent her whole summer, losing the extra weight and then she continued on until she finished her middle school. She even did laser treatment for her acne problem.

    She succeeded in losing more than forty pounds. She had to buy a new wardrobe for her new look. She was very proud of herself. Her friends from middle school were so shocked by her transformation. Even those popular girls did not recognize her and sought to be her friends.

    After middle school, she followed him to this school and tried to get into the same class. She only managed to have a few classes together with him. She then joined the cheerleader squad and even became one of the co-head cheerleaders during her freshman year. She thought that by becoming a cheerleader, she would gain his attention. You know, the typical romance of a cheerleader and a jock.

    Yet, no matter how hard she tried to seduce and coax him to sleep with her, he wouldn''t budge. In fact, she lost count of how many times she had tried to move to second base with him but failed. At most, they would just touch each other intimately. But never past that.

    It frustrates Zoe so much that she tends to experience lots of s.e.x.u.a.l frustration. Hence, to get rid of them, she slept with other guys. Sometimes her s.e.x toys weren''t enough to curb her desires. Even though she hated herself for not saving her first time for Erick, she was desperate. One time, she even dated other guys on purpose, just to see his reaction.

    But nada.

    He would pretend it didn''t happen.

    He still would go on a date with her but not always.

    Recently, he hasn''t been in school lately. Funnily enough, she never knew where he lived either. Sometimes when she tried to follow him home, she would end up in the woods. Since then, she does not dare follow him anymore.

    She knew Erick had been tolerating her all this while, to the fact that they were known as an on-and-off couple. And seeing his transformation after weeks of absence from school had turned her on. He looked buff and toned. She thought he looked even better than before. She could not understand how a man can become so handsome.

    But his action this morning made her furious.

    He had never rejected her. And she felt hurt when she saw him cringe after pushing her away.

    Then during homeroom, she was again surprised to see him suddenly run out of the class. It was weird to see him like this.

    Looking at the girl sitting just a few metres away, her fists clenched at her sides.

    ''It was all her fault,'' she thought angrily. ''If she hadn''t moved here in the first place, he wouldn''t have been like this!''

    ''No one will ever take him away from me,'' she swore vehemently.

 Chapter 39 - 35: Change partners?

    Amber was reading her notes when suddenly, she felt someone grabbing a chair beside her and sat down. She looked up to find a pretty girl smiling at her, with her books on the table. She looked s.e.xy with her hair bundled up in a bun.

    "Hi, do you mind me sitting here?" the girl asked sweetly, smiling down at her. She was placing her backpack on the table, next to her books.

    Amber looked confused and could only nod. How can she say no when she''s already there? She then turned back to her notebook, a pen in her hand, scribbling. Though, something about this girl felt off. She doesn''t know what it was but she has this weird feeling about her. She looked very familiar as well but again, she wasn''t sure where she had seen her from.

    Amber was positive that she was definitely someone not from her circles of friends. Because she does not look like she belongs in her circle. She seems tooˇ­ pretty. Just then realization dawned on her.

    She sneaked a glance at the girl sitting beside her. She was the same girl who had glared at her when Erick told her that he was going to partner with Amber instead! The one who had told her that she wasn''t even worthy to be with Erick. The one with that deathly glare.

    Amber inwardly shrugged to herself. This girl probably forgot about her since she doesn''t seem to recognize Amber at all. But she still couldn''t shake this weird feeling at all.

    She discreetly looked around her and saw that there were many empty tables. If there were a lot of empty tables, why would she specifically pick this one? And looking at her now and knowing a bit of her personality from their previous ''encounter'', this girl doesn''t seem to be lacking in attention. In fact, she probably loved the attention. So, why would she want to sit here with her where no one can see her?

    They aren''t even that close. Additionally, they have never talked with each other before. The ''encounter'' back then cannot be counted as a ''talk''.

    This made her feel even more suspicious. Why, indeed?

    While she was feeling suspicious and trying to think of why she was at her table, the girl beside her suddenly turned to her and said, "Oh yeah, hi. My name is Zoe. What''s yours?"

    Amber blinked her eyes in surprise. "Um, I''m Amber," she introduced herself.

    Zoe smiled. "Nice to meet you! So, what are you studying?" she asked, peering in at Amber''s notebook.

    Amber moved her body back a bit so that Zoe could catch a glimpse of her notebook and said, "Ah, I''m just studying on the subject of World History. I''ve got class later on that."

    Zoe nodded. "I see. I''m taking that subject too. Is there a test that I don''t know about?" she asked, tilting her head. Her face looked all confused, making her eyes bigger with innocence and her expression cute.

    "Uh, I''m not so sure about that. I''m just studying just in case there''s one," Amber said. ''And because I need to finish my homework before the class,'' she added silently, as she looked back down on her notebook.

    "Oh, I see."

    The two of them then fell into an awkward silence.

    Shortly after, Zoe brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She then said, "By the way, I just want to knowˇ­ how well do you know Erick?"

    Amber inwardly rolled her eyes. ''Now we are finally heading to the topic that you really want to know, huh?'' she thought sarcastically. And it seems like she definitely recognized Amber but pretended to be not.

    She inwardly sighed. ''Why do I have to encounter such a white lotus person?'' she thought resignedly. ''I always thought that kind of thing would happen in dramas or novels!''

    She turned to Zoe with a fake smile plastered on her face. "Not that well, I would guess. Why?" she asked innocently, feigning ignorance.

    Zoe looked down at her hands, which were entwined together on top of the table. "Hmmm, nothing," she said slowly. "I just find it weird that he insisted on partnering with you."

    "Why couldn''t he?" Amber asked again. ''Find it weird?'' she thought darkly. ''You mean, weird because it''s me?''

    Zoe bit her lip nervously as she continued to look down. Amber could see red flushing up to her cheeks from her neck. Not sure from embarrassment or from her being questioned. "Well, it''s just thatˇ­ Erick and I are actually dating," she confessed softly.

    Amber c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. This is the first time that she had heard that the two of them were dating. But she kept quiet. She knows that Erick does hang out with Zoe sometimes. But she also knows that Erick had been seeing other girls, other than Zoe. So, being the outside party, she doesn''t know who is telling the truth. Then again, this does not even concern her so why should she bother?

    Hence, she could only say, "I see," while nodding, looking as if she understood.

    "He probably felt like he had to help the new girl in school so that you won''t get overwhelmed or something," Zoe reasoned. "I mean, he can be too friendly. So, I hope you would not see his actions in a different way."

    "In a different way, how?" Amber pressed, still looking innocent.

    Zoe let out a breath as if she was trying to hold onto her temper. "As in, thinking that he likes you in a romantic way or something."

    "I see," Amber repeated, still nodding.

    "Then, regarding the assignment, would you help me with a favour?" Zoe asked, her eyes brightening.

    Amber c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "What do you suggest?" she asked sarcastically.

    Not noticing the sarcasm in her tone, Zoe''s face began to bloom into a huge smile. "Why don''t you change partners with me?" she suggested. "I''m sure Erick doesn''t mind. And you probably might feel awkward if you group up with him when you don''t really know him well."

    Before Amber could say a word, a shadow fell upon them and the two girls looked up.

 Chapter 40 - 36: Get off my seat!

    Before Amber could say a word, a shadow fell upon them and the two girls looked up.

    And they were surprised to see Erick''s best friend, Hamish, looking down at them with a frown. He was wearing a thin dark green t-shirt and jeans. And similarly like Erick, it seems like he became even more muscular than Zoe had remembered. This made her wonder what they have been doing to get a hotter body than before.

    Although she did not want to admit it, he did look hot. And it seems like the change has given him a better look and body.

    Hamish''s eyes narrowed as his gaze stopped at Zoe. They could see him wincing as if in disgust, wrinkling his nose as he stared down at her. It looked like he could not disguise his contempt, seeing her. This confused the two girls. What on earth had Zoe done to incite this reaction from him?

    Zoe looked baffled at the unwelcoming look from Hamish. She hasn''t even talked to him today so why was he glaring at her now as if she had done something wrong? She was the one who felt wronged! This is just unfair!

    "What are you looking at?" Hamish snarled, gesturing at the seat Zoe was sitting. "Get off my seat now!"

    She began to tremble with fright. "Your seat?" she stammered, looking scared and confused. She does not understand why but she always felt a bit wary and fearful about this guy. There was something about him that felt a bit off. But she couldn''t put a finger to it.

    "Yeah, that''s my seat so get off!"

    "B-b-butˇ­" she stuttered, her eyes wide. She tried to give off a cute but frightened look on her face. She usually used this kind of expression when she tries to look helpless in front of guys, especially machoistic guys. And it always works. Until...

    Unfortunately for her, instead of melting under her look, Hamish looked even more furious. His eyes narrowed and she could see fire burning in them. "Did you even hear a word I have just said?" he growled, stepping a step forward.

    She quickly grabbed her things, stuffing them inside her backpack, not caring whether she made a mess. She literally swept everything inside. Once she was done, she ran off, not bothering to say goodbye to Amber, who was watching everything happening in front of her with a perplexed look on her face.

    After Zoe was out of sight, Hamish dropped his backpack on the table and sat down beside Amber. He ignored her who was still watching him, looking confused.

    What the hell had happened here?

    He took off his glasses and placed them on the table. He then slumped over the table, with his arms folded underneath his head. He looked like he was about to sleep. His face was turned away from Amber so she could not see the look on his face. Soon after she could hear a light snore from him.

    Frowning, she looked at the back of his head in confusion. Does he want me to go away? Why is he sleeping here? She looked around her. No one was around. She had expected Erick to be there too since she thought that these two were inseparable.

    She poked him on the arm with the end of her pencil. "Do you want me to sit somewhere else?" she asked.

    He mumbled some inaudible sound before snoring lightly again.

    She shrugged and continued to study.

    ''Oh well,'' she thought. ''If he gets mad about me not moving, I can just tell him off saying that I was here first.''

    The two of them kept to themselves; one was sleeping peacefully while the other was studying and doing her homework silently, much to the displeasure of a certain girl. That certain girl was glaring at them from two tables behind them.

    -----

    Zoe glared menacingly at the two people who were sitting two tables away from her. She purposely chose a table where she could see them discreetly. She was sitting alone at the table, glaring at anyone who tried to sit there. She does not have the mood to put on a sweet smile on her face.

    She gritted her teeth, her hands clenched with envy and fury. She watched, feeling shocked and wronged that Hamish did not drive Amber away. Instead, he even sat down beside her and went to sleep. It was as if he did not mind that she was sitting there next to him.

    ''What does she have that I don''t?'' she thought angrily. She was waiting with glee for Hamish to turn his growls toward Amber. But instead, something unexpected happened. He just ignored her and slept.

    She was really confused as to why she was the one who had been chased away but Amber was not. She knew that Hamish did not like her but he had never voiced out his dislike of her until now. Additionally, do they also know each other? Amber and Hamish? How did that happen? She could have sworn that she had never seen the two of them talk with one another.

    And as for Hamish, whenever she goes on a date with Erick, he would look on with disdain on his face. She thought that if she goes on more dates with Erick and spent more time with him, Hamish would probably accept her and then tolerate her.

    She sighed. She doesn''t even know why she''s trying to get into Hamish''s good books in the first place. He was probably harder to please than any mother-in-law. Yes, she finds it weird as to why she''s trying so hard but she does know that Erick values Hamish''s opinions more than anything. She noticed that whenever Hamish said no, Erick would nod and say ''no'' as well.

    What Zoe did not know was that whenever Hamish said no, it was probably because Erick had told him to say ''no'' earlier so that Erick can use Hamish as an excuse to reject someone. It''s not that Erick was too cowardly to say ''no'' himself but he could not stand to say ''no'', especially to pretty girls. That was just his personality.

    She pouted as she sat alone at the table. It''s not that she really wanted Hamish''s approval but it''s just thatˇ­ she wanted to be liked by everyone. She couldn''t understand why they do not like her.

    And nowadays, she had hardly seen Erick around in school, what more at the McClay''s. So, it was difficult for her to ask him out. She only had seen him today at school after weeks of him being absent.

    What frustrated her more was that he also never did reply to any of her text messages and calls either. She had been trying to contact him ever since he went missing. All she heard from the teachers was that he was on leave for personal reasons.

    As she was sneaking glances at them, she was surprised to see someone joining them. Her eyes widened when she recognized that someone.

    "Wha--"

 Chapter 41 - 37: She smells refreshing and wholesome

    Amber was quietly doing her homework, while referring to her notes, whereas Hamish was snoring softly beside her. The two ignored each other as they kept to themselves, liking the peaceful atmosphere between them. It suited them as Amber can concentrate more and Hamish can sleep without any noises.

    Hamish looked exhausted, hence why Amber did not dare to disturb him. He probably hasn''t been getting enough sleep these days. She knew that he hadn''t been around in school for weeks. Similarly to Erick. She presumed that they had been busy with something that made Hamish this exhausted.

    Amber tapped her chin with the end of her pencil. ''Erick was probably this exhausted as well,'' she thought.

    She then returned back to doing her homework. While Amber was scribbling her answers in her notebook, she felt someone was standing beside her. Looking up, she saw Erick standing beside her seat with a pretty girl. She watched as Erick left the girl''s side and began to walk towards Hamish.

    Surprised, she watched him kick Hamish''s chair. "Woi, get up!" he demanded, both his hands tucked in his jeans.

    Hamish looked up and narrowed his eyes at Erick. To Amber''s surprise again, she watched as he just quietly got up from his seat and moved across the table. He sat down and continued his nap.

    She had expected Hamish to explode on Erick for disturbing his sleep. But instead, it was the other way round. It looked like he would tolerate whatever Erick does, even if he was being rude. Looking up at Erick''s smug expression, Amber thought that indeed, he was being really rude. She glared at him for being rude.

    The pretty girl who was watching the whole scene began to laugh softly. She moved across Amber''s seat and sat down. She placed her backpack on the table and began to take out her notebooks, textbooks and pencil case.

    The girl looked up to see Amber staring at her in confusion. She then laughed again and asked in a teasing tone, "You don''t mind us being here, do you?"

    Amber smiled awkwardly and shook her head. How can she say no when she has already sat down? She really does not understand why these girls bother asking her whether they can sit down or not when they already sat down.

    The girl then turned to Erick, who sat down beside Amber. He, too, had placed his backpack on the table. But he didn''t take anything out from his backpack. Instead, he turned to Amber, giving her a dreamy smile.

    "Mate?" the girl inquired, gesturing to Amber.

    Erick nodded. "Mate."

    Amber frowned. What are they talking about? Mate? What is this mate?

    The girl squealed, clapping her hands gleefully. "That''s great!" she exclaimed excitedly. She then turned to Amber and held out her hand. "Hi, my name is Jeayan. I''m a childhood friend of Erick and Hamish''s. So, if there''s any embarrassing stories you want to know about them, let me know. I have lots of stories filled with them! So many, thick like a book."

    Erick rolled his eyes while Amber laughed.

    Jeayan was a pretty cute girl; a bubbly who loves to laugh and joke. She has dark brown curly hair with deep brown eyes. She was quite petite, in fact, she probably reached Amber''s shoulder. She looked like a middle schooler, rather than a high schooler. Hence, likely the reason as to why both Erick and Hamish can be quite protective of her, like a little sister. As to why Amber has never seen her before, even though they were in the same year was because a couple of weeks ago, it was said that Jeayan was out of town. When in actuality, she also participated in the shifter ritual. And before the ritual, most of her classes were different as she took the science stream.

    After Amber had introduced herself, Jeayan began to peer closely at Amber, who became uncomfortable. She then smiled mischievously and nodded. "Yes, yes," she said, as if she was talking to herself. "You seems like the perfect person."

    "Perfect person?" Amber repeated, looking confused. What does she mean by the perfect person?

    However, Jeayan ignored her and began to do her own work. Hamish was still sleeping beside her.

    Sneaking a glance at the guy beside her, Amber became even more confused as she noticed that Erick was still smiling at her. Uncomfortable by the stare, she decided to confront him. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she protested. She really does not understand these people!

    Erick smiled and said simply, "You''re pretty."

    Amber rolled her eyes and decided to just ignore him. Right. There are other girls who are more pretty than her. She sneaked a glance at the girl in front of her. And this Jeayan was one of them.

    Shortly after, the three of them fell into silence. With the exception of Hamish who was still snoring away, Jeayan and Amber were doing their work, whereas Erick was just watching her.

    Watching her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to solve a problem, Erick brushed a strand of her hair and tucked them behind her ears.

    Amber jumped, startled by the sudden touch. She whirled around and glared at him. "What the heck are you doing?"

    "Nothing," he said. He really liked her scent. He couldn''t believe his good luck. He was unexpectedly delighted to find that she was his mate. Even if she was a human being, he believed that being his mate would conquer any problems that would come their way.

    He secretly took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. She smells of fresh flowers and the woods in the summer. Refreshing and wholesome. His wolf, Dane, always felt at ease whenever they were close to her. Dane probably knows about her being his mate, hence why he doesn''t seem to be so against her.

    Ignoring his strange behavior, Amber continued to work on her homework. She was done with her World History homework and decided to practice with her calculations. Jeayan had slipped a comment, saying that Erick was good with numbers so Amber decided to ask for his help, which he immediately agreed.

    "What about this one? How do you get this number?" she asked, pointing at a question in her notebook.

    Erick leaned closer to her and at the same time, sniffed her scent.

    Amber jumped back, her eyes widened at Erick. "Did you just sniff me?!?"

    Erick pretended to look confused and frowned at her. "Did I? Are you sure you were not imagining it? You must be hearing things. I suggest you go and clean your ears next time."

    Amber flushed red in embarrassment, or was it in anger. If it weren''t for the fact that she needed his help with her studies, she would not be here. Instead, she could have gone to the cafeteria and gotten her early lunch. She just sighed in frustration and continued to ignore him.

    This was not the first time he had been acting strange. Again, just moments ago, a guy was about to sit next to her but had moved away when Erick growled deep at him, like a dogˇ­ or a wolf.

 Chapter 42 - 38: Practice Match

    It has been a week since Erick had last seen Amber in the library. Since then, she had been avoiding him for who-knows-what reasons. Many times he had tried to approach her and even sneaked up behind her, but she managed to slip away from his grasp. She has been using excuses such as going to the toilet, having other group meetings with other people and so forth.

    Erick smiled smugly as he recalled her strawberry cheeks blushing from his touch. She seems quite sensitive and he liked being touchy-touchy with her. It was too bad that nowadays he has been busy with his football practice that he did not have the time to see her. They did agree to meet up someday to work on their Literature assignment but they haven''t decided on the date and time.

    That day, Erick was having a practice match, going against their friendly rival; a team from another town called Port Robston Bay. The Burkendall football team played host this time.

    Erick was actually close with a couple of the players in Port Robston Bay team. This was because Port Robston Bay was also one of the shifter towns. Hence, there were also some shifters in the team; similar like Erick and Hamish.

    And coincidentally, one of the players was the future Alpha of the Robston pack. His name was Bastian Cesaro. He was somewhat similar to Erick, as well, when it comes to his personality. They were of the same age and have the same interest, which was to play football. Although Erick has black hair, Bastian was a blonde. With his blue-green eyes and muscular body, when standing next to Erick, it was like, he was the light and Erick was the dark. They first met each other when their parents had a shifter meeting a few years back. And they got along well as friends.

    During one of the meetings, they had promised each other that if they got into a school team, they should go against each other; be it in an actual match or a practice match.

    Now, they finally met up at the field. Bastian had already gone to Burkendall town for a match before. It was during the time Erick had his punishment and when he went to the Kraken Forest. So, this was actually their first time meeting in a football field, albeit a practice match.

    So, at the field where there was little wind in the air, two newly shifters stood, facing each other. Both were sporting a smirk on their faces as they studied each other.

    Not wanting to waste time, the two shifter captains immediately went into their position as a quarterback. When the whistle blows for the game to start, everyone at the field wore their concentrated look as they began to yell, jumping up from their crouching position.

    Sounds of body hitting each other and yells of commands and instructions sounded throughout the field. The football can be seen whizzing through, passing from one player to another. It was a bit chaotic in the field as the adrenaline rush was high. Each player was energetic, even if this was only a practice match. It shows how much they regarded this as a real match, not practice. And how much they deems this as an important match.

    In the Burkendall team, Erick was the quarterback and also the captain, whereas Hamish was the wide receiver. The two of them worked well as partners where Hamish does his best to receive the ball while Erick pass [1].

    Once the game ended with a draw, the two teams did not walk out of the field. Instead, they hung out at the field, laying down on the grass, exhausted. Their coaches stood near the field, talking about the match. Probably discussing their next practice match.

    Erick was lying on his back, with his arms and legs spread out, when Bastian walked over.

    Bastian laughed as he looked down. Erick immediately got up and stood in front of him.

    "Thought you were dead after the shifter ritual. Seems like you survive," Bastian joked. "How unfortunate," he ended with a smirk.

    Erick rolled his eyes and was about to punch Bastian on the shoulder as his answer.

    Bastian retaliated with a quick jab to Erick''s gut. His moves were quite agile.

    Erick smoothly blocked his fist by pushing his arm down and was about to head Bastian below the chin.

    The other teammates who were oblivious to the two''s close relationship, thought that there would be a fight happening between the two captains. One of them was about to run over to the coaches to report this but Hamish had held him back, shaking his head.

    Bastian quickly turned around and tried to hook his arm around Erick''s neck but Erick was too fast and he avoided the hook by pushing his elbow down again.

    He tried to trip Bastian by hooking his leg under his and pulled it forward.

    Bastian finally fell down on his back. He was stunned at first and then he let out a loud booming laugh. He ran a hand through his blonde locks and grinned. He quickly jumped up on his feet and laid his arm around Erick''s shoulder. "You''ve improved, mutt."

    Erick smirked. "That didn''t take much out of me, though."

    Bastian laughed out loud again. He loved to joke around with this guy. "Yeah, yeah," he grinned. "We all know that the Cesaro pack is much stronger than the Kendall pack."

    Erick scoffed. "You wish. The Kendalls are the best because their future Alpha has already found his mate," he bragged, pointing to himself, looking proud.

    Bastian''s mouth dropped open in shock. "You''re kidding me?" he exclaimed.

    Erick just smiled smugly.

    Bastian whirled around to Hamish. "He''s joking, right?" still in shock.

    Hamish pushed his sports glasses up his nose and shook his head.

    Bastian turned back to Erick, with wide eyes. "Who is she? Where is she? Is she someone from your pack?" then he smiled evilly. "Is it a man?"

    Erick growled. "Of course, my mate is a woman." then he widely grinned. "A beautiful one, too."

    Bastian''s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How beautiful?" he asked. He still could not accept that his rival had gotten a mate before him.

    "There''s no way to judge how beautiful she is," Erick replied. "She just is."

    Bastian nodded.

    Then he rolled his eyes when Erick continued, "Of course, she has to be beautiful when she''s mate with me."

    Their coaches had called out to them to get a shower before heading home. Because the Port Robston Bay team had to go back to their own school before dark, they too went straight for the showers.

    Along the way, Bastian began to talk about his experience of the shifter ritual. He said that his wolf''s name was Amarok. Again, he was similar to Dane. Kind of quiet but intelligent.

    Erick snorted with irony. "Dane''s not quiet at all," he disagreed. "I admit he can be quiet at times but he''s quite a nagging old wolf too." He continued on complaining how Dane likes to call him names and insult him. And how he seems to favour Hamish and his mate than himself.

    Just then he felt a sudden shudder inside him.

    Soon after, Dane''s voice can be heard inside his mind. ''Seems like you have fun talking bad about me,'' he growled slowly.

    ''I''m screwed.''

 Chapter 43 - 39: See you tonight!

    After Dane had ''nagged'' and ''scolded'' Erick for talking bad about him behind his back, the two teams went into the locker rooms where they had their showers. Because the Port Robston Bay team had used the school team bus to get to Burkendall town, they couldn''t stay long.

    Hence, the two future alphas promised to meet each other once again; hopefully for a longer stay. Erick did suggest that perhaps they could meet up just to hang out. It was not necessary that they have to meet up at the football field. Bastian had nodded but he did not promise since his schedule was packed too. He also has his own personal duties as the future Alpha.

    Feeling mentally and physically tired, Erick decided to go back home with Hamish joining in. The two were in Erick''s car with the latter driving. Hamish hasn''t gotten a car yet. Earlier that day, his dad dropped him at the school. He could have shifted into his wolf counterpart but he did not want the hassle of going to carry his clothes everywhere and coming to school n.a.k.e.d. So, Erick had volunteered to drive him back home.

    It was already late by the time they walked over to Erick''s car. Inside the car, on their way home, the two began to talk about the shifter ritual. It was then Erick noticed that someone was walking on the street, with her back to them. But he could still recognize that blonde hair and silhouette.

    He began to grin, feeling excited to see ''her'' that he veered his car to the sidewalk, making Hamish startled at the sudden action. He hit the side of the door roughly and cursed out loud.

    "What the hell, Erick?" Hamish cursed, rubbing his shoulder because of the pain.

    Luckily, there weren''t any cars behind them so they were still safe. Still, Hamish was wondering what made Erick drive like a maniac. It was then he looked up and realization dawned on him.

    Before Hamish could say another word, Erick had moved the car to a parking mode and had jumped out of the car.

    He ran towards the oblivious blonde girl, who was walking on the street, with her backpack and arms filled with books. She had her headphones on so she wasn''t aware of the chaos happening behind her.

    The girl jumped in surprise when she felt an arm around her shoulders. Her fist instinctively clenched tight and was about to punch the person who had his ''paws'' around her. Before her fist could reach the ''intruder'', that ''intruder'' had her fist in her hand. He grinned down at her and soothe her clenched fist to a soft hold. "Yes, that''s how you should do it when someone touches you without my permission," Erick praised.

    Amber narrowed her blue eyes at the shameless guy beside her and retorted, "And that''s also how I should do it when YOU touch me! And what do you mean by, ''without your permission''?"

    Erick shook his head, still grinning. He pulled her tighter into his arms, "Nah, when I touch you, you should hug me, instead," he said, feeling unashamed. "And that''s just it. I''m yours and you''re mine. That''s why they or even you need my permission."

    Amber rolled her eyes and tried to pull away from him but it only made him hug her tighter. She was actually feeling embarrassed with him being all touchy. She was not used to this. She doesn''t believe that he would have the same feelings for her as she has for him. Though, she was still confused with hers. She really could not believe that a handsome and smart guy like Erick would fall for someone who was plain like her.

    "So, where are you headed to? Out for another eat out?" Erick asked.

    She shook her head. "I''m heading home," she answered, hugging her books tighter to her chest.

    He then gently turned her around and led her to his car.

    Standing beside his car was Hamish, with his arms crossed, watching them with narrowed eyes. He has seen and heard everything from where he stood. Like Erick, his eyesight and hearing have improved a lot, ever since the shifter ritual.

    Kaius, the name of his wolf, was a brown wolf. At first, Hamish was shocked when he first met Kaius. He was probably more or less larger as his father''s wolf, Elias. But Hamish could tell that Kaius was a gentle and intelligent wolf. It hadn''t hurt as much as he expected during the shifter ritual. Probably because Kaius had shouldered most of the pain too. And with Kaius merging with his soul, Hamish too gained his abilities such as super speed, great eyesight and hearing and so forth.

    Watching the couple in front of him, he could sense the happiness from Erick. What surprised him was that although he could sensed the excitedness from Amber, he could also smell fear and wariness. And knowing Erick who was in his cloud nine, he probably would not notice them.

    Hamish sighed. He sincerely hoped that the two would work it out. He looked up at the sky and thought to himself. ''Love can be such a pain.''

    Once they reached the car, Erick gestured to Hamish to move aside.

    Moving away from the car, Hamish watched as Erick gently pushed Amber into the passenger seat. Closing the door, he turned to Hamish. Understanding can be read between the two shifters.

    Without a word, Hamish opened the door to the backseat and grabbed his backpack from there and shut it close. He then nodded to Erick and stepped a bit further away from the car.

    He then could hear the mind-link from Erick. ''Thanks'', Erick said.

    Hamish just smiled as he watched Erick drive off with his mate.

    ----

    Amber looked over her shoulder, watching Hamish standing on the sidewalk all alone, looking after them. She felt a bit guilty for leaving him alone. She wondered how he would go home. Although she does not know where he lives, she assumed that it might have been far, considering that he had always been dropped at the school with a car.

    She has always been a curious girl so knowing about how close the two guys were, she asked Erick, with her eyes still looking at Hamish, "Will he be alright?"

    Before Erick could answer, she gasped in surprise, her eyes widened. "Hey! He just disappears!" she exclaimed, tugging on Erick''s sleeve. She pointed at the empty area where Hamish last stood.

    "Who?"

    "Hamish!"

    "Okay."

    Amber turned to him, frowning. "Did you just hear what I''ve said? I''ve just told you that he had disappeared!" she exclaimed angrily. She felt a bit frustrated when she thought that Erick might be thinking that she was joking. "He literally just disappeared!"

    "I see."

    "You think I''m crazy, do you?"

    "Crazy in love with me? Yes, I do."

    Her heart started to beat faster as her face flushed red in indignation. "No, I don''t!" she denied vehemently.

    "You will, soon," he said confidently, his eyes on the road, as he drives.

    Amber sighed. It was tiring to argue with a person like this. She decided to ignore him and just pretend that his words meant nothing. Even though her heart was still beating hard. Putting on a cool face, she showed him the way to her house.

    Minutes later, they finally arrived at a small two-storey house. There was a car parked in front of the house. It seems like her father, Eren Keene, was at home. Her mother, Syden Greer, was a housewife, who used to work as a nurse. They were a family of four, with Amber being the eldest. She has a younger brother named Remi. Ever since Remi had cancer, her mother had quit her job to take care of her brother.

    Before Amber could climb out of the car, Erick had grabbed her hand and kissed the palm, sending a slight shiver around her body. She was about to snap at him when he said, "I''m sorry about your brother and I''ll see you tonight."

    Surprised, Amber could only nod and say goodbye.

    After he had left, it was then Amber realized. "Tonight?" she repeated, confused.

 Chapter 44 - 40: Midnight visit

    Amber walked into her house, with her arms filled with her notebooks and backpack on her back. Thoughts of why Erick had said ''See you tonight'' flew out of her mind as she was thinking of what to eat.

    Inside the kitchen, her father was sitting at the dining table, eating his dinner. Her mother stood behind the kitchen island, apparently preparing more food for her father.

    It has been awhile since her father was home. He was a brunette with broad shoulders and muscular body. He was tall with his wife and daughter only reaching below his shoulders. He was an army officer who was always busy in the army camp. So it was rare to see him home.

    Despite him telling them that he will be home more often because he had just been promoted, it was just a pipe dream. Rather, it has become worse. Luckily, his family had understood this but even so, it does not stop Amber from missing him.

    Noticing someone standing at the kitchen door, Eren Keene looked up with a big grin on his face. "Welcome home, sweetheart."

    Amber returned his smile and walked over to give him a huge hug. "Welcome home too, daddy. I''ve missed you."

    Next, she went over to her mom and gave her a hug as well. Then her mother, Syden Greer patted Amber on the shoulder and asked about her day.

    Amber just shrugged as she went over to the sink to wash her hands. She then sat across her father at the dining table, placing her backpack on the floor.

    Her mother then handed her her dinner plate. Her mother had already eaten dinner earlier with her other child, Remi.

    While eating, the three of them fell into a comfortable conversation with Eren telling more funny stories of what had happened at the army.

    After they were done eating, her mother shooed Amber away from the kitchen, telling without words that she will do the dishes. Before heading up the stairs, Amber asked her mother where Remi was.

    Her mother replied that he was probably inside his room, playing games.

    Remi was her seven years old brother. He was what one would call the ''Unexpected Surprise''. There was a more than ten years gap between her and her brother. Hence why the family really treasured him a lot. Unfortunately, the day he turned two years old, rather than an active little boy, he became a sickly young one. He has a weak heart and should not be agitated too much. Despite his condition, it does not stop him from enjoying life, which he found through his sister.

    Climbing up the stairs, Amber walked straight to Remi''s room, knocking on his door. Hearing his weak ''Come in'', she walked in to find him propped up against his large pillows, holding a handheld game console.

    His eyes were on the game, so immersed in his gaming that he did not notice his sister walking closer to his bed.

    He jumped in surprise when he felt arms hugging him tight from the side.

    He turned his head and smiled widely when he saw his sister sitting beside him. "Sis, you''re home!"

    Amber hugged him tighter in response. Her brother was just too adorable. If she could help him with his pain, she will do it in seconds. She could not stand the thought of him being in pain and lonely. Especially when she has to go to school.

    She knew that he would be lonely because he could not go to school himself. He was being homeschooled by their mother.

    So, she tried to make it up to him by getting home as early as she could.

    Amber began to tell him about what happened in school, as she always does.

    Remi always loved to hear about Amber''s stories that it had become like an everyday routine for them. There were times that Amber would also bring home some food that she usually talked about, just for him to get a taste.

    Of course, she had to be careful with the food. Who knows what kind of food will trigger him?

    They began to talk with each other until Remi had fallen asleep.

    Amber sighed as she watched her brother sleep. She really wished that he could be cured. At least, it will help their family to bond more.

    ----

    It was close to midnight where the streets were dark and the only light that illuminate the streets were the streetlights.

    It was quiet with few leaves rustling in the wind and there wasn''t a single soul walking around in the street.

    Standing underneath one of the streetlights, Erick looked up.

    Although it was quite late, there were still lights in one of the rooms in the house in front of him. The curtains were closed, covering the room from the outside world. The other rooms were dark.

    Erick smoothly jumped up the wall and hung onto the double-hung window. He swiftly jumped onto the windowsill and knocked on the pane.

    Minutes later, the curtains were swept open and Erick could see the shock in the occupant of the room''s face.

    Erick just grinned and waved.

    Amber immediately unlocked the window and pulled him inside. She was only wearing a faded t-shirt that showed her smooth fair shoulders and shorts that showed her legs.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed as she kept looking behind her, worried that her parents could hear the commotion.

    Instead of answering her, Erick pulled her into a huge hug and answered, "I missed you."

    Confused and surprised at his sudden action, she stammered out, "But we just saw each other a couple of hours ago!"

    Erick brushed a strand of her hair behind her ears and gave her a gentle smile. He then bent down to drop a peck on her forehead. Without another word, he walked past her and laid down on her bed.

    Amber followed him and pointed at the window. "You need to get out of here or my parents will hear about this!" she hissed.

    "No, they won''t," Erick answered nonchalantly, placing his arms behind his head, making himself comfortable.

    He was confident because he could hear them sleeping soundly in their room. If he heard them moving, you can be sure that he would not be in the room before you could say, ''shameless''. Other than her parents, he could smell another presence in the house.

    "How is your brother?" he suddenly asked.

    "How did you know about his illness?" she asked back, startled. She could have sworn that she had never talked about her brother. It was not that she was ashamed of her brother but she did not know how to bring the topic of her brother up. She did not want any awkwardness between them.

    Erick just shrugged and turned sideways. He grabbed one of her pillows and hugged it.

    Amber rubbed her forehead in consternation. ''What am I going to do with this guy?'' she wondered.

    "Erick, why are you doing this?" she asked patiently.

    "Because I like you," he confessed quietly.

    She was surprised at the sudden confession. "But why?" she blurted out.

    "I just do," he said. He did not want to talk about her being his mate. Maybe one day, but not now. For now, he just wanted her to like him for who he is.

    "We don''t even know each other that well to like each other," she protested, ignoring the fact that just a couple of days ago she thought that she had fallen for him.

    "We don''t really need to know each other to love each other. It''s enough that I like you. And we can slowly learn about each other while being together."

    "Is this a prank?"

    Erick growled. Did someone used to trick her about falling in love with her? If he knew that person, he would tear him to bits. "No, it''s not," he barked angrily.

    Amber sighed resignedly. She really could not understand what was going through his mind.

    Erick got up from the bed and hugged her tightly. "Please. I know that this may seem sudden but I just find myself falling for you. I know that you don''t like me in that way but I hope to change your mind sooner or later.

    And I will."

    Amber just nodded. Perhaps she could give this love a chance. Seeing how genuine he was, there probably might be a chance it will work out together.

    Just then, she felt him nuzzling deeper in her hair, his arms hugging her tight.

    "Did you just sniffed me again???" she exclaimed.

 Chapter 45 - Side Story: Erick [1]

    "Erica!"

    Erick snuggled deep in his bed, pretending that he did not hear the shout coming from outside his room.

    His bedroom door was slammed open and suddenly, another yell came out. And this time, it was from inside his room. "Erica, didn''t you hear me calling you??"

    Erick abruptly sat up on his bed and yelled back. "Who the feck is Erica??? And stop yelling, for God''s sake!"

    Then he went silent. And his eyes widened. ''Why does my voice sound so feminine?'' he thought, feeling confused.

    It was then he looked around his room. What should have been painted cream on his walls, it instead painted a soft yellow. And what should be in front of his bed was not his TV but rather a vanity table. And in the mirror, what should be a handsome and muscular young man, there was instead a petite and beautiful young girl looking at herself. The look on the girl''s face was exactly how he was feeling right now; shocked, confused and baffled.

    ''Wait. What is going on here?'' he thought, still feeling confused.

    He looked down at her body and screamed. Rather girly, if he does say so. He touched his body all over and could feel softness everywhere. His muscles and abs were gone. Now, he only has a soft body and b.r.e.a.s.ts. Wait, he does have b.r.e.a.s.ts beforeˇ­ but not this big!

    He clutched his head, feeling aggravated. ''Whyˇ­ whyˇ­'' he thought sadly. ''Years of taking care of my body and training themˇ­ my body has changed to a woman''s!!!''

    While he was agonizing about his change of body, the person who had yelled earlier came forward and grabbed the blanket off him. "What are you screaming for?" she yelled.

    Erick looked up and saw his father looking down at him, scowling. Or rather a female version of his father. His father was kind of pretty too, with his short pixie brown hair. His eyes were still the same dark piercing eyes. But what made Erick cringed was unfortunately, his body was still the same. His father, or rather his mother has a muscular body with thick arms. She looked tall too, not petite as his actual mother, Luella, was.

    "Why are you bigger than me?" Erick wailed, not liking this unfairness.

    His mother then slapped him on the head. "What are you saying, you little imp? Are you calling your mother ''fat''??" she scolded.

    Erick rubbed his head. "No, no. Iˇ­ Iˇ­" he stammered.

    "Get to the shower or you''ll be late for school!" his mother scolded again, pointing to the direction of his bathroom.

    Few minutes later, Erick walked down the stairs, feeling refreshed from the shower. Although, he was still confused as to how this world became an inverted world, at least he was satisfied about one thing. When he had his shower, he noticedˇ­ he really does have a banging hot body. He has curves everywhere albeit soft. If he hadn''t had a mate yet, he would probably hit on himself.

    He had a goofy smile on his face when he walked in the kitchen where his parents were sitting on the dining table.

    Curious to see what his father looked like, he sat down across his father, whom he assumed was sitting behind the newspaper. When his father lowered the newspaper, Erick''s eyes widened.

    His father looked like his mother''s male version. He was small, smaller than his ''mother''. He has that soft features that his mother has; brown eyes and full lips. In fact, his father looked more feminine than his mother.

    "Good morning, Honey," his father greeted. His voice was so deep that it made Erick cringed. He was not used to this version.

    "Uhh, good morning, Dad," he greeted back, inwardly cringing.

    "Aw, are you getting older now that you no longer call me ''Daddy''?" his father teased as he set the newspaper aside and proceeded to eat his breakfast.

    Erick''s eyes widened. What the feck? Daddy??

    He then laughed awkwardly. Though, more like a giggle. "Of course not. I didn''t feel well this morning soˇ­" he lied, looking down on his plate.

    And when he looked down on his plate or rather his bowl, his eyes widened again. ''What the feck is this?'' he complained inwardly.

    Noticing the surprise look on Erick''s face, his mother frowned at him."What''s wrong, Erica? Don''t you like your breakfast?" she asked, confused.

    Erick looked up and quickly shook his head. "No, no," he denied. "Just thatˇ­ Only these?" pointing at his bowl where there was only oatmeal mixed with milk, Greek yogurt and chia seeds.

    His mother frowned, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Why, yes. Didn''t you ask to change your meal plans? You wanted to control your diet, you said the other day."

    Erick laughed awkwardly. "Haha. So I did," he said slowly.

    Shortly after, his father dropped him in front of the school. Erick waved him goodbye as his father drove off, on his way to work.

    Erick sighed. ''I don''t know what''s going on but I guess I have to endure this until I find out what''s going on,'' he thought to himself.

    Then he just remembered. He quickly closed his eyes and called out a name.

    ''Dane, are you there?'' he said in his mind.

    He kept calling Dane''s name until a voice answered him in his mind.

    ''Who are you calling ''Dane''? the voice growled. ''It''s Diane, you idiot.''

    Erick''s eyes widened. The feck. Dane has become a female too?? He then sighed inwardly. Seems like his personality was still the same. Still insulting him as usual.

    ''Why are you calling some other guy''s name? That your new guy?'' Diane asked.

    ''No, no,it was nothing,'' Erick said quickly.

    ''Hmmmˇ­'' Diane said slowly. ''Alright, don''t be stupid again, calling out someone''s name. You''re making me annoyed with that whiny voice. I''m trying to sleep here,'' she complained.

    Erick sighed inwardly. Seriously, what''s with this wolf? She was even more insulting than Dane.

    Just as Erick was about to head inside the school, he heard someone called his name. To be exact, Erica''s name.

    He turned around and saw a tall but beautiful girl running towards her. She was wearing glasses, making her look studious. But looking at the way she dressed; a pink t-shirt with short jeans, she doesn''t look like those typical nerds. In fact, she looked more like a s.e.xy librarian girl.

    Looking closely at this girl, Erick realized that she has the same features as Hamish but more feminine.

    When she got closer, she pushed her glasses up her nose and narrowed her eyes at Erick. "What''s wrong with you?" She asked suspiciously. "It is as if you haven''t seen me before."

    "No, no, of course," Erick protested nervously. ''Deemit, deemit. What''s her name?'' he asked inwardly, trying to remember as hard as he could.

    Just then, someone called out to them. "Hey Erica, Hannah! What are you girls doing still standing here? The bell''s about to ring!"

    The two of them turned around and nodded. "Will be right there," Hamish, or rather Hannah replied back.

    ''Thank you, someone I don''t know!'' Erick cried in his heart, feeling grateful that he now has a name for Hamish.

    Hannah turned to Erick and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let''s go, Erica."

    Erick nodded and let her pull him along. Hannah''s hand was so soft. So unlike Hamish''s hands. Although he had touched many girls'' hands, he did not expect Hamish''s female version has soft hands either. But studying her from top to bottom, Erick feltˇ­ that he was hotter than Hannah.

    Erick inwardly nodded, feeling proud. Yup, his body was hotter than Hannah''s. More s.e.xy and curvy.

    Few minutes later, they arrived in the homeroom. It was then Erick realized that he probably would be able to see Amber. Will she be a girl or will she be a male version of herself?

    He sat down in his seat, anticipating and excited to meet Amber. He really was impatient to know what she looks like.

    Just as he was thinking of the possibilities, someone in front of him turned around.

    Erick raised his head and his eyes widened in horror.

    The girl in front of him wasn''t that beautiful but she has this charm about her that made her pretty. Her white ash blonde hair was tied into a braid, giving her this innocent look, with her bright green eyes. Her mouth, although was a bit wide, but full was painted a soft pink, similar like the rosy hue on her cheeks.

    As he stared at the girl in front of him in horror. The girl opened her mouth and said, "Erica, are we on for later? You, me and Hannah to a Fried Chicken Joint! It will be as usual. The three girls; HEA! Hannah, Erica and Amber!"

    Once Erick heard the name, his scream of ''Noooo'' echoed throughout the class. His face was full of horror and disbelief. ''Am I going to be mated with a girl? Is this a same s.e.x relationship??'' he thought in dread.

    Then suddenly, he felt like he was hit with a bucket of cold water.

    Gasping for breath, he slowly opened his eyes. It was then he realized that he was in his room, on his bed. This time, the wall was painted cream and his wall TV was in front of his bed.

    He looked around and found that everything was the same. He then looked down and sighed in relief. He was back to being a handsome and muscular young man.

    He then realized that he was drenched. His shirt was soaked. His hair was plastered against his forehead, still dripping water.

    He looked up and saw his mother frowning down at him, with her hands on her h.i.p.s. "Mom?" he said slowly.

    "You were screaming so dramatically so I poured water to wake you up," his mother explained. "Now, get going or you''ll be late for school."

    With that, his mother walked out of the room, carrying the bucket with her.

    It felt like deja vu for Erick as he shook his head, splattering water everywhere. He then got up from his bed and sighed again. ''Thank god that wasn''t real. Sorry, but I believed in male-female relationsh.i.p.s, not the same.,'' he cringed.

    He then nodded to himself and went into his bathroom to take a shower for the new day.

 Chapter 46 - 41: Training starts!

    For the past couple of days, Erick had been sneaking out to visit Amber in her room. Her family were still oblivious to his midnight visit. But his parents knew.

    Instead of holding him off, they left him be because they knew how hard it was to be separated from one''s mate. Even for awhile.

    Before his mother would protest as to why he would sneak out to meet a girl. But she stopped and had been so happy when she found out that it was his mate that he had been visiting. At first, they were a bit worried because his mate was a human. But it was not the first time that shifters were mated to humans. In fact, Hamish''s mother, Mary, was a human until his father mated with her.

    Both Lachlan and Luella knew that Erick would be able to overcome this. And it was not a hindrance for them as they were confident with Erick''s choice of action.

    Amber, though, had second thoughts of him visiting her room every night. It was not because she felt awkward. She inwardly felt delighted. It just felt so sudden. Why did he suddenly like her? True that they did not interact much with one another but she felt something off. Luckily, Erick had brushed away her negative thoughts.

    He did admit that at first, he never thought of liking her as more than a friend. But then, he confessed he did have feelings for her when he first saw her. And after one time, he decided to not fight his feelings and started to pursue her. He just hoped that she would start seeing him as more than friends as he does to her. Although she might not see them as boyfriend and girlfriend, he would start treating her as his girlfriendˇ­ better yet, as his ''wife''.

    One night, just as he was about to visit Amber again, he received a summons from the Alpha. It wasn''t just him. It was a summon for all the new shifters.

    Dejected, Erick could only abandon his idea of visiting Amber that night.

    In the forest where they used to hold the shifter ritual, Erick stood still with Hamish beside him as they waited for the Alpha.

    Jeayan was also around but she was with her other female shifter friends.

    Shortly after, the Alpha finally arrived, together with Latham and Dewei.

    The two stood behind their Alpha as Lachlan swept his eyes over the crowd of new shifters.

    The new shifters were surprised to see their Alpha suddenly standing in front of them. Although they scented something earlier but because their wolves have scented that it was not something to get wary of, their defences were down. However, when they realized that it was their Alpha, they immediately fell into silence.

    Erick knew that it was his father and the other two because he had smelled them. He was already familiar with their scents.

    "Is everyone here?" Lachlan asked Latham, turning around to look at him.

    Latham took a step forward and quickly looked around the new shifters. He then nodded and took a step back again.

    Lachlan turned back to face the new shifters.

    "Tonight, I have an announcement for all of you. As you all know that there has been an increase of rogues spotting in the area. Not just here but also in our fellow shifters'' territories. So, without wasting time, the elders of the Kendall packs and I had decided that the new shifters will undergo training, where you will get used to using your inner wolf."

    He then gestured towards Latham and said, "Latham here will be your head trainer. You will all listen to him and do not let the pack down."

    Turning to Dewei, Lachlan then added, "Our head researcher, Dewei, will also help with the training. But he will take note on each shifters'' specialties and who knows that you might get a weapon for yourself."

    "For the pack!" Lachlan shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

    "For the pack!" they echoed, also raising their fists into the air.

    After he was done talking, he bid his farewell and left the training to Latham and Dewei.

    Latham stepped forward and began to introduce himself once more. Then he began to show off his moves and asked for a volunteer.

    Seeing no one was volunteering, Latham had decided to pick Erick to step forward to volunteer. Erick rolled his eyes as he stepped forward, ignoring Latham''s smirking face.

    Watching Erick standing in front of the crowd, Dex''s mind began to fill with mockery, resentment and jealousy. Dex was one of the new shifters who had shifted together with Erick, Hamish and Jeayan a few weeks back. He was considered to be a cousin of Erick where his father was cousin to the Alpha. But they weren''t close. He always thought that it should have been his father to become the Alpha but he had lost. Now, Dex felt like he had to be behind Erick''s shadow and hence, has always been envious of Erick and his sweet life.

    Not only was he the future Alpha but he was also handsome and smart.

    Even though they went to the same school, their paths hardly crossed each other. In fact, Dex had seen Jeayan more than Erick.

    This was because he was in the Science stream and he took up basketball, instead of football.

    Watching Erick walking forward, he could not stand how this shifter training began to change to something that would shine Erick more.

    He then voiced out his displeasure, saying, "I didn''t know that this training was to cater to the son of Alpha." He still could not admit that Erick was soon going to be the future Alpha.

    Everyone then turned to look at him, even Latham and Dewei.

    Seeing all of the attention on him, he felt pleased and began to talk more. "I would have volunteered if it were to end like this."

    His friends who were standing beside him just sighed sadly. They knew of his personality and usually, they would have ignored it.

    Erick just looked at him with an expressionless look on his face. Hamish just frowned.

    Latham c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "I did ask for a volunteer earlier but no one raised their arms."

    He then narrowed his eyes and continued, "Was your hearing that bad?"

    Dex''s face flushed red in embarrassment. "No, it wasn''t." He did not expect this triplet to snap back at him like that. He had always thought that this triplet was the happy-go-lucky type. The one who does not seems to be bothered much by insults and mockery.

    "Then come over here and stand beside Erick," Dewei instructed, pointing at the empty spot beside Erick.

    Dex walked over and stood beside Erick. He turned his head and smirked at him.

    Erick just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow.

    Latham stood in front of them and ordered them to fight.

    Dex snickered as he stood in an offensive stance. He was confident because he had a bit of a fighting experience where he used to join a karate club when he was young.

    However, before Dex could make another move, Erick was already in front of him. Erick then began to throw punches after punches.

    Dust flew around them as moves were exchanged between the two young shifters.

    It was hard for Dex to return an attack because he was too occupied, trying to dodge Erick''s attack.

    Erick''s face was solemn as he quietly threw more punches. There were times that he even managed to kick.

    Just as Erick was about to land a hit on Dex''s face, Latham stopped the fight, holding their fists with his cupped hands.

    "That''s enough."

    He turned around to the crowds where everyone was too immersed and excited, watching the fight.

    "Now that you have seen a fight between the shifters. Even though, not in a serious fight. You should not only learn how to land an attack but you should learn how to avoid them as well," he said. "So, before we begin, give me 50 laps around the grounds right now."

    Everyone groaned, including Erick.

    Once they were done with their laps, both Latham and Dewei began to teach them on how to fight the rogues. Latham told them that first they would need to learn how to dodge and they should always avoid the hands.

    Then Latham began to demonstrate on how to immobilize the rogue. He advised that it would be better if they go for the head or the heart.

    He then further instructed them to go on pairs.

    After a couple of hours, the night began to darken further, telling everyone that it was getting closer to midnight.

    Looking around him with satisfaction, groans of pain can be heard all around the grounds.

    Latham smirked as he watched them lying down on the ground, as if they no longer had the energy to move.

    ''This is just the beginning,'' he thought evilly.

 Chapter 47 - 42: Sadistic Latham

    The training schedule for the new shifters was hectic and gruesome. It was as if they didn''t have time to enjoy their highschool days. According to the schedule that was given by Latham, they would be having their training for three days in a week.

    For some new shifters, this has taken a toll on them as they were not used to this kind of training. They were already dealing with school work and now pack work. Dissatisfied, they voice out their concerns to their Beta. They wouldn''t dare voiced out straight to the Alpha, less he would get angry.

    However, the Alpha had foreseen this and already told the Beta to ignore their whines and complaints. He told the Beta that juggling with school work and pack work should not be an issue. There are people who worked more than them. And this training was for their own good. Not just for the pack but also for self-protection.

    So, instead of comforting them, much to their surprise, the usually happy-go-lucky Beta scolded them for being a weakling and further told them that if they were to complain again, he will give an order to Latham to add another day to their training schedule.

    He even threatened to replace Latham with Roel, who was known for his ''torture'' in the training field. It was still unsure whether the thought of adding one more day to their schedule was tiring enough or whether Roel becoming their new trainer will kill them. But one thing for sure, it did shut those complaining new shifters up.

    Because everyone in the pack knew that compared with Roel and Latham, Latham was more kind and friendly than Roel. It was not that Roel was cruel. But then again, his method of training was considered ''cruel''. The shifters who had undergone Roel''s training last year can attest to the fact.

    After Latham had heard about the new shifters'' complaints about the training, he had decided to be more sadistic and increase the laps from 50 to 70. He even added more programs to the schedule such as 50 cross.

    He had laughed inwardly as he watched the new shifters ''suffer'' through his training regime. He disliked lazy people and those who thought that they were above it all. And most of all, he dislikes being known as the ''weak'' and ''kind'' brother. Yes, he is. But he doesn''t like that ''title'' being used for their advantage.

    One night, his two brothers, Roel and Noaz decided to join in the training as they had nothing to do. They came just after they had their dinner at the pack house and went straight to the training field. They rather just watched the new shifters trained, rather than getting involved themselves.

    Arriving at the training field, they arrived just as the new shifters were doing their laps. Groans of pain could be heard around the area. Latham was standing at the side with a look of satisfaction on his face.

    Watching their older brother laughing gleefully at the new shifters running in rounds, they both cringed. Latham really enjoyed himself as he watched them running, gasping for air. He even tried to hold back his laughter when one of the shifters tripped over nothing and tried to get up from their fall.

    Noaz winced again as he watched the pitiful and exhausted new shifters giving their all. Roel, who stood beside him, just cooly looked at them. There was a bit of gentleness in his gaze but soon disappeared when he turned to look at Latham who was shouting at the new shifters to run faster.

    They forgot how sadistic their brother can be. He may be a joker on the outside but touch his bottomline, you might awaken the sadist inside him. It was not a sight to be adored. And even Noaz and Roel know not to touch his bottomline.

    Hence, it was never a good idea to piss him off.

    ----

    That night, Erick had planned to go over to Amber''s home but after that gruesome training, he did not think he had the energy to run over there. He really did not know what was going on with Latham. He could tell that he was a bit furious about something.

    Erick presumed that it was probably the things that he had heard from the other new shifters where some of them had voiced out their complaints at the Beta. Fergus probably had scolded Latham too and hence, the training earlier was his revenge on the new shifters.

    He had texted Amber that he will not be coming. But he felt like Amber did not take too much of a concern over this since her reply was only a crummy ''Okay.''.

    Okay??? ''Give me more words, woman!'' He had screamed in his mind when he had just received the text message.

    Now, lying back on his bed, he scrolled around in his social media, trying to find things that would not be boring.

    However, soon after, he received another text message from Amber.

    Abruptly sitting up straight on his bed, he quickly checked what she had been sending. Disappointed, he saw that Amber had just sent him a link to check what kind of Potterhead he is.

    Resisting the urge to throw his mobile phone, he replied to her message, asking what is this for?

    ''It''s for our assignment, remember? For Literature class. You can just answer that mini pop quiz to find out what''s your house and we can go from there.

    Oh, and do not forget to watch the movies. Have you been watching them?'' she asked in the message.

    ''Nope. I haven''t.''

    Then suddenly, his screen was filled with so many shocked emojis expressions, followed with a ''WHAT?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?''

    Before Erick could type a reply back, Amber had already sent his another message. ''You should get started on them! We don''t have much time left. For now, do that quiz and we''ll go from there. Do you have the movies?''

    Again, before Erick could reply, Amber had beaten him to it. ''Wait, of course you don''t. You never even heard of Harry Potter before this. That is so weird, you know? How can you not know still baffles me. Have you been living in a cave or something?''

    For the third time, he still can''t reply back because Amber had sent her message, yet again. ''Alright. Do the quiz and we can probably watch the movie together.''

    ''You want to cuddle with me, watching the movie?'' Erick asked, finally able to send the message this time.

    ''Noˇ­'' came Amber''s reply. Erick chuckled as he already imagined her rolling her eyes at the comment.

    ''Just do it! I''ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight!''

    Erick shot another quick message of thank you to Amber and started to open the link that she had sent earlier.

 Chapter 48 - 43: Nightly Run

    As Erick opened the link in his phone, rows of questions with multiple choice answers appeared on his screen. Reading them one by one before attempting to answer them had gotten him feel more confused. What the heck is this quiz? Some kind of personality tests? And there were a lot of them too.

    He scratched the back of his head as he scrolled down.

    He had read the answers that were given and had laughed at some of them. Especially the one where it asked which supernatural beings would you like to study the most. He scoffed and thought, ''Of course I would like to read more about the werewolves.''

    As he was attempting to answer the questions, his mother had knocked on his door. Without waiting for Erick''s permission, she had already peeked in and reminded him, "Don''t forget to throw the trash out."

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Mom, it''s nearly midnight."

    "Well, it''s not as if you can''t see in the dark. Bring Luka along with you. He has been feeling bored staying indoors lately."

    Erick flopped down on his bed, with his arms wide open, dropping his phone beside him. "But I''m tired," he whined, feeling too lazy to go out.

    "Go now before it gets too dark," his mother said, ignoring his complaint.

    Erick sat up straight on his bed and exclaimed, "How could you be so heartless to send your only child outside in the dark??"

    "That''s why I''m telling you to go now," his mother said. She then pointed at the wall clock in front of him and continued, "It''s not yet midnight so you should get going now."

    "Do I have to do it now?" Erick asked in disbelief. Seriously, why does he have to throw the trash so late in the night?

    "Yes, the trashcan is full. I don''t like it when it messes up my kitchen. And there might be some worms crawling all over," Luella explained patiently, visibly cringing at the thought of worms all over her kitchen.

    "But still--"

    His mother finally lost her patience and shouted, "Erick Louis Kendall! You listened to me right now! I have enough of your needless questions and complaints! Just do as your mother tells you to do or I will tell your father about this!"

    Erick''s eyes widened. He knew that he had gone too far when his mother called him with his full name. And like, seriously. You''re bringing Dad into the conversation? Not cool at all.

    He sighed and grudgingly stood up from his bed.

    Luka, who was lying down on its bed, a few meters away from Erick''s, raised its head when it noticed Erick standing. It immediately jumped from its bed and yelped around Erick''s legs.

    It seems to know that Erick was going to bring him for a walk.

    While he grabbed his light jacket since it''s going to be a chilly night outside, his mother had gone downstairs, getting ready to pass him the trash bags.

    Erick crouched down in front of Luka and patted it on its head. "Sorry for not spending too much time with you. Even though Melody did offer to let you stay in the pack house with the other animals, I guess I''m still too selfish to let you go.

    I''ll try to spend more time with you. I''ll probably introduce Amber to you. If she''s not terrified of wolves, that is," he continued.

    ''Don''t just introduce it to her. Bite her! Mark her!'' growled Dane in his mind.

    Erick rolled his eyes. ''Cool it, old pup. I''m just waiting for the time when I could tell her about us,'' he replied back. By ''us'', he was referring to being a werewolf. Erick was just worried that she might not accept him as a werewolf. Who knows that she was probably one of those who anti werewolves. He wouldn''t be surprised if she was, though. Since he knew that there were probably many untruth stories about werewolves that were being spread to the human world. Especially when werewolves were being portrayed in bad light.

    ''When? And who did you just call ''pup''??'' Dane growled.

    Erick ignored Dane and went out of his room, with Luka happily following him from behind.

    Downstairs, his mother had placed two large trash bags on the porch of the front door. Grabbing them, each bag in one hand, Erick led the way to the dumpster.

    The dumpster was a few yards away, far from the residential area. They shared the dumpster together with the humans in town. Although Erick could have used his car to drive over to the dumpster, he knew that Luka had been wanting to get out and wanted to walk around.

    Besides, it wasn''t that far at all, since it probably took them less than thirty minutes to arrive at the dumpster.

    Wincing at the smell in the dumpster, Erick tried his best to calm down and tolerate the smell. He quickly threw the trash bags and ran further away from the dumpster.

    With Luka running along beside him, they reached the training field where he first shifted and where he did his training too.

    Taking a deep breath, he felt the smell of the woods was comfortable and relaxing. He really loved the smell of the woods. It calmed him and made him feel at peace.

    It was then he thought of an idea. He began to stretch his body and arms. He looked down at Luka, who was sitting down on its hind legs.

    "Up for a little run, Luka?" Erick asked, with a grin.

    Luka barked, as if to say yes.

    Erick chuckled. "Great. I, too, think that Dane is up for a run. Let''s go, shall we?"

    After saying that and making sure that no one was around, he immediately stripped down. He placed his clothes near one of the trees for safekeeping.

    He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just then, sounds of bones cracking can be heard. His nails became longer as his body stretched to its height. Slick black fur began to cover his whole body, leaving a straight patch of white fur from its thick mane to the back. His eyes glinted in the dark night, from black to amber. His teeth grew into sharp fangs.

    He then growled up to the sky, making his appearance known. He laid his paw against his neck and cricked it, rubbing away the sore muscles.

    His amber eyes blinked as it adjusted itself to the surroundings, familiarising the area. He sniffed around and felt the area was quite nice.

    He looked down at the now whimpering Luka, who was inching backwards, away from the shifter in front of it.

    It got confused. What happened to its master? How come his master''s scent has faded? It could still smell the scent of its master but it got overwhelmed by this shifter''s smell.

    As it watched the shifter getting closer to it, it nearly fainted out of fear and shock. It could sense and smell the strength and the power from this shifter. It was really strong. Most importantly, Luka can smell the aura of an Alpha from him. Not just any Alpha, but a much stronger one. Stronger than the man who lived in the same house as its master.

    Bending down, the shifter quickly grabbed the white wolf by the scruff of its neck and stared at its eyes.

    Luka whimpered as it held eyes with the scary shifter.

    The two were quiet, studying each other.

    "Well, well. So, we''ve finally met each other in person, little Luka," the shifter said raspily, as if it had been a long time since it last talked.

    "Now, shall we go for a run?" Dane grinned.

 Chapter 49 - 44: The town in the North

    It took Dane quite awhile to get used to Erick''s body. Not only that, he also had to try to comfort the little wolf. It seems too terrified of Dane that it nearly passed out again when Dane grabbed him by the scruff.

    In the end, Dane had to let his aura out and let it sweep over the little wolf. Once Luka finally recognized the aura and began to feel comfortable as if it had found its family, it got nearer to Dane. So near that it nearly tried to nuzzle into Dane''s mane, much to Erick''s amus.e.m.e.nt.

    ''Haha! Look, Dane! Luka thinks you''re his mom!'' Erick laughed out loud in Dane''s mind.

    This time, Erick was in Dane''s consciousness as he took over his body. It was a weird feeling for Erick, yet he did not feel threatened at the fact that he has no full control over his own body. Rather it was surprisingly interesting. It was like playing a game with him with a remote control. The difference was that Dane might ignore him and do as he wanted. The fact that the shifters cannot fully control their body may alarm them, but for Erick, he trusted Dane.

    Dane just growled.

    Gently pushing Luka away, Dane got into position. Seconds later, he began to run, roaming around in the woods. Luka was far from him, yelping every now and then, as if it was calling to Dane to wait for it.

    The run felt exhilarating for Dane, who had been inside Erick''s body for years. It felt like such a release and freedom for him. He was thankful that Erick had accepted him back then. Even though Erick was still too young to accept him, he was glad that Erick was strong enough to welcome him. He knew he was selfish for inflicting pain towards a young boy who has years to go to shift. But he was confident in Erick''s future and capabilities. He knew that Erick will one day change the wrongs in this world.

    It was after midnight when Dane finally felt that he had enough running. He laid down, against the bark of a tree, watching as Luka, still excited, yelping around Dane''s hind legs. Dane patted the little wolf with his paw gently.

    Just then, he froze. He stood up straight, looking around him, feeling quite alert. He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in his amber eyes.

    "Did you feel that?" Dane asked, in his raspy voice.

    ''Surprisingly, I do,'' Erick answered in his mind. ''It feltˇ­ eerily weird yet familiar.''

    Dane growled, which made Luka tremble in fright. "Seems like a bunch of rogues. A few of them."

    ''What the-- Are they nearby?''

    Dane shook his head. "No, somewhere up in the North," he commented. "But there''s also some other stench mixed with them. Kind of familiar. But I don''t remember."

    ''We should go and tell Dad about this,'' Erick said seriously.

    Dane nodded. He then closed his eyes. Suddenly, it looked like he had shrunk. His fur gone, reverting back to skin. His fangs began to shrink as his claws slowly changed into hands. Before Luka, the shifter suddenly changed into a human being.

    Dropping down, Erick held his head with one hand and another hand supporting him, as he held himself up against the ground. He shook his head, as if trying to shake away the feeling of dizziness. He blinked his eyes furiously and when he opened his eyes, his eyes had turned back to black.

    He scratched the back of his neck and looked down. He winced when he realized that he was in his birthday suit. He immediately grabbed his clothes and put it on. "Okay, I''m not used to that yet," he mumbled as he put on his clothes.

    Erick then began to stretch out his muscles; bending his knees up and down. He then picked up Luka, tucking him with his arm behind Luka''s hind legs and said, "Alrighty! We need to get back home and report this to Dad. Hold on tight, little buddy."

    Usually, it would take them less than an hour to reach Erick''s house. However, using Dane''s speed, Erick was able to reach his home in less than thirty minutes. Arriving in front of his house, he began to shake his feet, shaking all the tingling feeling he felt after the run. Luckily, his shoes were safe. And looking down at Luka, it seems like it enjoyed the ride more, rather than frightened by the unusual speed.

    The house was dark as all the lights inside were closed. It was quiet. Erick''s parents were probably asleep in their room as he could not see any activity happening behind the closed doors.

    He unlocked the front door and went silently inside. However, just as he went in, he immediately got down, releasing Luka on the floor and rolled around. He jumped up and got into a defensive position.

    "Good. It seems like your reflex is getting better."

    Erick rolled his eyes as Lachlan switched on the hall lights.

    "Really?" he said sarcastically. "Were you really going to hit me with that?" he asked, gesturing at the baseball bat in Lachlan''s hand.

    Lachlan lifted the bat and propped it against his shoulder, smirking. "Why not? I''m just testing your progress."

    Erick rolled his eyes again. He then gestured towards Lachlan''s office. "We need to talk. There''s something that Dane would like to tell you."

    Lachlan''s face turned solemn. He then nodded. "Let''s go," he said, leading the way to his office.

    Inside Lachlan''s office, he went straight towards his mini fridge at the side of the room. He grabbed one bottle of red wine from the inside and went to grab his wine glass. He poured some wine into his glass and took a drink.

    "Feeling classy, aren''t we?" Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, being sarcastic as he watched his father drink.

    Lachlan chuckled. "Just needed a drink," he replied. He returned the wine bottle back in the fridge and sat down behind his table, still holding his wine glass.

    He set aside his wine glass and linked his finger together, with his elbows on the table. "So, what''s going on? What did Dane tell you?"

    "So, I was going for a runˇ­ Yes, I know we should be careful but no one was--"

    Lachlan waved away his excuse with a wave of his hand. "As long as you''re alright. And I already knew that you went for a run. So, cut to the chase and tell me what happened?" he asked, straight to the point.

    Erick sighed and said in a serious note, "Dane said he sensed rogues not far from here."

    Lachlan''s eyes narrowed at Erick''s words. "How far?" he asked solemnly.

    "The next town to the north of here. He sensed that there''s probably three to four rogues."

    Lachlan sighed as he contemplated the seriousness of the news. "The north of here?" he repeated slowly. "That''s probably the small village up in the mountains here." From what he could remember, the town in the north was more like a small village, which kept to themselves. The town was surrounded by range of mountains, away from the bustling towns. They do not have much contact with the outside world and vice versa. So, Lachlan does not know much about the town at all.

    "Not only that, Dane also said that he sensed a familiar stench around them. But he could not remember it."

    His father abruptly raised his head and stared at Erick in surprise. "He can smell them?" he asked. He knew that Dane was strong. But he did not expect that he could even smell from here. The furthest his Willem could smell was outside the town, not until the next town.

    Erick nodded, looking confused. It did not occur to him that Dane''s senses were stronger than Willem''s.

    Lachlan let out a soft chuckle. "Indeed, he is quite powerful, huh," he said softly.

    "Who?" asked Erick, still confused.

    Lachlan just shook his head, not answering his question. ''Seems like we need to gather for a meeting really soon,'' he thought gravely.

 Chapter 50 - 45: Binge watching

    After a long talk with the Alpha, Erick was finally able to go to his room. His father had asked a lot of questions, much to Erick''s exasperation. He doesn''t like being questioned too much. Luka, who had been tired from its little adventure, too, went straight to its bed. It snuggled deeply in its blanket and immediately fell asleep.

    Erick yawned as he began to make himself comfortable in bed. He grabbed his phone and was sad to see that there were no messages nor missed calls from Amber. She probably had fallen asleep already. Even if it''s Sunday tomorrow, it seems like she still sleeps early.

    He flopped back on his bed with a sigh, dropping his phone beside him. It was indeed a tiring night. It was fun too, though. It was his first attempt to shift and it felt strangely pleasant. He presumed that this must be how other shifters felt when they first shift. There was a sense of belonging and comfort after he had shift.

    He then settled into bed and went to sleep.

    ----

    The next morning.

    His phone was ringing non-stop, startling Erick awake. It even woke up Luka, who began to bark incessantly. Together with the sounds of ringing and the barking, it seems impossible for him to go back to sleep.

    Erick groaned as he sat up in his bed, yawning. Squinting his eyes, he fumbled around and found that his phone had fallen underneath his bed. With another groan, he got up and went to reach underneath his bed to grab his phone.

    Without looking at the caller''s name, he answered the phone with a loud yawn. "Yeah, what?" he said sleepily, feeling a bit disgruntled that his sleep was disturbed.

    "Oh, did I wake you up?"

    All the tiredness and the drowsiness in his tone and mind began to fly out the window after he heard that sweet voice of Amber''s. "No, no, you did not. What''s up?" he asked gently, looking very wide awake now.

    "Oh great! I was wondering whether you''re free later this afternoon. We can meet up to discuss our literature assignment since the due date is pretty soon. The earlier we finished, the better, no?" she said on the phone.

    "I''m good," he replied quickly. Even if he has any other plans, he would cancel them in a heartbeat, just to see his mate.

    "Great. Shall we meet up at the Stitch Food Joint?" she asked.

    "The wha--?" Erick asked back, feeling confused.

    "You know, that food joint where you stole my fries."

    Erick chuckled. Seems like this girl has a grudge for anyone who steals her fries. "Ah, that one," he said slowly, smiling. She was so darned cute and adorable.

    "Yeah, I remember the fries there were so good. And we probably can discuss while we eat. It''s not that noisy there, compared to the McClay''s," she suggested, referring to the usual food joint that Erick always went to.

    "Sure, sure. I''ll see you later at 2PM?"

    "Great! See you later then," she said. With that, she hung up the phone.

    Erick frowned as he stared down at the phone. "What? That''s it? No see you later, babe? No kiss-kiss?" he mumbled as he placed his phone on his study table.

    He stretched his arms up as he yawned again. Walking past Luka, who went back to sleep again, he grabbed his bath towel and went off to have a shower.

    Soon after, he was sitting at the dining table, where his mother had placed all the food on the table. There was a huge bowl of potato tater tots, a plate filled with sausages, piled up high, a dozen fried eggs, one loaf of toasted bread, a plate filled with many grilled tomatoes and a huge bowl of baked beans.

    Grabbing each food from each plate and bowls, he turned to his mother, who was washing the dishes at the sink. "Where''s dad, mom?" he asked, curious as to why he isn''t joining them for breakfast.

    "He went to the station. He had an urgent meeting with the mayor," his mother replied, still washing the dishes, her back to him.

    "Did something happen last night?" he asked again. From what he could recall from last night, nothing happened, other than Dane sensed that there might be rogues up in the north.

    "Oh, nothing that you should worry about, son," his mother replied, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel, once she was done washing. She then joined Erick and placed both of her arms on top of the table. She smiled as she watched her son ''vacuumed'' everything in his plate. Her son is growing up well. It seems like yesterday when he first started to learn how to eat by himself. He was adamant, saying that he was old enough to feed himself.

    Erick grabbed a slice of toast and began to pile up eggs and sausages on top of it and ate it. He repeated the actions until the plates filled with eggs and sausages were empty. He then grabbed a bowl of baked beans and scooped it into his plate. He did the same for the potato tater tots and grilled tomatoes.

    His mother rolled her eyes. "Why don''t just take the whole plate and eat everything?" she asked sarcastically, her chin on her palm and elbow on the table.

    "I can?" Erick asked back, not noticing Luella''s sarcasm. "Why didn''t you say so earlier?" he exclaimed, grabbing the bowls and eating the food straight from it.

    His mother rolled her eyes again and sighed. She got up and began to collect the dirty dishes from the table.

    After he was done with his breakfast, he got up to help his mother with the dishes as well. He then went back to his room where he rummaged around his little box on his study table. The little box contained his pendrive and whatnot.

    He grabbed his laptop and inserted his pendrive in. He began to type on his laptop and a few minutes later, his screen started to darken and showed the intertitle; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone. He paused the movie and went down again to grab some food. One does not watch a movie without any food.

    With a huge bowl of popcorn, several potato chip bags and two huge bottles of water, he placed the food on his table. He then connected his laptop to his wall TV and settled in bed.

    An empty bowl of popcorn, three empty potato chip bags and one and a half empty bottles of water later, the movie finally ended. Erick was so engrossed in the movie that he didn''t even notice Luka lying beside him. Erick, too, has changed his position from leaning against the bed frame to lying on his stomach, with his chin on his palm and elbow on his bed.

    He managed to finish off two Harry Potter movies; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets before his ''date'' with Amber. If it wasn''t for the date, he would still stay in his room and continue watching.

    But alas, his ''wifey'' will be waiting for him so he better get going.

    Grabbing his backpack and shoving his laptop inside, he went out of his room and got into his car, heading straight to the Stitch Food Joint.

 Chapter 51 - 46: Childish Erick

    When Erick arrived at the Stitch Food Joint, Amber was already inside. She was sitting at the booth, far away from the entrance. Erick sniffed and looked around. His eyes landed on a blonde girl who was munching away at the french fries in front of her, with her eyes on her notebook.

    A grin blossomed in his face as he went straight towards her, his stride fast and excited.

    When Erick stood beside the table, Amber still did not realize that he had arrived, her attention still fixated by something written on the notebook. Leaning closer at the notebook, he realized that it was a notebook filled with scribbles and doodles.

    Erick then sat down beside her, bumping her h.i.p.s with his.

    Startled, Amber turned around and saw Erick smiling cheekily at her. "Deng. You surprised me!" she exclaimed.

    He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "You seriously did not notice that I was here?" he teased, as he leaned closer to her.

    "Since when?" she demanded, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    "Since an hour ago," he lied smoothly, wearing a poker face.

    Amber pouted. "Lies!" she reputed.

    "I''ve never lied."

    "You just did!" she counterback, poking him on the shoulder with her pointer finger.

    Erick quickly grabbed her finger and bit it.

    Amber''s eyes widened as she turned beet red. She pulled her hand away and glared at him. "What do you think you''re doing?" she demanded.

    ''Yeah, idiot,'' growled Dane in his mind. ''What the hell do you think you''re doing? You should have bit herˇ­ No, mate her!''

    Erick just ignored Dane and smiled innocently at Amber, without answering her question.

    Amber rolled her eyes and then gestured at him to come closer, thinking that he might probably not be able to see anything in her notebook. She pointed at some texts in the notebook and said, "So, the topic that was given to us for the assignment is kind of vague. Something like how Harry Potter has an impact on modern literature." She then turned to Erick and asked, "By the way, have you watched the movies?"

    Erick nodded. God, he loved how she smells. Being in close proximity like this is like a blessing. He did not think that he would ever want to move from this position.

    "What about the test? Did you do it too?"

    Erick nodded again. "Yeah, I got Gryffindor as my house."

    Amber raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh really? You did not cheat your way into getting that house?" she asked teasingly.

    "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. Why would he cheat into getting that house? Other than the main character being in that house, he did not know what else was so special about the house.

    "Like, you did not redo the quiz over and over again, just to get the house, did you?" she asked again, smiling cheekily.

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Now why would I want to waste my time doing the quiz all over again? Even if I did redo the quiz, I''d pick Slytherin."

    Amber looked at him in surprise. "Oh, Slytherin? Why Slytherin, though?"

    Erick shrugged. "They looked like a cool house, even if many Potterheads do not like them. And yeah, I like green and the fact that I think they are just being viewed in a bad image.."

    She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

    "Nothing. Like I said, Slytherin is being undervalued in the movies when in fact, they are the coolest," he replied. "What about you? What house did you get?"

    She smiled smugly at him. "I got Ravenclaw!" she said proudly. "Now that''s a smart house!"

    "Oh, that doesn''t seem like a popular one," he commented.

    Amber glared. "What do you mean by that?" She then poked him on the shoulder again, each word with each poke. "Just you wait. You have not watched the other movie where you will see one of the great characters from Ravenclaw."

    Wincing, not because it hurts too much but rather, it does hurt a bit especially when she poked with her nail. "Right, right," he reassured her, wanting her to stop poking him.

    After three milkshakes, four burgers and three fries later, the two of them had finally rectified all the notes that they had gathered and taken down into an essay. Erick compiled all the notes and corrected some grammar mistakes made by Amber. At the same time, he explained to her why they had to use this grammar rule and so forth.

    They saved the doc.u.ment both in their pendrive as well as in Amber''s laptop, just in case.

    Erick, at first, wanted to go to Amber''s house right after the ''date'' but Amber told him ''no'' since she probably would be sleeping early that night, feeling mentally tired. She probably would not be able to ''entertain'' him so it''s better for him to just stay home, much to Erick and Dane''s displeasure.

    ----

    The due date of the Harry Potter assignment.

    It was noisy and lively inside the classroom. Amber was already inside, with her backpack on the floor and her books neatly arranged on her table. Erick had just walked into the class with the class teacher, Mrs. Evan, walking in front of him.

    He smoothly went to Amber''s side and stared hard at the guy who was sitting behind her.

    Mrs. Evan was about to start her lesson when she noticed Erick was still standing around. "What are you doing, Mr. Kendall? Go to your seat right now."

    "My seat is right here. I''m waiting for him to get out of the seat," he answered, gesturing at the seat where a blonde and lanky guy was sitting. The guy stared at Erick in bafflement. ''But I was here first,'' the guy thought, frowning.

    Classes usually do not have a fixed seating arrangement so even though Erick had sat behind Amber before, it does not mean he would be able to sit behind her once again.

    Mrs. Evan frowned. "Mr. Kendall, there are other seats available here. Why do you insist on taking that seat when you can see that Mr. Garcia is currently occupying that seat?" she asked patiently.

    Erick turned to the blonde guy, who Mrs. Evan refers to as Mr. Garcia and narrowed his eyes. He then gestured at him to move out, not saying a word. His posture was telling everyone that he would not be moving unless Mr. Garcia moved.

    The blonde guy immediately packed his things and moved to the back of the class.

    Satisfied, Erick dumped his backpack on the floor and leaned against his seat with a grin, his hands inside his pockets.

    Amber turned around, just in time to see a grin on his face and rolled her eyes. "How childish can you get?" she mumbled before turning back around.

    Erick leaned closer to her and blew softly at her neck, making her shriek in surprise. "As long as I''m near you, it doesn''t matter how childish I can be," he said cheekily.

    "Miss Keene, is there something you''d like to share with the class?" Mrs. Evan asked, frowning.

    "No, no, there''s nothing," Amber stammered. Once the teacher turned around to prepare her lesson, Amber quickly turned around to glare at him. "Stop messing around!" she hissed.

    Erick just grinned, showing off a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial with dimples that popped in his cheeks.

 Chapter 52 - 47: Dog Food

    Zoe glared menacingly at the two people, sitting just a few seats away from her. She was furious that Erick did not even spare a glance in her direction. She had dressed extra pretty that day because she remembered that she has the same class as Erick, after lunch. She had worn her favourite red shirt and black jean shorts. She had even styled her hair into luscious curls, framing her attractive face. She even put on her makeup, though not too much. Just giving the appearance of a natural look.

    But it still did not manage to grab Erick''s attention.

    She gripped her pen so hard, it nearly broke into half in her hand.

    One of her friends, Keiley, who sat next to her, frowned when she saw the look on Zoe''s face. She leaned closer to Zoe, hissing urgently, "Zoe, what''s up with you?"

    Zoe immediately shook herself out of her thoughts and said softly, "Nothing." She gave her friend a weak smile.

    Keiley glanced at the grinning Erick and the slightly annoyed Amber and turned back again. "Is it because Erick is sitting there with that girl?"

    Hearing the fact that Erick had chosenˇ­ no, demanded to sit near another girl, instead of her caused Zoe to bite her lips that she nearly drew blood. She gritted her teeth instead. She then took a deep breath and said with another forced smile, "Of course not. He can choose to sit wherever he wants to."

    "But you got to admit that he''s getting hotter each day," Keiley sighed dreamily as she took another glance at Erick. "Too bad he hardly accepts any dates these days."

    Zoe rolled her eyes. "He only dated you once." ''Don''t make it sound as if you''ve been dating him for years,'' she fumed silently.

    "And too bad, it wasn''t enough until you conquer him," Keiley complained, pouting.

    Zoe smirked, looking proud. Yes, after that, Erick did date her for quite awhile. Even though he did date other girls when he was with her but in the end, he returned back to her.

    She then frowned as she stole a glance at Erick. But now, why doesn''t he want to date her? It''s been months since he last went out with her. One time she had asked him out, he rejected her outright.

    Zoe gritted her teeth. ''I will get him back sooner or later,'' she vowed vehemently in her heart.

    -----

    When it was their turn to present, Amber immediately turned around in her seat and gestured for him to stand up.

    Erick saw this and just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow.

    Her eyes widened and she continued to point at him with her chin, telling him without words to get up.

    He just smiled, thinking how cute she looked, pouting and glaring. It made him want to tease her more. So, he pretended to be oblivious and continued to stare back at her with wide eyes, as well.

    Amber gritted her teeth in frustration and reached over at him to give him a pinch on the arm. "Come on and present for us, doofus," she hissed furiously.

    Amber felt it was better for Erick to present since he did most of the work. Not that she did not do a single thing but he did most of the corrections and even added some points which she did not think of. What was weird since Amber watched the movies more than thrice. She should at least understand more about the movie than Erick.

    Thinking that she has enough teasing for the dayˇ­ maybe, Erick stood up and began to talk and explain their findings. He talked about how Harry Potter was written in a way that it does not only affect the young readers but also, other age groups. He then continued to showcase his beautiful explanations of their findings that not only enraptured the other students in class but also Mrs. Evan.

    Once he was done with his presentation, he soon was greeted by an applause, led by Mrs. Evan.

    "Beautiful, Mr. Kendall," Mrs. Evan praised. "That was a beautiful context about the topic. I do hope the essay was also beautifully done?" she asked, ending her words with a question.

    Erick gave her a wink and said, "Beautiful just like you, Mrs. Evan."

    The teacher just rolled her eyes and frowned at him. But one could tell that she was pleased with the compliment by a slight blush on her cheeks.

    Once everyone was done with their mini presentation, Mrs. Evan told the class to not forget to submit the essay during the next class.

    Luckily for Erick and Amber, they have done with theirs. But it doesn''t hurt to double check the essay. At least, that''s what Amber said while Erick doesn''t seem to care. But he does whatever Amber says because he would do anything to make her happy.

    Hours later when school had ended, Amber was on her way to her locker to put her books inside for the next day. She was too lazy to bring them all back home. She will only bring those she needs to study.

    When she arrived at her locker, she saw Erick leaning against her locker, talking with Hamish in front of him. He was laughing and nodding to what Hamish was saying, with his backpack on the floor, beside his feet. Hamish looked serious when he talked. It made her wonder what conversation were they talking about; serious or funny?

    "Hey guys, what are you two doing here?" Amber greeted them.

    Both guys turned; Hamish with a frown while Erick with a grin. These two were like a complete opposite. Again, it made her wonder how these two became great friends. It seems like the opposite does attract. With that thought, Amber giggled, thinking that they might have too much bromance.

    Erick looked down at her with a confused smile, wondering why she was suddenly giggling. He did not mind, though, because she looked cute with her smile. Hamish, on the other hand, frowned deeper when he saw that she was giggling.

    "What''s so funny?" Hamish asked.

    Amber just shook her head, still smiling. ''I bet that if I tell him what''s in my thoughts, he would kill me,'' she thought as she looked at Hamish.

    Erick bent down to grab his backpack and hoisted up on his shoulder. He then said, "We''re waiting for you. I''m sending you back home."

    Amber turned to Erick in surprise and she then shook her head, waving her hands, ''no''. "It''s alright. I can just walk. It''s not really that far," she rejected.

    Erick frowned. "No, I don''t really mind sending you home." he then jerked a thumb over his shoulder to where Hamish was standing. "Just hope you don''t mind Hamish joining us."

    She frowned and shook her head again. "Why should I mind?" she interjected. "I mean, it''s not as if we''re---"

    "We are. You''re my girlfriend and I''m your boyfriend," Erick cut in, looking serious.

    Amber sighed. "But I already told youˇ­"

    Erick suddenly grabbed her hands, rubbing the palm. "Please," he said softly. "Just give meˇ­ no, us, a chance, okay? I know I may come up as strong butˇ­"

    Amber sighed again but this time with a smile. "Alright."

    In the background, Hamish rolled his eyes. "Why do I have to be pelted with dog food?" he mumbled.

 Chapter 53 - 48: Meeting

    The day was slowly getting dark as the clouds steadily drifted apart to reveal a dusky yet starry night. After Erick had dropped Amber off at her house, it was already nearly nighttime.

    And instead of sending Hamish home, he drove straight for the pack house. Few minutes before Erick had offered to send Amber home, he and Hamish had actually received a mind-link from their Alpha to come to the pack house. It seems like it was an important order, hearing the serious tone in the Alpha''s voice.

    Parking the car just in front of the pack house, both Erick and Hamish got out of the car. They then walked side by side towards the house.

    Passing by several offices along the way and nodding ''hello'' to several pack mates that they met in the hallway, they finally arrived at the pack meeting room.

    The pack meeting room was a large room, just a few doors away from the Alpha and the Beta''s offices. It was only used for an important meeting or if there was a visit from the other packs.

    In the middle of the room, there was a large and long rounded meeting table, that can seat at least sixteen people, several chairs, a huge projector screen with an overhead projector and a standing whiteboard at the side.

    Inside the room, the atmosphere was thick with tension as the shifters inside kept quiet as they awaited for the meeting to start. Several elders such as Elder Reginald, Elder Ulanni and Elder Omorose had already sat at the table and their presences were already imposing as it was. Together with Paccia and Dewei, it was as if almost everyone important in the pack were attending the meeting. And what surprised Erick more was that Jeayan and Dex were also inside. They were on the other side of the room, together with the triplets who stood in front of them, with their hands behind their backs.

    Jeayan saw the two of them walked in and gave them a wave and a smile, whereas Dex only gave them a scowl.

    Erick and Hamish turned and walked towards them. They then stood beside Jeayan, ignoring Dex''s scowl.

    The Alpha was sitting at what seems to be the head of the table. And when he saw that Erick and Hamish had finally arrived, he cleared his throat. The Beta, Fergus, sat beside him on his right.

    "Seems like everyone is here," the Alpha commented as he looked at each shifters in the room, including Paccia. Paccia was actually sitting a couple of seats away from Fergus, tapping her fingers on the table as sparkles appeared on the tips of her fingers.

    "Lets begin," the Alpha said.

    Shortly after, the room became dark and seconds later, the projector screen began to emit an image of what seems to be a map. To be specific, it was a geographical map of the town and its neighbouring towns.

    "A couple of days ago, Erick, my son came up to me and told me about certain things that Dane has sensed. As you all know, Dane is my son''s wolf counterpart. He told me of certain traces detected in a town up in the north. And this seems to be related to the reports of one of the pack intels," Lachlan began. "According to them, a few days ago, there was a sighting of rogues nearby. It was unsure what their plans were but it seems that they were planning something big. But I have also kept in touch with the other packs in regards to these rogue sightings. Apparently, they too had reports such as these. And so, we will be working together with some of them."

    "And earlier before, we have captured one of the rogues and interrogated him. Unfortunately, he had committed suicide before we can get more information. It seems that there was a silver poison lodged in one of his canines. Seeing that he was willing to die rather than confess the truth shows that there is a more powerful force behind this."

    He then turned to the four teenaged shifters and said, "The reason why I have included the four of you in this mission was because according to Latham, you four are the best new shifters of this year. So, this will be your chance to gain experience and at the same time, bond more with your wolves."

    The four of them bowed their heads in respect, with their fist against their heart and said in unison, "Yes, Alpha."

    Lachlan nodded and turned to the Beta. "Fergus, have you been in touch with Mr. Belamy?" he asked.

    Mr. Belamy was the principal of Burkendall Highschool and was also one of the members in the education board in the country. Although he was a human, he knew that the Kendalls and the others were shifters. He was in support of them.

    "Yes, Alpha," Fergus said as he bowed his head. "The school semester break is just around the corner. Once the semester break starts, we can start straight away."

    Lachlan nodded. "Good. Although, this is important. Education is also important. We wouldn''t want our pups to lack knowledge."

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes while Hamish nodded in agreement, his eyes twinkling with adoration and respect.

    Lachlan then continued his talk. "As stated in the report, there are three places where traces of rogues were found. One is in a hidden village up north where a shifter pack lives. The second place is in the forest, near Port Robston Bay. And the last one is in the mountainous range, where the bear shifters live."

    He turned to Noaz, who was standing beside his brothers. "Noaz, I am appointing you as the leader to investigate the hidden village. Cooperate with the people there and find out more about what''s happening there. Get more information on the people there and at the same time, look for those traces."

    "Yes, Alpha," Noaz bowed.

    The reason as to why Noaz was chosen as the leader of the first team was because he was known as the people''s person. He can literally talk to anyone, even those from the hidden village, who usually kept to themselves. In his team, Paccia, Elder Reginald, Dex and Erick will join him. Paccia was added to the team because according to one of the reports, they have found some presence of magic being used there. Hence, Paccia was needed to investigate the area.

    Lachlan then turned to Elder Omorose. "Elder Omorose, I am appointing you as a leader to lead a team into the forest and work together with the shifters from the Port Robston Bay. There will be a representative from the Cesaro pack who will help you with this mission."

    "Yes, Alpha," Omorose bowed.

    Elder Omorose was chosen as the second leader because she used to be one of the shifters living there until she moved to Kendall pack to be with her late mate. Hence, she should be familiar with the people there. In her team, Dewei and Hamish will be there to support her. Though, Dewei requested to join Elder Omorose''s team because he wanted to meet with one of Port Robston''s weapon researchers.

    Lastly, he turned to Roel. "Roel. In the mountainous range, you will be the leader of the team. You will go and try to make contact with the bear shifters. Although we have never worked with bear shifters, I need you to act as our spokesman and meet with the leader there."

    "Yes, Alpha," Roel bowed.

    For the third team, Roel was chosen as the leader because of his quiet demeanor that may proved to be useful, especially when it comes to talking with other shifters. Joining him will be Ulanni and Jeayan.

    Once Lachlan was done with the team arrangements, they began to discuss their plans.

 Chapter 54 - 49: What do you think of me?

    It has been two days since the meeting and another two weeks left until the school semester break. Although Erick was excited to jump in on another adventure, the thought of not seeing Amber for the whole break made him and Dane sad. It would be difficult for him to even think about being apart from her.

    Erick was in his room that evening, laying on his bed, with his arms behind his head. He was staring up at the ceiling, thinking. He thought that even though, he did not want to go without her, it would be impossible to bring her too. Firstly, she doesn''t know his true origins. Secondly, he was not sure whether she wanted to be with him once she knows the truth. And lastly, this would be a dangerous mission to bring her. Especially since she was only a human being.

    As he dazed off space, Luka came jumping on his bed and up on top of Erick.

    It began to lick him on the face before settling itself beside Erick on the bed. Shortly after, it began to doze off.

    Erick rubbed Luka on the head and just then, he abruptly sat up on his bed, startling Luka awake.

    He patted Luka on the head again and quickly changed his clothes. He then grabbed his sneakers from his closet and put them on.

    He went to his window and opened the window. Putting a finger over his mouth, he told Luka without words to be quiet. Slowly opening the window, Erick climbed out and closed it as he stood on the windowsill. He then jumped down and ran out, heading towards Amber''s house.

    His mother, who was still awake, smiled as she sat on her bed, looking out the window.

    Her husband, who had just walked out of the bathroom and had just finished his shower, looked over to see his wife smiling. He dried his hair with a towel, walking towards the bed. "What''s wrong?" he asked, curious.

    "Seems like our son is heading off to see his mate," Luella replied, making herself comfortable in bed.

    Lachlan joined her in bed, leaning closer to give her a peck on the cheek and sat back against the pillows. "Heh," he chuckled. "Yes, I sensed him climbing out earlier."

    Luella sighed. "I wish he would bring her over and introduce us."

    Her husband shrugged. "He''s probably waiting for the time to break the news to her," he assumed.

    "I''m just surprised that Dane doesn''t mind waiting. After all, werewolves are known to be impatient. Especially when it comes to mating with their mates."

    Lachlan shrugged again. "He''s probably waiting for the right time as well."

    Luella looked out the window and let out another sigh. "I hope so, dear. I really hope so."

    -----

    Amber was working on her essay when she felt a slight breeze from behind her.

    She was in her room. She had just got home after doing some errands for her mother.

    Her mother had just ran out of blue yarn, which she needed for her online shop. Although, her mother was a housewife, she also has an online shop where she usually sell her novelty items such as stuffed dolls and clothes.

    Luckily, the yarn shop was nearby so it did not take Amber long to buy them. So after buying the yarn, she had a quick dinner and then she went straight to her room, where she was currently doing her essay.

    It has been awhile since Erick had come visit her room. He only sent vague messages about being busy and tired.

    And because of that, she did not bother to clean her room. As a result, her room was quite a mess with clothes strewn everywhere; over her table, chair and bed.

    Feeling a bit chilly, she turned around and realized that her window was open.

    Puzzled, she got up and shut it closed. She could have sworn that she had closed it before going to the shop. She hasn''t opened it since. Although she did not locked it but it was supposed to be closed.

    As she turned around, she realized that someone was behind her. She was about to scream when Erick quickly covered her mouth.

    "It''s me," he whispered in her ear.

    She then elbowed him, telling him without words to release her, which he did. She then rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Wow, no shit, Sherlock."

    She then watched him making himself comfortable in her bed, with narrowed eyes and hands on her h.i.p.s. "How is it? Comfy now?" she asked sarcastically.

    Erick settled himself, snuggling into her bed with a satisfied smile and said, "Just perfect."

    Amber rolled her eyes. Just then she realized something. She quickly ran to her window and looked out. The street was quiet, with only the streetlights brightening the few areas. There were no one on the streets as it seems like everyone was already in bed.

    What baffled Amber was that she did not see any cars parked nearby. Which meansˇ­

    She whirled around and stared at Erick, who was still snuggling deep in her bed. He was so shameless. He even pulled her blanket and wrapped it around him, as if he was about to sleep right there.

    Amber stomped towards him and pulled the blanket away from him. At least, she tried to. He was not budging, still wrapped in her blanket.

    He looked up at her and frowned. "What are you doing?"

    Amber was still tugging on her blanket, gritting her teeth as she tried to pull. But to no avail. It was like trying to pull a rope that got tied around a mountain.

    "I''mˇ­ tryingˇ­ to pullˇ­ get youˇ­ off!" she wheezed, panting at each word.

    Not wanting to hurt her, Erick pulled on the blanket instead with ease. She then fell into his arms, much to Erick''s pleasure.

    Amber quickly tried to pull away but Erick''s arms were like iron bars, which were not easy to get out from. "Let go of me," she hissed. "What if my parents comes in?"

    "They won''t," he replied with confidence. "I told you. I would know if they did."

    Amber rolled her eyes and then she remembered something. "By the way, how did you get here?" she asked, confused. "I didn''t see your car."

    "I ''walked''."

    "What do you mean, you walked? Isn''t it far?" she asked, still feeling confused. So confused that she did not realized that she was still in his arms.

    Erick grinned down at her. "Nothing is far when it comes between you and me."

    Amber groaned. "Stop with those cheesy lines," she cringed.

    "I don''t need cheesy lines when it comes to you."

    Amber sighed in resignation. She gives up. Nothing can beat his shamelessness.

    She then let out a long breath and turned around in his arms, looking straight in his eyes, looking serious. "Can I ask you something important?"

    Detecting the seriousness in her tone, Erick froze and asked, "What is it?"

    "What do you think of me?"

 Chapter 55 - 50: How to court a human mate?

    "What do you think of me?"

    That simple yet difficult question kept echoing in Erick''s mind as he laid back on his bed, trying to sleep. Luka was already in its bed where Erick had carried it to.

    He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He really did not understand. Was his actions not enough to tell her how he feels about her, without any verbal communication? What frustrated Erick the most was that he really could not understand what Amber thinks. Sometimes she would be all sweet and funny, especially when Erick teased her and whatnot. Sometimes she would get all serious where illogical thoughts would swarm her mind, making her confused and question things.

    He really wants to try to understand her but sometimes whenever he tried to get to know her better, she would avoid him or back off immediately.

    ''Was she too overwhelmed with all the affections that I have given her?'' he thought to himself as he stared up at his ceiling, thinking.

    ''That''s why I told you to just mate her,'' Dane growled in his mind. ''Enough said.''

    Erick rolled his eyes inwardly. "Easier said than done," he replied back.

    Dane snorted. ''This is why humans can be so frustratingˇ­ Unfortunately,'' he growled.

    "Then why did you pick Amber as our mate?" Erick asked, curious. Though, he did not mind having Amber as a mate. He thought he was damn lucky to have a beautiful and thoughtful mate like her. He can''t say that she was smart because he was smarter than her. But then again, it would be okay. Because he can compensate for the smart genes to their child in the future.

    The thought of having pups with her made Erick grin.

    Dane snorted again. ''It''s our fate to be with her. Our destiny,'' he answered. ''The Moon Goddess bestows us with fate and I have no regrets about accepting it.''

    Erick nodded. "I, too, am glad for this fate. I wouldn''t have chosen any other mate, other than Amber," he said with a smile. He recalled the time when he first saw her. At first, it was true that he did not like her at first sight, due to her appearance. But even so, he had this pull towards her, which he could not understand, at first. Despite having average looks, though, her hair looks amazing and when she smiled, it really can melt him, he still feels attracted to her. After the shifter ritual, he now understands the attraction.

    He sighed again. He wished that he could ask his parents about this problem of his. But then he recalled the time when he had talked to them.

    They were sitting at the dining table as they were going to have their dinner. His mother had cooked steaks and burgers for the three of them. It was really a delicious dinner where Erick himself had consumed three burgers and two huge steaks. It was even delicious when he ate them with his father''s special gravy which he poured all over his food.

    Noticing his mood, even though his appetite was still there, Luella looked at her son with concern. "What''s wrong, son?" she asked. "Is there something in your mind?"

    His father had long noticed his son''s mood but he had ignored him because he rather enjoyed his wife''s cooking, than to ponder about Erick''s worries. Unless he asked, of course. But since he was only being quiet, Lachlan too kept quiet.

    And now, since his wife was asking the question, Lachlan stopped eating and turned to Erick with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, ''Yes, what''s wrong?''

    Erick stopped eating and raised his head to look at his mother. He then turned to his father and back again. "Ah, nothing. I''m just thinking about some stuff."

    "What is it? You seem to have a lot on your mind," his mother replied with worry.

    Erick shook his head. "It''s not something that you should be worried about but I just have a question."

    "What is it?" his parents asked in unison.

    "How do you court a human mate?"

    His parents went silent. Although they were happy that Erick was finally opening up to them when it comes to his mate but unfortunately, this was something they were lacking in knowledge of. Because both of his parents were born as shifters, they do not have any experience when it comes to a human mate. Courting a shifter mate was easier than courting a human mate. Probably because both of them can easily understand each other''s feelings due to their werewolves'' counterparts and can effortlessly act on their instincts.

    "Hmmmˇ­ I''m not sure about courting a human mate," his father finally voiced out. "Is there something wrong with your mate?"

    Erick sighed. He could not believe that he would be blurting out his love problems to his parents. But what the hell. They were more experienced in love than he is, anyway.

    "It''s not that there''s anything wrong with my mate," he began. "It''s more like how do I court her? As in how do I make her believe that I really likeˇ­ no, I love her?"

    He sighed again. "I thought we were doing alright. I even claimed her as my girlfriend and all. But she is still suspicious and having second thoughts about me being into her."

    His parents were quiet as they digested the questions that their son had given to them. Unfortunately, it proved to be difficult. They really have no clue when it comes to a human mate since it was rare to have a human mate.

    All they could do was to tell him to not be too aggressive and give her time. At the same time, his father also warned him to be extra careful especially if Erick wanted to reveal the truth about his origins because there were still anti-shifters and rogues around. Lachlan does not know much about Amber''s background and her personality.

    So, after dinner, Lachlan had questioned Erick about Amber, asking him about her background, her family and so forth. Once he had the information, he had sent a mind-link to Fergus to do a background check on Amber.

    While he was thinking of what to do, Erick slowly drifted to sleep.

    Shortly after, he abruptly sat up on his bed, a huge grin blossomed on his face as he recalled something. He just remembered that Hamish''s mother, Mary, was a human before she became a shifter via mating.

    He probably should meet up with her and ask how a shifter like Fergus was able to court and charm her into mating with him.

    Erick nodded to himself. Yes, yes. He should go head over to Hamish''s after school tomorrow.

 Chapter 56 - 51: Distracted by cupcakes

    It was four o''clock in the afternoon and the school had just ended. The two boys did not have any practice after school so they immediately went straight home.

    Usually, Erick would send Amber home, together with Hamish since his house was near to his as well. But that day, Amber had told him that she will be going off with Jeayan for a study group. Since when were they close? That was something Erick did not know. He was unaware that Jeayan would sneakily seek Amber whenever Erick wasn''t around and would bring her along to meet up with her other friends. Yes, by friends, she meant her other shifter friends. Though, Jeayen did not tell Amber that she was a shifter nor do her shifter friends. She did not think it was in her place to tell her about shifters.

    And so, it was only Erick and Hamish in the car, where the former was driving the latter back to his house.

    Hamish did not know that Erick was planning to go and talk with his mother so he was a bit surprised to see Erick get down from his car after he parked his car in front of Hamish''s house.

    Noticing the slight confusion on Hamish''s face, Erick let out a light laugh. He placed his arm around Hamish''s shoulder and asked teasingly, "What''s wrong? Don''t you want me in your house now?"

    Hamish rolled his eyes and said, "Nah, just wondering why are you hereˇ­ that''s all." he then stopped and squinted his brown eyes at Erick suspiciously. "Are you looking for my dad?"

    Erick let go of Hamish and went ahead towards Hamish''s house, leaving him looking after him. "Nah, I''m looking for your mom."

    Hamish frowned. Now, that was even more suspicious.

    Hamish''s house was a two-storey bungalow, similar to Erick''s house. The walls were painted cream inside and outside with flower pots being placed near the front door, giving the place a homey atmosphere. Inside, the kitchen was to the right, once entering the house. And the living room was to the left. Next to the kitchen was the laundry room, where there was a washing machine, laundry baskets and so forth. The front hallway also leads to the staircase which brings up to the second floor where the bedrooms and Fergus'' office were located. Though, the kitchen here was much bigger than the one in Erick''s house. Probably because Fergus had extended the kitchen space so that his wife, Mary, would be able to do her baking and cooking.

    And that was one of the reasons as to why Erick actually likes to visit Hamish''s house. His mother was an amazing baker. As mentioned before, his mother, Mary Carter, owns a bakery in town. Although it was only a small bakery, it was famous for its donuts and pies.

    It was what attracted Fergus when he first met her. Mary was not a local and had moved to Burkendall town after her own parents had died. Wanting to start a new life, she moved to Burkendall town and had opened up a bakery.

    Fergus, at that time, was doing his usual morning routine, where he was patrolling the town, making sure that there wasn''t any trouble. Feeling hungry, he decided to stop by at the bakery. He heard that it was newly opened and thought to give it a try. Before he had even entered the shop, his wolf, Elias, was pacing about, feeling edgy. It has been awhile since he had felt this way; excited and agitated. Fergus felt that there was something that was pulling him inside the bakery and so he did enter.

    When he first entered, it was not the smell of freshly baked breads, pies and pastries that knocked him. Instead, he was hit by something pleasant. Sort of like earthy and fresh like the rain. And when he looked around, trying to find the source of the scent, a cute redhead woman stood in front of him. She was of average height where the top of her head could reach up to Fergus'' chin. Her eyes were hazel brown, like the colour of autumn. Her hair was tied up in a bun with fringes framing her heart-shaped face.

    It was then Fergus knew that she was his mate.

    Erick remembered this story because Fergus used to ''bragged'' at him and Hamish of how he had met his mate. Sometimes Erick wondered how this childish shifter could become a Beta or even be the father of Hamish.

    Looking back at Hamish, he too wondered how Hamish was born from those two. Fergus was a free and easy shifter while Mary was a friendly and sweet woman. But Hamish? He was quiet and could be very cold and unfeeling. Makes one wonder whether he was adopted or not.

    Noticing that Erick was staring at him with a suspicious look, Hamish frowned deeper. "What?" he demanded.

    Erick shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he said. He then went to open the front door and yelled out, "Aunt Mary! I''m here!"

    Walking out from the kitchen, with her apron on, Mary smiled and gave Erick a huge hug. "Erick sweetie! It has been awhile since you''ve last visited here." She then pulled his arm and led him to the kitchen. "Come, come. I have some treats for you."

    Inside the kitchen, there was a distinct smell of freshly baked pastries. And by the look at the pots that were piling up in the sink, it seems like they just caught her when she had just finished baking. On the kitchen table, there was a plate that was filled with beautiful cupcakes. Each cupcake was decorated with colourful frostings and sprinkles.

    The look of how pretty they were made Erick and Hamish inwardly cringed. They want meat. Not some fancy pastries.

    But not wanting to hurt her feelings, both boys sat down while she served them four cupcakes each. The cupcakes seem to be of chocolate flavour.

    While the two boys stared down at their plate, not moving an inch, Mary went on to clean the kitchen island, wiping away the flour and frostings that caught on the table. After cleaning the table, she went back to them and was puzzled to see them not eating yet.

    "What''s wrong, boys?" she asked in concern.

    "Is this going to be your new pastries that you''re going to sell in your bakery soon?" Erick asked, pointing at the cupcakes.

    "Why, yes," she answered with a soft smile. "Go and have a bite and let me know what you think," she urged them.

    The two boys each grabbed a cupcake. They both have chosen the chocolate cupcake. After taking a bite, their eyes widened. It was simply delicious! As Erick chewed on the pastry, he looked down at the cupcake. Inside, there was a little hole, probably where the chocolate liquid had flowed out from. It was slightly sweet yet had that sharp taste of a dark chocolate. And the chocolate liquid tasted smooth and rich. It was so delicious that he did not notice the chocolate liquid had dripped onto his chin.

    "Wow, I never thought it would be this good, Aunt Mary!" Erick exclaimed with a huge smile. Hamish just nodded as he finished the rest of the cupcake in one bite.

    Mary chuckled as she walked over with a napkin. She gently wiped the chocolate off Erick''s chin and patted his head.

    The two quickly finished the four chocolate cupcakes and asked for more.

    Luckily, Mary had made more extra batches and gave them another four cupcakes each.

    Once they were done eating, she quickly grabbed a food container and placed more cupcakes in it. She handed them to Erick and told him to give it to his parents.

    Erick nodded and waved them goodbye.

    Just as he walked out of the house, he stopped short.

    ''Goddeemit! I got distracted by cupcakes!'' he cursed inside, slapping a hand against his forehead.

    Inside him, Dane was inwardly rolling his eyes and muttered, ''What an idiot!''

    Erick immediately turned back around and opened the front door again. "Aunt Mary, wait! I need to talk to you about something!" he shouted, heading back into the kitchen.

 Chapter 57 - 52: Fergus and Marys love story

    Hamish was still in the kitchen with his mother when Erick burst in, with the food container still in his hands.

    Surprised, both mother and son looked up to see Erick looking at them, with determination in his eyes.

    Erick quickly walked towards Mary and said out loud, "Aunt Mary! I forgot that I was supposed to talk with you earlier!" he sat down beside Mary, his arms folded on the table. He ignored Hamish who was scowling at him for his rude entrance.

    Mary frowned in puzzlement. She had no idea what was going on. And the fact that Erick looked desperate, it seems like it was something important. But what could it be? Even if it was something to do with the pack, Mary would be clueless because she does not always deal with pack matter. The only time she would be involved was if her husband would demand her presence or if the Luna [1] called for her company.

    "What is it, dear?" Mary asked, patting Erick on the arm, calming him down.

    "How did Fergus court you? Did you really fall in love with him at first sight too?" he asked.

    Mary was silent for a moment and then she chuckled. "Where did you hear that?" she asked, still tittering, her dainty hand over her mouth.

    "Fergus told usˇ­ years ago."

    Mary looked over at her son to see whether Erick was telling the truth and laughed again when she saw him nodding in agreement.

    "It''s more like he was the one who fell in love with me. I brought him hell," she said, laughing.

    Both Erick and Hamish frowned. "What do you mean?" Erick asked.

    Mary leaned closer to Erick and tapped him on the nose. "What''s with all the questions, little pup? Does this have something to do with your little human mate?" she asked teasingly.

    Erick''s mouth dropped open in surprise. "How did you know?" he asked. He did not think that he had told anyone. He only told his parents a few days ago.

    She gestured towards Hamish, who seems to be busy looking at his empty plate, wiping the leftover frostings all over it.

    Erick turned around towards Hamish and rolled his eyes. He did not believe that he would be busy all of the sudden. He then turned back towards Mary and said, "Yes. I need some advice."

    "So, if you did not fall in love with him firstˇ­ how did you fall for him? What did he do?" he continued.

    Mary laughed again. Erick sounds like a two-years old kid with all his questions and whatnot. It made him look so adorable that Mary could not help but pinched him on the cheek.

    Erick pulled back, rubbing his cheek as he stared wide-eyed at Mary for pinching him. What the heck? What am I? A kid that she can easily pinch? But he did not say that out loud because Mary was a sweet and friendly woman that he could not bear to raise his voice or get angry at.

    "Well, let me tell you how it goesˇ­" she said.

    The day when Mary first met Fergus, she thought that he was quite adorable with his disheveled dark hair and stubble. He was walking nearby her bakery, with both of his hands in his pockets. He looked like he hadn''t had enough sleep by the look of his bloodshot eyes that she could not help but approach him to ask if he would like some coffee. She had just made some coffee while waiting for customers when she first saw him outside her bakery. He wore a plain grey shirt and jeans but she noticed that there was a police badge on his belt so he must probably be working outside the office. He has broad shoulders with some nice muscles and long legs. Though, he was more on the thin side than the muscular side.

    Although he was not that handsome, Mary felt some kind of attraction towards him. She doesn''t know why but something about him made her feel happy and comfortable. It was a weird feeling, considering the fact that she does not really know much about the people in this town since she was new.

    As she was studying him, she did not notice that his eyes had turned amber before it changed back to his usual eye colour.

    She gasped in surprise when the man suddenly grabbed both of her arms and demanded her name. Even though she felt little tingles inside her body from his touch but she was so surprised by his sudden touch that she pushed him away.

    Not noticing the sad whimper that came out from him, she scolded him for touching her. She lectured him about personal space and manners; saying how it was rude of him to touch her when they do not know each other. She did not care whether the people in this town were friendly but there were limits to being friendly. Especially when they do not even know each other.

    The man immediately apologized and introduced himself as Fergus Cairns. He told her that he worked at the police station as a deputy police chief, which was a surprise for Mary because he looked young to hold such a high position. Despite his scruffy look, which was supposed to make him look decades older, surprisingly, she could tell that he was quite young.

    He had looked smug and proud when Mary praised him for working so hard and diligent to get that position at such a young age. However, his smile died when she scolded him again that it was too bad that it does not teach him some manners.

    It took Fergus more than two hours, trying to persuade her to go out with him but Mary shot him down again and again. She told him that although she finds him cute but it does not mean that he can use his cuteness to get her to go out with him.

    Since then, Fergus came every morning before work to visit her in her bakery since it was already open at 6 AM in the morning. And after work, he would come again to send her back home. At first, Mary did not want him to send her back home in his car. So instead, he would walk with her to her house since she usually walked back and forth to the bakery. Her apartment wasn''t that far from her bakery so it was a short walk, much to Fergus'' disappointment.

    It was quite a courtship for Fergus. He did not expect to have a human mate but it did not stop him from accepting her. Besides, she was adorable, friendly and polite, who wouldn''t want her? It was also a bit of a struggle for Fergus to see her male customers trying to flirt with her. He nearly went on a rampage when one of them tried to ask her out. Lachlan had to come over and ordered him to cool down when he nearly got into a fight with the customer.

    It was then, Mary decided to go on a date with Fergus. Yes, it was out of pity, at first. She did not know the existence of shifters so she was oblivious to what Fergus was going through. She thought maybe she should give him a chance so they did. Fergus was the happiest when she finally said yes. It took him hundreds of aster flowers [2], dates and other romantic stuff he could think of to win her heart. In fact, it was after a year of dating that they finally got together, much to the frustrations of Fergus'' wolf, Elias. Elias had been pushing Fergus to mate her but he did not do that. Fergus respected Mary''s decision and he was willing to wait for her.

    It was his patience that actually won her over. Because from there, Mary knew that he was sincere in his feelings and she loved him for that.

    After Mary had ended her part of her story, it left both boys awe-struck. They were surprised to hear this part of Fergus. They always thought that he was too easy going that he did not care about the romantic stuff. This only added more respect towards Fergus from his son and Erick.

    Though, Erick did laugh in the end when he remembered Fergus'' side of the story, making it seem like they fell in love at first sight. He was a bit happy that he knew that even Fergus had trouble courting his human mate. So, he decided that he should also be patient with Amber and that''s what he was going to do.

    -----

    [1] It is what they would call the wife or mate of an Alpha.

    [2] Aster symbolizes patience. It is also indicative of a love of variety. It also symbolizes elegance and daintiness. Taken from theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/flower-meanings

 Chapter 58 - 53: You belong to me

    That night, after Erick had met up with Hamish''s mother, Mary, he laid down on his bed, pondering on what he should do to woo Amber. He knows that it would not be easy, as she was a human and they don''t really understand much of how shifter works. And that as the saying goesˇ­ the female mind can be very difficult to understand.

    He let out a long breath as he stared up at the ceiling, with his arms underneath his head. Luka was beside him, snoozing as usual.

    Erick suddenly sat up straight, dislodging Luka from his side. Luka began to bark out its dissatisfaction from being startled to wake up.

    Erick laughed and patted Luka on the head. Nowadays, Luka has been growing up quite well. It used to be so small but now Erick could not even carry it in his arms because it was too big. It now resembled more like a wolf, instead of a dog. Its grey mane was thick and glossy, which signified its healthy physique.

    Ever since he went for training, he hadn''t been going out with Luka, except for that one time where he had to throw the trash. Recently, he heard that Roel was the one who brought it out for a walk. Probably during the next training, he had hoped to bring Luka along. At least, it would be able to go out and run around. And of course, he had to ask the Alpha for permission, which Erick was confident he would get. Not because he has the privilege as the Alpha''s son but rather, because there was no harm bringing a wolf to a werewolf training.

    Patting Luka on the head again, Erick quickly went to his closet to grab his light jacket and sneakers. He put them on and began to stretch his arms up.

    Opening his window, he waved goodbye at Luka, who was whining as if it was sad that it would not be joining Erick on this ''trip''.

    "I''ll bring you next time when she''s ready, okay?" Erick promised softly before closing the window and jumping down.

    -----

    Climbing inside Amber''s room, he was relieved to find the window unlocked yet was surprised to see no one was inside. He could have sworn that he had smelled her presence in her room. But looking around her room, it seems like there was no one inside.

    It was then he could hear the sounds of water running in the bathroom. His face reddened at the thought that he might be able to see her unclothed. He shook his head, diminishing any wicked thoughts. He scratched the back of his head, thinking of what to do. He couldn''t possibly go out the window again, could he? Yet, he did not want to be seen as a ''flower thief'' [1] or something like that.

    He then thought that maybe he should just wait inside and hope that she would not scream in surprise. He then walked towards her study table where there were several crayons and colour pencils laying around on the table. A drawing pad was left open in the middle of the table and he could see glimpses of unfinished drawings. Looking closer, he could tell it was a drawing of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

    He chuckled softly. She really was a big fan of Harry Potter.

    Flipping over the pages, he could tell that Amber was really good at drawing as well. He was at awe at how lifelike her drawings were. She could capture the emotions and feelings of her characters and put them into her drawings. There was one drawing where she had drawn Harry and Ron in the library. He was amazed at how she even drew the little details of the wall designs and so forth.

    He was so fascinated with her drawings that he did not notice Amber coming out from her bathroom, with her towel on her head. She was drying her hair with her towel when she noticed someone out of the corner of her eyes.

    She nearly screamed when she saw that it was Erick, standing beside her study table.

    Hearing a sound, Erick turned around to see Amber standing not far away, glaring at him with blazing eyes, her hands on her h.i.p.s and a towel dangling from her shoulder.

    He then let out a long breath of relief to see her dressed in an old t-shirt and short pants. He wouldn''t know what he would do if she came out in just her towel. She will probably scream or tell him to get out, never to come again.

    Just then, his nose began to twitch. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened. In seconds, Amber nearly screamed again when she felt someone, or rather Erick standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her, his face nestled between her neck and shoulder as he nuzzled in.

    "What the--"

    "You really smell good," Erick said, his voice muffled as he snuggled deeper.

    Amber sighed. "It''s my soap."

    He shook his head, still nestling between her neck and shoulder. "No, it''s you." Even Dane was purring inside him.

    She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away from his grasp but he was too strong. In the end, she smacked him on the back of his head and told him to let her go or she will really scream.

    Erick reluctantly released her with a sad frown on his face, looking like a sad puppy who had just lost its toy or bone.

    Amber walked over to her study table, her hand holding on to the towel, rubbing her hair dry. She frowned when she noticed that her things on the table were being touched. She turned around with a glare towards Erick and asked angrily, "Did you just touch my stuff?"

    Erick shrugged. "Yeah, I did."

    "You can''t just touch things that don''t belong to you!" she said angrily, turning back around as she closed her drawing pad and rearranged her crayons and pencils.

    Immediately, she could feel the atmosphere around them became tense and stiff. She turned around to face Erick and was surprised to see him looking a bitˇ­ angry? She could have sworn that she could see his eyes changing. Before she could comment on it, she felt him hugging her again.

    "You belong to me. Everything that belongs to you also belongs to me. Just like I belong to you," he said. "Don''t ever say otherwise."

    Amber blinked her eyes in surprise as the towel that was dangling from her shoulder fell down to the floor. She could feel the tension in his body as he hugged her close. His voice sounded so sad that it seems like the thought of not belonging to him really vexed and hurt him.

    "I''m sorry," she said softly, rubbing his back. She did not know what she did wrong but she had this feeling that she should apologized.

    The two stayed like that for a few minutes until Amber pulled away, picked up her towel and went to bed. Erick followed behind.

    She sat down on her bed, her back towards Erick, who also sat on the other side of her bed.

    Just as she was about to place her towel on her bedside table, she felt herself being pulled into Erick''s arms.

    She went stiff as Erick wrapped her in his arms, cuddling from behind.

    "Um, Erick?" she prodded with her elbow.

    "Give me a second," he said.

    But the seconds became minutes and soon after, she could feel a steady beating of his heart. She turned her head and was surprised to see him asleep.

    Amber sighed and let him sleep. Though, she does wonder what made him so tired that he had fallen asleep just a few minutes after coming in.

    Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she, too, fell asleep.

    The next morning.

    Erick stretched his arms up with a yawn as he went into his bathroom to take a shower and brushed his teeth.

    Shortly before dawn, he had woken up and smiled when he saw Amber sleeping beside him. Sensing that there was a bit of movement in a room not far; probably Amber''s father, he quickly gave her a peck on the lips.

    He smiled again when it seemed that the little kiss did not even wake her up.

    He quickly went to the window and jumped down before closing it.

    Minutes later, he arrived at his room just as the sun was about to rise. He climbed back up to his room, gave a pat on the sleeping wolf in its bed and went straight to his bed to catch up on more sleep.

    Once he had showered and eaten his breakfast, he went to his car to pick up Hamish on the way to school. He would love to pick Amber up too but she had told him that she hadn''t told her family about their relationship as she wants to take it slow.

    Although he respected her wishes, it did not deter his determination and wishes to proclaim to everyone, even her family that she belonged to him. And only him.

    -----

    [1] Chinese idiom which means ''to enter homes at night to r*pe women'' or a ''r*pist.

 Chapter 59 - 54: Popular Guy

    Erick was in his seat, laughing with his friends while Hamish sat behind him, reading the sports news on his phone when Mrs. Harris, the homeroom teacher, walked in. It was a couple of days more until school break start.

    Mrs. Harris went up to the front of the class with a pile of papers and a folder in her hand. She then sat down behind a desk and began to read the papers.

    Although the class was quiet, there were still murmurs of chattering around. Erick, who had just finished joking around with his friends, started to notice that Amber hadn''t arrived in school yet. His eyebrows furrowed in concern as he hoped that everything was alright.

    Hamish had just finished reading and also noticed that Amber hadn''t arrived yet.

    He looked at Erick with a question on his face. Didn''t Erick just got back from her house this morning?

    Erick shook his head, shrugging. He really has no idea what''s happening with Amber. That morning, she was still asleep when he left. So, he does not know what had happened during the time between him leaving her house and him coming to school.

    Mrs. Harris was about to call out for the students'' names when the door was slammed open loudly.

    Everyone, including Mrs. Harris turned to look at the door in surprise. They saw Amber looking exhausted that she was bent over, her hands on her knees, gasping for air.

    She then stood up straight with her hands on her h.i.p.s, her backpack on the floor beside her foot. She exhaled a long breath and said proudly, "Safe!"

    The class that was stunned into silence earlier then burst out in laughter.

    Mrs. Harris could only shake her head in resignation and told Amber to get to her seat and be quiet.

    Amber bit her lips as she walked over, feeling embarrassed. Her seat was in front of Erick''s. And before she sat down, she gave him a quick small glare with her eyes narrowed. Erick only smiled back, looking confused.

    She sat down on her seat with a frustrated sigh. She had been sleeping soundly that morning that she slept through her alarm clock. She did not realize that Erick had left but she could tell that he had left long after she woke up. Because the side of the bed where he had slept was growing cold. Yet, she still blames him for not waking her up. At least, have a decent courtesy to tell her that he had gone home or something! What does he think her room is? A free hotel room??

    Erick stared at the back of her head with a confused smile. He really did not understand why she was angry with him.

    ''Yep. I told you before. The mind of a female is hard to understand. What more, a female human being,'' snorted Dane in his mind.

    Erick just sighed and decided to ask her later. He really could not afford to let her get mad at him, knowing that he will be gone soon.

    Once Mrs. Harris had called out all the names, she then said that since the school break was coming up soon, she hoped that they would make use of the break wisely. She encouraged them to join any club activities in the school if they want to.

    Erick and Hamish exchanged a look. They both definitely know what they will be doing for the break.

    -----

    Lunch break.

    Amber was sitting alone at the cafeteria, eating her lunch when Dana, Jeayen and her other friends joined her.

    Dana and Jeayen weren''t that close before but since Amber had always walked with Dana to class and to the library, the two of them had gotten along well. Only Amber and Dana had the same homeroom class together whereas Jeayen was in another. But Dana and Jeayen were both in the Science stream so they mostly have classes together.

    Dana sat on Amber''s right while Jeayen sat on Amber''s left. With Jeayen''s other two friends, who were actually shifters like her, the table was nearly full.

    Just then, there was a bit of commotion at the entrance of the cafeteria. Amber was preoccupied with eating so she did not take any notice. However, Dana and Jeayen looked up. Jeayen chortled when she saw Erick in the middle of the commotion.

    "He''s really popular, isn''t he?" Dana commented.

    Jeayen just shrugged.

    Amber looked up. "Who?"

    "Erick."

    Looking over, she saw Erick, Hamish and a couple of guys from the football team being surrounded by several girls. It looked as if they were trying to pull him to join them at their table.

    She doesn''t know why but she suddenly felt like her appetite was gone as she watched one of the girls placing her hand on Erick''s shoulder. She knows that she should not feel jealous or bitter when other girls approach him. But he was too handsome for his own good. And she was justˇ­ normal.

    Amber sighed inwardly. ''But he said he likes me,'' she thought to herself. Studying the pretty girls near Erick, she thought about how she would be able to beat them in terms of appearance. She was not that smart either.

    While she was looking at the girls, she did not notice that Erick had looked over at her. His expression changed when he saw the sad look on her face. He immediately pulled away from the group and walked over to her table.

    Standing behind her, he bent down to whisper in her ear. "Are you alright?"

    Startled, Amber whirled around in her seat and looked up at Erick with wide eyes. "When did you arrive?"

    Erick frowned and ignored her question. "What had happened here?" he asked. But his question seems to be for Jeayen, even though his eyes did not leave Amber. It seems like his eyes were getting colder as he looked down at Amber. It frightened her a bit since she never saw him like this.

    Jeayen shrugged. "Nothing much," she answered nonchalantly. "Aren''t you going to sit with your many fans?" she asked teasingly.

    Erick turned to Jeayen with narrowed eyes. "Why should I?" His face literally says, ''Don''t push me,'' meaning he has no time for her jokes.

    She just shrugged again.

    Dana, who was watching the whole scene around her, looked surprised. She never thought that there would come a day where Erick would be so pissed at the thought of hurting a girl. He usually either be oblivious to it or did not care at all. It seems like he does really care about Amber''s feelings.

    She turned to Amber and began to think.

    Erick turned back to Amber, who was looking down at her food, pushing them from side to side on the plate. He quickly nudged Jeayen away and sat on her seat. Fortunately, she knew him too well that she had already grabbed an empty seat from the next table, .

    "Stop playing with your food," he scolded gently as he placed his arm at the back of Amber''s seat.

    "I''m not," Amber denied, placing her fork down.

    He just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at her denial but kept quiet.

    He then turned around and saw Hamish walking over.

    Hamish placed his lunch tray on the table and handed Erick his. He then grabbed another empty seat from the next table and sat down across them, in the middle of the other two shifter females.

    Dana then turned to Hamish. He was also one of the popular guys. She knew how close he was with Erick. She used to think he has a crush on Erick since he usually does whatever Erick tells him. Though, there were times that he even scolded Erick. Alas, seems like her ship of bromance had just sunk.

    She then turned to look at Erick and she again thought that she had seen many girls with him but they usually did not last long. The longest were probably with Zoe. But she was not sure whether to call that a relationship since Erick was also dating other girls when he was with Zoe as well. She noticed that most of the girls were pretty but looking at Amber, it seems like his taste has changed. It was not that she was saying Amber was ugly but rather, she has that quiet and calming presence about her. And one usually felt comfortable when they were around her.

    Dana sighed happily. It seems like he has chosen well.

 Chapter 60 - 55: School break

    It was a bright sunny day with the sun shining down, bringing warmth to the ground. Despite the hot weather, there was a bit of wind, chilling the air, making it less hot. And since the weather was just nice, Reginald who was driving the six-seater SUV, decided to open up the windows, letting the cool air in. Beside him, sitting at the front passenger seat was Paccia while Noaz, Dex and Erick were at the back. The four of them were heading north towards the hidden village.

    It was already time for the young shifters'' school break so the day after their last day of school, the four of them immediately set off. It was a bit rushed because Lachlan had told them that there were more movements from the rogues. It would be dangerous if they left them for too long.

    Erick managed to text Amber before he left that he probably won''t be stopping by her house for some time since he will be out of town. Amber had nonchalantly replied with an ''oh okay'', which frustrated him. He vowed that once he returned, he would definitely sweep her off her feet!

    They did not bring much for this trip because they knew that it was not a leisure trip. They decided that they should investigate the whole village as fast as they could and go back to report to the Alpha. They only brought some spare clothes and food rations so that they would not get hungry.

    Since it was their first mission outside the pack, both Dex and Erick were a bit excited yet nervous as well. Dex could not stop fidgeting as he kept fiddling with his phone, making Reginald irritated. At one point, Reginald threatened to throw his phone if he kept playing around with it. The sounds of tapping and clicking triggered the elder. Dex immediately froze in fear. He had heard about this certain elder''s temper and it was not that good.

    Erick, on the other hand, was surprisingly quiet. But Noaz, who sat near him, could feel the excited tension vibrating off him. Only the quiet tapping of his fingers against his thigh exposed his display of enthusiasm as he stared out the window. It was amusing to see how excited he can be.

    As they drove further to the north, the signs of civilisation decreased. The area around them was nearly deserted and the last building that they had passed by was already a few kilometers away. The area that was in their sight at that moment only has a few trees and other vegetation. They were not sure whether they were close or not because there wasn''t much information in regards of the hidden village.

    According to the report that the Alpha had received was that they needed to go past a mountainous range and an unknown forest before arriving at the hidden village. The problem was that the village was so hidden that one could not tell where it was until they explored the forest that served as its entrance. Furthermore, it was also added in the report that the shifters who were sent to investigate there before usually got lost and somehow, lost their memories of how they arrived at the hidden village and out of it. It was fortunate that they were safe and unharmed. But it was suspicious as to how their memory of how they got in and out of the hidden village was wiped out.

    Hence, this was why Lachlan had suspected that there probably might be a presence of a witch or a warlock in the area. He suspected that the shifters before were in a spell that made them forget everything about the village, other than the directions to go there. But still, that was a bit vague.

    From what Lachlan could remember about the hidden village was that it actually belongs to a werewolf pack but unlike the Kendalls and the Cesaros, this pack usually kept to themselves. They do not like to mingle and communicate with the outside world, even with the other shifters. And they never even went to any of the shifter clan meeting. The last time they had attended one was way before Lachlan''s grandfather was the Alpha. And it was said that they have lived there for centuries. Lachlan had never once met with the Alpha of the pack and had never any intention to since they too do not have any intention to meet with him.

    Before driving arriving at the mountainous range, there were many obstacles that nearly hinder the witch and the four shifters'' journey. At some point, Reginald had to stop the car to the side and Noaz had jumped out and shifted into his wolf. Noaz''s wolf was named Briven. It was a werewolf that stood as high as eight feet in height, with mane that was dark as the shades of night. Only its clear amber eyes were visible against the pitch black fur.

    In front of Briven was a few huge boulders that had blocked their route. There was probably a landslide that had occurred weeks ago and looking by how there were rubbles that surrounded the boulders, it inconveniently blocked their path to the hidden village. With mutual understanding between the shifters, it only took Noaz to remove the obstacles by smashing the boulders into pebbles in seconds.

    Once the path was cleared, they continued on with their journey with Noaz back in his human form.

    The journey took them nearly a day where they actually had left their home at 8 AM in the morning and arrived at the entrance of the forest at 5 PM in the afternoon. If there weren''t any complication at the mountainous range, they probably would have arrived just after 12 PM in the afternoon.

    Seeing that they weren''t able to continue the journey with the SUV, they decided to leave the car in a secluded area. Erick had suggested covering the SUV with leaves so that it would not get stolen or whatsoever. But Paccia had a better suggestion. She casted an invisible spell on the SUV, making it vanish from sight.

    Standing in front of the forest, the sight that welcomed them was not inviting. Erick felt like he was back at the Kraken forest where it had been dark and gloomy. The entrance of the forest was drenched in a mixture of colours of brown and green; contrasting between life and death. They could hear the sounds of branches creaking and leaves rustling in the forest, informing them indirectly that they were not the only living things around the area. The scent of the forest was damp and stale, as if there were rotting woods nearby.

    The five of them decided that the shifters should be in their wolf form as a precaution. Because the forest was also a place where they were not familiarised with, they decided to approach with vigilance. Soon after, the five humans who stood before the forest were replaced with four huge werewolves and an elevated woman.

    Paccia swiftly opened her hand and suddenly, a wand appeared in her hand. She waved the wand above the clothes that had been piled up near the shifters and soon after, it disappeared.

    She took a glance at the forest before turning to the shifters. "Be careful. The Alpha was right. It seems like magic was being used here," she warned, her face solemn. "Although it''s not that strong, it seems enough to make one go insane."

    The werewolf among them grunted in reply as he stood in the middle, looking at the entrance with narrowed eyes. The werewolf was Reginald''s. His name was Yara. Since he had lived longer than the other shifters there, he was also the biggest one at more than eight feet in height. His body was also broader with many battle scars. One noticeable scar was the one below his eye; starting from the corner of his left eye to his chin.

    Beside him was Briven, Noaz''s werewolf. And next to Briven, was a slightly smaller werewolf but not too small. The werewolf was named Rollo. He was Dex''s werewolf counterpart. He stood at nearly eight feet in height with light gray mane. Its hunched posture gave the impression that it was ready to attack at any time as it cautiously watched the entrance as well.

    And beside Yara, stood another werewolf, slightly larger than Rollo, with a white streak from its mane to his back. He growled as he heeded Paccia''s warning as his eyes stared at the entrance as well.

    The four shifters and the witch began to enter the forest one by one with Yara leading the way and Briven at the back.

 Chapter 61 - 56: Sneak attack

    Inside the unknown forest, the four shifters and the witch felt a bit tense as chilly wind swept over them. Sounds of crickets and branches creaking surrounded them, endlessly like an old moving rocking chair. The soil under their feet felt damp and moist as if it had just rained. The musky smell of dead leaves reached their sensitive noses, making them cringed.

    Though, it would be impossible for the forest to be wet because the sun has been so hot and there wasn''t any evidence or signs that it had been raining. And from what they had remembered, outside the forest where the mountains were located, there has been no signs of rainfall. And the forest wasn''t as thick as the Kraken forest and they could still see sunlight seeping in through the branches and leaves. It made them curious yet suspicious as to how the ground was wet.

    As they ventured into the forest, each step they took, they were being cautious. Even with Paccia looking over them, one should not be reckless. Especially since she herself had suspected that there was witchcraft being used here. Earlier before, she had casted a spell over their eyes, so that they would not go insane after she had suspected that there was a spell being casted once one enter the forest. It was the kind of spell that would make one go insane due to the images that they see in their minds.

    It was slowly coming to late evening when they reached a certain area in the forest. Although they did not rest ever since entering the forest, they were still alert and being watchful.

    The five of them continued to walk, following their senses. This time, Rollo was leading the way, followed by Yara, Dane, Paccia and Briven. From what they had remembered from the report that their Alpha had given them, one way to get to the hidden village was to just go straight to the north. Hence, they did not turn nor went east or west.

    Just as Dane was about to take another step, he suddenly crouched forward and jumped to the side, still hunching. He then yelled at them to be careful.

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    Seeing the sudden movement from Dane and his yell, the three other shifters and Paccia also moved to the side. However, Rollo was a tad too late as an arrow nearly hit him, just grazing past his thigh, leaving a long wound.

    Blood dripped from his wound as he winced at the pain. As he looked down at his thigh, his eyes widened in shock. His wound was not healing. And what surprised him was that his blood had turned metallic black. Just as he was about to touch it, Paccia shouted at him to not touch it.

    She quickly ran to him and studied Rollo''s wound with narrowed eyes. "That arrow seems to be drenched with wolfsbane liquid."

    "Wolfsbane liquid?" Yara growled as he, Briven and Dane rushed over to protect Rollo and Paccia, their back on them.

    Paccia nodded, her face solemn. "It''s wolfsbane that has been crushed and liquefied and then used to soak the arrow," she explained as she quickly conjured up her spellbook, trying to find a spell that may help to remove the poison.

    Just as she had finished talking, Dane yelled to get down. They immediately hunched lower and seconds later, a rain of arrows narrowly missed them by an inch.

    "There!" Yara and Dane yelled in unison.

    Both Yara and Dane moved at the same time; Yara to his left and Dane to his right, while Briven stayed behind to protect Paccia, who was trying to remove some residue left from the wolfsbane from Rollo.

    The shifter, or rather the rogue that was hiding above in the midst of the trees nearly dropped his crossbow when he saw Dane jumping straight for him. Before he could escape, he felt his throat being clamped down, bringing the two shifters fell down the tree; Dane above him, pushing him down to the ground.

    Before he stood up, he gave a sneer at the crossbow. What kind of werewolf would rely too much on a crossbow when one has the strength?

    Noticing a bunch of arrows still attached to the crossbow, Dane grabbed two of the arrows and slammed them right in both of the rogue''s eyes. He was careful not to touch the tip of the arrow since he knew that it was probably drenched with wolfsbane. Ignoring the screams from below him, Dane finished off the rogue by punching his fist down where the heart beats.

    After literally crushing the heart of the rogue, he ignored his blood drenched paw and stood up. He then went to look for other rogues nearby.

    Yara was fighting with two rogues at the same time when he felt something hot hit him from behind. Growling as it only irritated him, he turned around. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a human being standing not far from him, with a wicked smile on his face, holding a wooden stave.

    ''A warlock,'' Reginald murmured inside Yara''s mind as Yara just growled in agreement. It was rare to see a witch around here, much less a warlock. The last time he had seen a warlock was decades ago but he had never encountered them in a fight.

    Yara then smiled in a way that sent shivers of fright down the warlock''s back.

    Thinking that he wanted the warlock alive so he could question him, he decided to finish the other two shifters first before going to the warlock.

    However, it was easier said than done. The warlock seems to be hindering Yara''s attack as he keeps blasting balls of fire at Yara. It only irritated him more. He likened the warlock to an annoying fly that kept buzzing around.

    Frustrated and feeling pissed, Yara had enough. He quickly grabbed one of the rogue''s hind legs and threw him at the warlock. Surprised by the sudden attack from the shifter, the warlock did not have any chance to retaliate or to avoid.

    After being hit by the rogue, Yara grabbed the other rogue by the neck and squeezed, crushing off the windpipe.

    Once dead, he whirled around and in a matter of seconds, he appeared in front of the warlock. Both warlock and rogue were still feeling winded when Yara suddenly stomped on one of the legs of the warlock, crushing it.

    The sound of bones cracking can be heard.

    Screaming in pain, the warlock tried to escape. His face was pale and cold sweat seemed to be dripping down his forehead non-stop. He regretted joining in this mission. His stave had fallen somewhere after he accidentally dropped it from being hit with the rogue.

    Ignoring the crawling warlock, Yara turned his attention to the rogue. He clawed him from shoulder to flank, ripping skins and fur, leaving a bloody gash. He then grabbed the back of the rogue''s head and slammed it to the ground, breaking the jaw and smashing the snout. Placing a foot against the back of the rogue, preventing it from getting up, Yara with his paws, grabbed the head and tore it off from the body. The rogue died, headless.

    Once done, Yara turned back to the warlock who was still trying to crawl away. Grabbing him by the back collar of his robes, he dragged the frightened and screaming warlock to where Rollo, Briven and Paccia were waiting.

    Beside Briven were a couple of other dead rogues who had been piled up on top of each other. It looked like they, too, had been ambushed by some rogues. But Briven did not look like he broke a sweat at all as he hunched near the corpses. Paccia, on the other hand, does have a sheen of sweat across her forehead, which indicated that she joined in the fight as well.

    Throwing the warlock on the ground in front of them, Yara hunched near him, growling a warning should he try to escape.

    Dane arrived moments later. He, too, hunched near the warlock, preventing him from escaping.

    Rollo was no longer pale and the wolfsbane had already been removed from his wound. Luckily, it was just a graze so Paccia could remove it from its body. If it was inside its body, then there would be dire consequences. Though, this alone had already taken a lot from Rollo. Since he had just shifted a few weeks ago, Rollo was not used to the body yet and he could not heal as fast as he should be.

    Briven hunched in front of the warlock and said in a raspy voice, "Now, tell us everything you know.

 Chapter 62 - 57: Cairin Oaks

    The warlock cowered from the pressure emitting from the three shifters in front of him. He could feel cold sweat dripping down his back, drenching his robes and clothes. Ashamed, he could also feel himself wetting his pants as a large stain started to appear between his legs. He did not expect that there were shifters coming into the forest. He had stayed here together with the rogues for many years and why did this had to happen? He knew that the shifters from the north would not bother about this forest since they had never went out of their village but why did these shifters come?

    Briven cringe with disgust as he watched the warlock wetted himself. He could even smell the pee from where he hunched. The warlock was shivering with fear as his face turned pale with fright.

    The warlock had been so smug when he managed to injure Rollo. But just a simple tug here and there and he was already sniveling in snot and tears. It seems like this warlock doesn''t have any fighting skills.

    Yara frowned and then laughed out loud. "Well, would you look at that? Seems like the warlocks are becoming worse each decade," he mocked, pointing at the quivering warlock. He then kicked the already broken leg of the warlock, making him scream in pain again. "Now, tell us what you know about this place. And why are you colluding with the rogues?"

    The warlock was about to speak when suddenly his eyes bulged out. Foams started to appear in his mouth as he spasmed continuously on the ground. Bulging veins started to appear in his face and forehead as he turned red in the face. As he trembled and shuddered on the ground, Briven, who was the closest to the warlock, could see that his eyes were turning black. Even the whites of his eyes had turned black.

    The three shifters started to stand up, shocked at this sudden action.

    "He''s going to explode!" Paccia screamed as she quickly turned towards Rollo and elevated him up a few inches from the ground. Rollo''s eyes widened as he suddenly felt lighter and a strange sensation surrounding his body.

    Without thinking any further, both Briven and Dane jumped to help support Rollo, running a few meters away, with Yara and Paccia behind them.

    Shortly after, the five of them nearly toppled over after the impact of the self-destruct from the warlock. Yara''s eyes narrowed as he looked back at the effect of the destruction. The area where they had been was flatten to the ground. Black debris floated in the air from the explosion. Trees were crushed to the side, leaving a round empty area. In the middle of the empty area was some ashes.

    And seconds later, the five of them felt something had changed in the air.

    Looking up, they saw something similar to an invisible wall slowly diminishing, revealing a clear blue sky. Earlier when they had entered the forest, although the sky was clear, it wasn''t as clear as that moment. It was then they realized that the spell that had been casted over the forest had been broken. The warlock was probably the one who had casted the spell. Only by killing him would broke the spell.

    Returning back to where the warlock had self-destructed, the faces of the five people turned grim as they found out that there wasn''t anything left of the warlock. Not even bones. Just bits of ashes and dust. It seems like the person who was behind this did not want them to know anything about what had happened there. They probably sensed that the warlock was about to confess and answer to their questions that they had no choice but to kill him.

    Not wanting to leave behind a single or even a small speck of clue behind, they decided to bring those ashes to be examined soon in the pack house.

    Since the sky was clear, it made their journey a bit easier as they were able to find their way out. The spell that the warlock had casted earlier probably made their journey difficult because for hours, they have been stuck in the forest, even though it wasn''t as big as the Kraken Forest in the first place. The spell that he had used probably manipulated their minds into thinking that they have been walking for so long when in reality, they were walking in circles.

    It was just near to dawn when they finally reached the exit.

    Rollo had just recovered albeit slowly and he still needed them to help support him. He had felt disgusted and ashamed of himself. He had just shifted and already, he had been careless. It made him determined to improve and make himself stronger. He did not want to be casted as a burden.

    Dane was quite supportive, which was unlike him, saying that it wasn''t Rollo''s fault since there weren''t any much reports on the forest. However, Yara was a bit disappointed and told him that he needs to work on his sync with his human and wolf counterparts. It was probably because Dex and Rollo hadn''t gotten used to each other, like Erick and Dane, that they had messed up.

    Shortly after, they had arrived at the entrance to the hidden village. To call it a village was an understatement as there were numerous modern brick houses beyond the gate with an overhead that reads, ''Cairin Oaks''. The place looked too big to be called a village.

    Before they entered, Paccia had used her magic to muster back their clothes. And the four shifters had immediately changed back into their human counterparts and put on their clothes.

    Inside the gate, the modern brick houses dotted the area with trees and flora occupying in-between the buildings. The pavements were like veins, coloured with dark red cobbles, interconnecting each of the houses. There were several stalls with fruits and vegetables lined up along the pavements but no one seemed to manned it. Despite the lack of a single soul in the village, they could feel stares drilling on them, piercing into their skins, as if the gazes can read inside their souls.

    Noaz had told them to be on guard and to not be reckless. Although Reginald was a bit edgy as he could feel the stares on them but he calmed himself down as he did not want to disappoint his group. Dex, who had his leg injured, could only walked slowly with Erick supporting him. Even though, he did not like Erick but he had to be mature and asked for help from him. It was not as if Erick care, anyway. Paccia was in the middle of the group, who had casted a protective shield around them. Although it was not as strong as one had expected, at least it would help protect them from any back attacks or sneak attacks.

    The five of them continued to walk to the front until they reached the middle of the village where there was a large open space. In other words, this could be described as a piazza.

    The piazza was quiet with only the sound of leaves rustling in the air, making the place felt like it had been abandoned. There was nothing at the piazza, other than a lone statue in the middle. Looking closer at the statue, it depicts the appearance of a muscular man with long hair that falls just below his shoulders. The statue screamed strength and power as it stood there, with one of his fists pumping in the air. His other hand was on top of a mane of a large wolf. It was presumed that this was the statue of the first Alpha of the village and his werewolf counterpart, judging on the label on the bottom of the statue.

    As they studied the statue with curiosity and awe, they suddenly heard growling nearby. They whirled around to find that the piazza was instantly covered with soft mist. They went into defensive mode, being cautious. Just then, a voice sounded out:

    "Who are you people? Why have you come here?"

 Chapter 63 - 58: Isaiah Cairin

    "Who are you people? Why have you come here?"

    Reginald and the group whirled around to find a man stepped forward out from the mist. He looked quite old; somewhere in his sixties. Although he looked like a man in his sixties, he seemed like a man who had undergone many experiences under his belt, especially from his posture and the way he talked to them. And knowing that this man was a werewolf from his scent, they knew that from a werewolf age, he must be older than he looks. His hair was short and lush with a salt and pepper tint. His jaded eyes were black with wrinkles at the corner of both his eyes.

    Behind him were a few shifters, who were growling at them from behind; their fangs glared out with fury and suspicion. Seeing how the shifters stood behind the man in utter respect and a bit of fear, Reginald and the others concluded that this man must be the Alpha of the pack.

    Noaz stepped forward and bowed his head. "Greetings. I am Noaz. I represent the Alpha from the Kendall pack."

    The man narrowed his eyes with suspicion as he studied Noaz from top to bottom. "I see. The Kendall pack. It has been awhile since I heard of that pack. Is Marcellus still the Alpha?" he enquired.

    Noaz blinked in surprise at the name. Reginald frowned as he recognized the name. Marcellus used to be the Alpha of the Kendall pack centuries ago. He was the grandfather of the current Alpha, Lachlan. He then passed the title to his first son who was Lachlan''s uncle at that time. However, after his uncle passed away, he did not have any son but instead, a daughter. Since only first born sons were allowed to be the Alpha, they had to pass the title to the other brothers. The other brothers were the second and third brothers of the Alpha, who were respectively Dex''s grandfather and Erick''s grandfather. Yes, both Dex and Erick were related. In short, they were distant cousins.

    However, when the battle for the title of Alpha started for the two brothers, Lachlan''s father won the match. He won without killing his brother. At first, his brother had urged him to kill him as he was ashamed that he was defeated. But Lachlan''s father had refused and left him alive. He probably has some kind of close familial feeling that he could not bear to kill his own brother. Instead, he told him to just help him with the pack matters. It was unsure what his answer was but the very next day, Dex''s grandfather had left the pack, together with his mate.

    Although there was a possibility of his brother and his mate going rogue, Erick''s grandfather did not go after them. And instead, he left them alone, hoping that he may return back to the pack.

    Years later, Dex''s father returned with his mate to inform Lachlan''s father that his father died. Grieved with guilt, Lachlan''s father invited Dex''s father and his mate to return back to the pack, which he sincerely accepted. He was grateful that even though, Dex''s father and his mate had gone by without living in a pack, they had not gone rogue. This shows their strength which Lachlan''s father greatly admired. And since he already has a Beta, he appointed Dex''s father to be the Gamma [1], instead.

    "Marcellus has passed away decades ago," Reginald answered as he studied the man''s face.

    There was a glint of shock in the man''s eyes before it disappeared. It seemed that he did not expect that Marcellus had passed away so soon, which surprised Reginald. How long has it been for this man to not venture out of his pack? Does time stops in this village?

    "I see," the man said quietly.

    He then turned his head to the shifters behind him and said out loud, "At ease."

    The shifters behind him relaxed but they still kept a protective stance around the man as they still do not trust Noaz and the group.

    The man turned back to face Noaz again and introduced himself. "I''m Isaiah Cairin. The Alpha of the Cairin pack. Let''s go to my house and we''ll talk."

    Shortly after, the two groups were in one of the large houses at the back of the village. The house was a modest two-storey house with red brick exterior walls. Inside the house, all the floors were made of parquet with a mixture of brown and green like the colour of soil and earth. The walls were painted in cream, and ended in a brown baseboard. The atmosphere it gave was welcoming and homey. It made one feel comfortable and at ease.

    However, the two parties who were sitting in the living room of the house did not feel at ease at all as Noaz and the others were on guard. Obviously, since they were in an unfamiliar house and surrounded by a pack that was not known to the outside world.

    Noaz stood in front, facing Isaiah, while Reginald and the others stood behind him as support.

    Isaiah, who was sitting down on an armchair, with some shifters standing beside and behind him, laughed lightly as he watched Noaz and the group looking tensed. "Come and have a sit," he invited. He turned to one of the female shifters nearby and said, "Lita, serve them some tea or coffee."

    The female shifter, whom Isaiah had called, ''Lita'', bowed her head and said, "Yes, Alpha!" Soon after that, she disappeared.

    Noaz alone sat down as he did not want to be rude to reject the invitation from the Alpha. However, Reginald and the others still stood beside and behind Noaz; all of them in defensive mode.

    "Now, let''s get started," Isaiah began. "I must admit that I am impressed that you have found your way to this village."

    "Was that warlock one of yours?" Noaz countered.

    Isaiah narrowed his eyes as he intertwined his fingers together thoughtfully. "Warlock?" he repeated, his tone has a hint of suspicion.

    Noaz just nodded, not wanting to give more details. He was still not sure whether he could trust this man just yet.

    The Alpha kept quiet for awhile and continued. It seemed that earlier, he was mind-linking with the other shifters. Probably to ask about the warlock. "This is indeed quite a predicament. We were not aware that there was even a warlock messing around with our forest," he admitted.

    "Is there something in the forest that may attract these warlock?" Noaz continued to ask. "It seems that this warlock may have worked together with some rogues."

    Murmurs started to spread all over the room as looks of shocked confusion appeared in the shifters'' faces. They really were oblivious to the fact that a warlock was found in their territory. And what made them furious was that he was working with some rogues.

    "I apologize for the damage that they have caused you," Isaiah said humbly. "We assure you that we will get to the bottom of this and will eradicate everything that seems unusual."

    Noaz then stood up with his right hand on his left chest. "On behalf of the Kendall pack, I thank you. And we also would like to cooperate with you on this mission."

    To Noaz and the others'' surprise, the Alpha shook his head, rejecting Noaz''s offer. "Again, I apologize. We, the Cairin pack, have always kept to ourselves. Whatever matter that has happened in our territory, we will work on them ourselves."

    "But we sincerely would wish to help you," Noaz interrupted politely. "We, too, would like to know what has happened. Especially when there''s a presence of rogues around."

    The Alpha shook his head once more. "No," he rejected with determination in his eyes. "Should we have any information about the rogues or the warlock, we will inform you via a messenger. Thus, we bid you farewell and we apologize once again for the ill-mannered welcome you have received, coming in here."

    Just as Lita walked in with the refreshments, the Alpha turned to her and said, "Lita, it seems like our guests have to leave so soon. Bring the refreshments back and thank you."

    "Yes, Alpha," Lita bowed before going back.

    Noaz and Reginald''s eyes narrowed at the insinuation that the Alpha had spoken. They were really not welcome here.

    Noaz sighed inwardly. ''I hope the others did a better job than I did.''

    ----

    [1] Third in Pack hierarchy.

 Chapter 64 - 59: Meeting up with the Cesaro Pack

    Omorose smiled seductively as she leaned forward in her seat, looking at the stern-looking young shifter in the driver seat. The young shifter was driving with Dewei sitting at the front passenger seat.

    It was a sunny day and the three shifters were headed towards the direction of the Port Robston Bay, where they will be meeting up with the Cesaro Pack. Although they won''t go directly into the town, rather they will meet up somewhere nearby since the forest was located near the town.

    Feeling bored, sitting alone at the backseat, Omorose playfully poke the young shifter on the cheek. "Why so serious, young pup? Come and entertain this young lady," she said teasingly.

    Hamish kept his eyes on the road, his hands on the steering wheel and said, "My apologies, Elder Omorose. I''m driving at the moment. Please sit down carefully and put on your seat belt."

    Omorose pouted. This little pup was so strict. With his glasses, he acted just like those old grandpas with no sense of humour. She sighed. Why does the kids these days have no sense of humour?

    Dewei tried to hide his laughter which turned into a snort.

    Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she turned to Dewei. He sat in a relaxed manner with his right ankle on top of his left knee. He was playing an online game on his phone and once in a while, he would laugh and mumble to himself, "What a noob." She wasn''t sure whether he was laughing at her or at the game. Or probably both of them.

    Omorose sat back on her seat with a sigh again. Why did the Alpha chose these two in her team? One was boring with a strict attitude. He doesn''t seem to joke around and is rigid like a tight rubber band. And the other was like an immature child. Although he was a smart one but he does seem like a nerd, who does nothing but play games and god knows what else.

    She sighed again, her chin on her palm. She wished Reginald was with her. Even if he was a grumpy old man who likes to growl here and there, at least, he was a fun one to tease. She loves to see his reactions whenever she tease or flirt with him. And he was one s.e.xy beast too, Omorose thought hungrily.

    A couple of hours later, they finally arrived at their destination. It was a forest, a few kilometres away from Port Robston Bay. Although it was one of those dense forests it does not look eerie nor creepy like the Kraken Forest. It doesn''t look like it was a huge forest, either.

    In front of the forest, there were a couple of cars parked nearby. And they could see people standing outside of the cars, talking with one another. It looked as if they were waiting for someone.

    Once Hamish had parked near them, the people turned to look over at them.

    Hamish could see a familiar face among them. It was Bastian Cesaro. He was standing among the people there and it seems like he will be joining the mission.

    Getting out of the car, Omorose stood in front of Dewei and Hamish and introduced herself. "I''m Elder Omorose from the Kendall Pack. This is Dewei, the pack''s researcher and Hamish, one of our young shifters," she said, gesturing to the two men behind her.

    One of them walked out of the group and gave a small head bow. He then smiled at Omorose and said, "Omorose, it has been a long time. How have you been?"

    Omorose raised her eyebrows and greeted back, "Paxon, it has been awhile."

    Paxon looked like a man who was in his mid thirties. But with a werewolf''s gene, he might probably be older than his looks. He has a dark sleek brown hair with a cleft chin and a nice smile. He was one of the tallest men in the group with broad shoulders and muscles. He looked like an easygoing guy with that carefree attitude he was showing and the easy smiles he gave.

    Dewei leaned closer to Hamish and whispered, "That''s Paxon. He used to be one of Omorose''s lovey dovey before she met her mate. Looks like these two are about to rekindle their flames."

    Ignoring the glares from both Omorose and Paxon, Dewei continued to talk about the two until Omorose had enough and shouted enough! Paxon just shook his head in resignation. While it was true that he used to have a s.e.x.u.a.l relationship with Omorose before she found her mate, but now he has found his. And he definitely would not ''rekindle their flames'' as Dewei has implied.

    Dewei stopped and started to whistle, pretending that he did not know anything while Hamish just stood there with his poker face, as if he has nothing to do with Dewei''s talks.

    Bastian walked over and gave a fist bump at Hamish. "Yo, brother. Long time no see. Where''s the snivelling pup? He''s not coming?" he asked, looking around to find that certain someone.

    Knowing who he refers to, Hamish answered, "He has another mission."

    Bastian groaned with regret. "Aww, dang! That''s too bad. I was hoping that we could have a match and battle with our wolves."

    Hamish just kept quiet.

    Bastian then placed his arm around Hamish''s shoulder and teased, "Still the stiff one, aren''t you? Lighten up, bro! We''re going on an adventure!"

    Hamish inwardly rolled his eyes. This guy really was similar to another annoying guy that he knows.

    Paxon then gestured the other pack mates from the Cesaro Pack to join them. Altogether, there were five of them, including Paxon and Bastian.

    He then introduced them; West, Kirk and Fraser. The three of them bowed in respect. They looked a bit younger than Paxon but older than Bastian. Despite their easygoing manners, the aura that the shifters from the Cesaro Pack were immensely strong. And this includes Bastian. It seems like they too had been working and training with their wolf counterparts these past few days.

    Once the introduction was over, Paxton began to talk about the mission. He explained that they, too, have recently seen rogue activities in the area. And even though the forest was a part of their territories, it wasn''t a territory where one can easily go into. They used to do their training there but never again. This was because their wolf counterparts would get agitated when they come near the forest. Since then, they decided to stop their training and moved to another place.

    However, since there had been an increasing reports of rogue activities found there, they knew that they could not leave the forest alone. And after much discussion between the two Alphas of the Kendall and the Cesaro packs, they decided to work together. They would need to investigate the forest and find out what the rogues were up to.

    The Cesaro pack was also worried that the rogues might have makes use of the forest as one of their hideouts. And before trouble occurs, it was better to cut off the trouble in the bud first before it grows.

    Unlike the Kraken Forest, this forest was something familiar to the Cesaro Pack. And since Paxon had once trained there before, he knew the area like the back of his hand. Hence why he was chosen as the team leader for the Cesaro group. Omorose actually had trained there before but not as much as Paxon had. So, she was not confident with her memory of the forest.

    Paxon handed Omorose a map of the forest, who then passed it to Dewei to take a look. Hoisting up his backpack, Dewei quietly studied the map before handing back to Paxon.

    The latter then explained that they will head over to the possible areas that the rogues might have stayed and adviced them to take caution.

    Although the rogues might probably be inside, Paxon also told them to not go shift first because it may alarmed the rogues. It would be better to stay in their human form unless necessary.

    They all then began their preparations before heading inside the forest.

 Chapter 65 - 60: Another sneak attack

    Inside the forest, the place was a bit dimmed with little sunlight seeping through the cracks of the branches and leaves. There were vines hanging off the trees and lichen and moss growing on them.

    Although there was sunlight, the ground underneath their feet were damp and moist, creating mud and wet soil.

    The eight shifters who had just entered the forest were still in their human form but their senses were alert and they were being cautious, concentrating on the sounds and the smells that surrounded them.

    Leading the group was Paxon, followed by West, Bastian, Omorose, Dewei, Hamish, Fraser and lastly, Kirk. Omorose had scolded Dewei at first, because of the bulky backpack that he was carrying but he had just ignored her complaints and said that it won''t hinder or disrupt their mission. Omorose could not understand the need to carry so many things for this mission. At most, they would just need some spare clothes and food rations. And that it probably would not take them days to be inside the forest.

    The two of them fell silent after Paxon had shushed them to be quiet. Seriously, these two acted like kindergartens arguing in the playground. He was worried that a single peep out of them may alert the rogues of their presence. They tried to hide their scent by rubbing dead leaves and a bit of grime on their clothes, much to the disgust of Omorose. What woman would like to feel filthy and dirty?

    During their discussion earlier before going in, they decided to head to one of the spots nearby, which was near a waterfall. It was a few minutes walk, without any interruptions. Sounds of birds chirping, rats and squirrels scurrying around in quick steps. But none of these were dangerous to them as they continued on.

    Even without any interruptions, it did not stop them from being cautious as they felt that the more safe they feel, the more on guard they should be.

    Soon after, they could hear the sounds of running water just a few metres ahead of them. Thus, they became even more alert. They kept looking around them as they headed towards the waterfall area. And when they finally reached the area, it looked serene and quiet. Other than crickets sounding in the air, there was nothing more. The waterfall was smooth and calm as the water flowed down to the small pond below it. The trees and other vegetation that surrounds the water was green and lush. It looked like a perfect place to set up camp. However, Omorose could not help but feel alert.

    She looked over at Paxon, who was also watching her. It seems that he too had a bad feeling about the place.

    He then pretended to lower his guard as he yelled out to the others to take a break before continuing on.

    As the others sat down and began to relax, both Omorose and Paxon walked over to the side of the pond and pretended to get a drink.

    Scooping some water into her cupped hands, she sent a mind-link to Paxon, ''You feel it too?''

    ''Yes,'' he replied grimly.

    ''It seems like there''s more than five of them. Probably an even match with us,'' Omorose noted.

    ''Hmmˇ­,'' Paxon was quiet for awhile before he replied, ''But there''s another scent mixed there. Warlock?''

    Omorose frowned. She remembered that the place where Noaz and his group headed to, also was reported to have either a witch or a warlock? Could this be planned or just a coincidence?

    While she was pondering over the thought and the speculation of the appearance of the warlocks, she was interrupted by a shout from the others.

    Both Paxon and Omorose whirled around to find Bastian was pushed down by a shifter. The others were also being ambushed.

    And it seems like Paxon was right. There was a warlock. Not just one but there were two of them. And both of them were attacking Dewei, who was still in his human form.

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    Dewei immediately grabbed something from his backpack and covered both of his arms with it. It was a metallic arm sleeve that ran from his shoulders and down to his wrists with sharp blades at both elbows. He then growled out loud as he shifted into his wolf counterpart, ripping his clothes apart. His wolf''s name was Li Jie. It stood at nearly eight metres tall with hooded dark eyes and mane of silver grey, similar as grey smoke. Its fangs were sharp and long as it snarled furiously at the two mocking warlocks. Surprisingly, the arm sleeves that Dewei wore were still on Li Jie''s arms. And contrasting with its mane, the arm sleeves looked a bit translucent as it was nearly the same colour as its mane.

    Li Jie immediately jumped, heading towards the two warlocks. The two warlocks quickly casted an attack spell, targeting Li Jie. However, it managed to block the attacks with its covered arms. The two were surprised at how easily it could block their attacks and how fast it was.

    While the other warlock incessantly kept on casting attack spells on Li Jie, the other began to chant a long spell, probably trying to cast a stronger spell. Seeing that, Li Jie immediately changed directions and began to head over to the casting warlock.

    The other warlock never stopped casting attacks on the shifter, hoping to stop it from approaching the warlock. But Li Jie was adamant in trying to stop the cast that it ignored the attacks from the other. Fire burns scarred the back of the shifter but it still ignored the attacks.

    In the end, the casting warlock had to stop his chant abruptly and started to cast an attack spell. But he was too late as Li Jie was already on top of him. Before he could scream, the shifter had already punched him in the face, dislocating his jaw. With it, the warlock could not chant a spell. Though, it was not enough for Li Jie as it pushed the warlock''s head back, breaking his neck, resulting in a swift death.

    Brimming with fury as the other warlock watched his fellow warlock being killed so easily, he began to cast an earth spell, which immediately created holes in the ground. So wherever Li Jie jumped on, the warlock casted a spell, determined to trap the shifter inside.

    At one point, he nearly succeeded in Li Jie falling into one of the holes but the latter had a quick reflex where it immediately jumped on the wall of the holes to climb back up. It then jumped straight towards the warlock, with its arm in front of its chest.

    Surprised, the warlock did not have the chance to avoid the attack and the blade from Li Jie''s arm sleeve managed to slash the former from shoulder to waist. Blood began to drenched his front as the warlock staggered backwards, shocked from the sudden attack. Before he could retaliate, Li Jie continued to slash him continuously, until he was all covered in his own blood. The staff that he used to chant his spells was also covered with his blood.

    Knocking away his staff, Li Jie never stopped slashing until it heard someone yelling at the former to stop playing around.

    A mischievous smile, or rather a scary smile, bloomed in the face of the shifter that sends shivers of fright towards the warlock. Before he could say a word, Li Jie had slammed his paw through the warlock''s abdomen.

    Coughing out blood, with his eyes wide in shock, the shifter ended his life by slamming his other paw through and tearing the warlock into half as it opened its arms wide. The torn warlock dropped down on the ground with his eyes still wide open, as if he could not believe that he had died so soon.

    Li Jie rubbed the back of its neck, still smiling that creepy smile. "Who''s next?" he asked slowly as he turned to the others.

 Chapter 66 - 61: Mountain Bear Shifters

    "Be careful."

    Roel warned Ulanni and Jeayan as they trudged up the hill.

    Sweat dripped down their necks and backs as the sun shined down on them. It was a hot sunny day with little wind in the air. To say that it was sweltering Monday morning was a perfect statement. There was no shade around as there were only few vegetation growing in the mountain. From the bottom of the hill to the top, all they could see were sand and soil.

    It has been hours since they climbed up the hill to get to the bear shifters'' territory. According to the report that was given to the Alpha, there were some rogues that were found to roam near the area, where the bear shifters lived. Hence, to get more information on the sightings, they decided to ask for the bear shifters'' cooperations.

    Although the wolf and bear shifters do not get along well but it was not beyond hatred. Just dislike. Bear shifters believed that wolf shifters were sneaky and nasty whereas wolf shifters had always thought the latter to be smelly and lazy. They don''t really seem to click. Thus, their territories between each other were mostly far apart.

    The more they climbed the hill, the stronger the scent of the bear shifters was. What worried them was the fact that the smell of the rogues were growing faint. They further worried that they might probably have got the wrong information or that the rogue had long gone from the area.

    Once they were nearly at the top, they could see that on one side of the slope, there were some caves.

    Being cautious, the three shifters slowly walked towards the cave, thinking that it was probably the home of the bear shifters.

    However, before they could get any closer, they could hear growling from behind.

    They whirled around to find four huge brown bears, standing at eight feet tall, snarling at them. Both Ulanni and Jeayan went into a defensive mode whereas Roel just stood in front of them.

    "What are you filthy mutts doing here?" one of them growled in a raspy voice.

    "Good afternoon," Roel greeted politely. "Is this area your territory?" he continued to ask courteously.

    The other three bears continued to snarl and growl at Roel. The shifter who had spoken earlier kept quiet. It then raised its right paw, a signal to tell them to be silent. It seems like this shifter was the leader of them.

    The bear shifter then narrowed its eyes at Roel and asked back, "What''s it to you?"

    "We would like to ask whether you have encountered any werewolves in the area, other than us," Roel said. These bear shifters seem to be the ones who lived in this area and they were probably the right people to ask about the activities happening around there.

    The shifter snorted in disgust. "Other werewolves? You mean, those foul-mouthed mutts that came here and started to assume that this was their territory?"

    Roel, Ulanni and Jeayan looked at the shifter in surprise. "Where are they?" Ulanni asked urgently. "Are they still here?"

    "Where?" one of the bear shifters, who was standing behind the one who spoke earlier, repeated with a grunt. "Dead!" it spat out. The dislike and repulse towards the rogues radiated strongly from these shifters.

    Roel and the other two were shocked. Was the rogue too weak or the bear shifters too strong? Wasn''t the report a few days ago? How did they get to the rogues so fast?

    Just then, Roel sniffed the air and turned his narrowed eyes towards the one who said the rogue was dead. "Should I trust you?" he asked in a warning tone.

    The bear shifter narrowed its eyes back at him. "Do you think I''m lying?"

    Roel just kept quiet and stared at the shifter.

    Moments later, the leader who told its fellow shifters to keep quiet let out a long breath and said, "One escaped."

    "I see," Roel said slowly, crossing his arms across his chest.

    "They killed one of our brothers," the bear shifter said solemnly. "We''ve been going around the area looking for that b*stard. It seems that they had been staying here for months. I''m not sure what it was they were looking for but we will stop at nothing to get him back for the death of our brother."

    All of them knew that the bear shifters don''t have a great sense of smell, compared to the wolf shifters. Hence why Ulanni had come forward and said, "Let us help you. We will go and help you look for the rogue."

    The bear shifter shook its head. "No. We will do it ourselves. An eye for an eye."

    "But with our abilities, we may be able to help you faster," Ulanni argued. Other than the fact that they wanted to help, they too wanted to ask questions to the rogue; on their plans and whatnot.

    One of the other bear shifters stepped forward and growled. "What part of the word, ''No'', don''t you understand??" he snarled.

    Jeayan flinched from the outburst of the shifter that she unconsciously hid behind Ulanni in fear. It was her first time seeing other kinds of shifters and she had heard stories of how cruel and horrible bear shifters were. So, it was no surprise if she was a bit jumpy.

    Roel immediately stood in front of the two women, worried that they might receive backlash from the bear shifters. "Then shall we see who will find the rogue first?" he challenged. He had enough of these uncooperative shifters. If they do not want to cooperate, he has no choice but to look for the rogue themselves.

    The leader narrowed its eyes at Roel.

    The two groups of shifters kept quiet, both sizing each other up.

    After a few minutes, the leader of the bear shifters exhaled a long breath and said in its raspy voice, "Fine, we will cooperate with you but first, tell us. What will you do with the b*stard?"

    Roel turned towards Ulanni, who then nodded at him. He turned back to the bear shifter and answered calmly, "We want to bring him back to our pack for an interrogation."

    One of the bear shifters then roared with anger. "No! You''re not allowed to do that! We will be taking him and then we will kill him!" he spat out heatedly.

    "We will interrogate him and once we''re done, you can do whatever you want with it," Roel said, not budging on the issue. He was determined to bring the rogue alive since they need more information and that rogue was their source of information.

    The bear shifters went quiet again. Looking at their stance, it seems like they were discussing among themselves, using their mindlink.

    Shortly after, the leader then looked straight in Roel''s eyes and said, "Fine. We will cooperate with you. Let''s discuss further in our place."

    Roel sighed inwardly in relief. He looked at the leader and nodded. "Very well. Let''s," he agreed.

    The four bear shifters immediately changed into their human forms. Jeayan let out an embarrassed gasp as she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at the four n.a.k.e.d men in front of her. Roel immediately stood in front of her, shielding her.

    Ulanni only looked calm as if she was used to the n.a.k.e.dness.

    The one who they assumed was the leader stepped forward, unmindful of his nudity. The man looked young as if he was only in his early thirties. He looked quite handsome too with his adonis look and dark brown eyes. He was a few inches taller than Roel with a slim but muscular body. He has tousled light brown hair, which was thick and l.u.s.trous.

    He held out his hand and introduced himself. "My name is Storm Ainge. The leader of the Mountain Bear Shifters."

 Chapter 67 - 62: Pryor Ainge

    The place where the bear shifters had brought them to was a large cave. But as they walked further inside, Roel and the two female shifters realized that it was a tunnel.

    It was barely lit, fringed by curving sandstone walls. The walls were sandy dry that dust came off their hands when they touched the walls as they walked further in cautiously. The ground that they walked on was full of gravel and pebbles that each sound from them created a ''clink'' sound throughout the tunnel. It was a long tunnel where the path was curving. Hence why it felt very long. Further ahead, they could see a dimmed light, which they assumed was the end of the tunnel and way out.

    Leading the way was Storm Ainge, followed by Roel, Jeayan and Ulanni. The other three bear shifters, whom Storm introduced as Levi, Atticus and Oz. Levi was the hot-headed bear shifter, who had snapped at Ulanni earlier. Atticus was the quiet one among them but was also the largest. Even larger than Storm. Oz seems like the mischievious and the friendly one, judging by the smirk on his face. As they were walking, he even chatted with Ulanni, much to Jeayan''s discomfort as the four shifters were still in their birthday suit.

    Shortly after, they finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. Roel and the two female shifters blinked their eyes furiously as they were exposed to the unexpected brightness. The four bear shifters only walked forward, used to the sudden light.

    Just a few metres away was a two-storey large log cabin, which stood proudly in the middle. There were no trees nearby, only several tree stumps, which probably had been cut down before. The cabin was simple where it looked like it was all made of wood, plaster, moss and mortar. Inside, the cabin was even more rustic, with every furniture made of wood. There was no proper water sewage system and electricity.

    Jeayan was the most shocked out of the three werewolves. Probably because she was born in the modern world, she had never experienced this kind of lifestyle where one does not depend on electricity. But it was kind of a pleasant shock as she was more intrigued.

    While the bear shifters went to put on their clothes, the three of them were in the living room where they sat on tree stumps, which served as a stool for them to sit. The three of them were quiet as they studied everything around them. Although Ulanni had lived longer than Roel and Jeayan, she too had never been in close contact with other shifters, other than werewolves, witches and warlocks.

    After a few minutes, the four shifters returned back with clothes on. Oz was about to sit next to Jeayan when Roel grabbed Jeayan''s arm and exchanged seats with her. Oblivious to the silent stare that Roel had given to the smiling Oz, Jeayan just sat where Roel had sat before and kept quiet again.

    Ignoring the tension that was about to rise between Roel and Oz, Storm began to discuss what had happened a month ago.

    There were not many bear shifters in this world. After that year when the humans had waged war against the werewolves, although the bear shifters were not involved, they were still indirectly involved. Many of their brethrens were killed without justice. Humans had thought that the bear shifters were like the werewolves that they aimlessly killed anything that seems supernatural to them. Afraid that their descendants will be left without a line, the leader of the bear shifters, at that time, proposed that they will be separated and be hidden away from the human world. Similar as to what the werewolves had done before, many were scattered.

    These four bear shifters were brothers; offsprings from the line of the bear shifter leaders. Storm was the oldest; Oz was the second oldest, followed by Levi, Pryor and Atticus. Pryor was their brother who had died at the hands of the rogues.

    One day, Pryor was off to look for more woods. Seeing that the others were busy with their own tasks, he had ventured off alone. Storm and the others did not find this strange because it was normal for them to go off alone. They would go together only if there were trouble or needed help. But it has been a few days since he had left and there has been no word from him. Storm tried to mindlink him because he could not get through. It was then Storm decided to go out and look for his missing brother.

    At first, his other brothers argued that they wanted to join in the search. However, Storm was worried that Pryor might come home at any time and might be surprised to find their home empty. But then, Oz had argued that Pryor can just mindlink them. After many arguments, Storm was outnumbered; three against one. So, in the end, the four of them went out to search for Pryor.

    It took them a couple of weeks until one day, Atticus smelled something in the air. He ran towards the scent, followed by his brothers. And the sight that had welcomed them made the brothers feel numerous kinds of feelings inside them; anger, sadness, frustration, regret and more.

    Just a few metres away, lay a dead mutated body. It was a n.a.k.e.d man, with his arms torn apart from his body and chunks of his legs were eaten until they could see bones penetrating through. His face was unrecognizable with dried blood coating the hair and one of the eyes were gouged out. His cheeks were hollowed with bite and scratch marks all over. But the four bear shifters knew that this was their missing brother.

    Staggering closer to the body, Storm collapsed to his knees beside Pryor''s dead body. Tears unknowingly slid down his cheeks as he tried to support himself, hands on the ground. With a roar, he punched the ground with his fist, leaving a deep depression. Levi smashed the trees nearby, his mind filled with rage and murder. Oz quietly grieved next to Storm, whereas Atticus went to look for wood planks to carry the body back to their home for Pryor''s burial.

    Shortly after, the four brothers went back, carrying Pryor''s dead body, to their home. There, they began to dig a grave and gave him a proper burial.

    After the burial, the four brothers were filled with rage and hatred. Long gone their regrets and sadness as they sought to look for revenge. Before they had buried Pryor, Oz had noticed something on his cold body; something sparkling. And when Oz touched it, it felt hot as if it was scorching through his fingertips. Looking closer to it, he realized that it was wolfsbane powder. Why would there be a wolfsbane powder here? He knew that there were some growing in the area but not many.

    It was then they suspected that there were foul plays around and that Pryor was not killed by a beast, but rather a shifter. A werewolf, to be exact.

    They immediately set off to look for clues, after they were done with the burial. They decided to look for them together else they might be ambushed, just like Pryor.

    It took them several days and the more they had searched, the more clues that they had found. The biggest clue that they had found was the rest area the werewolves have used. Looking at the scraps and trash that they have left behind, the four brothers realized that these werewolves have been in the area for a long time. And judging by the little dusts of wolfsbane that they had left behind, they realized they were here for it. One question that popped in their minds was why do they need it when it was like their kryptonite?

    As they surveyed the area, they also deduced that Pryor must have accidentally encountered them during his search for woods. And he must have told them to leave but instead of listening to him, they had attacked him instead and left him for the dead.

    Few days later, with the clues that they had, they found the werewolves. There were five of them and from the way the foams appeared in their jaws, they realized that these werewolves were not as they seemed. They were definitely the kind of werewolves who had gone mad after years of not being in a pack. Rogues. The four brothers had found them, just as the rogues had turned.

    Without any warning, the rogues had jumped onto them, wanting to attack. Before the rogues had jumped, Levi had noticed that there were scorched marks on their arms as it was burned. He could even see their inflamed skin where there was no more fur. It was then they realized that these rogues were the one who had been looking for the wolfsbane and had killed Pryor.

    Their presumption was correct when they noticed a scrap of cloth near to where the rogues had been packing the wolfsbane. It was a piece of Pryor''s shirt.

    Angered at the realization, the four brothers had shifted into their bear counterparts and began to attack the rogues. However, one managed to run away, together with the wolfsbanes.

    It has been a couple of days since then. They were still looking for the rogue as it couldn''t have gotten far when they saw Roel, Ulanni and Jeayan standing near their tunnel.

 Chapter 68 - 63: Aconitum Plant

    After Roel and the two women listened to Storm''s side of the story, it was then without any hesitation, they decided to help them out.

    They quickly made plans and it was agreed that Roel and Jeayan will go with Oz and Atticus whereas Ulanni will go with Storm and Levi. At first, Jeayan wanted to go with Ulanni because she prefers to be with another female shifter but Roel told her that it was better for her to join him. He told her that he will be able to teach her more about shifter bonding if she was close to him. Ulanni just smiled cheekily at his voice of reason and let it be.

    Once they were done planning, without wasting any more time, they quickly went their separate ways. Oz led Roel and the other two to the west, whereas Storm led the rest to the east.

    As they walked up the hill, instead of getting hotter, it was getting a bit chilly. Probably because they were getting higher up the hill where the temperature drops. For werewolves, they do not like the cold much, compared to the bears, hence Jeayan was feeling cold. Roel, on the other hand, looked as if he did not notice the chill at all.

    Noticing that Jeayan was shivering a bit, Oz c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and opened his arms wide, "Need a little warmth, sweetheart?" he asked teasingly.

    Before Jeayan could say a word, Roel had growled at him to knock it off and go concentrate on looking for the rogue.

    Oz shrugged and continued to walk forward, with a smirk on his face. Atticus followed behind him, still being quiet.

    Jeayan looked at Roel, who was still frowning and said softly, "Thank you." Although she was a bit afraid of this packmate of hers, she was still grateful. She doesn''t talk to him much since they never had anything to talk or do with each other but she finds it weird that she would feel safe around him.

    Roel just grunted and gestured at her to go in front of him.

    The four of them fell into silence again as they climbed up the hill. It was tiring but for them, it was a piece of cake, especially for the bear shifters who had lived in the mountain for a long time. Roel had gotten used to the exercise and as for Jeayan, it was fortunate that she had done the training with Latham. Or she would be the one who will become a burden, constantly slowing them down.

    Just as they reached a curve which will lead them further in, Roel stopped and sniffed the air. His eyes suddenly turned amber for a second before turning back to his natural eye color. He turned to Oz and the others and said, "We''re in luck."

    Oz raised his brows. "You''re not kidding? Of all the luck?" he asked, surprised.

    Roel turned to Jeayan and asked, "Can you smell it?"

    She sniffed the air and nodded. "Shall I go capture him first or we''ll do it together?"

    "Go if you can catch him. We''ll be behind you," he instructed.

    She scoffed. She then took a deep breath and looked at them. The two brothers were clueless as they stared blankly back at her. Roel understood and turned to them. "Turn around," he said.

    "Why should we?" Oz asked, confused.

    Roel narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Just turned."

    Atticus shrugged and turned around. Oz turned to look at Jeayan who was still standing stiff. It was then realization dawned on him. He chuckled and turned around. Once the two had turned around, Roel, too, turned around. He then said out loud, "Go ahead."

    Shortly after, they could hear rustling of clothes being removed. Then sounds of bones cracking and a low growl was heard. The three men turned around to see a light grey werewolf standing on its hind legs before them. It was a bit smaller than the other werewolves, standing tall at six feet. Its fur was thick and discernible under the sun. This was Jeayan''s werewolf. And her name was Chiwa.

    With another growl, the werewolf immediately ran towards the smell. The two brothers blinked their eyes in surprise; shocked at how fast the female werewolf was.

    Roel smiled smugly. He heard from his brother, Latham, that Jeayan was the fastest new shifter among the young ones. Even faster than Erick by mere a few seconds.

    He then turned to the other two and said, "Lets go."

    Atticus growled, a bit miffed that this mangy mutt was ordering them around as if he was the leader. Oz just smiled but there was a glint of disdain in his eyes. Nevertheless, the two of them immediately got into their birthday suit and shifted into their bear counterpart. Roel followed soon after. Roel''s wolf name was Calder. It stood at eight feet tall with glossy black mane, similar to Noaz''s wolf. The difference was that Calder''s mane has a bit of grey streaks at its back.

    The bear shifter whose human form was Oz quietly grabbed their clothes with its claws, carefully to not shred them.

    Minutes later, the three shifters ran towards where Chiwa headed, with Calder leading the way.

    When they finally reached to where Chiwa was, it was standing above a groveling and screaming n.a.k.e.d man with its paw on top of his back. The man kept clutching his head as he curled in, his knees against his torso. It seemed like the rogue was being forced to change into his human form. When one was being forced to change to their other counterpart, it would make them go insane as their souls were not properly exchanged.

    The two brothers immediately went back to their human forms. "That''s it?" Oz scoffed as he tossed their clothes down. "I was expecting a fight."

    The female werewolf just stared down at the bear shifter without a word. It then turned around and kicked the n.a.k.e.d man, pushing him down to his back.

    Roel, too, turned back to his human form and grabbed his clothes to put it on.

    After they had changed into their clothes, except for Chiwa, Roel crouched down in front of the still screaming man. He then punched the latter in the face, knocking him unconscious. "Shut up."

    Atticus just frowned as he watched this while Oz smiled evilly. "We''ve finally caught him."

    Roel hoisted the man up on his shoulders, his arm around the back of the latter''s leg, holding him. He turned to Chiwa and said, "You can change back now."

    Chiwa nodded and quietly changed back. After it had changed back to her human form, Jeayan immediately grabbed her clothes with her face turning red in embarrassment. She was still not used to being n.a.k.e.d in front of people. She quickly changed into her clothes and followed the three shifters, heading back to the cabin.

    ----

    Ulanni was walking behind Storm and Levi when she received a mindlink from Roel, stating that they had found the rogue. And that, they were currently heading back to the cabin.

    Earlier before, they had been walking around but Ulanni could not smell a single sense of the rogue. However, she did sense something dangerous. She could feel her emotions and her inner wolf shouting to be careful.

    As they walked deeper at the mountain, it was then, with her sense of sight, she could see a familiar plant. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was wolfsbane. She carefully walked closer, her body on high alert.

    The two bear shifters noticed her wariness but did not voiced out. Instead, they followed her from behind, curious to know what it was that was making her cautious.

    When she stopped a few metres away from some patches of purple plants, it was then they realized that it was aconitum plants [1]. It was a herb that was known to be dangerous and harmful, not just to humans but also supernatural beings, especially werewolves. Just the tip of it can render one paralyzed and slowly to their deaths.

    "You want these?" Storm asked, gesturing to the plants.

    Ulanni nodded, her finger on top of her lips as she was thinking of a way to bring them back, without hurting herself.

    Storm turned to Levi and nodded.

    Levi immediately went off to look for leaves to use it as a cover for their hands. After he had found a handful of leaves, they carefully covered their hands with soil and mud and then topped it with large leaves. Then they slowly pulled the plant off the ground, together with the roots and some soil. Then they carefully covered the whole plant with more leaves, cautiously to not touch any of the plant.

    After some time, all of the plants were now covered with leaves and mud and were tied with some vines that they had found nearby. The three of them stood up and were heading back to the cabin.

    -----

    [1] Aconitum plant, also known as Wolf''s bane. For more information, please google ''Aconitum''.

 Chapter 69 - 64: Going back home

    Bastian was washing away the blood on his hands at the pond nearby while West and Kirk tied up the two rogues to a tree. They had just finished fighting the rogues that had ambushed them. The two warlocks were already killed by Li Jie. And to prevent the former from emitting any distress signal to their companions, Paxon decided to burn them; every part of them, leaving no traces behind. As for the other dead rogues, they decided to leave them for some beasts to eat or to rot.

    Earlier after their fight, they had encountered more dead bodies. But to their shock and dismay, it belonged to the humans. What surprised and confused them more was the fact that their eyes and hearts were gouged out, leaving a huge hole in their chests.

    They tried to search around the area for more clues but they could not find any. Though, they suspected that the rogues must have done it since they could see the claw marks on the bodies. Even so, they too tried to look for the missing hearts and eyeballs, yet there was none. This has baffled them.

    Hence why Paxon told them to let the bodies of the rogues to rot since they deserve that kind of death.

    Omorose was putting on her clothes when Hamish approached her with a cloak on his hand. She c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed that Hamish did not even blush at her semi-n.a.k.e.dness. With her shirt nearly transparent due to the wetness, she stroked a finger down the young shifter''s arm and asked flirtatiously, "What do you think of my body?"

    With a poker face, he just handed her the cloak.

    He was about to leave her when she looked down at the cloak with a frown and then at Hamish. She tilted her head and asked, "What''s this?"

    "Dewei told me to give you this," he said, with his hands behind his back. "He thought you might have felt cold after falling into the water."

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    When they got ambushed by the rogues and warlocks, before Omorose could shift into her wolf counterpart, Hielo, she was thrown into the water. She immediately took off her clothes and shifted. It was about to fight in the water, against one of the rogues. It was not a quick battle as it was hard to fight there. The water only made their attacks felt heavy due to the water they absorbed in their fur. Although it was a close battle where Hielo nearly got swiped by the rogue''s claws, it soon went straight to the latter''s downfall.

    Hielo fell down in the water to avoid the attack but managed to kick its hind leg at the rogue''s leg. When the latter fell down in the water, Hielo quickly got up and smashed the former''s leg. Feeling the bones cracking underneath its paws, Hielo grabbed the broken leg of the rogue and swung it out and the latter fell onto land.

    Before the rogue could recover, Hielo had already jumped on top of the former and slammed its face to the side. Ignoring the screaming from below, using its claws, it dug through the rogue''s temple, killing it. Smiling at the squishy feeling it felt from its claws, Hielo pulled out and flicked the liquid away.

    Nearby, Skoll, which was Paxon''s wolf, laughed when it saw Hielo on its killing spree. Hielo was still the same as before. It likes to kill its enemies by digging through their temples because it likes the squishy feeling it felt from fluid in the brain. Sickening but it was Hielo''s signature.

    Skoll itself was actually fighting against two shifters on its own. After it had managed to kill them in mere minutes, it went to help its other pack mates.

    Kaius, which was Hamish''s werewolf, at that time, was supporting Fraser, who was also in his werewolf form, named Tamaska. Both were fighting one of the rogues as well. Since it was Kaius'' first time fighting in Hamish''s body, it hasn''t gotten used to it and could only support. Tamaska helped to weaken the rogue by constantly avoiding its attack while landing an attack. Noticing that the rogue was getting tired, Tamaska kicked it towards Kaius, who immediately grabbed it by the neck and slammed it down to the ground. Kaius then puts it on a sleeper hold, rendering it unconcious, since they need to bring it back to the pack for interrogations.

    Although they were outnumbered but the victory was theirs.

    [Back to present]

    Omorose let out a small smile and said thank you. She then walked over to Paxon, who was standing near the unconscious tied rogues. He was talking with Dewei, his arms crossed across his chest and both wearing a serious look on their faces.

    Sensing that someone was approaching them, the two stopped talking and turned around to find Omorose standing behind them.

    "So, what''s the plan now?" she asked, frowning down at the unconscious rogues. Both West and Kirk stood, sandwiching them. They also had left rogues'' mouths wide open so that they would not commit suicide.

    Paxon tilted his head and said, "We''ll be bringing them to our pack house and we will be interrogating them. You can join in if you want to."

    Omorose squinted her dark brown eyes at him and frowned deeply. "No, WE will be bringing them to OUR pack house," she hissed, stressing on the words, ''we'' and ''our''. Her Alpha specifically told her to work with the Cesaro pack to deal with the rogue sightings. And although he did not mention about bringing the rogues back verbally, it was without any questions asked that she should just bring them along.

    Paxon raised his head and looked silently down at her.

    Before Omorose could argue more, Dewei interjected, "It''s alright, Omorose. We''ll join them at their pack house. I have already notified Alpha in regards to this."

    She whirled around to face Dewei, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "When did you notify the Alpha?" she asked.

    "Just a few seconds ago," he answered casually.

    Omorose sighed. "Next time, please discuss it with me first," she scolded. She knew that Dewei probably took it upon himself because he wanted to go to the Cesaro pack and meet up with their researcher. It was one of the main reasons as to why he wanted to join the team.

    Dewei just nodded.

    Omorose let out another sigh, rubbing her forehead in resignation. She then turned to Paxon and said, "Alright. We''ll take up on your offer and meet you there."

    He nodded. And then turned to call the others to get ready to depart.

    Hamish was standing not too far away from them, with Bastian standing beside him. The two of them were watching their superiors talking.

    Bastian chuckled. "Seems like it''s our turn to host," he commented.

    Hamish pushed his glasses up his nose and agreed, "Seems like it." He had never been to Port Robson Bay so this would be an interesting visit.

    He then sighed, thinking how the other shifters in the other teams did on their mission.

    -----

    Noaz sighed as he leaned back against the car seat. The four of them had just left the mountainous range and were on their way back to their hometown.

    Reginald was tapping his long and lean fingers on the open window of the car as he drove. Whereas Paccia was sitting quietly at the passenger seat, looking out of the window. Although she was there physically, it seems like her mind was somewhere else.

    Dex was quiet as well. His leg was still hurting but not so much as before. He was really disappointed in himself for the failure that he had shown during the fight. He could not even bring himself to play with his phone as his mind recalled back on what had happened at the forest.

    Surprisingly, Erick too was quiet, which was unlike himself. Noaz, who was sitting near him, could not tell what he was thinking. But his glabellar was more pronounced as he looked out the window. He seemed to be fuming silently.

    In short, everyone was eerily quiet in the car. All of them were in their own thoughts. But one thing that could be said the same for all of them was that there were feelings of disappointment and regrets in their minds. Regrets because they did not work hard to persuade the Cairin Alpha. Disappointment because they felt like they had failed in this mission.

    They were about to arrive at their hometown when Noaz received a text message on his phone. Looking down at his phone, his eyes widened.

 Chapter 70 - 65: Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Kendall

    It has been a couple of days since Erick had sent her a text message, saying that he will be out of town for a whole week or so. Hence, it has been quiet on her part. She was still coming into terms about her feelings towards him and that was the reason why she didn''t text him again soon after that.

    Amber was inside a bakery, looking around as her nose began to tingle from the delicious smell of freshly baked pastries and sweets. The bakery was a small shop yet it was bustling with happy chatters and laughters. There seems to be many kinds of groups patroning in the bakery; couples, families and friends.

    She had heard from Jeayan that Hamish''s mother owned this local bakery. Although there were other bakeries in the town, his mother''s bakery boasted as one of the most popular bakeries. There were many best-seller pastries too, which usually sold-out early in the morning. However, they usually top-up the pastries, even if it''s not often. It showed how popular the bakery was and Amber was eager to try one of the pastries.

    That day, she was with Dana, who was examining the pastries displayed in the bread and pastry cases. They had just left the local library after studying together. And since they were craving for a light snack, they decided to go to the bakery before going home. Dana too had recommended Hamish''s mother''s bakery. Even though she was not a regular patron, every now and then she would still go there whenever she had a craving for some pastries.

    The pastries smelled so good that both girls were nearly drooling as they walked around.

    Just then as Amber was about to grab a doughnut, she felt someone nudging her on the side.

    Frowning, she looked over and asked, "What''s up?"

    "Look!" Dana hissed softly. She then gestured to a couple who was standing in front of loaves of bread. They were a good looking couple, who looked like they were in their early or mid-thirties. The woman was beautiful with her glossy brown hair tied up in a ponytail and strands of hair framing her face. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, making her look younger. She was laughing with the man, who was standing close next to her. He was a good looking man with sun kissed skin and a deep cleft chin. His jet black hair was combed to a side, giving a glimpse of a strong face. He was wearing a belt holster which holds a handgun, implying that he was a police officer.

    "Who are they?" Amber asked, confused.

    "That''s Erick''s parents!"

    Amber''s mouth dropped open in surprise. But they looked so young!

    As if they heard the name, ''Erick'', both the man and the woman turned and looked at them. The man was frowning, his brows furrowed in suspicion, whereas the woman was looking at them curiously.

    Then as if realization dawned on her, the woman, whom Dana had said was Erick''s mother, looked at them with wide eyes, with her mouth dropped in an ''o''. She quickly pushed her husband aside and walked over to them.

    Both Amber and Dana were surprised as they watched Erick''s mother walking towards them. And before they could say anything, she was in front of them.

    With an attractive smile on her face, she greeted them. "Hello girls. Are you two friends of my son, Erick?" she asked pleasantly.

    The two friends were still surprised that they did not reply immediately. They did not expect that they were too loud that she could overhear them. Then again, they did not know that Erick''s mother was a werewolf who has amazing hearing, even if they whisper or talk in a soft voice.

    "Uh, hello Mrs. Kendall. And uh, yes, we are," Dana finally answered. "I''m Dana Olney." She then introduced Amber who was still surprised that she could not say anything at all. "This is Amber Keene. Both of us are in Erick''s homeroom."

    When Dana had introduced Amber, Mrs. Kendall immediately turned to the latter with an excited gleam in her eyes. She then turned and called over her husband, who was still standing in front of the loaves of bread, "Sweetheart, come over here quick!"

    Her husband looked up and walked over. Putting his arm around his wife''s shoulder, he looked at her and asked, "What''s wrong, honey?"

    "I''ve just run into some of Erick''s friends," she said, smiling.

    Mr. Kendall turned to look at the two girls in front of him and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you girls," he said, not smiling. "Hope that my son didn''t cause too much of a problem in school."

    The two girls quickly shook their heads, feeling a bit frightened. They didn''t know why but they have this feeling that they shouldn''t mess with this man. He looked kind of strict and angry as if he was about to snap at them.

    Mrs. Kendall suddenly smacked him on the arm. "Stop scaring the girls," she scolded.

    Her husband frowned even more. "I wasn''t," he said, his brows furrowed in confusion. He was studying the two girls that he did not realized that his brows creased in a tight frown, making him looked scary.

    Mrs. Kendall just laughed and then said, "This is Dana and Amber."

    Mr. Kendall c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise. "I see," he said slowly, his eyes on Amber, who began to fidget nervously.

    Then suddenly, Mrs. Kendall turned to the two girls. "What are your plans today, girls?" she asked, still smiling.

    Both Dana and Amber looked at each other before answering. "We just finished studying at the library. So, we''re planning to go home after buying a few snacks," Amber replied politely.

    With her smile widened, she clapped her hands together gleefully as if she had thought of something exciting. "How about coming over to our place?" Mrs. Kendall invited.

    "Uh, I think I''d better go home," Amber said slowly. She wasn''t sure that she wanted to go to Erick''s house. True that he has been to her houseˇ­ uninvited. But she doesn''t even know his mother that well to go visit their house.

    Stumped, she looked at Dana, who was also looking at her. Apparently, she too did not know how to reject this kind woman''s invitation.

    Noticing the awkwardness, Mr. Kendall patted his wife on the arm. "Honey, I think you''re a bit too rushed on this," he said carefully.

    Mrs. Kendall began to pout. "But I want to talk with these two girls!" she whined.

    Mr. Kendall sighed inwardly. Sometimes his wife can be too willful that she did not think of the other''s thoughts and feelings. Yet, he can also be blamed for that since he usually indulged her every whims.

    Mrs. Kendall sighed sadly. "It''s just thatˇ­ I don''t really have a daughter of my own," she said, looking dejected. "Jeayan hardly visits us anymore and it''s been awhile since I had any girl talk!"

    Looking at his wife''s expression, he knew that she was lying since it was a couple of days ago, she had lunch with Mary, having their ''girl talk''. And there was a little mischievous gleam in her eyes as she waited what the two girls were about to do next.

    Not wanting to make the nice woman sad, Amber was hesitating before she said ''yes''.

    Thinking that Dana was going to say ''yes'' too, she was shocked when she said ''no'', instead. Amber felt so wronged and betrayed.

    Looking a bit regretful, Dana continued, "I''m sorry but I promised my mother that I was going to help her make dinner tonight."

    Mrs. Kendall smiled ruefully. "It''s alright, dear." she then turned to Amber with a huge smile on her face. "You''ll be coming, right? You did say ''yes'', didn''t you?" her tone hinted that she can''t reject now.

    Amber scratched her cheek awkwardly and said, "Wellˇ­ I guess so. Though, I would need to call my parents first."

    Both the Kendalls nodded. "Why don''t you let me talk to your parents to tell them about this?" Mr. Kendall suggested.

    Amber nodded and began to call her parents. After she called them that she will be having dinner at a friend''s place and that the father would like to talk with them, she handed her phone to Mr. Kendall.

    He accepted it and began to move away, talking in soft voices on the phone, reassuring Amber''s parents that they will take good care of her.

    After Dana had bought her snacks, she waved goodbye at the Kendalls and Amber. "See you on Wednesday," Dana said to Amber. "And I''m sorry," she mouthed.

    Amber just glared and pouted at her.

    Shortly after, Mrs. Kendall looked down at the paperbag that Amber was holding in her arms. "Is that all?" she asked, looking confused.

    Amber blinked her eyes, also confused. "Uh, yes, Mrs. Kendall."

    Mrs. Kendall shook her head. "No, no, that''s not enough," she said. She then grabbed Amber''s arm and continued, "Let''s go in and buy more food."

    Amber could only let Erick''s mother dragged her back inside the bakery, followed by Mr. Kendall, who was watching the whole scene with an amused smile on his face.

 Chapter 71 - 66: Dinner at the Kendalls

    Amber was inside Mr. and Mrs. Kendall''s car, on their way to their house. At first, she was surprised that her parents had allowed her to join them for dinner. Seriously, what parents would allow their only daughter to follow some strangers home for dinner? This was their first time meeting each other and they already invited her over to their house.

    However, after Mr. Kendall had finished talking to her parents, he had passed her her phone. Seeing that the line was still connected, she continued to talk on the phone. Apparently, Erick''s father was the police chief in town. And he was well-known as a nice and honest man. Her father had told her that it was enough facts to know that she was in good hands. Not just that, it seems like her mother had once bumped into Mrs. Kendall before. Although they did not talk much, they did manage to exchange some pleasantries with one another.

    The drive to their house took more than thirty minutes. Amber was surprised to see that their house was far, near the edge of the residential areas. They had to drive past several houses before entering an area that was close to the forest. Although she probably would be a bit wary that they lived in a forest, surprisingly she felt calmed and safe.

    They finally arrived at a humble cottage two-storey. Just a few blocks away was another cottage, slightly smaller than the one in front of them. As Amber got out of the car, she looked over at the other house.

    Noticing Amber''s glance at the other house, Mrs. Kendall smiled and said, "Oh, that''s the Cairns'' house. I think you probably know their son, Hamish, since those two are always together like peanut butter and jelly."

    Amber nodded. ''Oh, I didn''t expect that those two lived nearby each other,'' she thought.

    Inside the house, she could feel how homey and comfortable the house was. There were pictures adorning the walls in the front hall. She smiled when she saw pictures of Erick when he was a baby and little child. On the right of the front hall, it led to the kitchen and on the left, it led to the living room.

    She was about to enter the kitchen when Mrs. Kendall shooed her away. "No, no," she said. "You''re our guest. Go and wait in the living room while I make dinner."

    "But Mrs. Kendallˇ­" Amber tried to protest.

    Mrs. Kendall had pooh-poohed at her protest. "It''s alright, dear," she assured. "And do call me ''Luella''."

    Her eyes widened, Amber immediately rejected, shaking her head. "No, no, Mrs. Kendall," she said, feeling awkward. "That would be rude of me."

    "Fine then," Mrs. Kendall said. "Just call me, ''Aunt Luella'', then." Inside, she thought vehemently, ''I''ll make you call me ''Mama'' sooner or later!''

    "Uh, ok, Aunt Luella," Amber said meekly. She then raised her arm, which was holding her paperbag. "What about these?" she asked further.

    Aunt Luella took them from her and said, "I''ll serve this later. You go and accompany your Uncle Lachlan in the living room."

    Amber nodded and slowly walked in the living room.

    Inside the room, Erick''s father was sitting on an armchair with a wine glass on his hand. He looked as if he was staring off-space, as he swirled the wine in his glass.

    Amber quietly sat on a sofa across him, her back straight and her hands folded neatly on top of her lap. She silently studied the man in front of him. She realized that Erick''s good looks came mostly from him. They both have the same jet black hair and strong jawline. Although Erick has dimples, his father has that attractive cleft on his chin. Both of them were also tall with muscular lean bodies.

    As she studied the man, she did not realize that the man too was studying her.

    ----

    ''Is dinner done?'' Lachlan asked in his mindlink to his Luna.

    ''Give me a few minutes,'' she replied back in the mindlink. ''Go entertain your daughter-in-law.''

    The two of them knew that Amber was Erick''s mate. Mary, the Beta''s wife, had told them about Amber and how the boys constantly talked about her. Though, it was more like Erick kept talking about her and Hamish listened.

    Many times Luella had tried to find ways to ''accidentally'' meet up with her but they never did see her. They knew that Erick went to her house every night so Luella was frustrated at how he never brought her home to introduce her to them.

    Coincidentally, Luella wanted to visit Mary in her bakery. She had stopped by at Lachlan''s office before going there together. They were thinking of buying some pastries when they saw a couple of girls walking into the bakery.

    Both of them looked like they were still in their teens, around seventeen or eighteen years of age. Similar to Erick''s age. One has brown curly hair with brown eyes. She was slightly shorter than the other girl, who has blonde hair and big green eyes. The two girls were talking with each other, pointing at the pastries displayed on the display boxes. Probably asking each other what they will buy.

    Lachlan was whispering sweet nothings to Luella, making her giggle, when suddenly, she froze. She then sneaked a look at the two girls and pinched his arm.

    He frowned, clueless as to why she had done that. He did not hear what the girls were talking about, even though he was able to. But he did not want to bother himself as he wanted to concentrate all his attention to his beloved Luna.

    Unfortunately, it seems like his Luna did not share the same views as him since she had been listening in on their conversation.

    "Darling, that''s Amber!" she hissed.

    He frowned deeply. Annoyed that someone had distracted her from being lovey-dovey. "Who the hell is Amber?" he asked.

    "Erick''s mate!"

    He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He then sneaked a glance and saw two girls still talking, while pointing at the pastries. He turned back again and shrugged.

    Luella rolled her eyes and announced, "I''m going over to introduce myself to her!"

    Lachlan rubbed his temple. Before he could tell her ''no'', she had already walked over and introduced herself.

    Which then led to the present time where both Lachlan and Amber were sitting quietly in their seat, not talking.

    ''What the hell am I supposed to talk about with a little girl??'' Lachlan argued in the mindlink. In all of his life, he has been surrounded with only males. He never had any younger female siblings nor female cousins. Even if he had, he doubts that he even talks to them. The only females he talked with were his mother, his Luna and Mary. Though, he only talked a couple of sentences with the latter.

    Facing a young girl, he seriously became awkward. He really did not know what to say to her.

    Clearing his throat, he opened a topic. "So," he said slowly, startling Amber. "You''re classmates with my son?"

    "Uh, yes sir!" she stammered as she squirmed nervously in her seat.

    Lachlan frowned. ''Why is she squirming like that?'' he thought, confused. ''It''s not as if I''m going to eat her or something.''

    The two fell into silence again.

    Shortly after, Luella walked in to say that dinner was ready.

    Amber had turned to look at her as if she was relieved and grateful that Luella had come and saved her from the awkward predicament.

    Once seated, Luella told her to sit across her, which was usually Erick''s seat. Lachlan sat at the head of the table, with Luella on his left and Amber on his right.

    Amber was surprised to see the dishes laid on the table. There were only three of them but the dishes cooked looked like it was enough for a small village. There were piles of doughnuts on one bowl, a huge bowl filled with potato salads, a stackful of steaks piled on one huge serving plate and a huge pile of fried chickens.

    "Come and dig in," Luella invited.

    "Uh, are you expecting company, Aunt Luella?" she asked warily, still surprised at the huge amounts of food on the dining table.

    Luella frowned at her, looking confused. "Company?" she repeated. "I don''t think so, dear. It''s just us, don''t worry."

    "But what about these foods?" Amber asked again.

    Luella laughed lightly. "This is normal. If Erick was here, I would have cooked more."

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. Are their stomachs a blackhole?

    The three of them then fell into a comfortable chatter, though, it was mostly Luella who was doing all the questioning while Amber patiently answered them. Lachlan quietly ate his dinner while listening. He did join in on some of the conversation before falling silent again.

    Just as they were about to be done with their dinner, Luella smiled even wider as she studied the girl in front of her. She appreciated people who love her cooking. There was nothing more satisfying than knowing that there was someone who loves your cooking.

    The girl was oblivious to the stare as she enjoyed eating the steak with relish. She poured more mushroom sauce on it and continued eating, her cheeks puffed similar to a squirrel stuffing their mouth with nuts.

    "So, Amber, what are your hobbies?" Luella asked nonchalantly.

    Amber stopped eating and raised her head. She patted her mouth with a napkin before answering, "Uh, I''m not sure. I don''t think I have any hobbies."

    Luella put her chin on her palm, with her elbow on the table. "Watching movies? Taking a walk? Cooking?" she suggested.

    Amber tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Umˇ­ Cooking? I think I''m more of someone who likes to eat, rather than me cooking. Taking a walk? It''sˇ­ uh, fine. Watching movies? I love Harry Potter!"

    Both husband and wife looked at her in puzzlement. "What''s Harry Potter?" Luella asked.

    Amber gasped inwardly. ''More people to introduce what Harry Potter is about!'' she thought to herself with determination.

    She then began to explain to Lachlan and Luella what Harry Potter is about. She was so passionate in trying to make them understand what''s so hype about it that her actions were everywhere. She was waving excitedly, showing them how the brooms in the movie flew and how they cast spells and the mysteries in the movie plot.

    Lachlan began to lose interest when he realized that it was mostly about warlocks. Luella, on the other hand, found it interesting and began to ask more questions. She was slightly surprised when she found out from Amber that they even had an assignment on Harry Potter.

    She was even more surprised when there was a werewolf in the plot. His name was Fenrir Greyback. Both Luella and Lachlan frowned when they heard from Amber that Fenrir was depicted as one of the villains in the plot where he liked to attack children.

    "They should rewrite the whole plot and make a nicer character for werewolves!" Luella protested.

    She then smiled at Amber and asked, "What do you think of werewolves?"

 Chapter 72 - 67: Meeting Luka

    Looking around her, Amber felt that it was surreal that she was really inside Erick''s bedroom. Aunt Luella had told her to wait in his bedroom while she went to wash and dry Amber''s shirt.

    At first, she had felt guilty and awkward that Aunt Luella was the one who washed her shirt, instead of her. After all, it was she who was clumsy and had spilled orange juice on her shirt. And after she had spilled her drink, she was so embarrassed that she turned bright red at that moment.

    Fortunately for her, Erick''s parents did not really mind. They were probably just wondering why the questions of whether she likes werewolves or not stumped her.

    To be honest, it was not that it stumped her, it was more like, it surprised her because of the coincidence.

    Recently, she had been having dreams of wolves and sometimes, werewolves. It kind of weirded her out. Sometimes she even imagined hearing the word, ''mate''. And the other weird thing was that the dream wasn''t scary at all. In fact, it was a calm and soothing dream. She dreamed of living with the werewolves and even having a relationship with one of them. She did not know why but she noticed that it had happened to her ever since Erick had been away out of town.

    She had heard stories about shifters living in this town but she did not know whether they were still alive. She once read newspaper articles about them but it was dated more than twenty years ago. Hence, she did not know whether they still exist or not. She did not dare ask the locals here, such as Dana and Jeayan because she heard it was kind of like a taboo subject to talk about shifters here.

    Thus why she was surprised when Aunt Luella asked her about werewolves. She wasn''t sure whether the latter was asking about werewolves in the fictional sense or in real life. In her opinion, she doesn''t really know much about werewolves since it wasn''t in her circle of interest, like the warlocks in Harry Potter. And there wasn''t much being mentioned about werewolves in Harry Potter''s series either. But if she took the example from the movie, ''Twilight'', Taylor Lautner was a handsome hot guy. And he was a werewolf. He was the only reason why she endured watching the movie, anyway. She wasn''t a big fan of the male lead and female lead.

    Thinking back at what had happened at the dining table, she did not manage to answer Aunt Luella''s question. It was because she was too surprised and embarrassed about spilling her drink on her shirt. And now, the question has long gone from their minds.

    Erick''s father had awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, telling her to not worry much. Personally, Amber just felt even more embarrassed when he tried to calm her. It made her think that she really was a clumsy person.

    Sitting down on Erick''s bed, she looked around at her surroundings. His room was a typical teenager''s room. There was a wall-mounted television in front of his bed, with a game console underneath it on a TV stand. There were posters of football teams and whatnot on the wall. To the right of the television was a door that probably led to his bathroom. And then there was a coat rack on the corner of the room, filled with jackets. Beside his bed was his study table, filled with textbooks. Looking closer, she did not expect he was a diligent student. There, on the study table, was a table calendar, filled with datelines and whatnot.

    Although she wanted to look more, she brushed those thoughts away. It''s enough that she had ''invaded'' his room, even if his mother told her to, it didn''t feel right to her. She shouldn''t be a hypocrite. She had scolded him for looking through the things on her study table so she should have the decency to not look through his.

    She was wearing one of his old t-shirts, which felt really big on her, showing one of her shoulders. Luckily, it was only her shirt that was dirtied so she, at least, still has her pants. She looked down at the t-shirt and giggled. It was a ''Joshua Bibir'' t-shirt. She did not expect this in his closet. She should tease him about this when he gets back.

    Not knowing what to do but to wait, she decided to play some games on her phone.

    Just as she was tapping on her phone, she heard a low growl from underneath the bed. Frowning, she looked around her but she saw nothing. She noticed that there was a small pet bed near the door but she did not really think too much.

    Erick never told her that he had a pet so she never thought that there would be an animal inside here.

    Thinking that she was probably hearing things, she turned back to her phone.

    However, just then she felt something had jumped beside her from the back. She turned around and nearly screamed. There was a huge dog that looked more like a wolf, sitting beside her. It was looking at her with those sharp eyes. Its grey mane looked thick and glossy. It was slowly approaching her, making her feel terrified. Her mind went blank as she jumped out of the bed and nearly ran into Aunt Luella who was walking in with her folded shirt.

    She quickly hid behind Aunt Luella and pointed at the huge dog, who was letting out a soft growl. "Aunt Luella! Thatˇ­ thatˇ­" she stammered, finding it difficult to talk.

    Aunt Luella handed her shirt back and then turned back to the huge dog, with her hands on her h.i.p.s. "Stay down, Luka. Now!" she admonished.

    The huge dog immediately whimpered, its paws over its head. Amber looked at it with wide eyes, surprised how a huge dog can be so adorable.

    Aunt Luella turned back to Amber and patted her on the shoulder. "Don''t worry. Luka here is harmless. Go and wait here. We''ll call you later to send you back home. Your Uncle Lachlan needs to make a few calls and then we can go."

    Amber slowly walked back in, approaching the huge dog with hesitant steps. The huge dog looked back at her with those eyes, as if it was waiting for her to approach her before it did something.

    Then she stopped and turned to face Aunt Luella. She then asked, "What kind of dog is this?" She had never seen a dog this big.

    Aunt Luella smiled before answering. "A wolf. Don''t worry about him and have fun!" she said, closing the door shut, pretending to not see Amber''s widened eyes.

    -----

    Lachlan rubbed his glabella in frustration, trying to think what to do next. He was inside his office at his house. Noaz had just mind-linked about his situation. It seems like Isaiah Cairin was still alive, much to Lachlan''s surprise. He was actually from his grandfather''s generation. They used to meet up with one another until one day, the Cairin pack suddenly stopped attending the Shifter meetings. It has been years since they had joined one and Lachlan hadn''t heard anything about them since then. The details and information about the Cairin pack were probably obsolete.

    Although he found it strange that the Cairin pack wouldn''t want to be cooperative, he did not command Noaz to push it further. Because he knew what Isaiah was like. Once you get on his bad side and hit his bottomline, it will be chaotic. Again, Lachlan still finds it strange as to why they were being uncooperative and secretive. And he thought that it was impossible for them to think that they were not aware of rogues in their territory, what more, a warlock. Recalling the strength that Isaiah had back then, he should know of their presence beforehand.

    He leaned back against his seat with a sigh. He probably has to investigate this by himself then.

    Luella knocked on the door before walking in. She walked towards him and sat herself on his lap, placing her head on his shoulder. "What''s wrong, honey?" she asked in concern.

    He sighed as he pulled her closer. "Noaz wasn''t able to get the cooperation from the Cairin pack."

    "Oh dear! Then what are we going to do?" she asked again.

    Lachlan gave a rueful smile. He loved how she always used ''we'', instead of ''you'' and ''me'', which shows her great support of him. "I''ll think of something after I discuss this with Fergus."

    He then gently stood up with Luella in his arms. "How''s our daughter-in-law?" he asked. "Is she ready to go back home?"

    Luella nodded, smiling. "Yes, I''ll go call her now."

 Chapter 73 - 68: Meeting with Lachlan

    Ulanni was driving the car on their way back to their hometown. Luckily, the car was big enough to fit five people, even though it was a bit cramped. Jeayan sat at the front passenger seat whereas Roel was at the back. He was sitting next to the rogue that they brought back from the mountain, sandwiching him against Oz, one of the bear shifters.

    After much discussion, the bear shifters had decided to let Oz follow them back to Burkendall town. At first, they argued that they wanted to kill the rogue but after much persuasion from Ulanni and Roel, they backed down. But it doesn''t mean that they will let the rogue go. Hence one of the reasons as to why Oz had followed them back.

    It was a bit quiet in the car. Jeayan was feeling a bit awkward with the tense atmosphere surrounding her. Ulanni continued driving, ignoring the tension in the air.

    The rogue looked terrified, being sandwiched by the other two shifters. And since Oz was a bear shifter, he was kind of large and nearly took most of the space, crowding the rogue towards Roel.

    However, Roel looked unconcerned as he looked out of the window. He seems like he has a lot in his mind.

    No one had spoken a word for nearly an hour until Ulanni broke the silence.

    "We''ll be heading straight to the packhouse and hand this rogue to the shifters there. Oz, you may join them as you wish," she announced.

    Oz just shrugged. He did not care where he went as long as the rogue was still on his sight.

    Roel looked up and nodded. He then turned to look at Jeayan and said, "You''d better go home and freshen up. And once you''re done, go straight to the packhouse." Because the Alpha probably wanted to hear from each of them on what had happened back in the mountain.

    Jeayan nodded obediently.

    Few minutes later, they finally arrived at the packhouse.

    Oz, who had never gone out of the mountain, just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow as he studied his surroundings. Indeed, the place was so much different from the mountain. It was more modern and less rustic, compared to their home back in the mountain. And even if it was crowded here with all the houses and the packhouse in one area, he did not feel suffocated nor uncomfortable.

    In fact, he thought, as he looked over to where trees were abundant on the other side, it felt a bit like home. He liked the air and the atmosphere of this town, especially in these areas.

    They all got out of the car. The rogue who had been chained with a metal collar and a handcuff was pulled out by Roel. He nodded at Oz, who nodded back.

    Roel then led the way to the packhouse, followed by the rogue and from the back, Oz.

    Ulanni pocketed the car keys and turned to Jeayan, who looked after them. The former then placed a gentle hand on Jeayan''s shoulder, startling the young woman.

    Jeayan whirled around and gave a small bow. "Yes, Elder Ulanni?"

    Ulanni smiled and said, "Go on back home. We''ll meet up here again."

    Jeayan nodded. She then went off to where the other residents of the pack lived.

    As mentioned before, most shifters who were married don''t live in the packhouse anymore. They were usually given or built their own houses not too far from the packhouse. Jeayan''s parents were no exception. Their house was actually a few blocks further from Erick and Hamish''s houses.

    Few minutes later, Jeayan arrived at her house. It was a humble two-storey cottage with a small porch in the front. She lived there together with her parents and older brother. There was a couple of years gap between her and her brother. Her older brother had just entered college. And he hasn''t found his mate yet. Hence why he still stays with them.

    At that moment, her parents were still working and her brother was probably somewhere, hanging out with his friends. So, she was alone at home.

    She quickly ran up to her room and took a quick shower. As she was showering, she felt a bit weird as if her heart could not stop hammering against her chest. It was as if she was excited about something but she did not know why. Her wolf, Chiwa, was itching to go out, which was strange since she could not think of a reason as to why it wants to go out. The vein near her neck was beating. She knew that was where her mate mark was supposed to be. Yet, it felt hot there.

    She tried to ask Chiwa what was wrong but it was too agitated to answer. At most, it would growl something. But Jeayan wasn''t sure whether she heard it right.

    Mate?

    Did she just found her mate?

    But who?

    Was it someone near? Was that why Chiwa was excited?

    Jeayan sighed in frustration. She doesn''t know why Chiwa would not tell her who her mate was. At least, she wouldn''t beat herself up, trying to figure out who.

    Back then, before she could shift, her mother once told her that sometimes you might be lucky enough to have your wolf tell you who your mate is. But sometimes, your wolf might not. Probably because it was not strong enough to call out to its mate.

    She sighed again. Erick was lucky that he was able to find her mate so quickly. Though, she does wonder how he would overcome having a human mate. The only person she knows that has a human mate was Hamish''s father, the Beta.

    Walking out of her bathroom, with towels on her head and around her body, she rubbed her hair dry. She gasped when she noticed the time at the wall clock hanging in her room.

    She cursed under her breath and quickly put on her clothes and rushed out of the room. She then ran out of the house and headed straight to the packhouse.

    Shortly after, she arrived at the packhouse. Waving hello at the other packmates, she walked over to the meeting room in the packhouse.

    Inside, the Alpha was already inside, sitting at the head of the table. The Beta was on his right. Roel and Ulanni were also already inside, sitting at the meeting table. However, Oz was nowhere in sight. As do the rogue. She assumed that the two must be in the prison where they kept whom they deemed as ''criminals'' in the pack. Most specifically, rogues.

    Ulanni saw her and beckoned her over, patting the seat next to her.

    Jeayan smiled and sat next to Ulanni.

    Roel, who was sitting next to her, looked over and said softly, "You smell good."

    Jeayan blinked her eyes in surprise and chuckled softly, "Well, I just took a shower, that''s why."

    Roel turned to face the front, his face serious. "Not that, actually," he muttered.

    She frowned, looking confused. She was about to ask what he meant when Lachlan interrupted them, "Noaz''s group will be coming soon. So, we will wait for them. Omorose''s group will arrive the day after tomorrow since they are at the Cesaro pack."

    "Yes, Alpha," they all said in unison.

    -----

    "What''s wrong, Noaz?"

    Reginald asked, looking at Noaz, using the rear view mirror.

    Noaz shook his head, placing his phone inside his pocket. "Nothing. Just received a message from one of the packmates saying that Ulanni''s group had managed to apprehend a rogue and they are on their way back home too."

    Paccia c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Interesting."

    "Not just that. They also managed to bring a bear shifter along with them," he added.

    Reginald chuckled without any humour. "A bear shifter, huh?" he repeated. "It''s been awhile since I''ve met a bear shifter."

    "Me too," Paccia murmured.

    Both Erick and Dex kept quiet. They have never met a bear shifter so it would be their first time to encounter one.

    Noaz had seen one before but never interacted with them. He first saw them during one of the Shifter meetings when Lachlan brought him along, together with his two brothers.

    "What else did they say?" Paccia asked.

    "Seems like they also brought some wolfbanes and they needed your help to examine and study it more," Noaz explained.

    Her smile brightened at the words, ''examine'' and ''study''. One of the things that she loved about staying in the pack was the fact that Lachlan tolerated her ''mini experiments'' as he knows how much she loves doing experiments and tests.

    "Drive faster," she commanded, tapping her finger on the car window.

    Reginald just rolled his eyes but he still does what she ordered as he drove much faster.

    She rubbed her hands, looking gleefully. She could not wait to start on her experiments.

 Chapter 74 - 69: That familiar scent

    Erick was snoring quietly at the backseat of the car when they finally arrived at Burkendall town.

    Instead of going right, which leads to the city and other residential areas, Reginald turned left, which leads them to the packhouse and other pack residential areas. They had to pass several other houses before entering their pack territory. There were a lot of trees that framed the road that led to their area, that could nearly be described as the forest entrance.

    Shortly after, they finally arrived at the packhouse. They saw the car Ulanni''s group was using parked nearby the packhouse and they too parked next to it.

    Paccia jumped out of the car and immediately flew inside the packhouse, without shutting her door closed.

    "Shut the door, you old hag!" Reginald bellowed angrily as he stomped over to Paccia''s side. He then slammed the door shut before heading towards the packhouse.

    Dex climbed out of the car and followed behind Reginald.

    Noaz was scratching the back of his head as he watched Erick still sleeping inside the car. He felt a bit bad for disturbing his sleep so he was in a quandary on how to wake him up.

    Before he could think of an answer, Paccia appeared beside him, making him startled. And again, before he could say anything, a pot and a spatula miraculously appeared in her hands. And she suddenly banged the pot on its bottom, waking Erick up.

    "Feeeeeeeeecccccccck!" Erick screamed, covering his ears from the incessant banging.

    While Erick was rubbing his temples, feeling a bit dazed and confused from the noise, Paccia turned to the shocked Noaz and said, "His mother told me that if you want to wake him up, just do that. It''s very effective."

    With that, she flew back inside the packhouse.

    Noaz just shook his head with a wry smile and looked over at Erick, who was still in daze. "C''mon, Erick. The others are waiting for us inside."

    Erick nodded.

    As the two of them walked inside the packhouse, Erick muttered, "Can''t they even wake me up normally?"

    Noaz just smiled, not answering. Because he knew that Erick was a deep sleeper and that sometimes, it can be hard to get him to wake up.

    Inside the meeting room at the packhouse, everyone was inside, excluding Omorose''s group. Even Latham was inside, sitting next to Roel. He was fiddling with a pencil, whistling as he waited for the others to arrive. Paccia was sitting next to Reginald, who was sitting on Lachlan''s left.

    Dex, who came in earlier together with Reginald, sat a bit further, leaving two seats for Noaz and Erick, next to Paccia. On the other side, Fergus was sitting on Lachlan''s right with Ulanni next to him. And beside Ulanni was Jeayan. Roel sat next to Jeayan whereas Latham sat next to him.

    When Noaz and Erick walked in, Lachlan looked up and gestured to them to sit.

    Once everyone has settled down, Lachlan laced his fingers together, putting his elbows on top of the table. He then looked around at those who were sitting at the meeting table and said, "Let''s get this meeting started. As of now, Omorose''s group is at Port Robston Bay, meeting with the Cesaro pack. So, they should be back in a couple of days. According to Omorose''s report, they have dead bodies in the forest. They were human beings''. What''s disturbing was the fact that their eyes were gouged out and their hearts were ripped off.

    Though, they did manage to apprehend a couple of rogues, whom they will be bringing back to the Cesaro pack first," he continued.

    Reginald frowned as he leaned against his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. "And will they be bringing those rogues back for questioning?"

    Lachlan shook his head. "Since the rogues were found in their territory, the Cesaro pack will do the questioning. Hence why Omorose and the others stayed over to join in the questioning."

    He then turned his gaze towards Roel and asked, "And it seems that there''s a bear shifter that has followed you all back here."

    Roel nodded. "He''s probably at the prison where the rogue is being held. I''ve mindlinked the shifter guards to escort him here to the meeting room," he said.

    Lachlan nodded. "And the wolfsbane?" he inquired.

    Ulanni carefully grasped the plants, which was covered with leaves and placed it on top of the table.

    Everyone''s breaths drew back as they could feel the aura that the plants were emitting out. Paccia, with an excited gleam in her eyes, quickly snapped her fingers and the covered plant immediately disappeared in sight.

    Lachlan turned to Paccia and said, "You know what to do. I need results."

    Paccia grinned and nodded. "Sure, boss."

    Roel glared at her disrespect towards the Alpha with narrowed eyes. Paccia just ignored him as she chuckled lightly.

    Few minutes later, there was a bit of commotion at the entrance of the packhouse. Everyone in the room looked up to find Oz leaning against the door to the meeting room, lazily waving one hand and his other hand inside his pocket. "Yo!" he greeted.

    He then whistled as he looked around the meeting. "Dem. You mutts are living it up so fancy!"

    Both Roel and Noaz stood up, pushing their chairs back as their eyes blazed in anger at the insult. Reginald just chuckled. Lachlan only c.o.c.ked an eyebrow whereas Fergus just looked at the rude bear shifter with narrowed eyes.

    Latham looked around him and tapped his chin with the end of his pencil and joked, "Oh, how should I react?"

    Erick rolled his eyes at Latham''s poor attempt at joking.

    Dex''s eyes widened as he looked at the huge man at the door. He was one of the biggest men that he had seen. Although the Alpha, the Beta and some of the male Elders were huge, this man could probably go against them when it comes to size and strength.

    Oz held his hands up, sniggering. "Relax, mutts. I come here in peace!"

    He then walked over and sat next to Latham. He held out his hand, to which the latter shook. "Howdy. The name''s Oz. Nice to meet ya."

    Latham smiled. "Likewise. Latham''s the name," he replied back.

    Then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he gripped the bear shifter''s palm tighter. Oz responded back by tightening his grip more too.

    Seconds later, the two pulled away and chuckled again.

    "Welcome to the Kendall pack. I''m the Alpha of the pack, Lachlan Kendall," Lachlan introduced himself. He then introduced the Beta, the Elders and the others.

    "Apparently, they reported that there were some rogues in your territory," he further explained, referring ''they'' to Ulanni, Roel and Jeayan.

    Oz began to look serious and nodded. He then started to tell them about what he knew. And how the rogues came into their territory months ago. He also talked about his brother''s death and hence, the reason as to why they wanted the rogue.

    After much discussion, they decided that they will cooperate with the bear shifters and allow Oz to bring the rogue back to the mountain with him. The bear shifters can do whatever they want with him after Lachlan and the others were done with their interrogation. Paccia will experiment on the wolfsbane and further discuss it with Dewei when he gets back.

    The day slowly turned to late afternoon by the time the meeting had ended.

    Once the meeting was over, everyone went their separate ways. Erick walked home alone since Lachlan had to stay behind to discuss more with the Elders, the triplets and Oz.

    Oz will be staying at the packhouse and will be accompanied by the two brothers; Roel and Noaz. They decided to interrogate the rogue once Omorose and the others had returned. With that, they will be able to compare notes.

    Erick had just entered his house when a familiar scent caught his attention. He frowned as he looked around.

    His mother wasn''t at home at that moment. She texted him earlier, saying that she went out to meet her friends in town. Although his mother doesn''t work, she does join a lot of community groups as it was her duty as the Police Chief''s wife to interact more with the townspeople. Hence, she was quite popular too in her circle of friends.

    He climbed up the stairs, heading straight to his room.

    The scent smelled stronger as he got closer to his room.

    And as he entered his room, his eyes widened as he looked around his room, as if he was frantically looking for something.

    "Amber?"

 Chapter 75 - 70: Hes back!

    Amber had just gotten back from the local supermarket to buy some ingredients for her mother when she heard Remi calling out her name.

    She looked up and saw Remi standing at the top of the stairs, smiling and waving down at her.

    "Remi! What are you doing?" she asked, concerned that he might get a headache. Although he looked fine, there were times that he suddenly got a headache and blacked out. She was worried that he might blacked out all of the sudden and fell down the stairs.

    Remi slowly walked down the stairs and when he reached Amber, he smiled and hugged her waist. "I miss you, sis."

    Amber smiled as she rubbed the top of his head. "Aww, I miss you too. Come, lets go to the kitchen," she said, grabbing his hand to hers while her other hand was carrying her grocery bags.

    Inside the kitchen, her mother was in front of the stove, stirring something in a pot. She turned her head when she heard their footsteps. She lowered the heat and walked over to Amber.

    She gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the grocery bag from her. "Oh great," she said as she peeked inside the bag. "You got everything that I asked for."

    She then turned to Remi. "Remi, go and sit down. You can''t be standing for too long," she told her, looking worried.

    Remi nodded and did as he was told.

    Amber took a seat next to Remi, placed her chin on her palms, with her elbow on the table. "What are you cooking, mom?" she asked, watching as Mrs. Keene walked to the kitchen island and began to take the items out of the bag.

    "I''m making my homemade burgers and mushroom soup," Mrs. Keene announced, smiling as she chopped some onions and garlic.

    Remi cheered, waving his hands up in the air. "Yay!"

    Amber grinned and then she looked around. "Where''s dad?" she asked. "Is he not joining us for supper?"

    A glint of sadness filled her mother''s eyes but soon disappeared so fast that Amber nearly thought she was probably seeing things. Mrs. Keene gave her daughter a small smile and said, "He got called out at work. He will be having his dinner at the office. Apparently, there were some new recruits, who just arrived in town so they wanted your dad to come over as soon as possible."

    Amber frowned and nodded. Recently, she noticed that there was a bit of disorder happening in town, especially with the elections coming up soon. And what she found disturbing was that the army was also involved, which implied that it can be dangerous.

    While her mother was cooking, she began to chat with Remi. They talked about the TV shows that were just aired that month and talked about their favourite characters. Amber also asked about what Remi has been doing and he told her that he has been practicing with his maths exercises.

    Shortly after, the three ate their dinner, with Remi conquering the conversation. He began to talk excitedly about what he has been watching, his dreams and his plans after he was healed. Both mother and sister just smiled sadly as they listened to his excited chatters. The two of them really wished that he would be healed. It broke their hearts to think of how the little boy has missed so much in his childhood, spending his days only at home and in the hospital, doing treatment. For now, all they could do is to wait and hope the treatment will help him.

    After they were done with dinner, Amber stayed behind to wash the dishes, while her mother helped Remi back to his room.

    Few minutes later, she opened the door to her room and was surprised to see there was something on top of her pillow. She walked closer and saw a single red tulip laying there, looking ethereal against her pink pillow.

    She picked the flower up and noticed that there was a note too on the pillow. She picked it up too and read the words written on it.

    It was a simple yet meaningful message.

    ''I miss you.''

    She smiled gently when she saw the initial ''E.K'' written at the bottom of the note.

    ''Looks like he''s back,'' she thought.

    ----

    It was a couple of days before school started and Erick was in his room, doing his homework. Since he had left town, immediately after school break started, he hasn''t had any time to do his homework. And even after the mission had ended, he was bombarded with training and other stuff. In short, it was a hectic school break.

    That day, he finally got the morning to himself. And he was being diligent where instead of playing his game console, he had his shower first and then breakfast and after all that, he went straight for his study table.

    Around his shoulder was his duvet. Apparently, when he first entered his room after his ''trip'', he had smelled something familiar and the scent was much stronger on the duvet. It smelled like the scent of the forests, fresh and flowery. He wasn''t sure but it seriously smells like Amber''s. Though it would be impossible since he never brought her here before.

    He kept trying to ask his parents about whether someone has been in his room but recently, they have been so busy. It was hard for him to bring the topic up.

    Few hours later, there was a knock on his door. But Erick was too engrossed in his Economics homework that he did not notice or hear the knocking. He did not even notice that his mother had entered his room and placed a plate of sandwiches beside him earlier.

    A couple of seconds later, without any sound from inside, Hamish entered Erick''s room and was amused to see the latter hard at work at his study table.

    He then frowned when he saw the duvet around him. ''It''s not even cold,'' he thought as he looked around the room.

    He walked over and peeked over Erick''s shoulder. It seems that he was stuck on one question. There were a lot of crosses and scribbles in his notebook. He then glanced at the empty plate and back again.

    With a shrug, he walked over to Erick''s bed and lay down, his arms behind his head.

    The two of them were quiet; one was doing his homework while the other was enjoying the peace and quiet.

    After a while, Hamish was startled awake from his light snooze when Erick suddenly shouted.

    "ARRGGGHHH!"

    He stretched his arms up and groaned. "That felt good," he mumbled. He stood up and began to do some light stretches, his body sore from the long hours bent over his table, working.

    He turned around and was about to do some leg stretch when he finally noticed Hamish in his bed. The latter was looking at him, with his eyebrows raised.

    Erick stumbled back, surprised at Hamish''s sudden appearance. "What the heck, bro?" he exclaimed. "You startled me. When did you arrive??"

    Hamish shrugged. "A few minutes ago?" he answered, unsure since he fell asleep.

    Erick ran a hand over his hair and groaned. "You could have knocked."

    "I did but you didn''t hear so I invited myself in."

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Dem. I''m hungry," he exclaimed, rubbing his stomach. He looked over at his study table and wondered how come there was an empty plate near his books and papers.

    He picked it up and beckoned Hamish to follow him downstairs. "Let''s go and grab some snacks."

    "Before we go, what''s with the duvet?" Hamish asked, pointing at the duvet on Erick''s shoulder.

    Erick looked down and was surprised to see his duvet. He had felt so comfortable because of the scent, he did not notice he had put it around him.

    He let out an awkward chuckle and placed the duvet on his bed. "Never mind that. C''mon and let''s go."

    Hamish nodded and followed him.

    In the kitchen, Luella was preparing some food for Lachlan. Apparently, he will be working overtime at the office so he won''t be home for dinner. Seeing that Erick was out of his room, she smiled and said, "Right on time, my son."

    Erick frowned as he placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Yes, mom?" he asked slowly, suspicion in his eyes.

    "Your father will be working late tonight so go and bring him his lunch," his mother instructed.

    Erick frowned deeper. "What am I? A gofer?" he complained, as he joined Hamish at the dining table.

    "Nope, you''re my son. And you should be doing whatever your mother tells you to," she replied back as she packed the foods in several food containers.

    "At least, give me food first," Erick whined.

    Luella frowned. "Didn''t I just give you some sandwiches?" she asked, confused.

    Erick frowned back. "When?"

    "While you''re doing your homework. I left it on your table," she replied, sealing the containers shut before placing them in another huge bag.

    His mouth dropped in an ''o'' as realization dawned at him. "Was it the empty plate on my table?" he asked, pointing at the dishwasher. He did not realize that he had eaten them.

    His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, did you finish them all?" she asked. Before he could answer, she answered her own question. "Of course, you did. Silly question."

    She then turned to Hamish. "Will you be staying for supper, Hamish?" she asked sweetly. "I can text your mother that you''ll be joining us."

    Hamish nodded. "Yes, Luna."

    Luella chuckled. Sometimes Hamish can be so serious. Although she had told him to call her, ''Aunt Luella'', he had refused as he thought that it would be disrespectful for him to call his Luna, ''Aunt''.

    She then turned to Erick. "Go and set the table for three," she instructed. "And after eating, go straight to your father''s office and give him his food before he gets hungry."

    "What''s with these differences in behaviour??"

 Chapter 76 - 71: Did someone came over?

    Lachlan was reading a report that his subordinates had sent to him. Other than worrying about the rogues, he also had to think about the safety of the townspeople. Apparently, there has been quite a disorder in town. Elections have started and there were many posters of every candidate all over town.

    Wyatt Hilliard was the current mayor of Burkendall town. Although he was a human, similar to Coach Gundlach, he knew the existence of shifters in town. And he also knew that Lachlan and Fergus were shifters, as well. But because Hilliard''s ancestors were also the same people who had fought against the other shifters who were against living together in peace with humans and shifters, he did not mind their existence. And it was because of this, the mayor and the police chief had a friendly relationship outside work.

    Nevertheless, this does not mean Lachlan had to be biased when it comes to the election. He did not want to be accused of foul play, especially when the election was this restless.

    Because of the elections, crime rates were increasing and there weren''t enough people in the police force to help subdue the problem. Hence, the visiting army had to lend a helping hand to the police force.

    Just a couple of days ago, there was a bomb alert at the mall. It had caused panic and chaos at the mall that it took them hours to calm the people. In the end, it was only a bomb hoax. But many stores were broken in with windows being smashed. Lachlan suspected that the bomb hoax was probably a diversion for the robbery to happen.

    They haven''t found the culprit yet but Lachlan had Fergus to be in-charge of it. This was because he was already occupied with the rogues. Yet, it does not mean that he would not help Fergus as well.

    In the elections, one of the candidates was named Mateo Zant. Although he was relatively new in town, living in Burkendall for more than five years, Lachlan was surprised to see him contending for the position of mayor.

    He thought that perhaps Zant was probably a smooth talker, who knows how to get the people''s attention with his speech. Yet, he could not put a finger onto it. He just seems suspicious. He doesn''t know Zant that well since he hasn''t talked with him that much. But one time when he was talking to him, Willem, his wolf counterpart was hissing in his mind, warning him. Lachlan had asked why but it had kept quiet.

    So, all Lachlan could do was to keep it low and never let Zant out of his sight.

    Two days after the meeting with Noaz and Roel''s groups, Omorose''s group had arrived. Although they did not manage to bring the shifters back because the Cesaro pack had imprisoned them in their shifter prisons, Paxon, one of the shifters from the Cesaro pack had followed them back to Burkendall town.

    Together with Oz, Lachlan, Fergus and the other elders had spent nearly a day in the meeting room, discussing the appearances of rogue and their motives, with Omorose''s group.

    During the meeting, there were many slight arguments where their views and opinions had clashed.

    Dewei, who was in Omorose''s group, had excused himself from the discussions as he wanted to do his experiments. He had gained many insights after meeting the Cesaro pack researchers. Hence, he could not wait to test it out.

    Hamish, who was also in Omorose''s group, was also excused as he wasn''t qualified to join in the meeting. Not that he mind since he knew that he would be confused.

    That day, Omorose had told Lachlan that they believed that the rogues were plotting something that may endanger everyone. And at that moment, they were just biding their time and preparing for the attack. She further confirmed that the rogues must have cooperated with the warlocks to gain more power in their hands.

    From Omorose''s deductions, she believed that the rogues were at the forest near the Cairin pack due to a plant. She recalled from one of the reports that says that people would lose some of their memories after they went into the forest. Especially memories that concerned the forest. Omorose believed that even though there was presence of warlocks in the forest, she did not believe that their spells would not work for a long time if it''s not because of a certain plant.

    Paccia had agreed with Omorose''s views as she, too, remembered that there was a plant called the ''Sconpilatrine'' plant. ''Sconpilatrine'' plant is a plant that grows every ten years before it dies. It was one of the rare plants in the world as it can''t be found easily. There were certain conditions on how to grow them. But there weren''t many doc.u.ments or reports about this specific plant.

    Paccia suspected that there were ''Sconpilatrine'' plants in the forest but they weren''t able to find one. And what made her confident was that she suddenly recalled seeing some of the pollen on the warlock''s clothes before he blew himself up. She wanted to get the pollen but it disappeared into ashes.

    The others immediately discuss among themselves after this revelation. Paccia also pointed out that even though she had suspected this, she was still confused as to why the Cairin pack wasn''t helpful.

    Noaz nodded, agreeing with her words. He had also voiced out his views, saying that there was probably something that the Cairin pack was hiding and was probably threatened. He had felt it was weird that they did not realize the presence of rogues and warlocks in their forest when it was near to their homes. It was impossible for them to not realize it so they were probably something that made them be oblivious to the presence.

    As for Roel, he commented that perhaps that there were rogues in the mountain, near to where the bear shifters lived, was probably because of the wolfsbane.

    Hence, they concluded that the rogues were probably plotting something big, where they had cooperated with the warlocks and that they were in need of the wolfsbane and the ''Sconpilatrine'' plant. They weren''t sure what their plans were, but Lachlan had turned to both Oz and Paxon.

    He had hoped to gain their cooperation and further hope that they would work together against the rogues.

    After the meeting, they all went their separate ways, except for Lachlan, Fergus, Oz and Paxon. The four of them decided to go to the shifter prisons and interrogate the rogues that had been imprisoned. It took them two hours to interrogate the rogues and when they were finally satisfied, Lachlan had given permission to Oz to bring the rogue that had killed his brother.

    Oz thanked him and told him of his leaving the next morning.

    Currently, Lachlan was on a call with one of the deputies who were patrolling in town. He had asked for updates on the breaks-in when Erick walked in, carrying two huge bags.

    Erick was alone since Hamish had to run back home.

    He felt like deja vu as he had experienced the same scene a few months ago. The difference was that Fergus was not around this time.

    Not wanting to disturb his father with his call, he silently placed the bags on an empty table and began to unpack them.

    After his father was done with his call, Erick turned to him and said, "Mom prepared some food for you."

    Lachlan nodded as he arranged his items on the table before going over to have his meal.

    Erick sat down across him and grabbed one of the sandwiches. Both Kendall men ate in silence as the food slowly finished.

    Just then Erick broke the silence by asking, "Dad, did someone come over to our house lately?"

 Chapter 77 - 72: Shes mine!

    Erick ran into his house and rushed towards the living room.

    Inside, he saw his mother watching television with Luka sitting beside her, both its paws underneath its chin.

    Erick stomped towards Luella and stood in front of the television, blocking her view.

    Frowning, she looked up at her son and asked, "What are you doing, son? You''re blocking my view. I''m trying to watch this movie."

    He turned around and was surprised to see a Harry Potter movie playing on the television. "Since when do you watch Harry Potter? And how do you even know about Harry Potter?" he exclaimed.

    On her lap was a big bowl of popcorn. She ate some before answering. "Amber introduced them to me. So I decided to watch them."

    "Amber?" he repeated. "Do you mean, MY Amber? When did you meet her?"

    "A few days ago. Your father and I invited her to dinner," she said nonchalantly. Though, she raised an eyebrow when she heard him stressing on the word, ''my''.

    "Did she meet Luka as well?" he asked, a concerned look on his face. He was worried that she might be scared of him.

    Luella nodded. "She did. They get along pretty well," she said. She then ruffled Luka''s mane and cooed, "Didn''t you, Luka? Do you like Amber?"

    Luka growled happily as if he was answering ''yes'' to the question.

    Erick frowned. "You brought her to my room?" he asked worriedly.

    Luella narrowed her eyes at her son suspiciously and answered slowly, "Yesˇ­ Why?"

    He walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "Nothing."

    His mother continued to narrow her eyes at him. "Was there something that she shouldn''t see in that room?" she asked again. "Is itˇ­ a girl''s magazine?" stressing on the word, ''girl''s''.

    Erick stared at his mother in shock, his eyes widened. "The hell," he exclaimed. "NO! It''s not what you think!"

    Luella rolled her eyes. "I don''t even care about you and your little girls'' books. But don''t you dare curse at me, young man," she scolded.

    Erick sighed. "I''m sorry," he said apologetically.

    "Oh, but she was so nervous that she spilled her drink on her shirt," Luella said, chuckling as she recalled that time. "Even so, she''s such an adorable sweetie. I lent her one of your shirts."

    "Eh? Spilled? Shirt?" he repeated, looking shocked once more. "And what shirt?"

    "Your Joshua Bibir shirt."

    Erick sat up abruptly. "Wait, what?" he said. "I thought I''ve thrown that shirt away!" he exclaimed.

    Luella frowned at him. "I''ve put it back. How could you throw away a nice shirt like that? Didn''t I bought that for you?"

    He looked away, avoiding his mother''s gaze. "Uhhhˇ­" he said.

    She tsk-tsked at him. "That was a nice shirt. Isn''t that what young teens are into these days?" she said, looking thoughtful.

    Erick narrowed his eyes at her. "No, mother," he disagreed. "Probably those other weird teens but not me."

    Luella shrugged. "Oh, well. It was a nice shirt, though," she said. "I lent it to her, though."

    "Eh! You lent her THAT shirt?"

    "What other shirt would she wear? Your other shirts are too big for her. That shirt was a bit okay, though, still big. But not too big," she said.

    Erick groaned as he leaned against his seat. He was waiting for the moment where he could lend her his shirt. But he didn''t expect that his mother beat him to it. And of all shirts, she lent her his not-his-choice shirt.

    "So, when will you bring her here to officially introduce us?" Luella asked, an excited gleam in her eyes.

    Erick rolled his eyes as he stood up. "You already introduce yourself to her soˇ­ Never!" With that, he ran out of the room and up to his room.

    He ignored his mother''s threatening yell, "YOU''D BETTER BRING HER OVER OR YOU''LL STARVE FOR WEEKS! OR MONTHS!"

    -----

    That night, the young shifters were having their training.

    Every one of them had gathered in the forest, where they usually had their training. And that night, Latham was accompanied by Melody, his mate.

    Apparently, they will be practicing on their bond with their wolf counterparts. Latham will be in charge of the male shifters whereas Melody will be in charge of the female shifters.

    Melody joined in because the female shifters might not be comfortable, shifting where they had to be n.a.k.e.d. And feeling embarrassed to shift in front of Latham, it''s preferable to have a female shifter.

    Additionally, having Melody around may help to lessen any accidents and so forth.

    Since the young shifters need to strengthen their bonds with their wolves, it was crucial that they have to get used to it and also familiarise themselves.

    Although Erick already had a strong bond with Dane, it does not mean that he can skip the training.

    At first, he wanted to bring Luka but Latham had advised him not to. He was worried that there might be trouble especially for those who might not be used to shifting.

    Before the training starts, the young shifters went to have a chat with one another.

    Jeayan separated from her friends and walked over to Erick and Hamish. Dex was nearby with his group of friends.

    "Hey guys, long time no see," she greeted.

    Erick grinned. "Yeah, it''s been awhile," he said. Hamish just nodded hello.

    "So, how was your mission?" she asked the two of them.

    "Bad."

    "Not bad."

    Both Erick and Hamish said at the same time.

    Jeayan raised both of her eyebrows. "What happened?" she asked Erick.

    Erick sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Nothing much. We were supposed to check the forest near the Cairin pack. And we found rogues and a warlock. We had a fight with them. Dex was injured during the battle. And when we were done, we went to meet with the Cairin pack. We tried to ask for cooperation with the Cairin pack but they refused," he said softly.

    Even though there might be a possibility that some of the shifters around them might eavesdrop on their conversation, it doesn''t hurt to keep a low voice.

    Jeayan furrowed her brows. "That''s a shame. Makes you wonder why they''re being uncooperative," she murmured.

    Erick just shrugged.

    "What about you?" she asked Hamish, turning around to face him.

    Hamish was quiet at first and then he spoke up, "We went and met up with the Cesaro pack. And we also went to Port Robston Bay."

    Jeayan''s eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! I''ve never been there. How''s the place?"

    Hamish shrugged. "More or less like our town," he answered. "But it was pretty amazing. There''s a lot of big buildings there. It''s like nearly a city."

    "Wow. That sounds great. I want to go there," she gushed.

    "Did you meet up with Bastian?" Erick smirked, crossing his arms across his chest.

    Hamish turned to look at him and nodded. "He was in the same team with us," he replied.

    "Deng," Erick cursed. "How was he? Did you meet his wolf? Was it strong?"

    Hamish nodded again. "Yeah," he answered. "His wolf was strong too. More or less like you, probably."

    Erick narrowed his eyes. He then scoffed. "I doubt it. How can there be a wolf that is great like Dane."

    In his mind, Dane nodded, looking smug.

    Jeayan giggled.

    "What about you?" Erick asked Jeayan. "How was your adventure?"

    "It was exciting," she gushed. "Though, I was pretty nervous. I mean, they were all so strong and incredible. I was worried that I might bring them down. And I''ve met the bear shifters! They were so huge! And some of them are pretty scary," she said softly as she remembers the time when one of the bear shifters had shouted at them.

    She then leaned closer to them and said in a soft voice, "And you know what? I think Roel is my mate."

    Both Erick and Hamish took a step back in surprise.

    "You''re joking?" Erick asked in disbelief. He couldn''t believe that scary and silent shifter would be the mate of this sweet and cheeky young shifter.

    Jeayan shook her head. "I''m serious," she said. "It''s weird. I''ve never felt this way. And whenever I''m close to Roel, Chiwa would get excited. And sometimes, I''m not sure. She would say, ''Mate'' but it was inaudible."

    Erick frowned. "But Roel should be claiming you by now, no?"

    Jeayan sighed. "I don''t know," she said slowly. "That''s why I''m confused. Shouldn''t one be excited or impatient to claim their mate?"

    She then turned to Erick. "I mean, aren''t you? When you first found out Amber was your mate."

    "I really want to lock her up. And let her eyes stay on me every time," Erick growled. "She''s mine."

    "Exactly!" Jeayan exclaimed.

    Hamish looked up and said, "Maybe this is your chance now to ask him."

    Jeayan whirled around and her eyes widened in surprise as she watched Roel walking towards them.

    ''Mate!''

 Chapter 78 - 73: Battle of the young shifters

    Jeayan stared wide-eyed as she watched Roel come closer towards the three young shifters.

    Both Erick and Hamish looked at each other and discreetly walked away, giving them privacy.

    Sensing that no one was standing behind her, she whirled around and was surprised that her two friends had slipped away without a word to her. Feeling abandoned, she tried to calm her heart down.

    However, Chiwa wasn''t feeling the same way as her. Jeayan could feel her jumping around in her mind, getting excited. And this time, she could her Chiwa happily growling, ''Mate''.

    Jeayan slowly turned around and was stunned to realize that Roel was already standing in front of her, looking down at her.

    Their eyes met. Jeayan could feel the tenderness emitting from his eyes as he gazed down at her. She bit her lips nervously, clearing her throat. "Uh, Mr. Roelˇ­" she began.

    "Just call me, ''Roel''," he said abruptly.

    She nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. Uh, I hope I''m not being impolite by asking you this," she continued, her right hand gripping her left upper arm. She felt really nervous and even more pressured by his gaze on her.

    He grunted, as if to give her permission to speak.

    "Are you my mate?" she asked nervously, looking up at him from underneath her lashes.

    Roel was quiet for awhile before he answered quietly, "Yes."

    "Butˇ­ why didn''t you say anything? How long have you known?" she asked, feeling astonished.

    Roel looked away and then back at her again. "I''ve known before you shifted. There is this feeling of wanting you whenever I see you. But you were still too young so I had to control myself. I don''t want to pressure or scare you. I want you to live your life as a highschooler first. Relive in your youth before I can claim you," he confessed.

    "Even when you found out that I once dated before?" she probed apprehensively.

    Roel let out a rare grin, stunning Jeayan for a while because of his great looks. "I know you wouldn''t date them for a long time."

    Jeayan laughed awkwardly. It was true that she dated some young shifters her age and even some humans. But they don''t usually last long because she always felt that there was something missing in their relationship.

    Looking at Roel now, she just found out the reason why.

    The two of them then went quiet for a couple of minutes before Roel spoke up once again.

    "So, I will still be waiting," he said, his smile gone now. "As much as Calder wanted me to mate you right at this moment, I can wait. Wait until you finish with your school and ready for me."

    He then leaned down and gave a peck on Jeayan''s forehead, much to her surprise. He then said in a whisper, "Just don''t make me wait for so long, my dear mate."

    With that, he walked away, leaving behind a fl.u.s.tered red-faced Jeayan, who had her hand on her forehead, where he had kissed.

    ----

    "Dem, but that was smooth," Erick commented as he watched Roel walk away from Jeayan. He was not surprised that Roel has a mate but he was surprised that his mate was Jeayan. Although, the age gap between them wasn''t that big, they were a total opposite from each other. Jeayan was a cheerful and playful girl, who loves to tease and joke around. Roel, on the other hand, was quiet, brooding and serious.

    Erick did not expect that Roel had known Jeayan was his mate for so long. It was no wonder why he never saw him date. Not even once. But then again, the triplets never dated before. In fact, Latham''s first date was with his mate, Melody. Although Latham does flirt with other female shifters before he found his mate, he never dated them. Same as Noaz, who also flirts a lot but never dates.

    Hamish nodded as he, too, watched Roel walk away.

    Shortly after, Latham walked to the front of the crowd, with Melody standing behind him, smiling.

    "Alright, you pups! Tonight, we will be strengthening our bonds with our wolves. Which means that each of you will have to shift and let your wolf get used to your body," he announced, his hands on his h.i.p.s. "And if there''s time, we''ll probably have a mock battle for everyone.

    All of you male shifters go to the right side of this area while the females go to the left side. The pack doctor, Melody, my mate will be overlooking the female shifters whereas I will overlook the males. If there''s any questions, do raise your hand. Though, I''m sure that there''s none since it''s all self-explanatory," he continued.

    When everyone kept quiet, Melody stepped forward and clapped her hands. "Alright. Let''s go, everyone!"

    The young shifters immediately separated themselves into two groups.

    Jeayan stood in the front of the other female shifters, together with her friends. They were chatting and laughing as they awaited Melody''s instruction.

    It was more hectic on the male shifters'' side as they were restless, pushing each other, joking around, becoming rowdy.

    Erick laughed when one of them bumped into Hamish and cowered under the latter''s deathly glare. Dex was nearby as well. He frowned as he watched Erick laughing, looking so carefree.

    Although he was grateful for his help back then, he still couldn''t accept the fact that he was weaker than Erick. Yes, the latter had Dane with him longer than Rollo was with him. And that was why they synced with each other more than anyone else. Yet, that doesn''t stop Dex from trying to win over him.

    When Latham had announced that there might probably be some mock battles going on, it got Dex excited as he wanted to test his strength against Erick.

    Ever since the mission was over, he had been so disappointed in himself that he sneaked out almost every night to shift. At first, his father had been admanted about him going off at night, for fear that human beings might wander around and find a shifter around. However, after a while, he trusted his son to be safe, though, he kept cautioning him to be more alert.

    Hence why he was confident this time.

    Few minutes later, everyone, excluding Latham and Melody, was in their birthday suits. There were many awkward and embarrassed chatters as they were still unused to being n.a.k.e.d in front of people.

    Erick, who seems to be cool and collected, just stood there waiting with Hamish standing beside him. Apparently, they were waiting for Latham''s next command. And once they were instructed to shift, there were sounds of bones cracking and growling echoed around the area.

    Dane and Kaius looked more or less the same in their domineering height. The difference between them was that Dane has that white streak along its mane and that Kaius was a bit slightly shorter than Dane.

    The two stared at each other, both sizing each other up. Apparently, it seems like these two shifters see each other as rivals and are attempting to test each other out.

    However, before they could battle it out, Rollo, Dex''s werewolf, has stepped in between the two of them, with a smirk on its face.

    Ignoring Kaius, Rollo turned to Dane and said, "Why don''t we have a battle right now?"

    Kaius growled angrily at the snub that Rollo had given it.

    Dane scoffed. "Getting all hyped up, aren''t you? Trying to win back your dignity after the mission back then?"

    Rollo narrowed its eyes at Dane and answered, "Although I am grateful for your help and support back then, it doesn''t mean that I''m going to back down that easily."

    Before Dane could provoke Rollo any further, Latham had shouted, "Enough! All of you will be in pairs and battle it out. I''d like to see the strengths of each of you. But remember! This is not a battle to the death! Again, I warned you! If there''s any foul play, you can be sure that you won''t be able to think of your next foul play as you will not be breathing your next breath!"

    Shortly after, much to Rollo''s disappointment, the shifter who was facing it at that moment was not Dane, but Kaius.

    The two shifters sized each other up, looking from top to bottom.

    Kaius let out a snort. "Disappointed, aren''t you?"

    Rollo scoffed back. "Even so. This won''t stop me from pummeling you down."

    "Let our actions speak than words," Kaius invited, already in attack mode.

    "Let''s go," Rollo said.

    "BEGIN!"

 Chapter 79 - 74: Going to the mall

    The night was chilly as the wind blew over the forest that was located near the packhouse. Excitement and exhilaration filled the air but none can be described as the two shifters who were facing each other, biding their time.

    Minutes passed by after Latham had called to begin but these two shifters hadn''t moved at all.

    Dane, who came over after he was done with his turn, laughed when he saw the two shifters hadn''t moved. "What is this? The battle of the staring down?" Dane mocked. It only took him a few seconds before he managed to subdue his opponent to give up.

    Then, it was as if Dane''s mocking was actually the signal to begin, the two of them moved at the same time.

    Rollo hunched his shoulders and was about to rammed against Kaius. But the latter managed to avoid it by pressing his paws on Rollo''s shoulder and slammed him down.

    Kaius then tried to give an elbow drop on Rollo''s back but the latter quickly rolled to the side, narrowly evading the drop.

    Rollo swiftly jumped to his feet and was about to launch a punch at Kaius. But Kaius, who pushed himself up, managed to block the attack by crossing his arms in front of his face. The punch hits Kaius'' arms, sending winds and vibrations around them.

    The two then began to exchange blows; sending more vibrations around them with pebbles and dust flying around. Dane looked on with a serious look on his face.

    Their mock fight continued on.

    Even Dane had managed to finish off two more rounds and yet, they were still fighting. It wasn''t sure whether Dane was too strong or the two shifters found it hard to finish the fight.

    In the end, Latham had to intervene and declared the fight between the two as a tie.

    The two shifters looked exhausted but the firm determination to win in their eyes were strong. Even though they looked tired, it looked like they were not willing to back down. They do not want the fight to end.

    However, the feeling of oppression emitted from Latham was strong enough for them to yield.

    Their fight had taken them nearly an hour, hence why Latham had to stop them. He did not want to prolong the battle when he knew that it would never end.

    Looking over at the female side, it seems like Chiwa nearly dominated the whole female shifters. It was only because although she has speed, she was distracted, wanting to see the fight between Rollo and Kaius.

    Her opponent managed to kick her on the stomach and then finished her off by giving her a headlock.

    Melody had scolded the regretful shifter for being careless.

    Once the mock fights were done, Latham had dismissed them, saying that the next training would involve shadow fights and building of strengths.

    Everyone then shifted back to their human self.

    Erick was walking his way home with Hamish by his side when Jeayan caught up to them. The two congratulated the girl for nearly dominating the female side. But then, they teased her for being distracted.

    Jeayan protested that it wasn''t her. Chiwa was easily distracted, especially when she was curious about something, getting all excited by herself.

    Erick laughed while Hamish just smiled. Erick then teased Jeayan more, saying that it was just like her.

    Both Erick and Hamish sent Jeayan home before going to their own homes.

    Few minutes later, Erick was in his room, getting ready to go to bed. However, before he went to sleep, he decided to send a quick message to Amber, saying goodnight and that he misses her.

    Without waiting for her reply, he slept with a smile on his face.

    -----

    It was nearly midnight and Amber had just finished studying when a text notification came in.

    She picked up her phone and saw it was a message from Erick. Although it has been awhile since she last saw him, he does text her often so she doesn''t feel too lonely without him.

    The flower that he had given her was still blooming in her vase. Days before, she had bought some powder that helps flowers to continue blooming for days. Sort of like a flower food.

    Although she doesn''t think much about flowers, she thought it would be nice to see his flower still blooming.

    Looking at his text, a smile appeared on her face. It was a simple goodnight and I miss you text, yet it sends warmth all over her.

    Looking at his text, even if he does text her nearly everyday, she did not realize how much she still missed him and his nightly visits.

    She sighed. He was probably busy with something. She was curious but she did not want to pry.

    The last time she did that, she nearly got herself into trouble and that guardian of Erick was pretty scary.

    She quickly replied back with goodnight and went to sleep.

    The next morning.

    The day after tomorrow will be the day when their school reopens after the holiday.

    Although she wasn''t looking forward to it, she does miss hanging out with her friends. Who doesn''t?

    And at least, she had finished all of her homework. So, she has a lot of free time in her hands.

    And since school was about to start, Amber decided to spend these couple of days enjoying herself, going to the movies and eating out.

    She wanted to invite Dana but was worried that she might disturb her. She wasn''t sure whether she was free or not. But she didn''t want to take any chances where Dana might actually be busy.

    She also thought of inviting Jeayan but she wasn''t sure she was close enough to invite her for an outing. The latter hasn''t been texting her lately so she was worried that she might be busy as well.

    In the end, Amber decided to go by herself.

    After having a shower and she went down to have breakfast with her mother and brother. Apparently, her father had already left for work so it was just the three of them at the dining table.

    It was then Amber told her mother of her plans for that day.

    At first, her mother thought of refusing to let her go out since no one would send her to town.

    After much persuasion from Amber, her mother reluctantly agreed, only if she promised to text her father to pick her up after he was done with work.

    Amber nodded. She quickly ate her breakfast and said goodbye to her mother and brother. She also promised Remi that she would bring food for him.

    Few minutes later, she was waiting at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. It only took a couple of minutes for the bus to arrive and less than 15 minutes for the bus to arrive in town.

    Before heading to the shopping mall, she decided to stop by at the Mary''s Sweet Eats and Treats. That was the name of Hamish''s mother''s bakery. She remembered how delicious their donuts were and had bought three. She ate one while the other two was stuffed inside her handbag.

    Shortly after, she arrived at the shopping mall. The place was crowded, which was expected since it was a school holiday and almost everyone in town was in the mall.

    The shopping mall was huge, nearly triple the size of a football field. It has eight floors with a bas.e.m.e.nt parking. And it has that modern architecture with a ceiling domed made of tainted glasses, like the ones in churches. It was quite grand.

    Although it was not her first time coming here, she always felt amazed every time she visited the mall. She loved to window shop, looking at the clothes being displayed on the display window.

    As she walked around, she also stopped by at several other bakeries and snack shops to buy food.

    Food that she couldn''t finish, she would place them inside her handbag. It was fortunate that she has a large tote bag, where she can easily stuff her food there.

    After nearly an hour of walking around, she decided to rest. She was walking around near the food court area when she saw an intriguing signboard.

    Looking closer, her eyes brightened. It''s a new restaurant and apparently, they were serving all of their dishes at half-price.

    ''What a good bargain,'' she thought, tapping a finger against her chin.

    Peering inside, she saw that it was quite a full house but it did not hinder her from trying. She approached the hostess and asked whether there was a table available.

    The beautiful hostess with a dimpled cheek smiled at her, welcoming Amber to the restaurant. Then she asked whether the latter has a reservation or not.

    Amber shook her head.

    "I see," the hostess murmured softly. "It''s alright. We still have a seat available. Please follow me."

    The restaurant wasn''t that fancy in design but the fact that it has a hostess made Amber think twice. Yet, looking around her, the restaurant gave off a feeling of a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. And it looked like it caters mostly to young people since most of the patrons were around her age.

    Amber smiled and said her thank you to the hostess when she handed her the menu.

    Shortly after, she was studying the menu when she heard a familiar voice.

    "What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 80 - 75: An accidental meeting

    Erick was lying on his bed, with Luka beside him.

    He felt like he had no life; eating, sleeping, doing homework, training, eating and repeating. It has been a few days since he last saw Amber and he was missing her badly.

    He tried very hard not to go over to her house because he knows that she still needs space. But it didn''t stop him from texting her. Yet, it wasn''t the same.

    He wanted to ask her out but worried that she might be busy. Though, deep down, he was most afraid of her rejection.

    He sighed as he rolled around on his bed, ignoring Luka''s growling.

    Erick sat up and growled back at Luka. Apparently, the latter liked Amber so much that whenever he walked in his room, Luka would have that sad look on its face when it realized that it was just him.

    He then narrowed his eyes at the reclining wolf as a thought materialized in his mind. ''Why don''t I use an excuse to walk Luka to meet up with Amber?'' he thought excitedly.

    ''Lame,'' commented Dane in his mind.

    Erick ignored the jibe as he thought of a plan.

    Just then a text message came in. He picked up his phone and grinned as he read the text message.

    He then grabbed his light jacket and went out of his room. Before he walked out of the door, he turned to Luka, who raised its head and said, "I''ll be right back, Luka. Be good." He then left the door ajar as there might be a possibility that Luka might want to get out of his room.

    His mother was outside the house, watering the plants on the front porch when he walked out of the house. "Hey, mom. I''m going out!" he yelled out as he ran towards his car.

    Luella nodded as she watched him run. "Be careful and don''t be late for dinner," she yelled back.

    Half an hour later, after picking Hamish up from his house, the two young shifters found themselves at the mall.

    Erick stretched his arms up after he had parked his car at the designated parking lot. "So, what are we doing here again?" he asked, turning to Hamish, who had just gotten out of the car.

    Hamish took off his glasses and cleaned the lens before putting them back on. "I need to buy a new pair of glasses."

    Erick frowned. "What''s wrong with the one you''re wearing now?" he asked, tilting his head in question.

    Hamish let out a sigh. "My degrees just decreased so the change is giving me quite a headache," he replied.

    Erick''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had never heard of degrees going down. But then again, it was probably because of Hamish being a shifter. The longer you bonded with your wolf, the more your soul will merge with theirs, sharing abilities and characteristics. Hence, Hamish probably must have been bonding well with Kaius, improving his eyesight.

    "I''m just going to pick it up and then we can go wherever you want," Hamish continued, leading the way to the optics store.

    Shortly after, the two went out of the optics store and began to walk around the mall. They really do not have any plan so they were just wandering around aimlessly.

    They mostly window-shop, looking at the sports equipment being displayed on the window. Ignoring the excited chatter from a group of girls behind them, Erick told Hamish of his plans to replace his gear since it''s getting worn out.

    Hamish was about to head over to one of the bookstores when he realized that Erick had stopped following him.

    He turned around and saw Erick standing still with his eyes widened. It seemed that he was oblivious to the girls who had surrounded him, asking for his phone number.

    Hamish then frowned when he saw Erick started to sniff around discreetly, still ignoring the girls.

    He walked over, giving a quick glare at the girls, who immediately fled from fear. He turned to Erick and asked, "What''s up?"

    Without answering, Erick immediately set off in another direction.

    Hamish let out a sigh and followed him from behind.

    -----

    Amber looked up and was surprised to see Dana, walking in the restaurant and was heading towards her.

    "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking happy to see her friend.

    Dana chuckled as she took a seat next to Amber. She said thank you to the waitress who handed her a menu before turning back again. "I came by to your house earlier to surprise you. I wanted to bring you out. But then your mother told me that you were heading to the mall

    So here I am," she finished, flashing Amber a huge grin.

    Amber giggled.

    Dana then looked around her. "Though, why am I not surprised to see you here?" she commented jokingly.

    Amber shrugged. "I saw the menu outside and thought to give it a try."

    Dana placed her chin on her palm with her elbow on the table. She then looked at Amber quietly, her eyes squinting.

    Amber looked at her and frowned. "What''s wrong?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable because of the stare.

    "Why didn''t you invite me?"

    Amber began to squirm in her seat as she looked down on her hands. "I''m not sure whether you would be busy or not. I didn''t want to disturb you."

    Dana smacked Amber on the arm playfully. "Silly girl. We''re friends. And besides, I''m not really that busy. I wouldn''t have come over to your house to invite you, would I?" she said.

    Amber smiled awkwardly.

    Dana then turned to look at the menu. "Well, enough about that. Let''s check out the menu. What will you be having?" she asked while beckoning a waitress to come over.

    "I think I''ll have this and this and this..." Amber answered, pointing at several of the food items in the menu to the awaiting waitress.

    After awhile, the waitress had already taken their orders and walked away to process them.

    Dana looked at Amber again and shook her head in resignation. "Why am I not surprised to hear the amount of food you just ordered?" she murmured, letting out a soft chuckle.

    Just then, a thought dawned on Amber. She turned to Dana excitedly and asked, "Hey, remember when Erick''s parents invited me to dinner? You should see the amount of food they were having!"

    Amber then began to talk about what had happened at Erick''s house as Dana listened. The two giggled at some of the stories Amber had talked about, especially the part where she spilled her juice.

    Just as they were talking, a shadow loomed over them.

    The two girls looked up and were surprised to see Erick grinning down at them.

    "What are you doing here?" Amber asked, watching as he took a seat beside her.

    "I sme-- saw you from outside the restaurant and invited myself here," he answered unshamelessly. He then grabbed the menu with his left hand and began to study the food items inside.

    He then took her left hand with his right, unconsciously rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

    "What did you girls order?" he asked, his eyes still on the menu.

    Dana smirked cheekily, noticing the little touches he made on Amber.

    Amber began to tell him the list of foods that she and Dana had ordered.

    A frown appeared on his face and he shook his head. "It''s not enough. Let me add more," he said, signalling to the waitress.

    The waitress arrived just as Hamish did. He immediately took a seat next to Erick. Since they were sitting on a round table, he was also sitting next to Dana.

    Erick then began his chant of orders, making both girls listen with wide eyes.

    After the waitress left, looking haggard due to the long list. Dana turned to Hamish, "How come you didn''t order?" she asked.

    He shrugged. "I''ll eat whatever Erick eats."

    Dana just smiled in bemus.e.m.e.nt.

    When their orders had finally arrived, it seemed that they had to pull another extra table to accommodate their dishes.

    Amber watched as the waitresses began to rearrange their tables and dishes and felt like deja vu. It was like being back at the diner when they had to grab an extra table. She sighed.

    Shortly after, there were four plates of pancake souffles; vanilla and matcha flavoured, two red velvet croissants, three plates of chocolate lava, three huge bowls of fried noodles with beef strips and a huge bowl filled with fried chicken wings on the table near the two young shifters.

    Whereas for the girls, they looked down on their dishes and sighed.

    Dana had ordered a burger and fries while Amber, although it seems a lot for her, had ordered three pieces of fried chicken, a small plate of shepherd''s pie and a slice of carrot cake. Yet, she glanced at the boys'' dishes, it seems funny to say that hers was a lot.

    She knew that she should have expected this since she had seen them eat but she got even more surprised when she overheard Hamish say, "This is it?"

    "Nah, I''m planning to order more later. I had to order only these because I was worried that there wouldn''t be enough space to fit them all," Erick answered.

    Both Amber and Dana could only shake their heads in stupefaction.

 Chapter 81 - 76: Hes still alive!

    "From the looks of this, this is indeed wolfsbane, Alpha," Paccia stated as she showed Lachlan the roots of the plant. Although the plant was still intact, some of the roots had been cut off by Paccia as she needed to examine them.

    Lachlan nodded as he looked down with a grave look on his face. Fergus was standing behind him, quietly studying the roots as well.

    Although being in close range with the wolfsbane makes a werewolf weak and delirious, it doesn''t have that much of an impact for the two shifters. This was because even though it was still their weakness, they can still gain control of their senses and power.

    They were inside Paccia''s house, where she had her cauldron placed in the middle of the room. Immediately after the meeting, the two shifters joined Paccia at her house to discuss the wolfsbane and the ashes of the warlock.

    Several tables were set up on the side of the room where she had placed the plant and the ashes of the warlock. The tables were filled with unknown apparatus and bottles that were probably used for her experiment.

    She had been explaining to the Alpha and the Beta on her views and opinions of the plant. She was convinced that they were using the wolfsbane to create either a potion or a concoction. For what, that she wasn''t sure. But she was positive that this was one of the reasons why the rogues and warlocks had joined together. It was impossible for the rogues to work alone when it comes to wolfsbane.

    She then walked over to where the ashes of the warlock had been kept in a jar. She poured a bit of the ashes and spread it on the surface of the table, using her wand.

    "Unfortunately, there wasn''t much that I can get from these ashes but I could tell that this warlock had eaten bits of the wolfsbane," she commented.

    "Wait, what? You mean, he actually ate the wolfsbane?" Fergus asked in disbelief. Even Lachlan looked surprised. From what they know, not only does the wolfsbane seem dangerous for the werewolves but as a plant itself, it was actually poisonous as well.

    Paccia nodded solemnly. She then brought a bit of the ashes and threw them into her boiling cauldron.

    In less than a minute, there was a small explosion from the cauldron, blasting liquid and ashes in the air. The three of them immediately stepped back to avoid the blast.

    Once it had settled down, Paccia beckoned the two shifters to come closer.

    Inside the cauldron, the liquid inside was still boiling, popping with bubbles. But they could see the swirling liquid, as if it was creating a mini tornado inside. And what surprised them was that there were black, red and silver fine particles floating in the liquid.

    "Those black fine particles represent the black magic that was inside the warlock," Paccia explained. "As for the red and silver particles are the residue from the wolfsbane. Apparently, it doesn''t mix well with the black magic, hence why it created the little explosion."

    Fergus peered into the cauldron and frowned. "What silver particles?" he asked, confused.

    Paccia pointed at the glossy particles floating in the liquid. "Those are the silver particles," she explained patiently.

    She then continued to report her findings. And the more she talked, the more solemn Lachlan and Fergus'' faces became.

    The fact that the warlocks were cooperating with the rogues was one thing. Added that they were using wolfsbane, the two shifters knew that this wasn''t something simple.

    Lachlan believed that this is not something that involved their pack but also the other werewolves in other packs.

    Before they end their conversation, Lachlan turned to Fergus and Paccia and said, "Alright. Take note that this is confidential information. I don''t want the news about the wolfsbane and warlocks spread in the pack. We will deal with them once we''re ready."

    "Yes, Alpha!" both Fergus and Paccia said in unison.

    ----

    In a faraway town, there was a diplatated mansion that looked centuries old standing tall in the middle of the town. The town itself was empty where most of the townspeople had moved away, due to drought. Yet, there were still dwellers still living in that town.

    The mansion was the only place with the livings, where vines covered almost every wall of the house and the weeds growing furiously in the front lawn with dead tree roots everywhere. The windows were smashed and the door was broken with a long gash in front.

    Inside the mansion, there was a burly man, with scars on his face. The most noticeable scar was the long and deep mark that runs from his right ear and across to his left side of his chin. The shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned, showing his hairy but muscular pecs and abs. He looked aggressive and wild with his long beard.

    He was sitting on a large armchair, his long fingers impatiently tapping on the armrest while his chin propped on his other hand. His eyes were narrowed, silently studying the quivering man kneeling in front of him.

    "So, you''re telling me that all the rogues that I have sent are dead?" he snarled.

    The man squirmed under the blazing glare of the scar-faced man. He felt the latter''s deadly aura was suffocating him, making it hard to breath. "Y-yesˇ­ M-m-my Lordˇ­" he stammered. "Deadˇ­ A-and c-c-caughtˇ­"

    Before the squirming man could react, he was knocked off his feet and was sent flying across the room, hitting the bricked wall.

    Blood spurted out from his mouth as he fell face front, knocking him unconscious.

    The scar-faced man stood where the squirming man was kneeling before. Apparently, he had kicked the latter without any notice.

    "Useless bunch of rogues," he spat out.

    He then said, "Rehan."

    A shadow suddenly appeared behind the scar-faced man, his hand placed above his heart as he bowed his head. "Yes, my lord?"

    "What happened to the Cairin pack?"

    "They did not speak of a word," Rehan said, still bowing his head.

    The scar-faced man cackled loudly, his hands on his h.i.p.s. "How''s our guest?" he asked sarcastically.

    "Makena Cairin is still holding up," Rehan reported.

    The Cairin pack was actually known to have a bloodline of werewolves with undefeatable fast healing rate, compared to the other packs. Hence, why Makena Cairin was kidnapped years ago. Not many people know of her kidnapping, other than the Cairin pack and these people.

    The scar-faced man snorted, an evil smile blooming on his face. "Good, good. Don''t kill her just yet. We still need her. Make sure to send another of her fingers to the Cairin pack. They should know what will happen to her if they disobey me," he commanded.

    "Yes, my lord," Rehan said before disappearing.

    The scar-faced man walked towards the unconscious man and grabbed him by the neck. He then held the latter up, tightening his grip around his neck.

    The man suddenly opened his eyes, clawing at the scar-faced man''s arm, trying to breathe. Fur started to appear on his face and body as he started to shift.

    "Go back to the warlocks and tell them that we need to talk," the scar-faced man instructed. "Go now before I kill you."

    The man furiously nodded his head, his eyes bulging. He was already fully shifted. Yet, his strength was still not strong enough to overpower the scar-faced man''s might.

    The scar-faced man flicked his wrist, throwing the shifter away.

    The latter quickly got up to his feet and ran out of the room, panting as he gulped on air.

    The scar-faced man turned around and went back to his seat. Another smile appeared on his face. "Looks like he is still aliveˇ­" he murmured to himself thoughtfully as he recalled the reports that he had received from his subordinates.

    "Dane."

 Chapter 82 - Side story: Jeayan [1]

    Scene after Jeayan found out that Roel was her mate.

    Jeayan was in her bedroom, sitting on top of her bed with a dazed look on her face. She had just gotten back from the training that they had that night. After both Hamish and Erick walked her home, she immediately ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.

    Shortly after, her mother went up the stairs and knocked on her door, asking whether she was alright.

    Jeayan had shouted yes and that she just felt tired. She really doesn''t want to make her mother worry. It''s enough that she''s all confused with this mate thing. Sure, she was happy and delighted that she found her mate butˇ­

    Roel?

    Satisfied with the answer, her mother went back downstairs, where she was watching the late night news with her father.

    Inside her room, Jeayan dropped down on her back, groaning, with her arms wide open. She then recalled the words that Roel had said to her.

    ''Just don''t make me wait for so long, my dear mate.''

    She grabbed her pillow and screamed in it, feeling more embarrassed yet secretly excited.

    She then sat up on her bed as she unconsciously touched the side of her neck. She could feel the heat emitting from there. That was the part where the male shifter would bite to mark their mate. And once the mark has been bitten, it was actually a sign to the other shifters that she was taken.

    She became more flushed as she thought of Roel biting her.

    She became even more flushed at the thought of HER biting Roel. Yes. Not only does Roel has to bite her but she, too, has to bite him as well.

    She then let out a long breath, patting her chest. "Let''s relax," she said to herself. She then patted both her cheeks, calming herself down.

    However, it seems like she can''t stop thinking about Roel as she recalled his stunning yet rare smile. It was her first time seeing him smile.

    ''He should be locked up for giving out a smile like that,'' she thought to herself, pouting. ''It''s against the law to have a smile that can melt one''s heart.''

    She then let out a sigh. So many feelings she had experienced at that moment; excitement, embarrassment but most of all, happiness.

    She got up from her bed and went to change into her pajamas. She went to her bed and got underneath her blankets.

    ''Is this how it feels like having a mate?'' she thought as she looked up at her ceiling, lying down on her back.

    She let out another sigh. ''If this is it, I wish to feel like this all the time.''

    The next morning.

    Jeayan yawned as she walked down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen to have her breakfast.

    She abruptly stopped in her tracks when she saw someone she was not ready to face in the kitchen, talking to her father.

    The two men in the kitchen turned around when they heard her come in.

    "Good morning, sweetie," her father greeted her. "Roel here just came over to send some food from the restaurant that he worked at."

    Roel worked the night shift at the restaurant last night. He only got back that morning because he was busy preparing the food for the morning hours. Apparently, he had made extra and decided to give them to Jeayan''s family.

    Roel nodded as he turned back to Jeayan''s father. "It''s nothing much. Just some porridge and pancakes."

    "Oh, I see," she murmured. She then noticed that mischievous glint in Roel''s eyes and wondered what amuses him.

    It was then she remembered that she was wearing her old pajamas which was a Pikachu printed shirt and pants, with the wording ''I love you'' across her chest. She turned beet red as embarrassment flooded inside her.

    Before she could escape, Roel had turned to her father and said, "I''ll be going now, Mr. Meer."

    Jeayan''s father''s name was Zeke Meer. Although he does not hold a high position in the Kendall pack, he was still one of the respected shifters there.

    Jeayan stood frozen as she watched Roel walking towards her.

    And before he left the kitchen and out of the house, Roel said softly at Jeayan, "Nice pajamas."

    After he had finally left, Jeayan''s father c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at her, looking suspicious. Who wouldn''t be? The triplet who was known as the serious one had just flirted with his daughter in front of him. And looking at how red his daughter had turned, just from the shifter''s appearance, it really makes one wonder.

    "Jeayanˇ­" he began.

    "I''m going to take a shower first!" she announced quickly before running up to her room.

    That afternoon, she managed to escape her father''s questioning as she had stayed in her room until her father left the house. Luckily for her, Chiwa had helped in scouting to check whether her father had left. She really did not want to be confronted with the questions she knew her father was dying to ask her.

    After she was sure that her father had left the house, she went down the stairs and found her mother alone in the kitchen.

    Her mother turned around with a smile when she felt someone walking in the kitchen. "Sweetie, why were you late for breakfast?" she asked, carrying a bowl and a plate while Jeayan took her seat at the dining table.

    "It was nothing. I justˇ­ uhˇ­ forgot something andˇ­ uhˇ­ I was looking for it," she stammered, looking down at her hands.

    Her mother gave her a puzzled smile but she did not push Jeayan more for questions. Instead, she placed the plate and bowl in front of Jeayan and said, "This is from Roel."

    Jeayan looked down and saw that it was blueberry pancakes and porridge. She frowned. How does he know that she loves pancakes?

    Her mother sat down across her and put her chin on her palm, as she watched her daughter eat. "Though, it surprised me. I never thought you''re that close to Roel," she commented.

    Jeayan nearly choked on her food when she heard her mother''s words. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

    "Never talked to Roel before but suddenly, he came over to bring some food. Said that he cooked it especially for you," her mother slyly said.

    Jeayan quickly wolfed down her food and once she was done, she swiftly wiped her mouth clean and said, "I have no idea what you''re talking about."

    She brought her empty bowl and plate to the sink and was about to wash them when her mother gently pushed her away. "It''s alright, sweetie. Mom will clean this up. You go ahead and go out with your friends. Didn''t you say that you''re going out today?"

    Jeayan nodded. She then gave her mother a peck on the cheek. "Thanks mom. You''re the best"

    Few minutes later, she was at the mall, waiting for her friend to arrive. She did not wait that long as a couple of minutes later, her friend just arrived.

    "Jeayan!"

    Jeayan looked up and grinned as she watched Amber walking towards her with a smile. She had her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. She was wearing a t-shirt and short pants that reached until her knees. She looked adorable in her casual outfit that when she arrived, Jeayan could not help but pinched her cheeks.

    Amber pouted as she playfully slapped Jeayan''s hand away, rubbing her cheek. "What''s with you?" she asked.

    Jeayan giggled. "Nothing. You''re just adorable," she replied, smiling cheekily.

    Amber suddenly looked down, her hands fidgeting, looking awkward and nervous. "By the way, thanks for the invitation. I was really surprised to receive your text about inviting me to hang out."

    Earlier before, while waiting for her father to get out of the house, she had texted Amber, inviting her to hang out.

    Jeayan grinned as she slipped an arm around Amber''s and said, "No. Thank you for accepting my last minute invitation!

    I really need to get out of the house and thought that it would be great if you''re with me."

    She then studied Amber''s profile from the corner of her eyes and thought, ''And perhaps, from you, I can learn this thing about mate.''

    The two girls spent hours window-shopping and walking around at the mall. While they were walking, they also talked.

    Jeayan, too, made use of the time spent to dig in on more information on how Amber feels about Erick and whatnot.

    She even tested her by asking whether Amber was alright with Erick dating some other girls.

    Watching how Amber tried to pretend that she was not jealous, even though her little pout gave her away, Jeayan thought this was quite fun teasing her.

    Looking at how Amber tried to act as if Erick''s love life wasn''t any of her concerns, Jeayan chuckled at the fact that he has a lot of things to do if he wants to make Amber fall for him.

    However, them talking about boys reminds Jeayan of Roel. Would she be like Amber? Giving him a hard time to court her before mating her? Or should she give in?

    She was pleased and flattered that Roel was willing to wait until she graduates. But she actually wanted to wait until she was financially stable before committing to him.

    She inwardly sighed. Mates can be so complicated.

 Chapter 83 - 77: Voting of Committee Members

    It was the first day of the school semester after that quick break the last weekend.

    Oz had left town, together with Latham and Roel accompanying him, back to the mountain. They brought with them the rogue. As to what the bear shifters will do to the rogue, the Kendall pack has no idea. They didn''t ask Oz much about it.

    With the new semester, the lives of the young shifters were about to be more busy.

    They started off with an Open Day for potential new students who want to enter next year.

    Homeroom was about to start and everyone was inside their classroom, talking and laughing while waiting for their homeroom teacher to enter the class.

    Shortly after, Mrs. Harris walked in with a bunch of papers in her arms.

    Everyone went silent when she walked in, heading towards the teachers'' table. She placed the papers on the table, picking one up as she read.

    Amber propped her chin on her palm as she waited for Mrs. Harris to speak, yawning as she didn''t have much sleep the previous night.

    Erick, too, had his chin on his palm, watching dreamily at the girl in front of him, much to the jealousy of one female, sitting a few tables away from them.

    Mrs. Harris looked around at the class and began her speech. "Hello, boys and girls. Welcome back to the new semester. I hope you all enjoyed your breaks!"

    Grumbles reverberated around the class as the students quietly complained about the short break and the many homeworks that they have to do.

    Soon, grumbles became noisy chatters as they began to talk about what they have been doing during the break.

    Mrs. Harris immediately clapped her hands, trying to get their attention.

    Once they had settled down, she cleared her throat and continued, "So, to start off the new semester, the Burkendall High School will have an Open Day where we will open the school to the public. Each class will host an activity to showcase whatever you want. Either a food stall, a play, games, etc."

    She looked down at the paper she was holding and said again, "I will need two volunteers from this class to be on the committee."

    She then looked around the class and asked, "Any volunteers?"

    Mrs. Harris began to frown when she saw that no one was volunteering. Some were avoiding eye contact with her. She cleared her throat and suggested, "Why don''t we have a vote for whom you choose as the volunteers?"

    Voices of agreement echoed around the room as the students nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s begin. Any names?"

    Soon after, names of their choosing were called out. However, one name was mentioned a lot and that was Hamish''s.

    Hamish frowned as he listened to people choose him to be one of the committee volunteers. He doesn''t mind volunteering for the committee. He then looked at the guy sitting beside him and sighed inwardly. If he was going to be busy, who would be able to take care of this guy?

    An idea emerged in his mind as he slowly smiled. He quickly raised his hand and said, "Amber."

    Both Amber and Erick turned to look at him with disbelief on their faces, wide eyes.

    "Why the heck did you say my name?" Amber hissed angrily.

    Hamish just ignored her as he crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against his seat. A look of satisfaction on his face.

    Just then, Erick raised his hand and said, "I''ll join too if Amber and Hamish joined!"

    Mrs. Harris frowned at him and said, "As much as I am pleased at your eagerness to volunteer, Mr. Kendall, however, I''m afraid we only need two volunteers."

    Few minutes later, the voting was done and as a result, Hamish and Amber were chosen as the committee members, on behalf of their class. Erick looked disgruntled as he muttered under his breath.

    It was then he thought that even if he can''t join them, he will stick to those two. It was not that he did not trust Hamish working alone with Amber but he did not want to leave it to chance that Amber might have to spend more time with Hamish than him.

    Once it was over, Mrs. Harris left the class to them, telling them that they should now concentrate on voting what kind of event that they want to host. She told both Amber and Hamish to submit the proposal to the Student Council by the end of the week.

    After Mrs. Harris left the room, the noise level of the room began to increase once more as everyone in the class began to talk excitedly with each other. Some suggested making a food stall, selling cakes and pastries. Some suggested doing a play; Macbeth or Romeo or Juliet. Some suggested creating games, for example, a haunted house.

    The students were all discussing what kind of event that they wanted to do that they did not notice Amber already writing on the board; (1) Eating Competition (2) Cooking Contest (3) Food stall.

    Erick, who had his eyes on Amber, chuckled when he saw what she was doing. He thought it was kind of adorable.

    Hamish, who was facing the class, did not notice what Amber was doing. But when he saw Erick looking at her, he turned around. He let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, watching as Amber wrote her choices.

    He leaned against the teachers'' table, crossing his arms across his chest and said, "So, if it''s a competition, there will be prizes as well?"

    Amber nodded vigorously, looking excited.

    "What''s the prize?" Hamish asked.

    "Food coupons or free meal tickets at the school cafeteria!" she said, writing them on the board

    Everyone in the class burst out in laughter while Hamish rubbed his hand over his face.

    He immediately walked over to her side and erased the prize lists.

    Ignoring Amber''s complaining and whining from behind him, he turned back around and asked everyone to vote. With narrowed eyes, he continued by threatening them that if they do not start voting right at that moment, he will just choose whatever, regardless whether they want it or not.

    Just before the bell rings for the next class, they finally decided on doing a Japanese cafe, which got Amber all hyped up.

    She walked together with Dana, telling her of the food that she thought would be perfect for the cafe. Erick and Hamish followed them from behind since the four of them have the same class after homeroom.

    Erick actually does not have any opinion about the event. Whether it was a Japanese cafe, a stall or a play, it did not matter to him. If truth be told, he had never attended any of the school events, other than sport games. Last year when they had an Open Day as well, he skipped the event by spending the day with Latham at his workshop. His parents were furious about it as they wanted him to be more involved with any school activities. They couldn''t blame Latham at that time either. It was because the latter had no idea about Open Day.

    Looking at the excited look at his beloved mate''s face, he smiled. He will ensure to make this Open Day a fun day for her.

    -----

    Climbing up the mountain, it took them a few minutes faster than before. Since Roel has already memorized the map of the mountain like the back of his hand, the journey there was smoother.

    On the other hand, for Noaz, it was his first time joining them in this journey but it wasn''t that difficult for him to follow the two.

    Few minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of the tunnel that will lead them to the bear shifters'' abode. The rogue was bundled up roughly underneath Oz''s arm like a rice sack, using ropes soaked with wolfbane liquid. Hence why only Oz was able to get near to the rogue.

    When they finally got out of the tunnel, Storm, Levi and Atticus were outside the tunnel, waiting for them.

    Storm walked over to Oz and slapped him on the shoulder. "Welcome back, brother."

    Oz grinned and nodded. "I''m back, brothers."

    Roel nodded hello to the three brothers.

    Noaz stepped forward and introduced himself.

    Storm then invited them into their house to have a talk. Levi and Atticus, however, went to the back of their house, along with the rogue.

    Inside the house, both Storm and Oz went to discuss with Noaz and Roel. Noaz told them of their findings.

    Storm''s face turned grave as he listened. Since the warlocks were involved, this does not seem like it only involved the werewolves but also other shifters.

    Added to the fact that they have the guts to go into their territory shows how they were not afraid of the consequences.

    After much discussion, the two parties agreed on cooperation. The bear shifters will update them whether there''s more activities happening in their territory whereas the werewolves will update them on any new discovery from other packs.

    With this, the partnership with the bear shifters had gone smoothly.

 Chapter 84 - 78: We could be in love

    "Amber!"

    Amber turned around and saw Erick and Hamish approaching her.

    School has just ended and she had just finished doing a quick study at the school library when she heard her name being called.

    It has been a couple of days since Hamish and her were voted as the committee members of the Open Day for their class. Although Erick wasn''t a member, he always joined them for the meeting.

    He would keep quiet, sitting next to her during the meeting. There were times he would just hold her hand and snooze quietly as the meeting goes on. Not that the other committee members from other classes would complain. In fact, most of the female members don''t mind him being there as it''s not always they get to see the school eye candy.

    Though, there was one time Erick did get involved. It happened during their first meeting.

    At first, there was a bit of a commotion and argument about their class choosing a Japanese stall. Apparently, the anime club in the school has also chosen that as their stall. They had told Hamish and Amber to change.

    Amber was a bit upset when she was told to change their stall.

    Seeing this, Erick frowned deeply and turned to glare at the protesters.

    Apparently, with just one look, the many female fans of Erick could detect his displeasure and scolded those who protested against Hamish and Amber''s choice of stall. These protesters then backed away. They could not be able to out-argue his fans since there were more than half of them in the committee.

    That day, they were going to have another meeting, in regards to the budget for each class. Because once the budget has been settled, they can begin with their decoration and setup. It was crucial that they have to discuss the budget immediately so that each class will have more time to decorate.

    All classes will be cancelled to make way for the students to decorate. But clubs were still ongoing.

    Hence why Amber looked confused when she saw the two of them standing before her. From what she remembers was that they had told her before school started that they won''t be coming to the meeting. They had football practice.

    "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

    Erick grinned as he grabbed her hand. "Practice got cancelled." He then pulled her gently, heading towards the classroom where they will be having a meeting. Hamish followed them from behind.

    When they reached the classroom, students from other classes were already inside, sitting and talking among themselves.

    Erick walked in first and most of the female students started to turn and stare at him with dreamy eyes. Some even called out to him, ignoring the fact that he was holding hands with Amber.

    Erick just smiled and went on to look for seats. When he found one, he immediately pulled Amber to sit next to him. Once she settled in, he slumped over the desk, while playing with her fingers. It seems like he was ready to fall asleep at any time.

    Hamish grabbed a seat nearby and sat next to Amber on her right.

    The chairperson of the committee was their senior who will be graduating soon. His name was Krys Williams. Although he was not as popular as Erick, he was well-liked by most people in school. He was friendly, smart and good-looking.

    When he saw that everyone had settled in comfortably, he began his talk, thanking everyone for coming to the meeting. He then opened up the discussion of the budget.

    Talks reverberated around the classroom as each student gave their opinions, including Amber and Hamish.

    The discussion lasted for nearly an hour until they finally decided on a figure. Although it wasn''t much, they can still earn it back from their stall sales. Hamish also encouraged the other students who were present in the meeting to use their own pocket money. He added that it would be more fun if there was a vote for the best stall.

    He further proposed that they should get an agreement from all the faculty bodies in regards to the competition. And that it would be great if the teachers themselves would like to donate for the prize, making the competition more exciting and hyped.

    Krys agreed with his proposal and asked whether Hamish would like to do the proposal to the teachers.

    Hamish nodded.

    Erick peeked through his eyelashes, looking at Hamish and sighed inwardly. Sometimes Hamish is too hard-working for his own good. He closed his eyes again, still holding Amber''s hand.

    They then discussed what kind of prize would be good for the competition. Some suggested stationeries. Some suggested movie tickets or amus.e.m.e.nt park passes for the class. Amber suggested an all-you-can-eat buffet at one of the restaurants in town.

    Must to Amber''s disappointment, they decided on amus.e.m.e.nt park passes.

    Amber pouted. Why would they want to go to some amus.e.m.e.nt park? It''s just some place for kids! Sure, it would be fun but it''s more fun to sit down and have a meal!

    She glanced at some of the giggling girls a few tables away, who seemed excited about the prizes.

    It was then she remembered one of the rumours of the dancing fountain there. Truth be told, it''s not that the fountain was dancing, but rather, the water from the fountain was designed to move around as if it was dancing.

    The rumour was that if a boy and a girl meet up in front of the fountain during sunset and they confess to each other, they will be together forever.

    Amber squinted her eyes at them. Surely it''s not because of that, could it? That sounds like something from a manga [1]. So clich¨¦.

    She sighed as she leaned back against her seat.

    Erick, who was still holding her hand, noticed her mood and frowned.

    In his mind, Dane growled at him to go and make her happy right at that moment.

    Erick ignored the angry growl in his mind and gently tugged on Amber''s hand, trying to catch her attention.

    Amber looked over and saw Erick looking up at her, with a gentle smile on his face. "What''s up?" she asked.

    "Are you disappointed because of the amus.e.m.e.nt park?"

    She just kept silent. She did not want to look childish nor petty.

    "Don''t worry. I heard there''s a nice food court over there. When we win, I''ll bring you there," he promised, using the word ''when'', instead of ''if'' as though he was confident that their class will win.

    Amber grinned. He really does know her well. "I''ll look forward to it."

    He grinned and murmured softly, "Me too."

    -----

    That night.

    Amber was in her room, drawing on a paper, as she tried to design their Japanese cafe. On the floor, in the trash bin, there were piles of crumpled papers. She has been working on the design ever since she got home. Though, she did manage to eat her dinner before continuing on.

    With a pocky stick in her mouth and her hair tied up in a high messy bun, she looked like one of those authors who are working hard to meet their deadlines.

    She was so engrossed in drawing that she did not realize that there was a text notification in her mobile phone. It was until she jumped from the ringing of her phone. She looked over and was about to answer when the ringing stopped.

    She picked up her phone and saw that both text message and call were from Erick. ''Hmmmˇ­ I wonder why he called?'' she wondered as she opened the text message.

    Apparently, he had sent a playlist link to share.

    She clicked on it and smiled when she read the playlist name; ''Especially for my Amber''.

    Shortly after, she could hear voices that were silvery, smooth and clear drifting in the air. It was soothing, in a way. And it was so beautiful that Amber was a bit stunned at first, listening to it.

    She placed her pencil down as she immersed herself in the singing.

    ''Anyone who''s seen us

    Knows what''s goin'' on between us

    It doesn''t take a genius

    To read between the lines

    And it''s not just wishful thinking

    Or only me who''s dreaming

    I know what these are symptoms of

    We could be in love'' [2]

    When the music stopped, Amber blinked her eyes. She touched her cheeks and was surprised to feel that it was wet.

    Soon after, there was another message from Erick. The message simply reads,

    ''I''m completely in love with you.''

    -----

    [1] Japanese comic

    [2] We could be in love - Lea Salonga and Brad Kane.

 Chapter 85 - 79: Preparations for Open Day

    It has been a couple of days since their budget meeting. And Hamish and Amber had discussed with the rest of their class that they will then divide the class into several groups such as decoration, grocery shopping, costume sewing and whatnot.

    Once the group was listed, Hamish and Amber gave them the opportunity to choose which group they wanted to work in.

    After choosing the group, Amber began writing on the board while Hamish talked in front of the class to tell them to pick which roles they want to assume during the Open Day; hostess, cashier, servers and more.

    Since Erick and Hamish were two of the most popular guys in school, these two did not get the chance to pick their roles as the others had already chosen roles for them. The two of them will be the hosts who will guide the customers to their classroom.

    Other than those two, Zoe was also chosen as the hostess, since she was also known as one of the beauties in school as well. Other than being the hostess, she also joined the costume design team since she was good at sewing.

    As for Amber, since she was good in arts, she joined the decoration team. Dana, on the other hand, joined the cooking team where she will brainstorm with the others to come up with the dishes. The other day Amber had given Dana her list of food that was simple yet delicious to make.

    Dana just smiled in bemus.e.m.e.nt when Amber had handed her the paper with an excited gleam in her eyes. Although the food looked simple, the process of making them wasn''t so simple at all. Hence why Dana did not promise her that she will choose all the items in Amber''s list to be included in their menu.

    Erick was standing in the middle of the room, where the costume design team was surrounding him. They were going to take his measurements for his clothes. At first, there was a small argument on who should take his measurements. Most of the girls argued that they can do better than the other. Zoe was one of them.

    Erick scratched the back of his head, looking awkward. As much as he wanted them to stop arguing, he did not know what to do to stop them. Although he did not care about who will be taking his measurements, Dane has a lot of things to say about that. He had been growling furiously in his mind, snapping at how disgusting he felt when he thought of humans, other than Amber, touching them.

    Before he could say a word, one of the guys from the costume design team stepped forward and said that he will be taking the measurements.

    The girls looked dissatisfied with the result. They were about to argue when Hamish stepped in and asked with narrowed eyes, "Is there a problem here?"

    The girls, including Zoe, immediately shook their heads and went on to take measurements for the others.

    The guy who volunteered to take Erick''s measurement was actually from their pack, meaning that he was also a shifter. He was also close to Erick and Hamish.

    He chuckled as he watched the girl''s scurry away. "Seems like you have it rough, huh, Erick?" he commented, still chuckling.

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Hardy har har, Isaac."

    Isaac grinned as he took out a measuring tape and began to measure Erick''s size. "I wonder what would be your mate''s reaction when she found out that you''re her mate and you''re a playboy."

    Erick narrowed his eyes, giving him a silent warning.

    Isaac laughed and continued on with the measurements. He knew when to back down and when a joke is enough.

    By now, everyone in the pack already knows who Erick''s mate was. Although there was no pressure, they believed that the sooner Amber knows about shifters and mate, the better.

    But Erick had argued that he wanted to give her time to get used to him. Only then he will tell her all about him.

    The shifters in the pack respected his decision and admired his patience. It was not easy to be far apart from one''s mate. Especially when they are just nearby.

    Isaac himself doesn''t have a mate yet. And he was not in a rush and was not pressured at all.

    Few minutes later, he was done with Erick''s measurements and turned to Hamish. "You''re next."

    Hamish nodded and stepped forward.

    Seeing that he was no longer needed, Erick walked over to where Amber was talking with a few of their classmates.

    She looked very animated with her hands waving here and there as she tried to explain to them what was her vision for the decoration.

    Erick leaned against the wall with a small smile on his face as he watched her. He did not want to bother her now since she looked like she was having fun.

    After the day he had given her the playlist link and told her that he loved her, she had been acting shy with him. One time, Erick only touched her cheeks and she already turned beet red in embarrassment.

    He wasn''t sure whether it''s a good thing but he hoped that it would at least pull her closer to him.

    There were many things that he wanted to do for her but he wanted to take it slow. Patience is a virtue, one has said. And he believed that if he was patient enough, it would be worthwhile. I mean, look at Mary and Fergus.

    Now leaning against the wall as he watched the happenings around him, he started to feel bored. Just because he already had a role of a host, the other students believed that he didn''t have to contribute anything else. As long as he comes to the Open Day, it would be fine. Seems like they have heard news of him not attending one for the last two years as he usually skipped all school events.

    Getting bored, he went over to the cooking team.

    Coming closer, he saw Dana and the others looked like they were in a deep discussion with brows furrowed on their foreheads.

    Not wanting to disturb them as well, he decided to just eavesdrop, instead. Luckily, he has a good hearing than normal humans.

    It appears that they were having a slight argument on which food to choose since they do not want to spend too much, lest they went overboard with their budget.

    He then walked over and said, "If there''s any problem with the money, you can just come to me."

    Everyone at the cooking team turned to stare at him with disbelief. "Come to you?" one of them repeated, still dumbfounded.

    Erick nodded. "I can add in some cash for the food budget," he offered. He has a monthly allowance from his parents. He doesn''t use his money much, other than games and football equipment. And even so, he still has lots of money leftover since he was good when it comes to saving money.

    "You sure?"

    Erick nodded, looking serious. Of course, he was serious. They are talking about food here. What''s more serious than food?

    With that, Dana and the others felt that it was a relief that there was someone who was willing to add their pocket money for the food. Not that they would want to take advantage of Erick''s kindness.

    A couple of hours later, school had finally ended and everyone in class went their separate ways.

    Amber was packing her things when Erick approached her from behind. He slipped an arm around her and asked, "Ready to go home?"

    She turned her head and found Erick smiling down at her. She then smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, I want to get started on the decorations," she said.

    Erick nodded and walked with her to the car.

    Outside the school, Hamish was standing near Erick''s car, apparently waiting for the latter.

    He looked up when he saw the couple coming his way.

    "You need a ride too?" Erick asked, looking at Hamish.

    Hamish shook his head. "Nah. Just want to tell you that I''ll be going off with Isaac and the others. We''re going to some shops to buy some materials."

    "Do you guys need some help?" Amber asked, tilting her head in question.

    Hamish shook his head once more. "It''s no problem." He then waved them goodbye and left in a different direction, where Isaac and a couple of guys were waiting.

    Amber frowned as she watched Hamish walk away. "It''s strange to see you and Hamish not together," she commented airily.

    Erick frowned, looking down at her. "What do you mean?"

    Amber shrugged. "You two are always together. Makes me wonder who is closer to youˇ­ Your girlfriend or best friend," she mumbled quietly.

    Erick began to grin widely. It''s not every time he would hear Amber sulk about him, giving out jealousy vibes.

    He then pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "As I said beforeˇ­ You''re absolutely the one I''m in love with."

 Chapter 86 - 80: Youre weird

    The class was buzzing with activities and voices as everyone began to make themselves busy with their designated tasks.

    Amber, who was in charge of the decoration, was drawing sakura flowers on a huge canvas. Erick was sitting beside her, watching her work.

    Hamish, who was walking around, checking on each person''s tasks came and tapped him on the shoulder with his clipboard. "Don''t disturb her. Go and make yourself useful."

    Erick frowned. "I don''t even have a task. No one wants me to do any tasks," he protested.

    "Doesn''t mean you can be lazy," Hamish retorted back. "So, go around and look if anyone needs any help."

    Erick frowned deeper and turned his back on Hamish. He then grabbed a blank canvas from Amber''s piles and began to draw.

    He was quiet at first as he concentrated on drawing.

    Soon after, people began to crowd behind Erick, looking at him drawing in awe. Excited murmurs were heard as they began to talk about the drawing Erick drew.

    The excited talks got to Amber and Hamish that they turned to look over to see.

    Amber was clearly surprised at how good Erick was in drawing. He was drawing a portrait of Hamish, which looked really lifelike. She could feel the boredom emitting from the drawing as she watched him draw on the clothes.

    "Wow, that''s amazing," Amber praised. "You really capture his good looks."

    His hand stopped moving as Erick slowly turned to look at her. "Good looks?" he repeated, a frown appeared on his face.

    She tilted her head in confusion. "Uhˇ­ Yeahˇ­" she said slowly.

    He immediately turned back and scribbled all over his drawing, especially on the face where it becomes unrecognisable. He then tore the paper and crumbled it into a ball, shocking Amber.

    Hamish just rolled his eyes. Seems like his jealousy reared up again.

    Erick then turned to Hamish, narrowing his eyes at him with suspicion. "What are you looking at?"

    Hamish just ignored him and grabbed a piece of paper. He wanted to give a drawing a try. Even though he never tried his hand at drawing, he wanted to check his skills.

    He leaned over to look at Amber''s drawing and saw she was close to finishing it. All that was left was colouring. He then tried to copy her.

    Few minutes later, he was done. He frowned at his finished drawing.

    Erick leaned closer to take a look. And when he did, he burst out in laughter, making people curious to know what made him laugh that loud and freely.

    "Manˇ­ That''s horrible," he said, still laughing.

    Hamish glared at him as he tore his drawing and crumpled it into a ball. He then said, "Why don''t you try drawing it then?"

    Erick gave him a smug look and took another piece of paper.

    It took him a few minutes to finish drawing and when he was done, he scratched the back of his head, looking awkward. "Uhhhˇ­"

    Hamish looked over and scoffed. His drawing looked even worse than his.

    Erick then turned to Hamish and said awkwardly, "Guess it runs in the family (shifter)."

    Hamish just smacked him in the head.

    Amber frowned when she heard Erick. "Family?" she repeated.

    Erick just smiled, not answering her.

    Once the drawings were done, they were prepared to cut some cardboards to be placed in the room.

    At some point, Erick accidentally cut his finger when he tried to cut a cardboard. Amber was sitting beside him when it happened.

    She gasped when she saw the nasty cut on his finger. She immediately got up and grabbed her handkerchief from her bag. She then went over to Erick and carefully cleaned the cut with it. "Does it hurt?" she asked in concern, carefully dapping the cut, worried that he might be hurt from the pain.

    Erick was quiet for awhile and then he said, "Maybe if you give it a little kiss, it won''t hurt anymore or even heal. In fact, why don''t you just kiss it right now to see?"

    Amber rolled her eyes and ignored his shameless suggestions. She then wrapped his wounded finger with her handkerchief and suggested, "Or maybe you should go to the doctor''s office and get a proper cleaning for your cut."

    Erick frowned. "It''s just a small cut," he said. In fact, as they were talking, his cut has already healed, thanks to his quick healing abilities. Ever since he had shifted, he gained more of Dane''s abilities and one of them was the quick healing abilities. Hence why he did not look bothered at all.

    Amber frowned back at him. "Even so, you better go there and get it properly cleaned. Using only a handkerchief is not good for hygienic purposes."

    He sighed as he got up. "Fine, I''ll go," he said.

    She nodded.

    Hamish looked over and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in suspicion. Erick just shrugged. When the lady boss tells him to go, then he should go.

    He went out of the classroom, waving away the concerns of his other classmates when they heard where he was going. Some of the girls even offered to accompany him, sarcastically saying that it would be good to have someone to go along with him to the doctor''s office, unlike a certain girl, who cares more about her drawing.

    Erick gave a scornful smile and ignored the sneer, saying that he''s old enough to go to the doctor''s office without anyone to escort him.

    The girls immediately went silent when they heard him discreetly mocked them.

    After Erick left the classroom, he slipped one of his hands, which was not wounded inside his pocket and continued walking. Even though he no longer has a purpose to go to the doctor''s office, he still went. He did not want to incur the wrath of his beloved.

    When he reached the office, he saw Krys inside, sitting on one of the sick beds. The school nurse was tending to him, handing him a medicine.

    Both the school nurse and Krys looked up when they heard someone walk into the office.

    The school nurse had a look of concern on her face when she saw Erick standing at the door. "What''s wrong, child?" she asked. She looked down and saw his finger wrapped in a handkerchief, which has bloodstains.

    "Oh dear, did you cut yourself?" she asked again, looking up at Erick.

    Erick nodded. "But it''s alright now," he assured. "Just came in to look for a bandage. I got it properly cleaned already."

    The school nurse nodded. "Wait here while I go get a bandage for you," she said, turning around to her desk to look for a bandage.

    Erick nodded again and then looked over at Krys, who was now lying on the sick bed. He approached him and asked, "What happened to you?"

    Krys, who had his eyes closed, opened his eyes and saw Erick standing beside his bed. "I got a migraine," he answered, placing an arm across his eyes, wincing in pain.

    Erick frowned. Being the head of the committee must be stressful that he even had a migraine because of it.

    Krys moved his arm away from his eyes and turned his head towards Erick and asked, "What about you?"

    Erick held up his wrapped finger and said, "Got a cut."

    "Oh, it''s better to clean that cut."

    "Yeah, already did."

    The two of them then fell into an awkward silence.

    Erick wasn''t that close with Krys so he doesn''t know what else to talk about. In fact, although he had heard of him but he never talked to him before. It was probably because Krys was his upperclassman. And also, they probably do not have much in common since they weren''t in the same club. From what he had recalled from his packmates, Krys was in the basketball team, same as Dex.

    "Get well soon," he said politely, instead.

    Krys chuckled weakly. "Thanks," he said. He then turned his face, facing the ceiling and closed his eyes.

    Just then, the school nurse came over and handed Erick a bandage.

    Erick thanked the school nurse and said his goodbyes before leaving the doctor''s office.

    He swiftly replaced the handkerchief with the bandage. He then looked at the handkerchief in his hand and somehow, looked perturbed.

    Amber, who had left the classroom to look for him, found him staring dumbly at the handkerchief in his hand. She quickly rushed over and placed a hand on his arm. "What''s wrong?" she asked in concern. She was worried that his cut might be worse than it looks.

    "Nothing. I''m justˇ­ troubled."

    Amber frowned, looking confused. "Troubled over what?" she asked again.

    Erick raised his head and answered, "Whether to wash this handkerchief or not."

    She became even more confused. She looked down at the handkerchief and saw his bloodstains on it. "Why would you be troubled? You should just wash it. It''s dirty," she said, pointing at the bloodstains.

    Erick frowned at her. "But if I wash it, your scent will be gone," he protested.

    Amber placed a hand over her face, letting out a sigh of resignation. She then stared at him straight in the eyes and said, "You''re weird."

 Chapter 87 - 81: Missing person

    It has been a couple of days since they had started on preparing for the Open Day.

    Their class has been so busy that they even went to work on their props after school ended.

    The students who were in the cooking group went home earlier since they decided to practice on their dishes at home, rather than at school.

    One afternoon, the whole class except for the cooking group, were in their classroom as they continued to do their tasks and make their props.

    Amber was working on the props, designing and painting on the cardboard. While she was working, there were a couple of guys who came over to compliment her artworks. They began to flirt with her, making small jokes, making her giggle.

    Erick, at that time, was helping the others carrying chairs and tables. For him, carrying chairs and tables was an easy task for him. With his strength, he was able to finish it faster.

    Unfortunately, just as he turned around to get more tables, he saw two guys standing closely to Amber. What made him more furious was the fact that they made her laugh.

    Fury blazed inside him as he watched the scene before him. He carefully placed the chairs that he was holding and walked towards Amber and the two guys.

    Hamish, who noticed Erick''s strange behavior, immediately walked towards the latter. He placed his hand on Erick''s arm, stopping him, saying softly, "Cool it."

    "Why should I?" came a raspy voice.

    Surprised, Hamish turned to look at Erick and was even more surprised to see his eyes turning amber. Dane.

    "Calm down, Dane!" he hissed. "Are you trying to expose us here? Think of the consequences!"

    Erick then blinked his eyes and put a hand over his eyes. "Shoot. Sorry, I couldn''t control Dane," he apologised.

    Hamish patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t worry. No one noticed," he reassured.

    Erick then frowned as he continued to watch Amber joking around with the two guys. "Excuse me. I got some blasting to do," he said, brushing Hamish''s hand off his shoulder.

    Amber was laughing at the antics the two guys were telling. Apparently these two, Gary and Sam were members in the art club. They have been noticing how good Amber was when it comes to drawing that they suggested to her to join the art club. Amber has always been in the ''going-home'' club so she never thought of joining any other clubs.

    Gary then persuaded her by telling her of the fun things that they have done in their club. During one excursion, they went to visit the art museum, just to add in their portfolio. However, they were monkey-ing around too much that they got scolded by the security guards and nearly got thrown off the museum.

    Amber laughed as she listened.

    Just then, she felt an arm wrapping itself around her shoulders. She looked up to see Erick glaring at Gary and Sam with narrowed eyes.

    "What''s so funny here? Care to share?" he asked sarcastically.

    Amber just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at his rude tone.

    The two guys, who seem oblivious to Erick''s mood, laughed and began to repeat their story to Erick.

    However, the more they talked, the worse Erick''s mood became.

    He was about to shoot another sarcastic remark when Amber stuffed his mouth with a creampuff.

    Surprised at the sudden action, he could only chew. He then looked down at Amber and asked, "Is this from Mary''s Sweet Treats and Eats?" referring to Hamish''s mother''s bakery.

    Amber nodded as she took another piece from her bag. Apparently, she has a big paper bag of creampuff that she has stashed inside her school bag.

    Erick narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. "When did you go there?"

    "Uhhhˇ­ During lunch time?" she replied, looking innocent.

    "And who did you--" Before he could finish his question, Amber had stuffed another creampuff in his mouth. She then turned to Gary and Sam who watched with an amused look on their faces.

    "I''ll come over when I''m free," she answered, referring to the art club.

    Sam grinned. "You won''t regret it!"

    Erick just rolled his eyes, his arm still around Amber.

    ----

    Zoe, who was in the costume design group, scowled as she discreetly watched the jealous Erick trying to claim his ''property'', which in that case, was Amber.

    She had never seen him be so possessive about a person. It was so unlike him that she felt jealous. She also felt that Amber was so lucky. Despite not having such great looks, she still managed to get Erick''s attention.

    She sighed inwardly as she continued to sew on the clothes for her classmates.

    Even though she wanted to see them breakup, she did not have the heart to do so. Yes, she wanted to but deep inside her heart, she knew that it was impossible. She might be a brat, spoiled by her parents, getting anything that she wanted. But she doesn''t want to get what she wants this way.

    If she wants Erick, she would have to fight Amber fair and square.

    Watching how Erick tried to sneak in a kiss from Amber hurt her. But she has to endure the pain.

    One way or another, Erick will surely return to her!

    -----

    Lachlan looked at Fergus with a deep frown on his face. "Another missing person?" he repeated.

    Fergus nodded as he placed a file of papers in front of Lachlan.

    The two of them were at the police station, inside Lachlan''s office, where they were discussing the recent case.

    Recently, there have been cases of missing persons in town. The cases have increased to more than ten people. It hasn''t been reported in the news as they did not want to cause panic. However, the similarities about the missing person was that they were all homeless and aged below fifty years old and above twenty.

    Lachlan sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Since it was still election month, they have been busy with work, making sure that there was no danger with the elections.

    But now that there has been a case of missing persons, it seems like their work has doubled.

    "Who reported this?" Lachlan asked, as he opened the file that Fergus had placed in front of him.

    "The people from the community service," Fergus answered.

    In Burkendall, there was a community center where they catered to the homeless people. For those who were homeless, in need of shelter and food can come over to get both for free. It was a volunteering community, a non-profit organisation.

    However, it seems like some of the volunteers have noticed that their regular patrons were missing. They even went to places where these homeless people usually stay and found none.

    Lachlan rubbed his chin with his hand as he read the contents of the file. "Any leads?"

    Fergus shook his head.

    The two continued with their discussion, both wearing solemn looks on their faces.

    Shortly after, a call came in. Lachlan immediately picked it up and answered.

    As he listened to the call, his face became more solemn. Few minutes later, he hung up the phone and stood up. He grabbed his badge and jacket and turned to Fergus, who was looking at him curiously.

    "They found one of the homeless people at the outskirts of town," Lachlan said as he put on his jacket.

    Fergus nodded as he grabbed his own badge and jacket.

    Soon after, both Lachlan and Fergus arrived at an abandoned barnyard on the outskirts of the town. It was the same place where they had encountered the rogues.

    Fergus parked the police car and the two headed over. There was a bit of commotion where there were police lines everywhere, securing the crime scene.

    A few policemen were on duty as they surrounded the crime scene, ensuring no bystanders crossed the line. The place was usually quiet but because there was a crime scene, there were many curious spectators, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

    Lachlan pulled up the yellow police line and headed over to the crime scene technician, with Fergus following behind him. He began to shoot questions about what was going on.

    One of the forensic investigators joined them and told them about what they knew and found. Apparently, the victim was a thirty-three years old man who had his eyes gouged out and his heart dugged out. He was last seen a few days ago. He was walking alone near one of the alleys in town when he suddenly disappeared. He had just got back from the community service center when they realized that he never returned back to where he had slept every night.

    The investigator further told Lachlan and Fergus about how it seems like he was tortured before he was killed as seen by the missing fingernails and burn marks on his back.

    Lachlan then walked over to where the dead body was covered in a white sheet. The forensic investigator followed from behind.

    Lachlan crouched in front of the covered dead body and pulled the sheet up a little. He then peeked inside and frowned. It was a horrifying sight to see as most of his intestines were crushed.

    He then frowned deeper as he noticed some black, red and silver debris on his fingernails. He turned to the forensic investigator and asked whether he knew what the debris was.

    The forensic investigator gave Lachlan a strange look before answering. "That''s one of the puzzling things that we''ve found. From what we have found that those came from a plant called aconitine."

    Both Lachlan and Fergus turned to him, a shocked look on their faces. "Are you sure that''s from aconitine?" Fergus asked warily.

    The forensic investigator nodded, looking puzzled. "Yes, it was weird as to how it got there. From what we know, there aren''t any presence of aconitine plants in this town. And we don''t know how he got them in her fingernails."

    Fergus turned to Lachlan, frowning. ''Alpha, do you think this is related to the rogues or warlocks?'' he asked in the mind-link which he connected to Lachlan.

    ''I believe so. It seems like we need to talk more with Paccia,'' Lachlan answered back in the mind-link. ''And find out more about them. What''s the meaning of the gouged eyes and hearts.''

 Chapter 88 - 82: His family time

    It was nearly dinner time when Erick finally reached home from school. It has been busy at school but it seems like the preparation for the Open Day was nearly complete.

    All the decorations and props were already set up in their class. The food was already tasted and approved by everyone in class. The costumes were almost done as well. By the next two days, everything should be complete.

    Luella was in the kitchen, preparing dinner when she heard Erick walked in the house. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she called out as she flipped the beef sticks on the frying pan.

    "Okay," Erick answered back, sniffing the air. He drooled as he could smell the delicious waft of the beef sticks. "I''m gonna head for the shower."

    He ran up the stairs and went inside his room. Luka was lying on top of his bed. It looked up when it heard someone entering the room.

    It looked crestfallen when it realized that it was just Erick. It laid its head back down again, looking very disappointed.

    Erick rolled his eyes when he saw this. Ever since Luka had met Amber, it kept thinking that she would be walking into his room at any time. And it would be disappointed when it realized that it was just Erick. He really should invite Amber home next time, just to make Luka happy.

    He went and sat down on his bed and ruffled Luka''s mane playfully. "Eh! Getting all sad, are we? Who''s your owner? Me or Amber?" he retorted playfully.

    Luka rolled away from Erick''s hand and growled at him, as if scolding the latter for being annoying.

    Erick sighed as he got up from his bed. He could feel Dane snorting in amus.e.m.e.nt at him but he pushed Dane to the back of his mind. He doesn''t need another mangy mutt mocking him.

    He then grabbed his towel and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

    Shortly after, he went down to the kitchen, looking freshly showered, wearing just a tee-shirt and short pants.

    In the kitchen, his mother was setting up the table and he was surprised to see that she only set up for two seatings.

    He sat down at the dining table and watched his mother place the food on the table. Once she was done, Erick asked her, "Where''s dad?"

    His mother let out a sigh as she sat down. She placed food on his plate before serving herself and answered, "He''s working late today."

    "Again?" he said in surprise. What is going on in this town?

    Luella nodded. She began to eat, not wanting to continue the conversation.

    But it did not deter Erick from probing more. "Did something happen to the elections?" he asked curiously, referring to the hectic elections that were currently happening. Was the election that troublesome? He did not remember previous elections being this troublesome.

    Luella just shrugged as she munched on a beef stick.

    Erick frowned. He was sure that there was something going on that his mother was hiding. But he couldn''t be sure as to what.

    He sighed inwardly. It was better for him to not be involved. He recalled the time when he got involved at the abandoned barnyard and got into serious trouble. He even got Hamish into trouble.

    Even so, he did not regret it because that was when he first talked with Amber and also it led him to Luka. So, all things were good for him.

    The two ate their dinner in silence when several minutes later, they heard the front door open. Soon after, a voice called out, "I''m home!"

    Erick looked up from his plate as his father walked in, still wearing his jacket. His mother got up from her seat and took his jacket from him.

    Lachlan leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I''ll go freshen up first."

    Luella nodded as she went to hang his jacket on the coat rack.

    Once her husband went up to their room to freshen up, she then quickly set up another seating for Lachlan on the dining table.

    Shortly after, Lachlan returned back to the kitchen, looking all freshly showered. His sleeves rolled up his arms, showing his muscled arms. He looked like he was finally relaxed as he no longer looked tense as before.

    He sat down at the dining table and Luella began to serve him some food.

    The family of three continued to eat in silence until Erick broke the silence by asking Lachlan, "How come you''ve been working late, dad?"

    Lachlan paused. His fork was half-way to his mouth when Erick asked the question. He then ate a beef stick before answering, "It''s nothing, son. Work has been piling up ever since the elections started."

    "Has there been any trouble with the elections?"

    Lachlan shook his head. "None that I know of. Just some unrest in town," he answered simply.

    Luella tapped her fork against her plate and scolded the two of them gently, "No talks about work at the dining table."

    Erick mumbled, "Sorry, mom." Lachlan just reached out his hand and placed it on top of Luella''s, rubbing the back of her hand with a soft smile on his face.

    Lachlan then turned to Erick and asked, "How was the training with Latham?"

    Erick ate some mashed potatoes before answering, "It''s been good. We''ve been practicing our attacks and defense. Trying to get used to our wolf counterparts."

    Lachlan nodded. "But I''m sure that you''ve got it easy with Dane," he said.

    Erick grinned. "It''s an absolute breeze."

    "You don''t have any training tonight?" Luella asked her son as she sipped on her glass of orange juice.

    Erick shook his head. "None for tonight. Latham said that this week he has been busy at the workshop so he let us off for a week."

    Lachlan nodded in understanding. "No surprise. With the elections coming up, there are more people coming into town. And some drove with their cars. They probably brought their cars to his workshop to get them fixed or for maintenance."

    Erick shrugged. "Probably," he said as he chewed on a chicken drumstick.

    After they were done with dinner, Erick helped his mother with the cleanup, wiping the table clean and bringing the dirty dishes to the dishwasher.

    His father was in the living room, watching the late night news. A few minutes later, Luella joined him, tucking herself in his arms. She turned around when she saw Erick was about to climb up the stairs to his room. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked, looking curious.

    Erick stopped and turned to look at his mother. He then shook his head. "Nah, I''m just going to go to my room," he answered. He doesn''t have any plans to go to Amber''s house since he planned to take it slow.

    "Come and join us here," she invited. "It''s been awhile since we all watched TV together."

    Erick nodded. "Sure. I''ll go and get Luka."

    Soon after, they were all watching an old movie with the parents cuddling together on the sofa, Erick on an armchair and Luka lying down at his feet.

    Erick frowned as he read the title of the movie. He then turned to his parents and said sarcastically, "Really now? A Van Helsing movie?"

    Lachlan just shrugged. Luella grinned as she turned to look at Erick, who had a big frown on his face. "It''s a good classic horror," she commented.

    "And the werewolves there aren''t bad too," Lachlan added. "And watching the vampires getting their arses kicked are fun."

    Erick rolled his eyes as he got up from his chair. "I''m gonna make some popcorn."

    "Make more for us as well," his mother called out as he walked out of the living room.

    Few minutes later, Erick returned with two huge bowls of popcorn. The movie has already started where the scene depicted the time Van Helsing had killed Mr. Hyde.

    He handed one of the bowls to his mother and went to his chair. He grabbed a footstool and placed it in front of him. He then leaned against his chair with his legs propped up on the footstool.

    Seeing this, Luka jumped up from the floor and lay down on top of Erick''s leg.

    Looking down at Luka, Erick smiled. Luka looked like a huge blanket covering his legs.

    He then looked discreetly at his parents who were still cuddling with each other and sighed inwardly. Although he has found his mate, he wonders when he will be able to hug and cuddle her to his heart''s content.

    Looking at them now, he really felt like a third wheel.

    The more he thought about it, the more he missed her. He can''t wait to see her, even if it''s just at school.

 Chapter 89 - 83: Her family time

    Amber waved goodbye at Erick and Hamish, who waved back from inside the car. The two of them had sent her home everyday from school. Or more like, Erick had sent her home, Hamish just followed from behind.

    Ever since they always returned home late from school, Erick was adamant in sending her home. He did not want her to walk home, saying that it was dangerous to walk alone at night.

    There were times that Hamish would leave them alone and times where he joined them. That day, Hamish told Erick that he was too tired to speed that he wanted to join them in the car instead.

    Amber was a bit confused by what Hamish meant by ''speed''. But what she didn''t know was that he meant by using his shifter speed to run back home.

    After she watched the car drive off, she went inside her house. Inside, it was a bit quiet. Her mother was probably in the living room, knitting some clothes for her online store and Remi was probably in his bedroom, playing games.

    "I''m home!" she called out.

    Just then, she heard some rustling noise from the living room and soon after, she saw her mother walking out of the room, her unfinished knitted clothes in her hands.

    She smiled at her daughter and went over to give her a hug. "Welcome back, sweetie," she greeted.

    Amber grinned back as she returned her hug. "Hey there, mom."

    "I''ve left some food on the table for your dinner."

    Amber nodded. "I''ll go and freshen up first," she said.

    A few minutes later, she returned back to the front hall and went inside the living room. She then saw her mother, sitting in front of the television, knitting a cloth. Apparently, she was knitting some handkerchiefs to be sold in her online shop.

    "Hey mom?" Amber called out questionly. "Where''s dad?"

    She saw her mother stop knitting before answering, without turning her head. "He won''t be coming home tonight, sweetie. He got called out for work."

    Amber frowned. "Okay," she said slowly before heading into the kitchen.

    She was about to be done with her dinner when her mother walked in sans her knitted cloth. She watched as her mother joined her at the dining table.

    She slurped on her mushroom soup as her mother watched her with her chin propped on her hand. "So, how was school?" she asked.

    Amber shrugged. "The usual," she answered nonchalantly.

    "Have you been settling in just fine?" Her mother asked again.

    Amber nodded as she finished off her mushroom soup. "Yes. I''ve made lots of friends," she reassured her.

    She knew her mother was a bit worried about her. They have been moving a lot for the past few years.

    There were times that Amber had been alone, too scared to make friends. That was because she did not want to lose her friends anymore. Every time her family moved town because of her father''s work, she would lose contact with her previous friends. She did not want to go through that anymore.

    Fortunately, this year was different. She was planning to stay low profile, not wanting to make friends. But it seems that she felt at home in this town, more so than the other towns she had lived before. The people were too friendly. When she first introduced herself in class, she expected scorn and mockery from her classmates. To her surprise, there wasn''t any. Instead, it seems like they like her carefree and amusing attitude that she can''t help but lower her guard down.

    Her mother smiled gently. "That''s good," she said, looking a bit relieved. She knew how hard it was for Amber to move in when it was the middle of the school year.

    She then leaned closer to her daughter with a sly smile and asked cheekily, "So, which one is your boyfriend?"

    It was fortunate that Amber wasn''t drinking anything or she could have spurted the whole drink out. Though, she nearly dropped her dirty plate and bowl in surprise as she was about to carry them to the dishwasher.

    "W-what? Boyfriend? What are you talking about?" she squeaked, staring at her mother in disbelief.

    Her mother smiled cheekily. "Don''t act innocent with me, young lady! Isn''t one of them your boyfriend?" she asked. She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Don''t tell me those twoˇ­"

    "NO!"

    Amber quickly placed her dirty dishes in the dishwasher and washed her hands. She then turned to her mother with wide eyes. "Just no, mother!"

    Her mother shrugged. "I don''t mind, though."

    "But I do!" Amber protested, placing a hand against her forehead and sighed.

    "So, which one?"

    Amber suddenly feels embarrassed. She was quiet for a while before she answered in a soft voice. "It''s Erickˇ­"

    Her mother leaned closer, cupping her hand over her ear. "What? I can''t hear you, sweetie."

    "His name is Erick. He''s my boyfriend and the one who drives me home," Amber answered, her face turning red from embarrassment.

    Her mother grinned. "I see. Why don''t you invite him home for dinner? On a Tuesday, perhaps? Your father should be home early on that day."

    With that, she got up from the table and returned to the living room before Amber could say anything.

    A couple of hours later, Amber was in her room. She had just left her brother''s room and had spent time with him.

    She talked about what had happened in school and about how excited she was about the school''s Open Day. She then told him that she will definitely bring him over to her school and have fun with him. Remi grinned as he nodded excitedly.

    Inside her room, she quickly changed into her nightwear and began to apply her facial cream. Once done, she slid underneath her blanket and sighed.

    ''Invite Erick to dinner?'' she thought, staring up at the ceiling. She let out another sigh. This would be the first time she invited someone over to her house. And it would be her boyfriend too.

    She doesn''t know what to feel. Excited? Nervous? Happy? Probably all.

    She shook her head and thought that she shouldn''t think too much and just sleep.

    She did just that.

    -----

    Amber looked around her in confusion. She wasn''t sure where she was and all she could see was trees, trees and more trees. It seems like she was surrounded by them.

    She scratched her head, still feeling confused. She could have sworn that she was in her room, sleeping.

    Looking around her, although she was in a foreign place, she doesn''t feel uncomfortable. Instead, she felt like it was home. She took a step forward, being cautious. She did not want to invite any trouble. Who knows, there''s probably some ferocious beasts lurking around, waiting to pounce on her.

    As she became more brave, she took a few more steps forward before she walked around, studying those around her.

    She wasn''t sure but she felt like she was alone in this dense forest. There was only a small gap between the leaves up in the trees, casting sunlight onto the ground.

    She thought that she would walk non-stop without any purpose until she heard a small howl.

    She jumped in surprise, whirling around to see where the howling came from. She quickly ran to where the howling sound was stronger.

    The closer she went, the more confused she became. It was because she could have sworn that she heard her name being called out. How could that be?

    Moments later, she arrived at a large clearing, surrounded by trees. She walked forward, mesmerised by the howling sound and the calling of her name.

    She then stopped in front of a beautiful lake. The water in the lake was crystal clear, shining as the sunlight shone on it. Looking down, she could see her reflection.

    She bent down on her knees and touched the surface of the lake. The water felt cold under her fingertips.

    She then looked up and was surprised to see a white wolf staring at her.

    The two looked at each other, holding each other''s gaze. Again, Amber was enraptured by the beautiful white wolf in front of her. The mane looked soft, silky and white as snow. The eyes that stared into Amber''s eyes were strangely attractive with those copper hues.

    Just as she stood up, she could hear the word.

    "Mate."

 Chapter 90 - 84: Thats a foul!

    Amber rubbed the sides of her temples as she inwardly groaned. It has been a tiring night for her ever since she had that dream. She could not help but think of that white wolf that she immediately woke up after that. And then, she could not fall back asleep.

    And what was up with that ''mate'' thing?

    Last time, she also dreamed about that ''mate'' thing albeit differently.

    Sighing, she looked around her with consternation. She was in her classroom where everyone was busy setting up the final touches. The Open Day will be tomorrow so they were rushing to finish everything up.

    Amber had just finished painting some little bits of artworks on the canvas for the menu when Erick walked over, wearing his costume. He was wearing an informal Japanese clothing called yukata [1]. It was made of cotton, which was a bit light and airy, making it easier for him to walk around. It was all black, other than the cream-coloured belt that was tied around his waist.

    Looking up at him, she has to admit that it made him look even more handsome. Though, he looked like a foreign young master living it up in an Asian country.

    She was staring at him blankly that Erick could not help but tease her. "Have you fallen for me more?" he asked teasingly.

    Flushed red, she turned around without answering him, suddenly busy packing her art materials.

    Erick chuckled as he sat next to her. He brushed away a strand of her hair from her forehead and said, "Tell me when you''re ready to go home, okay?"

    It was then Amber remembered her mother''s invitation. She turned back to Erick and stammered, "Oh yesˇ­ Iˇ­ uhˇ­ Iˇ­"

    She became even more embarrassed. Why is it hard to ask a guy out for dinner or to tell him that her mother invited him for dinner?

    Erick tilted his head in question, a confused smile on his face. He thought it was cute to see her being nervous. It seems like that there was something she wanted to ask him. But he wasn''t sure what it was. So he could only wait patiently.

    Amber then decided that she would only ask him later when there were the two of them. But then she remembers that Hamish will be going with them later.

    She groaned inwardly. It seems like she was never going to have a private moment with him. She couldn''t possibly ask him through a message, could she? It wouldn''t seem right. It''s more personal to ask him out verbally than through a message.

    She let out a sigh and said quietly to him, "I''ll just tell you later."

    Erick frowned but nodded.

    He sneaked a glance at Hamish, who was standing a few meters away. He was helping one of their classmates to rearrange the tables and chairs, as well as setting up a wooden divider someone brought from home.

    Hamish, sensing Erick was looking at him, turned his head around. Then he saw Erick making signals with his eyes towards Amber, who was still packing her things.

    Hamish looked at Amber, who had her back towards him and back again at Erick. It was then he understood what the latter meant.

    He quickly finished setting up everything with the others and walked towards Erick, who was still sitting next to Amber.

    "Yo," Hamish greeted.

    Amber looked up with a smile and said, "Hey Hamish. What''s up?"

    Hamish just shrugged. He then turned to Erick. "I''ll be going off with Isaac later. You don''t have to wait for me," he said with a poker face.

    Behind Amber, Isaac was carrying posters to be posted outside the classroom when he heard Hamish''s comment. His face was clearly saying, ''You will? I am?''

    Hamish narrowed his eyes at him warningly without Amber noticing.

    Isaac then began to laugh out loud awkwardly. "Ha ha ha. Yeah, Iˇ­ Erˇ­ need some help from Hamish," he lied, still laughing awkwardly.

    Amber''s mouth formed an ''o''. "Do you guys need some help?" she asked. Seeing that she was one of the committee members, it wouldn''t be fair if Hamish does all the work.

    Isaac shook his head. "Nah, we''ll be fine."

    Before Amber could protest, Erick stood up and said with a grin, "Alright then. We''ll finish things up here and then we''re good to go."

    He looked down at Amber, who looked a bit confused and said, "I''ll go around and check if anyone needs any help. Just look for me when you''re done."

    Amber could only nod.

    Few minutes later, their class was fully decorated. Chairs and tables were arranged like those in the restaurants with tablecloths and a small sign stand with a menu written on it. Posters with their theme were pasted outside their classroom, with decors beautifying the door frames. There was also a wooden divider that separated the dining area from the ''kitchen'', where there were more tables to place their oven, portable stove, cooking utensils and drink stations. Just near the door was another two tables for the hostess and cashier.

    On the walls of the class, there were many drawings with a Japanese theme and most specifically Japanese food. They even pasted a Japanese style lamp on the ceiling to make the place more authentic.

    Looking around the classroom, everyone in the class felt proud of themselves as they cheered heartily, congratulating each other on their hard work.

    Shortly after, they all went home with a big smile on their faces. Each of them carrying their costumes in their arms to be worn tomorrow. Some even made arrangements to sleep over at the other''s house to prepare themselves together.

    Even though Amber wanted to sleep over at her friend''s house, she couldn''t. Not because she hadn''t told her parents about it but because she never went to any sleepover before. She never made any close friends to do any sleepover.

    She sighed. Maybe next time, she thought as she walked out of the room with Erick walking beside her.

    Noticing her mood, Erick looked down and asked, "What''s up? You seem distracted since earlier."

    Amber jumped in surprise. She then laughed awkwardly. "Ah, it''s nothing," she replied quickly. Earlier, she was stressing over the invitation. Now, it''s a different thing.

    It was then she realized that she will be alone with Erick for the trip home. She began to flushed red at the realization. It has been awhile since she was alone with Erick.

    She then thought about the invitation. She peeked a glance at him. ''I should tell him later then,'' she thought vehemently.

    Outside at the student parking lot, Erick opened the car door for her before going over to the driver''s side and slid in. Inside, once Amber was seated, he leaned across her and put on the seat belt for her.

    She became nervous at the close proximity that when Erick straightened up, he looked at her and saw her blushing. "Are you that nervous being alone with me?" he teased.

    Amber glared and punched him on the shoulder playfully. "Stop it!" she protested.

    Erick just chuckled as he switched on the ignition. After the car had started, he switched on his music player. A soft melody drifted out of the speaker, sending blissful vibes to the two occupants.

    ''I will always love you,

    I will always stay true,

    There''s no one who could love you like I do,

    Come to me now.

    I will never leave you,

    I will stay here with you,

    Through the good and bad I will stand true,

    I''m in love with you [2]''

    She began to feel warm as her heart beat furiously, especially when Erick sang the last words softly as he took her hand and held it tight.

    Letting out a long breath, trying to calm herself down, she turned her head to Erick, who was still singing softly to the song. She really didn''t expect that this manly guy would listen to beautiful love songs like these.

    Hence why she asked, "Do you love all these mushy love songs? I didn''t expect this out of you."

    Erick glanced at her before turning back to the road as he drove. "Not really. I only listened to these songs because they reminded me of you."

    ''That''s a foul!'' she protested in her heart.

    As if knowing what she was thinking, he shot her a cheeky grin and a wink before turning back again to the road.

    Amber pouted. "Anyway..." she said slowly, still trying to calm herself.

    "Yeah?"

    "Would you like to come over to my house for dinner?"

    -----

    [1] Check the photo of Yukata here: kyotokimono-rental.com/en/column/japanese-traditional-dress.html

    [2] In love with you by Jacky Cheung and Regine Velasquez

 Chapter 91 - 85: Open Day!

    Erick was in his room and was about to play his games, after sending Amber off to her house. In front of his bed was his large bean bag chair, which his father bought for him a couple of days ago.

    He had requested for this for a long time. He reasoned it out by saying that it was a perfect furniture that goes with his game consoles. At least he can relax on the bean bag while playing his games.

    And his father did buy him the bean bag, much to Erick''s happiness. Lachlan said it was a gift for finding his mate. Luella rolled her eyes when she heard this because she knew how much Lachlan spoiled Erick and that his reason for buying the bean was nonsense.

    Laying down on the bean bag, Erick again recalled the time when Amber was alone with him in the car and she was asking him out for dinner.

    "Would you like to come over for dinner?" she had asked.

    He thought it was incredibly cute of her looking so nervous that it took everything in him not to cuddle her at that moment. But then again, she has always been so adorable. She further shot him down with her cuteness when she quickly stammered that the dinner was probably after the Open Day, which was tomorrow. She said that she wouldn''t want him to get distracted.

    Erick thought it was high-time that he gets to officially meet her family. And he do hope that he would be able to become friends with his ''brother-in-law''.

    He quickly answered ''yes''.

    She had looked relieved that he had answered yes. Did she thought that he would say ''no''? That would be impossible.

    Little did he know, she was only relieved because she finally got that question out. And she no longer feels awkward.

    With his game controller in his hands, he played his games. Few minutes later, his door was opened and Hamish walked in with a huge shopping bag and a duffel bag.

    He sat down on the bed, with Erick in front of him. He placed the two bags on top of the bed and said, "Brought some snacks."

    Erick just nodded as he concentrated on playing a game. He was playing a FIFA ''19 game on a game station.

    Hamish got up and grabbed a small table to place the shopping bag. He then began to take out some of the snacks from inside. There were a couple of huge potato ch.i.p.s bags, some packets of chocolate chip cookies, three bags of sunflower seeds, a couple of fizzy drinks and five chocolate bars.

    Erick took a glance at what Hamish had brought and asked suspiciously, "And your mom allows you to eat all of this junk food?"

    Hamish grabbed one of the potato ch.i.p.s bags and tore it open. He tossed a chip into his mouth before answering, "Told her that it was for you."

    Erick rolled his eyes and continued playing. Though, he did grab one of the fizzy drinks and opened it. He then took a sip before continuing his game.

    Few minutes later, he started a new game and this time, Hamish joined him. The two played the game until the wee morning. All of the snacks that Hamish brought was long gone.

    The next morning. The day for Open Day.

    It was fortunate that Hamish had told his parents earlier that he was staying over to Erick''s house for that night. He knew that he would be playing games with Erick until late at night, hence why he was already prepared.

    He even brought along his costume with him for the Open Day.

    That morning, the two of them sleepily got themselves ready. Although Luella had scolded them a lot for sleeping in late, they still managed to dress themselves up.

    She quickly prepared some coffees for them and some sweet buns she bought from Mary''s bakery.

    Once they were done, they went straight for Erick''s car to get to school. Luella managed to tell them before they left that she will be visiting the school later with Hamish''s mother. The two of them inwardly groaned when they heard her. Their fathers weren''t able to come since they were busy with work.

    When they arrived at school, the place was already lively with activities. It looked as if everyone was in the school at that moment. The entrance to the gate was colorful with banners and props all over. There were many stalls just in front of the school, where students had set them up for their clubs.

    Students were roaming around the area, laughing and talking as they explored the place. The school was in full swing with excited chatter and talks.

    There were also teachers on duty and some security guards who were walking around the area, to make sure that there weren''t any accidents or problems occurring.

    It seems like most of the events for the Open Day will be held outside the school, at the gym and in the classrooms.

    After Erick had parked the car, the two of them heard the announcement from the school speakers, announcing that every student was to go to the assembly hall for a quick briefing.

    Erick and Hamish immediately set off for the assembly hall. As they headed towards the hall, they did not notice many people stopping and pointing at them in amazement. Though, they did hear them complimenting at how handsome the two of them were. The two of them were wearing yukata, with Hamish''s at a slightly darker tone, compared to Erick''s. Since the two of them do not have the traditional Japanese slippers, they could only wear their flip flops. Although they looked very casual, it made them look more refreshing.

    Many people, especially the girls were mesmerized at how stunning the two looked. One was a brooding good-looking guy, wearing glasses with his short sandy brown hair combed to the side. The other one was another good-looking guy with his dark hair slicked back. It seems like he had run his hand through his hair a lot as it looked a bit messy. What made the girls giggled and discreetly fawned over them was the fact that they could see a bit of skin as the guys did not wear any shirt inside their yukata, other than their undergarments and short pants.

    Few minutes later, they were done with the assembly and the two young shifters went straight to their classroom. Though, they got sidetracked along the way with many of the girls wanting to take a photo with them. Erick gently rejected them since he wanted to take the first photo with Amber.

    After the two managed to escape from the girls, they finally reached their classroom.

    It seems like everyone was already inside the class. Those who were in-charge of the cooking had already started, as Erick could smell the delicious sweet scent of the pastries.

    Zoe was standing outside, in front of the classroom door when the two arrived. She was manning the front, getting ready to do her job as a hostess. Her eyes brightened up when she saw Erick walking towards her.

    She quickly rushed over and slipped an arm around his and asked, "How come you''re late?"

    Although she knew she had no chance with him, it did not stop her from wanting to look nice in front of him. And at least, she wanted to be complimented by someone she likes.

    Erick inwardly cringed. Although her scent wasn''t as repulsive as before, he still could not tolerate another female touch, other than his mate and mother. And Dane was growling inside his mind, telling him to kick her away.

    He gently pried his arm away and gave her a small smile. "We got called out," he quickly replied. He then looked around as if he was looking for someone and asked, "Has Amber arrived in school yet?"

    Zoe pouted when she heard him asking about Amber, instead of complimenting her about her clothes. "I don''t know," she answered lazily as she couldn''t be bothered to know about her love rival.

    "Anyway, what do you think of my clothes?" she asked, instead, whirling around to show off her curves and her beautiful hair bun.

    Erick took a glance and said distractedly, "Yeah, yeah. It''s good." He then rushed inside to look for Amber.

    Zoe let out a sigh.

    Hamish looked over and patted her on the shoulder. "It''s better to look for another guy." He then walked in to join Erick.

    Inside, Erick was looking for Amber as he tried to discreetly smell her scent. Though, it was a bit hard since he got distracted with the delicious smells from the baking. And then, his friends keep stopping him to compliment him on his clothes and to start a conversation with him.

    Shortly after, he saw a familiar blonde head peeking out from where the divider was placed. As he got closer, he could hear her sweet laughter and giggles.

    He then walked around the divider and grinned.

    Amber, who was munching on one of the pastries, turned around. When she saw Erick standing in front of her, she grinned back.

    "Hi!"

 Chapter 92 - 86: Mate?

    Although it has only been less than a day since he last saw Amber, Erick couldn''t help but miss her once more. After the last mission that took him nearly a week away from her, he did not want to go through that again.

    He looked around the classroom, trying to look for Amber as he dodged his other classmates'' attempts to strike a conversation with him.

    Shortly after, he saw a familiar blonde head peeking out from where the divider was placed. As he got closer, he could hear her sweet laughter and giggles.

    He then walked around the divider and grinned.

    Amber, who was munching on one of the pastries, turned around. When she saw Erick standing in front of her, she grinned back. She was wearing a yukata as well. It was soft blue with white and yellow flower patterns all over it. The sash that was used to tie the yukata closed was yellow with a white rope. Her blonde hair was tied up in a loose chignon with flower hairpins securing the hair up. Several hair strands got loose from the chignon, framing her face, making her eyes more round. She wore only light makeup, giving her a fresh and pure look.

    "Hi!" she greeted him happily.

    Erick was mesmerized at first, stunned at how pretty she looked. He then chuckled when he saw bits of crumbs at the corner of her lips. He reached out a hand and thumbed the crumbs away. He licked his thumb and grinned. "Yummy."

    Amber began to blush furiously. "What''s up?" she asked.

    "I just missed you."

    She began to blush even more. She bit her lower lip as she looked down at her feet, looking bashful. "Me too," she said softly.

    The two of them became quiet, with one of them still feeling shy to look at the other in the eye and the other still staring and smiling gently.

    Dana, who was watching the two of them flirt, stepped forward. "Alright. Enough flirting. Let''s get to work," she said, pushing the two of them out of the cooking area.

    "B-b-butˇ­! I''m on the tasting team! I should be near the food!" Amber protested.

    "We''ll call you when the food is ready. For now, you can walk around and do whatever you want," Dana said, with her hands on her h.i.p.s.

    Just then, Hamish walked over and grabbed Erick by the arm. "And you need to get us some customers," he said, pulling the latter to outside the classroom.

    Erick looked over his shoulder at Amber and said, "I''ll see you later! We''ll go around when I''m free!"

    Amber nodded as she waved goodbye.

    After Erick and Hamish had left the classroom, Amber looked around her, with her hands on her h.i.p.s. "Nowˇ­ What shall I do?" she mumbled to herself.

    Outside the classroom, Erick stretched his arms up as he walked together with Hamish. In Hamish''s arms were a pile of advertis.e.m.e.nt papers for their class cafe.

    It was a great sight to see two incredibly handsome guys walking together. There were girls who peeked out of their classroom just to take a glimpse at them and there were those who blatantly walked out of their class to vocally express their admiration to the two guys.

    Since he was used to this, Erick only gave them a smile as he walked past them, resulting in little shrieks from his many fans. Hamish just inwardly rolled his eyes.

    Few minutes later, Erick yawned loudly as he slipped a hand under the lapel of his yukata, scratching his head.

    Hamish, who was also wearing a yukata but a slightly darker color than Erick''s, glanced at him and frowned. "Be more proactive," he scolded as they walked out of the school and into the school''s front yard, where many stalls have been set-up.

    Erick let out a long breath. He still feels a bit sleepy. He sneaked a glance at Hamish and wondered how he didn''t look as tired as he was.

    ''That''s because your stamina is weak,'' Dane reprimanded in his mind. ''You need more training.''

    Erick ignored him as he inwardly rolled his eyes.

    Out on the school front yard, the atmosphere was energetic and vigorous with music blasting off in the school speakers, bringing life to everyone who was there at that moment. People wore their fun and comfortable clothes as they chatted with one another, laughing and having fun. The place itself was full of colours with bright-coloured party banners and garlands all over the stalls. The food vendors weaved through the visiting people where the aroma of their food blanketing the air, sending delicious smell everywhere.

    Erick sniffed the air. The delicious smell made his stomach growl. Even Dane was barking happily in his mind. If he didn''t know better, he would have thought Dane was a dog.

    Noticing that Erick was getting distracted, Hamish pulled him away from the food stalls. He then led the way to the entrance of the school where the other students were also standing around, passing out their flyers.

    Some of the girls who were standing there squealed in delight when they saw Erick and Hamish walking towards them.

    The two of them saw a couple of their friends from the football team who were also standing there passing out the papers. They all greeted each other with a wave. Erick fistbumped with one of them.

    "So, you two got thrown into this job?" their friend said jokingly.

    His name was Flynn Gibbs whose position in the team was Wide Receiver. Although he has a large body, he also has a big heart; friendly to everyone. With his curly fiery red hair and sparkling green eyes, he exuded a charisma that was unlike others, charming everyone with his bright smile. And because of his friendly personality, some people had dubbed him the ''Fiery Teddy Bear''. Those who weren''t close to him would call him by his name but his close friends would call him, ''Bear''. And those include Erick and Hamish.

    Erick groaned as he linked his hands behind his hand. "Yup," he answered. "You too, Bear?"

    Bear grinned. "Yeah." Noticing that more people had walked into their campus, he quickly handed them flyers. "Hello and welcome to Burkendall High School. Come and visit us on the first floor! We''re doing a play on Macbeth."

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. So, it seems like Jeayan''s class will be doing a play. Both Bear and Jeayan were in the same class.

    He then saw Hamish at the front, handing out the papers. There were some girls, probably from other schools, who stopped to take a selfie with him. Not wanting to rain on his parade, Erick just stood back. After all, he was still saving his first photo with Amber.

    Few minutes later, they ran out of papers and decided to get more. They went back to their classroom, waving goodbye at Bear and the others, as well as wishing them good luck.

    Before they entered the entrance of the school, both Erick and Hamish noticed that they have people following them. Especially the girls. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they led them to their classroom.

    Outside their classroom, there was already a line to get inside. Zoe and another girl were manning the front, smiling gently at the customers waiting in line.

    Hamish proceeds to get more flyers from Zoe and turn back around. However, this time, he said to Erick, "You stay here and help them."

    He turned his head around at Zoe and said, "You, come with me."

    Zoe frowned. Although she did not want to go around in the heat, Hamish was one of the committee members and she had to listen to him. Hence why she unwillingly followed him without a word.

    Along the hallway, Hamish handed her some of the flyers to pass around. Then the two of them became quiet again.

    When they reached the exit, Hamish suggested, "Why don''t you go at the stalls over there and pass the flyers around?"

    "What about you?" she asked, a frown marred her beautiful face.

    "I''ll be at the entrance," he said. "You can find me there if there''s anything you need."

    Zoe gave out a small pout and said, "Okay."

    ''What''s the point of him telling her to pass some stupid flyers around when he will be going somewhere else?'' she thought grudgingly as she stomped quietly towards another direction.

    She walked past the food stalls, forcing a smile on her face as she passed some flyers to people nearby.

    Similarly to everyone in her class, she was also wearing a yukata. It was a red yukata with a yellow flower pattern all over. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun, slicked back, giving her a neat look. Beautiful flower hair pins that looked like a lily adorned her hair. Although she looked beautiful, she doesn''t feel like it, especially when the person she wanted to notice sees her as invisible.

    She inwardly sighed as she continued to walk around.

    Before she realized it, she found herself inside the gym. Apparently, most of the sports clubs held their mini games here. She could see the football club was having a mini kicking game, the soccer club was having ''check your heading [1] skills'' and the basketball club were having a hoop game.

    She continued to walk around, ignoring the wolf whistles around her. She then stopped and watched some guys playing hoops.

    "Mate?"

    -----

    [1] A header is a technique that is used in association football to control the ball using the head to pass, shoot or clear. This can be done by standing, jumping or diving position. Header is a common technique and is used by players in almost every match (Taken from Wikipedia).

 Chapter 93 - 87: Dexs first meeting with Zoe

    Dex wiped the sweat from his forehead after he was done putting the basketballs inside a cage trolley. He had been pushing the basketball cart from their club room to the gym. Since his basketball club will be having their mini games at the gym, they had to bring along as many basketballs as they could.

    His class was actually doing a play on Macbeth. But because he doesn''t have a role in the play and since he was the basketball captain, he had asked for permission to concentrate more on his club than his class.

    Though he did help his class on setting up the stage play and rearranging the seating. Once he was done helping, he had rushed over to his club to help out with the hoops and setting up the game. His other basketball mates were busy with their own classes so sometimes he worked on the setup alone.

    Open Day has started and before he went to his club, he went to his class and did whatever he could to help. But knowing that he was also busy with his club, Jeayan had pushed him out of the class and told him that they got this.

    He had already worn his basketball jersey from home. And he had also worn his school jacket over his jersey. So, he didn''t have to change his clothes at school.

    After he was done transferring the balls inside the trolley, he turned around when he heard a commotion at the other side of the gym. The football club was occupying the other side of the gym, just across theirs. The soccer club, on the other hand, occupied the middle top. In other words, the basketball team was on the right, the soccer team was in the middle and the football team was on the left of the gym.

    Looking over, he noticed that Erick and Hamish weren''t there at the football team. It was as if they weren''t involved in the team activities at all. At one time, he did see Erick and Hamish coming over to help but today, he didn''t see them at all. Curious, he walked over to their stall.

    Two guys were arranging the footballs on the floor and the others were fixing the target area for the kicking. It seems like the guys at the football team were laxing when it comes to their activity. Looking over at the table where they placed the prizes, there wasn''t much other than towels and stationeries.

    "Where''s your captain and vice cap?" Dex asked out loud when he approached them.

    His question made the guys at the football team paused in their actions. Then one of them asked back, "Why are you looking for him?"

    They know that Dex doesn''t have a friendly relationship with Erick so it made them suspicious as to why he was looking for the latter. Even though they never saw them fight but whenever their path crossed, they would exchange verbal insults to one another. Though, it was more like Dex was throwing the insults and Erick was ignoring him.

    They don''t know why the two seem to be at loggerheads with one another. But it was fortunate that it wasn''t as terrible as it sounds like.

    "Just curious as to why he''s not here," Dex answered, shrugging. "Did he got kicked out of the team?" he further joked.

    One of them stood up and glared at him. "No, he''s busy with his class."

    Dex scoffed. "What kind of team captain is he for not helping out here?" he mocked.

    "We told him not to worry much since we could handle it," they answered back.

    Dex just shrugged. "Right," he said sarcastically before walking away.

    He didn''t want to admit it but he felt a bit envious at how Erick seems to have good teammates to back him up. He knew that the latter didn''t care about going all out for the Open Day. In fact, he knew that the whole football team themselves didn''t care about it. If it wasn''t for the fact that it was compulsory for all sport teams in the school to join, they probably didn''t do anything for the Open Day.

    He looked back and watched as the guys at the football team continued to laze around, sitting on the floor, laughing and joking around. It did not matter that no one was approaching their booth as they were too carefree.

    Dex sighed as he looked at his basketball team''s booth. Although it looked lively than the football team''s as there were more people at theirs, he knew that the other sports team was having more fun than them.

    Looking at his bored teammates who failed at attempting to look like they were having fun, he sighed.

    It was his idea to have the hoop game. At first, they protested because they do not want to put too much effort into it. They wanted to just bring their game station and play basketball video games. But Dex was adamant to have something more physical. He wanted to have something memorable for the Open Day.

    Last year, he wasn''t the team captain and all they did was setting up an exhibition, showcasing their trophies and medals. It was boring for him. Since the previous team captain had graduated, he decided to make something fun.

    Unfortunately, like Erick, his teammates wanted to concentrate more on their classes since they wanted their class to win the competition. It was not that they do not like basketball. And they were passionate about basketball, just like Dex. But since the competition applies only to classes, not clubs, it was obvious why they wanted to concentrate more on their classes than their clubs.

    Sitting down at one of the chairs provided, he watched as his teammates showed the people who stopped by their booth on how to shoot.

    Few minutes later, he, too, got up from his seat and began to shoot from afar, gaining a small applause from the little crowd. He talked and joked with the people who were queuing for their turn.

    There were ten people in the basketball team with five of them as reserves. They were having turns to manned the booth. At that moment, it was the regular player''s turn to manage, while the reserves went to their class.

    Dex was about to get ready to change his shift when he heard some people wolf whistling. It was then he felt Rollo stirring inside him.

    It was a bit strange since he had never felt Rollo behaving this way. He was usually quiet inside him. Just then, he suddenly felt like his nose began to twitch and to his shock, he felt like his teeth were slowly growing long.

    Rollo was trying to force himself out!

    Dex quickly hid himself from other people''s sight and bit his lips until it drew blood. ''Deng it, Rollo,'' he cursed in his mind. ''What is wrong with you? Control yourself, you b*stard!''

    Soon after, Dex could hear Rollo''s voice. ''Mateˇ­''

    Dex''s eyes widened. He whirled around and began to look around.

    It was then he saw a girl, standing nearby the basketball team''s booth. She was wearing something like a robe in red. Her black hair was tied up in a bun, showing that pale nape of hers. She was watching the people shooting some hoops.

    As he got closer, he realized there was a faint flowery scent that smelled like fresh flowers coming from her. He came even closer and the scent became stronger.

    When he stood behind her, he accidentally slipped out a question. "Mate?"

    The girl in front of him suddenly turned around. He was then taken aback by her beautiful face. She was gorgeous with strands of black hair framing her face. Her eyes were black, so dark that he felt like sinking in those dark deep depths. Her lips were painted red, so alluring that it made him want to lick them off.

    It was then he realized that there were other guys who were ogling her from behind. He looked up and glared at them, frightening them away.

    "Um, what did you say?" a soft voice asked.

    Dex turned back around and saw the confused look on the gorgeous girl. He quickly discreetly smelled her scent and his eyes widened. A human??

    He became confused. Why is it that his mate was a human, just like Erick''s?

    Looking down at the girl, he then thought that it did not matter whether his mate was a human or not. As long as he found his mate, he was satisfied.

    Letting out a smile, he said, "It was nothing. And hello, my name is Dex Kendall."

    The girl frowned. "Kendall?" she repeated. "Are you by any chance related to Erick Kendall?"

    With his smile becoming strained at being reminded of Erick, he reluctantly answered, "You might say that. His grandfather was a younger brother of my grandfather."

    "Oh, I see," the girl murmured. She then smiled as she held out her hand, "I''m Zoe. One of the head cheerleaders for the football team."

    He took her hand and shook it. Rollo began to growl happily inside his mind. "Pleasure to meet you. Are you, by any chance, free to look around the school with me?" he asked with a flirtatious grin.

 Chapter 94 - 88: Scammed by a little shifter

    Lachlan scratched the back of his head as he read the reports that his subordinates had sent to him. He was in his office at the police station. He had just finished meeting up with the two candidates for the elections. As for now, there were only two parties; the Hilliard and Zant.

    He has been busy lately, what with the elections as well as the killing of the homeless. The votes had become intense lately that no one could predict who would win. And Lachlan couldn''t help but feel something was a bit off with Mateo Zant. Although he felt like a nice person, hosting charities and giving motivational talks every now and then, Lachlan felt like he was hiding something.

    As for the killing of the homeless, he was confused and baffled as to why they were targeted. And he had to admit that the perpetrators were smart to not leave any evidence behind. Nor could his shifter subordinates be able to smell anything at the crime scene.

    He was still reading the reports when one of his subordinates, also a shifter, knocked on his door.

    "Come in."

    The door opened and a tall and lean man walked in. He was wearing a police uniform and it seems like he had just got back from patrolling the area. "Sir! We have found more victims, just near the dam, outskirts of town," he reported. Since they were working, Lachlan had given permission to the shifters in his pack to call him, ''Sir'', instead of ''Alpha''. This was to ensure that the non-shifters would not become suspicious.

    Lachlan abruptly stood up with his palms on top of his desk. "What? What happened to the people who were supposed to be patrolling that area?" he exclaimed in surprise.

    His subordinate''s face grew grave as he continued to report, "They were also dead."

    Lachlan froze. "But those people were also from the pack," he said slowly.

    His subordinate just nodded.

    Lachlan''s eyes narrowed. It seems like this case wasn''t as simple as it looks. The fact that his packmates were killed, it shows that the perpetrators were probably not human beings as well. He raised his head and asked, "Where are their bodies?"

    "We managed to get the bodies away before anyone could bring them out," his subordinate said solemnly.

    Lachlan nodded. "We''ll have Paccia check on the bodies before giving them a proper burial," he said, a grave look still on his face.

    His subordinate nodded. "Also, there are reporters who are waiting for an interview about the killings," he further reported. "They''re at the crime scene."

    Lachlan inwardly groaned. What he hated the most when it comes to this job was the fact that he has to deal with the reporters. Seeing that the case of the killing has escalated to new heights where policemen were also killed, they definitely would not be able to hide the news any longer.

    He placed a hand against his forehead and let out a sigh. "I''ll go and deal with them," he said. "For now, go continue patrolling the other areas. Inform Deputy Chief Cairns about this. Let him deal with the bodies."

    His subordinate nodded and left the room after giving a salute.

    Lachlan let out another sigh as he put his hands on his h.i.p.s, leaning his head back. Seems like he won''t be able to go to Erick''s Open Day, even if he wanted to.

    -----

    It was finally time for Erick to take his break. He waited outside the classroom with his arms crossed across his chest, smiling at those who have waved at him in greeting. He also gently rejected those who wanted to have a selfie with him since he hadn''t taken a photo with Amber yet.

    Amber was still inside. Seeing that she doesn''t have a role, other than fixing the costumes and being the food tester, as she self-proclaimed, she has been busy helping with the serving as well. Earlier, she wanted to help with the food preparation but Dana had pushed her out of the area, saying that she doesn''t trust Amber with it. It was not that she was worried that Amber would mess up, she was more worried about the fact that Amber might sneak in a little bite, which may end up sneaking in the whole plate.

    She had just cleaned up after the customers when one of her classmates walked up to her and said, "Hey, Amber. Your break is up. Better get going. Erick is waiting for you outside."

    Amber looked up from wiping the table and nodded. Her hair was slowly loosening itself from her chignon that she pinned her hair with more hair pins to secure them up. Although she looked a bit tired, it doesn''t seem to make her less bright as she grinned widely. She quickly wiped the tables and folded the small towel. She placed the towel on a table where they placed the cleaning supplies.

    She waved goodbye and walked out of the classroom. One of her classmates who was taking over her shift gave her a thumbs up.

    When Amber finally walked out with a small bag which contained her pocket money and phone, Erick was chatting with one of their classmates who was manning the front. They stopped talking when she came and stood next to Erick.

    He looked down at her with a gentle smile and asked, "Ready?"

    Amber nodded, smiling back. Then the two of them went on their way.

    They began to talk with each other about the Open Day and what they have been doing. Since Erick had spent most of his time outside, rather than inside, they didn''t really talk with one another until now.

    Along the way, they met up with Hamish, who was about to return to the class for his break. He greeted them with a wave. And knowing that these two wanted to be alone, he didn''t join them.

    Shortly after, they reached one of the classrooms and saw Jeayan standing outside of the class. She was calling out for more customers, inviting them in. Her smile widened when she saw Erick and Amber walking over.

    She beckoned at them to come closer. When Erick was in front of her with Amber beside him, Jeayan began her sales pitch. "Hey, hey! Want to watch something extraordinary?"

    "What is it?" Erick asked, even though he knew what the play was all about from Bear.

    "MacBeth!" Jeayan answered with a smug look on her face.

    "Andˇ­?" Erick said slowly, c.o.c.king an eyebrow.

    Jeayan leaned closer to Erick, careful to not let Amber hear anything she says. "It''s a chance for you to get closer to your mate. When there''s a scary part, you can be sure that she will hold your hand gratefully."

    Erick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Scary part?" he repeated.

    Jeayan nodded. "Yeah, this is Shakespeare''s supernatural thriller! I''m acting as one of the witches!" she answered, a proud look on her face, with her hands on her h.i.p.s.

    It was then Erick just realized that she was dressed as a witch; her hair was messy underneath the witch hat. She even wore a fake crooked long nose and thick black eyeliner. There were also fake eyebags underneath her eyes and lines of wrinkles on the corner of her eyes and mouth, making her look old and tired. She wore a long black dress with patches on some parts. The hem of her dress reached below her knees and looked as if it was torn. To complete the costume, she was holding a plastic dark brown wand, a black ankle sock and black shoes.

    "Deng. I have to admit. But your costume is awesome," Erick commented, looking surprised. "If you hadn''t talked to me, I wouldn''t have recognized you at all!"

    Jeayan inwardly rolled her eyes at his lie. He definitely knows her from her scent alone. She then tugged on his arm playfully. "Come on and watch the play! It''s going to start in a few minutes!"

    Erick frowned. He turned to Amber as if to ask for her opinion. Amber just shrugged. She doesn''t really mind anyway if they go in or not.

    He then turned back and said, "Alright then. Two tickets please."

    "That will be six dollars please," Jeayan said, beaming as she held out two tickets.

    Erick''s mouth dropped open. "Isn''t it free?" he said.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes. "Nothing in this world is free!" she declared.

    Ignoring Erick''s muttering, she took the money and handed it to her classmate who was in-charge of the tickets. She then asked, "Oh, do you want some popcorn?"

    Erick raised an eyebrow. "You have popcorn too?" he asked.

    "Of course, we do! It wouldn''t be fun to watch without popcorn!"

    Erick turned back to Amber again, who nodded excitedly. It seems like the thought of eating popcorn is much more exciting than watching the play.

    "Four bags of popcorn please, then."

    "That will be two dollars each," Jeayan answered with a beaming smile. "For drinks, that''s an additional one dollar each."

    Erick''s eyes widened. Did he get scammed by this little shifter?

    Jeayan pulled up a small hoop and placed it on a wall. She then handed him a small ball and pointed on a small red plaster that was on the floor a few steps away. "You can get one of your popcorn for free if you score a basket."

    Erick let out a sigh and did as she said. However, just as he was about to shoot, Jeayan suddenly coughed out loud, startling Erick into missing the basket.

    He whirled around in confused anger. He was about to snap at her when she suddenly pushed both Erick and Amber into the classroom, together with their popcorn. "Alright now. Enjoy the play! I''ll see you later and don''t forget the money later for the popcorn!"

    Erick let out a sigh as he stood just inside the classroom, with the popcorn in his arms. Amber stood beside him, chuckling when she saw his resigned look. She patted him on the back and said, "Aw, don''t be sad. At least we have some popcorn to enjoy."

    Erick smiled weakly at her poor attempt at comforting. It seems like she was actually bad at comforting others.

    He smoothly wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to some couple of empty seats. He then thought to himself that it did not matter that she was bad at comforting others. Just being close to her was enough.

 Chapter 95 - 89: Open Day Date

    Erick and Amber had just got out from Jeayan''s classroom where they had watched MacBeth. Jeayan had actually told them to stay for a while but since Erick was still a bit miffed about the ''scam'', he ignored her and left with Amber.

    He could hear Jeayan calling out his and Amber''s names but he pretended to not hear her. He also gently pulled Amber further away so that she would not turn back.

    They were heading towards the entrance of the school, about to head straight to the food stalls when they bumped into a guy walking closely with a girl. Both Erick and Amber were surprised to see this couple. Erick; because he did not know that Dex was dating someone. And that someone was surprisingly Zoe. Amber; because she did not expect Zoe to be walking together with another guy, who was not Erick. From what she remembers was that she had a huge crush on Erick. But now?

    Erick nodded his head in greeting at Dex, who nodded back.

    Zoe looked down as she turned red. Amber wasn''t sure whether it was from embarrassment that she was caught red-handed, being seen with another guy or from being shy because she was with a hot guy.

    But one thing for sure, she was further surprised to see that Zoe did not say anything to Erick. It was only that morning that she heard from inside the classroom that Zoe tried to flirt with him. But she got ''rejected''.

    Though, it seems like she spoke too soon when she heard Zoe smiling up at Erick and said, "Hey Erick."

    "Hey," he greeted back calmly.

    Zoe then turned to Dex, placing her hand on his arm and said, "Shall we go?"

    Dex nodded and swept past the two of them, with Zoe''s hand still on Dex''s arm.

    "Who was that guy?" Amber asked. She had never seen him before in school. Though, looking at how he dressed, he looked as if he was on the basketball team.

    Erick shrugged. "No, I don''t know. Just no one important," he replied.

    He could feel Dex''s eyes on him after he had said that, glaring at his back. He didn''t care anyway. Why should he talk about another guy when he was there?

    Amber narrowed her green eyes at him and poked at his sides. "Seems like you know him."

    Erick frowned down at her as he too narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you so curious about him?" he asked, feeling displeased.

    Amber frowned back. It was not that she was curious about the guy himself. But she was more curious about who had actually "won" Zoe''s heart when she knew how much "obsess" she can be when it comes to Erick. Yet, there was a different guy.

    She then turned her face away, pouting, crossing her arms across her chest. On her hand, she was still holding her small bag. "If you don''t want to tell, then nevermind," she said, sulking.

    Erick inwardly sighed as he gently pulled her arm away and then held her hand. They then continued walking, heading outside. After awhile, he said, "That''s actually my cousin."

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. "I didn''t know you have a cousin."

    He shrugged. "You might say that he''s like my second cousin. My grandfather is the younger brother of his grandfather," he answered.

    They were outside the school, where the food stalls were set up, arranged in line. There were more than twenty stalls and on the left of the stalls, there were many chairs and tables being set up as well. It seems like it was a place for people to eat after buying the food. There were also students from the committee and the student council who walked around, invigilating the area, to ensure that there was no trouble and accidents occurring. On the right of where the stalls were set up, there were a lot of picnic mats being placed on the ground and in front, there was a small stage. Apparently, that was where any live bands or any performances will be held.

    "So, you''re not that close with him?"

    He shrugged again. He then frowned down at her and said, "Why are you asking about him?"

    Amber shrugged back. "Just curious."

    He squinted his eyes at her and then pulled her towards one of the stalls outside. They stopped at a takoyaki stand. There were a couple of guys who were working behind the pan, turning the takoyaki into a circle and pouring the batter in the takoyaki pan. One of them looked up and grinned when he saw that it was Erick. "Hey Erick, my man! What''s up?"

    Erick grinned back when he saw it was one of their classmates from Literature class. "Yo, Lewis! I need some takos!" he said.

    "How many packs do you want? Five or ten?" Lewis asked as he expertly turned the takoyaki in the pan.

    Amber chuckled, thinking that Lewis was joking.

    "Just five, buddy," Erick answered. "I want to try the other stalls too."

    "Got it!"

    Amber turned to Erick with a look of disbelief on her face.

    Erick just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at her.

    She sighed. She still hasn''t gotten used to him eating so much. She looked at him from top to bottom from the corner of her eyes and thought that it was such a bliss that he looks like he doesn''t have any fats on him but muscle.

    Erick suddenly grinned to himself.

    Shortly after, his takoyaki was done. He stacked all five packs in one hand, balancing them as they continued walking around.

    They continued to walk around, stopping by a few food stalls to buy food that looked delicious. Once done, they head off to the eating area and grab an empty table. There were still empty food containers and crushed drink cans on the table.

    Amber shook her head ruefully as she grabbed a wet tissue pack from her small bag and wiped the table clean. Erick placed their foods on the table and began to gather all the rubbish. He then went to throw the rubbish away at the designated trash bin.

    Amber sat down and began to take out all the foods from the plastic bag. There were some takoyaki that Erick had bought earlier, four burgers, two hotdogs, some noodles, a huge paper bowl filled with cheese french fries, three milk teas and one large bottle of water.

    She giggled to herself when she realized that many people who were walking past their table looked shocked to see the foods on their table.

    Erick sat down next to her and began eating. Amber only ordered the fries, a burger and a milk tea for herself. She did sneak a bite from the noodles and found it a bit spicy for her taste. While she was chewing on one of the fries, she turned her head towards Erick, who was munching on his burger. She then said, "This reminds me. Won''t you be full later on? I mean, you will be coming over later for dinner, right?"

    Erick finished off his burger before answering, "Don''t worry. This is just an appetiser for me. What''s for dinner?"

    Amber smiled. "Mom''s grilling some steaks when I told her that you love steaks. Oh, and some mashed potatoes," she said.

    Erick licked his lips. "Sounds delicious! Can''t wait!" he exclaimed excitedly.

    She just laughed. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Oh and I won''t be going home with you later," she said.

    He frowned. "How come? We''ll be going to the same place, won''t we?" he asked, looking confused. His hand reaching out for the french fries.

    "Yeah, but I''ll be going home early later. I''m going to help my mom with dinner. My dad will be coming over to pick me up. And before that, I''ll be showing him around the school too."

    He chewed on the fries and then said, "Oh, dad will be coming? Looks like I''ll be meeting him earlier before dinner."

    Amber rolled her eyes at him shamelessly calling her father, ''dad'' as well. "No, you won''t," she interjected. "You''ll be busy with the cafe, remember? Not only that you did say you need to stop by at the football club as well."

    He groaned. "Oh yeah, I''ll be manning the stall later for the club too. I nearly forgot about that."

    She nodded. "Hence why you can''t join us."

    Erick pouted. "That''s not fair," he said, sighing as he ate a takoyaki.

    She just giggled.

    -----

    A few minutes later.

    A woman had just parked her car at the designated visitors parking lot. She was accompanied by another woman, who sat in the passenger seat. The two of them looked excited as they looked out the window. It was very lively where people were coming and out of the school entrance with smiles and laughter on their faces.

    At the entrance of the school, there were several students who were in their costumes, passing out their class flyers, inviting people to visit their classes. One of the women smiled as she accepted one of the flyers handed to her. "Thank you, dear."

    The student gave her a beaming smile. "Welcome to Burkendall High School, ma''ams! Don''t forget to visit our class!"

    The two women walked away, heading deeper into the school. Behind them, the students continued to pass around their flyers to the incoming visitors.

    "I wonder where their class would be," one of the women murmured as she looked around her.

    The other woman nodded politely at the passersby, who greeted her with respect. She then turned to the woman beside her and said, "They did say that they''re doing a Japanese cafe."

    "Oh my! Sounds fun! Shall we go ask around for directions?"

    The other woman nodded again. "Alright."

 Chapter 96 - 90: They are here!

    Erick placed the food in front of the two girls who had ordered some Japanese pastries. After his little date around the school with Amber, they had gone back to their classroom to continue their duties. However, just as Amber had entered the classroom, their classmates had told her that her father was looking for her. He had gone to the other class to look around while waiting for her. He had already eaten in their ''cafe''.

    Erick wanted to join her to look for her father but Hamish had stopped him, saying that he should stay, instead. Quietly, he whispered that Kaius had sensed someone familiar.

    Erick narrowed his eyes at him and had asked who. He probably knew who it was but he needed to know the answer from Hamish''s mouth.

    When he heard the answer, he groaned and agreed that he should stay here and wait.

    So while waiting, he decided to help out with the serving since most of them went on their breaks or to their clubs. There were only a few of them left.

    He was in a bit of a daze when one of the girls who he had served earlier tapped him on his arm, asking for his attention. He looked down and quickly put a smile on his face. "Yes?"

    Apparently, the girls wanted to take a wefie with him. Fortunately for them, he had already taken a lot of photos with Amber when they were on their little date. Hence why he did not mind them asking for a picture. As long as it''s not a picture with only two people. He did not want Amber to get uncomfortable if there was any photo of him and a girl together spreading around.

    Thinking of the couple photo that was now in his phone wallpaper and the polaroid photo in his wallet, he smiled to himself. He wished to take more photos with her in the future.

    After they thanked him for the photo, he went off to the back where they were cooking up a storm. It seems that lots of people had come over when they heard a hot guy was now serving the food. And there was quite a queue waiting to get inside. They had to buy more ingredients since they quickly ran out. And because the one who had to serve the customers went off to buy more ingredients, Erick and Hamish had decided to stop handing out the flyers. Even Zoe had returned to help out.

    Hamish, with a sparkle in his eyes, began to count their profits, and was getting more excited as he saw many people coming in and out of their classroom. It looks as if they will be winning the class competition for the most popular.

    Dana, who had walked out of the cooking area and was about to take her break, saw Hamish with an evil smirk on his face, just sighed with resignation. He was sitting near the cashier area, his back towards the front. She went out and saw people clamouring over Erick who just smiled throughout the whole racket, while serving the dishes. Seems like he had a lot of patience to endure all this.

    She then shrugged to herself and went out of the classroom, to grab something to eat and looked around the school by herself.

    Erick was about to grab more food from the back when he heard a familiar squeal from the entrance. He looked up and inwardly groaned. It was finally time.

    At the entrance of their classroom, two women stood in front of the queue. One was a tall redhead with a kind and shy smile on her face while the other woman has gorgeous brown hair with a layered hairstyle. The two women were looking around in curiosity, as if they were looking for someone.

    Just then, one of their classmates who was supervising the queueing area called out Erick and Hamish''s names, saying that their mothers had arrived.

    This caught the attention of every single person in their class. They have never seen Erick''s mother before. Although previously, they have seen Erick''s father since he was the Police Chief, they have never seen his mother before. Yes, she''s very active when it comes to charities and community service but they never took her pictures before since she liked being low profile.

    As for Hamish''s mother, some of them have been to her bakery before and saw her there.

    Looking at Erick''s mother, they were not surprised to see how beautiful she was. She doesn''t even look like someone who had given birth before as they noticed how youthful she looked. They could say the same for Hamish''s mother as well. Some of them even peeked a glance at Erick, comparing him with his mother and agreed that he got some of his good looks from his mother. Although he has his father''s eyes, they could tell he got his smile from his mother, from how identical their smiles were.

    When the two mothers saw Erick and Hamish, who had just got up from his seat at the cashier area, they immediately broke into a huge grin and called out their names loudly respectively. "Hamish!" "Erick, baby!"

    Some of the guys nearly spurted out their drinks when they heard Erick''s mother calling him baby. Some of the packmates from their pack snickered when they heard it because they knew his mother purposely called him that since they never heard her call him, ''baby''.

    Erick and Hamish reluctantly approach them with a forced smile on their faces. "Hello, mother," they greeted.

    Mary, Hamish''s mother, slipped an arm around Hamish''s and suggested, "Why don''t you introduce us around?"

    Hamish nodded as he led her to an empty table.

    At the entrance, Erick was still standing in front of his mother, who was tapping her shoe impatiently. "Well?" she said.

    Erick sighed as he held out his arm. His mother wrapped her hand over his arm happily. As he led her to where Mary was sitting, Luella whispered at him. "So, where is Amber? I don''t smell her around."

    Erick let out a sigh. "She''s around somewhere with her father," he replied sadly.

    Luella frowned. "Then why aren''t you with her?"

    "She wanted to go around with her father alone," he answered. "And my shift has already started. I already took my break."

    Luella sat down across Mary, who had already placed her order for a matcha tea and a slice of chiffon cake.

    "Will she be here?" she asked after she placed her own order for chrysanthemum tea and a slice of crepe cake.

    Hamish took their orders and went to the back where they were preparing the food and drink. Erick, who had stayed behind to accompany the two women, shook his head. "I''m not sure. She''ll probably stop by for a while before going home with her father."

    Just then he remembered something and turned to his mother. "Oh yeah," he said, bending closer to Luella. "I''m going to have dinner with Amber''s family."

    His mother immediately reached out a hand and pinched his cheek. "And when will you invite her over for dinner?" she scolded, not satisfied that he gets to meet Amber''s family without them.

    Erick pulled away, wincing as he rubbed his cheek that got pinched. She actually inserted some power into her pinch that made it really hurt. "I don''t know. Soon."

    Luella glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Next week," she stated.

    Mary, who was watching the two of them bicker back and forth, giggled. She looked around and thought how nice the place was. It seems like Hamish and his friends had worked hard to decorate their class.

    Shortly after, one of their classmates came over to serve them their food. Although some people thought it was weird that Isaac was bowing a little at the two women, the other shifters in the class did not think so. He was respectfully greeting the Luna and the Beta''s wife.

    The two women thanked him for his service. Mary smiled at him and asked how his mother was doing.

    Isaac smiled widely. "My mother is doing quite well, ma''am. She had just left a couple of hours ago, together with father and sister."

    "Oh, quite a pity," exclaimed Mary softly. "We could have met them earlier. Hope they are fine, dear."

    The young shifter just smiled. "It''s alright, ma''am. I''ll convey your well-wishes to them," he said. "Now, I''ll go continue working."

    The two women nodded. "Alright," Luella said. "We have Erick to accompany us.???

    "Eh, b-but--"

    Luella narrowed her eyes at Erick in a warning which shut him up.

    Erick inwardly sighed. ''Guess I have to stay here with them,'' he thought grudgingly. He discreetly looked around and saw Hamish back at the cashier area. And when the latter saw him looking at him, he just smiled and gave him a thumbs-up as he mouthed, ''good luck''.

    Erick cursed under his breath. Seems like he got tricked again.

 Chapter 97 - 91: Cairin Packs past

    Cairin Oaks.

    Isaiah Cairin looked down at the lone amputated finger that was laying on the table in front of him. He was alone in his room, together with his Beta, Ezekiel Fernsby. His Beta, who actually used to be his son''s Beta, had received the finger, wrapped in a package a couple of hours ago.

    Looking down at the finger, he knew that this was his granddaughter, Makena''s finger. This was the second time that they had sent a finger of hers. The first one was when they used it to threaten the Cairin pack to not search for her. And this one.... Apparently, it was a warning related to the Kendall pack. It seems like that they knew that the Kendall pack had visited them recently.

    Isaiah let out a sigh.

    The Cairin pack was a bit unique in a sense where when Isaiah was the Alpha, he stepped down as the Alpha and passed the power to his son, Ivor. It was a peaceful few years during Ivor''s reign. Isaiah, who thought that the calm and tranquil atmosphere in the Oak would last long, left the town and went on a journey.

    It was during the midst of his journey that a lone man visited the Cairin Oaks. The shifters in the Cairin pack did not expect this man to bring with him chaos. They welcomed him with open arms filled with warmth and happiness. But they got thrown back with vicious and bitter aftermath.

    It wasn''t surprising as to why they welcome him with a friendly gesture at first. Because that man was a shifter as well. Similarly to them, a werewolf. However, the Cairin pack did not know that he had left behind a destroyed pack with all the pack members dead by his hand.

    That man lived in the Cairin pack as an honoured guest for nearly a year. It was unsure what was his plan but after what had happened in the Oaks, they realized that it was his plot to get close to the pack, earning their trust before killing it.

    Before Isaiah could return back to his pack, he had received a sudden pain in his head. Feeling that something must have gone wrong in the Oaks, he quickly rushed back home. Unfortunately, he was too late. He arrived a few minutes later. He could still remember the scene that greeted him as he stepped in the Oaks soil.

    A man was standing before his son''s limp body. He had his hand around the neck of his son who was no longer moving. To add more to his torment, he could only watch in shock as the man thrusted his hand in his son''s chest, pulling out his heart. And in front of his eyes, he watched as the man crushed his son''s heart in his hand.

    Isaiah had screamed in pain at the loss of his son. He immediately shifted and began to attack the man. He didn''t know who the man was but for him, he was an enemy that he had to kill straight away.

    Unfortunately, he was too blinded with fury that his attacks weren''t as strong as was expected. He went down after many attacks, turning him back to human. Before he could get up, he saw the man had taken his granddaughter, using her as a shield. She was only five years old at that time.

    Rage filled him once more as he watched the man grab his granddaughter and held her up in front of him, her feet off the ground. She looked helpless as she tried to grab the hand that was holding her neck up.

    Isaiah was about to attack once more but both of his arms were held back. And when he turned around, he saw the devastated face of his son''s mate, Grace, holding back his right arm and his son''s Beta, Ezekiel, holding back his left arm.

    "Father, it''s enough," Grace pleaded, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "Please."

    Isaiah turned to Ezekiel who had also shook his head, silently.

    He then cursed himself for being weak. He then looked up and was shocked to see that the man had his wounds heal. He then looked at his granddaughter and saw her arm slashed, bleeding.

    He was about to pull his arms away from the two when the man said, "Oh, you still want to attack? Come. But I won''t be responsible for your granddaughter''s death."

    "What the hell do you want?" Isaiah roared with anger.

    "Your granddaughter," the man said simply. "To be exact, her blood."

    He swiped his finger at her blood and licked it. "Hmmm. Seems like it''s true that the blood of the Cairin pack is quite unique. Having a fast healing rate can be such great power. Makes you want to drain all of their blood," he said sneakily.

    Isaiah gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.

    Just then his eyes widened as he watched the man snap his fingers and suddenly, there was a warlock standing beside him.

    "Rehan."

    After the man called out the name, Isaiah and the other shifters felt a pounding ache beating inside their mind, almost making them all unconscious. And then they suddenly felt something shoot into their forehead.

    Isaiah gritted his teeth more, enduring the pain until he screamed.

    Rehan stopped his spell and looked over at the man, saying, "Seems like it doesn''t work for the previous Alpha."

    The man tsk-tsked. "Your power isn''t powerful enough for the direct line of the Cairin."

    "My apologies, my lord," Rehan said, bowing his head.

    "Never mind."

    Isaiah glared up at the man and roared, "Why is there a warlock with you? Have you become one of them now?"

    The man burst out in huge laughter. "One of them?" he repeated, smirking. He leaned forward and continued, "They are under MY COMMAND!"

    Isaiah stared at him in incredibility. ''How can that be?'' he thought as he turned his gaze towards the warlock who was respectfully standing behind the man.

    Unbeknownst to Isaiah, before the man had pillaged the Cairin Oak, he had gone to venture further to a warlocks'' territory where he had destroyed almost everyone there, except for this one man named Rehan. Apparently, Rehan was deemed as a traitor that time, just because he had mated with a werewolf. But because his mate was killed by his fellow warlocks, he had tried to take revenge yet failed. He was awaiting his punishment in the underground cell at the warlocks'' territory when the man came.

    The man went and destroyed everything there and had found Rehan in the cell. The latter immediately pledged his loyalty to the man after he had rescued him. At first, the man did not trust him but after decades together, he finally sees Rehan as his right hand man.

    Eventually, the man left the Cairin Oaks, together with Rehan. Unfortunately, he also brought with him, Makena, much to Grace''s sadness and sorrow. Apparently, he wasn''t done with the pack because there was something that he was looking for. And he needed the Cairin pack to be his eyes when it comes to the shifterworld.

    A year after Makena''s finger was cut the first time, Grace fell sick and eventually died of a broken heart. Because the previous Alpha had no heir and there wasn''t anyone appropriate to take the place as they were under Rehan''s spell, Isaiah had to take over the Alpha role once more. And that was fifteen years ago.

    Evidently, they found that the spell that Rehan had placed on them was an ''eye'' that helps the warlock to look through whatever they see. It was not a possession of a person but rather like a ''third eye''.

    Isaiah looked up at Ezekiel, who stood next to the table, with his hands behind his back. "Did you see who had sent this?" he asked, a grave look on his face.

    Ezekiel shook his head.

    Isaiah let out another sigh. ''This cannot go on,'' he thought as he sadly looked out of the window. ''It seems that I need to push all caution aside and reach out for help.''

    He turned to Ezekiel and said, "I''ll be away for a couple of weeks. Please take care of the Oaks for me."

    Ezekiel nodded. He knew better than to ask. Although Rehan would not be able to read his mind nor listen to his conversation with the Alpha, it was still good to be wary.

 Chapter 98 - 92: Officially meeting Ambers family

    Erick helped with the clean-up after Open Day had ended. Amber had stopped by earlier to help for a while and then went back home after Dana urged her to just go home since her father was waiting for her.

    The results of the class competition will be announced next week during assembly so all they can do is wait. Erick did not care much about the competition, neither did Amber since she wasn''t interested in the prize. Then again, as he thought about it, he wouldn''t mind if their class won since he has never been to an amus.e.m.e.nt park before.

    His mother and Hamish''s mother have already left the school. Though before she left, she did warn Erick to be on his best behavior later during dinner with the Keene family. Apparently, his mother managed to buy him some snacks from the food stalls outside. Said that it was to whet down his appetite. She didn''t want him to get too hungry.

    Erick had rolled his eyes when she had said that. He then argued back, ''What am I? A glutton?''.

    His mother didn''t answer him. But she only gave him a sarcastic knowing look and left the school with Mary.

    It was slowly turning to evening by the time everyone was done cleaning up the class. They decided to continue cleaning the next day. For now, they only took the decorations off and swept the floor. Those who were in the cooking group only had to mop their area, clean the tables that they used for the food and throw out the trash.

    Hamish went home with Isaac and the other packmates. They waved Erick goodbye as the latter got inside his car.

    Just as he was about to reverse, he could feel someone was staring at him. He looked out the window and saw Zoe standing not far from his car, on the street. Beside her was Dex, who was talking to her.

    As if sensing that Erick caught her staring, she quickly looked away and smiled up at Dex, nodding at whatever he was saying.

    Erick frowned. It was not that he hated Zoe but it seems like he has to tell her straight up that he already belongs to Amber. He did not need any complications in his relationship.

    He let out a sigh and pushed the thoughts back in his mind. He did not want to think more about this. He clenched his fist and thought that the most important thing right now was that he''s going off for dinner with the Keene family. It was finally time for him to meet his in-laws!

    He had already changed his clothes into normal clothes. He managed to change before getting out of the school. He wouldn''t want to dirty the clothes that Amber had sewn for him.

    However, before going over to Amber''s house, he decided to stop by a couple of shops to buy some gifts for her family. It took him nearly an hour to buy the gifts that he praised himself for thinking ahead to text Amber that he will be a bit late.

    When he finally arrived at Amber''s house, he swiftly parked his car behind Amber''s father''s car.

    Probably hearing the car''s engine, Amber got out of her house to welcome him. Erick waved hello at her before going to the backseat to retrieve a bouquet, a huge shopping bag and a box.

    Amber walked over to him and smiled up at him. "Hi," she greeted shyly.

    Erick grinned. "Hey."

    Amber looked at the bouquet in his arms and asked, "Oh?"

    Erick grinned, knowing what she was trying to ask. Unfortunately, it isn''t for her so he answered her unvoiced question, "This is for your mom."

    Amber put her hands together, looking pleased. "It''s beautiful."

    He pressed his forehead against hers and said softly, "I''ll buy one for you next time."

    She began to blush and turned away from him. But he could see a small smile forming from the corner of her lips. Then, the two walked side by side, heading towards Amber''s house.

    Inside the house, at the front hall, Amber''s parents stood side by side, waiting for them to enter. And when they walked in, the first thing Erick noticed was them smiling at him. Her mother looked like an older version of Amber, though, her blonde hair was darker than Amber. She looked like a petite woman too, her height only reaching her husband''s shoulder. Her father, on the other hand, was much taller with broad shoulders and muscled arms. It was no surprise since he was in the army.

    Her mother had her arms open wide, enveloping him in a hug, careful not to crush the bouquet. "Welcome, dear. I''m Amber''s mother. You can call me, Syden," she said. "Or better yet, call me, ''Mama''," she added cheekily.

    She then let go of him and looked at him from top to bottom and said in awe, "My, you''re a really big boy."

    Amber was standing behind Erick, rolling her eyes as she groaned. "Stop it, mother."

    Syden just laughed as she took a step back.

    Erick grinned. "It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mama."

    Amber rolled her eyes again while Syden laughed more.

    Amber''s father took a step forward and held out his hand. "I''m Amber''s father. You can call me, Eren," he introduced. He then let out a light chuckle as he turned his head towards his wife. "Should I tell him to call me, ''Papa'', as well?"

    Syden just laughed while Amber stomped her right feet. "Stop it, daddy!" she exclaimed, her face turning red with embarrassment.

    The three of them just laughed.

    Erick was still smiling as he watched the happy faces of Amber''s parents. ''This is nice,'' he mused.

    Just then he remembered the bag and box in his hand. He then turned to Amber and gave her the box. "Here," he said. "I brought some cupcakes for you."

    Amber''s eyes widened as she took the box from him. She opened the box to reveal six beautiful cupcakes in it. It looked too good to be eaten! She then looked at him with a beaming smile on her face. "Thank you so much! I love them!"

    Erick smiled back. He then turned to her parents and first handed the bouquet to Syden. "I''ve bought flowers for you, ma''am."

    Syden accepted them with a big smile. "Aww. You shouldn''t have but thank you," she said. And then she smacked him on the arm playfully, "And don''t you mean, ''Mama''?"

    Erick just grinned and turned to Amber''s father. He then said as he handed him a tall box from inside the shopping bag. "And this is for you, sir."

    Eren accepted the gift with a surprised look on his face as if he did not expect to be given a gift. He opened the box and his eyes widened. His hand reached out inside the box and pulled out a borosilicate silicone drinking bottle with wordings in front that read, ''Drink more water, you dehydrated noodle!''.

    It wasn''t sure whether Erick knows that Eren has wavy and a bit of curl in his hair but the saying fits the latter so well that the four of them laughed.

    Syden then led the way to the kitchen and said, "Come come. Lets not hang too long here or the food will be cold."

    They had to pass the living room to reach the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, a boy was already sitting at the kitchen table. Hearing that people were entering the kitchen, the boy tried to get up. However, before he could stand up, Erick was already beside him, holding his arm. "Easy there, little guy," he said gently.

    He knew how weak Amber''s brother was so he was a bit surprised to see him in the kitchen when he usually had his meals in his room.

    Syden immediately rushed over and held Remi''s other arm. "Remi, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

    Remi looked down at his hands, underneath the table and said softly, "I just want to be here when sister''s friend is coming."

    Amber walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Aww. That''s so sweet but you shouldn''t exert yourself too much."

    "No, I won''t! I promise!" Remi protested as he looked up at his mother and sister.

    Eren laughed as he ruffled his son''s hair and walked over to his seat. "Let him be. He knows his capabilities. He will tell us when he''s tired."

    Remi nodded furiously, agreeing with his father.

    "Speaking of which," Erick began as he took out a book from the shopping bag. It was actually seven books in one half-box. And looking closely, it looked like a Harry Potter box set.

    Not only did Remi look so happy when he received it, even Amber looked envious as she watched Remi looking at the box in awe.

    However, both their parents looked concerned as they saw what Remi was receiving. They worried that it might be too expensive that Syden was about to protest when Erick said, "It''s no worries, ma''am. I thought that Remi would love it since his sister loves Harry Potter."

    Syden smiled gratefully. "Then thank you, Erick. It was kind of you." then with her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint, she continued, "And it''s Mama, remember?"

    Erick let out a light chuckle. "Right. Sorry, Mama," he said.

    "Now, shall we eat?"

 Chapter 99 - 93: Interrogation

    The atmosphere around the dining table was surprisingly comfortable and warm. Erick knew that Amber hardly sees her father since he was always busy in the army. But he was a bit touched that her father managed to find the time to join them for dinner too. Then again, he probably wanted to see what kind of guy his daughter fell for.

    He was sitting next to Remi with Amber sitting across him. Her father sat at the head of the table with Remi on his left and Syden on his right. There was quite a spread on the dining table; a whole chicken, a couple of steaks that were cut in strips, gravy, mashed potatoes and fresh salad. It was then he was glad that his mother had brought him some food to school. If he didn''t, he probably would get hungry again.

    Amber took his plate and began to spoon two huge scoops of mashed potatoes, a couple of steak strips and a couple of chicken drumsticks. She then looked at him and asked whether he wanted some salad since she wasn''t sure he would want that. She never saw him eat them before.

    Thus, she was a bit surprised when she saw him nod. What Amber didn''t realize was that Erick wasn''t a picky eater. He can just eat about anything as long as it''s tasty.

    After she passed him his plate, coincidentally she managed to lock eyes with her father who raised his eyebrows at her sweet gesture. She began to flush red and ignore his stare, serving herself some food.

    Her mother had just finished serving Remi and her husband when she started the conversation, asking Erick about his family. In reality, it''s the start of interrogation.

    Erick was chewing on a piece of steak strips when Syden had asked him the question. He finished chewing and gulped it down with a drink and said, "I''m the only child in the family. My father is the Police Chief in town while my mother is a housewife."

    Eren nodded as he added, "I''ve met your father before. Quite a good man. Pleasant to work with," referring to the time where they worked together in regards to the elections.

    Erick grinned. "I''ll be sure to mention that to him," he said. "Bet he would be happy to know your thoughts on him."

    Amber''s father nodded again, smiling as he ate his mashed potatoes.

    "So, your mother doesn''t work?" Syden asked, looking curious.

    Erick shook his head. "No. She has her hands full with the charities and the community services that she headed in town," he answered simply.

    "You don''t have any other siblings or anything?" she further asked.

    He shook his head. "Nah. I mean, as much as I want to, I guess my mother wasn''t blessed with another kid. The Moon-- I mean, she''s probably fated to have only one child," he answered as he began to eat his mashed potatoes.

    "Aren''t you lonely?" Remi asked, looking at him with sympathy. He would feel lonely if his sister wasn''t with him, so he was glad to have a sister.

    Erick smiled down at him and shrugged. "Not really. I''ve always been surrounded with great people. In fact, even though I don''t have any siblings, other than Hamish, my best friend, there are other three guys whom I look up to as my older brothers."

    "Three guys?" Eren enquired before he drank his water.

    Erick nodded. "Yes. My parents kinda adopted them before I was born. They are Latham, Noaz and Roel. They''re triplets."

    Remi''s eyes widened in awe. "Wow! Triplets! Are they identical?" he asked excitedly.

    Erick chuckled. "Nah, those three are really different, not just in looks but personality as well."

    His eyebrows furrowed, Amber''s father tapped a finger against his chin, looking as if he was trying to remember something. "Is Latham the one who owns a workshop in town?" he asked.

    Erick nodded. "Yes sir," he answered. "Noaz works as a lecturer in a local school and Roel is a chef at one of the restaurants here."

    At the mention of Roel, Amber recalled the cold-looking guy she had met a couple of months and inwardly shivered. She was still a bit scared of that guy, who emit such scary aura, making one freeze in fear.

    Sensing her mood, Erick looked over and tilted his head as if to ask whether there was something wrong.

    Amber just smiled and shook her head.

    The atmosphere around the dining table continued its warm feeling, making everyone at the table fall into a comfortable conversation; even Remi laughed at some point. Though, before dinner was done, Syden excused herself and Remi because she didn''t want to over excite the boy and that he needed rest.

    Erick held out his fist towards Remi, who gave a fist bump in return. The former then promised that he will stop by to visit him when his sister invites him again. This made Remi''s eyes shone more bright, excited for Erick''s next visit.

    So there were only three of them left at the dining table; Eren, Amber and Erick.

    At first, it was awkward as the three of them fell into silence.

    Just then, Amber''s father broke the silence by turning to Erick with a serious look on his face. "So, Erick, my boy," he began. "What''s your intention with my daughter?"

    During that time, Erick was about to drink when Eren asked him the question. It was fortunate that he didn''t manage to drink yet or he will spurt out the drink. He did jump in surprise as he did not expect that kind of question from her father. At the same time, he controlled his chuckle as he thought it was quite funny.

    Unfortunately, Amber doesn''t share the same thoughts as him. Instead, she feels shocked and embarrassed that she immediately turned to her father and hissed, "Daddy!"

    Eren frowned at her and asked innocently, "What? Isn''t that a common question for every father to ask the boys that their daughters are dating?"

    Amber narrowed her eyes and said, "No!"

    The two males just laughed while Amber silently fumed, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

    After they stopped laughing, Erick turned to Eren with a serious look on his face and said, "I''m very serious about Amber, sir. She''s the only one for me."

    Amber began to flushes more, the tips of her ears turned red too. Even Eren looked a bit red in the cheeks after he heard Erick''s serious confession. "But you are still in highschool, how can you be sure that you''re serious with Amber?" her father further asked, ignoring Amber staring daggers at him.

    "I''m very certain," Erick continued, still looking very sincere with his words. "Even if the Moon Goddess did not put us together, I will still lo-- like her."

    The two Keene family members went silent at Erick''s unexpected confession. Though, they did wonder why he mentioned ''Moon Goddess'' and think nothing much about it.

    Shortly after, Syden came down and walked into the kitchen. She looked puzzled as to why the three of them were suddenly quiet. She looked at the dishes on the dining table and asked out loud, "So, are you all done with dinner?"

    The three of them raised their head and answered,

    "Ah, yes, ma''am."

    "Yes, mother."

    "I''m done."

    Amber got up from her seat and said, "I''ll help you clean up, mother."

    Syden nodded. The two of them began to clean up with Syden washing the dishes and Amber bringing the dirty dishes to the sink.

    Before she started on the washing, she had told Eren to entertain Erick in the living room. So, a few minutes later, the two men found themselves sitting across each other in the living room. There was a bit of an awkward silence between them as they do not know what to talk about anymore.

    Fed up with the awkward silence, Eren started the conversation once again. This time, he asked about his club. Apparently, they did not touch much on what Erick was doing in school, other than studying. He knew her daughter wasn''t interested in joining any clubs but he did remember her staying back because her boyfriend aka Erick was still practicing in his club.

    "What kind of club did you join?"

    "I''m the captain of the football club in school, sir."

    "Oh, how remarkable," Eren said, a bit impressed.

    "Yes sir."

    The two continued to talk. Apparently, when Amber''s father was young, he used to be the football captain too in his highschool. He nearly went pro until he decided to enter the army instead. Hence, the two exchanged talks with Eren giving him tips and advice and the young shifter listened with avid interest.

    They were still talking about the sports when the two women joined them in the living room.

    Looking around her, Amber thought that this was such a nice feeling as she smiled at her loved ones.

    Sensing the happy vibes from her, Erick slipped a hand around hers and gave it a little squeeze.

    Her smile brightened more.

 Chapter 100 - 94: The wolf

    Paccia looked at the three dead bodies that were laid down on a huge table, in the middle of her living room. She studied each body with a critical eye and a grave look on her face. Their way of being killed was the same as how the homeless were killed; their eyes were cleanly gouged out and their hearts ripped out of their chests. It was gruesome. She could tell that there was no pity nor humane sympathy at how these shifters were killed. It was as if they were really hated.

    She leaned closer and touched the part where a werewolf''s mark should be located. The mark which shows that they were mated was gone. And she could not sense any wolf spirit in them. It seems that they were also killed. Even though these wolf spirits were able to roam the Earth after their human counterparts were killed, it seems that those killers did not leave them unharmed as well.

    From what she remembers about these three dead shifters were that they were recently mated. Earlier before the bodies were brought to her, she could hear the screams of their mates at the pain of their loss. It took almost every shifter in the pack to calm them down. One of them nearly went rogue.

    It was fortunate that Paccia was around so that she was able to subdue them with a spell that calms them down. But she wasn''t sure whether it would last long since their wolf spirits were very strong.

    At the moment, all the elders were present as they needed to subdue the grieving mates.

    Paccia looked closer at the hole where their hearts should be. She sprinkled a bit of her concoction around the edges of the hole and waited patiently. A few seconds later, she watched as the edges turned black and rotten. And she continued to watch in shock as she could see the veins and blood inside the hole squirming around; its action was like as if it got electrocuted. But Paccia knew better. These shifters were forced out of their shifting. And their wolf spirits were killed before their human counterparts.

    She continued to study the bodies, using her potions and spells to come up with more theories when Lachlan walked in her house. He was still wearing his uniform, looking all worn out. His hair was dishevelled, probably from him running his hair through it multiple times. Apparently, he had just left the crime scene where the bodies were first found. It took him nearly an hour to deal with the reporters and their questions. There were also questions of what had happened to the policemen who were on duty. Not wanting to cause panic, Lachlan explained that they were now being ''examined'' by an expert. He had hoped to break the news carefully, in regards to their deaths.

    And he was fortunate that Fergus managed to arrive at the crime scene earlier before the reporters. He did not want them to take pictures of the dead bodies and to know how these people were killed. At that moment, Fergus was dealing with the aftermath while Lachlan rushed back to the packhouse.

    And before going to Paccia''s, he had to go to where the grieving mates were, helping to subjugate them, together with Luella who had just returned home, as well. Luella was successful in calming them down with words, whereas Lachlan had to release his Alpha aura to calm the wolf spirits in them.

    Once he was done with all that, he finally went to Paccia''s house alone. Luella and the other female shifters from the pack helped to console and calm the grieving mates. Lachlan looked down at the dead bodies laid in front of him, with both of his hands in his pockets as he listened to Paccia''s lengthy explanations and theories. The more she talked, the more solemn he looked. Inside his pockets, his fists were clenched. It always hurts when you see someone from your pack dies. Regret and remorse filled his mind as he listened quietly to Paccia''s reports.

    It was then he decided to send more people from his pack to join in the patrol albeit discreetly.

    This includes the triplets.

    -----

    In one part of the residential area in Burkendall town, where the most of the high societies lived, inside one of the houses, there were two men, sitting across each other, talking. The house belongs to one of the candidates for the mayor position named Mateo Zant.

    One was sitting behind a sturdy desk whereas the other sat across him. The one who was sitting across the other had a noticeable scar on his face, with muscular arms and a terrifying aura. They were laughing as they talked with one another. It was hours after the killings of the shifters and the homeless. Zant, being one of the mayor candidates, had posted in his social media, expressing his regrets and condolences for the homeless people and the police who had lost their lives that day.

    While he was writing all that, it did not mirror his expression, where he was snickering, congratulating the killers for a job well done.

    Although it wasn''t him who had sent out those killers, he knew who they were.

    "Everything has gone smoothly?" the man behind the desk asked as he tapped his cigar on the ashtray, removing the ashes before placing it back on his mouth to smoke.

    "Yes, my lord," Mateo Zant said, smiling with both of his hands placed on top of his lap. His current look was so different to how he posed in public; confident and strong. In front of the man sitting on the desk, he looked respectful, meek and humble. It was as if he feared the man, sitting across him.

    The man puffed out a smoke before stabbing the cigar inside the ashtray, crushing it. "What about the Kendall pack? Did they notice ''you''?" he asked.

    Zant smirked, a menacing smile gracing his lips. "They are such fools. Even more of an idiot than the townspeople. And those townspeople? It was so easy to trick them. Just do a little charity and smile here and there and they are hooked," he laughed.

    The man laughed too as he leaned back against his seat, his fingers linked together. "So, did you find him? That ''shifter''?" he asked again.

    Zant shook his head. "From what I know, the Police chief is the Alpha, yet his wolf isn''t him," he commented.

    "You sure?"

    "Affirmative. I have seen him shift and there wasn''t any resemblance to ''him''. But we have confirmed that the ''wolf'' should be in the Kendall pack."

    "Previously, they detected the ''wolf'' in the Cairin pack, didn''t they?"

    "Yes, my lord, they did," Zant answered respectfully, his head bowed.

    "And how is it that the Cairin pack did not take notice of this?"

    "It can be assumed that they were unaware of the ''wolf'' and were not told to look for it."

    The man narrowed his eyes as his hand softly grazed the rim of a wine glass that was on the table.

    Noticing the hint, Zant quickly stood up and grabbed his best wine and poured into the wine glass. He then humbly presents the wine glass to the man, with his head bow, as if he was a butler tending to his master''s needs.

    The man drank the wine in one go and threw the wine glass, hitting it on the wall across the room. Zant flinched as he could tell that the man was extremely angry.

    "Rehan."

    A man suddenly appears beside the man, standing respectfully, with his head bow and hand across his heart. "Yes, my lord."

    "Cooperate with this imbecile and make sure that ''wolf'' is to be found."

    "Yes, my lord."

    The man turned to Zant, who was shivering furiously beside Rehan and continued,

    "Resume your search and immediately kill him. Make no mistake. I want that wolf to be found. I do not want him to be alive. He might not have his full powers at the moment but before he can gain them, I want him dead."

    "Yes, my lord."

 Chapter 101 - 95: The burial

    Erick was whistling as he drove his way back home. He had just left Amber''s house and seeing how tired she was, he thought that he would give her time to rest. She has been working day until night.

    A few minutes later, he arrived at home and suddenly, he felt something weird vibrating in the air. He could feel the tension and the uneasiness running through him. He felt as if something terrible had happened. He swiftly parked his car near his house and was about to enter his house when he noticed that no one was home.

    Standing before his front door, he stood there silently. He looked over at Hamish''s house and saw it was a bit quiet as well. Even Hamish wasn''t at home. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and began to dial Hamish''s number.

    He frowned down at his phone when he saw that Hamish rejected his call. Few seconds later, there was a text message coming in. It was from Hamish.

    ''To the packhouse. Now.''

    Erick''s eyes widened as his heart began to thump fast. Did something happen to his parents? He had just met his mother in school. Could something have happened while he was at Amber''s?

    He quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket and began to run towards the packhouse, his thoughts jumbling in his mind.

    When he arrived at the packhouse, he was surprised that everyone at the pack was there. He noticed that everyone was either crying or comforting the ones beside them. He frowned, feeling confused. He turned his head towards the packhouse and could sense his mother was inside.

    He pushed himself in, mumbling apologies as he went.

    Shortly after, he stood inside the meeting room. He looked even more surprised at the scene he was looking in front of him. All the tables and chairs were gone as many people stood around with a grave look on their faces. Three female shifters were on their knees, bawling their hearts out. Their clothes were torn as if they were about to shift. But he could tell that they were about to shift since he noticed that their claws were showing.

    He looked over to the side and saw Hamish standing beside his mother, with his arms around her comfortably. The three shifters nearby looked up and saw Erick. One of them walked towards him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Erick."

    Erick raised his head. "Latham, what''s going on?" he asked, still confused.

    Latham let out a sigh and said, "We''ll be conducting a funeral later. We''re waiting for the Alpha to arrive."

    With his eyes widened, Erick asked again, "What had happened?"

    Latham looked around him and then led Erick out of the room. He then began to tell him everything that had happened. From the homeless killings and the killing of packmates.

    Erick clenched his fists as he gritted his teeth. He knew the dead packmates. He once hung out with them before at the police station when he was young as he was waiting for his father to finish work. He knew them even before they were mated. He recalled the fun times that they did to entertain a young pup like him. It saddened and pissed him off due to the fact that they died at the hands of a cruel killer. And that he did not have the chance to say goodbye.

    The two of them returned back inside. It was then he saw that his mother was one of the people who were sitting on the floor, trying to calm the grieving mates. She whispered soothing words as she rubbed the back and the arm of the shifter.

    Shortly after, Fergus came in with several of the packmates. They were all still in their police uniforms. All of them gave the grieving mates a small bow of a head, in respect of their grief.

    Everyone was quiet. And those who were waiting outside the packhouse, stood still as they awaited their Alpha, their faces streaked with tears.

    Soon after, the Alpha arrived with Paccia beside him and a couple of other shifters who were carrying the dead bodies. The grieving mates sensed their dead mates and rushed out of the packhouse. They bawled and dropped down on their knees once more when they saw their mates covered with a white sheet.

    Lachlan told the shifters who were carrying the dead bodies to bring them to the meeting room. The shifters nodded and brought the bodies to the meeting room, followed by the crying mates.

    Lachlan looked up and his gaze softened as he saw the tired look on his mate''s face. He walked over and brushed a strand of her hair over her ears lovingly. He placed his forehead against hers. He always felt calm whenever she was around. And now with her being close, he doesn''t feel tired anymore. He raised his head and turned around to his pack and announced that they will give time for the grieving mates to be with their mates. Once they are done, they will proceed with the funeral.

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    A few minutes later, the grieving mates walked out of the packhouse with their eyes still with tears. They were rubbing their eyes, still could not accept that their mates were dead. The wolves inside them were much worse as they howled, scratching to get out and wanting to die together with their mates. Luckily, the women were strong, thanks to the other women''s consoling.

    Lachlan immediately gestured to some of the male shifters to bring the bodies out for burial. A few minutes later, everyone in the pack was standing in rows in an area not too far from where the young shifters had their training. It was a burial ground for the dead shifters.

    Although it was not the first time someone in their pack had died, it was always a sad and horrible day for them. And that day was no different.

    The funeral proceedings started off with the Alpha giving his condolences to the grieving mates and that in this time of need, the pack will always have their packs. He then began his talk of remembrance of the three good shifters, talking of their good deeds to the pack and the town.

    Tears slid down on almost everyone''s cheeks as they listened to Lachlan''s talk. Luella hugged one of the grieving mates in her arms, soothing her as the woman grieved, bawling her heart out. The other two women also cried, their handkerchief soaked from their tears.

    The funeral proceedings lasted until midnight. Some of the pack members went back home after the proceedings and some, specifically those who lived in the packhouse returned there. Luella, Mary and the other female shifters decided to stay behind at the packhouse to accompany the grieving women.

    The Alpha, the Beta, the triplets and the elders, on the other hand, went straight to the meeting room. Inside the meeting room, the furniture was already arranged in place.

    Inside, all of them were quiet as they sat in their seats, lost in their own thoughts.

    Lachlan then broke the silence by turning towards Latham. With a serious look on his face, he told the latter that the training will continue on. And that he will give him permission to arrange any mission for the young shifters. He requested one of the elders to give a hand to Latham.

    Aizel, one of the elders, raised his hand and offered his cooperation to Latham. He was a bit larger than Reginald with a thick and long beard, reaching below his chin. His eyes were dark, similar to his jet black hair, with a streak of grey hairs on the side.

    Latham stood up and gave a little bow of respect towards Aizel, appreciating his help.

    After he had sat back down, all of them began to talk about the killings. And Lachlan invited Paccia to speak about her findings, which made the others look solemn, once she was done.

    By the time Paccia finished giving her report, everyone fell silent once more. They did not expect that the situation had turned to worse. Apparently, the way of killings were similar to how Roel had encountered during the abandoned barnyard.

    Unfortunately for them, they do not have much clues to know who was behind the killings and their reasons. And the rogue that they had imprisoned back then had died without leaving any crucial evidence, which left them to square one.

    Just as Lachlan was about to speak, someone had knocked on the door. Everyone went quiet and turned to the door where it opened to reveal one of the packmates. He gave a little bow of respect and announced, "There is someone here to see you, Alpha."

    Narrowing his eyes, Lachlan frowned as he discreetly sniffed the air.

    ''What is he doing here?''

 Chapter 102 - 96: Shiny thing

    Hamish was in Erick''s room, where the two young shifters were playing the latter''s game console. It had been a couple of hours since the funeral proceedings. And unlike their parents, they immediately went home. At first, they wanted to stay to help out but their Beta, Hamish''s father, told them that it would be better if they were to stay at home instead. It took a few minutes of cajoling from the Beta. They immediately complied when they saw the combination glares from both their Alpha and Roel.

    Their mothers were still at the packhouse where they were busy trying to hold the fort, not just comforting the grieving mates but also trying to calm other shifters who had found out that the three shifters were killed, instead of dying of an accident or natural causes. As for their fathers, they were also at the packhouse where they were in a meeting with the elders and the triplets. It wasn''t sure what time they would be returning home but the two young shifters were sure that they wouldn''t. They knew how busy they were ever since the killings.

    Since the two young shifters did not have anything to do, they decided to hang out in Erick''s room, playing games. Hamish did not want to be in his house since he knew he would get bored. And luckily for them, they were given a day off tomorrow so they do not need to go to school and they can sleep late. It was probably because they had Open Day that day that the school wanted them all to rest and decided to give everyone a day off.

    Luka was snoozing on top of Erick''s bed while the two sat down on the floor, at the foot of the bed. Their eyes were on the television screen on the wall as their hands kept tapping on the game controllers.

    The two were playing, playfully shoving each other with their shoulders as they laughed at their stumbles on the screen. They were playing a soccer game, with Hamish leading the scores.

    Earlier, he had sent Amber a text message, thanking her for the great dinner and that he had fun meeting her family. She had replied that she, too, had fun. She secretly felt a bit happy that she managed to stuff him with food. Even if she did not cook all of them.

    However, if Amber was in Erick''s room at that time, she would feel quite shocked. Beside them were a few snacks; potato ch.i.p.s, pretzels and some soda drinks. Apparently, Erick was still hungry even after that ''meal'' he had at Amber''s house.

    Noticing that the sky was getting darker, Erick turned to Hamish and asked, "You''re going back home later?"

    Hamish shook his head, his eyes on the tv screen and his thumbs non-stop stabbing the controller. "Nope. I''ll probably stay here since mom and dad are still busy at the packhouse. I figured that you probably need some company."

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Wow, how generous of you to offer your company," he said sarcastically. "I didn''t realize that I''m such a scaredy-cat that I would need some company here."

    "You''re welcome," Hamish replied, ignoring his sarcasm.

    Erick rolled his eyes as he turned back to the screen.

    Just then, Erick felt Dane stirring in his mind. He quickly paused the game and asked the latter, ''What''s wrong?''

    ''I''m feeling a bit...,'' Dane growled.

    Hamish frowned as he turned to look at Erick, who seems a bit dazed. "What''s up?" he asked.

    Erick shook his head. ''A bit what?'' he asked again in his mind.

    ''Iˇ­ I don''t know,'' Dane answered, still growling, his voice fading.

    Erick was getting frustrated as he could not seem to understand what Dane wanted. He was about to snap at him when he felt a bit of pain in his head.

    He immediately dropped his game controller as he held his head with both hands. He felt like numerous needles were stabbing into his skull, stinging. He did not even realize that Luka had got up from the bed and was nudging him with his snout, growling softly.

    Surprised, Hamish also placed the game controller down and put his hand on Erick''s shoulder. "Bro, what''s wrong?" he asked in concern. Luka was barking in the background as if he could sense his master''s pain.

    His eyes widened when Erick lifted his head. His eyes had turned amber and he could see his teeth starting to grow longer.

    "Dane?" he said softly, still shell-shocked. He wasn''t sure why Erick would suddenly shift into his wolf.

    And before he could do or say anything, Erick suddenly fainted.

    -----

    "What the feck is going on?" Erick mumbled as he held his head, eyes still shut. The stabbing pain was still there, piercing through his head.

    When the pain was finally gone, he could sense that something was wrong. And when he finally opened his eyes, he felt his eyes widened in surprise.

    All around him, there was only darkness. He could not see anything. It was as if there was nothing but an empty void. He looked behind him and saw that there was only darkness too.

    "What''s going onˇ­?" he asked again, looking confused and a bit panicked. Then he finally remembered Dane.

    "Dane?" he whispered. "What''s going on? Where are we?"

    Silence.

    "Dane?" he repeated softly.

    Unfortunately, Erick could still not hear a sound from him. Not even a peep. It was as if he was alone. He could not even sense Dane at all too.

    "Hello?" he called out, hoping that there was someone.

    Again, not even an echo was heard.

    He began to feel more worried. He had never felt so alone in his life. Even before Dane came up to him, at least, he had his parents and the triplets.

    He did not know what to do next as he just stood there, looking around him, feeling lost.

    He let out a long breath, patting himself on the chest. "Let''s just keep calm and think rationally," he comforted himself. "What was the last thing that had happened to me?" he asked himself as he put his left arm across his chest while his right hand supported his chin.

    Just then, for no reason at all, he could feel like something was pulling him in this one direction. He wasn''t sure whether it was north, east, west or south, but all he knew was that it was on his left side in this darkness.

    He took a step forward and then another and then another. And soon, he found himself walking forward. He didn''t know where it may lead him but he could feel that there was something calling him.

    He didn''t know how long he was walking but he could feel that it was long.

    Soon after, he finally saw something shiny just ahead of him. He did not know why but he was just that happy to finally see something amidst the darkness that he ran. It did not even occur to him that it might probably be a danger, rather than a safety net.

    As he ran forward, he felt that the shiny thing felt all too familiar. It was as if he knew what it was. It did not feel menacing but rather, warm and comforting.

    When he finally reached the shiny thing, he was surprised at how big it was. It was even bigger than he was. As he reached out his hand to touch it, it suddenly burst out in bright light.

    Erick immediately closed his eyes, using his arms to shield his sight from the brightness. When he felt the brightness slowly lessen, he lowered his arms and was surprised to see the one in front of him.

    "Dane?"

 Chapter 103 - 97: Dane

    The night after the funeral proceedings.

    The Alpha, and the other higher ups of the Kendall pack were having a meeting at the meeting room in the packhouse. They were in the middle of a discussion when someone had interrupted them, saying that there was someone who would like to meet with Lachlan.

    Narrowing his eyes, Lachlan frowned as he discreetly sniffed the air.

    ''What is he doing here?'' he thought as his gaze turned to the door. He nodded to the shifter who announced and the latter quickly opened the door to reveal a man with a short but lush salt and pepper tinted hair.

    The man walked into the room with his head held up, befitting of a shifter who had been an Alpha for more than a century. Everyone, including Lachlan could see the powerful aura oozing out of the shifter''s body.

    When the man stood on the other end of the table, staring at Lachlan in the eye, Lachlan also stood up and nodded. "Alpha Isaiah."

    "Alpha Lachlan," the man returned.

    "Please, have a seat," Lachlan invited as one of the triplets immediately grabbed a seat for Isaiah.

    Isaiah nodded as he sat down. The two of them stared at each other across the table. The other shifters in the room fell silent, as the two Alphas sized each other up.

    Then Lachlan broke the silence by asking politely, "May I ask what brings Alpha Isaiah here?" however, he ended the question with a sarcastic remark. "If I''m not mistaken, when my packmates first came to your pack, they weren''t welcomed at all. So, should I return the discourtesy they faced before to you?"

    Everyone in the room fell into another moment of silence after Lachlan''s words. They could feel the tension in the air and the anger whirling in Isaiah''s aura due to Lachlan''s rude words.

    However, the anger slowly subsided once Isaiah calmed down. He took a deep breath and said with a gruff in his voice, "I apologize for our pack''s rudeness." Although he did not bow, the sincerity in his voice was enough. It was unthinkable for an Alpha to apologize to another Alpha, much less to their subordinates. Hence why the Kendall packs weren''t offended when Isaiah only apologized.

    Lachlan just nodded, accepting his apology as he crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against his seat.

    Then Isaiah continued, "The reason why I have come here is to ask for you help."

    "Help?"

    Isaiah nodded. He then began to talk from the beginning. About how the Cairin pack was remotely under an evil shifter''s control, who also has a powerful warlock by his side. And that they held his granddaughter as a hostage. He doesn''t even know how she was at the moment, whether she was living well or tortured. He told them about his son''s death under the shifter''s hands, which surprised the Kendall pack. They knew that the previous Alpha died but they did not know the cause of death.

    "But why now?" Reginald voiced out, a frown marred his strong face.

    "They had sent another amputated finger of my granddaughter''s," Isaiah said grimly, drawing gasps from the female elders. "I''m worried that they will torture my granddaughter more. And I don''t want that to happen any longer. She has been held hostage for fifteen damn years! I know that my pack and I can''t do it alone. Even now, my pack is being watched by that damn warlock!" he cursed.

    The Kendall pack fell silent as they contemplated what Isaiah had been telling them.

    "The ones that we have encountered in the forest before were their people?" Reginald asked again.

    Isaiah nodded. "Yes, we couldn''t do anything about that. They controlled the forest as well."

    All of them fell silent once more.

    "So, what do you need help with?" Lachlan asked, his arms still crossed across his chest.

    "I implore for your cooperation in seeking retribution for my clan," Isaiah said, a determined look in his eyes. "And in return, I will tell you about something that you might be interested in."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And what is that?" he asked slowly.

    "About who Dane really is."

    -----

    "Dane?"

    Erick staggered back when he saw the shiny thing in front of him suddenly morphed into a wolf. A huge familiar wolf that was taller and towering over him. But the weird thing was that the white streak on his back was more defined.

    "Dane, is that you?" he asked again.

    The shiny huge wolf had his eyes closed as he stood at his hind legs. It looked as if he was dreaming, standing quietly in front of Erick. Bright light surrounds his whole body, illuminating in this world of darkness.

    "Dane?" Erick repeated, peering up at him.

    Just then, the wolf suddenly had his eyes open wide, as if he could hear his name being called. Slowly, he lowered his head and looked at the young man in front of him.

    "Erick?" he said in his raspy voice.

    Erick began to smile widely, happy that he finally found someone in this darkness. "Dane, what''s going on?" he asked, as he looked around him. Again, darkness greeted him as it surrounds the two living beings.

    Dane ignored his question with a question of his own. "Wait. What are you doing here, Erick?" he asked, squinting his eyes at him.

    "I don''t even know how I got here!" Erick exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "The last thing I remember was playing games with Hamish and suddenly, I''m here."

    Dane growled softly under his breath. "I guess it''s time."

    "Time for what?" Erick asked, looking confused.

    Dane turned to Erick and said, "You will need to find the other parts of my soul. I''m actually incomplete. I didn''t tell you this because I thought I had timeˇ­" he then looked up, away from Erick''s penetrating gaze and continued, "But I guess the time is now."

    He looked at Erick again in the eyes and said, "You will understand sooner or later." he looked at the side and continued, "Look at the area where you found the Adorosa plant."

    "Wait what?" Erick asked, still looking confused.

    And before he could ask more, Dane has slowly faded into nothingness. And the next thing he knew was that when he opened his eyes, he found himself on his bed.

    His mother was sitting next to him, cradling him close to her body, crying her heart out of worry. Lachlan stood behind her, with his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Hamish and his parents stood at the other side of bed with Paccia who was sitting on the bed in front of them.

    What confused Erick was the clothes that Hamish was wearing. He could have sworn that he wore a different shirt the night that they played games together. After his mother had calmed down, he was shocked to find that he was actually unconscious for two whole days.

    Paccia had been casting her spells on him ever since Hamish had called for help two nights ago but failed. She was baffled as to why her most powerful spells don''t even work on him. She also thought it was weird that during the two nights, she could not feel his soul presence nor his wolf soul, as if the one on the bed was an empty shell.

    So she was surprised once again when he suddenly woke up as if nothing had happened. And she could feel the two resonating souls inside him like the usual.

    Paccia placed a hand on Erick''s forehead and asked, "What happened, child?"

    "I don''t know. I suddenly black out and the next thing I see was all darkness," Erick explained, still confused.

    "Did you remember anything? About what happened?" Lachlan asked.

    Erick looked up to look at his father and said, "All I remember was Dane."

 Chapter 104 - Side story: Hamish [2]

    Open Day.

    Hamish was in the classroom, sitting near the cashier area, together with a couple of his classmates. Even though he did not have a role, similar to Amber, the two of them basically just helped with whatever they could. He mostly helped out with the finance, whereas Amber mostly helped out with the cooking. Although he had heard otherwise. And the fact that he noticed Dana keeps trying to push Amber out of the cooking area.

    As for Erick, he doesn''t spend much time inside the classroom. Rather, he mostly worked outside. It was because earlier before, Hamish had told Erick to go outside to pass out more flyers. And seeing that many girls were clamouring over him, he thought it was a good idea for Erick to walk around as he was like a ''walking advertis.e.m.e.nt''.

    At that time, Erick had just left for his break, together with Amber. Hamish was about to have his but he decided to stay for a while to help. Because thanks to Erick, apparently, there were a lot of girls coming into their cafe. Apparently, they wanted to get a closer look at Erick. At first, they were a bit disappointed when they found out that he wasn''t there. However, as soon as they saw Hamish behind the cashier counter, they stayed behind, instead of leaving.

    While they were waiting for their food and drinks to arrive, some discreetly took out their phones to take some pictures of Hamish.

    ''Hot guy at Berkendall HS!''

    ''Omg. First, there''s a hot guy at the school entrance and now this!''

    ''Are Burkendall HS full of hot guys??''

    ''I think I want to transfer to this school! I don''t care whether it''s the middle of the semester!''

    As Hamish thought about Erick having fun with his mate, he felt a bit envious that he found someone to share his life with.

    He thought back when Erick first found his mate. Back then, it was a surprise that he quickly found one after the shifting ritual. It was as if it was fated. And the latter was even more surprised to find that his mate was a human. Hamish thought of his mother who used to be a human before becoming a shifter after being mated.

    And then after Erick, it was Jeayan. That one was ANOTHER surprise. And how lucky that the two of them were in the same pack. And even if they were of a different age, it doesn''t stop them from falling for each other. And the fact that Roel knew about her and held on, even now, amazed him.

    Hamish let out a sigh as he leaned back against his seat.

    His two classmates who were manning the cashier, turned around to see him looking restless. "Why don''t you go around and take a break, Hamish?" one of them suggested.

    "Yes, we can handle this now," the other agreed.

    Earlier they were bombarded with lots of customers that it was hard for them to handle them. Luckily, Hamish was around and with his great memory skills, he was able to memorize who had ordered what and how much their meal costs. Other than that, he was fast when it comes to serving and was able to handle impatient customers. They thought that if he had worked in a restaurant or a cafe, he would be a perfect employee.

    Hamish looked up and tilted his head in question, his arms crossed across his chest. "You sure you two will be alright?" he asked in concern.

    The two quickly nodded. One of them even tugged on Hamish''s arm, trying to get him to get up. Unfortunately for her, he was like a boulder that can''t be moved.

    Hamish nodded as he stood up. The girl immediately stepped back. She was always in awe at his height and huge body. Not just him, but also Erick. These two were like the Adonis in their class.

    Before he left the room, he was immediately surrounded by some girls. Apparently, they were waiting for him to get out to approach him. At first, they were afraid to approach him because of his cold look that seems to warn people to not get close. But they got their courage up to come up to him for a selfie. They thought he was about to reject them, just like the other hot guy who just left.

    But to their delight, this hot guy agreed and they all rushed out to take a selfie with him. While they were taking pictures with him, Hamish suddenly had a thought. ''I wonder if I could make money out of taking pictures?'' he thought as he posed for the picture. ''I''m sure I can bring Erick to this plan and we''ll get more money.''

    Once he was done taking pictures, he quickly walked out of the room before anyone could stop him for a picture.

    As he walked along the corridor, he saw Erick and Amber standing before one of the classes. Looking over, he saw that the entrance of the class was decorated with many posters of MacBeth and black and grey party streamers. And then he could feel a familiar scent that belonged to Jeayan. Her class was probably doing a play on MacBeth.

    With his keen hearing, he could hear Erick sounding frustrated at being ''tricked'' by Jeayan. He inwardly chuckled and went on the opposite side. He really did not want to get ''tricked'' by Jeayan so it would be better if he went the other way.

    Just as he walked in the opposite direction, he bumped into a couple, who were walking side by side.

    The three of them stopped. One only looked at them coldly, the other was narrowing his eyes at the cold look while the other one looked down, looking embarrassed.

    "Dex."

    "Hamish."

    "What are you doing on this side of the school?" Hamish asked. It was not that he had anything against Dex but it was rare to see him around this area, knowing that Erick was on this side.

    Dex looked smug as he lovingly looked down at the girl beside him. "I''m walking around with my girl," he said proudly. The girl, Zoe, gave him a shy smile.

    Hamish narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He then took a discreet sniff and he c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. He sent a mindlink to Dex and asked, ''Mate?''

    ''Yep,'' Dex replied back in the mindlink. Hamish could feel the happiness bursting out of Dex when he answered that.

    "I see," Hamish said out loud. "Have fun," he continued as he walked past them.

    Leaving the two lovebirds, he made his way outside the school. He sighed inwardly. ''I wonder when will I ever be able to meet my mate?'' he thought sadly.

 Chapter 105 - 98: Danes past

    An hour before Erick''s blackout.

    The two Alphas looked at each other in the eyes, across the table. One had his arms crossed across his chest while the other held the former''s gaze with an unwavering glint in his eyes.

    "I implore for your cooperation in seeking retribution for my clan," Isaiah said, a determined look in his eyes. "And in return, I will tell you about something that you might be interested in."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And what is that?" he asked slowly.

    "About who Dane really is," Isaiah answered.

    Lachlan frowned deeper. "Dane?" he repeated, a confused tone in his voice.

    "Yes, Dane. One of the surviving Lycan''s souls."

    Gasps could be heard all around the room. This was such an earth-shattering kind of news! Even Roel had his eyes widened in surprise, losing his poker face.

    Lachlan''s eyes widened as he abruptly stood up with both of his palms on the table. "What did you just say? Lycans??" he repeated, looking so shocked.

    "I thought Lycans were extinct!"

    "Dane? A Lycan?"

    "But he doesn''t have those white manes known for their distinct features as a Lycan!"

    Confusion and disbelief murmurs reverberated throughout the room, making a small noise.

    "That''s because his soul is incomplete," Isaiah said out loud, cutting through the noise.

    Lachlan sat back down, frowning. "Please explain," he invited, a look of doubt covered his face.

    Isaiah let out a long breath. "Let me start from the beginning."

    Centuries ago, during the huge war between the Lycans and the Hunters, there was actually an inner strife in the Lycan pack. As one of the strongest supernatural beings on Earth, they were bound to have power conflicts. There were disagreements over who will become the leader of the Lycans. Seeing as there were many presences of Alphas, it was difficult to select the leader as each Alphas were known for their domineering, arrogant and egoistic attitudes. It was difficult for them to accept commands from another shifter.

    Although, there have been fights to determine who will become the Alpha, it had become quite a strain on these Lycans where they had to deal with whom to be the leader and defending themselves against the Hunters.

    However, one of the Lycan bloodlines were dissatisfied with the arrangement and wanted the Alpha issue to be decided there and then. Wanting to take over the whole Lycan power, these certain groups of Lycans began to hunt down those who had the capabilities and the rights to be the Alpha. And one of them was Dane.

    Dane was one of the strongest Lycans and although he wasn''t the Alpha of his Lycan pack, he was one of sons of an Alpha''s. Unlike his brothers who were fighting for the place of the Alpha on behalf of their pack, Dane was unconcerned about it. He was rather nonchalant about the whole affair.

    However, enviness and evil roamed throughout the Lycan packs. Rumours and lies were spread among the Lycans. Packs began to distrust each other as they began to see each other as a competition or rivals; one they have to defeat. Hence why it was one of the reasons as to why the Lycans lost to the Hunters.

    Dane, at that time, was a young Lycan who fought to survive the upcoming massacre that killed not only his parents but also his brothers. He did not expect that one of their Lycan ''brothers'' whom he sees as family would betray them just because of power. It was unsure what had happened but just before he was killed, the other Lycans were surprised to see him screaming as he held his head tightly. He began to gut-wrenchingly scream and suddenly, they saw lights coming out of his eyes and he slowly became a small Lycan, stripped of his white fur mane, leaving only a white streak.

    It was unsure whether he was alive or not but the body of Dane was left lifeless as the Lycans continued to attack each other. It was also unsure as to what had happened to his body but some said that it got eaten away by savages and some said that it rotted away.

    Everyone in the room was quiet, once Isaiah was done. Shortly after, Lachlan spoke up. "Though, this makes me wonder. How do you know all of this?" he asked, a look of suspicion gleamed in his eyes.

    Isaiah let out another sigh. "The battle history of the Lycans and the Hunters have been passed down in our pack from generations to generations. Our ancestors wanted us to remember the story so that history would not be repeated. My Cairin pack used to be part of the Lycan packs until the blood diminishes. Yet, we still hold the power of healing in our pack."

    Lachlan nodded. That was true. He too remembered the story well from his father and grandfather. Although he does not know it well, compared to Isaiah but he knew of it. Like the Cairin pack, they too were part of the Lycan but not as deep as the Cairin pack. Hence why it was still unbelievable that Dane was a Lycan.

    "And I heard years ago, there were talks about Lycans being alive. And from that man''s persistence in wanting a certain shifter to be dead, I''d assume that he was talking about the surviving Lycans," Isaiah continued, referring ''that man'' to the one who had kept his pack and granddaughter captive.

    He remembered the time when he was held back by his son''s mate and Beta, that man kept mumbling, "He''s not here. That damn Lycan is not here. I need to find him. I need to KILL HIM!"

    "But how did you know Dane is a Lycan?" Lachlan further asked.

    Isaiah narrowed his eyes at him. "He has a white streak on him, didn''t he?" he asked back. "I heard from my pack who was watching the forest saw a shifter with that white streak in your pack. And he has the same name, similar to one of the surviving Lycans, Dane."

    Just as everyone in the room fell silent, they were loudly interrupted by Luella, who came rushing in from one of the rooms. Her face was stricken with dread and worry. Her eyes were shiny, brimming with tears as she loudly opened the door to their meeting room.

    Shocked, everyone in the room stood up to look at her. Isaiah abruptly stood up as well, surprised by the sudden intrusion.

    Noticing another shifter not from her pack, she swiftly turned to Isaiah and apologized for her rude behavior.

    Isaiah brushed away her apologies, suspecting that there must be something wrong to make her act like this. Believing that the Kendall pack would probably need their privacy, he made his excuse to leave and told them to send a word in answer to his previous pleas.

    Lachlan nodded.

    Roel swiftly got up and guided the Cairin Alpha out of the room.

    After Isaiah and Roel had left the room, Lachlan turned to Luella who immediately rushed to his side. She gripped his arms tight, her eyes still brimming with tears.

    His heart clenched at the sadness she emitted out. "What''s wrong, love?" he asked, looking concerned.

    "It''s Erick!"

    "Erick?" Lachlan repeated. His concern was growing strong. ''Could this be the unsettling feeling he had felt earlier?'' he thought.

    "He''s not breathing!"

 Chapter 106 - 99: I cant wait to see you soon

    Erick looked up to look at his father and said, "All I remember was Dane."

    Lachlan immediately turned to Fergus, who also looked at him from across the bed. They had a surprised look on their faces. Just a couple of days ago, Isaiah had talked about Dane and now, Erick just said that he saw Dane while he was unconscious.

    Was this all a coincidence?

    "But he wasˇ­ Differentˇ­" Erick continued, looking down at his hands on his lap.

    "Different, how?" Lachlan asked again. Luella had stopped crying but she was still hugging her son close as if she did not want to let him go.

    "He looked much bigger," Erick explained as he held his head with one hand. His other hand was holding his mother''s arm. "And he said something about his incomplete soul."

    Lachlan met Fergus'' eyes once more. The more they hear about Dane, the more Isaiah''s story rang true. Isaiah had left immediately after Luella''s shocking news about Erick. He did not want to trespass on such a crucial moment. Though, he did say to Lachlan that he will await his answer.

    Lachlan had sensed from earlier that there was something different about Dane. The fact that he was powerful and could merge with a young shifter at an early age. The fact that he has a white streak on his body when there were no shifters with two colours of their manes.

    And as he thought more about Dane, the more excited he felt. Dane was one of the Lycans whispered and worshipped by many werewolves!

    But what baffled Lachlan was the fact that why he was quiet about his heritage. Was there someone after him? From what Isaiah had said, it seems there was.

    Looking down at his son on the bed, who was trying to calm his mother down, he knew that his son would be in danger. Until Dane''s soul was complete, the Kendall pack would need to protect him, even to their deaths.

    "Son, what else did Dane say?" Lachlan asked as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

    Erick looked up and answered, "He said he wanted me to look for his soul to be complete. He did mention about the Adorosa plant."

    "What else?"

    Erick shook his head. "That''s it. He vanished soon after. Even now, I''m trying to call him out but he hasn''t answered my calls."

    Paccia held out a hand in front of Erick and soon after, a burst of yellow lights came whirling in front of Erick, going around in a circle. She then placed her hand down and said, "It seems like he is sleeping at the moment."

    "Does he look hurt?" Erick asked in concern.

    Paccia shook her head. "I can''t actually see him but I could feel your wolf soul is in a quiet and stable condition. So I assumed that Dane must be sleeping. And there''s no fluctuation or any disturbance so he''s probably alright."

    Erick sighed in relief.

    Luella smiled in relief too, her eyes were still wet from her tears. "That''s great." she then hugged her son tightly once more. "And thanks to the moon goddess," she said softly.

    Lachlan smiled ruefully at his two beloved people in front of him. He then turned to Fergus and said, "Call Noaz to my office. I have an assignment for him."

    Fergus nodded. He then patted his wife on the shoulder and bent down to give her a peck on the cheek. He then swiftly left the room.

    Lachlan turned to his son and said, "There''s something that I need to confirm with you later. Tell me when you can call for Dane." He then turned to his wife. "I''ll be back soon."

    Both his wife and son nodded.

    He turned to Paccia next and said, "Come with me."

    Paccia immediately stood up and gave a small bow. "Yes, Alpha."

    Both Mary and Hamish bowed their heads when the Alpha walked out of the room, with Paccia following him from behind.

    After the two had left, both mother and son quickly moved to the other side of the bed where Mary stood behind Luella, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. Hamish stood behind them, watching quietly.

    "Why don''t we go and let Erick get some rest for now?" Mary suggested softly. "Let Hamish accompany him while we cook some food for Erick. He''s probably hungry."

    Erick immediately nodded when he heard the word, ''food''. "Yes please!" he said with a huge grin.

    Hamish just rolled his eyes.

    When the two women left the two young shifters alone in the room, Hamish immediately handed Erick his phone. Erick took it and sighed when he saw the many missed calls and messages from Amber. He felt a bit guilty that he wasn''t able to text her. She must be worried about him.

    "Have you talked to her recently?" Erick asked Hamish, who sat down on the chair near Erick''s study table.

    Hamish nodded. "She caught me the other day in school. I told her that you were sick. She wanted to come over but the Alpha told me that we shouldn''t let anyone know about your condition then."

    Erick rubbed the back of his neck, feeling inwardly tired.

    "She tried to follow me home but unfortunately for her, I managed to delude her many times," Hamish said, smiling a little as he recalled Amber''s confused look when he managed to escape her.

    Erick immediately keyed in her phone number to call and before the phone rings a second time, the call was picked up.

    "Erick?!?"

    "Hey Amber," he greeted.

    "Oh my gosh! How are you? And where are you now? Are you alright now? What happened? Did something happen after you got back?" came her many questions.

    Erick scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. "I''m good now. I just had a flu," he lied. "I don''t really want you to worry or catch it from me."

    "Can I come over to visit you?" she asked, sounding worried.

    As much as he wanted her to come over, he wasn''t sure whether his parents would allow him to invite her over. Especially when there were so many things happening in the pack. And glancing at the watch, it was a bit late so he wasn''t sure whether it would be a good thing for her to visit him now.

    Noticing that Erick was quiet after her question, Amber felt a bit hurt and sad. She was about to continue when Erick cut in. "Sure. I''ll ask Hamish to come and bring you over."

    "Hamish?" she repeated, sounding surprised.

    Hamish looked up when he heard his name being mentioned, c.o.c.king his eyebrow in question.

    "Yeah, he''s here right now."

    "That guy!" Amber said, sounding a bit miffed. "How did he manage to run away so fast?" she asked in disbelief.

    Erick bit back his laughter, knowing what she meant but pretended to not know. "What happened?" he asked in a teasing tone.

    "Nothing. The other day I tried to follow him home but he was too fast. I don''t dare to go alone," she confessed.

    Erick understood her fears since he lived far away from the residential area and more near to the forest. And was a bit relieved that she didn''t fall in her desire to follow Hamish home. Who knows what she will encounter since she was just a human? Although the Kendall pack was a friendly group of friendly shifters, if someone were to trespass into their territory, they would shift and scare the trespassers away.

    "Alright, I''ll let him know," Erick said in a gentle voice.

    "Okay, I''ll see you later," came her reply. And before she hung up the call, he could hear her continue in a soft voice, saying, "And I miss you too."

    Erick hung up the call with a goofy smile on his face.

    Hamish immediately stood up and said, "I''ll go fetch her."

    Erick pointed at his study table, where his car keys were, with his chin.

    Hamish took the car keys and walked out of the room.

    From inside, he could hear Hamish walking down the stairs and their mothers asking him where he was going. He smiled with relief after they answered alright when Hamish had said that he''s going to pick Amber up. It was a relief that he, too, has a driving license. Apparently, he passed his driving test a few days ago when his father decided that he should have one.

    Erick sighed as he leaned against his bed pillows. As much as he wanted to pick Amber up, he felt physically tired. Rather than facing the wrath of his parents for leaving the bed, this would be the second best thing he could do for Amber

    He looked out at the window where the curtains were opened, showing the beautiful moon nestling behind the soft clouds in the sky.

    "Amber, I can''t wait to see you soon," he said softly.

 Chapter 107 - 100: A mates concern

    It has been nearly two days since Amber last saw Erick. The last time he had texted her was to inform her that there had been an incident in his place so he was probably going to be busy all night long. He then texted again to inform her that his close relatives had passed away and that they will be busy with the funeral.

    At first, Amber was fine and all but the next day, she was surprised that there were no text messages from him, even later in the afternoon. She texted him many times and there were no replies. Then she tried calling him but again, the ringing continued on until it was informed that the call wasn''t picked up.

    It was at that time, she cursed herself for not knowing Hamish''s number. She met up with him that morning in school but he only gave her a vague answer, saying that Erick was sick. And this made her more worried. She wanted to discreetly follow him home one day but he always managed to erase his traces. She doesn''t dare go off alone.

    As she scrolled down her contacts, she realized the lack of phone numbers that she has. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Jeayan''s number.

    Thinking that she should try her luck, she decided to call Jeayan as well. Unfortunately, her luck wasn''t with her at that time. Jeayan, too, did not pick up her call.

    Amber sighed, worried and wondering where Erick could be.

    Although it was already evening, she decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies. Apparently, whenever she was worried or stressed out, other than stress-eating, she would also release her stress by baking or cooking. Both activities made her relax and calm her mind.

    Her mother had peeked in the kitchen from time to time, asking whether she was alright. Amber gave her a small smile, reassuring that she was alright. Even Remi had gone down the stairs and into the kitchen, asking about her well-being. Again, Amber had told him the same thing she had told her mother and persuaded him to go back to his room.

    She wasn''t sure how long she had been baking but it was fortunate that there were still many ingredients left. Though, she probably would need to go to the grocery to buy more.

    She was already on her third tray of cookies when her father walked in from work. Noticing that the lights were still on in the kitchen, he took a peek and was surprised to see Amber still baking up the storm. Looking at the couple of trays in the kitchen sink, he smiled ruefully. It seems like there was something that worries his beloved daughter.

    Without making a sound, he continued to watch her silently as she continued baking more cookies, scooping the cookie dough onto the baking tray.

    Probably sensing that someone was watching her, she looked up and was surprised to see her father smiling at her. "Daddy? Why are you being quiet over there?" she asked as she stopped what she was doing and walked over to her father''s side.

    Eren put his arm around his daughter''s shoulder and gave her a quick peck on her temple. "Nothing. What about you? What''s with the cookies? Something on your mind?" he asked, looking concerned.

    Amber looked down at her entwined hands and shook her head. "It''s nothing. I justˇ­ want to do something," she said softly.

    "Did something happen to Erick?" he asked again.

    Amber''s head shot up as she looked at her father in surprise. "How did you know that this is about Erick?" she asked, sounding surprised.

    Eren let out a light chuckle. "It has been a while I''ve seen my carefree daughter looking so sad and concerned. And who else, other than Erick has caught my hard-to-get daughter''s eyes?" he said teasingly, tapping her nose lovingly.

    Amber just kept quiet as she returned to scooping more cookie dough onto the baking tray. Then realizing that her father probably hadn''t had his dinner yet, she quickly grabbed the plate that her mother had left for her father and reheated it.

    Her father went and sat down on the dining table. He opened his light jacket and placed it on the back of his chair while his briefcase was on the other chair.

    After her father''s dinner had finished reheating, she quickly served him his dinner and continued baking where she placed her baking tray in the oven. While waiting for her cookies to finish baking, the ones that she had baked earlier had cooled down. She grabbed a huge container and poured the cookies inside.

    "So, what really happened?" Eren asked as he ate his dinner.

    Surprised at his sudden question, thinking that her father had already dropped the topic, Amber let out a sigh. She went over and sat down across her father. "I don''t knowˇ­" she said slowly. "He usually calls or texts me everyday but I haven''t received any since the night he had dinner here. He didn''t even pick up my calls so I''m just a bit worried."

    Eren laughed lightly. "Should I be concerned that there''s some boy talking to my daughter everyday?" he asked teasingly.

    "Dadddddˇ­!" Amber whined. She really wasn''t in the mood for his teasing.

    Her father''s face turned serious as he looked at her in the eyes. "Amber, you''re a very caring person. You''re a bit like your mother who tends to worry a lot and have a heart big enough for lots of people that you care about. It concerns me when you''re being like this and I understand your worries. Your mother used to fret over me every night whenever I returned back late from work. But there were times when waiting for your loved one is a wonderful feeling to do," he said as a gentle smile bloomed on his face.

    "What do you mean?" Amber asked, looking confused.

    Eren sighed. "As I''ve said before. Your mother used to worry every night whenever I came home late that she would wait in the kitchen, waiting for my footsteps. I appreciate the time she sacrificed her lost sleep, just to wait for me and then the next morning, she would wake up earlier before me to make me breakfast. Your mother is a wonderful woman. But I always tell her that as much as I appreciate the things she has done for me, the things that matter to me are her health and her wellbeing."

    He then reached out his hand from across the table and took his daughter''s hand. His thumb caressed the back of her hand and he continued, "So if your Erick is like me, I''m sure he wouldn''t want to make you worry, sleeping late every night like this. Don''t worry about the negatives and focus on the positives. Would you want Erick to see you this pale and sleep-deprived?"

    Amber shook her head as she contemplated the words her father gave her in her mind.

    Eren let go of her hand and laughed softly as he continued eating his dinner. "Good," he said.

    Just then the oven beeped, indicating that the cookies were done baking. Amber quickly stood up and went to grab the tray out of the oven. She placed the tray on a cooling mat, waiting for it to cool. After she was done, she returned back to join her father at the dining table.

    The two have a nice conversation while she accompanies her father to eat. Eren also took the opportunity to ask her about school and more specifically, about Erick.

    Few minutes later, Amber told her father that she will wash the dirty dishes. At first, her father protested but knowing he was tired, she gently pushed him upstairs. She then persuades him by saying that she too has a lot of other dirty dishes to wash from baking.

    After her father finally went up, she went back to where her cookies were cooling and poured them into the container that was already filled with the other cookies.

    It was then she heard her phone rings. She frowned as she glanced at the wall clock near the fridge. ''Who could be calling at this hour?'' she thought as she walked over to where she had placed her mobile phone.

    "Erick?!"

 Chapter 108 - 101: Behave!

    Amber was quiet as she sat at the passenger seat with Hamish driving the two of them to Erick''s house. Earlier, before Hamish had arrived, she quickly ran to her parents'' room and knocked quietly at their door, not wanting to wake Remi up.

    Her father looked confused when he saw Amber at the door. Her mother had just fallen asleep and her father was about to take a shower when Amber knocked on the door. He asked whether there was something wrong.

    Amber told him that she wanted to go to Erick''s house.

    Looking at his wristwatch that he was still wearing, Eren saw that it was already half-past eight in the evening. He was about to refuse when he saw the pleading look on her face.

    He rubbed his face tiredly, not knowing what to do. He then said, "Amber, it''s nearly nine o''clock in the evening. What kind of father would I be to let my daughter go to a boy''s house at this hour?"

    "B-b-butˇ­" she started. "At least, I''m telling you, instead of sneaking out!"

    Eren sighed in resignation. "Even so, I won''t let my daughter go out to some boy''s house. You have school tomorrow, remember?" he said.

    With her slumped shoulders and dejected face, she slowly turned around and was about to head down the stairs.

    Eren sighed again as he looked at the back of her sad daughter and knew that he wouldn''t be able to make her more sad. ''It seems like I spoiled my daughter too much,'' he thought as he crossed his arms across his chest.

    Just as she was about to climb down the stairs, her father called her name. She turned around with a sad look on her face.

    Her father sighed inwardly this time, scolding himself for not being able to resist his daughter''s sad look. "Will you be driving there alone?" he asked, a stern look on his face.

    Amber tilted her head in confusion. "I think Hamish will pick me up," she said. "I don''t really remember the way to his house."

    Eren narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "And who is this Hamish?" he asked again, not recognizing the name.

    "Uh, Hamish is Erick''s friend. They lived next to each other," she explained. "Apparently, Erick can''t come and pick me up himself."

    "I''ll have a word with this Hamish."

    Shortly after, Hamish came, driving Erick''s car. It took almost half an hour for Eren to ask questions which ended up with him calling Erick''s parents, who were surprised at the fact that Amber was coming over.

    Although the three parents haven''t met each other officially, Eren trusts the Kendall family. He had heard many great stories about the Police Chief and his wife. And before Erick came over for dinner, he also looked into the Kendall family and was surprised to know that they were one of the founding families in this town. When he asked his colleagues in the army who were the locals in town as to why Lachlan wasn''t running for mayor, they said that he preferred to work in the police force where he will be able to understand and care for the town more deeply. Eren had always thought Lachlan was a humble man and this information made him respect him more.

    It was then decided that Amber will be given permission to go to Erick''s house, under Luella''s ''eagle'' eyes. And not wanting her to return home late, Eren also gave her permission to sleep over at Jeayan''s place after much persuasion from Luella.

    By the time the two reached Erick''s house, it was already nine o''clock in the evening. Although she should feel a bit eerie since they were near the forest, she felt calm and soothing, instead. And the area looked beautiful in her eyes.

    She was about to grab her duffel bag which had her things inside after Hamish had parked the car. However, the latter grabbed it first before she could. Looking at him with a confused look on her face, he answered her unvoiced out question, "I''ll carry this over to Jeayan''s. Jeayan will be over later to pick you up."

    Amber nodded. Soon after, Hamish was gone, leaving her alone standing in front of Erick''s house. She was holding her huge container of chocolate chip cookies in her arms. She thought that Erick probably would like to eat some of the cookies she''d made. And now, she suddenly became nervous. She cursed and scolded herself for being so brash and not thinking logically.

    She held her head in frustration with one hand when she finally realized what she had done. What woman would literally beg her parents to let her go to a guy''s house in the middle of the night?? Fine. It was still early evening but stillˇ­ and what woman would sleep over at her boyfriend''s home after a couple of months of dating?? Fine. She will actually be sleeping over at Jeayan''s place but stillˇ­

    She was breathing hard, trying to calm herself when the front door of Erick''s house opened. She was still in thoughts when Luella suddenly hugged her arm. "Amber! So great to see you! It has been so long since you''ve come here! What are you doing here all alone?" she asked as she pulled back, looking at Amber from top to bottom. "Come, come. Let''s get inside and get warm. It must be pretty chilly for you, standing outside here," she invited, tugging gently on her arm.

    Amber nodded. Though, she thought it was kind of weird that Aunt Luella only wore a light blouse when she herself wore a thick sweater. Before she could think much, she was already inside the house. And soon after, there was a sound of loud barking from upstairs.

    Luella was about to bring her over to the kitchen when Luka came running down the stairs. And when he saw Amber, he began to bark happily and nearly crashed into her. Luckily, Luella was faster. She managed to grab him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back before he crushed Amber.

    Amber''s eyes widened. She was so fast that her eyes couldn''t catch up. And she was so strong too since she managed to pull Luka, who probably weighed like a ton! "Aunt Luellaˇ­" she began.

    Luella gave Luka a quick scolding before turning to Amber with a bright smile. "Yes, sweetie?" she said.

    Amber quickly shook her head. "Uh, nothing," she mumbled.

    Luella nodded and quickly went into the kitchen. Soon after, she returned with a tray, carrying two glasses and a jug of orange juice. She passed the tray to Amber and said, "Here. You carry this up to his room."

    Amber was actually carrying her container of chocolate chip cookies and when Luella passed her the tray, she nearly dropped the container. Luella carefully took the container from Amber''s arms and laughed lightly. "Do you think you can carry this all?" she asked.

    Amber just laughed awkwardly.

    Luella swiftly grabbed the tray with one hand and handed Amber back her container. "Never mind. I''ll carry this myself. You need to eat more, sweetie."

    Amber blinked her eyes in surprise as she watched Luella carry the tray as if it didn''t weigh anything at all.

    Seriously, where did her strength come from in that little body of hers??

    Amber swiftly followed Luella from behind with Luka trotting beside her.

    And without knocking on the door, Luella slammed open the door and said loudly, "Baby! I''ve brought some goodies for you!"

    "Amber?" came Erick''s voice from inside.

    Luella turned her head towards Amber, who was quietly giggling, and rolled her eyes before coming inside the room. "No, it''s just your mother," she said, deadpanned.

    "Pfft!" Amber burst out, trying to hold onto her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.

    "Oh," Erick said, sounding disappointed. "I thought it was her since I could smell her scent."

    Amber immediately poked her head out from behind Luella. "Smell?" she repeated with a strange look on her face.

    "Amber!" Erick exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.

    He was about to get up from his bed when Luella walked in and pushed him back to bed. "Slow down, lover boy. You still need some rest."

    "Momˇ­" he whined. "I''ve been resting for so long already."

    Luella narrowed her eyes in a warning. "Don''t argue with me. You''ve beenˇ­" before she could finish her sentence, her son widened his eyes in panic, as if to tell her that he did not want her to say that he has been unconscious for nearly two days.

    "Anyway," she said, changing the topic as she placed the tray on Erick''s bedside table. "I''ll leave this here and you two can have a talk," she continued, turning to Amber, who was still standing near the door.

    She walked over and patted Luka on the head, who was beside Amber. "And you, Luka. You become the chaperon here."

    Luka growled happily as if it was saying, ''Yes, ma''am.''.

    Just then, Erick received a mindlink from his mother. ''And you, young man. I can hear and smell from downstairs so behave,'' she warned.

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes.

    With that, Luella gently closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone with Luka beside Amber''s side.

 Chapter 109 - 102: Those are MY cookies!

    Both Erick and Amber were awkwardly quiet as the two avoided each other''s eyes, looking embarrassed and shy all of the sudden. It was until Luka started to growl that the two jumped in surprise.

    Amber took a step forward, one after another as she held her cookie container behind her. She did not realize that Erick had smelled it way before she entered his room. But not wanting to cause her any more shock, he acted surprised when she held out the container in front of her, presenting it to him.

    "Iˇ­ Uh, I''veˇ­ baked some cookies," she said nervously, looking down at her feet.

    Erick grinned as he accepted the container. When he opened the lid, he could really smell the sweetness of the cookies and it was a great scent. He took one and popped it into his mouth. He immediately ate the whole cookie and found that he could not stop grabbing one until the cookies were nearly left half in the container.

    Amber''s eyes widened when she saw how much he ate and immediately took the container from him. "Leave some for tomorrow or another day. Too much sweets before sleeping is bad for you," she scolded gently.

    Erick pouted and mumbled, "Alright."

    Amber then sat down on his bed, facing him. Luka immediately jumped onto the bed and then he nudged her arm away from the side and laid his head on her lap. Amber giggled as she stroked Luka''s mane.

    The two were quiet again as they enjoyed each other''s company. Few minutes later, Amber broke the silence by asking, "How are you?"

    Erick nodded. "I''m good. Yeah, it wasn''t that serious," he white-lied, avoiding her gaze.

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "Then why are you avoiding my eyes right now? How was it not serious that you couldn''t reply to my text or calls?" she asked suspiciously.

    Erick grinned, showing his deep dimples. "Did you miss me that much?" he teased, leaning forward to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

    Amber slapped his hand away. "Stop joking around. I''m trying to be serious here,??? she lightly scolded him again.

    Erick let out a sigh. "Alright, alright," he said. "I''m sorry for making you worry. I was just unconscious at that time."

    "You''ve fainted?"

    Erick scratched the back of his head and nodded. "You could say that. I didn''t know what happened," he confessed honestly. "I was playing my games after the funeral with Hamish and suddenly, I blacked out."

    "Did you go to the hospital to have yourself check out?" Amber asked in concern.

    Erick shook his head. "It wasn''t anything serious so I didn''t," he said. Before Amber could protest more, he continued, "Well, my parents did call a ''doctor'' to check on me and there wasn''t anything strange happening in me." Calling Paccia a ''doctor'' wasn''t really a lie, was it?

    Amber gave out a relieved sigh. "That''s great," she said, patting her chest. She then turned to him. "I mean, it was kind of strange that you just fainted out of the blue."

    He just laughed awkwardly. He couldn''t exactly tell her that it was probably related to Dane, could he? And speaking of Dane, he still couldn''t reach out to him. It was as if he was still sleeping or something.

    Although he was a bit worried about Dane, he knew that he would be alright. He didn''t seem to be hurting when he last ''met'' him. He probably was trying to ''recover'' from something, though he didn''t know what.

    The two began to talk about what had happened these couple of days. Although it hasn''t been announced in regards to who won the competition during the Open Day, there were many speculations and whispers among the student bodies that their class won.

    While the two talked, Luka was happily snoozing, his head still on Amber''s lap. At first, Erick wanted to carry him back to his bed but Amber stopped him, saying it was fine. Erick was worried that her legs might get tired and the fact that Luka was a growing wolf.

    Though, deep inside Erick was a bit envious that Luka gets to sleep on her lap. He was supposed to be the one who gets to get the lap pillow, not Luka.

    Erick silently fumed. And he could have sworn that he could see the smug look on Luka''s face when he noticed his master''s sulking look.

    Amber was gently stroking Luka''s mane when she noticed a drop in the temperature around her. She looked up and saw Erick''s sulking look that she had asked what was wrong.

    Erick just kept quiet and looked away.

    Since he did not want to say anything, Amber just inwardly shrugged and talked about something else.

    The two talked throughout the night until their jug of orange juice was finished.

    Just as Amber was about to get up and get more juice, the door to Erick''s room suddenly burst out open.

    The two looked up and saw Jeayan and Hamish standing at the door.

    "Hey there, love birds!" Jeayan greeted with a teasing look on her face.

    Hamish just walked in and immediately sat down at Erick''s study table.

    "What are you two doing here?" Erick asked, though he was glaring at the two of them for spoiling his alone moment with Amber. It wasn''t enough that Luka got all her pats and strokes, now these two wanted to get her attention again??

    Ignoring the deathly glare and the question from Erick, Jeayan walked over to Amber and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey hey! Aunt Luella told me that it''s time to go! We got school tomorrow! Wouldn''t want to miss our beauty sleep!"

    Amber looked at her then at her wristwatch and back again. "Oh! It''s that late already!" she exclaimed in surprise as she jumped up from the bed, accidentally dropping Luka off her lap. Luka whined in protest.

    Jeayan nodded as she slipped an arm around Amber''s and gently tugged her out of the room, waving goodbye at Erick with her cheeky smile. Erick just narrowed his eyes at her, glaring.

    But his glare vanished when Amber turned back with a rueful smile on her face. He forced a smile on his face as he waved weakly at her.

    After the two girls had left, Erick turned to Hamish with a frown. "What about you?" he asked.

    On his lap was the huge container of cookies that Amber had left. The lid was opened and Hamish was eating the cookies nonchalantly. After a few cookies, he answered, "I''m staying over."

    "Why?"

    "Because I want to. And your parents told me to check up on you."

    Erick groaned as he placed a hand on his face. "I don''t need a babysitter."

    "Whether you need it or not, it doesn''t matter," Hamish said. After a few more cookies, he said again, "Wow, these cookies are good. I should ask Amber to make more."

    Erick just glared at him. "Those are MY cookies!"

    -----

    The two girls were inside Jeayan''s room where they were already in their sleepwear. The two girls were sitting on Jeayan''s bed. Jeayan''s father had already prepared a duvet. Amber was surprised to know that Jeayan''s house wasn''t that far from Erick''s. Though, Hamish''s house was much closer as pointed out by Jeayan when they walked past his house.

    The two were chatting and having fun. Amber felt that she was getting much closer to Jeayan at that moment. Even though they don''t have classes together that much, it really doesn''t matter to these girls.

    "Oh yeah, I tried calling you yesterday but you didn''t pick up," Amber stated.

    Jeayan laughed awkwardly. "Ah yeah, I didn''t bring my phone at that time. I was helping out after the funeralˇ­ the one Erick told you about?" she lied. Her phone was with her actually. But due to the fact that she isn''t really sure what was going on with Erick at that time, she did not dare answer Amber''s call and be confronted by her worries and anxiety.

    "Oh, I see," Amber said, nodding. She then saw a familiar picture on Jeayan''s wallpaper in her phone. With her eyes narrowed, she asked with a suspicious tone, "Jeayanˇ­ Who is that guy on your phone?"

    Jeayan was happily texting on her phone when she heard Amber''s voice. It was then she realized that she saw the picture on her wallpaper. She immediately hid her phone behind her back and laughed awkwardly again, shaking her head. "Hahaˇ­ No one you know," she lied.

    Amber smirked as she tried to take a closer peek. The two girls laughed as one tried to take a peek while the other was squirming to get away from the former. In the end, Amber was successful as she took another look at the wallpaper, pushing Jeayan back with a laugh.

    However, her laughter died when she recognized the guy on Jeayan''s wallpaper. She turned her head towards Jeayan, who looked embarrassed all of the sudden and said slowly, "Isn''t this guy...?"

    Jeayan covered her face, her face red with embarrassment as she let out a ''kyah''. "Yeah, that''s my boyfriend, Roel!" she admitted shyly.

    "Ehhh!" Amber exclaimed in surprise. She looked at the photo and then to Jeayan and then back again. She remembered this guy to be very cold and scary. Who would have thought that these two would be together?

    But then Jeayan continued, "Though, we''re not officially a couple yet but I hope we will soon. And I plan to make him realize that age doesn''t matter and that we should be together!"

    Amber laughed, giving her a clap for her determination. "And I''m sure you will succeed!"

 Chapter 110 - 103: The morning with the Meers

    The next day, the two girls were getting ready to go to school, where they were already out of Jeayan''s room. Amber was tying her shoelaces, sitting on the steps of the staircase while Jeayan walked straight to the kitchen to have their breakfast.

    The two woke up early despite sleeping late the night before. They have spent the night, gossiping and talking. Jeayan also talked about her childhood stories with Hamish and Erick, which interest Amber. She had quite a laugh as she listened at their childish antics.

    Inside the kitchen, Jeayan''s mother, Priscilla Shaw, was placing the food on the dining table. She was laughing at what the man at the dining table was saying.

    Jeayan frowned when she saw a familiar masculine back facing her. It was a back that she hardly sees these days. She knew it wasn''t her father because he was outside, starting up the car.

    "Jaylen?" she said softly.

    The man turned around and gave her a grin and wave. "Good morning, sunshine!" he greeted.

    Jeayan jumped on him, giving him a hug, nearly making the two of them fall from the chair. "Jaylen!" she exclaimed happily. "When did you return?" she asked as she pulled back.

    Priscilla smiled, beaming with happiness as she watched her daughter hugging her brother. She knew how much Jeayan misses him. It softened her heart whenever she saw this.

    Jaylen was actually Jeayan''s older brother, who stayed at the dorm. He was in his second year at the local university. The local university wasn''t actually that far but it was located outside town. Thus, it seems more convenient for him to stay there than at home. He was slightly taller than their father, Zeke, with dark brown hair and a muscular build. Although he doesn''t join any clubs in his university, he always did his weights during his freetime. It has been more than a couple of months since he last returned home due to his busy schedules at the university. Hence Jeayan was happy to know he was home. She was quite close with him since they were closer in age.

    "Just this morning," he said as he turned back to his meal. Jeayan sat beside him. Just as she was about to ask more, Amber walked in, carrying her backpack.

    Priscilla had already eaten her breakfast and was about to clean the dirty dishes when she saw Amber. She beckoned her closer, pointing at the seat across Jeayan and said, "Come and eat your breakfast, dear."

    Amber nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Meer," she smiled as she dropped her backpack on the floor, beside her feet. She then took her seat across Jeayan.

    Jeayan looked up and grinned. "Mom makes the best pancakes in town!" she said proudly.

    Amber just smiled and nodded. After she had sat down, it was then she realized there was someone else at the dining table; someone she did not recognize.

    Noticing her confusion, Jeayan began to introduce her brother to Amber. Both of them nodded hello to one another. Jeayan continued to talk animatedly, showing how happy she was to have her brother at home. She started to ask how long he will be staying, why and more. Jaylen just answered her patiently while smiling.

    Looking down at his sister, he still couldn''t believe that she already has a mate. His parents told him earlier that morning about what happened. He had laughed ruefully that time since he hasn''t found his mate yet. To think that his sister got her mate before him was a bit amusing. And the fact that her mate was one of the powerful triplets, he was quite surprised yet pleased. She deserved someone great and Roel was it.

    He then took a discreet look at the friend his sister brought home. It was rare that his sister would bring her human friend home, much less his parents. It was not that they do not like human beings but it was just rare since there might be a possibility of them being exposed.

    Jeayan was the one who mostly does the talking while Jaylen and Amber just nodded, listening. Amber doesn''t talk a lot especially when it comes to talking to someone who she just met. Although she gave off a friendly vibe, she was quite shy in reality. Back then, it was fortunate that Dana herself was friendly as well.

    Jaylen, too, was a quiet one. In fact, he and his sister were quite different when it comes to personalities. While Jeayan was wild and carefree, Jaylen was shy and quiet. Their parents used to teased them for having their personalities switched.

    After the three were done with the breakfast, their father, Zeke, just walked in the kitchen, wiping his hands with a towel.

    "Right on time, dad!" Jeayan exclaimed.

    Zeke chuckled. "For what?" he asked.

    "To send us to school, of course! Like duh?" she replied, rolling her eyes.

    Zeke chuckled again as he patted her head. Jeayan whine when he accidentally messed up her hair. "Jay will send you. Dad will be heading straight to the pa- ''house''," he said, changing his words when he just realized that Amber was listening in.

    "Oh," Jeayan said. She then turned to Jay and said, "Shall we go after we''re done with cleaning?"

    Jaylen laughed softly as he stood up. "Alright."

    Zeke patted him on the shoulder and said, "I''ve just started up the car for you."

    Jaylen nodded. "Thanks, dad." he then grabbed his light jacket and put it on. He turned to the other two girls and said, "I''ll go wait in the car."

    The two girls nodded. Amber helped Priscilla with the dishes while Jeayan wiped the tables. Once they were done, the two grabbed their backpacks and went out of the door, saying their goodbyes to the two parents. Amber also said her thank yous to the Meer couple for their hospitality.

    Outside, Jaylen was inside the car, waiting for them. Once the two girls got in, he asked them whether they had worn their seatbelts and when they said yes, he drove off.

    The journey to the school didn''t take long and with Jeayan talking all the way to school made the journey feel short.

    When they finally arrived at school, Erick and Hamish were already waiting for them at the entrance of the school. They were with some other packmates, talking and laughing. Some of the packmates knew what had happened to Erick so they were relieved to see him looking fine and dandy. They weren''t allowed to visit him so they could only hear the news from Hamish himself.

    After knowing that he was fine, they soon crowded him once he arrived at school. And this was the scene that greeted the three youngsters in the car.

    Jaylen tilted his head, a question on his face after he parked the car on the sidewalk. He pressed a button on the car door, which slid the window open. "Isn''t that Erick?" he asked, looking over at the crowd.

    Jeayan nodded as she and Amber got out of the car.

    Just as they got out of the car, Erick looked up and grinned when he saw Amber. He broke away from the crowd and headed over. His eyes widened when he saw who was at the driver''s seat. "Whoa! Jaylen! When did you arrive? I could tell it was you but I wasn''t sure," he said, bending over at the window to give Jaylen a fist bump.

    Jaylen grinned. "This morning," he answered. It was then with a surprised look on his face, he looked over at Amber and back again at Erick. Erick just smiled as he knew what Jaylen was thinking about.

    "And congratulations, Erick," he added.

    Erick grinned even brighter. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

    Jaylen turned his head at Jeayan and said, "Text me if you need a ride home. I''m going over to the ''house''."

    Jeayan nodded.

    Amber bent a bit towards Jaylen and said, "Thank you for sending us to school."

    "No problem."

    With a wave of goodbye, Jaylen drove off, leaving the three of them standing at the sidewalk.

    Erick turned to Amber and took her backpack from her. "Lets go," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

    Amber smiled, nodding as they walked together to school.

    Behind them, Jeayan rolled her eyes. "I don''t need this so early in the morning," she muttered under her breath before she followed them from behind.

 Chapter 111 - 104: Back to practice

    It has been awhile since Erick and Hamish had gone for their football practice. Rather, ever since the Open Day, they do not have any practice. So, they were a bit happy that they were able to practice once more. They felt like it was years since they worked their body out. Even the shifter practice had been put on hold due to the tragedy they had been facing lately.

    It was coming to a new semester in Burkendall High School and the atmosphere was hyped and exciting with new students coming in and more activities coming up. The town itself was getting more bustling with the elections coming to an end soon.

    At that moment, candidate Zant was getting closer to winning the mayor position but because of Hillard''s popularity with most of the locals especially from the Kendall pack, he wasn''t getting down himself. The other candidates, other than these two were far behind. Although Zant had tried to talk his way with the shifters from the Kendall pack, most of them were still suspicious of him, due to the fact that he was new in town. It was not that they were unfriendly towards newcomers but for them, it was better safe than sorry. Lachlan, who was the Police Chief, decided to remain neutral in this.

    In the football field at the highschool, Erick was in his sports uniform and was done with his warmups. He was now getting ready to stretch when he felt Dane stirring in his mind. He froze and said in his mind, ''Dane?''

    Soon after, he could hear Dane''s irritated and raspy voice. ''What?''

    ''Dane! Where have you been?'' Erick asked anxiously in his mind. Dane has been quiet these couple of days that he was worried whether there was something wrong.

    ''Sleeping,'' came his answer.

    ''What had happened? How come you''ve been quiet these days?'' Erick asked in his mind as he walked off the field, trying to concentrate on what Dane was saying.

    He could feel Dane rolling his eyes at his questions, which made him a bit frustrated.He knew that he sounds like a nagging woman with him shooting all these questions. But he couldn''t help it since he was worried about him. The latter didn''t even make any movements or sounds. It was as if he disappeared from his mind.

    It was a few minutes later when Dane finally replied. ''I''m fine now. Lately, many of my lost memories began to appear in my mind that it has become such a burden. It seems that I never realized that I lost some of my earlier memories. When I first merged with you, I never questioned who I am and what am I doing alive. But now, I feel something changed and hence why I collapsed.''

    ''We should go meet up with dad,'' Erick said with a solemn look on his face. His father did tell him to meet him should Dane wake up. Hamish looked over and was confused as to what brought that look on Erick''s face. Then he realized that Erick must be talking with Dane.

    ''Settle down,'' Dane replied. ''We''ll meet up with your father later. I still need to recuperate my mind.''

    ''Alright then,'' Erick said as he returned to the football field.

    Hamish, who was done with his stretches, turned to Erick and asked whether he was alright.

    Erick just nodded as he started to do his stretches as well. His mind flooded with questions and speculations in regards to Dane.

    Just ahead of them, Coach Gundlach was standing with his hand holding his whistle and another on his h.i.p.s as he watched his players doing their stretches. He then shouted that they have fifteen minutes left for stretching and then it will be agility drilling.

    Once everyone was done with their stretchings, some of the players went to place some markers on the ground, placing them three to five metres apart. While they were doing that, the others were doing their own things while waiting, such as high knee running in place, pushups and sit-ups.

    After the markers were placed on their perspective places, the players began to line up as they were about to do their agility drilling. The first drilling was the sprint, zigzag and narrow drill, where the players would need to run in a zigzag pattern, speeding towards the markers. Once they reach the markers, they would need to slow down as this will lower their centre of gravity. And then they would step off the outside foot and continue to the next marker. They will continue this for five times. They will be given a rest for 90 seconds between the repetitions.

    Erick stretched his arms up while he waited for his turn, chatting with his teammate who was standing behind him. When it was his turn, the coach was standing nearby, watching with eagle eyes. His assistant coach was standing beside him, with a clipboard on one hand and another hand ready to write the timing. The coach was holding a timer in his hand while a whistle was dangling on his lips. He blew on it after Erick was ready to sprint.

    Erick immediately ran towards the marker, slowing down when he reached it and smoothly turned and continued on for the next marker. His movements were swift and slick.

    Coach Gundlach nodded in satisfaction after he had stopped the timer and looked at the result. It seems like Erick has once again broken his record. He walked over towards Erick, who didn''t even sweat a lot after the sprint. He slapped him on the back and congratulated him on the good job.

    Erick beamed with pleasure as he nodded back.

    There were a few more others who were still doing the agility drilling. And the whole practice took more than two hours and they have done more than three agility drillings. Other than that, they also had a short touch rugby among themselves.

    By the time they were done, most of them were on the ground, laying on their backs, trying to catch their breaths. Even Erick and Hamish were breathing hard. Shortly after, they all went to the locker rooms to get a shower. Their coach shouted after them that there will be a meeting next week before practice.

    An hour later, Erick and the rest of his teammates were on their way out of the locker rooms, where they talked about hanging out at the McClay''s since it has been awhile. They began to talk about how they wanted to order this and that. Some even joked about how much Erick will eat this time. They were laughing loudly when Erick noticed someone was standing alone near the exit but out of the school grounds, looking as if he was waiting for someone.

    He frowned as he turned his head towards Hamish.

    Hamish understood what Erick was silently telling him. He then turned to Flynn and said, "I''ll join you in your car."

    Flynn looked at him in surprise and then to Erick and back again. "Erick''s not joining us?" he asked, looking confused.

    Erick gave him a wry smile and said, "I''ll join later."

    Flynn nodded and then turned towards the others. "Well then, lets go to McClay''s then."

    The others cheered as they went to their prospective cars.

    Hamish turned his head to Erick and nodded. "I''ll see you later," he said.

    Erick just nodded as he watched them walking towards the parking lot. A few minutes later, he turned back around and saw that the man near the exit was also watching him.

    With his duffel bag on his back, he shoved both of his hands in his pockets and walked towards the man.

    Standing in front of the man, Erick frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a suspicious look on his face.

    "I was waiting for you, Erick."

 Chapter 112 - 105: Back to the Kraken Forest?

    "I was waiting for you, Erick."

    Erick frowned as he looked at the man standing before him. He then let out an exasperated sigh. "Really. Did dad send you?" he asked, a look of annoyance on his face.

    Noaz nodded. "He told me to keep an eye on you," he answered.

    Erick let out another sigh. "I was about to go to the McClay''s to hang out," he said as he walked past Noaz to get to his car.

    Noaz followed from behind. "Unfortunately, I can''t allow you to go there," he replied once they reached Erick''s car. He immediately grabbed the car keys from Erick and said, "Get in. I''ll drive you back home."

    Erick just groaned as he walked over to the other side of the car. When the two were inside the car, Erick turned his head towards Noaz, who was starting the car, and asked, "How did you get there?"

    "Run, of course."

    Erick just rolled his eyes.

    After Noaz drove them out of the school grounds and onto the main road, Noaz took a glance at the frustrated young man beside him and sighed. "I understand your resentment in all this but you have to understand. You''re vulnerable at the moment. Dane, as the Alpha told me, is incomplete and weak right now. There are people chasing after you," he said bluntly.

    Erick crossed his arms across his chest as he looked out of the window. "Then I will look for his souls," he said with determination.

    Noaz blinked his eyes in surprise. "How?" he asked.

    "Dane told me about the Adorosa plant. I think part of his soul was where I found the Adorosa plant," Erick said, looking thoughtful.

    "I didn''t tell anyone about this. Back then, when I found Luka, I also saw a white wolf in that forest," he continued, oblivious to Noaz''s shocked expression. "I wasn''t sure whether I was seeing things or not. But it looked so real. And it just stood there, staring at me. I didn''t detect any hostility, hence I didn''t think too much of it. And also, the weird thing was that Dane didn''t say anything at that time."

    Noaz was quiet after Erick had his say. He then said, "Is it possible that Dane did not know about it?"

    "Yet he knew that part of his soul was in that forest," Erick argued.

    "Then maybe during that time, he didn''t know of it," Noaz explained. "He hasn''t yet fully merged with you. You hadn''t had your shifter ritual back then. And now that he has merged his souls with you, there is a possibility that he sensed at this moment."

    Erick leaned back against his seat and let out a long sigh. "That makes sense," he murmured quietly.

    The two went quiet during the journey back to Erick''s house.

    However, just before they arrived at Erick''s house, Noaz said to the former, without turning his head, "I do hope you''re not being quiet because you''re contemplating as to whether you could go to the forest again."

    Erick jumped and looked away. But before he turned his face, Noaz saw the guilty look on his face from the corner of his eyes. Noaz then let out a sigh. "I know it''s crucial for you to look for Dane''s soul but please be patient."

    "You don''t understand!" Erick exclaimed angrily. He then groaned, feeling more frustrated with the whole conversation. "Yes, I get it that there are people who are out there to get at me. Or rather, Dane. But don''t you see? There isn''t much time left! I could feel danger is slowly coming close to us and I need Dane," he said slowly as he clenched his fists.

    Noaz went quiet after listening to Erick''s outburst.

    When they arrived, the two still hadn''t said a single word. However, just before Erick entered his house, he could hear Noaz''s soft voice.

    "I''ll go with you."

    Erick frowned as he turned around to look at Noaz.

    "I''ll go with you when you''re going to the forest," Noaz repeated, using the word ''when'', instead of ''if'' as if he knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop Erick from going there.

    "Will you stop me?" Erick asked suspiciously.

    Noaz shook his head. "I told you that I''ll go with you. Let me protect you while you search for Dane''s soul," he said with a look of determination on his face.

    Erick nodded.

    Noaz then tossed Erick''s car keys who neatly caught them. "Well, tell me when you''re planning to go," he said before turning around to head home.

    Erick watched until he could not see Noaz anymore before walking into his house.

    Just as he entered his house, he was startled by the voice in front of him.

    "The forest?"

    He looked up and saw his father standing before him, with his arms crossed across his chest, glaring down at him. He was surprised by his sudden appearance yet not surprised since his father''s power to hide his scent was quite powerful.

    Erick took a deep breath and let it out before staring at his father straight in the eyes. "Yes," he said.

    "With whose permission?" his father asked, looking strict at that moment.

    But Erick decided to stand his ground and stood up against Lachlan. "Mine," he answered with confidence.

    The two Kendalls men held each other''s stares for a while until Lachlan conceded and let out a sigh. He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his h.i.p.s. "I knew that I couldn''t stop you. Hence why I have Noaz look after you," he admitted.

    "You''re letting me go to look for Dane''s soul?" Erick asked, looking very surprised.

    Lachlan nodded. "But do it when you''re free and I don''t want this to disturb your studies. You still have a couple of years to go until you''re done," he warned.

    Erick nodded. "I won''t let it distract me from my studies. I promise!"

    Lachlan nodded again. He then turned around and headed straight to the kitchen. "Come on. Your mother was a bit worried that you might be hungry since you didn''t go out with your friends."

    "Not just hungryˇ­ I''m famished!"

    -----

    Zant looked at the young man sitting across him, with his fingers linked together. He was in his study room, sitting at his desk, trying to think of a plan of trying to get more votes for his camp when his steward told him that there was someone who wanted to meet him.

    His face darkened when he recalled the previous results the young man gave him before. Hence why he told the latter to meet him the next week, which was that evening.

    "So, you''re telling me that you can''t get close to him?" Zant asked, his eyes narrowed with anger.

    "I still need time," the young man said calmly.

    Zant immediately slammed his hand against his desk, though, the young man was still calm. "How many more days or weeks do you fecking need?" he roared. "The elections are nearly coming to an end! And I still don''t have the support of those mangy mutts!"

    "I will try my best," the young man said again, still with his calm look.

    "Your best is not enough!" Zant snarled as he sat back against his seat. "The Lord is still waiting for my answer and I have nothing but this fecking useless results!"

    The young man was quiet for a while and then he spoke up, "I know his weakness. I will approach her and make friends with her. With much persuasion and just a reach out of friendship, she will induce him into believing our cause."

    Zant groaned with exasperation. "That stupid father of his is still pretending to be neutral in all this but I know he is waiting for the right time to sneak up on us."

    "We should be grateful that he''s not the mayor," the young man commented.

    Zant waved his hand and said, "Whatever. Just do what you have to do and don''t fail me again."

    The young man stood up and gave a little bow of respect. "Yes sir!"

 Chapter 113 - 106: FML

    It was another day of school for Erick and for once, he was a bit distracted. Wait, that was a lie. It''s not really the first time that he got distracted like this. To be exact, it was the first time that the reason for his distraction was not because of Amber, but someone else.

    Erick stared absent-mindedly at the board, not really seeing anything as he listened to his teacher drone on and on about the history of literature.

    Although he was distracted, his hand was still writing whatever the teacher talked about. Then again, he wasn''t sure whether he got them right since he didn''t even look at his notes.

    Hamish, who was sitting next to him, sneakily peeked a glance at Erick''s notebook and stifled a laughter as the latter''s handwriting was illegible. He took another glance at Erick''s face and noticed how distracted he was.

    ''What''s wrong with you?'' Hamish asked Erick, using a mindlink.

    Erick jumped, startled at the sudden mindlink. He turned his head towards Hamish with wide eyes and replied back in the mindlink. ''Why the feck are you using this?''

    ''Because I can and I want to,'' Hamish answered back, looking in front as if he wasn''t talking with Erick at all.

    ''Won''t you be weak from using the mindlink?'' Erick asked again, using the mindlink.

    Hamish inwardly rolled his eyes. ''It''s not as if I''m going to use it everyday. So, anyway, just answer my question. What''s with you?''

    Erick ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he thought of his plans. ''Nothing. I justˇ­ I don''t know what to do.''

    ''About what?'' Hamish asked.

    ''Dane.''

    Hamish went quiet and then continued again in the mindlink, ''Didn''t you say about collecting his souls?'' he asked again.

    ''I did. But I''m not confident. I don''t know what to expect.''

    ''The unexpected is always scary,'' Hamish replied. ''But don''t worry. I''ll go along with you and Noaz.''

    ''It would be dangerous. I don''t know how much had changed since I last went there,'' Erick said, referring to the Kraken Forest.

    Hamish went quiet again and then he spoke up again, ''Bro, I''m going to be your future Beta. If I can''t cope with helping out with my future Alpha, then what use am I as your future Beta?''

    Erick inwardly chuckled. He was glad that Hamish was his best friend as well as his future Beta. There was probably no one who could understand him and has his back like Hamish does.

    ''Thanks, bro,'' Erick said in the mindlink.

    ''No problem. Now, get your mind off the clouds because you were chosen to present what we were currently studying in front of the class.''

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise as he shook his head out of the daze. It was then he realized that everyone in class was looking at him with bright smiles.

    "Welcome back, Mr. Kendall," Mrs. Evans said sarcastically with a fake smile on her face. "So nice of you to join us." She then walked closer to Erick''s desk and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow when she saw his ''notes'' with his ''superb'' handwriting. "Very diligent of you to write notes. I don''t think I can read those so perhaps you can come up to the front and present them?"

    Erick cursed under his breath. "FML."

    -----

    The Police Headquarters.

    Lachlan was skimming through the many reports that had been placed on his office desk when he heard someone knocking on his door.

    "Come in," he said, without raising his head.

    Fergus entered with a solemn look on his face. He stood in front of the desk, waiting for Lachlan to acknowledge him. Moments later, Lachlan placed the sheet of paper on the table and looked up at Fergus. "What''s wrong?" he asked.

    "It was as you said, Chief," Fergus reported, with his hands behind his back. "The other day, there was a suspicious man coming over to his house. And according to our sources, they were in his study room for more than two hours. They couldn''t get near for fear of detection."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes at Fergus'' report. "I see. Continue to keep an eye on him. With the elections coming to an end in less than a week, there''s bound to be trouble popping up," he predicted.

    Fergus nodded. "Currently, they are setting up camp at the mall, trying to boost up their campaign," he continued.

    With both of his elbows on top of the table, Lachlan placed his chin on his linked fingers, his face looking thoughtful. "Did something happen when they were at the mall?" he asked again.

    Fergus shook his head. "Nothing. Other than requesting for more police patrolling the area."

    Lachlan nodded. "I''ll leave that to you," he said as he stood up.

    "Yes, Chief."

    Lachlan nodded again. He then grabbed his jacket and said, "I''ll go around the area and see first."

    "Yes, Chief!"

    Few minutes later, Lachlan was standing beside his police car as he watched the scenes before him. He was at the mall where the campaign for the mayor was held. At that moment, there was only one candidate who was actively conducting his campaign at the mall.

    He watched as Zant was walking here and there, helping out with the volunteers. He was laughing at something one of the young volunteers were saying.

    Lachlan then walked over, just as Zant turned his head around. A smile bloomed on his face when he saw Lachlan approached. "Chief!" he greeted, holding out his hand for a handshake.

    Lachlan shook his hand and nodded. "Good morning, Mr. Zant," he greeted back. He then looked around him and was amazed at how amazing they have done with the place.

    There were tables being set up just near the entrance of the mall with posters lined up, covering the legs of the tables. The poster was a picture of Zant with his fist up, looking energetic as he talked, standing behind a podium. Most of the volunteers were young, some were even Erick''s age. They were talking animated among each other as they held up the posters. Loud voices coming from their speakers could be heard in the background. It was Zant''s voice, where he talked about the good opportunities he will bring to the town if he was voted as mayor. There were also talks of motivations and more.

    Zant stood beside Lachlan as he, too, watched the youngsters working. "Aren''t they great?" he asked with awe in his tone. "They are quite amazing. I''m glad that they were willing to sacrifice their time to help me with their campaign. After all, these youngsters are the people whom I''m doing this for. They are our future."

    Lachlan just nodded.

    Just then Fergus and a few policemen came over. The former nodded first at Lachlan and then to Zant. "Good morning, Mr. Zant," he greeted.

    Zant immediately held out his hand for a handshake which Fergus accepted. "Howdy there, Vice Chief." He then guffawed. "I''m feeling mighty flattered to see the top people in the Police Force in my campaign."

    Both Lachlan and Fergus just smiled.

    Fergus then turned to Lachlan and gestured at the young men behind him. "These are the men that will help with the patrol."

    Lachlan studied the four policemen and nodded. Two of them were from his pack so he was familiar with them. While the other two were human. Not everyone in the Police Force knew about their heritage of being werewolves. Including these two.

    Lachlan turned to Zant and said, "I wish your campaign goes well."

    "Thank you, Chief."

    He then turned to the other policemen and ordered them to be cautious and to take care of themselves. He then used the mindlink to give additional orders to the two packmates to be on alert at all times.

    "Yes, Chief!"

    Moments later, Lachlan headed over to his police car, followed by Fergus from behind.

    Inside the police car, Lachlan was at the driver''s seat while Fergus was at the passenger seat. Lachlan drove them a few metres away from the mall before voicing out.

    "Any other updates about that man?" Lachlan asked, his eyes on the road.

    Fergus shook his head.

    "I see."

    "Hilliard will be at the park in the afternoon at 3 o''clock," Fergus reported.

    Lachlan nodded. "I''ll be there to check things out. You continue on, getting more information on that man," he ordered.

    "Yes, Chief!"

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 Chapter 114 - 107: The woman in the bas.e.m.e.nt

    Somewhere further outside town.

    Lush green grass grew alongside a curvy long cemented road which led to a massive structure. A mansion stood proudly before large iron gates, surrounded by numerous trees that were nearly looming over the mansion. The mansion itself looked modern with its large tall columns in front of the entrance and large arched windows at the front of the building.

    Further in, anyone would think that it was a typical mansion, with its large living room, dining room, huge hallway with split staircase and more. However, if one were to look even further, hidden behind one of the secret doors in the living room leads to the bas.e.m.e.nt. It was a bit dark with little lights to brighten the path.

    Inside the bas.e.m.e.nt, there was a room with no windows to let the sunlight in. The lighting inside was enough to brighten the room and the pathway. And it wasn''t as dirty as one might have expected, rather, it was surprisingly clean with cream-coloured walls. Though, the room was empty, other than a bed, a toilet and a sink. To say that it was like a prison was an understatement. The door to the room was made of iron with two small windows on it. One window was designed with iron bars and another was with a small hatch. That was where they would pass the food to the one being imprisoned.

    And inside the room, there was a lone woman, who looked about twenty years old with curly auburn hair and green eyes. A clean cream long dress covered her thin frame, making her hair startling striking against the soft-coloured walls and appearance.

    She was sitting on the floor, barefooted with her knees up against her chest and her chin on top of her knees. Her one arm wrapped around her knees while her other hand was touching the floor, tapping.

    She jumped when the door started banging loudly. She looked up and there was a metal collar around her neck with a small light blinking. Moments later, the door was slammed open, making the woman unconsciously scooted back, her eyes widened in fear.

    A burly large man walked in with an evil smirk on his face. He was bald with a bulging stomach. He was wearing a light blue shirt and brown trousers. His shirt appeared to be a bit small since one could see his stomach protruding underneath the shirt. He was sneering at the cowering woman in front of him, tapping a metal rod against his other palm.

    "Time for your walk, missy!" he guffawed loudly, seeming to find things amusing. He then pressed a button on the metal rod and soon after, the woman suddenly jerked up, scrambling to touch the collar on her neck. Her eyes were shut tight from the agony and her lips were about to bleed from her biting it hard as if she was trying to withstand the pain.

    The man laughed even harder after the woman collapsed on the floor, her hand still gripping the collar. She looked up with a glint of anger and hatred in her eyes.

    Noticing her look, the man raised an eyebrow and took a step forward to kick the woman. "Come on. Let''s get up. We don''t have all day."

    He then turned around and snorted. "Luckily for you, the Lord doesn''t believe in abusing his ''guests''. But don''t think he won''t cut another one of your fingers," he said pointedly.

    The woman slowly tried to stand up, wincing in pain the whole time. She took a glance at her right hand. One of her fingers had fully recovered, thanks to her strong bloodline. She then took a glance at her left hand. Her pinky finger wasn''t there as it supposed to be since it got cut months ago. Although, it was slowly regenerating but she could still feel the pain.

    The man walked out of the room and stood aside to let the woman walk past him. The woman slowly walked out with her hands clenched together.

    Once she was out of the room, the man led her to another pathway. It was a long pathway and moments later, they finally reached a staircase, which led outside of the mansion. It was secluded from the other areas of the mansion, filled with trees and other vegetation.

    Although the area was secluded, it wasn''t easy to escape from there because of the powerful and invisible shield around the area set up by Rehan. This was to ensure that the woman would not escape and no one could be able to see inside. From outside, they would only see trees and grass.

    The man stood aside again to let the woman walk past him and then said as he held the door open, "Like usual. Two hours tops. One minute late and I''ll press the button on you."

    The woman just kept quiet as she looked at the trees further ahead.

    The man snorted in vexation and slammed the door behind him, leaving the woman alone outside.

    For a few minutes, the woman stood silently as she stared at her surroundings. She then opened her clothes until she was n.a.k.e.d. Unashamed of her nudity, she closed her eyes, getting on her knees and whispered, "Rae."

    Shortly after, the woman changed. Her skin began to glow as it grew fur all over her body. She then began to grow taller with brown mane and a hint of white streak on her abdomen. Her teeth grew longer into fangs and her hands changed to paws with sharp claws. Her eyes sparkled as it changed from green to light amber.

    The collar around her neck was still there as the lights blinking steadily. It appears that the collar cannot be removed that easily as it was still there even after the woman shifted.

    The shifter named Rae immediately growled softly under her breath as she slowly stood up.

    ''Are you alright, Makena?'' Rae asked in her mind.

    ''I''m alright, Rae,'' Makena replied softly.

    ''If only this stupid collar was off,'' Rae growled, her paws clawing at the collar around her neck. She felt a bit vexed at the collar. No matter how much she tried to destroy it, it seems to be indestructible. And one time she got caught trying to destroy it, that baldy man pressed the button on her, making her writhe in pain on the ground.

    ''Stop it, Rae,'' Makena scolded lightly. ''If that ''man'' knew what you''re trying to do again, he will try and kill you.''

    ''The keyword there is try. He can try but he can''t. Or rather, he won''t,'' Rae snorted as she started to run, heading towards the trees.

    ''You''ve seen him pulling the shifter soul off those who go against him,'' Makena reminded.

    Rae just kept quiet as she continued to run with the trees that surround her.

    ''We need to be patient, Rae. That''s the only thing we can do,'' Makena said sadly. ''It''s one way to keep our pack safe.''

    Rae just cursed and held back her retort.

    In her mind, Makena continued to try to comfort Rae, soothing her anger. She was grateful for Rae''s existence. If she was alone, she probably wouldn''t keep herself alive. It was hard when she had to go through the shifter ritual by herself, without her family around her. She nearly went rogue at that time but luckily, Rae was strong enough to withstand the pain, together with Makena.

    Truth be told, Makena was similar to Erick where Rae had already merged with her soul at an earlier age. Though, she was much younger at that time. Only eight years old. It was probably because of her bloodline that Rae chose her. But no matter what Rae''s reason, she was still grateful.

    Makena sighed inwardly. ''I just need to be patient,'' she thought with determination.

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 Chapter 115 - 108: Mayor Hilliard

    Three o''clock in the afternoon at the town park.

    At that time, Lachlan was alone after he had dropped Fergus off at the Police headquarters. He had parked the police car a few streets away at the designated parking lot and decided to walk his way to the park.

    Before he had arrived at the park, he could hear the excited chatter and laughters from the direction of the park. He unconsciously smiled as he listened at the talks about how they love the town and wished the current Mayor, Wyatt Hilliard, all the best in the campaign.

    When Lachlan could finally see the glimpse of the park entrance, he was in awe of how much they had transformed the entrance into a beautiful spectacle. He inwardly applauded Hilliard and his people for the hard work and the amazing things they have done.

    Standing before one of the posters that they had placed on a board, Lachlan studied the drawings. They had used watercolours to draw the signages and posters, making it more creative and colourful.

    While he was studying the drawings, he heard footsteps approaching him. And before the other person could say a word, Lachlan had already turned around and greeted the person.

    "Good afternoon, Mayor Hilliard."

    The current Mayor, Wyatt Hilliard, was a short and stout man in his early forties. He has dark hair, cut short on the side with a small moustache. He always reminded Lachlan of the popular actor named Jack Black. In fact, Hilliard was also an amusing man, who loves to joke around.

    Hilliard chuckled as he reached up to pat Lachlan on the shoulder. "Haha! I will never be able to surprise you, Chief."

    Lachlan just smiled. Of course, he can''t since Lachlan was able to sense and smell his presence from afar.

    Hilliard then leaned closer and asked softly so that only the two of them could hear, "So, what happened to the police officers that day?" referring to the tragic policemen who were killed by rogues.

    Lachlan''s face went grave after he heard Hilliard''s question. He then sighed inwardly. Seems like his sources were getting good. He knew that he wasn''t able to hide anything from this man. Although Hilliard wasn''t a shifter, he has a very keen, perceptive and smart brain in him. And it was fortunate that he was aware of shifters living in this town and that he knew that Lachlan was a shifter. His families had always lived in this town, almost longer than the Kendalls and they had been supportive of the shifters.

    Though Hilliard wasn''t aware that Lachlan was an Alpha of his pack. If he knew, he probably wouldn''t have accepted the mayor position years ago and would have pleaded to Lachlan to accept it himself. Lachlan was the one who told Hilliard to accept the position of mayor since he prefers to work in the field, rather than in the office. Not many people knew that it was Lachlan''s idea for Hilliard to be the mayor, other than the pack. And even so, Lachlan wasn''t one who would take advantage of it.

    "We''re still looking for the rogues," Lachlan admitted.

    Hilliard frowned as he put both of his hands behind his back, also studying the drawing that Lachlan was staring at earlier. "You do know that I will always have your back," he said softly. "If there''s anything you need, just ask."

    Lachlan shook his head. He knew that Hilliard has his own private investigation team but he doesn''t want to risk it, knowing that the people working there were all human beings. And the fact that his pack would be better finding more clues than them. "I thank you for the gesture, Mayor Hilliard. But we''ll be alright," he rejected softly. "However, we will call on you if we do need your help," not fully rejecting his offer because it doesn''t hurt to have an extra hand as well.

    Hilliard nodded. "Well then," he began loudly. "Why don''t I bring you around here, Chief?" he suggested.

    Lachlan nodded back as the two walked towards the park.

    At the park entrance, there were many people walking around, talking in loud voices as they waved the flyers in their hands, giving their support to Mayor Hilliard. Just as the two men approached the entrance, some of them quieted down and immediately rushed over.

    "Good afternoon, Chief!" they chorused out.

    Lachlan gave them a gentle smile and nodded. He then turned to Hilliard and asked him about the structure of his campaign and what safety measures he had planned for the campaign and what help he needed from the police force.

    The two had a long discussion, talking about the campaign. At some point, Lachlan felt something weird going on. Not wanting to look suspicious, he looked up and saw one of the boys around Erick''s age looking at Hilliard and him.

    After getting caught for staring, instead of looking away, the young man grinned and turned to say something to his friends. Shortly after, the young man broke away from his friends and then headed straight for Lachlan and Hilliard.

    Moments later, he stood before the two men and bowed respectfully. "Good afternoon, Mayor Hilliard and Chief Lachlan."

    Lachlan just nodded as he scrutinized the young man standing before him.

    Hilliard grinned, looking pleased at the presence of the young man. He then slapped a hand against the young man''s back and turned to Lachlan. "Chief, let me introduce to you this hardworking young man in our team, Krys William."

    Krys immediately held out his hand which Lachlan shook. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Krys William. I go to the same school as your son."

    Lachlan c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise. "With my son, you say?" he repeated.

    "Yes sir. With Erick. Though, we''re not in the same grade. I usually see him around the school."

    "Well, I hope so. I wouldn''t want to hear the principal calling me to say that my son has been skipping his class," Lachlan said jokingly.

    Hilliard laughed at his attempt in jokes.

    "No, I don''t think he''s skipping class," Krys said, his face looking curious, instead of laughing along with his jokes.

    Lachlan nodded. He doesn''t know why but this young man gave him a strange feeling. Yet, looking at him, Lachlan couldn''t detect any malice nor trickery. He was probably thinking too much.

    After a few minutes of talking, Krys suddenly excused himself to continue working with the campaign. He gave them a little bow of respect and jogged over to where his friends were working.

    "Quite a diligent young man," Lachlan commented.

    Hilliard nodded as he watched Krys and his friends working on the poster and giving suggestions on the slogan. "Yes. He used to be the chairman of the committee in his school for the Open Day a couple of weeks ago. And before that, he was quite active in clubs such as debate."

    Lachlan let out a soft chuckle. "While my son only has football in his head," he said ruefully. Truth be told, he himself can''t see Erick in a debate club.

    "Well, Erick is the captain of his football team, no?" Hilliard asked. "That''s quite an achievement as well. It''s just unfortunate that he can''t go pro."

    Lachlan just smiled.

    "Oh well. It''s enough that he plays football here. And as long as he has fun and has the passion for it," Hilliard continued. "Who knows? He probably may become a football coach here."

    Lachlan laughed as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Haha. Who knows?" he said, being neutral in this.

    They went quiet for a moment. And shortly after, Lachlan turned to Hilliard and said, "Alright. I''ll head back to the office. Do call me if there''s anything else that you need."

    Hilliard nodded as he shook Lachlan''s hand goodbye. "Keep me updated about the ''thing'' that you and your ''people'' are investigating about."

    Lachlan nodded. "Will do."

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 Chapter 116 - 109: Mission back to Kraken Forest

    Erick hoisted his backpack high up on his shoulders as he stood in front of the police headquarters. Hamish had dropped him there earlier and drove his car home after school. Erick told him that he wanted to meet with his father so he probably will hitch a ride from him later on.

    Standing before the massive building in front of him, he took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. He wanted to ask his father''s permission to go look for one of Dane''s souls. He wasn''t sure how long it would take but he thought that it would be better if he looked for one as soon as possible. Though he wasn''t sure whether his father would allow him to go since school had just started.

    He let out a long breath as he thought again about how he might not see Amber for a few days. It was frustrating but it was something that he had to do. Dane needs him.

    He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit vexed. It would be great if Amber knew of his origins. But then again, he was still afraid that Amber might not accept him or even worse, became afraid of him. He really hates his insecurities. He doesn''t like the unexpected. He sighed, feeling more infuriated.

    He had been standing in front of the building, lost in his thoughts for a few minutes, attracting curious and weird looks from the bystanders around him.

    It was not until a man slapped him on the back, startling him back into reality. Erick blinked his eyes furiously and turned his head. Noaz stood beside him, his hand now on Erick''s shoulder. He peered down at Erick with a curious smile and asked, "What''s with you?

    "Ah, nothing," Erick said sheepishly.

    Noaz gestured at the building in front of them. "You''re going in or not?"

    "I am, I am!"

    The two of them walked together, up the steps towards the building. Inside, the atmosphere was lively and bustling where there were people rushing here and there. The vibes around the place were hectic and happening, making Erick feel like he was in a middle of ''quiet'' chaos.

    One of the policemen saw the two of them just standing inside the lobby and walked over to them. His arms were filled with folders and files that it looked like he had a hard time holding them all. "Noaz, what are you doing here?" he asked. Apparently, Noaz was one of the regular people who constantly visited the headquarters. And also, it seems like the man was one of the shifters in their pack.

    "Is the Chief in?" Noaz asked instead, taking a step forward.

    The policeman shook his head. "He went out a couple of hours ago. He only came back a few minutes ago to drop the Deputy here. Maybe you can ask the Deputy," he suggested.

    Noaz nodded.

    "Well, I''d better go," the man said hurriedly.

    And before he left, Noaz commented, "Because of the elections?"

    "You got it!" the man said, letting out a rueful smile before leaving the two of them. Since Noaz knew his way around the building, he didn''t stay to bring him to the Deputy''s office.

    Noaz gave a little wave at some of the policemen that they walked past, showing how familiar he was with them, even those who were just human beings.

    Moments later, they arrived just near Fergus'' office and Noaz knocked on the door. When they heard a voice calling out to tell them to come in, Noaz opened the door and walked in, followed by Erick.

    Fergus was working on a report when the two of them entered. He waved them towards the two chairs in front of his desk, without raising his head. After the two of them made themselves comfortable, Fergus wrote a bit more before placing his pen down and looked at them. "What brings the two of you here?" he asked, looking curious. He then turned to Erick. "Any food?"

    Erick rolled his eyes. Just because he always brings food whenever he comes to the police headquarters, it doesn''t mean he would bring it that day. He just ignored Fergus'' question and shot him with a question of his own. "Where''s dad?" he asked.

    Noaz frowned as he slapped him on the back. "Be polite to your Beta," he scolded.

    Fergus just waved away Noaz''s concern and grinned as he leaned against his seat, crossing his arms across his chest. "The Chief?" he repeated. "I wonder whereˇ­"

    Erick frowned, not in the mood for Fergus'' jokes.

    Fergus laughed, seeming to enjoy Erick''s dark look. He then said, "Alright, alright. Jokes aside. The Chief is still out, checking out the mayor candidates with their campaign. Why are you looking for him?"

    "I know that he would be working late today and tomorrow as well because of the elections, but I just want to meet him before he gets even busier," Erick said, looking serious.

    Fergus nodded as he tapped his chin with his finger thoughtfully. "Ah I see. Well, you can stay here while you wait," he invited, waving his hand. "He''s probably on his way back."

    He then turned to Noaz. "What about you?"

    Noaz shrugged. "I''m just accompanying the pup," he said nonchalantly.

    Erick rolled his eyes.

    Few minutes later, Erick was still sitting on the chair, playing games on his mobile phone while Fergus continued on with his work. Noaz, on the other hand, had left the room earlier, wanting to get some fresh air. Though he was more likely to hang out with the other policemen outside.

    Shortly after, the door to Fergus'' office opened and Lachlan walked in, with Noaz behind him. He then saw Erick sitting on the chair, playing games.

    "In my office," Lachlan said curtly before turning back around and out of the room. Noaz quickly stood aside to let Lachlan walk past him.

    Erick immediately stood up and grabbed his backpack from the floor where he placed it earlier. Fergus just waved them goodbye before he continued to do his work. Noaz followed Erick from behind as they walked towards Lachlan''s office, which was a couple of rooms away.

    Inside his office, Lachlan was looking out the window with his hands behind his back, looking a bit distracted. Erick knocked on the door and entered in, together with Noaz, after Lachlan gave his permission to enter.

    "What''s this about?" Lachlan asked immediately after the two entered the room.

    "Dad, I want to go out and look for Dane''s soul," Erick blurted out, looking at his father straight in the eye, without flinching.

    Lachlan''s eyes narrowed. "Do you know how dangerous it would be?" he asked. "And what about your school? The school just started. You can''t possibly skip it."

    "It won''t be dangerous," Erick argued. "Dane mentioned about the Adorosa plant. So, I believed it''s in the Kraken Forest. I''ve been there before!"

    "And what are you going to do with school?" Lachlan asked, his eyes still narrowed with his arms crossed across his chest.

    "I can go during the weekends!" his son further argued. "I mean, since I know the place well, I shouldn''t have any problem navigating my way through it. And I think I know the exact place."

    "What do you mean?"

    "When I was there before, I think I saw one of Dane''s souls," Erick admitted.

    Lachlan''s eyes widened in surprise. "How can that be?"

    "I wasn''t sure at first but I saw an imagery of a white wolf when I first came to the forest. I thought that I was seeing thingsˇ­ I''m not sure back then but I''m sure now. That''s one of Dane''s souls," he said, with a confident look on his face.

    Lachlan frowned at him. "Have you told anyone about this?" he asked.

    Erick shook his head. "No," he said. He turned to look at Noaz, who nodded and back again at his father. "Just you and Noaz."

    Lachlan nodded. "Good," he said firmly. "Make sure to tell no one, other than the people here."

    Erick nodded.

    Lachlan then turned to Noaz and ordered, "I''m giving you the permission to go with Erick. Make sure that no harm will come to him. You have the weekend to go there and accomplish your mission."

    Noaz placed a hand over his heart and kneeled on one knee as he bowed his head. "Yes, Alpha!"

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 Chapter 117 - 110: Im here for the food, not dog food!

    Burkendall High School.

    Amber frowned as she took a peek under her lashes at the young man sitting beside her. They were at the library, working on their homework during their free study time. They had class together earlier and decided to go to the library to get their work done.

    The young man beside her looked distracted as he stared off-space, twirling his pencil with his fingers. It has been a couple of days since he was like that. Days before, he went straight home, rather than going out to hang out with his friends. And he stopped waiting for her after school since he told her that he would be busy. She didn''t ask him why, though. She didn''t want to be seen as clingy.

    One time, she coincidentally saw him outside the school. He looked as if he was waiting for someone. Shortly after, her curiousity was answered when she saw a man approaching him. He has black hair with a beauty mole under his eye. He was quite tall, taller than Erick andˇ­ She has to admit, quite good-looking as well. He was waving at Erick, who waved back.

    Amber, who was watching from behind one of the buildings in school, peeked out. Just as she was about to lean closer to eavesdropˇ­ She meant, listen to their conversation, Erick suddenly turned around, looking at the direction where she hid.

    She pulled back quickly, her eyes widened. She tried to make herself ''invisible'' as she backed away a bit further. ''He couldn''t have seen me from there, could he?'' she thought as her heart began to beat faster from being caught.

    After a short while, she peeked out once again and was surprised that Erick and the man were no longer there. She felt a bit like deva ju. The same thing had happened, just like when she tried to follow Hamish.

    She pouted, feeling frustrated as she stepped out in plain sight. It was so unfair.

    Now, looking at him, many sort of questions flooded in her mind. But she didn''t have the courage to ask one of the questions. Though, it wasn''t that she did not have the courage, she just didn''t know how to throw out her questions.

    Instead, she reached out and began to poke him on the cheek.

    Startled, Erick turned his head and grinned, showing his dimpled cheeks. Her finger immediately touched the small indentation. "What''s wrong?" he asked, giving her a confused smile.

    Amber frowned. "I don''t know. What''s wrong with you?" she asked back, her chin resting on her palm with her elbow was on the table.

    Erick just laughed awkwardly as he looked away, avoiding her eyes. "It''s nothing," he lied.

    She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Really?" she asked, dragging her question, a suspicious tone in her voice.

    He continued to avoid her eyes as he turned his gaze towards the notebook in front of him on the table. He then started to work on his Maths homework, taking out his calculator from his backpack.

    Amber too continued to stare at him with her suspicious look. Shortly after, she sighed as she turned back to her homework. ''I guess I''ll just wait for him to tell me what''s on his mind. I can''t be pestering him about it until he''s ready,'' she thought to herself as she began to scribble in her notebook.

    The two of them continued to study by themselves in silence. After nearly an hour, Amber was startled by the grumbling sounds coming from beside her. She discreetly sneaked a look at the young man beside her and tried to hide a smile when she saw Erick rubbing his stomach.

    She then stopped writing and asked him, "Want to go for lunch?"

    Erick whirled around in his seat, his face full of bright smiles as he said, "Finally! I was waiting for you to say it!"

    Amber laughed lightly as the two of them began to pack their things. Luckily, they have lunch break after their free study time so they can immediately go straight to the cafeteria.

    A few minutes later, the two of them were queueing to get their lunch meals. Apparently there were some other students who also went for an early lunch and were already queueing to get their food. And it was quite fortunate that the cafeteria opened quite early, at the very least, they wouldn''t have any trouble worrying that their usual table was being used.

    Erick was standing in line behind Amber. The lunch lady was swift, giving out the portions as she scooped them out neatly and fast. She wore a hair net with a hat on top of it. She was frowning as she served the food to the students.

    But when it was Erick''s turn, she looked up with a rare smile. "Erick, my favourite student!" she greeted.

    Erick laughed. "Mrs. Martin, my favourite woman in school!" he greeted back with a grin.

    Mrs. Martin began to serve him more portions. She even sneaked in two mini cups of ice-creams for him, placing them on his lunch tray. "You cheeky young man," she said shyly as she pooh-poohed him. "You exaggerate."

    Erick then winked at her. "It''s not an exaggeration when it''s the truth."

    She then added more mashed potatoes to his already piled up potatoes and said, "Because of that, you get more!"

    "Thanks, Mrs. Martin!" he exclaimed happily. "You''re the best as always."

    Soon after, he walked together with Amber to their usual table. The table was still empty since the others still haven''t arrived yet. Some of them either still have classes or they were still somewhere in school.

    The two of them took their seats and made themselves comfortable. On Erick''s lunchtray, there were several dishes on them, including the mini cups of ice-creams and the huge portion of mashed potatoes. He took one of the ice-creams and placed it on Amber''s lunchtray. He then took one of his steaks and salad and placed them on her tray again.

    Amber just watched him placing the food on her tray before voicing out her question, "What are you doing?"

    "Sharing my food with you."

    "But why?"

    "I''m sharing what I love with you."

    "But---" before she could finish her sentences, Erick had shoved a spoon filled with mashed potatoes in her mouth.

    Her eyes widened at the sudden feeding. She then swallowed it and was about to ask once more when he fed her again.

    After much failure in attempting to ask her question, she gave up and let him feed her. She was quiet as she accepted the food he fed her. Who wouldn''t be when someone is pampering you like this?

    It was this scene that greeted both Hamish, Jeayan and the others when they all arrived at the table with their lunch trays.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes and groaned. "Seriously? I''m here to be fed with food. Not dog food!" she complained as she watched Erick lovingly fed Amber. What shocked them the most was the fact that he hasn''t touched his food yet.

    Erick smirked as they all took their seats. "Go and look for Roel to feed you," he suggested.

    Jeayan pouted as she grumpily stabbed the steak on her plate. "I would if I ever find the chance to meet up with him," she grumbled softly.

    Hamish just kept quiet as he ate his food.

    Amber frowned, looking confused. "Roel?" she repeated.

    "Yeah, her ''boyfriend''," Erick said, smiling cheekily.

    Her eyes widened as she turned to Jeayan. "Really? I didn''t know you have a boyfriend."

    Jeayan immediately blushed in embarrassment. "I wouldn''t say he''s my boyfriendˇ­ I mean, I don''t know what''s our relationship status is," she admitted softly.

    "Bet Roel is going to be pretty darned sad if he hears you now," Erick commented.

    "Oh shush!" Jeayan scolded. "Just eat your deng food and let us be! We don''t need you to drown us in vinegar!"

 Chapter 118 - 111: Chaos on Election Day

    Election day.

    Few days before the elections, the candidates contending for the Mayor position have been working hard, giving out speeches and talks, organising charity drives and so forth. All to cement their position in the town people''s hearts and support.

    The town centre itself was filled with people, even as early at six o''clock in the morning. These people gathered around in town as they waited for the polling station to be opened. Many volunteers came rushing here and there as they prepared the stations, handing out bottles of water for the people who were queueing under the hot sunny morning.

    There were also many policemen walking around in their uniforms, patrolling the area to ensure that there were no accidents nor foul plays. The mayor candidates weren''t in the area as they were in their own abode, watching the livestream happening in town.

    In one of the humble houses in the residential area, Hilliard was greeting his visitors, together with his wife. They wore bright smiles as they exchanged pleasantries and thanked their guests for their support. There were some young volunteers who walked around, handing out refreshments and small snacks in the living room. The living room itself was wide, where the chairs and tables were set aside to give more standing space. In the middle of the room, just near to the wall was a huge white screen. There was an overhead projector which linked to the internet. The white screen was showing the livestream happening in the town centre.

    An hour had passed and by then, most of the people who had come to support Hilliard were in the living room, while some hung just outside the room, with their drinks in their hands. The entrance to the living room was a huge doorless arch so it was easier for those who couldn''t fit into the living room to peek inside.

    Hilliard and his wife were still talking pleasantries with their guests when some of the volunteers came over to join in the gathering. Krys Williams, one of the volunteers, as well as one of Erick and Amber''s schoolmates, was passing flyers with Hilliard''s face on it, asking the guests to cast their votes on Hilliard.

    The guests there came and went as they wanted to meet with Hilliard first before going into town to cast their votes. Some of Hilliard''s volunteers were also in town as they tried to get more votes by handing out flyers and talking about Hilliard''s accomplishments and goals.

    One of the volunteers beamed a huge smile when the person who had accepted the flyer from her said that he will surely vote for Hilliard. She was about to turn back around when someone suddenly appeared behind her. She gasped in surprise as she was about to drop the flyers in her hand.

    Fortunately, the young man was fast as he swiftly grabbed the flyers and handed them back to her.

    "Krys! When did you arrive?" she asked, a surprised look on her face as she held the flyers to her chest with both arms.

    Krys grinned. "A few minutes ago with the rest of the guys," he answered as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

    The girl grinned back as she pushed the flyers at him. "That''s great! Now, you can help me pass these flyers around while I get some more," she said.

    Krys nodded.

    When the girl walked past him to get more of the papers, Krys took a discreet look over his shoulder at her and there was an indescribable glint in his eyes as he turned back around.

    Back at the Hilliard''s house, a few hours later.

    The excitement was still sparkling in the house as more guests came in to give their supports to the current mayor. They did not stay long, at most, an hour or so.

    Although Hilliard was mentally and physically tired from greeting his guests, it does not show in his appearance and face as he still looked amicably smart and positive. His wife had already gone to their bedroom to take a short rest. At first, she protested, wanting to stay behind but seeing how fatigued she was, Hilliard gently coaxed her to at least get forty winks. After Hilliard said that there will be other people to help him out and that she can return back later once she was rested, she went up.

    The day was slowly coming to an end, as well as the voting session.

    Hilliard was still talking with some of his guests when the front door to his house was smashed open. The people inside were shocked at the sudden intrusion. And when they saw huge wolves entering the house, snarling and growling, they began to scream in terror and fright. Seconds later, chaos erupted in the house. Tables and chairs were overturned as people were fighting their way to get out of the house.

    Hilliard was standing in the middle of the chaos, his eyes widened in shock as he watched the wolves begin to stand up on their hind legs, howling. He turned around and took his phone from his pocket hurriedly. He began to dial a number and when it was connected, he urgently pleaded, "Please, come over! It seems like there''s rogues here!??

    "Will be there immediately."

    -----

    Police headquarters. Lachlan''s office.

    Lachlan frowned down at the phone in his hand. He had just hung up the call from Hilliard who had called him for help. ''Rogues? When did they arrive in town?'' he thought, feeling bewildered.

    Shortly after, Fergus burst into the office, a worried look on his face. "Alpha!" he exclaimed. Then realizing that they were in the office, not at the packhouse. "Chief!" He quickly changed the title. "There''s been an attack at the candidates'' homes. Including Zant!"

    "Rogues?" Lachlan asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    Fergus nodded.

    Lachlan immediately stood up and ordered, "Call for the ''others''. And bring Paccia over." The ''others'' he was referring to were the shifters who were working in the police force as well.

    "Yes, Chief!"

    Less than an hour later, Lachlan parked the police car in front of Hilliard''s house. With Fergus behind him, together they ran towards the building. Outside, signs of disturbance and havoc can be seen everywhere; potted plants were turned over, cracking its pots, flyers strewn all over the front yard.

    By the time they had entered the house, it was nearly empty as most of the people had managed to escape. But unfortunately, there were some unlucky ones. Lachlan and Fergus could solemnly see a few people who were on the brink of death. Fergus immediately called 911 to dispatch ambulances to the area.

    While Fergus was busy calling the ambulance and at the same time, instructing the other policemen who had just arrived at the scene, Lachlan followed the scent he had been discreetly smelling and rushed further in the house.

    Avoiding the debris and the rubbles that littered everywhere on the ground, it took Lachlan a few seconds before he arrived at one of the rooms. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. To say that the room was a mess was an understatement. It looked as if a tornado had come to visit the room. All the furniture inside was completely destroyed or smashed. The windows were shattered with bits of shards on the floor.

    In the midst of the chaotic room, on the floor laid a severely injured Hilliard, who was bleeding from his shoulder. And on the corner of the room, sat a shivering and cowering woman whom Lachlan remembered as Hilliard''s wife. Lachlan quickly ran over to Hilliard''s side and checked his pulse. He felt great relief to find that the latter was still alive. For how long, he wasn''t sure. Lachlan immediately used his mindlink to contact Paccia and tell her to come over immediately.

    Shortly after, under the surprised look from Hilliard''s wife, Paccia appeared beside Lachlan with a poof. She immediately went over to Hilliard''s wife and cast a sleeping spell on her. She then cast another spell to make sure she forgot the scene of Paccia appearing in mere seconds. Once she was done, she went over to Lachlan and listened to his order. He ordered her to check Hilliard''s injuries and whether there were any set-backs.

    Paccia instantly cast another spell, scanning the man from top to bottom. She then shook her head and reported, "No major injuries. He will be alright once he gets immediate treatment. It only looks worse than it really is."

    Lachlan nodded. He then used his walkie-talkie to barked out instructions to the policemen who were investigating outside. He ordered them to bring in the paramedics for Hilliard and his wife.

    It was then he received news that the same thing occurred at Hilliard''s was also happening in the other candidates'' homes. And what made him narrowed his eyes in suspicion was the fact that Zant was alright, other than a few scratches, compared to the other candidates.

    ''Very suspicious, indeed,'' thought Lachlan grimly.

 Chapter 119 - 112: Voting starts

    It was the morning of Election day. With Lachlan busy in the office, getting ready to patrol around the town, Erick was still in his bedroom, lying down on his bed with Luka sleeping beside him. Earlier that morning, Luka had jumped on him, startling him awake. Apparently, it felt cold and wanted to look for a warm body. Hence why it jumped on Erick and cuddled next to him.

    Erick rubbed his forehead in dismay. Sometimes Luka acted like a childish human, instead of a wolf he was supposed to be.

    He looked at the wolf softly snoring beside him and sighed. It would be much nicer if it was Amber, instead of this wolf.

    Carefully, he got up from his bed so that he wouldn''t wake Luka up and went out of the room. Going down the stairs, he heard muffled noises coming from the living room. He peeked into the room and saw his mother sitting on the sofa as she watched the livestream in town. She had her tea cup and a plate of cookies on the coffee table.

    Erick looked suspiciously at the plate of cookies. He walked in without saying anything and sat down next to her, with his arms crossed. He stared at her with his narrowed eyes, as if trying to drill his gaze in her.

    Luella ignored him as she continued watching the livestream, nibbling on a cookie.

    "That cookie looks delicious," Erick began with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "Where did you get it from, mom?"

    "Yes, it tastes delicious," his mother agreed as she ate another cookie. "Amber baked them."

    "She gave some to you?"

    Luella shook her head. "I got it from the container in your room," she replied nonchalantly.

    Erick then whirled around in his seat and exclaimed, "I knew it!"

    His mother then whacked him on the head. "Be quiet!" she scolded. "I''m trying to watch TV."

    "And are you trying to keep your food away from me?" she continued, still whacking him on the head. "Who taught you to be stingy?"

    Erick immediately stood up, covering his head as he protected himself from his mother''s whacks. "Fine! Fine!" he protested.

    After his mother stopped her whacking, Erick sat back down, with his leg crossed over the other. He leaned against his seat with his arms crossed as he watched the livestream with his mother. "Dad is over there?" he asked.

    His mother shook her head. "He''s at the HQ, manning the office. He''s probably going around to check things out later," she assumed. With the election going around, there was bound to be trouble. And the fact that the evil-doers who had killed the shifters weeks ago were still on the loose, the security around town had been tightened even more.

    Lachlan did not want to leave it to chance.

    "I see," he said, as he grabbed a cookie from the plate.

    The two of them watched the livestream in silence. It wasn''t much as there were more about people being interviewed about their views on the elections and the candidates.

    Erick frowned when he saw a familiar person on TV. "Hmmˇ­ Isn''t thatˇ­?" he mumbled to himself.

    "Who is it, son?" Luella asked.

    Erick shook his head. "Nothing," he said, not thinking much.

    The two of them continued to watch the livestream when he received a text message from Amber, saying that she was at the town centre, casting her vote. Since she was already eighteen years old, she was already eligible to vote. And then she added that if he was free, perhaps he can come over and join in the fun.

    Erick knew that going out to vote underneath the hot sun wasn''t that fun at all. Rather, it was quite boring. All you have to do is to wait in line for your turn to cast your vote. And it might take hours.

    He glanced at her mother who was still watching the livestream. He knew that she won''t be casting her vote until late in the evening. She doesn''t like going when there are too many people. Even though she was given an opportunity to cast her votes since she was the Police Chief''s wife, she said she did not want to do it early. She wanted to cast her vote, together with Lachlan. She never did like crowds unless she had to.

    Looking back at his phone, a smile formed on his face as he replied that he will be there soon. Even if waiting to cast your votes can be boring, with Amber around, it will be fun.

    He quickly got up and ran up to his room to change his clothes. Before rushing up, he had shouted over his shoulder to his mom that he would be going out soon.

    Slamming open his bedroom door, he ran towards his wardrobe to grab his nice shirt and pants. Luka, who was startled awake from the noises, growled in irritation and burrowed deeper in bed, snuggling underneath the blanket.

    Erick just smiled as he changed his clothes, watching Luka going back to sleep. He then walked out of his room and went down the stairs.

    Before he left his house, he told his mother to not wait for him.

    Shortly after, after he had parked his car at the designated parking lot, he got out of his car and looked ahead to where the voting stations were set up. There was a long queue that was going to one of the buildings where the voting stations were. There were also many people walking around, handing out flyers and shouting in a megaphone to stay in line. Other than that, there were also a few policemen who were patrolling the area.

    He immediately took a deep breath while trying to find Amber''s scent. His eyes turned amber for a short while before turning jet black again. He turned his head in another direction and ran over.

    Amber was standing in one of the queues, with a bag of potato ch.i.p.s in her arms. Judging from how she was standing there, just eating, looking ahead, it seems like she was alone.

    He walked over, nodding as an apology as he cut through the line.

    Noticing Erick coming towards her, she began to smile and waved him over. Once he came closer to her, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to her side. She turned her head and bowed a little. "Sorry but he''s with me," she apologized for him since he was cutting the line.

    The middle-aged man who was standing behind Amber chuckled as he waved away her apology. "It''s alright, young lady," he said. "This is your first time voting?"

    Amber and Erick looked at each other first and then back at the middle-aged man and nodded. "I''ve just turned eighteen a few months ago," Erick said.

    "Me too. Earlier than him, though," Amber said too.

    Yes, it seems like Amber was a couple of months older than Erick. At first, Erick was surprised when he first found out about it but he did not really care since it was just a couple of months. He once teased Amber for being his sugar momma, which he regretted not long after he said that since Amber had smacked him and given him the cold shoulder.

    They exchanged small pleasantries with the middle-aged man. Apparently, he used to be in the army before he retired due to injury. Hence, he knew Amber''s father. He asked her about him and talked about how a great man he was. And then he was surprised to know that Erick was the Police Chief''s son. He then shoots more compliments and great stuff about Lachlan to the two of them.

    It was nearly an hour until it was finally their turn to vote.

    When they were getting closer to the voting station, a familiar face saw them waiting in line. With a huge smile, he walked over to them and greeted them.

    "Oh, hey Krys," Amber greeted, with a surprised look on her face. She did not expect to see him there.

    Erick just nodded hello.

    "What are you doing here?" she asked, out of curiosity.

    Krys grinned. "I''m a volunteer. I''m in Mayor Hilliard''s camp," he answered.

    "Wow, that''s awesome!" she gushed out. "You''ve been the chairperson for the Open Day and are in the debate club! I''m surprised that you''re not the School President!"

    Krys just laughed.

    Erick began to frown as he discreetly looked down at Amber. ''What is there to be amazed about?'' he thought with a sulk.

    He then studied the young man in front of them with a suspicious glint in his eyes. ''Krys, huhˇ­'' he thought.

 Chapter 120 - 113: Dont get involved

    Hours later, Erick and Amber were finally done voting. It was scorching hot outside, so they decided to cool for a couple of minutes inside the voting station where it was air-conditioned. There were several volunteers walking around as they passed cool water bottles to each voter.

    While they were cooling off, talking and laughing, suddenly there was someone with a panicked look on his face, came rushing in through the entrance. His eyes darted around as if he was looking for someone. When he finally saw someone that he was looking for, he quickly ran towards the man. The man was one of the people who were in-charge of the voting stations. To simply put, he was one of the government officials who had been assigned to the town.

    When the young man who came rushing in rushed towards the government official, he bent down to whisper something. At first, his eyes widened in shock but he quickly covered it with a grave look on his face. He nodded to whatever the young man was saying and then ended the conversation by ordering him to tell the people who were indirectly involved in it to keep quiet. They do not want to cause any alarm when voting has just started.

    Of course, Erick had heard all this due to his sharp hearing abilities. A frown marred his handsome face as his eyebrows scrunched in a thoughtful look.

    Sensing his mood, Amber turned her head towards Erick and asked what was wrong.

    He shook his head and then told her that he would send her home now.

    Confused, she wondered why so sudden but then again, looking at his solemn look, she thought it would be better to be quiet. He would tell her later once he was ready to share the news. Hence why she just nodded without asking any questions.

    In the car, the two of them were quiet, other than the music playing from the radio. Erick had somber look on his face as he quietly drove them. Then out of the blue, he asked her whether she would like to hang out in his place, instead.

    Amber tilted her head, thinking. She doesn''t really have much plans that day. She only went out to vote and probably looked for some food stalls, which there weren''t many, much to her disappointment.

    She then answered yes. Erick grinned, pleased with her answer.

    Shortly after, they arrived at Erick''s house. He quickly parked his car and opened the door for Amber. After entering the house, although he knew that his mother probably knew that they were coming, he just shouted his greeting, nonetheless. "Mom! I''m home!"

    "I thought you said that you would be home late!" came a shouting reply from the living room.

    "I changed my mind! Amber''s here!"

    Luella then appeared in the hallway where Erick had just closed the front door, with Amber beside him. "Oh! Amber, how nice to see you again!" she exclaimed happily as she came forward to give her a hug.

    Amber smiled as she hugged the woman back. "Great to see you too, Aunt Luella," she greeted back.

    Luella immediately grabbed her arm and gently pulled her towards the living room. "Come, come," she invited. "Let''s go and watch some TV."

    Erick had just placed his car keys on the wooden hanging keys holder near the front door when he received a mindlink from his mother. ''What''s going on, young man?'' his mother said. She returned back to the front hall, looking at her son with her arms crossed across her chest.

    ''Something''s going on. There has been an attack at the mayor''s. Not only him, but others as well,'' Erick replied back in the mindlink.

    ''Oh dear. Have you heard from your father?''

    ''No. Someone was telling one of the officials just now. They don''t want to cause panic. Knowing dad, he''s probably at one of the scenes.''

    ''Erick,'' his mother said warningly, as if she knew what his son was going to do. ''Don''t get involved. This isn''t the pack problem.''

    ''What if the attacks were from the rogues?'' he argued back.

    ''There''s no concrete evidence that it was from a rogue attack. Your Alpha nor the Beta had announced anything yet. So you better stay here and stay put or I will sic the triplets on you,'' his mother threatened softly in the mindlink.

    Erick just sighed as he walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of orange juice for him and Amber. It was already tiring to have Noaz around, what''s more if there were three of them. It gave him a headache.

    In the living room, Amber was sitting on a sofa alone, looking around nervously. Although she has been to Erick''s house before, it doesn''t mean that she was already used to it. She sighed as she fiddled with her mobile phone in her hands.

    Shortly after, a huge shadow came to enveloped her, about to smother her. Her eyes widened in shock and a surprised laugh came out from her mouth. "Luka!"

    Luka immediately prodded against her arm, wanting to get her attention, growling. Hearing him growling, Amber thought it sounded more like he was purring. He was so adorable!

    That was the scene that greeted Erick when he walked in the living room. Amber snuggling with Luka. Frowning, he walked over and sat beside Amber. He then pushed Luka off Amber onto the floor and said, "You''re heavy. Get down from her."

    Amber tilted her head, looking confused. "He''s not, though," she disagreed slowly.

    "Yes, he is," Erick said. He then handed her a cup of orange juice.

    Amber just rolled her eyes and accepted the drink.

    "Mom said that she will be making some snacks for us," he continued. He then picked up the remote control and changed the channel to a sport channel.

    ''When did I say that I would be making snacks?'' his mother asked sarcastically in the mindlink.

    ''You wouldn''t want to make your son a liar, do you?'' he replied back.

    His mother just laughed in the mindlink and closed it again. Even though she loved to scold her son, it doesn''t mean that she doesn''t love to pamper him as well.

    It was a peaceful late morning as the two of them watched the TV quietly. Erick had his arm around Amber''s shoulders with Luka lying down beside Amber''s feet.

    It was then Erick''s mother rushed into the room, with a worried look on her face. "Erick, I''ll be going out for a moment."

    Both Erick and Amber stood up. "What happened?" he asked, concerned.

    Luella gave him a forced smile as she stood on her tiptoes and patted him on the head. "Nothing for you to worry about. I''m just going to head over to the ''house''."

    Amber frowned. She kept hearing the word ''house'' but she doesn''t really know the specific meaning. It was probably some secret family place. "Should I go? I''m not disturbing you, am I?" she asked, looking worried.

    Luella shook her head and said, "No, no. Just stay here. I''ll be back in a few minutes. There''s some food in the kitchen if you get hungry."

    With that, she grabbed her light jacket and went out of the house.

    ''Mom, what really happened?'' Erick asked in the mindlink.

    ''It was indeed a rogue attack. The mayor is in the hospital, after being attacked. I need to go there to help Paccia,'' his mother answered in the mindlink. ''Don''t get involved and wait until Dane has recovered.''

    Erick just let out a sigh. He hates being so helpless.

 Chapter 121 - 114: A lost cause?

    The search to who had attacked the mayor and the mayor candidates'' residences had come to a standstill. Clues had been wiped and cleared off. Traces had led to either a dead end or had been cut off.

    As much as Lachlan hated to close the case, it doesn''t stop him from trying to look for more clues privately. Although there had been disagreements and dissatisfactions in regards to closing the case, there was nothing Lachlan could do when Hilliard himself, who was currently hospitalized, requested to close the case. It was fortunate that he was not at death''s door as he only suffered less than major injuries.

    Hilliard also knew that despite his request to close the case, Lachlan would send out his packs to look for more clues. He knew there was a deeper story to this and the latter would not stop until he found what it was. The reason as to why Hilliard wanted to close the case was because he wanted the attackers to lower their guard down, thinking that Hilliard and Lachlan gave up on the pursuit.

    With Hilliard and the other mayor candidates being injured and only Zant was left with very minor injuries, it was announced that Zant will become the acting mayor for now. Even if it was announced that Hilliard won the votes with Zant as a close second, since the former could not take his position straight away, Zant will hold the fort for a short while.

    The people in the prospective candidates'' residence were busy as they rushed here and there, trying to sooth down the chaos happening there. It was hectic, to say the least. The medics were busy as well as they had to go in different groups to treat those who were injured and bring those who had major injuries back to the emergency. It was fortunate that the major injuries weren''t that serious, rather it was more of a need for treatment using the appliances in the hospital.

    Lachlan was currently in the hospital private room where Hilliard was admitted. At that moment, the latter was sleeping soundly after being sedated with medicine after he complained of being too much in pain. He looked down at the sleeping man with a grave look on his face.

    Shortly after, a man appeared beside him. "Alpha, we have found clues to the attacks. However, we need your presence at the scene."

    Lachlan nodded, without taking his eyes off Hilliard. He then turned around and ordered, "Tell Fergus to assign more policemen to patrol and to guard this room and the other rooms." The other rooms held the other candidates who had been injured during the attacks.

    "Yes, Alpha," the man said before disappearing.

    Lachlan turned back to Hilliard, who was unaware of things happening around him as he was still sleeping. Soon after, Lachlan left the room without another word.

    -----

    Fergus, at that time, was in Zant''s house, together with a couple of his subordinates. The place was in disarray after the attack where furniture were strewn all over; there were broken chairs and tables, as well as debris on the ground. Even the marbled floor was cracked.

    Zant was talking with some of the volunteers who had come rushing after the news was spread about the attacks. Although the government official had warned his subordinate to not spread the news as they did not want to cause panic, they had underestimated the local gr.a.p.evine which was more up-to-date and faster.

    He thanked them for their help and smilingly reassured them that things will be back to normal. The volunteers admired the man''s warm personality and it made them want to help him more. They too reassured him that they will help to clean his place.

    Noticing someone was standing behind him, Zant turned around and smiled when he saw Fergus and the other two policemen. "Oh, good day, officers," he greeted. He then scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he looked around him. "I apologize that I couldn''t entertain you in this mess."

    Fergus shook his head. "It''s alright, Mr. Zant. Instead, we would like to ask a few questions in regards to the attack and I hope you will cooperate with us," he said.

    Zant blinked his eyes in surprise. "I thought the case was closed?" he inquired curiously.

    Fergus frowned, wondering who had told him about the case being closed. "We need your statements for our reports," he answered instead, not answering his question.

    Seeing the serious look on Fergus'' face, he knew that there was no way out of this, Zant can only back down and answer every question shot to him. Inside, he inwardly gritted his teeth, his heart burned with annoyance and hatred. He didn''t like this feeling of having to bow down to a bunch of mutts. But recalling the Lord''s words, he had no choice but to submit. Or he would have blown these mutts to smithereens.

    More than an hour later, Fergus and the other two policemen left Zant''s residence and returned back to the headquarters.

    Lachlan was already in his office, reading the reports that were sent to him in regards to the attacks.

    "Come in," he said out loud when the door to his office was knocked.

    "I''ve returned, Chief," Fergus announced as he stepped inside the office.

    "What did you find?" Lachlan asked, not looking up from the reports.

    Fergus took a seat across Lachlan and immediately started talking about his findings. He talked about how the attacks came nearly at the same time as the other attacks, how they basically targeted the candidates. However, according to Zant, the only reason he got unscathed was because he was in his bas.e.m.e.nt at that time and the assailants couldn''t find him in time.

    "Bas.e.m.e.nt?" Lachlan repeated, his eyes narrowed.

    Fergus nodded. "Yes. Apparently, that''s where he stores all his wines. He was about to get some of his best wines to share with his supporters when they came.

    "And there was a lot of testimony that supports him," he continued grimly.

    "And how was he?" Lachlan asked again.

    Fergus let out a frustrated sigh and just shook his head.

    "Continue with the investigations. There''s got to be something!"

    "Yes, Chief!"

    -----

    The Kendall Residence.

    Erick and Amber were in the kitchen, where Luella had prepared some ''snacks'' for them. Amber could only raise her eyebrows at the ''snacks'' that were prepared for them. There was a big bowl of nachos with an equal size bowl of dipping sauce, hot dogs and french fries on the table. If these were just snacks, she wondered about their dinner. Although she had joined his parents for dinner, she wasn''t sure whether that was the ''actual'' dinner that they usually had.

    Erick pulled out a chair for Amber and said after she sat down, "I''ll go grab some drinks for us."

    Amber nodded as she stared at the spread of food in front of her. Even though there was a lot of food, she wasn''t complaining. She loves eating anyway.

    She grabbed an empty plate that was on the table and scooped some nachos on it. She then scooped some dipping sauce onto the plate. While she served herself, Erick came with a huge jug of lemonade and two empty cups.

    When Erick sat down beside her, Amber handed him his food and she continued to get some food for herself.

    She rolled her eyes when she caught Erick discreetly scooped more nachos and grabbed more hot dogs.

    The two had a pleasant conversation between them, with a little bit of flirting in-between. There were times where Erick got a bit annoyed at Luka for trying to get Amber''s attention away from him. He kept prodding against Amber, wanting to be patted. Amber, in return, had coo-ed and fed him some hotdogs.

    Two hours had passed and finally, Luella had returned home, looking tired. The two teens were back in the living room, watching the TV when the latter had arrived home.

    Looking at her haggard appearance, the young couple looked confused and were a bit worried. "Did something happen, mom?" Erick asked.

    Luella blinked her eyes as she was trying to sort out her thoughts in her mind. It was a hectic at the packhouse. With the rogues still roaming free, the tension at the packhouse was strained and taut. No one there was able to rest easy as they did not know when the rogues would attack next. Although it was predicted that they might attack during the election day, they did not expect that they had the audacity to attack the candidates'' houses. This proved that the man or group behind them were strong.

    Looking at the two teenagers, who were looking at her with concern, her heart warmed. It was because of these people and the other future generations of the pack that she and the other elder shifters worked so hard to bring peace to the pack and also to the town.

    "Nothing, it was just busy there but everything''s fine now," she white-lied, putting on a smile on her face.

    Seeing how his mother wanted to close the topic, Erick just nodded and turned back around to face the television. Amber nodded too and followed suit.

    After the two had looked away from her, Luella turned around and headed straight for the kitchen. At that time, her face turned grim as she recalled what Paccia had told her of what had happened. It seems like the Luna needs to be involved now. She had enough of these rogues.

 Chapter 122 - 115: And the winners are...

    It has been two weeks since the attacks during the election day. Although the mayor and the other ex-candidates had already been discharged from the hospital, the mayor position was still being held by Zant, the candidate who was second in line during the votes. This was because Hilliard was still healing up in his own residence.

    Even though Lachlan was a bit skeptical with Zant''s ruling, there haven''t been any problems in regards to the latter''s govern. Then again, Lachlan still finds it suspicious that Zant has been visiting the headquarters more often. Back when Hilliard was in command, he hardly visited the headquarters, rather it was usually Lachlan who went to the Mayor''s office. If he knew better, he felt like Zant was trying to butter him up.

    Back then during the attack, when he had arrived home, he was greeted by a furious Luella. She demanded to be involved in the search of the rogues. She no longer stands being in the dark. She doesn''t want to be ignorant when the pain of her pack was out there, still threatening them.

    After listening to his Luna''s outburst, Lachlan reluctantly agreed and promised to get her involved more, much to her satisfaction.

    As for Erick, although he was slightly curious about what had happened, after the warning that his mother had given him to not get involved, he unwillingly had to back off. Noaz constantly reminds him about the barnyard case and also warns him that if he doesn''t listen to the Luna, he will sicc Roel on him.

    Unfortunately, even if Noaz can be such a naggy person, he was much more lenient, compared to Roel, who can be strict and unmovable.

    He was also feeling a bit frustrated because he had to postpone his search for Dane''s soul due to the attack. Nevertheless, he did not mind since he could go this weekend. Probably. He hasn''t asked for his father''s permission, though.

    Currently, he was in class where after much delay, they had been waiting for the results of the best class during the Open Day.

    Earlier that morning, words had been spread around the school that the results will be announced through the school speakers. Knowing that they prefer to announce via the speakers, rather than having it presented in a school assembly showed the school doesn''t take much notice of the competition. It was not to say that the competition wasn''t important but ever since the attacks during the election day, for safety reasons, the management of the school was advised that they shouldn''t have an assembly of more than two thousand students in one room.

    In the classroom where they were having homeroom, the class was bustling with excited chatter as they played guessing games on who would win the competition. They weren''t so confident that they would win because apparently, Jeayan''s class who did the Shakespeare play was also quite popular that day.

    Hence why some of them had already consoled themselves by saying that even if they did not win, they can just go to the amus.e.m.e.nt park next time if they want to.

    Hamish, however, has quite a competitive mind that he does not like the feeling of losing, especially when it comes to free items. Seeing and hearing how his classmates already gave up on winning, his eyes darkened. He scoffed in disdain as he looked away.

    His eyes landed on Erick, who was sitting beside him and behind Amber. He was playing with her strands of hair, his chin rested on his palm. Amber looked unconcerned with him playing with her hair as she talked with Dana, who sat beside her.

    Hamish let out a sigh. ''He''s a goner, alright,'' he thought ruefully as he stared at his best friend.

    Just then, there were static sounds coming from the speaker on the wall of their classroom. Everyone in class immediately fell silent as they looked at the speaker. Shortly after, there was a scratchy voice coming out of the speaker.

    ''Good morning, everyone! Krys here! Before I get down to what I want to say, everyone in the committee would like to thank everyone for their participation and hard work during the Open Day. Without everyone''s teamwork and dedication to make the event a success, we couldn''t have made the Open Day a happening day! Everyone here deserves a good pat on the back for all your hard work and sacrifices!''

    Everyone in class cheered, where some playfully smacked each other on the back, laughing and giggling.

    ''So, before I go into the best class, I''d like to announce the other categories,'' Krys continued.

    He went on to announce the winner for the other categories such as Best Activity, Best Stalls and so forth.

    After announcing all the other winners, Krys finally got to the category that everyone in school had been waiting for. Well, except for Erick, who was currently sleeping on his desk. He never has been interested in any of the competitions. He only got involved because of Amber. His classmates, on the other hand, were feeling excited as they awaited the news. Hamish ruefully shook his head when he saw Erick sleeping.

    "The Best Class goes to the Japanese Cafe!"

    At first, there was silence in the room and shortly after, screams and shouts reverberated and echoing around the class. There were some who jumped around in glee and excitement, there were those who hugged each other. It was as if they won a lottery.

    Erick, who was still sleeping soundly behind Amber, did not notice the sudden noise. Amber turned around in her seat and poked Erick on his cheek. "Erick, wake up! We won!" she said excitedly.

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously, trying to blink away his sleepiness and raised his head. "What?" he asked groggily.

    "We''ve won!" Amber repeated, still poking him on the cheek.

    In reply, Erick only c.o.c.ked an eyebrow as he propped his chin on his palm, looking straight at Amber with his sleepy smile. "That''s nice," he murmured.

    Surprised at his sudden smile, Amber suddenly flushed red.

    Dana, who was watching the whole scene, rolled her eyes and threw a pen at Erick''s direction, who swiftly caught it with his hand.

    The broadcast ended with Krys saying that representatives of clubs and class will be able to get their prizes during lunch time or after school within the week.

    It was then decided that Hamish will get the tickets later after school.

    After the broadcast ended, everyone in class immediately left the room for their next class.

    -----

    That evening, Erick was in his room, lounging against the headboard of his bed, with the remote control in his hand while he was watching a movie. Luka was lying down on the floor, just beside the bed.

    Earlier that day, Hamish went to the administrative office in school to get the tickets. He then texted in the class chat group, saying that he will pass the tickets soon. Erick and Amber had waited for him while he went to get the tickets. And once he got them, the three of them were in the same car, driving back home. Erick first dropped Amber at her house since Erick and Hamish lived near to each other.

    After dropping Hamish at his house, Erick went straight to his own. He was planning to ask his father whether he could start his search for Dane''s soul. But after the attacks, even after weeks had passed, his father was always busy in the office. Sometimes he would return home late, even after Erick had slept.

    Since tomorrow was their long-awaited weekend, he was determined to stay awake, waiting for his father, even if he has to binge-watch all of Harry Potter''s movies!

 Chapter 123 - 116: The amus.e.m.e.nt park (1)

    The next morning, Erick was in the kitchen, where he was having his breakfast. It was already a bit late so it could be counted as brunch, instead of breakfast. It was coming close to lunchtime. Luella had already eaten her breakfast hours ago. She was currently in the laundry room where she was ironing the clothes.

    Lachlan had come home late, as accurately predicted by Erick. With his super hearing, Erick had heard his father come through the front door just after one o''clock in the morning. He immediately ran out of his room and confronted his father right there on the front hallway.

    As much as he hated to disturb his father when he knew that he was probably exhausted from the investigations of the attacks, he thought he could no longer wait any longer. Since yesterday, he had not heard anything from Dane. The latter was scarily quiet. Even when Erick had called out his name in his mind for many times, there was no reaction from Dane.

    He was seriously getting worried.

    Lachlan had tiredly told Erick to come to his study room where they can have a proper conversation.

    He had come home late because he had to attend the town council meeting. There have been many disagreements in regards to having Mr. Zant hold the temporary Mayor position when he did not win at all. Mr. Zant''s supporters, on the other hand, argued that since the one who won the position, Mr. Hilliard, was still injured, it was best that he get some rest while Mr. Zant takes over. They further argued that it would only be for a while. The heated argument lasted for hours. Although Lachlan was believed to be neutral, he was actually supporting Mr. Hilliard. In the end, it was suggested that Mr. Zant will only hold the position for a week and then it will return back to its rightful owner.

    Inside his study room, Lachlan sat down and rested in his chair and Erick immediately started to talk about how he was bothered about Dane''s lack of response and how he felt like time was running out.

    Even though he was tired, his father listened to his son''s persuasive words as the latter continued to talk about why he wanted to go and look for Dane''s soul.

    In the end, with a condition that he must bring along Noaz with him when he goes to the Kraken forest, Erick left his father alone to get some rest.

    He was still eating his ''breakfast'' when Hamish came over to his house, carrying a backpack over his shoulder.

    Without waiting for an invitation, Hamish went straight to the kitchen and sat down next to Erick, who looked surprised to see him. The former dropped his backpack on the floor and began to help himself with the food.

    Erick narrowed his eyes and was about to smack Hamish''s hand away when Luella walked in, carrying the laundry. She smiled when she saw Hamish. "Hamish, when did you arrive?" she asked.

    "Few seconds ago, Luna," he answered after he successfully evaded Erick''s hits and was already munching on the sausages.

    "Oh, welcome, welcome," she said. "Go and help yourself to the food. I''ll be going to do more laundry."

    Hamish nodded as he quietly ate his food.

    After his mother had left the room, Erick leaned against his seat, his arms crossed, he narrowed his eyes at Hamish, who was ignoring the former''s glare. "Don''t they feed you at home?" he asked sarcastically.

    "They do. But it''s more fun to eat together than eating alone. So I''m accompanying you," Hamish replied, helping himself to more pancakes.

    Erick sighed and just rolled his eyes. The two of them then continued to eat quietly. At some point, Hamish stopped eating and went to reach out for his backpack. He then grabbed a bunch full of tickets from inside and placed them on the table, just near Erick''s plate, startling the latter.

    "What''s this?" he asked.

    "The amus.e.m.e.nt park tickets."

    Erick picked one up and his eyes widened. The date was for tomorrow!

    "The hell, bro!" Erick exclaimed angrily. "It''s for tomorrow! The feck is this!" He was planning to go to Kraken forest tomorrow!

    Hamish frowned at him and then at the tickets and back again. He then gave Erick a look that was saying, ''Can''t you read?''.

    Erick rubbed his forehead in dismay. "I was planning to go to the Kraken forest tomorrow," he mumbled.

    "You can go to the amus.e.m.e.nt park before going to the Kraken," Hamish suggested.

    Erick narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

    Hamish shrugged. "Well, it was just a thought."

    Erick sighed. "Do you think going to the Kraken is like a day''s walk?" he growled, feeling slightly annoyed at Hamish''s calmness.

    Hamish just shrugged again as he continued eating.

    A couple of hours later, the two of them were inside Erick''s room, where Erick was calling Noaz that he had to postpone the Kraken trip to another day. At first, Noaz was surprised that the former wanted to postpone as he remembered how much he had been waiting for the day to arrive. But after he had known the reason behind the postpone, Noaz understood. And additionally, it gave him an idea.

    On the other hand, Hamish sent a message to their class group chat, telling them to come over at the amus.e.m.e.nt park tomorrow in the late morning. He further stated that if there was anyone who couldn''t come, they should private text him or else. (He really does not want to waste the free tickets when he can sell them.) Many were protesting about the face that it was really last minute and some complained that they might have plans.

    Hamish ignored the complaints and the protests and kept quiet. With his silence and knowing his temperament, his fellow students know that it meant, ''either you come or just shut up.'' They could just silently cry without tears as they have to change their schedule for tomorrow. There were some who couldn''t come at all because of an important commitment. With a broken heart, knowing that they will miss the free entertainment, they could only reply to Hamish in a private message that they wouldn''t come.

    After checking the attendance of whom will be able to come and whom can''t, Hamish felt satisfied and leaned back against the beanbag in Erick''s room. He then grabbed the remote control and switched on the television. At that moment, ''Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix'' was still playing on the screen and was paused. He pressed the pause button and the movie started to continue.

    Erick was texting with Amber, telling her about the amus.e.m.e.nt park when he heard something familiar in the background. Turning around, he saw Hamish lounging on his beanbag while watching the movie that he had paused. Luka was beside Hamish, lying beside the young man.

    Erick sighed and proceeded to ignore the two. Sometimes it was as if he does not own this room anymore.

    -----

    The next morning.

    Erick was driving his car, on his way to pick up Amber. Hamish was sitting beside him in the front passenger seat with Luka at the backseat. At first, Erick did not want to bring Luka along. Who would bring a wolf to an amus.e.m.e.nt park? Even if it was tamed but the fact that it was a wolf and a huge one at that, it can be dangerous. However, before Erick had left his house, Luka had been whining all morning, giving Erick a headache.

    Seeing how pitiful Luka was, his mother told him to just bring Luka along. In case that the people in the amus.e.m.e.nt park get frightened because of him, Luella suggested to put a collar and leash on it.

    Erick felt like there were black streaks going down his forehead as he thought how to put a leash on Luka. Firstly, it seems demeaning to put a leash on a wolf like Luka and secondly, how will he look for a leash that was big enough for Luka?

    He felt another headache coming in as he thought about it. In the end, he had to combine two leashes into one. He did not know how his mother had done it but surely and truly, a mother''s skill is amazing.

    Which brought to this scene where Luka was lying down at the backseat with its lopsided leash around its neck. It finally felt satisfied that it was brought along to the trip.

    Few minutes later, they were finally on their way to the amus.e.m.e.nt park. They had picked Amber up, who was now sitting at the front passenger while Hamish had moved to the backseat, together with Luka. Hamish, who had felt a bit stifled, lifted Luka''s front body and placed it on his lap, making the latter feel more comfortable.

    When they were a few metres away from the amus.e.m.e.nt park area, they could already see the ferris wheel from afar. They could also feel the excitement and the exhilaration emitting from the park. Erick immediately went to park the car and after he had found a parking spot and parked, everyone, including Luka, got out of the car.

    At the entrance, there were several familiar faces waiting. When some of them saw Erick and the others walking towards them, they waved them over. Apparently, it was their fellow classmates.

    They were actually early, a couple of minutes before the meeting time. But seeing that everyone had arrived, Hamish told them to just go ahead. The amus.e.m.e.nt park has already opened for business anyway.

    Inside, loud music was blaring out from the outdoor PA systems, mixed with the sounds of people talking and laughing, chugging machinery, pinging sounds of game targets and so forth. The atmosphere inside was bustling and happening, despite the fact that it had just opened its door a few minutes ago. Many people were queueing to get inside the park. Many queue lines were open; for families, solo and group.

    In the middle of the amus.e.m.e.nt, there stood a huge ferris wheel, with a small roller coaster on the side and a merry-go-round on the other. There were more rides behind, such as a log ride, a couple of more roller coasters, tea cups die, a mini golf course, swinging pirate ship, go karts and bumper cars. Looking at these, it really built up the excitement in these students'' bodies as they were impatient to play.

    At first, there was a slight problem in regards to Luka. They were adamant to not let Luka enter because it was a wolf. After reassuring them that he will not take his eyes off the wolf, the amus.e.m.e.nt park workers reluctantly allowed him to bring Luka in.

    There were many mixed feelings in other visitors when they saw Erick walking in the park with Luka beside him. There were people who feared that the wolf might run amok and there were people who got excited to see a wolf in real life, other than in a zoo. But they shared the same sentiments where they were very surprised to see a young man manage to tame a wolf.

    One excited little boy pulled away from his father''s grasp and stood in front of Erick and Luka. Erick was a bit surprised at the sudden appearance of the little boy. The father was so shocked at his son''s action that he quickly pushed his way through the crowd. His heart dropped when he heard his son''s voice, "Can I pet him???

    Before Erick could say anything, the boy had already pet Luka on the head.

    The father nearly faint out of fright, worried to death that his son might get hurt. But then, something miraculous happened. Not only did the wolf not hurt his son, it even growled softly as if it was purring.

    Noticing the father who was standing, looking shocked not far from them, Erick smiled and assured him that his son was fine.

    Ever since then, Luka became one of the main attractions in the amus.e.m.e.nt park, where many children wanted to pet and take pictures with him.

    Amber smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt as she watched Erick and Luka being surrounded by ''Luka''s fans''.

    Hamish and Dana joined her, watching the scene in front of them. The others had already gone off, playing the rides and so forth. They promised to meet up for lunch at the amus.e.m.e.nt park food court later on. For now, they can just go their separate ways.

    "This will be a long day," Hamish murmured softly.

    Both Amber and Dana nodded, agreeing with him.

 Chapter 124 - 117: The amus.e.m.e.nt park (2)

    Inside the amus.e.m.e.nt park, the atmosphere there was very vibrant and dynamic, full of life and many other noises. There was loud music roaring out from the outdoor PA systems, filling the area with catchy melodies. But the voices from the people chattering away, laughing as they enjoyed the entertainment, the chugging machinery of the rides available and the pinging sounds of the games did not lose to the music.

    Outside, people were still queueing to get into the park, showing how popular the amus.e.m.e.nt park was. But there was another unexpected popular thing that was happening there.

    Just before the looming ferris wheel, there was a small crowd and in the middle of the crowd, there was a young man, standing with his wolf. There were many young children who had rushed to them, wanting to pet and take pictures with the wolf. There was nothing the young man could do but to surrender to their wishes. No one knew how much he was suffering at that moment with tears of blood down his cheeks that cannot be seen.

    A few metres away, there were three teenagers who were watching the whole scene with amus.e.m.e.nt. Though, at some point, the young man among the teenagers had enough of waiting, hence, he broke away from the two young ladies and headed straight towards the small crowd.

    Pushing his way through the small throng, he stood before Erick, who looked at him with a confused look on his face. Knowing the latter''s nature of finding it hard to say ''no'', Hamish grabbed Erick''s arm and narrowed his eyes at Luka, who was watching Hamish. "Let''s go," he said coldly.

    Sweeping a glare across the many people, they unconsciously gave way to these two young men and the wolf to walk past them.

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously in surprise as she watched the whole scene whereas Dana was trying to hold onto her laughter by covering her mouth and turning her face away. It seems like someone has gotten impatient of waiting when they could have spent the first few minutes walking around the amus.e.m.e.nt park and riding the rides.

    Soon after, the four of them plus one wolf were leisurely enjoying the sights. Though, there were a few times that Dana regret joining the group because they stopped by at too many snack stalls. It made the young lady think that they were visiting a food fair, instead of an amus.e.m.e.nt park.

    Though, watching them looking so happy with their cotton candies, popcorns and more made Dana feel it was a crime to stop them from enjoying the food. Even the wolf looked happy as it munched on popcorns.

    Even if the three of them keep saying that the wolf was tamed and wouldn''t hurt anyone, Dana was feeling a bit skeptical. She has a little bit of phobia when it comes to dogs, much more a wolf. This was because she used to be attacked by mad dogs when she was young. She still has some stitches from back then. Since then, she has been terrified of them.

    Looking down at the happy Luka, she sighed inwardly. Hopefully she can get over her fears soon.

    There were a couple of minutes left before they met up with their other friends for lunch at the amus.e.m.e.nt park food court. But since they felt that they had enough of the rides, they decided to go there early.

    However, when they arrived at the food court, they saw a couple of their friends already there, having their early lunch. They, too, noticed Erick and the others and waved them over.

    Together, they walked towards their friends who were occupying two long tables. On the tables, there were many foods and drinks that were spread across the table. One of them was munching on a fry when they came over. "You guys gave up?" he asked, an amused glint in his eyes.

    Erick and the others went to sit down at the other table and said, "Yeah, we got hungry."

    One of the girls from the other table sighed as she fanned herself with a paper that was left behind. "It''s really freaking hot. We couldn''t stand walking around in this heat so we went here."

    Amber chuckled. "Yeah, we''re the same," she agreed. Dana, who was sitting beside her, inwardly rolled her eyes. She knew better than anyone that these three gluttons only went early because they were hungry, not because of the heat. How could any heat disturb them when they have been resting underneath a shade every time they buy some food?

    After telling the others that they were going to order some food, the four of them went their separate ways; Amber and Dana, Erick and Hamish. Erick told Luka to stay put, much to the other''s wariness.

    Shortly after, they returned with trays each. Though, on Erick and Hamish''s trays, there were a couple of paging devices, which was used to alert the customers that their food was done. And by looking at the amount of devices on the trays, it seems like there will be more food coming.

    While they were enjoying their food and chatting among each other, more of their friends joined in, adding more laughter and hype to the lively atmosphere.

    And it seems like there were some who were still surprised to see the amount of food at Erick''s table. It was something they do not see everyday.

    Luka was still lying down, beside Erick''s feet. There were times it was nudging Erick''s leg, as if to ask for food. Erick quietly dropped some food in front of it. Seeing how tamed and docile Luka was, many of them started to adore the big wolf, especially the girls.

    A couple of hours later with each of them having a happy tummy, these group of friends went their separate ways again and went on to play the rides or just walk around. This time, they decided to say their goodbyes without meeting up again. Because there were some who wanted to stay until the evening and some who wanted to go home earlier.

    Erick and the others fall into the latter as they rather go home or go somewhere else, rather than spending the whole day at the amus.e.m.e.nt park.

    After a few minutes of walking around, Erick, Hamish and Amber separated from Dana, who said that she would be waiting for her parents to pick her up since they were planning to go shopping after this.

    As the three teenagers and the wolf walked out of the amus.e.m.e.nt park, they noticed a little park just ahead of them, probably a couple of kilometres away from where they were.

    Seeing the knowing look from Erick, Hamish inwardly rolled his eyes. Putting on a fake surprised look, he turned to them and said, "I forgot something. Why don''t you two go ahead at that park and wait for me there? I''ll pick you up later."

    Amber c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "We could just wait in the carˇ­" she suggested slowly.

    Hamish shook his head and gestured at Luka, who was sitting beside Erick quietly. "Luka might become restless. At least, you can walk around there," he said, pointing at the little park. With that, he went off towards the amus.e.m.e.nt park.

    Amber then turned to Erick, who was inwardly pleased with Hamish''s little scheme. "Shall we go then?" she asked, smiling.

    Erick grinned as he wrapped an arm around Amber''s waist. "We shall."

 Chapter 125 - 118: Youre fighting with me!

    After Hamish had left them to return back to the amus.e.m.e.nt park to fetch the things that he left behind, Amber then turned to Erick, who was inwardly pleased with Hamish''s little scheme. "Shall we go then?" she asked, smiling.

    Erick grinned as he wrapped an arm around Amber''s waist. "We shall."

    A few hundred metres away was a little park. At the entrance, there was a garden archway that leads to the inside of the park. The park was like no other, where just as one enters the park, they will be greeted by an appearance of a water fountain. Miniature green bushes bordered the water fountain with a couple of wooden benches on the side. There was a large space of green grasses where people could play around and have a small picnic there. The pathway was made of random rocks and pebbles that started from the entrance to several areas of the park. Since the park wasn''t that big, there wasn''t much to see; other than the water fountain, grasses and trees. Apparently, the park was built suited for those who wanted to come and relax and enjoy nature.

    It was a couple of hours after lunchtime, hence why there weren''t any people around as it was empty. The young couple and the wolf could already feel a little breeze in the air as they walked inside the park. The air around them was so comfortable that even Erick could finally feel Dane stirring inside him.

    He froze as he visibly trembled and said softly, "Daneˇ­?"

    Amber, who was walking with him, arm to arm, noticed his sudden stillness and stopped. She tilted her head towards him and peeked at him through her lashes. "Erick, what''s wrong?" she asked.

    Erick blinked his eyes and then gave her a forced smile. "It''s nothing, don''t worry." he reassured, giving her a pat on the hand.

    Inside, he continued to call for Dane, who in the end, growled and told him to be quiet.

    Erick then asked him in his mind, how he has been, why he hasn''t been answering his calls for days and so forth. Dane just silently said sorry and that he was still recovering. He himself did not know what had happened, Dane confessed. Other than the fact that he knew that it has something to do with his soul.

    While they were having a conversation in Erick''s mind, Amber, who noticed Erick''s inattentive attitude just ignored him and played along with Luka.

    After they had walked further in and towards the open lush green grass, Erick immediately guided Amber to a slightly shaded area, underneath the tree. He sat down first and then gently pulled Amber to his side.

    Amber c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

    Erick let go of Amber''s arm and put his arms around the back of his head as he leaned against the bark of the tree. "Relaxing."

    Amber rolled her eyes as she stood up. "Well, I''m going to play with Luka," she said, as Luka walked around her, nudging for attention.

    Erick just nodded as he waved them away. He then closed his eyes as he pretended to doze off. In reality, he was still talking with Dane in his mind. He was worried that Dane might mysteriously disappear to sleep or to recover without him knowing.

    Although it wasn''t long, the three of them had a relaxing few minutes, enjoying the sun and the wind.

    It was then, Erick''s eyes suddenly opened wide-eyed. ''Dane, did you feel something?'' he asked in his mind as he sat up straight, looking around him with caution. Amber was still playing around with Luka, oblivious to the unforeseen tension that Erick was feeling.

    ''Yes, be careful! Call those two back to safety!''

    Before he could shout out to them, suddenly, there were two men standing before Amber and Luka.

    Surprised at the sudden appearance of these two men, she became even more surprised when one of the men suddenly grabbed Luka by the neck and held it up. "This doesn''t smell like those mangy mutts," one of the men, who held Luka up said.

    "You idiot. That''s just a normal wolf," the other man admonished.

    The former ruthlessly threw Luka aside, hitting a nearby tree.

    These two men were wearing a black cloak that covers their body from head to toe. The hood of the cloak was pulled down to hide their faces. The one who had thrown Luka away was a muscular man with ripped arms and a deep voice. While the other man sounded young and has a smaller body than the former. The muscular man stood tall at 6 feet high, whereas the other man had only reached his shoulder.

    The muscular man stretched his arms up, accidentally pushing his hood back, showing his chiseled and strong face. He wore a stubble with a dark man bun. He laughed out loud when he realized that his face was revealed to them. "Haha! Oh my bad! Seems like I''ve been exposed!" he guffawed as he put his hands on his h.i.p.s.

    The other man let out a heavy sigh as he too pulled his hood back, revealing his young face. He looked like he was around Erick and Amber''s age with his equally thin face and lanky body. His blonde hair was of medium length, slicked back with green eyes.

    Amber was shell-shocked at their ruthlessness. Erick had already ran past her and immediately pulled his arm back to punch the muscular man. Unfortunately, the man was faster than Erick as he caught Erick''s fist and threw a punch himself.

    Erick quickly dodged the attack as he caught the man''s fist. The punch was very strong. If he hadn''t used his power to withstand the force, his arm and hand would have been broken.

    "Get out of here, Amber! Go and look for Hamish!" he yelled out over his shoulder.

    "What''s going on, Erick? What''s happening??" she shouted back, looking scared and confused. "And what about Luka?"

    "Questions later, go now! I''ll take care of Luka! Just go!"

    Amber quickly turned around. She took a quick look at Luka, who was still unconscious, lying beside the tree. A tear slid down her cheeks as she thought of how much in pain Luka must be.

    However, before she could run away, the young man suddenly appeared before her. "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked, with an evil smile on his face.

    Her eyes widened, she tried to turn around to escape from the young man. But she was too late. The young man had already held her by the neck and pulled her up, leaving her hanging.

    She quickly tried to grasp the man''s hands, trying to pull them off but his grip was too strong, it was like trying to pull a truck from a hole.

    Erick was busy fighting with the muscular man when he saw Amber being attacked.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Amber!!"

    Without any hesitation, he immediately shifted. Furs began to grow on his body and legs as his teeth began to grow into fangs. His eyes glittered in amber, blazing with fury. Once he has fully shifted, he growled angrily, ignoring the torn clothes at his feet.

    "Oh ho ho! He finally shifted!" the muscular man laughed as he watched, pretending to be amazed. He then took off his cloak and shifted as well, not caring whether he had torn his clothes too.

    Within seconds, there was another grey shifter, standing in front of Dane, a bit taller and more burly.

    Though, before the shifter could do anything, Dane had already appeared before the young man who had Amber in his grip and punched him.

    The young man was slow to react as he unwillingly loosen his grip and flew a few metres away. Amber, who nearly fell to the ground, was saved by Dane, who had her in his arms. Amber looked at him with her widened eyes. She did not expect to be princess-carried by a shifter.

    Numb, she could only stare at the shifter who was holding her quietly, even though waves of questions flooded her panicked mind. The shifter quietly put her down and said gently in a raspy voice, "Now, go and find Hamish."

    Amber nodded, still wide-eyed.

    The young man was struggling to get up and wanted to block off Amber but he was still too dizzy from the throw. The grey shifter was also slow to react and was surprised to see his young teammate being thrown off far. Fury and annoyance filled the shifter''s eyes as he gnashed his fangs.

    The shifter immediately rushed out to block Amber as well. But before he could reach her, Dane had already blocked his path and growled, "You''re fighting with me.

 Chapter 126 - 119: How will I drive when I dont know how?

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    "You''re fighting with me."

    The shifter in front of Dane threw back his head and laughed out loud. The shifter was a couple of inches taller and burly than Dane, hence probably why he has the nerve to scoff at Dane''s threats. "You?" he scoffed.

    The two of them stood in front of each other, eye to eye. Both of them were not backing down.

    The young man behind Dane had gotten up but Amber was no longer there as she had successfully escaped.

    Looking quite pissed at the fact that he was easily thrown like that and that his ''prey'' had escaped, he immediately shifted into his werewolf counterpart. His cloak and clothes were torn when he began to shift as grey fur began to grow on his body and legs. His eyes became sharp, glittering with fury and anger. His teeth grew into fangs as his hands changed into claws. Although he wasn''t as tall as Dane and his teammate, he was slightly faster as he managed to reach Dane''s side by mere seconds.

    Before Dane could block him, the smaller shifter was able to land a hit on the former''s shoulder. But it wasn''t enough to push him back. The other shifter immediately followed the attack with a punch towards Dane''s jaw.

    Though, this time, Dane managed to block the attack with his arm and counter with his own punch towards the shifter''s underbelly, causing the shifter to drop on his hind legs.

    Dane quickly turned around and lifted his leg to kick the smaller shifter.

    The smaller shifter flew a few metres away from the attack but before he could land, Dane had already appeared beside him, throwing a strong punch towards the former''s jaw, slamming him on the ground, creating a small crater.

    Eyes widened, the smaller shifter was shocked at the fact that Dane managed to become faster.

    The slam caused the former to feel winded and before he could get up once again, Dane had already ground his face deeper into the dirt with his paw. Exerting more power into his paw, he crushed the skull of the shifter into bits. The blood splattered all over Dane''s paw. The bits had become one together with the soil underneath them.

    It looked as if Dane wasn''t done with his attack when he suddenly thrust his claws towards where the heart of the shifter was. His claw pierced through and moments later, his claw came out, holding a bleeding and still beating heart. And without any hesitation, he crushed the heart with his claw, ignoring the burst of blood from the heart.

    Seeing how Dane had cruelly killed his teammate, the larger shifter became more furious and quickly rushed over and attempted to claw Dane from the back. But then he suddenly felt something had bitten his hind leg. He looked down and saw a weak Luka had his fangs deep in his hind leg. Growling with anger from the pain, he lifted his hind leg and swung it, flinging Luka onto a tree.

    The tree cracked under the pressure and once again, Luka fell unconscious, dropping down on the ground.

    The larger shifter was about to attack Luka when he felt something had hit from behind, making him fall to the ground again. Hissing from pain, he realized it was a wooden bench when he saw broken debris around him. The bench had shattered into pieces after Dane had thrown it at him.

    Before the shifter could recover from the impact, Dane had pounced on him, clawing the former on the back, leaving sharp and deep bloody gashes. One could already see the flesh underneath the fur.

    The larger shifter howled in agony as he turned around and attempted to claw Dane back but Dane was faster. After the latter had succeeded clawing the shifter, he blocked the shifter''s attack and thrust his claws in the latter''s chest. Blood spurted out, painting on Dane''s claws more red.

    However, before Dane could thrust deeper, the shifter had grabbed hold of Dane''s claws and was about to counter with a punch. Dane quickly twisted his claws away from the hold and jumped a few steps back to evade the punch.

    On the larger shifter''s chest, there was a huge wound as blood continued to spew, flowing out from the wound. The bottom half of his body was already covered in red, dripping onto the ground.

    "I will kill you!" he roared as he placed his claws on top of his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. His eyes flashed with murderous intent, emitting a killing aura. Added to the fact that his teammate had died, he became even more furious.

    Dane provoked him more by giving a ''Come on!'' gesture, using his claws.

    Although it seems like Dane had the upperhand in the fight, he was slowly getting tired since he hadn''t fully recovered from whatever that ailed him before. He realized this when he suddenly felt sharp pain in his mind.

    ''Dane?'' Erick was panicking in his mind.

    Dane staggered, placing his paw on his head as he closed his eyes, trying to shake the pain away.

    Seeing that fortunate opportunity, the other shifter swiftly clawed Dane, leaving a huge gash across his chest, drawing a howl from the latter.

    The larger shifter had the advantage at the moment as he continued to rain punches on Dane. He was about to bite Dane, wanting to tore his head off when he was kicked from the side. Before the shifter could turn, he was once again punched, making him fly a few metres away.

    A shifter suddenly appeared, standing next to Dane as his narrowed eyes locked on the shifter he had attacked.

    A young man too has come into sight. He crouched next to Dane''s body, looking worried. "Dane?!"

    -----

    Few minutes prior to the fight.

    Running out of the park, her eyes darted left and right, worried that there might be another attack. Though, her mind at that moment was in a mess that she actually couldn''t think straight. Her mind still could not accept that she had seen a shifter in real life.

    Although she knew that they used to live in this town, she did not expect to encounter one, still believing that they were extinct. And what made her stumped for words was the fact that, did Erick just turn into a shifter? She did not see the exact moment he shifted but she felt that the shifter who told her to go look for Hamish and Erick was the same. The two of them just instructed her the same thing!

    She shook her head furiously, trying to calm herself. She doesn''t want to think much. She needed to look for Hamish. Fast!

    Just then, she saw someone running towards her.

    Her eyes brightened with happiness when she saw that it was Hamish.

    Before she could say anything, he had already appeared before her, grabbing her arms, looking panicked. "Where''s Erick??" he asked anxiously.

    "He''s still at the park!" she quickly answered. "You gotta save him, Hamish!" she pleaded.

    Hamish nodded as he let go of her arms. "You stay here and get the car! I''ll go ahead!" he said hurriedly. He quickly placed the car keys in her hand.

    "And Lukaˇ­"

    "I''ll take care of Luka too! Just go and get the car!" he said before rushing off to the direction of the park.

    Amber looked back as she watched Hamish running. She then looked around her. She didn''t know whether it was a pity that no one was around or whether it was a good thing that no one was around.

    She then came to a realization. How could she have been so stupid? She muttered deep in her heart, admonishing herself. She quickly grabbed her phone and dialed for 911. However, before she could press the dial button, her phone was taken away.

    Whirling around, she saw a good looking man, with dark hair and blue eyes standing behind her. There was also a beauty mark underneath his eye and he was holding her phone in one hand while smiling down at her. He was carrying a backpack on his back.

    "I can''t let you do this, little missy," he tut-tutted, shaking his head.

    Narrowing her eyes in anger, she tried to grab her phone back but the man easily put it out of reach. Doesn''t help when he is much taller than her. "Give. Me. Back. My. Phone!" she gritted out, standing on her tip-toes, trying to reach for her phone.

    "Promise me that you won''t call 911."

    "Why?? My boyfriend and his pet are out there at the park in danger! Who else am I going to call for help??" she shouted in frustration, stomping her foot.

    The good looking man gently handed her the phone and patted her on the head. "Don''t worry about Erick. I''m going there to save him," he reassured.

    Her eyes widened. "You know Erick?" she asked urgently. She then grabbed his arms. "Please! Help him! We were attacked by some shifters!"

    The man nodded. "Yeah, I could sense that," he murmured to himself. "But don''t you worry, little lady. I''m going over there to help!"

    With that, he ran off to the direction of the park.

    "Be careful! The shiftersˇ­!"

    "No worries!"

    Amber could only stand there and watched the man run off. ''I wonder who was thatˇ­'' she thought.

    She then turned around and went off to look for Erick''s car.

    And when she did find it, a sudden realization dawned on her. ''How am I going to drive when I don''t even know how to drive?'' she wondered with her eyes widened.

 Chapter 127 - 120: Rescued

    Dane was feeling winded that he felt powerless to fight back against the shifter, who was raining punches on him. He could feel his strength suddenly sapping out of him rapidly. He couldn''t even open his eyes properly as his breathing became haggard.

    Just then the punches stopped and he could feel a breeze swept by him. And then he could feel his upper body being lifted and a voice calling out his name, sounding worried and anxious.

    He tried to open his eyes but couldn''t. In the end, he felt himself shifting.

    Erick then groggily sat up, holding his head. He felt like spikes have been stabbing him in the head, making him feel dizzy and light-headed. The effects of forced shifting made him feel like this.

    Noaz, who was standing next to him, noticed that Erick was in his birthday suit so he quickly threw over the backpack he was carrying to him. Hamish opened the lid of the backpack and quickly handed over some spare clothes from inside to Erick.

    Erick was still feeling a bit disorientated so he wasn''t able to notice Hamish placing the clothes on his lap.

    The shifter, who was attacked by Noaz earlier, stood up. He cricked his neck as he clenched and unclenched his claws. His menacing eyes narrowed at the two newcomers. Seeing that he was at the disadvantage, he wasn''t sure whether he was able to make it out alive when he felt a voice in his head.

    ''Retreat.''

    The shifter growled, feeling unsatisfied that he had to back out of the battle. It left a bitter taste in his mouth at the mere thought of retreat. However, he has no choice. If he stays any longer, he might be killed, just like his teammate.

    Yet before he could escape, Noaz had shifted in front of him. And a black werewolf suddenly appeared before him, slamming him to the ground. Dirt flew everywhere from the impact of the slam.

    The shifter countered back by kicking Briven''s underbelly, throwing the latter over his head. The shifter took the opportunity to jump back on his feet.

    It was then he heard another voice in his head.

    ''Tch. Still not done? What a useless mutt.''

    The shifter inwardly growled. Although it was frustrating not being able to retort back since it was facts, it doesn''t mean he liked it. He ignored the voice and continued to watch as Briven started to approach him.

    ''Should I help or notˇ­? Hmmˇ­'' the voice continued, his tone mockingly playful.

    The shifter inwardly growled again. As much as he hates that mocking tone, he couldn''t help but admit that he does need help. He wasn''t even sure whether he could make it out alive, fighting against the approaching shifter. He could feel the strength of the newly arrived shifter was stronger than his.

    ''Hmmm.... Should Iˇ­?''

    "Shut up and just get me out of here!" roared the infuriated shifter.

    Briven narrowed his eyes at the shifter. It looks as if he has another partner with him, deducing from how he suddenly loudly demands someone to help him to escape. Earlier on, he noticed a headless corpse nearby and had concluded that Dane must have killed him. Briven guarded himself, waiting for a surprise attack.

    To his surprise, there was a young man who suddenly appeared before him. It was as if he had magically appeared and the strangest thing was that whenever Briven tried to look at his face, his sight became blurred. It seems like the young man had casted a spell to hide his face, probably not wanting people to see his identity.

    Briven narrowed his eyes even more. He was about to attack the young man in front of him when he suddenly felt like his legs were in a quicksand. He looked down and saw a faint dark mist around his legs. It looked like a curse casted by a warlock.

    He looked up and suddenly realized that the young man before him was a warlock!

    Pushing all his strength and power to his legs until the ground below him cracked, creating a small crater, he was able to break free from the curse.

    He jumped from where he was and slammed his claw towards the young man.

    However, the young man was able to evade him by jumping back a few steps. He quickly casted a spell, creating a dark fog around them.

    Briven looked around him and felt he could not see anything.

    Hamish, who was still holding Erick up, was startled to see the black fog. He did not know where it came from. He felt his sight had started to blur.

    Erick, who was already dressed, squinted his eyes and weakly pushed Hamish away.

    Looking at Erick, Hamish realized that he still looked delirious and the fact that his eyes were still amber-coloured.

    With his one leg bent, and his one hand on the ground, holding him up, Erick released an aura. The aura emitted a strange white glow and to Hamish and Briven''s surprise, the aura helped to diminish the black fog.

    Shortly after, Erick fainted, falling to the ground.

    The young man only c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, slightly surprised that his fog was easily casted away. Looking at the useless shifter that was standing behind him, he said, "Let''s go."

    With that, he casted a spell. And seconds later, the shifter and the warlock disappeared. However, if one could read lips, they could tell the chant that the warlock had said was a spell of invisibility.

    Earlier before Erick had gotten up and blew the black fog, Amber had just arrived, looking dishevelled. Her eyes widened in shock at the scene she just saw.

    First, there were two werewolves fighting in front of her. Then there was Erick who suddenly stood up and then bent down, releasing some kind of aura. The aura had affected Amber, who was a bit blinded by the brightness. Then the fact that he suddenly fell into a dead faint shocked and worried her more. There was also Hamish, who seems to be unconcerned about the fact that there were werewolves in front of him.

    She then looked around, as if she was looking for something. Her eyes landed on a wolf, laying in front of a broken tree. It was lying there as if it was dead.

    She was torn between going over to Luka or Erick. However, when she saw that Erick was in Hamish''s good hands, she quickly rushed over to Luka. She did not want Erick to wake up to find Luka being hurt.

    When she was beside Luka, she could see he was unresponsive. No matter how much she prodded him awake, there was no reaction. Her heart started to beat fast as tears started to slide down her cheeks.

    She looked up and saw Hamish lifting Erick up. However, she did not want to leave Luka alone so she screamed at Hamish for help.

    "This guy should be alright."

    Amber turned around and screamed again. This time, out of embarrassment and shock. A n.a.k.e.d man was crouching next to Luka, unconcerned of his nudity. He was holding one of Luka''s paws, touching his body to check for injuries.

    "Do you mind putting on your clothes?" she asked anxiously as she covered her eyes with both of her hands, turning away. Where on earth did this guy come from? Wasn''t he the guy who had stopped her from calling 911? And what? Did he just try to help in his birthday suit?? And where did the shifters go??

    Noaz looked down and then laughed, suddenly realizing that he was nude. "Oh right!" he said. He got up to grab his clothes and put it on. He returned back and began to check on Luka again. "He''s alright. But we need to bring him to the ''house'' and have Melody check him up."

    He then looked over at Hamish who had lifted the unconscious Erick in a piggyback. "And that guy too."

 Chapter 128 - 121: Going to the packhouse

    Amber felt like she was overwhelmed with the things happening around her. It was just a few minutes ago when she saw that there was a fight between two shifters in front of her. And then suddenly, when some black fog appeared, Erick had stood up and knelt down on one knee and it looked like he had something to do with the disappearance of the fog. Then he fainted. Then there was a n.a.k.e.d man checking up on Luka.

    She held her head in confusion. Seriously, what is going on??

    She sneaked a glance at Erick, who was still unconscious on Hamish''s back. She could have sworn that he had worn different clothes. And she had a feeling that the shifter that had talked to her before she rushed out to look for Hamish was Erick. Even if she didn''t see him shift, she noticed that when the shifter appeared, she could not see Erick anywhere.

    Could it beˇ­?

    She shook her head out of these thoughts. Really? Do they even exist? She wasn''t sure how to make out her feelings. Wasn''t she supposed to be scared? She looked down at her trembling hands. She couldn''t sense any fear and horror. Instead, she felt another emotion surging inside her. Excitement? That was weird. How could she feel excited?

    She sneaked another look at Erick. And she recalled back the times she had spent with him. Yes, he can be so possessive and clingy. But that was probably how he showed his love. Was it because she hasn''t told him that she loves him? She has heard words of love from him numerous times but she hasn''t returned the sentiment back. Instead, she would just smile. Yes, she likes him. But she wasn''t sure whether it had become love or not.

    While she was lost in thoughts, the man who had checked up on Luka, went and carried the latter on his back. He stood up and was about to leave the park when he noticed that the young lady was still in the clouds, looking a bit dazed.

    "We should get out of here before anyone comes," he suggested. He looked around him and winced. The Alpha will be furious when he hears the mess that they made in this park.

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously, getting back her senses. She hurriedly stood up and brushed away the dust and dirt from her pants. She looked over and saw Hamish already heading towards the exit with Erick on his back.

    She quickly ran after them, all the while shouting, "Hey! Wait for me!"

    When she saw Hamish stopped in front of the entrance of the park, he turned to her and asked, "Where''s the car?"

    She scratched the back of her head, looking awkward and mumbled softly, "Uhˇ­ It''s still at the amus.e.m.e.nt park parking lot."

    "Why the feck didn''t you drive it here?" he asked angrily, flabbergasted at her answer. Why did she return here if she didn''t drive the car back here?

    "How can I drive over when I don''t even know how to drive, you ignoramos idiot!" she shouted back.

    The two of them then glared at each other.

    Hamish let out a long sigh. "You could have told me earlier," he mumbled.

    Then there was a chuckle, not far from where they were standing and the two of them turned to find Noaz smiling at them. "Now, now, kiddies. Let''s not fight and let''s get back. We need to get these two checked up!" He then turned his head again to look at the mess that they have left behind and let out a sigh. He really did not know how to explain to his Alpha. First, there was an attack on the mayor and the other candidates. And now, this. Seems like the pack has a lot on their plate.

    Noaz walked over to Amber and held out his hand. Understanding what he wants, Amber handed him the car keys.

    He then pocketed the keys and placed Luka gently on the ground. He turned to Hamish and said, "I''ll go get the car."

    Without waiting for Hamish to answer, he was already gone, much to Amber''s surprise. "Where did he just go?" she shouted in surprise.

    "To get the car, of course," Hamish said, looking at her with disdain. "Didn''t you hear what he just said?"

    Amber scowled at him. What''s wrong with this guy? Was he trying to pick a fight? "Bruh, he''s not a human, is he?" she asked suspiciously.

    Hamish just kept quiet and looked at the other way.

    She narrowed her eyes and shortly after, Noaz arrived with the car.

    He parked the car beside them and got out. He then went over and picked Luka up gently. He placed him at the backseat and turned to Hamish, who was still carrying Erick. "Put him beside Luka."

    After the two were already inside the car, Noaz handed Hamish the car keys and said, "Go drive the car back to the packhouse. I''ll meet you there."

    Hamish nodded.

    Amber then stepped forward. "I''m coming too," she said loudly, butting in the conversation.

    Both Noaz and Hamish looked at her and then at each other and then back again at Amber.

    Noaz shrugged. "You can send her back to her home then," he said.

    Amber stomped her foot, feeling frustrated. "No! I''m going to this pack house or house or whatever you call it!" she stubbornly said.

    Hamish felt torn. He did not know what to do with this stubborn young lady. Their pack house has always been a secret. And even though there was a huge probability that she knew about their race, it doesn''t mean that they would feel open about it. Then again, it was hard to think about it since she is Eric''s mate. Sooner or later, she will know about werewolves and all. But he just felt that it was Eric''s right to tell her about it first, not them.

    Hamish looked at Noaz and saw that he, too, was torn. However, he could see the latter looked a bit dazed and he knew that he was currently sending a mindlink over to someone. Because not sooner than that, he heard Noaz talk to her, "Alright, you can join us."

    Noaz then turned to Hamish. "Your dad is waiting for us at the packhouse too. Go straight there and don''t stop by anywhere else."

    Hamish nodded.

    With that, Noaz ran off, leaving the two of them alone.

    "Is he really going to walk home? Isn''t the place so far?" Amber asked, surprised that they were just going to let Noaz walk home.

    Hamish just shrugged.

    Without another word to Amber, he got in the driver''s seat. Amber followed suit where she immediately slid to the front passenger seat.

    Erick was still unconscious at the backseat, with Luka lying on top of him.

    She turned around in her seat and looked at the two, wishing with all her heart that they were going to be fine.

    As if knowing what she was thinking, Hamish said, "Don''t worry. They will be fine. No use worrying over something you can''t do."

    Amber turned back around and sighed. "True," she reluctantly agreed. She then asked, "So where are we headed to? And don''t you send me back home! I''m joining you."

    Hamish rolled his eyes. "No, I won''t," he answered. "We''re going to the packhouse."

    "Packhouse?" she repeated.

    Hamish nodded. "It''s where most of the shifters in town live," he answered simply.

    Her eyes widened. So it was true. Shifters do exist in this town.

    "So am I going to see a real shifter?"

    Hamish just kept quiet as he drove them, heading towards the packhouse.

    Amber sighed as she looked out the window. She did not know what to expect when she finally arrived at the packhouse but she hoped to get her answers.

 Chapter 129 - 122: Damaged soul

    When Hamish and Amber had arrived at the packhouse, she recognized the house as the one that Erick and his parents drove past to get to their house. The house can''t even be described as a house because it was such an imposing huge mansion. It stood tall, surrounded by numerous trees and other vegetations. There weren''t any gates to protect the mansion as if the building itself was enough protection. The road on the side was the one that leads towards other houses, which includes Erick''s.

    There weren''t any designated parking lots but seeing how the other cars in front of the packhouse were parked in orderly form, Hamish followed suit and parked among them.

    After the two teenagers had gotten out of the car, Amber was surprised to see Noaz had already arrived. He was walking towards them. And there was also a young man and woman following behind him. Both man and woman wore a worried expression on their faces as they rushed out to them.

    The woman probably did not even notice Amber who was standing on the side of the car as she rushed towards where Erick was. She hurriedly opened the backseat door and her eyes widened. She turned around and shouted, "Latham! Come here quickly and bring Erick over to my examination room right now! Quick!"

    The man called Latham, quickly ran over and carried Erick over his shoulder. Both Amber and the woman were surprised to see how rough the man was handling. The woman immediately stepped forward and smacked the man on the shoulder. "Be gentle!" she scolded.

    "Yes, ma''am!" he said obediently before heading towards the huge mansion, with Erick on his shoulder.

    Noaz who already had Luka in his arms followed behind the man.

    Then there were just the three of them; Hamish, Amber and the woman.

    The woman finally noticed Amber and her eyes widened in surprise. Her nose twitched and recognition dawned on her. Both of her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. She took a step forward and grabbed both Amber''s hands and said, "Oh my gosh! Are you Erick''s mate??"

    Amber blinked her eyes in surprise. "Mate?" she repeated, looking confused.

    Hamish, who stood behind Amber, cleared his throat meaningfully, his eyes giving the woman a look saying, ''She does not know about things like mate and whatsoever.''

    Noticing the look Hamish was discreetly giving her, she quickly turned back to Amber and said, "Ah, it''s nothing. I''m Melody. You must be Amber."

    Amber nodded, still looking confused.

    Still holding onto her hand, Melody gently pulled her and led her towards the mansion. "Come, come. Lets go to the packhouse and introduce you to the family."

    Amber just nodded as she let Melody bring her over. Hamish followed them from behind.

    When they entered the packhouse, it was a bit chaotic where there were so many people inside rushing here and there, with a troubled look on their faces. And it seems like they were heading towards this one room, which was actually Melody''s examination room.

    Seeing the people crowding the entrance to her examination room, she cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. They all turned around and immediately gave way.

    Some of them were curious about the girl whom she was holding hands with. Some had their eyes widened in recognition when they saw her. Apparently, they realized that this girl was their future Luna. Those who knew about her had their heads bowed in respect, though Amber did not notice it as she was already in the examination room after being pulled inside.

    Inside the examination room, there were many things inside; medical equipment, a doctor''s table, a couple of file cabinets and two examination beds. On top of the two examination beds laid Erick, who was on the left and Luka, who was on the right.

    Other than those two, there were many other people inside as well. Amber only recognized some of them; the guy earlier who had carried Erick in, the cold looking guy from before at the abandoned barnyard, Noaz and Luella. Erick''s mother wore a distraught look on her face as she stood beside her son, holding his hand.

    When the three of them walked in, people inside the room turned to look. Some were surprised when they saw Amber among the three.

    "Amber? What are you doing here?" Luella asked, looking confused.

    Amber let go of Melody''s hand and quickly walked over to Luella''s side. "I was with Erick earlier. And I came because I was worried about him."

    Luella gave her a gentle smile as she patted Amber on the shoulder. "You''re such a sweet child."

    Melody then clapped her hands together, trying to get their attention. "Alright. It''s getting a bit crowded here. So, I''m going to have to ask you all to leave while I check on these two," she said out loud.

    She then turned to Luella and Amber and said, "Amber, you can stay here with the Luna, if you want to."

    "The Luna?" Amber repeated, looking confused again.

    Melody just smiled.

    After the others had left the room, they all went to the mess hall to await the news about Erick. Then there were only Amber, Luella, Melody, Erick and Luka left in the room.

    At first, Amber was about to follow Hamish out of the room but Luella had pulled her back, telling her to stay. So, she could only stay and accompany Erick''s mother. She did ask Luella whether it was alright for her to stay. Luella nodded.

    Erick was still unconscious but he was still breathing. Melody decided to check on Luka first. She found out that he had four broken ribs and that one of his legs were broken. With a serious look on her face, she examined Luka with deep concentration, her hands working endlessly, without stopping.

    At some point, Luka woke up and was about to bite Melody''s hand when she was prodding his body for more injuries. But the latter had smacked him on the head, admonishing him to play nice. Luka whimpered and lay down on his stomach obediently.

    After she was done with Luka, she turned to Erick, who was lying on his back, looking as if he was peacefully sleeping. She checked his pulse and found that he was actually sleeping. She then quickly checked for injuries. But no matter how much she prodded him, he wouldn''t wake up, which worried the three women inside the room.

    Shortly after, a small woman came barreling in, slamming the door open. The three women jumped in surprise at the sudden intrusion. Luka just looked up to see who.

    Paccia stood before the open door, with her hands on her h.i.p.s. Several of the packmates peeked in from outside the door, trying to get a glimpse inside. Noticing their nosiness, she slammed the door shut in their faces. Stepping forward, she bowed low in front of Luella and greeted her Luna. She then saw Amber standing beside Luella and nodded hello to her.

    Turning back around, she walked over to Melody and asked for the update. The two of them spoke low and even though, normal people would not be able to hear them, Luella can. And from the look of her face, she looked a bit hopeful yet worried.

    Paccia nodded and went over to Erick. She then chanted something soft under her breath and suddenly, there was a soft mist floating on top of Erick''s body, covering his chest. Amber watched with awe. She felt this was something out of Harry Potter''s scene but the thing was, this was real.

    Sweat started to drip down Paccia''s temples as she continued to chant her spells. It appears that the spell she was chanting was taking a toll on her as her hands started to tremble.

    Few minutes later, she stopped. She then turned around to face the three women. She shook her head sadly. "His condition isn''t that bad but his soulˇ­ His wolf soul was damaged. He put too much pressure on his soul when he shifted. It had taken a strain on the soul. Though, he will wake up soon."

    "But what about his soul? Can he heal his soul? What about Dane?" Luella asked, sounding very anxious.

    Paccia took a deep breath and let it out. She then looked at her Luna in the eyes and said, "I suggest that he has to look for his wolf soul as soon as he can if he wants Dane to heal."

 Chapter 130 - 123: Are you a shifter?

    Paccia took a deep breath and let it out. She then looked at her Luna in the eyes and said, "I suggest that he has to look for his wolf soul as soon as he can if he wants Dane to heal."

    Luella mournfully looked down at her unconscious son, feeling very worried and distraught. Noticing her emotions, Amber took her hand and patted, trying to comfort her. Even if she was comforting Erick''s mother, numerous questions flooded her mind. Wolf? Soul? Dane? She was seriously getting more confused as they talked. She really did not know what to say, other than whispering soft comforting words.

    Paccia then turned to Melody and gave her further instructions on what to do next. Although Melody was the pack doctor, Paccia was recognized as her superior because she used to be the pack doctor until she passed the position to Melody, her apprentice.

    Just then, Lachlan came walking in, looking dishevelled and tired. He had just gotten back from the Mayor''s office where Zant had been instated as the acting Mayor. It has only been a couple of days since he became the mayor but there has been a lot of changes to the council where he changed most of the people near him to his people. And also most of the police force that he had assigned to his security were all human beings, which made Lachlan suspicious.

    Behind him were the Beta, Fergus and the triplets. All of them wore a worried expression on their faces. Lachlan stood beside Erick''s bed, his scowl looking grave as he looked down at his son. His wife who stood across him on the other side of the bed, just gave him a concerned look. He had heard the news from his Luna and from Noaz. He told the latter to tell him the whole story later as he wanted to visit his son as soon as possible. Nothing was more important than the wellbeing of his family.

    "When will he wake up?" Lachlan asked, his eyes still on his son.

    Paccia stood beside Lachlan and answered quietly, "Anytime soon."

    As if he could hear Paccia''s answer, Erick''s face suddenly wrinkled, seemingly to be in pain. Shortly after, they could see him blinking his eyes and slowly, his eyelids lifted to reveal a dazed look. "Mom?" he said groggily as he turned his head to the side. He then looked surprised when he saw Amber standing beside his mother. "Amber, what are you doing here?"

    Amber grabbed one of his free hands and gripped it tightly, her eyes watered with concern and distressed. "Erick! Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy?"

    Erick nodded his head and then shook his head slowly. He was still surprised to see Amber there, especially in the packhouse.

    "I was so worried. There were these two guys who suddenly appearedˇ­ One of them grabbed me by the neckˇ­"

    "How''s your neck?" Erick quickly interrupted her.

    Amber touched her neck. "It''s fine," she said, brushing away his concerns. Although it had hurt earlier when the young man lifted her up by the neck, it doesn''t hurt anymore. She was just worried how she would explain to her family about the marks on her neck. Ahhhˇ­ She will think of something later. For now, she was still worried about Erick as she continued, "Then there was this huge werewolf! It talked, telling me to get Hamish and all. Andˇ­"

    When the others heard her mentioned ''werewolf'', all of them exchanged glances with one another. Clearing his throat, Lachlan sent a mindlink to everyone in the room, except Erick, ordering them to leave the room to give these two some privacy.

    Without any word, they all left the room, leaving Erick and Amber in the room. Even Luka was carried out of the room by Noaz. Amber was startled by their sudden departure, especially Fergus and the triplets. They just came and then left without saying any word. What was the point of them coming in the room in the first place?!?

    There was a bit of an awkward silence once the a.d.u.l.ts had left the room. This was probably because Amber had just realized how ''clingy'' she sounded. She covered her face with both of her hands, her face heated up from embarrassment.

    Erick weakly chuckled as he watched Amber turn red in the face. He reached out and pulled down one of her hands. He then gently pulled her closer to his bed.

    Looking straight at Erick''s eyes, she suddenly remembered her previous question. "Erickˇ­" she said slowly. "Please tell me the truth."

    Erick tilted his head in question.

    "Are you a shifter?"

    -----

    Lachlan and the others were inside Melody''s office. In a small room, it was quite crammed, especially with five well-built men standing around, taking much of the space. Lachlan stood behind Melody''s table with his arms crossed across his chest, looking quite sombre.

    He turned to Noaz, who was standing nearby, waiting for his Alpha to give him permission to talk. Before entering the room, he had left Luka with one of the packmates, giving him stern instructions to take special care of the wolf.

    "What happened?" Lachlan simply asked.

    Noaz proceeded to tell his Alpha of what he knew and how when he came to the scene, Dane had already weakened and was nearly killed. While he was talking, he was also feeling a bit terrified as Lachlan''s alpha aura was slowly emitting a deathly aura. Noaz could feel the pressure pushing down in him as his Alpha continued to stare at him intently with his gaze.

    By the time he had finished talking, Noaz was panting, dropping down on his one knee, seemingly out of breath as he clutched his chest, trying to catch his breath. Lachlan turned away from him and turned to Fergus. "Spread the word that Noaz will be prohibited from shifting for a day when the full moon comes."

    In Burkendall town, a full moon usually lasted at most three days. For any shifter, being unable to shift during the full moon can be painful as they have to control their wolf soul from emerging physically, forcing their two souls to fight against each other. And because this was an order from the Alpha, they could not disobey his orders.

    Noaz could only look down as regret and repentance swamped him.

    Knowing how Latham was still in charge of training the new shifters, he could not possibly assign him to keep a lookout for Erick. So, Latham decided to leave it alone and let Noaz continue with his task. Furthermore, he wanted the latter to atone for his mistakes.

    Everyone in the room continued to discuss what to do with Erick and also the happenings in town. Since the task that involved Acting Mayor Zant, Lachlan could not leave it alone that easily so he decided to take charge of that himself. He leaves the task concerning Erick to Noaz, instead.

    After they were done, everyone was dismissed, leaving Melody alone in her office. She let out a sigh and said, "Whew. That was intense." She hardly joined any discussion with the Alpha so it was quite overwhelming and a bit intimidating for her, to say the least.

    She then walked to her table and sat down where she began to write some reports on Erick and Luka.

 Chapter 131 - 124: title is a spoiler

    "Are you a shifter?" Amber asked, a sombre look on her face as she looked straight at Erick in the eyes.

    Erick began to feel panicked as he did not expect to be confronted by her so soon. It was inevitable, though, since he did shift in front of her. He had no choice. The thought of saving her overrides everything in his mind that day. He did not think of the consequences of her finding the truth about him. But it seems like he had to confess.

    He did not want to lie and hide anymore from her. And he knew that Dane would love for her to know about him if he was still conscious.

    Looking deep in Amber''s eyes with an unwavering gaze in his eyes, he seriously said, "Yes."

    Amber let out a single word, "oh," before falling silent again.

    There was a long pause as Amber looked down at her hands, linking them together, whereas Erick just studied her, hoping to see any reaction.

    He never thought that her being quiet felt more daunting than ever. He thought he was ready to hear her panicked voice and screams, accusing him for lying and whatnot.

    The silence continued to prolonged, making Erick gnaw on the inside of his mouth, still waiting for any reaction from the girl he loves, standing in front of him.

    He finally got his reward when Amber finally raised her head and exhaled a long breath of relief. "Oh, thank god. I thought I was hallucinating. I mean, seriously. A wolf was talking to me. And he was standing on his hind legs, like a real person."

    She then moved closer to Erick and peered even closer. Her eyes squinted in suspicion as she tapped her finger with her forefinger, studying him from top to bottom. She lifted her finger and began to poke him. And then began to brush her hand from his shoulder until she cupped her face in her hands. Her eyes narrowed more as she looked at him in the eyes.

    Erick could feel his heart starting to beat fast as he inwardly trembled from her fiery gaze. As much as he loved her whole attention on him, it felt awkward to have those kinds of gaze peered onto you. He felt like his whole soul was baring open in front of her.

    It was then, she asked, "You''re a human now, aren''t you?"

    Erick just nodded, his eyes widened as Amber still held his face in her hands.

    She released his face and took a step back. Her finger continued to tap on her chin as she studied him from top to bottom again. "What happened to your wolf?" she asked curiously.

    Erick suddenly felt sad as he gripped his front shirt, where his heart beats. Ever since he woke up, he felt a bit empty. It was as if he could not sense Dane anymore. He tried calling out his name in his mind but there was no response. But he knew he was still inside him, or else he would experience the pain of your wolf soul being ripped out of your body. And if that was to happen, he might go insane or even worse, dead.

    To understand how the shifters'' souls work, once a human was chosen by their shifter soul, which can either be wolf, bear and even, a coyote, it was as if the human soul was locked onto the shifter soul. However, when the shifter soul dies, the human will either go insane or dead, as mentioned earlier. But if it''s the human soul that dies, the shifter soul can look for another body to merge with. Yes, it was unfair to the human soul but they will gain numerous skills from their shifter counterparts, such as super speed, super hearing and whatnot, based on what kind of shifter soul they possessed.

    "He''sˇ­" he said slowly, feeling choked.

    Amber sat down beside him and patted him on the shoulder, giving him the comfort that he needed.

    He then turned his head towards her and asked, looking confused, "Aren''t you afraid of me? Don''t you hate me for lying to you?"

    Amber frowned, looking confused as well. "Afraid? Hate?" she repeated. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked, as she reached out and held his hands tight.

    Erick looked down at their interlocked fingers. "We, the shifters, have been scorned for many years. We were hated and hence why you don''t see us in the open and are in hiding," he explained.

    Amber scoffed. "You call that hiding? Not in the open?" she teased as she turned to look at him. "I wonder what the definition of hiding is to you shifters," she laughed, recalling the mess that they made at the park.

    Erick just gave her a wry smile.

    Amber sighed as she leaned her body against him, her head on his shoulder. "I don''t know. I''ve heard stories about shifters when I first moved here. How it was a taboo topic. I''ve read articles and reports back then when I became curious about it at the library."

    She then looked at him and said, "Is it a coincidence that your family name is Kendall and the town was named Burkendall?"

    Erick smiled and admitted, "My family was one of the founding families of the town. Together with some humans."

    Amber looked around her and said, "So, is everyone in this town a shifter or only some of them?"

    He looked thoughtful at first before answering, "I''m confident to say that the people in this house are all shifters, though."

    "But I''m puzzled. Why the hate, though?" she asked again. It was not that strange that she became curious. From the moment she stepped into the town, people around her had whispered that although the town used to be a shifter town, the talks about them were prohibited. It was as if they wanted the history about shifters in this town to be drowned or ceased to exist. Pressured by the non-shifter towns, the Burkendall town was forced into silence. Yet, there were those who discreetly uphold the shifters'' history. People like Mayor Hilliard and Coach Gundlach.

    Erick began to tell her of what he knows. More like, giving her a history lesson on the Burkendall town. Amber became more mesmerized by the story the more she listened.

    Then, looking at her with a grim look on his face. "But you seriously do not loathe me because I''m a shifter? Nor are you scared of me?" he asked, a hint of nervousness can be detected in his tone.

    She returned his look with a ''are you kidding me'' expression and answered, "No, I''m not."

    Seeing his skeptical look, she let out a sigh and confessed, "Alright. I have to admit that I was a bit scared at first. I mean, who wouldn''t be? With all the horrible stories that I''ve heard about shifters in this town and then there were those groundless attacks happening here."

    She then held his hands tight and continued, "But then, when I thought about you being hurt and you being unconscious. I don''t know what to think, other than feeling worried and scared for you. I know this may seem fast butˇ­ for me, it does not matter whether you''re a werewolf or human or any other shifter."

    She looked at him, straight in the eyes and continued, "To me, you''re Erick. You''re the one I love. And I guess that''s the most important thing."

    Amber let out a light chuckle as she looked down at their interlocked fingers again. "I guess it''s a good thing, as well that I''m a huge fan of Harry Potter. All these supernatural things became more like something that is fascinating, rather than scary."

    Erick grinned as love and happiness bloomed inside him. He leaned closer towards her and to Amber''s delighted surprise, gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "And I love you," he whispered after he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.

    -----

    Chapter 124: You''re the one that I love.

 Chapter 132 - 125: You can now call me Mom

    Lachlan was on his way back to the medical examination room, to see how Erick was doing when his Beta, Fergus, called out his name. He stopped and turned around. He watched as Fergus came rushing towards him.

    His usual smiling face was gone, replaced with a grave look on his face as Fergus stopped in front of his Alpha. "I have something to report to you," he said.

    Lachlan frowned, baffled as to why Fergus suddenly wanted to talk to him now, when he could have told him earlier. Nevertheless, Lachlan just nodded and gestured to the latter to follow him to his office.

    Once they were inside Lachlan''s office, the Alpha immediately released an aura to his surroundings that prohibits any eavesdropping. After that, he swiftly went and sat down behind his desk. With his one leg on top of the other knee, his elbows resting on the armrest of his chair and his fingers intertwined below his chin, he looked at the man standing before his desk and asked, "What is it that you wished to tell me?"

    "I have news on Zant''s next plans," Fergus said grimly.

    Lachlan frowned.

    "He is planning on a wide spread investigation," he continued. "Which includes this area."

    The Alpha began to frown deeper. "Under whose jurisdiction?" he demanded.

    Years back, the Kendalls had made an agreement with the people of the Burkendall, more specifically, the mayor. They had a silent agreement that they do not touch each other''s property. The shifters won''t attack the town or even think of conquering the town, based on the agreement the two parties stipulated. In return, the people of the Burkendall would not enter their shifter territories, which consisted of the packhouse and other residential houses of the shifters.

    Yes, it can be considered as peculiar as to how the other people in town, who were not aware of the shifters'' existence, did not manage to stumble upon their territory. This was because of the spells chanted by Paccia. It was similar to how the warlocks had casted a spell upon the Cairin Oaks.

    As to how Zant had managed to discover the place and even had the gall to conduct an investigation in his territory made Lachlan furious. But this also concluded his conclusion about the fact that Zant was suspicious. How else would he know about their territory unless he can see through the spell? The only people who knew about their territory were the people that Lachlan and the others trusted. And these include Wyatt Hilliard.

    Fergus shook his head. "All of these were all under his commands, Alpha," he said.

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes. And then a menacing smile began to form on his lips as he chuckled darkly. "Hehˇ­ He really has the guts, don''t he?" he said slowly. "Just one week as the mayor and he thought he had all the power? He he he."

    Fergus just gulped inwardly as he looked at the sinister look his Alpha was wearing. Whenever he wore that kind of look, he knew that his Alpha would spare no one in his wrath. And the fact that Zant fellow has the audacity to try to threaten the pack by commanding the police force to do an investigation on them was like him going to have his one foot in his grave already.

    Fergus could only feel pity for the man. He then shook his head inwardly. No, that fellow doesn''t deserve his pity. That warlock gets what he deserves.

    The two shifters immediately went into a discussion on what to do with Zant. Now that Erick was alright, Lachlan can rest easily, knowing that his son was in Melody''s good hands and that he can concentrate on the danger that Zant was about to bring.

    In a couple of rooms away, where the medical examination was located, the two teenagers were still smiling at each other''s eyes when Luella slammed open the door, startling the two young love birds.

    Both Erick and Amber turned to look at the door with surprise. They saw Luella looking at them with a bright smile on her face. They became more startled when she suddenly swooped the two of them in a huge hug.

    "Awww! Look at you two!" she gushed, not realizing that she had crushed the two of them in her hug.

    She then released them and pushed herself in between the two teenagers. She sat down and turned to Amber, giving her back to Erick. She wiped a tear from her eyes and hugged Amber again. "Welcome to the family, my child!" she exclaimed happily.

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously, looking puzzled. Family?

    Erick groaned as he rolled his eyes. He said, "Mom, I haven''t told her about ''that'' yet," placing his hand on his mother''s shoulder, trying to gently pry her away from Amber.

    Luella turned to her son and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "By that, do you mean the one that started with an ''M''?" she asked dangerously.

    "Yes, that one."

    Luella then smacked him on the head and stood up. She put her hands on her h.i.p.s and scolded her son, "Well, what are you waiting for? Tell her now!"

    Erick rubbed the back of his head, where his mother smacked him and winced. "I will, I will," he hastily said.

    Amber frowned as she looked at the mother and son duo. She was really confused as to what was going on. Was there more news about the shifters that she should know about?

    Luella turned to her and gave her another bright smile. She patted her on the shoulder and said, "Well, whatever it is, since you have accepted us. I''m sure the next news won''t be as shocking."

    Amber forced a smile back and said hesitantly, "Uh, alright, Aunt Luella."

    Erick''s mother shook her head as she made a tut-tut sound. "No, no," she said to Amber. "You can call me, ''Mom'' now."

    With that, she left the room, leaving Amber more confused and Erick a bit embarrassed.

    -----

    It was slowly turning to night time when Erick had sent Amber back home.

    She waved him goodbye after he had dropped her in front of her house. Too much information has flooded her mind at that moment. She could only return home in a dazed mode. Although she was overwhelmed with the information she was hit with, it does not mean that she had rejected them.

    Erick had told her about the ''Mate'' thing and how his wolf had told him that she was his mate. At first, she was a bit sad, knowing that Erick loved her, just because that she was her mate. It took a lot of cajoling and coaxing from Erick to make her understand that wasn''t it. Truth be told, yes, he did like her because she was his mate but he slowly grew to love her and everyday, that feeling would only grow and grow.

    And then Erick told her, that like her, it doesn''t matter whether she was his mate or not, in the end, it was her that he fell in love with. Not her status as his mate. And even if she wasn''t his mate, he would fight against the moon goddess and fight for their love. Or so he vowed.

    When she walked into her house and locked behind her, it was then she recalled the dream that she had before. The one where she dreamt of ''Mate''. Was there a connection between her dream and Erick?

    After saying hello to her mother, who was cooking dinner, she went up the stairs to her room to freshen up. She then thought that perhaps she should have another talk with Erick, not knowing that it would be another couple of days until she would be able to meet him.

 Chapter 133 - 126: Returning back to the Kraken Forest

    Erick was sitting languidly at the back seat of Noaz''s car, with his arms behind his head. He was looking out of the window as he thought of the night before. After he had dropped Amber off at her house, he immediately went to look for his father and again, asked his permission to not attend school.

    At first, Lachlan was adamant in not allowing him to skip his classes. It took him almost an hour lecturing Erick on the cons of missing classes and that he did not send him to school, just for him to miss any class. Paccia, who was in the room with Fergus at the time, was silent as she listened to her Alpha''s lecturing his son.

    After Lachlan forbids Erick to skip any classes, Paccia took a step forward and asked, "If I may put in some words of suggestion, Alpha?"

    Lachlan was scowling by the time he was done lecturing his son and when he heard Paccia''s request, he turned to her and nodded, giving her permission.

    She took a quick glance at the hot-blooded teenager in front of the Alpha before turning back, her head bowed a little in respect. "I think that it would be best to give young Erick a couple of days off from school. Give him those days to search for Dane''s other souls. I did not mention this earlier for fear that the Luna may get worried and agitated."

    Paccia took another look at Erick and continued, "However, I can sense Dane''s soul in him getting weaker."

    Lachlan suddenly slammed his hand against the table behind him, splitting the table into half. "How did it come to that?" he demanded in pure anger. "Wasn''t he alright the other day? Why did Dane suddenly become weak?"

    Due to his fury, Lachlan unknowingly released his Alpha aura, making the three people in the room to kneel down, clutching their chest in pain. Lachlan quickly retracted his aura and took a deep breath. He rubbed his forehead and exhaled a long sigh.

    Paccia coughed as she tried to stand back up again. "My apologies, Alpha." She then looked at Erick and back to the Alpha with a small head bow, saying, "I suspected that it started from the Cairin Oak."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes dangerously at Paccia. "The Cairin Oak?" he repeated. Both Erick and Fergus were startled as well. What was the relationship between the Cairin pack and Dane?

    "I am not sure either. But I noticed that there were some changes to his body after he got back from his mission back then."

    His scowl became deeper as he continued to narrowed his eyes at Paccia. "And you did not think this would be serious?" he roared.

    Before Paccia could react, she found herself gripping the Alpha''s hand as he grabbed her neck and lifted her up, trying to choke her. "Myˇ­ my apˇ­ my apologies, Alpha!" she croaked out.

    "Dad!"

    Hearing his son calling him, Lachlan released Paccia and warned her, "This will be the last time. Things should not be taken lightly, especially when it concerns the pack. Once you do, the pack will cease to exist, do you understand me??"

    Paccia bowed deeply and said, "Yes, Alpha."

    Lachlan then turned to Erick, who looked worried. "I will give you two days to sort this out. Find Dane''s soul." He turned to Fergus next and ordered, "Send a sick memo to the school, saying that Erick will not be attending school for two days."

    Fergus immediately did a deep bow and said, "Yes, Alpha."

    Now, sitting at the backseat, Erick looked out the car window and then to the front. He then frowned. "Why are you here too?" he asked, sounding dissatisfied.

    Hamish looked at him via the rear view mirror of the car and back to the front again before saying, "Dad told me to join."

    "What about school?"

    "I''m sick too."

    Erick rolled his eyes. He doesn''t even look sick. In fact, Hamish looked like the very definition of a healthy young man.

    Noaz let out a light chuckle as he drove them to the Kraken Forest. "Now, now, kiddos. No fighting in the car."

    The two teenagers just ignored him.

    A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Kraken Forest. Noaz swiftly parked the car, parking it in a secluded area and the three of them got out of the car.

    Standing in front of the forest, they could already sense an eerie vibes emitting out from the forest. Looking at the entrance, Erick realized how much things have not changed since he last went here. The forest still looked dark, with no light flickering inside. There were vines all around the area.

    Noaz c.o.c.ked an eyebrow as he studied the forest in front of him, his hands on his h.i.p.s. "So, this is how the Kraken forest looks from the entrance." He had heard stories and myths about the Kraken Forest and some from Roel. It was his first time stepping into the forest so he was quite excited. Beside him, Hamish was also studying the area around him and was more curious, rather than excited.

    Erick took a step forward and turned to them, his back to the forest. "Alright, let''s stick together and look for the soul," he instructed.

    "You do remember where you last see the soul, do you?" Hamish asked.

    Erick shrugged. "Somewhat," he casually replied. To be honest, he did not remember clearly because he wasn''t sure whether what he was seeing before was an illusion or something else.

    Noaz then stood beside Erick and said, "I''ll be at the back. Since you know the way, it would be better if you would lead this one."

    Erick nodded.

    "At least, if there''s anything happening, you know I got your back," Noaz grinned, earning an eye roll from the two young shifters because of his bad pun.

    When they entered the forest, all their senses went on an overdrive. They became cautious as darkness enveloped them fully. The atmosphere inside was humid and moist as sounds slowly quietened. There was no light inside, other than a little light that managed to penetrate through the cracks of the leaves and branches of the trees atop.

    With Erick leading the group, he easily guided them from memory. It appears that the path was still familiar to him, hence, it was easy for him to go through the shortcut and avoid the branches and so forth.

    Along the way, he even noticed some of the marks that he had left behind when he first came here. Touching them, it felt a bit nostalgic as it was way back before he could even shift. Now, returning back here, it felt like it was his first visit all over again. Yet, this time, he couldn''t even talk or call out Dane.

    After a few minutes of walking inside the forest, Hamish voiced out his concerns. "Is it just me or there''s literally no life here?"

    Noaz frowned as he tilted his head in realization. "Now that you mentioned it, yes. It seems like there''s nothing here."

    Erick frowned. He did notice these earlier as well. Back then, he had many close calls with the animals here that he had to hide inside a cave for nearly a day.

    Now, looking around him, it was rather weird that there was not a single living thing inside, other than them three. Could something have happened after he left the forest?

    As he continued to lead the way to the area where he first saw the wolf, he heard something just a few hundred meters away from their backs. It appears that both Noaz and Hamish heard the sounds as well.

    They immediately went on full alert, putting on a defense stance as they turned to look behind them.

    With their eyesight, they could see something was moving in the bushes and soon after, they heard a low and deep growling sound.

    Shortly after, something jumped out of the bushes and went straight towards them.

    "Look out!"

 Chapter 134 - 127: The suspects

    "Look out!"

    Erick and the other two shifters immediately went on full alert, turning around to face the unidentified foe when suddenly, they noticed something white flashed towards them. And before that white thing could hit Erick, Noaz had already reached out and grabbed the thing by the mane.

    Both Erick and Hamish blinked their eyes in surprise when they realized that it was just a small white wolf. Hamish peered closer with narrowed eyes and said, "Did not expect that there would be such animals here."

    Erick shrugged. "Well, I did find Luka here. Soˇ­" he said slowly, dragging out his words.

    Noaz lifted the wolf up, making it face him. Just as the white wolf was about to growl, Noaz let out a ferocious growl of his own, making the wolf tremble with fright. After the wolf had quietened down, Noaz released it, which immediately ran away to hide. He shrugged. "Just a normal wolf."

    He then turned to Erick. "Are we close?"

    Erick swiftly looked around him and tilted his head in thought. "If I can recall correctly, yes. We just need to look for the path that will lead us to a small stream where I last saw it."

    Hamish turned his head to him and asked, "You sure that it was really Dane''s soul?"

    Erick shook his head sadly. "I can''t totally be sure," he admitted. "It was quite hazy. And I also thought that I might be hallucinating or something."

    Noaz turned around and began walking to the direction they first headed to. "Hallucinating or not, we won''t know until we reach there," he simply said.

    Hamish followed from behind and wondered, "Do you think the soul is still there?"

    Noaz just shrugged.

    Erick walked past both shifters to guide the way and said, "Let''s just go."

    After walking for sometime, avoiding some stray branches and fighting off some wild animals, they finally reached the stream that Erick mentioned.

    The place was still as serene as he had remembered from before. The sounds of the water rippling in the stream sends a comfortable feeling in these three shifters. There weren''t any other living things in the area, other than the fishes swimming in the water. As they got closer to the water, they could see the sparkling water that looked like diamonds shining in the light. It looked quite refreshing and mesmerizing.

    Looking down, Erick could see the same sparkling white rock on the side of the stream and remembered that he had taken one as an amulet to repel animals from coming close.

    Behind him, Noaz and Hamish looked around them with awe on their faces. "Wow, this place looks amazing. You wouldn''t expect this kind of place to exist in such a gloomy forest," Noaz murmured in amazement.

    Hamish just kept quiet but one could see the surprise and dazed glint in his eyes.

    Noaz then turned to Erick and asked, "So where did you last see the soul? And how does it look?"

    Erick pointed at the area in front of him, across the stream and said, "I remember that it was over on the other side of this stream."

    Both Noaz and Hamish looked over at the direction Erick was pointing and began to make speculations. Noaz rubbed his chin with his hand as he thought deeply.

    "Was it nighttime when you first saw it?" Noaz asked again, his eyes still looking at the direction Erick pointed earlier.

    Erick scrunched his eyebrows as he tried to recall the time back then. He wasn''t sure whether it was nighttime at all but he did remember that it was during the time he was cooking some instant noodles. He tried to recall once more. Then realization occurred to him. Yes, it was nighttime because he remembered that it was getting dark hence why he cooked instant noodles. He doesn''t want to cook during the night when it was so dark.

    "I believe so. It was during the night," Erick answered.

    Noaz nodded as he sat down next to the stream. He picked up a small pebble and threw it across the stream, watching it skipped on the surface of the water. "Then let''s wait until the evening."

    Hamish looked up at the sky, or at least, a glimpse of the sky since it was mostly covered by the tall trees with its wide spread branches filled with leaves. He couldn''t actually tell whether it was already evening or not since it was dark all day long inside but from what he remembers, they had already spent too much time inside the forest, so it''s probably coming to an evening soon.

    He sat down, not too far from Noaz and laid down on his back. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. It was refreshing and comforting.

    Erick looked down at their carefree attitudes and rolled his eyes. Nevertheless, he laid down too on the ground, not too far from them and with his arms behind his head, he said, "So, we''re going to just wait?"

    Noaz just murmured an inaudible word, which sounded like yes.

    The three of them were quiet as they enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, relaxing.

    Few minutes later, Hamish suddenly sat up and jumped up. He stretched his arms up and said, "I''m going for a run."

    He immediately stripped out of his clothes and began to shift. His arms started to grow more fur while his teeth began to lengthen into fangs. Sounds of bones cracking and shifting resounded in the air as Kaius now stood where Hamish stood before. He cricked his neck as he gave an eerily look of what was supposed to be a smile.

    Noa lazily looked up and waved him away. "Just don''t go too far," he advised as he closed his eyes once again.

    With that, Kaius set off to have his long-awaited run. It has been awhile since he ran around. For shifters, especially werewolves, it was a pleasure to run around as it makes them feel free and wild.

    Erick just sighed as he watched Kaius leave the area. If Dane was awake, he probably would take the opportunity to run around the area and explore as he pleases.

    Looking across the stream, he sincerely hoped the one that he had seen the other day was really there.

    For now, he could only wait until nighttime has arrived.

    -----

    Back at the Burkendall town, in one of the offices at the Police Headquarters, Lachlan was working on some reports when Fergus suddenly barged into the room.

    Displeased at the rude intrusion, Lachlan looked up with a deep scowl on his handsome face. "What''s going on?" he demanded.

    Fergus immediately gave a small bow of his head and said anxiously, "Chief, we have a problem."

    Lachlan stopped what he was doing and gave all of his attention to Fergus.

    Fergus quickly shut the door and sat down in front of the Alpha''s table, after the latter gave him the permission to sit. "Zant had done his investigation, not just on the mayor''s attack but also the barnyard''s attack."

    Lachlan scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

    "He has reasons to believe that the both attacks are related and he is now in the office, giving his statement regarding them," Fergus said with a grim look on his face.

    "He then gave his talk, implying that the attacks were from the shifters in town and he made plans to eradicate every shifter here," he continued on.

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes, a glint of pure anger in his eyes. "Who gives him the guts to do so?"

    "The people."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes even more.

    "Ever since he had taken over the office albeit temporarily, many people had sought to support his cause, saying that he had done a great job in investigating the attacks for the better of the town. And he even made those who were in Hilliard and the others'' camps to join him."

    "Speaking of Hilliard, what is he doing?"

    Fergus shook his head. "Other than recuperating, he has done nothing but cooped up in his home office," he replied.

    "Any other news?" Lachlan asked.

    "There''s another bad news."

    "What is it?"

    Fergus took a deep breath before answering his Alpha, "Earlier this morning, Zant had made an announcement on the suspects of the attacks.

    "And one of them is Roel."

 Chapter 135 - 128: Im back

    "And one of them is Roel."

    Lachlan abruptly stood up, slamming his hands against the tabletop, nearly breaking it into half in his anger.

    "WHATTT??" he roared furiously.

    "At this moment, Roel is here at the police station, giving his statements," Fergus answered gravely.

    Lachlan immediately went out of his office and headed straight for the interrogation rooms.

    Sensing their Chief''s anger, most of the policemen wisely stood aside, not wanting to get splashed or hit by his wrath.

    Inside one of the interrogation rooms, Roel sat quietly alone, looking quite undisturbed as he stared at the mirror in front of him. He knew the mirror itself was a two-way mirror where he could not see what was behind the mirror but those behind the mirror, could see everything he was doing.

    Behind the mirror, stood Zant and three other policemen who were under his commands. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the shifter behind the mirror. He was feeling vexed that Roel remained quiet and did not even bother to acknowledge them.

    Even after the policemen threatened him, he only looked at them quietly with disdain.

    It has been nearly half an hour since they had left Roel inside the room.

    Just as Zant was about to order one of the policemen to threaten Roel once more, the door to the room was slammed open, revealing Lachlan, looking very much furious.

    He walked over to stand in front of Zant with his narrowed eyes.

    Zant wasn''t that tall, compared to the Police Chief that he had to look up a bit to look at him straight in the eye. "Oh, Chief, what brings you here?"

    Lachlan scowled at him. "Are you seriously asking the Police Chief what he is doing in HIS interrogation room in HIS headquarters?" he asked sarcastically, stressing on the word, ''his''.

    Zant let out an awkward laugh as he wiped his unseen sweat off his brows. Inside, he was cursing the man in front of him, peeved at his audacity to scold him in front of his subordinates.

    "I was just joking, Chief," he awkwardly laughed again.

    Lachlan turned to look at the mirror, where he could see Roel sitting back against his chair with a bored look on his face and asked, "What is he doing here? And who gave the permission to interrogate this man?"

    Zant smiled as he rubbed his hands together, trying to appease to the Chief. "It was I, Chief. I led the investigation and found this man to be one of the suspects."

    Lachlan stared down at the man in front of him and said mockingly, "The last time I checked that you were a mayor, albeit temporarily. And that this is under the police jurisdiction, which has nothing to do with the mayor office. And although you may have some power in this town, this is MY area under MY command. And for you to start an investigation, you would need to get a warrant from the police headquarters."

    He then looked at the sniveling policemen who stood behind Zant and said, "And even if you have a warrant, this is the job of the policemen and I believed that I did not give any permission to start an investigation."

    He turned back to Zant, who was burning in anger inside and continued, "The next time you wanted to do an investigation, it will have to go through me, the Police Chief. I do not care whether you have the people''s support but this is MY headquarters and I do not appreciate someone intervening in MY jurisdiction."

    Turning around where there were a couple of policemen who had followed him, he immediately ordered them to release Roel and the other people who had been detained for being a suspect.

    After they had been released, Lachlan turned to Zant with his narrowed eyes and said, "Once again, I appreciate Mr. Zant''s great spirit in trying to find the perpetrators in the attacks. But I would appreciate it more if you leave it to us while you stay in your office and help with Mr. Hilliard and his duties."

    With that, he left the room with the rest of the policemen, leaving Zant alone with the policemen who were under his command, gritting his teeth in anger.

    Back in his office, Lachlan immediately summoned Fergus. Once he had arrived, Lachlan then ordered him, "Put more men to follow that man!" by that man, he meant Zant.

    "Yes, Chief!"

    "What about the ''other thing''?" Lachlan asked mysteriously.

    "It has been done. We would just need to wait for that day to come," Fergus replied.

    "Good. You can go back to your duties," Lachlan dismissed.

    "Yes, Chief!"

    -----

    Kraken Forest.

    Hamish had shifted back and was now sitting in front of the stream, next to Noaz, who was still lying on his back, snoozing.

    Hours had passed by and there had been nothing, other than waiting and waiting.

    Erick had gotten so bored that he even managed to swim in the stream, wanting to pass the time.

    They do not dare to go back lest they would get lost. Even if Erick had shown them the marks he had left behind, they do not want to risk the chance.

    Erick was trying to start a fire as he was worried that the night would be cold when suddenly, he felt something stirring inside him. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at his chest. "Dane?" he said softly.

    When he had whispered Dane''s name, the other two shifters immediately turned to him.

    Noaz quickly got up and walked over to Erick''s side. "What''s wrong?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.

    Erick shook his head, not answering.

    Just then, his eyes suddenly turned amber as his teeth began to grow.

    Noaz looked shocked when he saw the sudden change in Erick''s appearance. Hamish too looked surprised as he cautiously took a step forward in Erick''s direction.

    Shortly after, the shifting stopped and it appeared that only his face had changed. There were furs growing on his side of his face, making it look as if he had sideburns. His teeth had grown into fangs while his eyes changed to amber.

    The nearly shifted Erick suddenly turned around and to Noaz and Hamish''s surprise, they saw a white wolf standing across the stream. It was looking at them and from what they could see that it was nearly translucent. The wolf itself was bigger than a normal wolf but it was a bit smaller than a shifter. And as the two looked closer, they could see that it looked a bit like Dane.

    Erick abruptly howled up to the sky and before Noaz and Hamish could realize what he was going to do, the former had jumped up and within seconds, he was already across the stream.

    Standing before the white wolf, Erick and the latter looked at each other quietly.

    Soon after, the two howled once more up to the sky at the same time, making them sound as if the howling came from a single entity.

    And just as abruptly as Erick jumped across the stream, the white wolf suddenly jumped into Erick''s body.

    After the white wolf jumped inside Erick''s body, the latter suddenly felt weak as he dropped down to his knees. He gritted his fangs, enduring the discomfort that was inside him. There were numerous kinds of pain he was suffering; prickling heat, stabbing piercing and more.

    Although he ached, he was still able to hold on to his sanity as he managed to strip out of his clothes.

    Both Noaz and Hamish had jumped across Erick and were surprised at this sudden scene happening in front of them. Before Noaz could say a word, Erick fully shifted into his wolf counterpart.

    In mere seconds, a shifter stood in front of them. Dark mane shining against the pitch black surrounding but the white streak that started from his mane to his back looked more pronounced and it began to spread even more. Before, it was only one long white streak, however, now it furl out, nearly covering his whole mane, leaving his front body, legs and head pitch black.

    Noaz and Hamish''s eyes widened in shock. It seems that, compared to before, Dane had now become bigger than before. He could even probably be bigger than Briven, Noaz''s wolf counterpart.

    Dane slowly turned around, facing the two shocked shifters and said, "I''m back."

 Chapter 136 - 129: Departing from Kraken Forest

    *SMASH*

    The sounds of glasses breaking and the smashing of the furniture resounded in the room as Zant vented his anger and frustration on things around him. His subordinates stood just outside the door, not wanting to interrupt lest they anger the man more.

    He panted with anger as fury filled him. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists, looking around. Everywhere, there were signs of destruction. What used to be the study room has now become a literal mess; papers were strewn all over, the cabinets were smashed, the chairs and table were broken and broken vases were scattered throughout the room.

    Zant heaved with heavy breath, his bloodshot eyes becoming more red as he recalled that day at the interrogation room. Unsatisfied, he kicked a broken chair in front of him.

    "Fecking mutt! Who is he to dare to command and embarrass me??" he cursed out loud. He could still recall the disdain and the disrespect on Lachlan''s face when he scolded him. He was just a puny Police Chief! At that moment, he did not realize that he too was just an acting mayor who doesn''t really have much power in the office.

    His subordinates did not dare to answer him as they kept quiet, just quietly watching him. Looks of fear painted on their faces as they await his next commands. Earlier before, they had been yelled and scorned at by Zant.

    Soon enough, the latter whirled around to face them and ordered, "Call that useless boy here!"

    One of the subordinates quickly ran to find the boy he was looking for, knowing who he meant by the ''useless boy''.

    Few minutes later, there was a young man nonchalantly walking into the dilapidated room, letting out a low whistle. "Man! You really outdone yourself."

    He suddenly leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding a glass bottle being thrown his way. The bottle crashed behind him and he looked behind to see the shattered bottle and back again. "Whew! If I was a bit slow, that could have hit me."

    "Isn??t that unfortunate?" Zant said sarcastically, scowling.

    The young man then walked to the side of the room, away from the debris and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. "What''s up?" he asked.

    "What''s up? Whatsˇ­ up???" Zant repeated, gritting his teeth. "Have you even found that wolf yet??" he roared.

    The young man frowned, a bit displeased at Zant for shouting at him. Although the latter was his superior, he still did not like being shouted at. He scoffed. "I found him but unfortunately, the mutts that you sent before failed in capturing him."

    "Mutts?" Zant repeated slowly.

    The young man nodded. He then told him about the two shifters that were in the park the other day. He mocked their stupidity and for being weak that he had to jump in to save them. Even though one of them had died.

    Zant looked down on them as well and muttered how shifters as a general are weak and useless. "So, what are you going to do about it?" he asked, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

    The young man immediately casted a spell around him and Zant to ensure there was no eavesdropping and began to tell him of his plan.

    The more he talked, the brighter Zant''s smile became as he listened to the young man''s plan.

    It wasn''t unsure what was the plan but the latter seems satisfied after the young man had finished telling him about his scheme.

    -----

    Both Noaz and Hamish stared at Dane, wide-eyed. They still could not believe that the shifter before them was Dane. Although there were not many changes to the shifter himself and that they could tell it was Dane, they could see how much difference a soul can make, much less the one that can help one become full.

    "Dane?" Noaz asked. "How are you feeling?"

    Dane placed his paw underneath his jaw, cricking his neck as he walked towards them. Once he was in front of the two shifters, he looked down at his body and thought that perhaps he wasn''t done with the soul. He hasn''t fully shifted yet. Based on how much his body had changed, he probably would need another part of his soul before he can be a full lycan.

    And because he found one part of his soul, some memories too came to him.

    From his newly-gained memories, he could distinctly remember how his soul was ripped apart by some warlocks back then. And to ensure that it wasn''t destroyed, he recalled himself able to break his soul into three so that he could gain them back. Unfortunately he did not remember the incident back then, and before meeting Erick, he had roamed around freely, unaware that his soul was incomplete.

    With his memories, he could also feel some of his powers returning back.

    Dane suddenly turned to look at Noaz straight in the eyes, startling the latter and sighed. It seems his other power was still dormant.

    Realizing that he hadn''t answered Noaz''s question, he replied in his raspy voice, "I''m fine."

    "You sure you won''t pass out any time soon?" Noaz awkwardly joked as he nervously took a step forward, his hand raised up.

    Dane looked at him and then shook his head. And before Noaz and Hamish could say anything, he shifted back to his human counterpart.

    Blinking away the dizziness, Erick put his hand on the side of his head to stabilize his mind since it was so sudden. Just then Noaz threw him his clothes and that was when he realized that he was in his birthday suit.

    After he got dressed, Noaz and Hamish immediately crowded around him, studying him from top to bottom, checking whether there were any injuries or something.

    Once they were sure that Erick was fine, they began to shoot questions at him, asking what happened, what did he see, whether he was conscious when he shifted and so forth.

    Erick had pushed the two of them away from him, feeling a bit suffocated. He then patiently answered their questions one by one.

    After they were satisfied with his answers, Noaz suggested to spend the night there since it was already late. And knowing that they hadn''t encountered any trouble or danger since they came to the stream, it should be fine.

    Laying down on their back, it was not their first time sleeping out in the wilds, without any blankets and pillows. Erick had used his backpack as his pillow, though. Even so, it wasn''t that comfortable either.

    They did not dally around and immediately went to sleep. The day itself was kind of tiring for these two young shifters. Noaz just wants to sleep.

    When morning started to shine bright in the sky, the three shifters inside the Kraken forest were unaware of it since they had been in darkness for hours. They could not tell whether it was nighttime or morning. However, since Noaz was an early-riser, who has an internal alarm clock inside him, even if he does not have enough sleep, he will always, without failure, wake up at 5 AM every morning.

    After they have gotten up, they freshen themselves by washing their faces with water from the stream. It felt cool and refreshing.

    Hoisting the backpack up on his shoulder, Erick turned to Noaz and Hamish and asked, "Shall we go?"

    The two of them nodded.

    With that, they ended their short journey in Kraken Forest.

 Chapter 137 - 130: Meeting up with Erick

    Amber sighed as she sneaked a look at the seat behind her. It was time for maths class and it has been two days since she last saw Erick. She inwardly pouted to herself. She never expected him to be gone just after his confession about being a shifter. Like, seriously? Who does that?

    And speaking of confession, she just realized something as her face suddenly turned beet red in embarrassment. She also confessed her love to Erick. She felt like she wanted to go somewhere and hide!

    While she was groaning over her embarrassing confession back then internally, her Maths teacher, Mr. Butler noticed her squirming around in her seat, occasionally covering her face.

    Mr. Butler then narrowed his eyes at her and said, gaining the attention of the other students, "Is there anything you want to share with the class, Miss. Keene?"

    Amber''s head abruptly raised up, revealing her surprised wide eyes. She quickly shook her head and mumbled, "No, no."

    "Then please pay attention to what I''m teaching here. Unless you want to teach the class yourself?" Mr. Butler sarcastically suggested.

    Amber looked down at her book on her table and apologized, "I''m sorry."

    Dana, who was sitting next to her, frowned in confusion as she turned her head towards Amber. "What''s with you?" she asked softly.

    Amber gave her a weak smile. "Nothing, I''m just a bit distracted," she answered back softly. Sneaking a glance behind, she too noticed that Hamish wasn''t around too. Did something happen after she got back from the packhouse?

    Few hours later, classes were dismissed and school ended. Instead of going straight home, Amber decided to go to the packhouse.

    The problem was thatˇ­ She doesn''t know how to get there.

    She was standing outside the school gates, pondering on how to get there. Dana, who saw her standing out there, approached her. She kept calling out Amber''s name but there was no response.

    Startled, Amber jumped in surprise when Dana placed her hand on her shoulder, getting her attention.

    "What''s with you?" Dana asked in concern. "You''ve been distracted all day today. Did something happen to Erick or something?"

    Amber rubbed the side of her temple and said, "That''s the thing. I don''t know. He didn''t text me or anything. The last time I saw him, he seemed fine. But then, Mrs. Harris said he''s taking a couple of days off. What''s with that??"

    "Have you texted him yet?"

    "I did but no reply."

    "Well, it''s probably nothing. He''s probably busy with something."

    Amber sighed. "Probably," she said slowly. Then realization dawned on her, "Feck, I acted like those clingy girlfriend!" she gasped, looking horrified.

    Dana laughed. She then asked, "So, what are you doing here? Waiting for your dad to pick you up?"

    Amber shook her head. "Nah, I''m just thinking about stuff. I''ll need to go to the bus stop to ride the bus," she replied, not telling the whole story. Her father was working overtime anyway. He already told her to use the bus if she wanted to get home.

    Dana nodded. "Be careful then," she said as she headed towards where her parents were waiting to pick her up.

    Amber waved. And after Dana and her care were no longer in her sight, she turned and headed straight to the bus stop.

    Yesterday, she took the bus to get to her home since her father was busy to pick her up. It was quite convenient since the bus always drove past their home in the residential area. However, that day, instead of pressing the bell to stop the bus when it was getting near to her home, she continued on to ride the bus until it reached out of the residential area. She had told her parents that she will be going home late since she''ll be going to Erick''s house. Even though, in reality, she doesn''t know where exactly it was.

    The bus driver was the same man who drove the bus yesterday so he was quite confused as to why Amber did not press the bell for her stop. But he kept quiet and drove on. Other than Amber, there were other passengers in the bus. They were some people who lived outside of the residential area, hence it was not strange to see some still riding the bus.

    Just as they reached outside the residential area, Amber looked out the window, trying to recall how she got to Erick''s home. She only remembers that Erick''s house was near to the packhouse. Hence, she needs to recall the directions to the packhouse.

    Unfortunately, it all seems to be blur. It was weird how she could not remember how she had gotten there. It was as if the part where she was going to the packhouse or Erick''s house had been blurred out from her memory. She narrowed her eyes as she made different kinds of theories as to why it was like that.

    Just before they reached the last bus stop, Amber immediately pressed the bell. And before she got out of the bus, the bus driver turned to her and asked whether this was really her stop.

    Amber looked surprised at his question. She nodded in answer.

    The kind bus driver then told her to be careful and that if she has gotten in trouble, she should immediately call her parents to pick her up.

    Amber nodded again, though, in her mind, she already knew that she wouldn''t be calling her parents until she found Erick''s house and the packhouse.

    After the bus had driven off, Amber just stood there at the bus stop, her mobile phone in her hand. She was thinking of calling Erick and she did. But when the call went unanswered, she let out a sigh and looked around her.

    There was nothing but little trees and other vegetations. Other than the bus stop, there doesn''t seem to be any building in sight for miles. She squinted her eyes, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked ahead at what it looked like a building. She let out another sigh. Though, it doesn''t look like a house or something.

    So, she decided to try her luck by walking on the side of the road, hoping to at least, see a building or area that might be familiar to her.

    She has been walking for a few minutes and there was still no sign of any building or structure or cars driving passed by. She began to worry and was scared. What if there wasn''t anyone? Did she make a bad decision by going here alone? She sighed. Sometimes her impulsive behavior can get really dangerous. She only just thought of the dangers of walking alone in this sort-of deserted area.

    After a few more minutes, she was still walking when a car honked behind her. She turned around with wide eyes and tried to hide. The car stopped and before Amber could see who the person was, he was already standing in front of her.

    The man held her shoulder so that she wouldn''t crash into him. The man frowned as he looked down at her. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

    Amber looked up and got even more scared. It was the same cold man whom she met months back when she first acquainted with Erick and Hamish.

    "Iˇ­ I wasˇ­ umˇ­" she stammered.

    "Don''t you know how dangerous it is to be walking alone here??" Roel scolded loudly as he released her. "Did you think your parents wouldn''t get worried about you? And what about Erick? Do you think he wouldn''t get worked up once he heard you walking alone here at this hour??"

    Amber shrank back as she cowered from his anger. "I''m sorry," she said softly, feeling ashamed at her stupidity.

    Roel ran a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked again, a bit guilty that he was scaring her, though, he doesn''t show it in his face. Ever since he had been called in as one of the suspects, the pressure on him was slowly becoming unbearable. He had to be aware of his actions time to time or he might get suspected once again.

    The night after his release, he had been interrogated and cautioned by his Alpha. He hated the fact that he got implicated that it would bring trouble to his Alpha. Since then, he could only go to work as usual and don''t do anything else. His Alpha also told him to be on guard, lest Zant had sent some people to spy on him.

    Now, looking down at the terrified young girl in front of him, he inwardly let out a sigh again. He wasn''t sure whether to bring her to Erick or not. He had just gotten off work at the restaurant and was planning to spend the night, watching TV and whatnot. Worried that he might get implicated once more. But then, he couldn''t leave her alone here, right?

    Scratching the back of his head, he gestured at her to get in the car. "Come on and get in the car. I''ll bring you to Erick."

    Amber''s eyes suddenly brightened with happiness as she quickly ran over and climbed in the car. She settled herself in at the backseat while waiting for Roel to climb in.

    He exhaled a long breath as he got in the car. He then drove them, heading straight to the packhouse.

 Chapter 138 - 131: The one who can control time

    Erick was lying on his back on the floor inside the lounge room at the packhouse. The lounge room was one of the rooms in the packhouse, not open to most shifters. It was actually a room where the Luna usually rested and waited for the Alpha if he had something to do in the packhouse. It was near the mess hall just before the offices.

    He was exhausted after his journey to the Kraken Forest. Hamish was sitting on one of the lounge chairs, watching the television. Although he was also tired, he did not show it.

    As for Noaz, he immediately went out to meet with the Alpha, wanting to update him about Erick and Dane.

    The inside of the room was quiet, other than the light snores from Erick and the voices coming out from the television. It was a quiet late afternoon, to say the least. Peaceful and tranquil.

    However, the peaceful atmosphere soon was broken by the slamming of the door to the lounge room. The two young shifters were relaxing inside so that they did not notice anyone heading towards the room. And when the noise occurred, they were startled back to reality where Erick immediately sat up straight and Hamish quickly turned to look where the noise originated.

    At the doorway, stood Jeayan with her hands on her h.i.p.s. And looking behind her, Erick was pleasantly surprised to see Amber peeking in, with her wide eyes. He immediately jumped and nonchalantly pushed Jeayan aside to hug Amber. "You''re here!"

    Amber pitifully tried to break free from Erick''s arms since she was a bit sulky but failed. In the end, she let him just hug her, though, she was pouting.

    Noticing that there was no reaction from her, Erick looked down in his arms and saw her pouting face, looking away from him. He placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look at her. "What''s wrong?"

    "What''s wrong? You''re the one who is wrong!" Jeayan answered for her, pointing accusingly at Erick.

    Erick glared, displeased at Jeayan''s accusation. "And what are you doing here?" he asked.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes, not at all intimidated in facing the glare of Erick as she replied, "I brought her here. She has been waiting for you and you don''t have the heart to tell her how you''ve been and what you''ve been doing. And did you know how troubled my mate was when he saw her walking around on the road, trying to look for the packhouse?"

    Erick looked down at the young woman in his arms with eyes widened in surprise. "Did you really walk alone on the road?" he asked in disbelief.

    She looked down at her feet with guilt on her face.

    Erick rubbed his face with his hand, feeling a bit perturbed. He really did not expect her to walk all the way, just to look for him. He felt like he did something very bad for not telling her about what he had been doing.

    He then pulled her gently towards one of the sofas and made her sit down. "I''m sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.

    Amber let out a sigh and apologized as well.

    Jeayan glanced at them and then walked over to Hamish, who was still watching the television, unconcerned with what was happening around him. "Should we go out and give them privacy?" she asked with uncertainty.

    Hamish looked up at her and back again at the television. "Why should we? Doesn''t concern us at all," he replied.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes but she also sat down next to Hamish.

    Erick glared at them for spoiling his time alone moment with Amber but his two friends pretended not to see him as they continued to watch the television.

    He turned back to Amber, who was looking at him with wide eyes and sighed. He sat down next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders.

    He leaned his head back and let out another sigh.

    "So, want to talk about it?" Amber asked.

    Erick gave her a weak smile. "There isn''t much to tell, to be honest. It''s just something to do with my wolf," he admitted.

    "Your wolf?" she repeated.

    He nodded. "These past couple of days, my wolf has been encountering some trouble. There were times that I blacked out due to my wolf. Since my soul is merged with the wolf''s, so any problems that he ran into, I too experienced it as well."

    "What happened to him?"

    "His soul was broken to pieces. So because of that, it wasn''t a full soul. And since it wasn''t a full soul, it has an impact on him, making us black out and whatnot. For now, we''ve found only one part of his soul."

    "Do you have any idea where the other soul is?"

    Erick shook his head. "Not a clue," he admitted.

    "Oh dear."

    He just gave her a weak smile. He then cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, do you want to join me for dinner at home? Mom would love it if you would come."

    "Does she know I''m coming?" Amber asked, confused.

    Erick grinned. "She knows now."

    "Thanks, Erick! I was getting hungry too!" Jeayan said as she stretched her arms up, standing up from the chair. Hamish also stood up.

    Erick frowned at them while Amber shot a quick message to her parents, telling them that she was having dinner at Erick''s. "Who invited you two?" he asked.

    "We invited ourselves, of course!" Jeayan said while Hamish nodded beside her. "Besides, it has been awhile since I''ve talked to the Lu--- Aunt Luella."

    And before Erick could protest, both Jeayan and Hamish had rushed out of the room and out of the packhouse. Amber just smiled as she followed behind them. Erick could only lament.

    Few minutes later, the house of the Alpha became so lively and animated as happy voices could be heard from there. Sounds of happy growling and barking could also be heard.

    Though, Luella had spent a few minutes lecturing Amber earlier on the consequences of walking alone on the road, without any awareness and such. Amber could only sit down and listened to the well-advice of Erick''s mom.

    After she was done lecturing Amber since she could not bear seeing the sadness and guilt on her son''s mate''s face, she shooed her to the kitchen, where the others were waiting.

    However, she did not forget to call Amber''s parents on what had happened as that was what a parent should do. Being concerned about their loved ones and aware of what they did.

    Now, looking around her, the Luna beamed with happiness as she watched the happy people around her at the dining table. She loved having guests around, especially the younger shifters since she likes to pamper them.

    Lachlan was working late that night and has been for a couple of nights. So, she was feeling a bit lonely, sometimes eating alone or with Erick.

    Before they had arrived, Erick had already told her via a mindlink that they were coming over for dinner. It was fortunate that she had gone to the grocery store to stock up on food. Now, she could at least cook more. Especially since the two big eaters were here, as in Erick and Hamish.

    As she watched the four young ones eating their dinner, Luella prayed to the Moon Goddess in her heart, ''Please protect our future generations. Please don''t let anything happen to these children.''

    -----

    Swirling the liquid inside his wine glass, he looked out the window out of his study room, ignoring the sombre looking man standing respectfully behind him.

    Few minutes ago, the man, Rehan, came in to report his findings where he presented on the failure of Zant on capturing the one that they had suspected to be the human counterpart of Dane as well as his failure to detain Roel.

    The man was quiet as he listened on until Rehan had finished. Although, one might think that the man was not furious, they would think twice if they were to notice the twitch on the scar on his face.

    Just then, the stem of his wine glass snapped, breaking into half. The top of the wine glass fell to the floor, shattering into pieces, spilling the liquid all over. Taking no notice of the broken wine glass, the man turned around to face Rehan.

    Rehan inwardly gulped in fear but he did not show it on his face.

    Rage and anger painted on the man''s face as he roared, "What the feck is that incompetent b*tard doing?"

    Rehan just kept quiet as he looked down, a bit fearful to look at the man in the eye.

    "Get rid of him. Quietly."

    Rehan bowed his head in respect as he said, "Yes, my lord."

    "What became of Dane''s soul? Is it a complete soul already?" the man asked again, as he turned around to look out the window again.

    Rehan shook his head. "There''s still one more until he is a complete soul."

    "Did you find it?"

    "Yes, my lord. My subordinates found it once near the Cairin Oaks. It should still be there."

    "Disintegrate it. We cannot allow Dane to be complete."

    "Yes, my lord," Rehan said again as he bowed his head in respect.

    "What about that female shifter?"

    Knowing that his lord was talking about Makena, Rehan immediately answered, "She is currently still being dripped out."

    "Good. We need more of her blood. Be on a lookout for the other one."

    "The other one?"

    "Yes, one of the Lycan''s descendants who can control time."

 Chapter 139 - 132: The news of Zants death

    Outside town.

    In a mansion where Makena Cairin was held, at first, it looked to be empty as there were no sounds of the living could be heard until Rehan suddenly appeared at the entrance.

    Without using his hands, the front door opened by itself and he was greeted by a burly large man, bowing down to him in respect. If one remembers, this man was the very same man who ''takes care'' of Makena in her prison-like bas.e.m.e.nt. Apparently, in that whole mansion, there were only the two of them living there. There weren''t any other souls appearing in the mansion, other than Makena and the man, despite its massive structure.

    "Where is she?" Rehan asked as he walked past the man. It seems like he knows his way to the bas.e.m.e.nt, seeing how he just walked without waiting for the man to show him the way. It was probably not his first time here as well.

    "She''s outside, having her run, Lord Rehan," the man answered respectfully as he followed Rehan from behind.

    Inside the living room, Rehan stood outside the secret door to the bas.e.m.e.nt. "Leave. I will go inside alone," he ordered, without looking behind. The door in front of him remained shut.

    The man bowed politely before leaving Rehan alone.

    Once the man had left, the door to the bas.e.m.e.nt slowly opened, producing a creaking sound. After Rehan had entered, the door shut behind him and he continued his way down the darkened pathway. There wasn''t much light inside but it seems the darkness does not bother him at all.

    Moving past Makena''s room, he resumed walking until he reached a staircase which led outside. Opening the door, he was greeted by cool wind and the smell of damp vegetation. The land before him was sparse, other than the trees and other greenery. There was no sight of the young woman at all.

    Just as he was about to use his powers to summon the young woman, a shifter suddenly appeared in front of him. Rehan took a step back with his hands behind his back as he cooly watched the shifter slammed her clenched paw to the ground. If Rehan was a step late, he might have been hit by the strong punch. Alas, there was only a small crack on the ground where Rehan last stood.

    Dust and little pebbles flew in the air due to the impact. But before the shifter could make another move, she suddenly jolted up, her paws frantically trying to grip the collar around her neck. She fell to the ground, squirming in pain as she tried to break the collar off.

    With a cold face, Rehan just looked down at the twitching shifter before he lifted his leg and stomped the shifter''s underbelly.

    Spurting out blood, the shifter''s eyes widened as pain escalated throughout her body and mind. The shifter snarled at Rehan, baring her fangs, looking at him with her bloodshot eyes.

    After a few minutes, the pain finally stopped and the shifter weakly laid down on the ground, still twitching from the ache.

    Rehan continued to look down at the shifter with a stone-faced expression on his face. He then opened his mouth and said, "Don''t you ever learn, Rae? Must you hurt yourself like this everytime I come to visit you?"

    Rae just growled back. But because she was hurt, her powers slowly weakened and she reverted back to her human counterpart.

    Makena now lies down on the ground where Rae was earlier, n.a.k.e.d. She curled herself in a fetus form, her arms hugging her knees to her chest as she wrinkled her brows, trying to withstand the pain.

    Rehan immediately threw her clothes on top of her, implying that she needs to get dressed. He then wiped his hands with a handkerchief as if the touch of a shifter sickens him. Once he was done wiping, the handkerchief he used was burned to ashes.

    After the young woman dressed herself up, Rehan lifted her up with a finger, without touching her. He then studied her from bottom to top.

    Shortly after, the burly man from earlier, who was Makena''s jailer, appeared beside Rehan, his head bowed a little in respect. ???Your orders, Lord Rehan?"

    Rehan flicked his finger and Makena was suddenly thrown to the ground, in front of the other man. "Continue on draining more of her blood. We need it for our experiment."

    "Yes, Lord Rehan."

    The man then clipped a chain on Makena''s collar and with the other end, he pulled her towards the door, dragging the weak young woman.

    Rehan stood outside for a few minutes before entering the mansion again.

    In the living room, Rehan stood alone with his hands behind his back as he looked out the window. Just then, several men popped up behind him. As if he knew they had arrived, Rehan said, without turning his back, "Have you dealt with Zant?"

    "Yes, Lord Rehan."

    "Make sure to leave no trace nor evidence that would lead to us," Rehan ordered.

    "It has been done, Lord Rehan."

    After he was done giving them orders, Rehan continued to look out the window. ''Zant, Zantˇ­'' he thought. ''If only you did not mess up. You could have worked as a good chess piece for my lord. You just have to fail numerous times.''

    -----

    Lachlan was reading the reports given to him by his subordinates when there was a knock on his office door.

    *Knock knock*

    Lachlan looked up and then back down at the reports before saying, "Come in."

    Fergus entered with a grave look on his face. He shut the door behind him and then he greeted Lachlan with respect.

    Lachlan raised his head and frowned when he saw the sombre look on Fergus'' face. "What happened?"

    "We received news that Zant is dead. I''ve just left the crime scene."

    Lachlan blinked his eyes in surprise. He was quiet at first and then he asked with a calm voice, "When and how did this happen?"

    "His people said that he was working in his office that morning and he hasn''t come out from there ever since. Even for lunch. It was early afternoon when they thought that they heard noises from his office. Like there was someone else in there. But as they say earlier, there was no one else in there but him. There wasn''t even any sign of forced entry.

    At first, they knocked on his door, asking him whether he was alright. There was no answer. They thought that he needed privacy. It was when they knocked on the door for the third time that they realized that there must be something wrong. And when they broke into the room, they found him on the floor.

    The weird thing was that there were no wounds or visible marks to show how he died. It was as if he just died all of the sudden," Fergus reported.

    "Is the body still there?"

    Fergus shook his head. "They already brought the body in for autopsy."

    "Were there any clues?" Lachlan asked again, his full attention now on Fergus.

    In answer, Fergus placed a small glass bottle filled with black powder. "We found this near the body. We grabbed these before the forensic investigators came. Other than that, there was none. Every item inside was still intact; no sign of disturbance."

    "Good work. Send it over to Paccia for further investigation. I will head over to Zant''s house to inspect further."

    Fergus took the bottle back and bowed his head before leaving the room.

    Alone in his office, Lachlan linked his fingers together, bridging them together as he put his chin on top of his linked fingers. He narrowed his eyes as he recalled what Fergus had reported. With this, he was quite sure that Zant was working on someone''s orders. And because of the failures he had achieved, it seems like he was no longer useful.

    But who and what could it be?

 Chapter 140 - 133: The mysterious young man

    *Rustle*

    The young man looked out from where he was hiding inside the many leaves of a tree, just across Zant''s house. The house was currently closed as there were yellow police tapes surrounding the area, making it a crime scene. Due to the death of the acting mayor, there were many speculations of how the mayor died. The policemen were getting confused as they searched the premises for more clues. There were no signs of wounds or attacks on the dead man''s body.

    The young man smirked, thinking how naive the thoughts of these human beings were. Sometimes when science can''t answer it, it is obviously supernatural. But these people just could not accept that supernatural things exist.

    He continued to watch from where he was, hidden from view, his face full of mockery. He thought how easy it was for Zant to be killed by those people. Although he had no relations to those people since he was under Zant''s command, not them, he thought it was still kind of a pity how that useless warlock was easily killed. He had just told him about his scheme the other day but before they could act on it, he was murdered. Yes, such a useless man.

    As more policemen walked around, there was a police car just arriving at the scene.

    The young man''s eyes narrowed as he tried to look at who the person was. He looked like an important person from how some other policemen immediately stopped what they were doing and went to greet the man. Just as he was about to catch a glimpse, his eyes widened as he backed further in the leaves of the tree.

    The man who just got out of the car, immediately looked in his direction! It was as if the former knew that he was hiding there.

    The young man was puzzled. He could have sworn that he had casted a strong invisibility spell that could also hide his aura. But that man could easily detect him.

    Before that man approached, he thought it would be best if he escaped. And so he did.

    He immediately jumped down from the tree and ran away from the scene. He could still feel the man''s stare on him as he ran.

    Lachlan looked up and then watched as the young warlock ran away. He looked thoughtful, even after the latter had gone.

    One of the policemen who had come over to report to him looked at the Chief with a confused look on his face. "Is there something there, Chief?" he asked, also looking at the direction Lachlan was looking.

    Lachlan turned back around and shook his head. He then turned to the man standing beside him and asked for an update. While they were talking, they walked in the house to the place where Zant''s body was found.

    The room was still in the same state as when the body was found. There were no signs of attacks nor assaults happening in the room. It was as if the killing had not happened at all. There was a white marking on the floor, tracing on the shape of the body when it was first found. Lachlan did not see anything amiss in the scene.

    According to the forensic officer who had examined Zant''s body, he had reported that there weren''t any bruises or wounds, it was as if the man suddenly died. Then one of his packmates who worked as a police officer, whispered to him that they had found strange black powder near Zant''s body before others saw it. It was the one that Fergus had given to him before.

    He walked closer to the body tracing and crouched down to take a closer look. Using his eyes, which suddenly turned to amber, he looked around the trace. He then narrowed his eyes when he saw something just near the head area. With his back to the other policemen, they could not see the eyes of their Chief. As he gets closer, he could detect some trace of a spell. He furrowed his brows in thought. ''What could it be?''

    He then stood up and began to look around the room. The other policemen continued to search the area for more clues after seeing that their Chief was doing something else. Seeing his subordinates being busy with other tasks, Lachlan mindlinked Paccia, telling her to come by later to the scene when night time arrives.

    After getting the confirmation from Paccia, Lachlan left the investigation to his subordinates and returned back to the Police Headquarters.

    -----

    It has been a couple of days since they had their dinner at Erick''s house. Amber and the other two young shifters were now sitting in their class for homeroom, waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive.

    Back then, after she had dinner at Erick''s House she got home to two furious parents. And again, she spent the rest of the night being scolded and lectured. She felt so guilty that she even had tears in her eyes. Although it was a good thing that she found her way to Erick, she knew that she had broken her parents'' trust in her when it comes to this. So, everyday after school, she had to call her parents where she was going, other than for the days her father picked her up. And to make sure she was telling the truth, they told her to pass the phone to Erick so he could talk to them.

    Looking at Erick, she was grateful for her parents'' trust in him. Even if she had to work hard to gain back their trust, at least they trust Erick.

    And now, ever since she knew that Erick and Hamish were shifters, she felt that the bond of trust between them has become stronger. Erick and Hamish no longer have to lie or make excuses while Amber can freely ask them about everything she was curious about, especially in regards to shifters.

    Of course, there were times that Amber asked Erick whether he could shift in front of her. He nearly shifted until he remembered that he would need to be in his birthday suit to shift. So he reluctantly refused. Amber was confused as to why would that matter. Then Erick blushingly said that he would willingly shift once they were married. Though, he seems to forget that he had shifted in front of her before at the park.

    When Amber saw his blushing face that time, she had laughed so hard. She thought it was kind of cute seeing him blush. She never thought that he would still blush.

    But then Hamish came offering to shift if she pays him fifty dollars. Both Amber and Erick refused him. Amber rolled her eyes and shot at him upfront, asking whether he was some kind of exotic dancer or something. Whereas Erick refused because he did not want Amber to see Hamish''s n.a.k.e.d body nor did he want Amber to stain her eyes. Hamish, back then, just shrugged and continued to play with his phone.

    They were still chatting with one another, together with Dana, who was sitting next to Amber, when Mrs. Harris walked in. It was the middle of the semester so it has been quite a hectic couple of months, with many things going on. One of the events that were happening soon was the football playoffs.

    Despite being busy with searching Dane''s soul and whatnot, Erick did not neglect his responsibilities as the team captain. The football team has been busy for the past few months, going on matches with other local football teams until Burkendall team managed to get into the playoffs.

    Though there were times Erick got distracted that Coach Gundlach had punished him many times. There were also times when the coach even threatened Erick with his position.

    So ever since he has found a piece of Dane''s soul, he was a bit content. Though, again, Paccia did remind him that it would be better if he were to look for the other piece as well, rather than prolong it. Dane too agreed with Paccia.

    Erick had sighed, lamented at how busy his life was. He doesn''t even have the time to go on a proper date with Amber.

    After Mrs. Harris talked about the events that were going to happen in school, she also took the opportunity to wish the football players in the class good luck during the playoffs.

    Apparently, the first match during their playoffs was surprisingly against the Port Robston Bay football team. And because of that, Coach Gundlach had trained his players to death, making them practice nearly everyday after school.

    Amber sometimes stayed behind to accompany Erick, doing her work in her laptop at the bleachers while he and his teammates had their practice. There were times she left school immediately after class to go to the McClay''s to grab dinner while waiting for him there, much to Erick''s dissatisfaction.

    Every night after practice, even though he was tired, he still managed to send Amber home, giving excuses that he wanted to spend more time with her. It was true, though. Because during the weekend, Latham would come and begin his hellish training with the new shifters again. So, there really wasn''t much time for Erick to be with Amber. Everyday, his schedule was like, packed. Despite her protests of wanting him to rest, he had ignored it and continued sending her home.

 Chapter 141 - 134: Start of the playoffs!

    A couple of weeks after Zant''s mysterious death, there was nothing the police force could do but to put it as case closed. Despite how much investigation and theories were made, the police still could not find the cause of death.

    However, this could not be said for the shifters. According to Paccia, after she had discreetly sneaked into the crime scene and investigated the body trace, she reported that there was indeed black magic being played in the killing. She wasn''t sure what the spell was but she concluded that it was a warlock''s spell.

    Lachlan was baffled at the revelation. He did suspect that Zant was a warlock but usually, warlocks do not attack each other. So, how can a warlock kill his own people? It was then he further confirmed his suspicions. Zant was under someone''s commands. And because he failed in his mission, he was deemed as a failure and was killed. But who? Paccia had told him that the people who had supported Zant during the elections were actually under his Mesmerising spell. And even though he had died and the spell was broken, these people still support him.

    She further reported that the warlock who had killed Zant was smart as he did not leave any traces behind, other than the black powder. Though, she did surmise that the black powder was probably Zant''s soul that has been burned within.

    So, all Lachlan could do was to order the police force to be more alert and his packmates to be more vigilant. As for the mayor, seeing how Hilliard was now healthy as a horse, he has returned to the office, resuming his duties as the mayor once again. This was a relief for Lachlan as he did not have to be on guard at all times when it comes to city works. At most, he only kept a lookout for Hilliard, to ensure there were no danger surrounding him.

    Lachlan frustratingly ran a hand through his hair as he read the report that was handed to him that morning. On his table, there were more stacks of papers piled up in front of him. It seems like it will be another night in the office again. Ever since Zant''s death, he was swamped with lots of workload, much to his frustration. It has been awhile since he was in Luella''s arms. He really missed his mate.

    At school, it was early afternoon after lunch when everyone in the football team and their coaches had gathered around a bus, getting ready to depart. The cheerleaders and their coach were also there, boarding the other bus. They were going to Port Robston Bay for their first playoff match against the local highschool team there. Since the match would start in the late afternoon, around four thirty, they had to depart early to not be late.

    Amber and her other classmates were going there as well in another car. It was fortunate that Dana has a driving license so she borrowed her parents'' car to drive them there. Jeayan was with them too. Although it would be much faster for her to shift into Chiwa but she doesn''t want to risk exposure. And her Alpha would forbid her, anyway.

    The journey to Port Robston Bay took almost two hours of travel time.

    When they finally arrived in town, they immediately headed straight for the school''s football field, passing by the residential areas and other buildings. The town itself was actually big, more or less the same as the size of Burkendall town. And the school itself wasn''t that far from the city centre too.

    Since it wasn''t their first time going to Port Robston Bay, the travelling was kind of swift without any problems. And when they finally reached the school field, the parking lot was nearly full. It was as if nearly the whole town was there to watch the game. The bus first dropped the players, the coaches and cheerleaders near the visitors'' locker areas, where the Port Robston Bay coach was waiting to welcome them.

    Amber and the others had to look for a parking spot before heading for the football field.

    Erick and his other teammates were busy unloading their stuff from the bus while their coaches talked with the Port Robston Bay coach. While they were unloading, a familiar young man came and approached them.

    Smelling that familiar scent, Erick''s nose wrinkled and he looked up to see Bastian''s grinning face.

    Bastian was about to slap him on the back but Erick had already grabbed his wrist before the slap could descend. Bastian c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and commented, "Looks like someone is getting faster."

    Erick just narrowed his eyes.

    Bastian too narrowed his eyes as he studied the young shifter in front of him from top to bottom. "Seems like you''ve changed. Did something happen?" he asked curiously.

    Erick stared at him without answering.

    Hoisting his duffel bag on his shoulder, Hamish placed his hand on Erick''s shoulder and said, "Some of your stuff is still inside the bus," thumbing over his shoulder.

    Erick nodded and turned back to grab his stuff.

    Bastian frowned. "What''s with him?" he asked Hamish.

    Hamish shrugged. "He''s always like that before the game," he replied.

    Bastian was stunned at first and then he laughed out loud. "He''s that excited that he couldn''t say anything?" he said, still laughing.

    Erick just ignored him as he walked past to head over to the locker rooms.

    Bastian was about to tease him more when his coach called him to stop joking around and returned back to the locker rooms. He playfully pouted and returned before his coach scolded him.

    While the football players were in the locker rooms, getting ready for the game. The cheerleaders, on the other hand, went straight for the visitors'' bleachers at the sitting area, where they themselves were preparing for their cheers. Their cheerleading coach was helping them stretch and warming up.

    Amber and the others had finally arrived at the football field area where they immediately sat at the visitors'' bleachers. The surroundings were noisy as there were people talking and shouting here and there. Although there weren''t many people at the visitors'' bleachers, the enthusiasm and the excitement does not fall pale against the home team audience.

    It was Amber''s first time watching Erick playing in an official game so she was kind of excited. In fact, it was her first time watching a game in real life. Before moving to Burkendall town, she was quite a homebody. It was not because she doesn''t have any friends to go with. It was most likely that she wasn''t a sports fan. She only came here because Erick was playing.

    Zoe was standing beside the playing area, together with her fellow cheerleaders. Seeing as she was one of the head cheerleaders, she was busy helping her friends with the preparation of their moves and cheers.

    Ever since Zoe had dated Dex, whom Amber heard was Erick''s cousin, she hardly pesters them two. In fact, it seems like she really likes Dex.

    But knowing Erick was a shifter, Amber guessed Dex must be a shifter too. She wondered whether Zoe knew that as well. She inwardly shrugged to herself. It''s not really her business, anyway.

    There was less than thirty minutes left before the start of the game. The noise from both bleachers hasn''t lessened one bit. In fact, it became more loud as excitement in each person began to build up. There were also people walking around, selling drinks and hot dogs.

    While Amber and the others waited for the game to start, Zoe and her fellow cheerleaders started cheering, hyping out the crowd.

    Seeing that the Burkendall cheerleaders had started on their cheers, the Port Robson Bay cheerleaders did not want to lose to them so they too started on their cheers. The battle of the most happening cheers started, making the audience more hyped and enthusiastic.

    Soon after, everyone became quiet when one of the highschool football association members came, standing in the middle of the football field, together with the principal of the Port Robson Bay and other staff. In the opening match, they started off with the school national anthem and then the association member began to give out his speech. After he was done talking, he clapped, announcing the start of the game.

    The playoffs have started!

 Chapter 142 - 135: Bastians first meeting with Amber

    The playoffs have started!

    As soon as it was announced that the game had officially started, the crowd in the audience began to explode with applause, cheering, whooping and clapping. Excitement from these crowds buzzed throughout the air as people awaited for their teams to come out.

    Their waiting has been rewarded as shortly after, both teams; the home and away team came running out to the football field in an organized manner. Some of the players even turned around while walking to wave at the crowds, hyping the crowds even more. The cheerleaders, on the other hand, started to cheer more loudly as well. Both cheerleading teams did not want to lose out to one another as they did their gymnastics and moves fluidly.

    At the football field, the players walked to their positions; the Burkendall team was on offensive whereas the Port Robston Bay team was on defensive. Erick was talking softly to his Center [1], giving instructions and whatnot, when Bastian who stood in front of them, grinned with his hands on his h.i.p.s.

    "Yo, Erick! Finally, huh?"

    Erick looked up and straightened up. He crossed his arms across his chest and said, "You can shut up over there and let our skills tell the whole story in this game."

    Bastian burst out laughing, not exactly intimidated by Erick''s c.o.c.ky attitude. Before he could reply to Erick, the sound of a whistle screeched all around the field and every player got into their position. And soon, the game began with a place kick from the middle of the field.

    While the players on the field began to tussle and scramble for the ball to win for victory, the deafening din of the crowd began to intensified. Both cheerleading teams too began to cheer and shout the names of their football players.

    There was a time when Hamish got tackled so badly that a loud gasp from the visitors'' bleachers could be heard. Jeayan, who sat there, only watched in silence, her arms crossed across her chest. She did not seem to be worried, like Amber who watched with wide eyes, her hands on her mouth. This was because she knew that Hamish was a shifter and a tackle like that would not hurt him at all.

    Jeayan looked down and raised her eyebrows in surprise. ''Where exactly did that bag of potato ch.i.p.s come from?'' seeing the opened potato ch.i.p.s bag on Amber''s lap. Curious, she asked the latter where she got it from. Jeayan let out a chuckle when she saw Amber held up her small backpack, filled with snacks. She did not even notice her bringing that backpack along.

    Moving back to the game, Jeayan was right for not worrying too much about Hamish as he just stood back up again after the tackle and rushed over to support his teammates.

    The game continued on for forty minutes before it was stopped for half-time. The game was paused for a break with both teams on a tie.

    Although the game was on half-time break, it does not mean the people from the bleachers would be able to get up and walk over to their team players. Hence, all Amber could do was watch as some of the cheerleaders tried to flirt with Erick, handing him a towel to wipe his sweat away, looking coquettish.

    But when she saw him rejecting them and walked over to grab his own towel, instead, she felt relief surged inside her. She doesn''t know why but the sight of him declining the offer gave her a little comfort in her mind.

    After a few minutes, the half-time break was over and the game resumed for the last half of the game. The exhilaration from the crowds continued to escalate as they cheered and supported their teams. Cheerleaders helped in boosting the excitement of the crowd by doing stunts and jumps.

    The game continued on until they were tied with 30:30 of scores. And because this was the playoffs, another two ten-minute periods of extra time were added. Although both teams were tired, this does not stop them from playing hard. In fact, the extra time pushed them to play even harder.

    To break the tie, five players from the team were selected for the place-kicking competition. After three players from each team managed to score, it was one of players from Port Robston Bay who had missed a shot, causing a chance to lose.

    In the end, Burkendall highschool team won with 30:30 and five full shots from the place-kicking competition. The cheers from the home team bleachers subsided whereas there was a burst of applause and joy coming from the visitors'' bleachers. There were some who held up homemade banners with writings of ''Go, Go, Burkendall Wolfs!'' [2] all over.

    Amber and the others jumped up from their seats and began to scream, excited because of the win. The cheerleaders started to do their stunts and jumps once more.

    After the game was over, the football field slowly became empty as many supporters of Port Robston Bay were dispirited and crestfallen at the loss. The away team supporters, on the other hand, were happy and excited as they gathered outside the football field area.

    Amber just stood from behind as she watched the others clamoured over the Burkendall players, congratulating them on their win. Jeayan stood beside her and nudged her. "Don''t you want to go congratulate him?" she asked teasingly.

    Amber shook her head. "I''ll do it later."

    Once the others were done congratulating the team, the crowd surrounding the players lessened. And Erick finally managed to pried away from the crowd and went over to Amber.

    He smiled as he reached out to rub her cheek with his thumb. She pouted as she playfully slapped his hand away. "Congratulations, Erick," she said, smiling.

    He laughed. "Thanks. Though, this is still the beginning," he replied. Since this was just the playoffs, it wasn''t something to get overly excited about since there will be more matches that probably will be hard than this.

    As he was talking with Amber, there was a familiar scent approaching them. Erick frowned. It was someone that he would rather not talk with.

    He quickly evaded the slap that would have hit his back and Bastian immediately sulked when his slap on the back didn''t reach Erick. "What''s with this unfriendly attitude, bro?" he asked whinely.

    Erick just glared at him.

    The people nearby held their breath as they waited for the explosion to occur between the two captains. But after a few minutes, they were slightly surprised and disappointed to find that there was none.

    Bastian looked over and saw a cute girl standing in front of Erick. He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise when he smelled Erick''s scent on her. He then looked over at Erick, who was still giving him a glare. ''Your mate?'' he asked the latter in a mindlink.

    Erick did not answer him but instead, he turned to Amber and told her that he would head in for a shower. She nodded and replied that she would wait for him.

    Erick then turned to Bastian, who was watching the two of them converse with interest. ''What are you still doing here?'' the question appeared on Erick''s face.

    Bastian just laughed. He then introduced himself as the Port Robston Bay''s football captain and also a friend of Erick. Amber was slightly surprised that they were friends as well. She then wondered whether the guy in front of him was a shifter as well.

    Amber then introduced herself as Erick''s friend, which was corrected by Erick, who vehemently said that she was his girlfriend. More than friends. Bastian just chuckled when he saw Amber''s red face and Erick''s proud face.

    After a short while, even though Erick had told Amber that he would go to have his shower, he was still standing there. Looking at how Erick was glaring at him, it was then Bastian realized that he did not want him to be alone with Amber. And that he would leave after Bastian left them.

    Bastian inwardly sighed. He gave Amber a huge smile, who smiled back and said, "I''ll be back later too."

    She said, "Alright," though, Erick replied at the same time, "Get lost."

    When she heard Erick''s rude reply, she immediately smacked him on the arm and scolded him for being rude. Watching the latter apologized, looking ashamed, Bastian felt like he had just found something fun.

    -----

    [1] A position in football.

    [2] The school''s official animal mascot

 Chapter 143 - 136: The black powder

    Isaiah Cairin was outside his house, looking around at his surroundings as he did his daily walking. Everyday, he usually takes a walk around Cairin Oaks, talking with his packmates. Upfront, it looked like a peaceful daily activity of the Alpha but no one knew the sadness and the distraught he still felt inside.

    In order to not raise any suspicion towards them, Isaiah usually pretends that everything was all fine and dandy. No matter how much it pains him to pretend nothing had happened, everyday he always thought about his granddaughter. Although it was a relief to not receive any amputated body parts of his granddaughter, who would know how she was faring right now? Or since that fateful year before?

    That day was no different. It has been awhile since he had met up with the Alpha of the Kendall pack. Even though he knew that there has been something going on recently, especially with the son, according to his sources, it doesn''t mean that Isaiah was patient. He needed to work with the Kendall packs. If it''s not for his granddaughter, it''s for the shifters'' future!

    It was unfortunate that he could not send any of his close packmates to meet with the Alpha since everyone except him was still under the evil shifter''s control. Any actions made by them will easily be detected by that powerful warlock. Even if he cannot hear what was being talked about but the fact that if one of the Cairin packmates were to visit the Kendall pack, it will arise suspicion on them. And he knew if that were to happen, more trouble would be brought to his granddaughter.

    After minutes of walking, without realization, he reached the piazza. He looked up at the statue in front of him. The statue stood tall and strong, without any evidence of ruination and decay. He sighed inwardly in dismay. Looking at the strong profile of the Cairin''s first Alpha, he always feels that he was lacking, compare to the former. But that was no surprise, knowing that the first Alpha was a lycan.

    It was no big news that the first Alpha of the Cairin packs was a Lycan. Because although the lycans were extinct, their bloodlines still flow through the blood of some shifters, just like the Cairin pack inheriting the healing powers. And there were also rumours that lycans still exist but were hidden. It was not known how many lycans were still alive, but Isaiah believed that Dane from the Kendall pack was one of them. And unbeknownst to him, his granddaughter''s wolf counterpart was actually one of the lycans as well.

    As he stood there, floods of memories began to swamp his mind. He continued to look at the statue, unaware of the activities happening around him.

    It was unsure how long he stood there, lost in his memories. His close aides knew their Alpha well to leave him alone. After a while, Isaiah turned around and then made a decision to meet with the Alpha of the Kendall pack once again.

    -----

    Although the case of Zant''s death was a closed case, it did not hinder the Kendall pack to try to find out the truth.

    Paccia was in her house, standing in front of her cauldron. Beside the cauldron was a table that holds her many apparatus and potions. One of the glass bottles that stood on the table was the exact bottle from Fergus. The one that had black powder in it, also believed to be the remnants of Zant''s soul.

    It was quiet inside Paccia''s house, other than the sounds of sizzles and poofs from the cauldron. She was alone at that time, busy with her concoction. After she was given the bottle by Fergus, she immediately shut herself inside her house, trying to get more clues from the powder. She hasn''t come out from her house for days. Apparently, the spell was quite powerful and because she was more like a seer, rather than a witch, it was a pretty hard spell to deduce from.

    Soon after, she finally found the right spell. She swiftly dropped mixture after mixture into the large cauldron. Ignoring the little poofs coming out from the pot, she continued dropping the mixtures while at the same time, murmuring chants of spells.

    While waiting for the concoction in the cauldron to fully mix, Paccia moved aside where she continued to study the black powder which was now spread on the table.

    Few hours later, the cauldron which had been making popping sounds suddenly fell silent. Instead of going straight to the cauldron, she continued to study the powder on the table, as if she did not hear the silence.

    Once she was done studying, she walked towards the cauldron. She then added something to the black powder which was back in the bottle and closed the lid. She shook the bottle, mixing the insides and then poured the whole content into the cauldron.

    In just a few seconds, the cauldron started to shake vigorously. But Paccia did not panic. Rather, she just took a step back as she watched the cauldron continue to shake, bursting out little puffs of black and green air.

    Although one could not see what was happening, Paccia was a seer. The moment when the cauldron was puffing out black and green air, her face darkened. She continued to watch as the puffs of black and green air began to change shape. It was as if only Paccia herself understood what the change of the puff meant. In her eyes, she saw the shape changed to Zant''s face. The face looked like he was in pain, contorted in agony. She began to frown when she heard little whispers in her head after she breathed in the black and green air as her eyes turned white. The little whispers flew in her mind, telling her things of what had happened during the murder.

    Soon after, her eyes reverted back to its natural color. Then, there was a glint of determination in her eyes. She quickly covered the cauldron and walked out of her house.

    Lachlan was at the packhouse where he was talking with Noaz, demanding updates in regards to Erick and Dane.

    Ever since the death of Zant, although the case has been closed, there were still many of Zant''s supporters. There were those who demanded Roel''s arrest, even if he has been declared not guilty. So, Noaz has been appointed to look after Erick, while Lachlan tries to clear Roel''s good name. The case against Roel was slowly coming to a close, being that there were many alibis for Roel and that there were no direct evidence, such as fingerprints to show that he was involved in the murder.

    Lachlan had been furious when he found out about the case against Roel. Even if Roel was part of his pack, he unofficially adopted the triplets when they were young. In short, it was like, going against his family and indirectly against his sons. This made Lachlan enraged.

    So, after listening to Noaz''s report on Erick and Dane, he was slightly relieved but he told the triplet to continue on protecting Erick from the shadows.

    Just as Noaz was about to leave the room, Paccia walked, without even knocking on the door. To Noaz''s surprise, Lachlan did not look furious at the rudeness Paccia had shown. Rather, it was as if he had expected the latter to burst into the room in the first place.

    After giving a bow of respect, Noaz left the room, leaving Paccia and Lachlan alone.

    Without waiting for permission, Paccia sat down on a chair in front of her Alpha. Lachlan just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow but did not say a word.

    "I''m done studying the black powder that you''ve given me, Alpha."

    Lachlan frowned as he crossed his legs, his fingers interlocked with each other on his lap, leaning against his seat. "Go on," he said. Inwardly, he was slightly surprised that Paccia managed to find anything about the black powder. As mentioned before, Paccia was only a seer, who doesn''t have strong powers like a warlock. However, as years passed, it seems like she had improved herself that in reality, she shouldn''t be known as a seer. Rather, she was slowly becoming a witch, the female counterpart of a warlock.

    Paccia started to voice out her reports. She then ended by saying, "We need the cooperation from the Cairin pack."

 Chapter 144 - 137: Shes your...?

    Amber was waiting for Erick to come out of the locker rooms near the bleachers. She sat down at the bench, with her chin propped on her palm as she watched the cleanup crew use a turf sweeper to clean the football field. Beside her leg was her small backpack. At first, both Dana and Jeayan offered to bring her backpack for her since they were going to go to the car and wait there but she refused. How could she let them bring her backpack when all of her snacks were in there?

    So, while waiting for Erick, she was halfway through her snacks.

    She was in a daze, watching the cleanup crew clean, munching on a prawn cracker when she heard someone call her name.

    She turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see Krys walking down the bleachers with a smile on his face. Behind him was a couple of his friends. He stopped beside her and asked, "Oh, you''re here too?"

    Amber nodded as she placed her bag of prawn crackers back into her backpack. She stood up, hoisting her backpack on her back. And unconsciously, she took a step back when she thought they were a bit close. She did not notice a mysterious glint in his eyes when he saw her took a step back.

    "I didn''t know you like football," Amber commented, smiling back.

    Krys jerked a thumb over his shoulders, pointing at his two friends, who were talking with each other a few metres away. "It''s more like I''m accompanying them," he admitted. "Though, I probably shouldn''t say that since it sounds like I''m not supporting my school team," he laughed.

    Amber laughed. "No worries," she reassured. "To be honest, I''m not that big of a fan as well. I''m here because my boyfriend is playing."

    Krys c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Oh, do you mean, Erick?" he asked.

    Amber nodded.

    Just then his two friends walked over to them. They quickly introduced themselves to Amber who introduced herself back. Then they turned to Krys, saying that they will wait for him in the car. Krys nodded back.

    After the two left, Krys turned back to Amber and said, "I did not realize that you two were a couple."

    Amber gave him a sheepish smile.

    Krys held up his two hands, as if trying to reassure her of something. "Oh, I''m not saying that you two don''t suit each other. It''s just that there were rumours that you two were together but there hasn''t been any official news about it."

    Amber tilted her head in confusion. "Official news? What''s this? Hollywood news?" she sarcastically said. "Is there supposed to be news about us getting together? I don''t think it''s any of anyone''s concern about my relationship with Erick," she further commented, a hint of anger could be heard in her tone.

    Krys'' eyes widened at her sudden outburst. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking down at his shoes. "Oh sorry, I didn''t mean it like that. I mean, I just thoughtˇ­"

    Amber sighed as she cut him off, feeling bad for lashing out at him. ???Nah, it''s alright," she reassured.

    The two of them went silent for a while.

    Then Krys looked up with a smile and said, "Anyway, I''d better go. My friends should be waiting for me."

    "Oh," Amber said. "Are you all going straight back home or staying here in this town and looking around?" she asked.

    Krys shrugged. "Probably the latter," he answered. "It''s not everyday that we go to Port Robston Bay anyway," he finished with another grin.

    Amber grinned back and nodded. "Then I''ll be seeing you back at school next week!"

    Krys nodded back as he turned around and walked away with a wave.

    Just as he left Amber, Bastian came by, carrying a large duffel bag on his back. He was with a couple of his teammates. It looked as if they had just had their showers, seeing how their hair was still wet.

    Bastian was laughing with his teammates when he noticed that Amber was still standing alone near the visitors'' bleachers.

    A huge smile bloomed on his face as he looked around. ''Great! He''s not here yet!'' he thought mischievously, thinking of ways of how to annoy a certain young shifter.

    He turned to his friends, saying a few words before jogging over to where Amber was standing.

    As he got closer to Amber, a frown slowly replaced the smile on his face. When he stood in front of Amber, he looked around them, discreetly sniffing.

    Amber frowned, looking confused when she saw him looking around, as if he was looking for something. Then her eyes narrowed. "Did you just sniff me?" she asked suspiciously. What''s this? Before, it was Erick. Now, it''s this guy. Is heˇ­?

    Bastian whirled around to face her and gave her a sheepish smile. "Eh? No no," he denied vehemently, shaking his hands in front of him.

    She continued to look at him suspiciously. She then leaned closer and said softly, "Are you, by any chance, a shifter?"

    Bastian''s eyes widened. He then masked his surprise and pretended to frown at her. "Huh? What are you talking about?" he scoffed. "How can I be that? Don''t you know that word is ban?"

    Amber just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at him, her face reading that she wasn''t buying his BS.

    Before she could say another word, someone had placed his arm around her shoulders. Amber looked up and saw Erick fiercely glaring at Bastian. "What are you doing with her?" he asked.

    Bastian held up his hands once more. "Chill, bro. I just saw her here alone and I just want to talk to her," he explained.

    Erick looked down at the girl in his arm and asked, ignoring the young man in front of them, "Where''s the others? How come you''re here alone?"

    Amber looked up and smiled at him. "I''m waiting for you. Jeayan and the others are probably waiting at the parking lot."

    Erick nodded. "You girls going straight home?" he asked.

    She shrugged. "I''m not sure of their plans yet."

    "If you girls stay, I can join you," he replied.

    Amber nodded. "We should have some space in the car," she answered.

    Bastian frowned as he watched them talking as if he was not standing in front of them.

    "Hello? Bastian here! Are you ignoring the handsome me who is standing just in front of you two?" he said, waving his hands at them.

    Both Erick and Amber turned to him. "Why are you still here?" Erick asked rudely.

    "This area is still my school''s property, you know," Bastian replied sarcastically.

    Erick looked down at Amber and said, "Seems like we''re not invited here any longer. So it''s best that we get out of here immediately. Besides, I bet something smells bad here, right?"

    Before Amber could reply to him, Bastian punched Erick on the shoulder, jostling Amber as well who was still in his arms.

    Erick released Amber and then stood in front of Bastian, giving an intimidating front. "You want a fight, bro?" he asked threateningly.

    Bastian smirked as he pulled his arms back in a stretch. "Do you?" he asked back.

    Amber quickly stepped between the two of them and told them to stop. She then hissed softly, "Are all shifters this full of testosterone?"

    The two young shifters froze. Erick let out a light chuckle as he straightened up. But Bastian turned to her, looking awkward. "Now, now, little lady," he started. "Didn''t you remember that I said that word is taboo?"

    Amber just raised her eyebrows in a condescending manner. She then turned to Erick, her face asking without words, is he for real?

    Erick''s light chuckle turned to loud laughter when he saw the disdain on his girl''s face. He turned to his friend and said, "Cool it. She knows."

    Bastian''s eyes widened in shock. He did not expect a human being to know about their existence. Yes, even though they were still around but they were in hiding. No one was supposed to know that they still roam around in plain sight!

    He turned to Erick, still shell-shocked.

    Amber frowned when she noticed Bastian''s still shocked face. She leaned closer to Erick and asked softly, "Am I not supposed to know that? Is it really taboo? I do recall people not talking about it but is it that quite serious?"

    Erick scratched the back of his head, pondering. "It''s not really that serious but yeah, people don''t usually talk about shifters in the open."

    Bastian leaned closer to Amber, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He then sniffed openly, drawing a weirded look from the young woman. Erick immediately pushed Bastian''s face away. "What the heck are you doing?" he loudly asked in disbelief.

    Bastian narrowed his eyes more, but this time at Erick. "She''s yourˇ­?" he asked slowly.

    "Mate."

 Chapter 145 - 138: You have no idea

    Bastian narrowed his eyes more, but this time at Erick. "She''s yourˇ­?" he asked slowly.

    "Mate."

    Bastian was quiet for a while before he shouted. "What??? You found your mate already??" he exclaimed in disbelief, his jaw dropped open. It was rare to find their mate so soon after the shifting ritual, hence why he was surprised.

    Erick quickly kicked his legs to shut him up but Bastian was fast as he nimbly evaded the kick, while covering his mouth with both of his hands, his eyes still open wide. "Sorry, bro! I was too shocked," he apologized, waving Erick away.

    Erick rolled his eyes.

    Bastian then walked closer to Amber, studying her from top to bottom. "Interesting," he murmured, as if he was talking to himself. "A human mate."

    Amber ignored him and turned to Erick. "Shall we go? The girls are still waiting for me at the parking lot," she said.

    Erick nodded.

    The two of them then ignored the light bulb and went out of the mini stadium.

    Seeing how the couple ignored him once again, Bastian decided that he hadn''t had enough time to tease Erick so he followed them from behind.

    His other friends who were waiting for him at the parking lot looked confused when they saw him walking behind Erick and Amber. He then waved them, telling them in the mindlink that he will be going with them and that they should just leave without him. Apparently, his two friends were shifters too. They nodded and went to their car and drove away.

    Jeayan was laughing with her other friends when she looked up and saw Erick and Amber approaching them. Erick looked as if he was texting someone in his phone, his thumbs non-stop pressing on the phone, whereas Amber waved at them, smiling. When they stood in front of Jeayan and the others, Amber apologized for being late.

    Jeayan just waved away her apologies. It was then she realized that there was another person behind them. She peeked around Amber and was surprised to see a good-looking blonde guy. As she discreetly sniffed, she realized that the guy was a shifter as well.

    "Who is he?" Dana asked, gesturing at Bastian who was smiling at them.

    Just then, Hamish walked over with his duffel bag on his bag and another duffel bag in his hand. He tossed the other duffel bag at Erick. Apparently, it was Erick''s.

    "I already told the coach that we have our own ride back home so he and the others have left," Hamish said.

    Erick nodded his thanks.

    Hamish then turned his head and frowned when he saw Bastian. "What are you doing here?"

    "I''m joining the fun," Bastian answered shamelessly with a grin.

    "Who is he?" Dana asked again, this time softly at Jeayan. However, since the four of them were shifters, except for Amber, of course, they, including Bastian had heard her question.

    Bastian flashed his winning smile at Dana and answered, "I''m Bastian Cesaro, the captain of the Port Robston Bay Football club."

    Dana''s eyes widened in surprise. She did not expect the captain of the football team whom they just beat to be in front of them. Shouldn''t he be with his team?

    Jeayan had the same question as Dana and she voiced them out, asking bluntly, "And what are you doing here? Aren''t you supposed to be with your teammates? Your team just lost the game."

    Bastian clutched his chest where his heart lay and pretended to be wounded. "That hurts," he said sadly.

    Erick ignored him once more as he turned to Jeayan. "So, where are you all headed to?" he asked, hoisting his duffel bag onto his back.

    Jeayan shrugged. "We''re planning to go around town and grab some food." Then she looked at Amber, "Though, I''m not sure whether this girl is still hungry."

    Amber rolled her eyes as she turned around, showing her backpack. "You think the stuff inside is enough?"

    Bastian butted in. "Then it''s a good thing you have a local here with you! I can bring you to the best place to eat! What do you want? Hot pot? BBQ?" he suggested happily.

    Jeayan glared at him. "Can you shut up for one second?"

    Bastian''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He then took a step back and walked closer to Hamish, who was quietly watching them. He leaned closer and asked, "Are most females in your town that cranky and rude?"

    Jeayan continued to glare when she heard his question.

    Bastian immediately kept quiet.

    "How many cars did you girls bring here?" Erick asked again, still ignoring Bastian''s antics.

    "We actually came here with Isaac and some couple of guys too," Dana answered.

    Erick''s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Other guys?" he repeated, looking down at Amber.

    Amber just rolled her eyes.

    "Want to ask Dex whether he wants to join us?" Hamish asked Erick.

    "He''s here?"

    Hamish nodded. "He came to pick up his ma-- girlfriend, Zoe," he replied.

    "You can go ask him."

    Hamish nodded again. He then turned his back to them, his fingers typing on his phone. If one looked closely, he actually did not typed anything on his phone. Rather, he was using his mindlink to connect with Dex, who was still somewhere at the football field with Zoe and the other cheerleaders.

    Dex, who had received Hamish''s mindlink, rejected the offer, saying that he would be bringing Zoe back home since she was tired. The other cheerleaders too would be going straight home, together with their coach, using the bus.

    After saying goodbye to Dex, Hamish turned back around and told them what Dex had replied. Erick and the others nodded. Isaac then joined the group. After waiting so long in the car, he decided to get out and asked what was taking them so long.

    Amber apologized for being late. Isaac brushed away her apologies, saying it was fine. Who would want to scold their future Luna?

    Soon, they began to discuss who will follow in which car since they had two cars; Dana and Isaac. Few minutes later, it was decided that the girls would follow in Dana''s car, whereas the guys would follow in Isaac''s car, much to Erick''s dissatisfaction.

    When both Hamish and Erick had climbed in Isaac''s car, Bastian was about to follow suit when Erick pushed him out of the car, saying, "What are you doing?"

    Bastian gave him a sad look. "I''m joining you."

    "Who invited you?"

    "I invited myself."

    "But I did not invite you."

    "Do I look as if I care that you invite me or not?"

    Tired of listening to them bicker, Hamish let out a long sigh and said, "Just let him join or he would not shut up."

    So Erick had to move a bit to give space for Bastian to join in. Luckily, the car that Isaac drove was a slightly larger car so they weren''t feeling cramped inside.

    Since they were waiting for Isaac to drive since he would be leading the way, Dana and the other girls had to wait. Soon after, when Bastian finally got in the car and Isaac was now driving, the girls followed from behind.

    The trip took nearly an hour, with Bastian keep changing the direction because he could not make up his mind on where to eat. It was not until Erick smacked him on the head and threatened him to pick a place before he kicked him out of the car.

    They finally decided on a BBQ place. Seeing how the weather was getting colder during the evening and that they, especially the guys, were getting hungry, it seems like the perfect place. And the best thing of all was that there were meats!

    When they arrived at the BBQ place, it was already crowded for dinner time. Even after eight o''clock in the evening, it was still crowded. Luckily, there were a couple of empty tables outside. Even if the weather was cold, at least they were eating BBQ and the heat from the grill may help them to keep warmth.

    Seeing the big group, the waiters and waitresses in the restaurant helped to place the empty tables together to make a longer table. After they were done, they began to place a portable bbq grill pan on each of the tables.

    Erick and the others soon made themselves comfortable. Erick quickly tugged on Amber''s hand, pulling her next to him so that she would sit next to him.

    Bastian, who sat across Erick and next to Hamish, leaned closer to the latter and asked, "Is he always like this?"

    "You have no idea."

 Chapter 146 - 139: Harmonious cooperation

    As the Alpha of the Cairin pack, Isaiah Cairin hardly stepped out of his territory, only going around the Oaks, watching his pack live their life. He does not have much things to do, other than to ensure the safety of his pack. The last time he had gone out of the packland, his pack was in trouble, resulting in the death of his son, who was the Alpha and the kidnapping of his granddaughter, Makena.

    Since then, he does not dare to venture out. It was only that time he was desperate to meet with the Alpha of the Kendall pack that he went out after so many decades. He was not that confident to meet the Alpha in the Oaks, lest there were uninvited ears listening on them.

    Though, he was not sure why, but recently, he felt something bad was about to happen that he was impatient to meet the Alpha of the Kendall pack once more. The question was, how? How can he meet with the Alpha, without arousing any suspicion. It was not that he did not trust his Beta and packmates. But because they were casted with spells that enabled the caster to see on the surroundings of the one being casted, it was quite a difficult predicament.

    Isaiah was in his study room, looking out the window when his Beta, Ezekiel Fernsby, knocked on his door, startling him back to reality.

    "Come in."

    Ezekiel walked in, closing the door behind him. He then gave a little bow for respect, standing before his Alpha''s desk.

    "What is it?" Isaiah asked.

    "You have guests," Ezekiel answered, a weird look on his face.

    Isaiah frowned. He did not expect any guests. And the last time he received any guests were those ''intruders'' from the Kendall and Cesaro packs. "Who are they?" he asked.

    Before his Beta could answer him, Lachlan had walked in the room with a grey-haired old woman behind him.

    Isaiah was startled by the sudden intrusion but he did not let it show on his face as he watched the Kendall Alpha unceremoniously sit himself on a chair, in front of him. The grey-haired seer stood behind her Alpha, looking serious, her hand holding a walking cane to support her.

    Isaiah then looked at Ezekiel and told him to leave and that he was not to be disturbed.

    At first, Ezekiel wanted to protest but seeing the determined and angry glint in his Alpha''s eyes, he could only back out and leave the room. He closed the door to give the three of them complete privacy.

    After he was sure Ezekiel had left and was further away from the room, Lachlan immediately gave a signal to the elderly woman. The woman instantly casted a spell which enveloped their whole surrounding, making Isaiah feel like he was inside a bubble.

    Isaiah frowned at Lachlan. Just as he was about to shout at Lachlan, the latter had held up his hand and said, "Don''t be hasty in releasing your anger, Cairn Alpha. I''ve heard about the spells that were cursed on your pack so I had my seer cast a spell to ensure that no one can hear us."

    Isaiah''s eyes widened in surprise. He did not expect that the Alpha has a counter plan when it comes to eavesdropping. He nodded solemnly. "What brings you here, Kendall Alpha?" he asked curiously, not a trace of hostility in his tone.

    Before Lachlan responded to Isaiah''s question, he swiftly introduced the elderly woman standing beside him as Paccia, the pack''s seer.

    Paccia gave Isaiah a small bow of respect. Isaiah just looked at her.

    Lachlan then gave Isaiah a small smile, making him look a bit more pleasing in the eye. He crossed his legs with his hands interlocked together on top of his lap. "As I recall, we weren''t done with our talk the past couple of weeks, haven''t we? I''d like to thank you for the information in regards to Dane. It was surprisingly informative."

    The Cairin Alpha only raised an eyebrow, keeping quiet.

    "And I''m here to confirm with you. Is the man who has been controlling the Cairin pack has something to do with the death of the acting mayor a few weeks ago?" Lachlan continued, his face now solemn.

    Isaiah frowned. He was not sure of what had happened outside the pack hence so he can''t really answer Lachlan''s question.

    Seeing the non-response from Isaiah, Lachlan too grew more solemn as the two Alpha locked eyes with each other.

    "Truth be told. I don''t really know much of what had happened outside the world but I presume from your question, something had happened, is it?" Isaiah finally said.

    Paccia looked at her Alpha for permission and when she received one, she took a step forward, placing a small jar on the table. The small jar was filled of black powder. It was the same one that contained Zant''s soul. And there were only a few left in it.

    Isaiah blinked his eyes in surprise. He was not sure why but he could have sworn he had seen these powder before. After a while, he recalled that he would see Rehan casting a spell on those whom he wanted to kill. And soon after he had casted, something would come out of their body and turn to powder.

    Seeing the astonished look on Isaiah''s face, both Lachlan and the woman knew that the former recognized the powder and knew some information about it. Lachlan immediately pounced on him with questions, "The other day, my son was attacked. Together with his mate. It appears the warlocks were cooperating with some rogues. I would like to know whether you were aware of this? Do you know why they would want to attack my son?"

    Instead of answering his question, Isaiah posed a question for Lachlan. "Was Dane''s soul complete at that time?"

    Lachlan shook his head. But he did not mention that Erick has a part of Dane''s soul now.

    Isaiah''s eyes narrowed. "That man must be feeling cautious. I wasn''t sure whether it was true or not. But seeing him attack your son, my assumption must be correct."

    "Assumption?"

    Isaiah nodded. "Ever since my granddaughter has been kidnapped, many things came to my mind. My granddaughter actually has the potential of inheriting the Lycan''s bloodline from our pack. I''m not sure how that man knows but he must have captured her for her blood. And if my assumption is correct, I presumed that he must be trying to capture your son but failed. Because he has Dane in him. The lost Lycans."

    Lachlan frowned deeply. "Are you saying that the next person that person wants to kidnap is my son?" he asked with a dangerous tone in his voice.

    "I did not say that specifically but there is a possibility. I suspect that man is looking for shifters who may inherit the Lycans'' bloodlines. People like my granddaughter and your son," Isaiah commented.

    "And since I have already told you of what I know about Dane. May I be bold as to ask when will you be able to help me retrieve my granddaughter back?" he continued.

    "Do you have any clue as to where your granddaughter may be held?"

    Isaiah nodded. "It should not be that far from here. We once walked around the area and stumbled upon a huge mansion. We did not smell any living things. But there was only a warlock living there."

    "It seems like we need to investigate that place," Lachlan suggested.

    Isaiah nodded again.

    "Seeing that your packmates are useless in this," Lachlan said, ignoring the outrage from Isaiah when he called his packmates ''useless''. "My pack and I will handle this."

    Isaiah reluctantly agreed. He had no choice. If he were to send any of his packmates, Rehan would have noticed it straight away.

    Lachlan then stood up. "I hope the Cairin pack and the Kendall pack will have a harmonious cooperation from now on."

    Isaiah stood up as well. He held out his hand, which Lachlan shook. "I pray that we will, as well."

 Chapter 147 - 140: Kidnapped!

    This big group of teenagers from Burkendall town (with the exception of a certain teenager from Port Robston Bay) were clearly enjoying their hot meal of bbq. Happy voices and laughter could be heard from their table as they joked and talked among themselves, ignoring the discreet glances from other patrons.

    It was a cool evening with a swift breeze sweeping through the air. And because the bbq place was full inside, they could only eat outside. Luckily, tables and chairs have been arranged to accommodate a large number of patrons. Two portable BBQ grill pan were placed in the middle of the tables and several plates filled with meats and vegetables all over the tables. Since it was a cold night, it makes sense to eat some hot dinner.

    Amber was placing some beef strips on the grill pan while Erick sat beside her, urging her to add more. The others unintentionally received a ''dogfood'' show as they watched Amber serve Erick food, getting food from the pan.

    Bastian, who sat across Erick, looked at Amber, held out his empty plate to her. "What about me?" he asked, a pity look on his face.

    Surprised, Amber could only reach for his plate.

    But before she could grab it, Erick had seized her hand and glared at Bastian. "Get your own food," he growled. ''Get your own mate too,'' he thought angrily as well.

    Pouting, Bastian pulled his plate back.

    Feeling pity for the young man, Dana grabbed his plate and began to fill it with some food, making Bastian smile widely.

    They continued to fill the pans with more food while talking and joking with one another once again.

    Not wanting to return home at a late hour, they quickly finished off their dinner.

    Since they will be going in the same direction, they decided to convoy together on the way home. But seeing that Bastian had no transport to go home, they decided to wait for his ride, together with him. Though, Erick did keep telling him without words that he should just go home alone, in other words, go shift and go home.

    Of course, he could not do that since there were some people in their group who were not shifters; people like Dana.

    They were hanging out at the parking lot while waiting when suddenly the lights suddenly went out.

    Shocked, they looked around them, wondering what had happened, feeling confused as well.

    They tried to shout for help but the weird thing was that the people who were eating outside the restaurant did not seem to hear them. As Erick tried to approach them, he suddenly bumped into an invisible wall.

    His face darkened. He felt like he had experienced this before. It was sort of similar to what had happened at the park a couple of weeks ago.

    Dana, who was a human, felt frightened as she walked closer to Jeayan, who had a frown on her face. "What''s going on?" she asked, fear in her voice.

    Jeayan just shook her head, not answering her. A solemn look filled her face as she looked around her cautiously.

    Bastian frowned darkly. It seems like there were some people who had the guts to trap them here, knowing that they were shifters. He looked at the two human beings near him and his frown grew deeper. Even with the fact that there were still some humans with them, they did not really care at all.

    Hamish walked closer to Erick and said softly, "I tried to send a mindlink over to Noaz but I can''t get through."

    Erick shook his head slowly. "It''s alright. He will soon realize when he tries to send a mindlink to us," he said with confidence.

    The teengars all huddled together, with Erick, Bastian and Hamish standing before the group, trying to protect them.

    Just then a black smoke appeared in front of them. Once the black smoke dispersed, a young man appeared out of it.

    All those from Burkendall high school were surprised to see the young man. Bastian frowned in confusion, not recognizing the young man.

    "Krys? What are you doing here?" Amber asked, looking confused. She thought he had left with his friends. How did he suddenly appear in front of them and why and how did he come out of that black smoke? Many questions swamped her mind at that time.

    A familiar smile blossomed on the young man''s face as he walked closer to them, both of his hands in his pockets. "Me? Ah, nothing. I''m just here to meet up with you before you left." Standing in front of what seems to be an invisible barrier, he knocked on it, producing a ''thump'' sound. "Wow. This is really sturdy. Seems like my spell works very well."

    "Spell?" Erick repeated, scowling. "Are you a warlock?"

    Krys smiled at him. "Bingo!" he said, shaking his finger at Erick.

    Bastian took a step forward. "You''re the disgusting smell that I scented near Erick''s girl back then!" he exclaimed in surprise.

    Krys turned to him, a mocking frown on his face. "How rude. Who are you calling ''disgusting'', you mangy mutt??" he retorted back.

    Dana looked at them, still looking surprised at the same time, frightened. She really has no idea what was going on. First, there was a sudden invisible barrier and then there was a young man, coming out from the black smoke. Then Erick called him a warlock. Then he called Bastian, ''a mangy mutt''. Does that mean, she was surrounded by werewolves?

    She looked around her, this time, fearfully.

    As if she knew what the other girl was thinking, Amber walked closer to Dana and calmed her down. "It''s going to be alright. Don''t worry. You know them for a long time, don''t you? You should know how they are until now."

    Dana took a deep breath and nodded, as she tried to find comfort in Amber''s words. She was right. She should think logically, rather than emotionally. She knew them for a long time. She shouldn''t just listen to the rumours and whatnot to shape what she thought of them.

    Realization dawned on her, just as she was thinking of them. She turned to Amber, saying softly, "You knew?"

    Amber gave her a small smile. "Just recently."

    Dana nodded weakly.

    "Hey, hey," Krys said, his arms opened wide. "What''s this? Come on. You can''t even break this little wall off?" he taunted further, sneering.

    Erick and the other shifters growled at him. Hamish immediately stripped down, eliciting screams from Amber and Dana, who quickly covered their eyes.

    Feeling that they had no choice but to reveal themselves, Hamish shifted to his wolf counterpart.

    The sounds of bones creaking and growling resonated throughout the air. Though, the people at the restaurant seemed not to notice as they enjoyed their dinner, looking as if nothing had happened. Apparently, only Krys can see what was happening inside the invisible barrier.

    Kaius growled as he stood in front of the other teenagers. Amber and Dana''s eyes widened when they saw the huge shifter in front of them. It was Dana''s first time seeing a shifter with her own eyes, whereas Amber had seen it before, she could not help but feel amazed whenever she saw them.

    Kaius turned to Erick, who nodded. It seems that he was asking for permission to smash the barrier. And when he did receive it, he immediately charged towards the barrier.

    However, not only did he not make any dent to the barrier, Kaius even got blown off by it, pushing him away. The rest of the teenagers ran to avoid him before they got caught in it as well.

    Kaius blinked his eyes furiously as he held his head, trying to stop the dizziness.

    Krys laughed out loud from outside the barrier. "Seriously? It was that strong? Deng. I did not expect that old man''s spell was this strong. I should have followed him earlier than the other idiot," he exclaimed.

    "Other idiot?" Erick repeated, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the young warlock.

    Krys nodded, still chuckling. "Yea, that other idiot also known as ''Zant''. Man, that was a clean kill!" he said, sounding amazed. "Seems like it was worth it, following that old man. I''m learning a lot."

    Erick took a step forward and slammed his fist onto the barrier, growling. "Krys, you''d better release us right now or elseˇ­" he slowly threatened.

    Krys c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Or else what?" he mocked. "Are you going to go all shifter on me?" He then scoffed as he gestured at Kaius, who was sitting sitting on the ground, looking a bit dazed. "I bet that it would be more useless if you want to shift right now."

    He then snapped his fingers and suddenly, a scroll appeared, floating on top of his finger. He squinted his eyes as he read. His eyes widened a bit as he nodded while reading. After he was done, he looked over at the group of teenagers, who were either growling or looking frightened.

    His eyes narrowed once more as he studied the teenagers in front of him one by one.

    Finally his eyes landed on Bastian, who was scowling deeply at him. A grin appeared on the young warlock''s face. He then started to murmur some spells.

    Suddenly, a black portal appeared below Bastian, rendering all of them speechless. Before Bastian could say a word, hands started to come out of the portal and grabbed his leg, pulling him down the portal.

    Half of his legs were already inside the portal by the time the others had realized what was happening.

    Amber, who was closest to Bastian, without thinking, tried to grab Bastian''s arm. But instead, she got caught. And soon enough, the two of them got caught and were sucked in the portal before it disappeared.

    "AMMMMMMMBBBBBBERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!" Erick shouted as he kneeled beside where the portal was earlier. His eyes widened in fear as he used his hands to try to dig in the ground, his heart beating furiously.

    Krys clicked his tongue in distaste as he watched the scene before him. He let out a sigh as he thought of the ''unexpected baggage'' he just caught.

    Without saying another word, he turned around and vanished in a black smoke.

 Chapter 148 - 141: Infiltration starts!

    It was eleven o''clock in the evening and Lachlan was in the middle of a meeting with the elders and other packmates when Noaz and Erick came walking in the room, without knocking.

    Lachlan scowled at the disrespect that they were showing when Erick rushed in to say, "Da-- Alpha! Apologies for coming in without permission but we have an emergency."

    His Alpha stood up, his palms on the table as he leaned closer. The elders and the other packmates turned around in their seats as they looked at Noaz and Erick in surprise. "What happened?" Lachlan asked darkly.

    A blonde man with grey eyes pushed his way in, shoving Noaz and Erick aside. His furious demeanor nearly shook the whole room as his eyes blazed with rage and dissatisfaction. His fists clenched at his sides before he crossed his arms across his powerful chest, glaring across the room. Another man stood behind him, standing tall with respect, his hands behind his back.

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes at the newcomers. "What brings the Cesaro Alpha here?" he asked.

    The blonde man with the furious grey eyes was actually Bastian''s father, Riedrich Cesaro. And behind him was Paxon, the same shifter who went with them before on a mission.

    "My son was kidnapped!" Riedrich shouted, sounding infuriated as he slammed his fist on the long table in front of him.

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes more at the disrespect the other Alpha was showing to him. Even if he was an Alpha as well, it does not mean that Lachlan was an Alpha that can be easily bullied and mocked.

    "And what of it?" Lachlan asked, his arms crossed across his chest.

    "My son was last seen with YOUR son and his friends! And from what your packmate has told me that it was a warlock who had stolen him away!" Riedrich shouted, still looking furious.

    Erick took a step forward. "Not just Bastian, Alpha. My mate, Amber was kidnapped as well!"

    Lachlan whirled around to face his son. "Amber?" he repeated in shock.

    Erick nodded.

    Lachlan then turned to Noaz, who was standing behind Erick. "Tell me everything," he ordered.

    Noaz immediately told his Alpha of what happened. He had just arrived at the scene when the black portal had appeared underneath Bastian. He had quickly shifted into Briven but similarly to Kaius, he could not do anything to the barrier. He was surprised that the barrier was strong to endure a shifter''s strength. No matter how much he tried to smash him, he could not make a single dent on the barrier. Even when Erick''s mate was sucked in together with Bastian, Briven did not stop trying to smash in. He tried to look for the warlock who had casted the spell. Apparently, he could not see him. It seems that only those who were inside the barrier could see the young warlock.

    The barrier was gone once he realized that the warlock had left the scene and the two people were kidnapped, leaving the terrified young teenagers and the distraught young man who kept shouting for Amber''s name. Hamish had already shifted back and had already put on his clothes.

    Briven too turned back to his human self and quickly put on his clothes. He then rushed over to Erick who was cursing out loud, stomping on the ground. Jeayan and the others stood in one place, looking shocked.

    Knowing Erick was not in a good condition to talk, Noaz walked over to Jeayan and asked her what had happened.

    Shocked that the future Alpha of the Cesaro pack was kidnapped while the Kendall pack was around, he knew he had to meet with the Cesaro Alpha to report on the news before misunderstanding occurs.

    Hence why before he reported back to his Alpha, he went over to the Cesaro pack, together with Erick. As for the rest, he had ordered Hamish and Isaac to return back to the Burkendall town. He also ordered them to make sure that they would not tell anyone of what had happened here, especially their human friends. Dana was still shell-shocked but she did promise that she would not tell a soul about what had happened there.

    After the two groups went their separate ways, Noaz immediately went to the Cesaro pack, where he was welcomed by the anger of the Alpha and Luna of the Cesaro pack. Paxon had to calm his Alpha down, preventing him from killing Noaz, else Lachlan may get his revenge.

    In the end, after much consolation and persuasion, the Cesaro Alpha agreed to accompany Noaz and Erick to Burkendall town to meet with Lachlan, together with Paxon.

    Which led to the scene of Riedrich Cesaro confronting Lachlan.

    After listening to Noaz''s report, Lachlan knew he could not blame him. There was nothing he could do but Lachlan do applaud him for notifying the Cesaro pack immediately. Even if he was supposed to report to Lachlan first, since he was his Alpha.

    Lachlan then turned to Riedrich and invited him to have a seat, wanting to have a calm conversation. He then continued the meeting, this time, together with Riedrich and Paxon, who stood behind his Alpha. Erick stayed behind while Noaz went out to inform Amber''s parents.

    Apparently, the meeting would be on the infiltration of the mansion, which Isaiah had told them about. Isaiah had his suspicions that his granddaughter was being held there, not too far from the Cairin Oaks and the forest. Hence, there was also a possibility that Bastian Cesaro and Amber Keene were being held there.

    Although Isaiah could not help much when the Kendall packs were working hard to retrieve his granddaughter back, he had contributed a lot by giving everything he knew about Rehan and the mysterious man he reported to. Now, adding with the kidnapping of Bastian and Amber, it seems like they needed to work fast before anything could happen to them.

    After listening to Lachlan and Isaiah''s plan, Riedrich nodded, agreeing with them. He was slightly surprised to hear that a strong pack like the Cairin pack was under a warlock''s spell for so long. It was not a surprise that he did not know of this since the Cairin pack usually kept to themselves and were not involved with the outside world.

    The two Alpha then decided to send their strongest fighters for the infiltration. From the Kendall pack; Fergus will be the leader. And in his group, there were shifters such as Latham, Elder Aziel and Elder Ulanni. Erick and Hamish were in the group who will be joining the infiltration. As well as Paccia, to counterattack the warlocks.

    As for the Cesaro pack, their Alpha will be the leader, with Paxon and another five more shifters from their packs.

    Not wanting to waste anymore time, they decided to infiltrate the very next morning.

    The next morning.

    Lachlan was already in his office when one of his deputies had knocked on his door, saying that there was someone who wanted to meet him.

    Sensing that there was no danger, he told his deputy to invite them to his office.

    When that someone walked in the room, Lachlan realized that there were two of them; Amber''s parents. Knowing that they might be here because of the kidnapping, he politely invited the two of them to sit.

    The looks on their faces were haggard and it seems like the two of them had a sleepless night, seeing how there were dark circles under their eyes. Their clothes looked a bit crumpled as well, probably them staying up all night, waiting for any news.

    Lachlan felt sympathy for these parents. How can a parent be able to live, knowing that their loved ones were kidnapped? Looking at their distraught expression, Isaiah''s desperate face came to his mind. He was like them too. Pushed to the corner, he had to endure the insults and more from the warlock, just to ensure his granddaughter was safe.

    Before Amber''s parents could say anything, Lachlan was already talking. "We will do whatever we can to find your daughter. I apologized for not informing you beforehand. Right at this moment, we have sent some of our forces to look for them."

    Eren Keene rubbed his face with relief. His other hand was being held by his wife''s hands. "Thank you, Chief."

    "It must have been quite a shock when you were informed about your daughter''s kidnapping," Lachlan said.

    "I thank you again for sending one of your people to inform us. Or else, we would be in the dark for who knows when," Eren said kindly, his hand rubbing the back of his wife, who was silently sobbing, clearly worried for her daughter.

    Lachlan nodded. Usually when a kidnapping has occurred, the parents or guardians of the said-kidnapped person usually have to report after 24 hours. But because the kidnapping had occured right in front of Erick and the others, Lachlan felt it was important at that time to not follow the normal protocol.

    "We will do our utmost best to look for her and to ensure she is safe and sound," Lachlan promised.

 Chapter 149 - 142: The meet point

    It was finally the time for the infiltration to begin. The packmates from the Kendall pack were on their way to meet up with the packmates of the Cesaro pack. Many times Lachlan had discussed with the elders and Fergus, in regards to the mission. As for Latham, he stressfully told him to take good care of Erick. Even if his shifter was strong but he was still an incomplete soul and it might take some time to get used to the ''new'' power Dane gained after finding one of his souls.

    The atmosphere inside the minivan was a bit tense as many thoughts flooded these shifters'' minds, not knowing what was to expect. This was especially so for the two young shifters, sitting at the backseat. Then again, whether it was due to anticipation, it was not sure because there was a probability the tension for the two young shifters was due to the large shifter who was sitting between them, with his arms crossed across his chest.

    Fergus frowned, his usual easygoing smile gone from his face as he sat at the backseat. Both Erick and Hamish were quiet as they looked out the window, not a peep from them. They do not dare to find out whether he was in a mood or not.

    Latham was driving the vehicle with Elder Aziel sitting next to him at the passenger seat. At the middle passenger seats, Paccia and Elder Ulanni sat there. They were unsurprisingly quiet as well, each of them in their own thoughts.

    They had left town an hour ago and it will take another couple of hours to reach the meet point they had agreed upon. For the Cesaro pack, the team will be led by the Alpha himself, whereas the Kendall pack will be led by the Beta. Lachlan would not be joining the expedition because he has to keep watch for any news that might spread in town about the kidnapping. He did not want to cause another panic across town where a local teenager was kidnapped in another town. This may not bode well for both towns if the news were to spread.

    Paccia was getting bored as they drove on. She started to play with the sparkles on her fingers, tossing them between her fingers. Truth be told, it was a surprise to see that she lasted that long, without making a mischief or noise by then. Just as she was playing with the sparkles, unfortunately, one of the sparkles was tossed further back and it hit Erick, who was behind her.

    "Yelp! What the heck was that??" he exclaimed in shock.

    Startled, Paccia turned around and saw a little burn mark on Erick''s arm, which he furiously rubbed, trying to soothe the pain. She let out a light chuckle and turned back around, ignoring the young shifter''s accusing glare.

    "That little pain hurts a lot, does it?" Fergus snorted, a small smirk creeping out of the corner of his lips.

    Erick turned his glare at him, which elicited a harsh scolding from Latham, "Respect your Beta, Erick!" he roared.

    Fergus just smirked while Erick looked away, sulking. Hamish, who knew how childish his father can be, just ignored the two of them as he looked out the window.

    The journey continued to quiet until they finally reached the meet point.

    They were meeting at the intersection, which was between the road to Port Robston Bay and to other towns. The Cesaro pack does not know the route to go to where Isaiah Cairin had told the Kendall packs was. So, they had to convoy with the Kendall pack.

    At the meet point, the Alpha stood outside his car, together with Paxon and the rest of their packmates. This scene reminds Erick of the time when he first met up with Bastian for their joint mission. However, this time, instead of the son, it was the father, instead.

    Latham stopped the car near them. And soon, they all got out of the car. Fergus stood in front of his group, leading them to where Riedrich was standing. Fergus gave his greetings with respect and Riedrich returned back the greeting.

    They then began to discuss how to start the infiltration. To ensure that they were not seen, Fergus suggested that they can camouflage their vehicles, heading towards the place or immediately change into their shifter forms.

    They all agreed to change into their shifter forms, in the end. This would be much easier and the fact that using their cars over would be tedious and may hinder their mission. Every shifter there immediately shifted after taking their clothes off.

    The Cesaro Alpha was the largest shifter among them. But he was surprised to see a large shifter shifting from a young one. He looked over and believed it was the son of the Kendall Alpha. His eyes suddenly widened as he watched the shifter fully straightened. He was nearly as big as the elders, if not more. He knew at most that he was only a teenager. But to have a shifter this huge was rare. Then the Cesaro Alpha saw the huge white streak almost covering his whole mane.

    It was then he knew.

    The Cesaro Alpha took a step forward at the semi white shifter and bowed his head in respect. "It is my greatest honor to meet you, Great Lycan."

    Gasps resounded all around the Alpha as realization dawned on them. Even the shifters from the Kendall packs were surprised, other than Elias, the wolf counterpart of Fergus. From the moment Dane had appeared, Elias had already kept his head bowed down.

    Arnou, the wolf counterpart of Elder Aziel, turned to Elias and hissed accusingly, "You knew?"

    "Yes," Elias answered unashamedly.

    Walking past several shifters who had their heads bowed, Paccia came up in front of Dane and chuckled softly. She then gave a little bow and said, "So, you have regained your memories, Lycan prince. Congratulations."

    Dane rolled his eyes, snorting disdainfully. "Not all," he admitted.

    Paccia nodded. "Indeed. You have yet to collect all of your souls to be a full Lycan."

    "We''ll discuss that later," Dane interjected as he turned around, facing the direction where they will be heading to. "For now, we need to get Isaiah''s granddaughter and rescue my mate and the Cesaro young shifter."

    Paccia nodded once more. She turned back around and immediately casted a spell.

    All the vehicles that were parked at the intersection immediately disappeared after the spell had been chanted. They were actually being made invisible to hide from any suspecting individuals.

    The Cesaro Alpha knew that there was a seer in the Kendall pack but he did not expect that the seer would strengthen herself to be more or less like a witch, the female class of a warlock. If not, she was probably more strong than he would expect.

    Once she was done with the spells, she continued on chanting a spell. This time, it was targeted at the shifters, giving them enhancement spells and protective spells. She also casted a spell to ensure that their smells would not be able to alert their enemies, as it was unsure whether the other side had rogues, who were able to scent their smells, in their throng.

    After everything was done and prepared, the Cesaro Alpha stood in front of the shifters, together with Elias, who stood a bit further behind him. He did not review back on each shifters'' tasks and responsibilities, lest there were some unsuspecting people who eavesdropped on their conversation. And the shifters too did not expect to be reminded as they knew what they had to do.

    Since Elias knew the way there, he led the pack, followed by the Cesaro pack and their other packmates.

    It was time to rescue Amber, Bastian and the granddaughter of Isaiah Cairin and put a stop to the warlock''s madness.

 Chapter 150 - 143: Youre next

    Makena looked up from where she had laid down on the ground. Days before, after Rae courageously tried to attack Rehan, she was forcibly turned back into her human counterpart. Because of the forced shifting, it affected her human and wolf soul, where the side effect hit her in her heart. It had felt like her heart and soul were wrenched out of her body, stabbing deep into her heart. It was too painful that she fell unconscious after that.

    After some time, she groggily woke up to find herself on top of an examination bed where her arms were stabbed with several needles, drawing out the blood from her body. Her lips turned purple from lack of oxygen and blood but it did not hinder Rehan who continued to draw more blood.

    Whenever her blood was being drawn out, she felt like dying but unfortunately, she cannot do that as Rehan usually casted a spell to ensure that she wakes up. Because only when she was conscious that the blood may be able to be drawn out smoothly. And after he was done, she immediately fell unconscious, which usually lasted for more than two days.

    She finally woke up after days of being unconscious. She was on the floor of her room, where she felt numb all over her body. She cringed in pain when she tried to move her body. It seems like it has been awhile since she last woke up and got her body to move.

    She staggerily got to her feet, dragging her feet to the metal door. She leaned closer, placing her ear on the door, trying to listen. She felt something was nearby but she could not be sure what it was. Apparently, because she was too weak, she was unable to use her body parts properly.

    It was then her stomach started to grumble. She probably wasn''t given any food while she was unconscious. They most likely just tossed her in the room and left her there for who-knows-how-long.

    She bit her lips as she placed her hand on her stomach, trying to lessen the pain of being hungry.

    Just as Makena took a couple of steps towards the bed, the door was slammed open. She slowly turned around and saw the man who had been ''taking care'' of her, sneering, holding a plate. He walked in and tossed the plate on the table, causing some food to spill over.

    "You''re finally awake, huh?" the man continued to sneer. "If you hadn''t woken up, I''d have to jolt you awake," he sniggered, holding up the metal rod in front of him.

    He then pointed at the food with his chin and said, "Go and eat. After that, Lord Rehan wanted to see you so don''t be late or you will incur his wrath."

    With that, the man left her with her thoughts, slamming the door behind him.

    A couple of doors away, there was another metal door that led to a room. Inside the room, there was a huge cage with two doors and metal bars that divided the cage. And inside the cage, there were two teenagers sitting, looking drained out. Both of them had their backs against each other, separated by the metal bars. They were awake, the girl had her legs pushed up against her chest, her arms hugging her knees. On her ankles, there were chains that tied her ankles together, preventing her escape. It was similar to the boy who sat behind her, where there were also chains on his ankles. He did not look overly concerned about the chains on his ankles as his eyes darted around furiously, trying to think of some plan to escape.

    "Bastianˇ­ are we going to be okay?" Amber asked softly, sounding a bit scared as she turned her head at him.

    Bastian forced a smile at her, not wanting to make her worry. "Don''t worry. I''m sure that they will be calling for help," he comforted her.

    "Will Erick come and rescue us?"

    Bastian snorted. "He probably is running scared. Don''t you worry your pretty little head. I''m confident that my dad will come and rescue us. He is, after all, the strongest shifter in our pack."

    "Is he like, the Alpha?"

    Bastian looked at her, surprised. ''Seems like this girl knows a bit about shifters,'' he thought curiously. Outwardly, he nodded.

    Amber let out a sigh. Truthfully, she was not too worried about being rescued or not, but she thought of how her parents would be worried when she did not return home. She already made them worried when she walked alone that day on the road and now she''s missing? She wasn''t able to call them, telling them what had happened because she did not have her phone and her things with her.

    She let out another sigh as she rubbed her stomach. She was getting hungry as well. Don''t they feed the people in here??

    Although it has only been a day since they were thrown here, it felt like years. They were unconscious when they were brought here, hence, they did not know where they were until they woke up in this very cage.

    Unfortunately, it seems like there was a spell that had been chanted on the cage, preventing Bastian to shift. He could not even hear his wolf. It was as if his wolf soul was gone. The only thing that made him realize that he did not lose his wolf soul was that he was still sane. Shifters, as mentioned before, if their wolf soul was killed, the human soul either distingerate or they would turn to ferocious rogues.

    The two of them went silent as they were lost in their own thoughts.

    A few minutes had passed when the door to the room was opened. Came in a burly large man, holding a metal rod in his hand. He chortled, looking happy to see the two young teenagers looking dishevelled and drained. He liked seeing people''s miseries, hence why he was tasked to ''take care'' of Makena in the other room. He took great pleasure in watching other people, especially those weaker than him, suffer.

    He banged on the cage with his metal rod, sniggering as he walked around the cage. He stopped in front of Bastian, who was glaring at him. "Oh, so one of the Lycans chose you?"

    Bastian frowned, inwardly confused as to why the man suddenly said ''lycans''. From what he understood and remembers from the history lesson he got from his father, the lycans were extinct. At most, if one wants to know about the lycans, they would probably read them in the mystical history book or fairy tales. There hasn''t been any news in the Cesaro pack about lycans, other than the fact that their ancestors were from the lycan descendants.

    The man threw his head back and let out a huge laughter. "What? You didn''t know?" he sneered as he peered in at Bastian, who growled back.

    He then laughed out loud, relishing the moment where he has the upperhand over the young shifter. Still chuckling, he bravely opened the door to the cage and stepped inside.

    Despite his weak appearance and meek personality when it comes to facing Rehan, there was none of it shown at that moment as he placed his arms in front of him to protect himself from Bastian''s sudden attack. He sneered, looking deep at Bastian''s eyes who had jumped on him, his hands gripping the man''s arms.

    The man quickly pulled one of his arms back, the one that was holding the metal rod and stabbed the rod at Bastian''s stomach.

    "Ooof!"

    Startled at the surprised attack on his stomach, Bastian staggered back which gave the man a chance to land a kick on him.

    Bastian then fell to the floor unceremoniously, his legs feeling all tangled up because of the chains.

    While he was on the floor, the man took out another chain from who-knows-where and joined them together with the chains on Bastian''s ankles. He then tugged on the chains, making Bastian stumble more on the floor.

    The man then dragged Bastian out of the cage, ignoring the furious yelling from the young shifter. He continued to drag him, stopping in front of Amber''s cage, where she was on her knees, looking at them wide-eyed.

    The man smirked and said, "You''re next."

 Chapter 151 - 144: Lets have fun!

    Standing in front of the many apparatus where liquids were flowing from each device, Rehan watched with his chin propped on his fist. Seeing how there weren''t any reactions from the experiments, he was left unsatisfied.

    The apparatus in front of him was huge and tall, where it was made of glass and was placed on a huge table. The design of the apparatus was quite complicated where the tubes intertwined all over the places, making it look like the insides of an ant hill.

    Rehan was in one of his secret laboratories in the mansion where they held Makena, Bastian and Amber. The room he was in was huge, where it nearly took up the whole floor of the mansion. On the left side of the room, there were a couple of examination beds where he would conduct his ''autopsy'' and test. On the right side of the room, there were several cabinets that held his potions, concoctions, test outputs and other ingredients. And on the wall where it faced the entrance to the lab was his devices and tools for his experiments. And in front of the wall itself and in the middle of the room, there was a huge cauldron, similar to the one Paccia has in her house.

    He walked over to one of the cabinets and using his synthetic rubber gloves, he took out several test tubes. Inside, there were dark red liquids that looked like blood. He then walked to one of the tables nearby and placed them on the empty test tube rack. He grabbed a spoon and scooped up some powder from a bowl that was on the table and poured it into each of the test tubes.

    After several seconds, there was a popping sound coming out from the test tubes. Once the sounds had subsided, he grabbed the test tubes and brought it over to his many apparatus. He opened one of the lids and poured the content in. After he was done, he took a step back.

    A few minutes later, the gleam in his eyes brightened as the liquids in the apparatus began to change color and started to glimmer. He walked over to one of the lids and took a swipe. A teardrop solidified dark red liquid appeared on his glove-covered finger.

    He looked at it with satisfaction on his face. He then grabbed an empty glass flask and wiped his finger on the drip, watching as the solidified liquid slid down inside.

    Rehan then went back to the apparatus and opened the lid once more, watching as more of the liquids poured into the flask, making it half-full.

    He was watching the flow of the liquids around the apparatus where there was a voice, sounding impressed with the mechanisms in the rooms.

    Rehan frowned as he looked over at where Krys, the young warlock was sitting near one of the examination beds.

    Rehan had long known about this warlock whom Zant had taken under his wings for a while. At first, he had thought he was quite stupid and ignorant, similiar to his mentor. But after he had discretely watched over him, he found that he wasn''t as he seems to be. He was sneakier and cunning, compared to Zant. Hence why after the death of Zant, he did not call the others to kill him, rather brought him over.

    Nowadays, Krys had been following him around, self-proclaiming to be Rehan''s right-hand. Most of the time, the latter would ignore him, just what he was doing at the moment.

    Once he was done, he closed the lid of the apparatus and the flask. He placed the flask on the table and was about to write on his notebook about his findings when the door to his laboratory was opened.

    He frowned, displeased at being interrupted, especially when he was doing his experiments.

    Krys looked over and his eyes widened as he began to smile. He got up and walked over to the door.

    At the door, the same man who was dragging Bastian, walked in. Behind him was Bastian, who was lying on the floor after being dragged over. There were bruises on his body, arms and face from the frictions of carpets and flooring.

    Fortunately, he was still conscious and wasn''t in much pain. But his throat was dry and parched after much yelling. He could only growl and snarl.

    Krys sniggered as he watched the squirming young shifter on the floor.

    Rehan walked over and looked down at the snarling young shifter. "Is this him?" he asked coldly.

    The man nodded.

    "Put him on the bed and chained him up."

    "Yes, Lord Rehan!"

    The man tugged on the chains and continued to drag Bastian. He then carried the young shifter up, skillfully avoiding the weakly flailing fists. He quickly chained the young shifter onto the bed, locking the chains up, preventing him from getting up.

    Krys began to playfully poke Bastian on the side, irritating the latter.

    Rehan then walked over and studied the angry young shifter from top to bottom. He then ordered the man to get out of the room.

    Soon after, all that was left were Rehan, Krys and Bastian, who was snarling and growling at the former. When Rehan got closer, Bastian tried to spit on him but the former was able to avoid it.

    With disgust on his face, he punched the young shifter on the face. "Juvenile," he muttered.

    He took out a syringe and stabbed it in Bastian''s arm. At the back, Krys could be heard sniggering.

    Bastian started to feel sleepy as his sight began to blur. He tried to keep awake, blinking his eyes furiously.

    In the end, he could only growled out, "You b*stard," before falling unconscious.

    -----

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    A few kilometers away, huge shifters were heading their way to the mansion. It was fortunate that there was nothing between the mansion and their meet point, other than trees and other vegetation. Basically, there were no signs of infrastructure nor settlements in the area. Hence the shifters could freely run straight towards the mansion, without fearing of exposure.

    Elias was leading the pack, followed by the Cesaro Alpha and the other packmates.

    Artemis, the name of the Cesaro''s Alpha''s werewolf, growled as he ran together with Elias. "Are you sure this is the right way?" he was feeling frustrated. They had been running for more than an hour, they still have not seen a single brick of the mansion, much less something that can show them that they were going on the right path.

    Elias growled back. "This is what the Cairin Alpha told us."

    Artemis took a sniff around and grumbled. "Can''t find any scent of anything at all."

    They continued their run for a few more minutes, following Elias when suddenly, they heard a small cracking sound to their left.

    The shifters immediately stopped and went on guard.

    After there were no longer any sounds, Artemis turned around and looked at his pack. He gestured at Skoll, who was Paxon''s wolf counterpart, ordering without words to check the area.

    Skoll nodded.

    He swiftly moved to the side and crouched on all fours, heading towards where the sound came from earlier. When he reached the side, he burrowed further on the ground and soon after, he jumped in, with his paw leaned back. He then pushed his paw forward, which apparently hit someone, eliciting a scream out of them.

    Minutes later, there were sounds of scurrying around as there were black shadows moving about after Skoll''s surprised attack.

    Artemis'' eyes narrowed when he saw groups of warlocks coming out of the hiding.

    Once exposed, some of the warlocks began to chant. However, they were slow as the shifters immediately got into action.

    Dane, who was standing at the back of the pack, together with some of the Kendall packs, too joined in. He ran towards those who were chanting their spells. He wanted to kill them before they could manage to cast the spell.

    When he arrived at their side, he was blocked by a couple of rogues. His eyes narrowed. It seems that there weren''t just warlocks, there were also rogues with them.

    Kaius jumped in to stand beside Dane. He growled. "Deng. There''s rogues here too?"

    "Enough talking, just kill them," Dane ordered.

    Kaius nodded.

    Dane swiftly jumped on one of the rogues, startling the two rogues. His paw pressing down on the chest of the rogue. When the other rogue was about to jump on him from behind, without turning around, Dane had stretched out his other paw. He gripped the neck of the rogue in his paw, tightening it.

    He then swung the rogue around and then tossed the latter to the chanting warlocks, successfully stopping them mid-chant.

    The rogue underneath his paw was growling and trying to claw his way out. Dane continued to press down on the chest, forcing the former to spurt blood. Just then, Dane''s claws sharpened and it stabbed through the chest of the rogue. With a swipe of his claws, the mane of the rogue was torn off. Before the rogue could react, Dane continued to stab through the chest and his paw fisted the rogue''s heart. With a second length gap, he crushed the beating heart in his paw, spurting blood all over.

    Watching how the shifter crushed the rogue''s heart so easily, the warlocks began to feel petrified.

    They wanted to run away but they were too late as Kaius and Aric, the wolf-counterpart of Latham appeared before them. There were traces of blood on Aric''s dark brown mane and fangs. It seems like he had quite a battle as well before confronting the warlocks.

    Together, Kaius and Aric jumped on the warlocks.

    Grabbing one of the staves that the warlocks were holding, Kaius stabbed it straight in one of the warlocks'' eyes. As though that was not enough, ignoring the scream of the warlock, Kaius used the same stave to drag it down, cutting through the middle of the warlock''s neck and down to the spine. The warlock died with his body in a ''v'' shape upside down.

    Not wanting to lose to Kaius, Aric chased after the remaining fleeing warlocks. He grabbed two of them by their napes and pushed them down to the ground. He then dragged them across the ground, facedown. It was literally, ''eat dirt'' kind of concept.

    Aric grinned widely, which actually made him look more terrifying.

    He pulled up one of the warlocks, his paw still gripping the nape. The warlock''s face was covered with dirt and there were traces of scratches all over, apparently from the friction of the ground.

    With a flick of Aric''s wrist, he broke the neck of the warlock, rendering him dead.

    Aric grinned even wider after he tossed the dead warlock away. He leaned down, closer at the quivering warlock underneath him and said, "Lets have fun, shall we?"

 Chapter 152 - 145: This is not good

    Rehan was on the verge of extracting the blood from Bastian when the door to his laboratory was slammed open once again.

    Displeased at the interruption, he scowled deeply at the door, where the same man who brought Bastian stood. Krys had long gone from the room, on his way to do some errands for Rehan.

    A look of panic and distress covered his whole face as he panted, gasping for air. It was as though he had run very fast to get to the laboratory.

    "What happened?" Rehan asked, knowing something must have happened for the man to have the guts to interrupt his experiment.

    The man took a huge deep breath before saying, "There''s an intrusion! The werewolves are coming here!"

    "How many of them? Where''s the others?" Rehan asked again, ''others'' referring to the guards.

    "There are more than ten of them. We already dispatched some of the rogues and the warlocks to intercept them," the man reported.

    Rehan scowled. "Release ''them''."

    The man''s eyes widened. "''Them'' as in ''them''??" he repeated.

    Rehan threw an empty glass flask at the man, hitting him on the forehead. Blood trickled down the wound. "Did I stutter? I told you to release them!" he ordered coldly, before turning back to the still unconscious Bastian.

    The man immediately bowed his head before leaving the room.

    Rehan was still scowling as he pricked a few more needles in Bastian''s body, drawing blood. The blood flowed nicely into a glass jar which was placed near the latter''s leg on a small table. He continued drawing more blood while at the same time, testing them with the apparatus on the other side of the room.

    Outside, the man was hurrying over to where ''they'' were located. Walking past the living room, he headed straight to the back of the mansion.

    Behind the mansion, there was actually another detached house that looked uninhabitable. Vines enclosed the whole front of the house, nearly covering the whole building. There were no windows, other than a metal door as the entrance and exit.

    The only time the man ever came there was to send food. But that was only through the small panel of the door. He had never been inside nor never had he ever interacted with the ''things'' inside. The door was designed where there was only a handle on the outside where it will automatically lock the ''things'' inside.

    Standing in front of the door, he felt his heart beat furiously. He was too afraid. But Lord Rehan had told him to release them. He did not know what to expect.

    He cautiously knocked on the door. "Helloˇ­?" he called out, trembling. Although he had never been inside, he always heard painful screams coming from inside the house. The screams were always screeching and piercing.

    There was no answer.

    He had planned to knock on the door and once he heard any voice from the inside, he would just shout that they were ordered to kill the people outside the mansion. And after he had shouted the instruction, he planned to run away from this area.

    "Hello?" he called out again.

    Once again, there was no answer.

    He warily gripped the door handle, thinking maybe it was locked. To his surprise, it was unlocked. Then, why did they not go out?

    He tremblingly opened the door.

    However, the moment the door was opened, he was jumped on by ''something''. His scream was cut halfway before he died.

    A furry large black animal was on top of the man. His fangs were covered in blood and saliva, dripping on the dead man, whose neck was completely torn off from the bite. A huge flesh was completely ripped off of the neck. His claw embedded deep into the man''s body as he crouched on all fours, growling and snarling. There was a look of craze and murder in his eyes as it furiously darted around.

    A couple more jumped from behind him and stood in front on their hind legs.

    Apparently, these were the ''things'' that the man had referred to. If one were to look at them, they were actually werewolves. But seeing how demented and aggressive, one could tell that these were not just any werewolves, rather, it was rogues.

    It seems like they had been experimented on too much that they had lost their rationality and humanity. Even so, it did not diminish their intelligence as they managed to trick the man into opening the door and directly killed him.

    One of the rogues sniffed and a maniacal smile appeared on his face as he licked his fangs. "I smell fun just outside," he said hoarsely, his tone was quite harsh and grating, indicating that it has been a while since he last talked.

    "Was that why he was here? To tell us?" the rogue, who had killed the man, said as he licked his fangs. He was still crouching on top of the man. Just as he was about to stand, he purposely stomped his paw on the head of the man, crushing it.

    "Just like tofu," he commented, chuckling.

    After shaking his paw off of the blood and some parts of the crushed brain, the three rogues ran to where Riedrich and the other shifters were fighting.

    A few kilometers away from the mansion, the fight was still ongoing. Most of the warlocks were dead and some of the rogues were injured. Despite the advantage on them with no deaths, it does not mean that the Kendall and the Cesaro packs were fine.

    Elias himself has hurt himself in the arm, where he could not move it due to pain. Aric and Arnou too had gotten themselves hurt. If the fight prolongs, it was unsure whether they were able to make it.

    Paccia had done her best to help in the fight but she was outnumbered by the warlocks who were ganging up on her. They were battling with chants and spells, nearly destroying their whole surroundings.

    Una, the wolf counterpart of Elder Ulanni, was fighting against two rogues when Dane jumped over to help. Una had looked tired and it seems like she could collapse at any moment, which surprised Dane.

    Dane was about to claw one of the rogues when a distinct smell hit his snout. His eyes narrowed as he looked around him. It was then he noticed little sparkling things around them. If it wasn''t because of his good eyesight, he probably did not notice them.

    He walked over to the shiny things and realized that these were wolfsbane crystals. His eyes widened in surprise. Where did these come from?

    He looked over at Una, who was the closest to the crystals. It was no wonder that she was looking tired and weak.

    He immediately shouted at Paccia, who was still holding on, fighting against the warlocks. "Paccia! Need your help here!"

    Paccia gritted her teeth as she quickly casted spell after spell. As much as she wanted to go to Dane''s side, these warlocks did not give her any leeway.

    Just then, two of the Cesaro packmates had joined in to help Paccia. Although they looked worn out by the heavy breathing that they exhaled, it did not stop them from trying to help her.

    Now that Paccia has less pressure, she silently thanked them by giving them protective spells and moved over to Dane.

    When Dane told her about the wolfsbane crystal, her eyes widened in surprise. It was no wonder their strength gradually reduced. She walked over to where the crystals were and saw that there were a lot scattered around them.

    She tried to destroy them but she only made them shattered into smaller pieces. It would be much harder to destroy them when it was small.

    While Dane was fighting off one of the rogues and at the same time, preventing them from getting near Paccia, he heard a shout from the other side of the fight.

    Skoll was beaten up badly that he fell unconscious, blood was seen bleeding down his mane. It seems that one of the rogues had managed to claw through his mane. Beside him, Artemis was not doing so well, either.

    Before Dane could shout to the others to help them, a dreadful feeling came over him.

    He snarled when he saw three large shifters, even larger than Artemis walked over to them. Dane sniffed the newcomers and felt their arrivals were not good news.

    He could sense that these newcomers were rogues but there was something off about them. He could not be sure what it was.

    One thing he knew was that this is not good.

 Chapter 153 - 146: The mutated rogues

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    Paccia kept casting spells non-stop, trying to destroy the wolfbanes crystals that had scattered around. Instead, it only ended up shattering them into smaller bits, which does not help much as the shifters around her were slowly getting weaker. What made her feel more anxious was the fact that it did not affect their opponents as they were becoming more hyped up. It was as if the wolfsbane crystals did not have any effect on them.

    While she was casting spells and at the same time, trying to protect the injured shifters, Dane and the others were getting tired, trying to push the rogues and warlocks back. But it proved to be difficult.

    Skoll was already unconscious, where he laid on the ground, being protected by the other Cesaro packmates. Una was with them, fighting off the rest of the rogues and warlocks. Despite being an elder, she actually was not used to fighting, especially for long duration. Hence, this has taken a toll on her.

    Apparently, the more they were killing off the rogues and warlocks, there were more coming in. It was unsure where they came from.

    Artemis himself was already fighting against three rogues and a warlock. Although he was at the advantage, it does not mean that he can hold up for that long. One could see the exhaustion in his eyes but the determination and the resolve to win persist more.

    Dane was fighting against one of the rogues when he felt something bad was about to happen. He could feel the atmosphere in the area started to change.

    He smelled a hideous scent coming at him at full speed. He turned around and saw three more shifters coming and they didn''t look friendly at all. In fact, he was not sure whether he could call them rogue when he saw them.

    They were huge and brawny with fur covering their whole body. Their fangs were long and sharp, that it reached below their chin. Dane could sense something off about them as spittles drip down their fangs onto the ground. There were craziness and madness reverberating off them and resentful lunacy can be seen glinting in their dark eyes. It was then Dane realized that these three shifters were not pure shifters.

    Truthfully, it looked as if they had been experimented on!

    Before Dane could react, one of them had already jumped in and kicked him on the chest.

    Blood spurted out of Dane as he was sent flying across the area. He soon hit a tree, breaking it. The tree broke and fell on top of Dane, making him a bit dizzy. He spurted out more blood as he could feel his bones cracking. He gritted in pain, his eyes flashing in anger.

    "Dane!" Elias, Kaius and Aric shouted in surprise.

    Elias broke free from the rogue he was fighting earlier and landed a kick on the shifter that had kicked Dane. The kick only managed to push the mutated rogue a few meters away.

    With an insidious smile on his face, the rogue wiped his spittle off his jaw before leaping to counter-attack Elias. The two began to exchange blows one after another, sending dust flying around them.

    Both Aric and Kaius tried to fight the other two mutated rogues but unfortunately, one of them managed to break free and began to run towards Dane who was staggering to get up.

    Just as Dane got up, the rogue pulled his claw back into a fist and punched the former. However, Dane managed to block the punch by placing his two arms in front of him. The force, though, was still able to push him a few meters away. Again, he could feel the bones in his arm about to break. This mutated rogue was really strong!

    Dane then pushed his arms forward, together with the rogue. After that, he turned his claws to the front and swiped down, succeeding in clawing the front of the rogue.

    The rogue snarled in pain as he took a step back. There was a huge claw mark on his chest with blood dripping from the wound.

    On the other side, Aric and Kaius had their hands full, fighting against one of the mutated rogues. It seems that they had to work together to deal with one mutated rogue.

    Just then, one of the rogues who had been fighting with Elias earlier, came over. He thought that with the power of the mutated rogues and himself, they would be able to finish these shifters.

    Unfortunately, he did not expect that he would be used as a sacrifice as the mutated rogue grabbed him and pushed him to the front. The blow that Aric was about to punch hit the pitiful rogue.

    Aric''s eyes narrowed when he saw how heartless the rogue was to abandon the other to slaughter.

    But he continued to land more blows, ending the rogue''s life. The rogue''s eyes widened even after he had died as he did not envision himself being used as a shield. After the rogue died, Aric was about to help Kaius who was fighting with the mutated rogue when Elias nearly slammed into him.

    He swiftly avoided Elias and asked whether he was fine.

    After giving a grim nod at Aric, Elias immediately springed onto the other mutated rogue who had pushed him back, continuing their attacks against each other.

    As for Artemis, one of his claws was holding up one of the rogues in the air. And with a twist of his claw, he broke the rogue''s neck, killing him off. Another rogue was under him, his head directly underneath his paw. After he had killed the rogue in his claw, he immediately put more power in his paw and crushed the rogue''s head beneath him.

    Seeing his two companions being killed, the other rogue screamed in anger as he rushed towards Artemis. The warlock who had been helping them weakly tried to get up after he was sent flying by the Cesaro Alpha.

    Before the rogue could reach Artemis, the latter was already in front of him. The rogue spurted blood as his eyes widened in shock. He did not know how the Alpha managed to be in front of him but Artemis had his claw through his underbelly.

    Artemis swiftly pushed his claw through, making a hole in the rogue''s underbelly. And then he pushed his claw upwards until he reached the heart. It was as if he was cutting through a paper at how easily he stabbed the rogue.

    With the heart in his claw, Artemis pulled the heart out, killing the rogue.

    The warlock backed away after he dropped back to the ground once more in fear. His eyes widened in terror as he watched Artemis crush the heart in his claw, without any expression on his face.

    He could feel himself peeing when Artemis turned his gaze on him. He tried to get up but the latter already had him in his claw.

    Instead of killing him straight away, Artemis turned to the other Cesaro packmates who were helping to guard the unconscious Skoll. Seeing that they were holding up on their own, he rushed off to help the Kendall pack, dragging the warlock behind him.

    Although Elias could hold himself up against the mutated rogue, it was still at a standstill. And unfortunately, Elias was slowly getting tired due to the wolfsbane crystals that were still scattered around them. The mutated rogue, on the other hand, was getting stronger.

    "Elias!"

    Elias turned his head to see Artemis running towards him, an unconscious warlock in his claw, froth foaming in the latter''s mouth.

    Knowing what the Cesaro Alpha was about to do, Elias leaned back and within seconds, something came flying at them and hit the mutated rogue in front of them.

    Surprised at the sudden attack, the rogue was hit on the chest, sending the two of them flying across the area.

    But before they landed, Artemis had already leaped on top of them, pushing them to the ground.

    Gritting in pain, the rogue snarled and elbowed the warlock off him.

    The warlock was pitiful. Still unconscious but he was still being used as a shield when Artemis wanted to punch the rogue.

    With the warlock acting as a shield, the mutated gripped the neck of the warlock and swung the latter towards Artemis.

    Just as the warlock was thrown at Artemis, Elias had already jumped on the back of the mutated rogue. With his legs around the underbelly of the rogue, Elias grabbed the head and twisted it around.

    Feeling unsatisfied at the rogue''s quick death, Elias continued to rain down punches on the back of the rogue, dropping them two to the ground.

    With a final blow to the back of the rogue''s mane, Elias'' claw pushed through the mane, stabbing through, spurting blood all over Elias.

    Before Elias could get up, another mutated rogue jumped onto him, preventing him from getting.

    Surprised at the appearance of the rogue because he knew that this was the rogue who fought with Dane earlier.

    He turned his head and his eyes widened when he saw Dane sprawled on the ground.

    "Dane!"

 Chapter 154 - 147: More than one way to skin a cat

    "Dane!"

    Blinking his eyes from the dizziness, Dane laid down on the ground, trying to gain his balance. He could hear his name being called out. There was worry and panic in the tone.

    Spurting out blood, he looked down at his chest. There was a huge claw mark in his front. He could see his flesh protruding out from the wound. It was no wonder that he had fallen unconscious. He had lost too much blood.

    Spitting out more blood, he tried to get up. He winced in pain as he unceremoniously fell back down on the ground.

    Just then, he slowly no longer felt light-headed. Instead, he felt kind of warm. He looked around him. Although he could see Paccia working hard to destroy the wolfsbane crystals, it was still around them.

    Then he heard a sizzling sound from below him and his eyes widened in shock as he watched the wounds on his chest start to frizzle. He could see the edges of his wounds starting to heal, closing the wound.

    ''My powers are slowly coming back,'' he thought in relief.

    It was then he became more determined to look for his other part of his souls to fully merge them together.

    Una, who had been fighting off other rogues and warlocks, together with some of the Cesaro packmates, ran over to him. "Dane!" she shouted, worry laced in her voice. She crouched down and her eyes widened when she saw his wound was healing. She could have sworn that she had seen a huge wound on his chest. She looked at the shiftˇ­ no, the lycan in front of her.

    ''He really is the Lycan prince,'' she thought in wonder.

    Dane immediately blinked his eyes furiously. He looked to the side and saw Una looking at him, a worried expression on her face.

    Seeing that Dane was alright, Una quickly got up and stood in front of him, as if she was trying to protect him. "I''ll guard you, Dane. You try and rest up for a while," she offered.

    At that moment, the other shifters were too busy fighting with the mutated rogues. Aric and Kaius were working together to go against one of them, while Artemis and Elias were engaged in combating with the other.

    Dane slowly got up and shook his head. "You go and help Paccia, Una," he said. "Find a way to destroy those crystals."

    Una had been fighting with the other rogues and warlocks earlier so she doesn''t know about the crystals. When Dane explained as to why the shifters were getting weaker due to the crystals, she finally understood. At first, she thought it was weird as to why the shifters on their sides were weakening, whereas their opponents were getting stronger.

    She nodded grimly. Even if wolfsbane was noted as a werewolf''s weakness, she would need to strengthen herself to overcome the weakness.

    After giving a last look at Dane, she rushed over to where Paccia was chanting her spells and at the same time, trying to defend herself against the remaining warlocks.

    Dane was about to assist the others with the mutated rogues, however, before he could reach them, Artemis looked over and shouted for him to stop.

    Dane frowned, wondering why the Cesaro Alpha had stopped him.

    He waited as he watched the Alpha and Elias attacked the mutated rogue. Despite fighting the Alpha and the Beta, it seems like the mutated rogue can hold on, even if Dane could sense that the latter was getting exhausted.

    When there was an opportunity where the rogue accidentally missed, Artemis jumped up and sent a kick towards the rogue''s chest. Blood spurted out from the rogue''s mouth as bones cracking could be heard.

    Artemis then shouted his order. He shouted to Kaius, who was fighting against one of the rogues, to go with Dane to get to the mansion. And as for Elias, he should replace Kaius to assist Aric.

    Although Artemis has no power to command an order to the Kendall packs, Elias sees no problem in this as he immediately rushes over to Aric. Shifters, especially the werewolves, were known to be a proud living being. But at that moment, they do not have the pleasure to think about their image, other than to destroy these rogues.

    "Just go straight to the north!" Elias yelled as he exchanged blows with one of the rogues. "You will see the mansion right ahead!"

    The mutated rogue that had been fighting with Artemis tried to block Dane and Kaius'' path, "You won''t get away that easily!" he roared.

    He ran past Artemis, avoiding the latter''s punches and went straight at Dane and Kaius, who were running from the area.

    Behind the two shifters, the rogue jumped and was about to drop a powerful punch at the two. However, before the punch could reach them, Artemis had already appeared at his side and sent a kick at him.

    The rogue has a quick reflex where he swiftly pulled back his paw and spiralled around to avoid the kick from Artemis.

    The two dropped to the ground on their paws.

    "Go quickly!" Artemis yelled as he rushed towards the rogue.

    Soon after, Dane and Kaius left the area.

    They ran until they could no longer hear any sounds of the fighting from behind them. But that did not stop them from lowering their guard as they became more cautious. Worried that they might be ambushed or attacked from behind, they ran faster while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

    It was unsure how long they had run but for them, it felt like hours as they still could not see any infrastructure or building. Not even a glimpse.

    The two shifters were worried that they might have gotten in the wrong direction or went on a different route after they left the others. But from what they had recalled, they had been running straight, without any turns.

    At some point, Kaius had stopped and suggested going back to retrace their steps. But Dane shook his head, rejecting his suggestion. He thought they would waste more time doing that and that they should just continue on.

    Hence, they resumed their run.

    After more running, Dane finally caught sight of a roof just ahead of them. He shouted at Kaius to run ahead.

    Soon after, they stood a few metres away from the mansion, hiding behind the trees before the building. They were squatting on the branches of the trees as they surveyed their surroundings.

    Although the mansion looks to be empty and abandoned, Dane could sense that there were people inside. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the structure before him. There were veins all over the huge mansion and the door seemed impenetrable as it was locked shut.

    "What should we do?" Kaius asked. He does not know what was happening at the moment. But ever since they got nearer to the mansion, he felt something inside him stirring in excitement.

    He wasn''t sure why but he brushed that aside as his anticipation to fight.

    Dane was quiet as he tried to think of the possibilities that they could do.

    "Seeing that the door seems to be locked. And there was no other way to get in but to crash through there, that''s probably our only option," Dane said. "But we should sneak in, rather than to crash in. I''m not sure what or who is inside but just the two of usˇ­ We probably will not be able to make it out alive."

    "And the Alpha did not say that we should fight our way in but rather, find a way to get my mate and the others out," he continued.

    "Then what do you suggest we do?" Kaius asked.

    Dane went quiet again, thinking.

    He then looked up and narrowed his eyes. He could see that there were more trees at the back of the mansion. Even if the entrance of the building was blocked, it does not mean there were no other paths. There''s more than one way to skin a cat.

    "Lets go to the back."

 Chapter 155 - 148: Lets go!

    Bastian blinked his eyes furiously. His eyes were so dry, it stings whenever he blinked. He could feel needles pricking his skin. When he tried to lift his arm, he found out that he couldn''t.

    Soon after, he finally was able to open his eyes. And what greeted him was a blinding light, making him feel a bit dizzy for a few seconds. He then heard a snicker on his right. He weakly turned his head and saw the same guy who had trapped them before, outside the bbq restaurant, crouching beside him.

    "Finally awake?" Krys asked, smiling cheekily, his hands cupping his chin as he watched the weak Bastian.

    "Whaˇ­" Bastian tried to speak but found that his throat was dry as well.

    Krys immediately tut-tutted at him, shaking his pointer finger in front of him, while shaking his head. "Uh, uh, uh," he said, "Your throat seems to be dry. You can''t say anything now."

    Ignoring the blazing eyes of Bastian, Krys looked around him, while still squatting on the floor. "Huuuuuuuh," he said slowly. "I''m so bored. I wonder what shall I do since the boss isn''t here?"

    He turned back to Bastian, who was now struggling to break free from the bind that held him to the bed. He talked to the latter, as if he was chatting with a friend at a coffee shop. "Did you know that Lord Rehan had left me all alone here? I''m so bored."

    He looked over to where Bastian''s blood was flowing out and in the apparatus at the middle of the room. "He said that I have to wait until the drip is done," he replied. He then looked at Bastian, whose lips had turned purple from lack of oxygen and blood.

    Krys let out a small chuckle. "It seems like you''re going to be dead before the drip is done, though," he joked.

    He then got up and walked over to where the huge apparatus was still working, pumping more blood from Bastian. "It''s interesting to see a lycan''s blood," he murmured as he watched the blood flow in.

    Turning around, he looked at Bastian again, who looked at him as well with wide eyes. From the moment Krys mentioned lycan, Bastian felt like his mind was blown out of sorts. Lycan? What lycan? What the heck is going on here?

    Noticing the surprised look on Bastian''s face, Krys laughed out loud. He was laughing so hard that he fell on the floor, clutching his stomach. If Amber saw him now, she would be shell-shocked! He looked and acted way different from the serious young man whom she first met and interacted in school.

    Krys brushed a tear from the corner of his eye, after he got up from the floor. He walked over to the young shifter and said mockingly, "What? Didn''t your daddy tell you?"

    "Or perhaps, he didn''t know himself?" he surmised.

    Krys leaned closer to Bastian and said softly, "Your little beast has one of the lycan''s powers."

    -----

    Peeking through the leaves of the trees where the two shifters were hiding, Kaius looked out and squinted his eyes, checking their whole surroundings.

    He sniffed and told Dane, who was crouching behind him that it was safe.

    Dane suddenly let out a light chuckle.

    Kaius frowned as he looked over behind his shoulder. "What''s wrong, Dane?"

    "I''d never thought that I would stoop this low to hide here, rather than crashing in," he said mockingly, snorting.

    Kaius just kept quiet as he looked at the prideful shifter behind him. He then turned back around to continue surveying the place.

    An hour nearly passed by and once they were sure that there really wasn''t anyone around the vicinity, Kaius suggested departing immediately.

    The two shifters stealthy jumped down from the trees and quietly went to the back of the mansion. As they got closer, they were surprised to see a huge open area, just behind the building.

    Thinking that there might be traps around, Dane told Kaius to wait while he looked around, since he has stronger senses, compared to the latter.

    Dane walked to the front alone. After a few steps, he stopped as he immediately went on guard. He looked around him. He could feel something was off in the surroundings. He took a sniff and could not find anything suspicious.

    It was then he looked to the front and felt something really was off. He took a small step forward and stretched out his arm. Just as he extended his arm, he could feel something solid in front of him. He frowned. Seems like there was an invisible barrier in front of him. Similar to the one that they had encountered back then.

    He curled his paw into a fist and knocked on the barrier.

    *Knock, knock*

    He narrowed his eyes as he frowned.

    Last time Erick and the others weren''t able to disable the invisible barrier. It was the same now. Dane really has no idea how.

    He went back to where Kaius was waiting, wanting to discuss with the latter on how to disable the barrier when he saw a strange expression on the latter''s face.

    "What''s wrong?" Dane asked, looking concerned. Kaius was starting to act weird. He was panting heavily as his eyes widened in bloodshot. His claws looked sharp, curling outwards, as if he was ready to pounce on something.

    Kaius turned his bloodshot eyes at Dane and growled. "My mateˇ­"

    -----

    After filling her stomach with the not-so delicious meal that was thrown to her, Makena felt like her energy had returned. Although she hasn''t completely healed, she wasn''t as weak as compared to before.

    She got up from the floor, brushed away the remaining specks and dirt from her dress. She looked around her and felt something amiss. She walked to the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. What happened to that guy? He usually locked the door after he left this room.

    Makena slowly opened the door, her heart beating furiously as she cursed silently when the door creaked. Peeking out the door, she looked left and right, checking whether there was anyone wandering or inspecting the place.

    She took a discreet sniff and was surprised once more to find nothing suspicious, other than a scent of a human being in a room not far from hers.

    She walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind her, silently cursing again because of the creaking sound the door emitted out.

    She followed the scent, curious to know how and why a human being was caught.

    A few steps further, she finally saw a metallic door, similar to where she was caged in. She looked left and right, ensuring that there wasn''t anyone and then she grabbed the doorknob. To her surprise, the door was unlocked as well. She frowned. What was going on?

    She slowly opened the door. Unfortunately, the door creaked as well, gaining the attention of the young girl who was caged inside.

    Amber was sitting inside the cage, her heart feeling unstable as her mind kept thinking of the possibilities of what would happen to her. It had been more than three hours since Bastian had been dragged away. Since then, there hadn???t been any news about him. The man was gone as well. He hasn''t stopped by ever since he left with Bastian.

    Hearing the door creaked, she felt like her heart was in her throat, thinking that the man had returned.

    Her eyes widened when she saw an auburn head peeking in with her huge green eyes. The woman''s eyes widened too when she saw Amber staring back at her.

    The woman walked in and slowly closed the door behind her. She then quickly rushed over to where Amber was. She got down on her knees, her hands on the metal bars of the cage. "Are you a human?" she asked.

    Amber was surprised. She did not expect that this would be her first question. Baffled, she could only nod. It was then she realized that the woman in front of her must be a shifter.

    "How did you get here?" the woman asked.

    "I was kidnapped."

    "But why? Do you have a special power or something?" the woman asked again. She was stupefied as to why a human being was kidnapped. A normal human being, too. She knew that the people here would only want to capture those with unique powers to create or make a being stronger than anyone.

    Amber looked down at her feet, not knowing what to answer. She had just grabbed onto Bastian without any second thought. Who would have known that she was dragged into this mess as well.

    The woman pursed her lips as she looked around her. She then turned to Amber and introduced herself. "My name is Makena."

    "Amber."

    "Were you all alone here since then?"

    Amber shook her head. "I was with a youngˇ­ shifter earlier. I was kidnapped along with him. But I think they were targeting him from the beginning. I just got caught up in this," she answered.

    Makena looked around her once more. "Where is he now?"

    Amber shrugged. "He was dragged out by this guy."

    "A fat guy?"

    Amber covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes finally showed a happy glint. "Pfft. Yeah," she said, giggling.

    Not noticing that she had made the other young woman laugh, Makena got up and walked around the cage. When she stood in front of the door of the cage, she peered in at the lock.

    She touched the cage and found that there was probably some magical mechanism being placed inside since she could not detect Rae in her mind.

    Makena scowled. She then gripped the doorknob of the cage. Although she could not detect Rae, it did not mean that her strength was gone as well. And having eaten and rested for some time, she already recovered well and a measly door like this does not hinder her from dest-- opening it.

    And so she did.

    She gripped the doorknob and crushed them in her fist.

    Amber''s eyes widened in shock as she watched the doorknob crushed easily in her hand. Debris from the material turned to dust. Makena quickly brushed her hands away and pulled the door open.

    Walking in the cage, she stood in front of Amber. "Let''s go," Makena said, offering her hand to the other woman.

 Chapter 156 - 149: Trapped

    A few minutes prior to Makena and Amber''s escape, the sucking of Bastian''s blood was finally complete. And by then, Bastian had completely gone unconscious. To ensure that he was still alive, Krys had checked Bastian''s pulse and found that he was still alive. What a pity.

    He grabbed the glass flask that was filled with Bastian''s blood and transferred it in a more secure test tube. Then he placed the test tube in a fridge, near the huge apparatus. After he was done, he returned to where Bastian was still lying down and began to tighten the binds that secure him.

    Since he was a warlock, not a shifter, he could not tell what was going on outside or even inside as he continued to do whatever Rehan had tasked him to do.

    Just then, he heard a beeping sound from his pocket. He reached inside his pocket and took out the metal rod that he had taken earlier. After Rehan had ordered the man to release the mutated rogues, Rehan had covertly told him to follow.

    Without the man noticing that Krys had followed him, the man had gone on to release the mutated rogues, not knowing that would be the last task Rehan would give him.

    Krys had waited for the mutated rogues to leave the place before going to where the man''s corpse laid.

    He shook his head ruefully with his hands on his h.i.p.s, looking down at the grotesque body. The man''s body was torn apart, without anything attached in one. He kicked some bloody parts of the man and finally saw what he had been looking for.

    He cringed in disgust when he saw it was covered with blood and other body fluids.

    He conjured up a simple water spell and splashed the metal rod, cleansing it. Once it was ''cleaned'' off, he conjured up another spell, this time, wind spell. He casted the spell on the rod, drying it.

    After he was sure that the metal rod was ''cleaned'', Krys picked it up and returned back to the mansion.

    And at that moment, the same metal rod was beeping. From what he remembered of what Rehan told him about the rod, it was used to ''discipline'' a shifter that they had caged in here and that the beeping sound was usually due to the shifter probably walking out of their cage.

    After doing a final check on Bastian, making sure that he was still unconscious, he left the room and went to look for the other ''misbehaving'' shifter.

    -----

    Makena and Amber had just left the room. And at first, the two young women had no clue on what to do next.

    Seeing the blank look on Amber''s face, Makena rubbed her forehead in consternation. ''Of course, she wouldn''t know where to go,'' she thought grimly.

    Then she remembered the open space that she always had her run. She turned to Amber, who was waiting for her idea, and said, "Follow me!"

    Amber nodded.

    Makena guided Amber to where the man used to bring her for her run. The place wasn''t that far from where they currently were. They were quiet as they walked.

    When they reached the familiar door, Makena went up and pushed it. A small breeze greeted her once she opened the door. It felt good as it has been a while since she last went on a run.

    But just as she had stepped outside, her nerves began to tingle. She could feel her heart beating so fast that she gasped for hair. She did not know what was happening. She suddenly dropped down on her knees.

    Amber''s eyes widened in shock. Makena still looked fine when she walked out the door. Why did she suddenly fall on her knees? She quickly rushed to Makena''s side. "What happened?"

    Makena did not answer her as she looked out to where the forest was.

    Amber was startled. Makena looked so different at that moment. Amber could see fangs starting to lengthen and her eyes had turned deep amber.

    She became more startled when she heard Makena''s raspy yet soft voice saying, "Mateˇ­"

    Amber frowned as she too looked out at the forest where Makena was still staring at. ''Mate?'' she thought. She remembered having this kind of feeling as well.

    Before she could react, Makena had disappeared from her side and was rushing towards the forest.

    Amber quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind. But it was hard chasing a shifter with that kind of speed. By the time she was near Makena, she was breathing heavily as she bent down, trying to catch her breath. Her hands were on her knees.

    She panted. "Makena?"

    Makena just stood there, her eyes narrowed. She then pulled back her fist and punched something in front of her.

    At first, Amber thought she was just punching air since there was nothing there. She was surprised when Makena''s fist hit something, sending huge vibrations around them. Amber nearly fell down, due to the strong tremors.

    Her eyes widened when she realized that there was a huge invisible barrier in front of them. It was the same when she and the others were trapped near the BBQ restaurant before. She took a step forward and knocked on the barrier. There really was a barrier!

    Soon after, Makena started to punch the barrier in front of her, non-stop. Tremors reverberated throughout the area, nearly sending Amber flying.

    Makena ignored the trembling as she continued to hit the barrier, until her fists bleed.

    "Makena, stop!" Amber shouted, grabbing her arm to make her stop punching. Seeing her fists become bloody, Amber felt concern and worried for her. She did not know why and how the latter became like this but Amber knew that she needed to stop Makena from hurting herself.

    But it was as if she did not hear Amber as she shook away Amber''s hold and continued to pound against the barrier. Her fists became bloodier as she punched the barrier, blood dripping down to the ground.

    Just then, there was a buzzing sound and suddenly, Makena was jolted in place. She quickly grabbed the collar on her neck, trying to remove it. But she couldn''t. She felt her limbs and body starting to become numb as the shock went all over her. White foams started to froth in her mouth as her body weakened.

    And before she fell to the ground, Amber had quickly rushed to her, holding her up in her arms. Amber began to panic, not knowing what was happening.

    She then saw the collar on Makena''s neck, with a red light blinking. She did not dare touch it lest she might get electrocuted.

    Moments later, she could hear a light chuckle coming from behind her. Amber turned her head and was shocked to see Krys walking towards them.

    He was wearing a thin black robe with black pants. His hair fluttered with the wind as he approached them, a small smirk on his face. He was tapping a metal rod on his hand.

    "Well, well," he said, still chuckling. "Is this the shifter that they kept here?"

    He stood in front of the two young women. He then bent down and used the end of the metal rod to lift Makena''s chin up. He looked at her, ignoring the wrath in her eyes.

    He then looked down at her fists, which already healed. He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise. "So, this is the so-called fast healing of a lycan," he surmised.

    Amber too looked down at Makena''s hands and was shocked to find that it was no longer bleeding. There wasn''t even a scar or scratch on her hands.

    Krys walked up to where the barrier was and knocked on it. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow," he said in awe. "I did not expect this to be a strong one. It''s even stronger than the one that I''ve made back then. Lord Rehan is indeed a powerful warlock."

    He turned his head at the two young women; one was glaring at him while the other was looking at him fearfully.

    "Let''s go back inside, alright?"

 Chapter 157 - 150: Little reunion

    "Let''s go back inside, alright?"

    Makena snarled at the young warlock standing in front of her.

    She did not like the way he was staring at her and the fact that he smells foul makes her want to kill him.

    "Krys, why are you doing this?" Amber shouted, still holding Makena in her arms.

    Krys pretended to think and then cheerfully said, "Because it''s fun!"

    Amber was flabbergasted into silence at how insensitive and thick-skinned this young man was.

    Krys pressed the button on the metal rod once more, jolting Makena, who gritted her teeth, trying to withstand the pain.

    He then flicked his wrist where he was holding the metal rod. And suddenly, Makena was pulled away from Amber''s grasp. Krys then began walking back to the mansion with Makena being dragged behind him. It was as if there was an invisible rope that was pulling her.

    Surprised, Amber could only watch Makena being pulled away.

    She quickly ran after the two of them. "Stop! Where are you taking her, you monster??" she yelled angrily.

    Krys stopped and slowly turned to face her. His face no longer showed that fake cheerful look. But instead, he looked scary as his face darkened. "Monster?" he repeated slowly. "Who did you call a monster?"

    Amber froze. She unconsciously took a step back, away from his anger.

    "The only monster you see here is this!" Krys snorted. When he said, ''this'', his hand punched the already-weakened Makena on the face.

    "Makena!" Amber shouted as she ran towards the other young woman.

    Before Amber could reach the woman, they heard a huge crash from behind them.

    Both Amber and Krys whirled around in surprise.

    Just a few metres away, there was a shifter lying on the ground, his body was heavily wounded. There were cuts all over his body with blood bleeding from the gashs. And it looked as if he was unconscious.

    Makena looked up and when she saw the fallen shifter, it appeared that she had gone mad. She struggled to get up, ignoring the pain in her body. She then ran towards the shifter as she screamed,

    "Nooooooo!"

    Soon after, Makena appeared by the shifter''s side, looking worried. "Mateˇ­" she said softly as she lifted him in the arms.

    Amber was shocked once more. That was the same shifter that was with her and the others in front of the BBQ restaurant. And from what she had recalled, that was actually Hamish.

    Seeing that was actually Hamish in his werewolf counterpart, Amber felt a bit happy and relieved. If Hamish was hereˇ­

    She looked behind the couple and her eyes widened.

    Another shifter jumped in from behind them. The shifter was huge, more so than Hamish''s werewolf. But what she noticed the most was the white streak covering almost all of his mane, looking bright and pure as snow, leaving his front body, head and legs pitch black.

    Although the face of the shifter looked familiar, she did not remember seeing a half-white shifter before.

    Before she could say a word, the shifter disappeared and suddenly, Amber felt she was being lifted in a hug.

    Her eyes widened when she felt furry arms embracing her. Then she felt her nose tickled as a furry head nestled between her neck and shoulder.

    "Mateˇ­" the shifter said softly in his raspy voice.

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously in surprise. "Erick?" she said, unsure.

    Dane pulled back and nodded. "Yes, Erick is me. I''m also Dane, his wolf counterpart," he replied. "Are you alright?" he continued to ask.

    Amber nodded back. She then looked over to where Makena and Kaius were. "What about him? Will he be alright?"

    Dane looked over as well. He then approached them, with Amber following behind him. He stopped in front of Makena and Kaius.

    He then looked at Makena and said, "I''m sure you can heal him, don''t you?"

    Makena''s eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. Soon after, she immediately slashed her arm, making it bleed. And before the wound heals, she quickly placed her wounded arm above Kaius. The blood from the arm dropped down inside Kaius'' mouth.

    In just mere seconds, the wounds on Kaius'' body were healing rapidly, much to Amber''s surprise. She did not expect to see something so unreal.

    "How did you know?" Makena asked, looking up at Dane.

    "Rae."

    From that name, Makena became even more surprised. How did he know the name of her werewolf counterpart?

    Makena then felt something inside her starting to stir. It was as if Rae was telling her to shift. And so she did.

    Without any shame, she stripped out of her clothes and began to shift in front of them. In a split second, a brown shifter with a hint of white streak on her abdomen suddenly stood where Makena was crouching earlier.

    Her eyes opened, showing clear beautiful amber eyes. Her gaze landed on Dane and she then kneeled in front of the latter. "I greet the Lycan prince, Dane," Rae said with respect.

    "Rise," Dane said.

    Rae stood up and said, "It has been centuries, my prince."

    "Yes, it has," Dane commented. He then looked down at where Kaius was still healing yet unconscious. "So, he is your mate?"

    Turning to look down at Kaius, with a soft smile on her face, Rae nodded.

    "Then I will leave him to you. He has sacrificed a lot, just to break the barrier."

    Rae smiled. "There is no need for you to instruct me, my prince," she said. "I definitely will protect him, even if you did say no."

    Dane chuckled. "You''ve never changed."

    "So, are you done with your little reunion?"

    Dane and the other two turned to see Krys looking at them, mockingly smiling as he twirled the metal rod in his hand.

    "Did you forget that I have this with me?" Krys said as he continued to twirl the rod.

    He then pressed the button on the rod once more. Rae immediately dropped to the ground, her paw gripping the collar on her neck. She gritted her fangs in anger, trying to endure the pain that jolted around in her body.

    Dane''s eyes narrowed. It seems like the metal rod was the thing that used to control the collar on Rae''s neck.

    He then said to Rae, "Please protect my mate as well. Try to bear the pain for a while. I will go and kill this son of a biatch for you."

    Rae nodded quickly.

    Hearing the words from Dane, Amber quickly rushed over to Makena and stood behind her.

    Krys laughed out loud. "Do you think that with your new profound powers, you''d be able to kill me?" he said mockingly.

    Dane punched a fist to his other paw, cricking his neck as he slowly approached the young warlock. "These are not new, though. I just got them back."

    "But you are still weak, though," Krys retorted back.

    "Lets just see about that," Dane said.

    Before Krys could say another word, Dane suddenly appeared by his side. Pulling back his paw, he placed his strength in his fisted paw and hit the former.

    Krys was then sent flying through the area.

    But before he crashed into something, he had already stabilized himself and jumped into standing.

    And apparently, while he was sent flying, he was already chanting some spells. His hand was stretching out as if he was grabbing something.

    Behind Dane, a tree was suddenly pulled out from its root.

    Following Krys'' hand movement, after he stood up, he pulled back his hand. It was then the uprooted tree flew across the area, heading straight for Dane.

    "Dane!"

    "My prince!"

    Hearing the shouts from behind, Dane jumped aside, missing the tree by a hair''s breadth. His eyes narrowed as he watched the tree crash against the other trees.

    Not wanting to waste any more time, Dane quickly jumped towards Krys, his claw pulled back behind him. He then slashed at the latter, who evaded the attack.

    Although a warlock was not strong when it comes to close combat, it seems like Krys was quick which helped him to overcome his weakness.

    Dane went for blows one after another, which Krys skillfully avoided until he made a slip, which caused one of Dane''s hits to reach him.

    The slash of Dane''s claw went from the side of Krys'' cheek to his stomach, tearing his clothes and making the latter drop the metal rod.

    There was now a huge gash on Krys'' left cheek, which probably will end up becoming a scar.

    Knowing that his face was now disfigured, wrath filled Krys'' mind and body as his eyes blazed with anger.

    "You fecking b*stard! You fecking ruined my face!" Krys screamed.

    Dane smirked. "I''ll leave you more than just a scar."

 Chapter 158 - 151: Trust me

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    A couple of kilometers away from where the mansion was, although Dane was doing fine, handling Krys on his own, it wasn''t the same for Artemis and the others.

    After Dane and Kaius left them to handle the mutated rogues, other rogues and warlocks, they were slowly weakening. The fact that Paccia has not been able to destroy the wolfsbane crystals, it does not bode well for Artemis and the others.

    Artemis was already tired before Dane had left. And now that he had to fight against one of the mutated rogues alone, it was not easy.

    Paws and claws were exchanged. Blood was spilled all over.

    The grass that was once green was now dyed in red.

    The mutated rogue that was fighting with Artemis had a wild grin on his face, making him look horribly scary, rather than good looking. The glint in his eyes was wild as he continued to rain punches on Artemis, who was now reduced to defense.

    His other packmates wanted to rush over to assist their Alpha but stopped when the latter sent over a mindlink, saying to back off. Knowing that Skoll was still unconscious, he did not want to risk having him killed.

    All he could do was to command them to protect Skoll and assist Una who was fighting against other rogues and warlocks.

    Paccia herself was not in good conditions, either. The many chants and spells she did was now taking a toll on her. Although she did manage to destroy the crystals by then, it did not do much effect as the mutated rogues were still getting stronger.

    Both Aric and Elias thought it would be easy to deal with the mutated rogues, seeing how they managed to kill one of them already. But this was their mistake of underestimating their opponents. What they do not know was that the rogue that they had killed was the weakest mutated rogue among them and was new to his power.

    One of Aric''s claws had been chopped off but that did not hinder him from attacking. He was the shifter trainer, after all. It wouldn''t do him good if he was to let his disability make him weak.

    The mutated rogue was exchanging blows with Elias when Aric jumped up, pulling his arm back. He then pushed his elbow to the front and was about to slam it against the back of the rogue. However, it seems like the rogue has a stronger sense than Aric as he managed to avoid Aric''s attack and slammed his elbow instead on Aric, pushing the latter to the ground, creating a small crater.

    The rogue was about to slam his claw at Aric''s back, as if he was about to rip the mane apart when his claw was pulled and twisted back by Elias.

    And without giving the rogue any chance to retaliate, Elias twisted the arm more, pulling the arm off its socket, resulting in screams of agony.

    The rogue tried to kick Elias away but the latter managed to avoid the attack.

    Seeing that he could not move his right arm, the rogue became furious. He was about to lunged on Elias when Aric, who had been lying facefront on the ground, lifted his legs and scissor-locked the rogue between his legs.

    Filled with fury at his interruption, the rogue clawed frenziedly on Aric''s legs.

    By then, Aric''s legs were unrecognizable as claw marks covered both of his legs. But he could only endure the pain as he, instead, strengthened his scissor-lock on the rogue, preventing him from moving.

    Just as Aric felt like his legs were about to weaken, Elias had jumped in, his claw heading straight for the face of the rogue. His two sharp fingers accurately landed in the eyes of the rogue, eliciting a scream. He pushed more force in his fingers until it clawed through the head, cutting the head in half horizontally.

    Flicking the blood away from his claw, Elias turned around to see the rogue slowly dropped down to the ground, half of his head cut off.

    As if it wasn''t enough, Elias stepped on the rogue''s chest where the heart beat and pushed his paw down, making a hole. Looking over, his eyes widened when he saw the condition Aric was in.

    Aric weakly smiled before falling to ground, unconscious.

    "Aric!"

    -----

    Lachlan was in his office, trying to do some work. But it seems impossible for him as he could not help but worry about the mission that he had given his packmates.

    Although he shouldn''t feel so since the Cesaro Alpha was with them too, he felt something off. He had this sense that there was probably something more happening there. And another thing that worries him was the fact that there hasn''t been any reports from Fergus. He expected at least a report from him hours ago but there was none.

    He even tried to send a mindlink but he kept getting interrupted.

    He was pacing up and down the room when there was a knock on his door.

    He stopped and said, "Come in."

    His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw his Luna and the pack doctor walking in the room.

    "What are you two doing here?" he asked as he walked over to Luella.

    Holding his hands, Luella looked at Melody who then nodded to her. Luella turned back to her husband and said, "Darling, I think you need to go there."

    Lachlan frowned. "Go where?"

    "To where Erick is," Luella said solemnly. "I think they''re in trouble."

    Lachlan turned to Melody, who nodded again. It was then he noticed that her eyes were puffy and red, as if she had spent hours crying. "I was working in my office when suddenly I received a mindlink from Aric."

    "Aric? Not Latham?"

    Melody shook her head. "It was Aric. Heˇ­ he...s-saidˇ­ he saidˇ­ he''s sorry!" she cried, the word ''sorry'' ended in a sob.

    Lachlan turned grim as he tightened his hold on Luella''s hands.

    "Darling, I''m so worried! What about Erick?" Luella asked.

    Lachlan took a deep breath. It was not that easy to get out of the office that easily. Seeing that his deputy chief was also not in the office, he wasn''t sure whether he could leave the office empty.

    He was about to answer when the door to his office was opened once more. The three of them looked over and were surprised to see the mayor walking in, with his hands behind his back.

    "Mayor Hilliard, what brings you over here?" Lachlan asked, turning to face the mayor, his hand still holding one of Luella''s hands.

    "I heard everything from the outside."

    Lachlan''s eyes narrowed dangerously.

    Mayor Hilliard held up his hands and said, "Why don''t you go, Chief?"

    "I have a commitment here to the people."

    The mayor went to the door and after making sure that there was no one nearby to eavesdrop, he shut the door and turned back to Lachlan.

    "What about your commitment to your pack? To your family? To your son?" Mayor Hilliard said, stressing on the word, ''son''.

    Lachlan only kept quiet.

    "Alpha. I know that you and your pack have chosen me because you trust me with the town and your pack," Mayor Hilliard said. "I know the commitment and the sacrifices you have made for the town, even if it was not for the benefit of your pack."

    "This time, your pack is in trouble. Your son is in trouble," he continued.

    The mayor then looked at Lachlan in the eyes and said, "This time, trust me and my people. We can protect the town while you''re gone. You go and bring your family back."

 Chapter 159 - 152: Thats it?

    "Aric!"

    Elias rushed over and checked Aric''s pulse. He exhaled a breath of relief when he felt that there was a pulse. He carefully carried Aric on his back, wanting to bring him to safety.

    On the other side, Artemis was still fighting against the last remaining mutated rogue. At that time, the rogue still had the upper hand as he managed to deflect the blows from the former and counter with his powerful ones.

    After battling with other rogues and warlocks before the mutated rogues came, it was obvious as to why Artemis was getting tired. But he can''t be defeated now when his son is still in danger. And his packmates were getting tired as well. He did not dare to call his other packmates lest they might get hurt in this battle. It was selfish of him but as an Alpha, it was his duty to protect his pack.

    Wounds continued to materialise on Artemis'' body but it did not stop him from trying to defeat the rogue.

    A crazy glint appeared in the rogue''s eyes as he became drunk in the fight. Spittle flew out from his mouth as blows continued to exchange between the two shifters.

    After managing to arrive safely near to where Skoll was laid down, Elias asked for the Cesaro packmates to help protect Aric while he tried to help Artemis.

    Without any hesitation, they agreed and made more effort to attack the other rogues and warlocks. It was fortunate that the numbers of their opponents seem to be decreasing.

    Since the wolfsbane crystals have been completely destroyed, Paccia has more opportunity to assist the others.

    Una was battling two of the warlocks when Paccia came over to help her. It did not take much time before the two females to succeed in killing the warlocks.

    The battle slowly began to turn to the Kendall and Cesaro packs'' favour.

    Excluding the mutated rogue, the others were not that difficult to dispose of.

    After a couple of hours have passed, only a few rogues and the mutated rogue were left to fight against. All the other warlocks had either escaped or killed.

    Artemis and Elias were fighting against the mutated rogue at that moment. Seeing how the rogue was getting stronger and stronger, they were at a stalemate. The other packmates, which included Una, though, went to finish off the other few rogues.

    Paccia was sitting between the two unconscious shifters; Skoll and Aric. By looking at Skoll''s wounds, she can conclude that it wasn''t that serious. The reason as to why he was still knocked out was probably due to the wolfsbane crystals, which she could see on his body. All she needed to do was to remove all the wolfsbane crystals and he can heal normally.

    It was no wonder as to why it seems that he has inhaled a lot of the crystals'' powers since other than Artemis, the crystals were near him more.

    After she was done examining Skoll, it was time to check on Aric. Paccia''s face turned grim. Even though he was still alive, she was not sure how ''alive'' he would become. His legs were unrecognizable where inner flesh could be seen and the veins were severely ruined. It was short of a miracle that he was still alive. And his right arm was chopped off. It was unsure whether it could be healed or not.

    Paccia was facing a difficult situation at that moment. She was only a seer. Although she knows basic medic and healing skills, it was not to this extent.

    While she was trying to do the best she could to heal and cure Aric, or at most, to ensure he would not become worse, Artemis and Elias were still fighting against the mutated rogue when they sensed something was coming. Or rather, someone.

    Despite them being tired and getting weaker, it does not mean that their senses have fluctuated as well. Hence why Artemis and Elias were becoming more alert and cautious.

    The scent that they smell from where they were was not something that they welcomed. It was repulsive, nothing like the scent of their packmates. It was then they knew that the one that was approaching them was not a friend.

    Artemis was exchanging blows with the rogue when he suddenly jumped aside.

    In mere seconds, there was a loud explosion where Artemis stood earlier. The explosion wasn''t that big but it wasn''t that small either as it created a small hollow on the ground, sending dirt and dust flying in the air.

    Both Artemis and Elias took a few steps back, covering their mouth and snout with their arms to protect themselves from the dust.

    Just a few metres away from there, shrouded by the flying dust and dirt, there was a figure approaching them. The figure looked male, tall and lean. It looked as if he was wearing a long overcoat with the garment floating behind him.

    When the dust and dirt finally settled, a man could be seen walking leisurely towards Artemis and Elias. And before the two shifters could react, the man was already in front of them.

    Both Artemis and Elias'' eyes widened in surprise at the speed that the man showed.

    The man looked up at Artemis with a cold look on his face. Although he was more than a foot shorter than the Alpha, the intimidating height did not frighten the man.

    Artemis growled. "Who the feck are you?"

    The man flicked his wrist and suddenly, Artemis was thrown aside. Luckily, the latter was fast as he managed to jump upright on his paws. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the man. This does not bode well for them. He could sense that the man was very powerful. Even more powerful than the mutated rogue.

    "Lord Rehan," the mutated rogue growled. Artemis and Elias were surprised to hear that there was a bit of fear laced in the rogue''s tone.

    The two shifters immediately went into full alert and on guard as they watched the man, whom the mutated rogue called, ''Lord Rehan'', slowly turned around to face him. From the powers that he had used against Artemis, he could tell that the man was a warlock. A very strong one.

    With a sweep of his glance over the mutated rogue, Artemis and Elias were not sure what had happened but the mutated rogue suddenly screamed in pain and fell on his knees.

    "What happened to the other two?" Rehan asked, his hands in his pockets, looking down at the rogue.

    Behind the two shifters, Paccia and the others could sense something bad was going to happen. After the arrival of the mysterious man, the tension in the atmosphere thickened that one could cut it with a knife.

    "They were killed," the rogue struggled to answer. It was as if there was something pushing him down to the ground and it was hard for him to get up.

    Rehan snorted in disdain. "Useless," he said.

    He turned back to Artemis and Elias who were staring back at him cautiously.

    "We''ve finally met, Alpha of the Cesaro and Beta of the Kendall."

    -----

    Both the warlock and shifter looked at each other; one was scowling while the other had a huge grin on his face. The latter seems to be having fun as he had gotten used to his powers.

    Blood continued to drip down Krys'' cheeks. His eyes were blazing in fury as he looked at Dane. If looks could kill, Dane would have been stabbed a million times by now.

    Behind Dane, Kaius was slowly waking up as the wounds on his body healed, much to Rea''s relief.

    Wanting to wipe the grin off his face, Krys quickly chanted more spells against the smug shifter.

    Spells after spells were cast, sending continuous attacks towards the shifter.

    However, with his nearly recovered powers, Dane''s senses became stronger as he agilely avoided each attack.

    At one point where Krys had sent a flaming ball at Dane, the latter, instead of avoiding it, slammed the ball down, oblivious to the burn it caused him, and jumped.

    Before Krys could react, Dane had kicked him on the chest, sending the former flying across the area, crashing into some of the trees. The tree where he crashed at, broke into two.

    Not wanting to give the warlock a chance to recover, Dane suddenly appeared by Krys'' side. He grabbed the unwinded young man''s leg and swung him, flinging him towards where the mansion was.

    Krys flew once more, still feeling dizzy. Before he could fall down to the ground, just before the mansion, Dane had already grabbed him by the neck.

    He pulled Krys back and putting more power in his arm, Dane slammed the young warlock against the wall of the mansion.

    The wall then crashed under pressure, creating a hole.

    Seeing the young warlock was unconscious, Dane cricked his neck and said, "That''s it?"

 Chapter 160 - 153: Guests are coming!

    Both Artemis and Elias were panting hard as they tried to stand up straight. They do not want to kneel in front of the warlock who was looking down at them in disdain. It was demeaning of them to kneel down to an unworthy person like this warlock.

    "Is this all the Alpha and the Beta could do?" Rehan said with contempt.

    Artemis'' eyes narrowed while Elias just growled at the insult. The two of them were already exhausted. And the fact that the warlock was even stronger than the mutated rogue, it does not fare well for them.

    At first, some of Artemis'' packmates wanted to come over to them but the Alpha had already sent them an order to not come via the mind-link. He did not want them to suffer and be killed.

    Paccia already had her hands full, protecting Aric and Skoll so there wasn''t much she could do to assist the two shifters.

    Rehan slowly walked towards the two shifters who were still struggling to stand up straight. Both of them not wanting to show any weaknesses in front of this demn warlock.

    Rehan quickly snapped his fingers, using his thumb and pointer finger. The moment he snapped his fingers, an invisible force suddenly hit the two shifters at random areas of their bodies, making them wince in pain. It seems as though the attack was not weak.

    The warlock continued to cast invisible attacks on the two shifters. The mutated rogue wanted to get up and assist the warlock but after Rehan had given him a deathly warning look, he backed down.

    The attacks continued for nearly an hour until suddenly, Rehan stopped and looked up.

    Artemis and Elias too looked up behind them. They felt something was coming and it was coming fast.

    Before they could analyze whether that something was a friend or foe, that ''something'' had already jumped on Rehan.

    That ''something'' was too fast for Rehan to react and counter back. The two rolled on the ground and finally stopped with the ''something'' straddling Rehan below him.

    Artemis, Elias and the other packmates felt happiness and relief flooding their mind and heart when they saw it was the Alpha of the Kendall, Willem!

    He was finally here!

    ''Alphaˇ­'' Elias tried to mind-link.

    ''Bring the others back to safety,'' Willem ordered through the mind-link. ''The other packmates are on their way here. Leave the rest to me.''

    The Alpha of the Kendall pack looked strong and powerful as he stood, his back to Artemis and the others. His jet black mane shone, showing healthy fur. He looked very reliable at that moment.

    Elias looked behind him and saw that there were indeed some of the familiar faces coming over. He saw Aric''s mate, Melody and Roel among the few of them.

    Elias quickly rushed over to them and began to shout out orders.

    Most of the rogue''s have already been killed by the Cesaro packmates so there wasn''t anything much to be dealt with.

    Melody''s eyes were red, brimmed with tears when she saw the condition of her mate. It took a lot in her to not collapse in anger and frustration for not being able to be with him when he had suffered. Despite the anger and the frustration that she was feeling, it was not as if she was full of self-blame. Nor did she blame her mate because if she was in his shoes, she would do the same. All for the pack.

    Paccia gently calmed her down and then told her to bring Aric out for an immediate medical attention. Right now, her mate needs her.

    Melody nodded. Together, she and Roel, who had been quiet all this while, carried Aric out of the area.

    Seeing that they were going to escape, the mutated rogue wanted to stop them by chasing after them. But he could not even get close to them because of Artemis and Elias, who prevented him from doing so.

    Meanwhile, Willem was sending blows after blows at Rehan, who swiftly evaded the attacks. For every blow Willem sent, Rehan countered with a magic attack.

    With their attack connected with each other, it was so powerful that the climax blew them away, sending them a few metres away from each other.

    It was quite strong to the extent that it did damage to both warlock and shifter''s inner bodies. Blood could be seen dripping down the two''s mouth.

    "So, this is the Alpha of the Kendall," Rehan surmised.

    Willem growled as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the warlock in front of him. "I don''t waste time talking with disgusting warlocks," he retorted.

    Anger could be seen flashing in Rehan''s eyes before it disappears.

    And in seconds, there was a huge tree being pulled out of its roots and suddenly it levitated in the air before being thrown towards Willem.

    Willem immediately protected himself by placing his arms in front of him. The tree broke into two as it crashed against the shifter.

    Before Willem put his arms down, a large boulder was thrown at him again. But this time, the shifter managed to avoid it by leaning back to the ground. The boulder missed him by a hair''s breadth, which instead hit some trees behind Willem.

    Rehan wanted to attack once more when he suddenly froze. He then turned his head towards where the mansion supposedly and frowned. His face grew cold.

    He then turned to the mutated rogue, who was busy fighting against Artemis and Elias and ordered, "We''re leaving."

    Without any question asked, the rogue quickly jumped up and sent both of his kicks towards the other two shifters, kicking them a few meters away. "Yes, Lord Rehan."

    Willem growled as he quickly ran towards Rehan. "You''re not going anywhere!" he roared.

    Rehan just ignored him. And with a snap of his fingers, the area around them started to become foggy.

    Willem and the other packmates suddenly could not see anything. Not even those in front of them.

    After a few minutes, the fog slowly dispersed and the warlock and the mutated rogue were nowhere to be seen.

    All that was left with the remains of the dead rogues and warlocks. It was as if Rehan did not care what would happen to their corpse and just leave them to rot.

    Willem looked towards where the mansion was and said solemnly, "Let''s chase after them."

    Elias and the other Kendall packmates immediately shouted, "Yes, Alpha!"

    Artemis then turned to the Cesaro packmates and said, "Let''s go too."

    "Yes, Alpha!"

    -----

    "That''s it?" Dane mocked as he walked closer to Krys who was still lying unconscious on the floor.

    Kicking away the crumbling debris that surrounded the young warlock, Dane looked around at the place where Krys had fallen through.

    Apparently, it was the same room where Makena was held before. It was such a bleak room with nothing inside other than a toilet, a sink and a bed. Because Krys had crashed through the wall, the water pipes that were connected to the sink and toilet were broken. Water spurted out from the broken pipes, giving an image of a water fountain.

    Dane''s face grew darker when he saw how barren the place was. Although the place did not look as dirty as one might have expected, seeing how there was a metal door there, with no windows, it would drive a sane person to craziness.

    ''The feck is this place?'' Erick exclaimed in Dane''s mind. ''This is like a place for the loonies! Who can live in this room for years??''

    Dane scowled as he took a sniff around. He could smell a familiar lingering scent. ''Makena,'' Dane replied back.

    ''Deng.''

    While he was looking around the demolished room, he could hear a stirring sound near his paws. He looked down and saw Krys stirring, about to wake up.

    Before the young warlock could wake up, the shifter knocked him unconscious once more.

    Soon after, he looked out to where he and Kaius came from and murmured softly, "Seems like we''ll be expecting some guests soon."

 Chapter 161 - 154: Can we join the fun?

    "Seems like we''ll be expecting some guests soon."

    Dane immediately sends a mind-link to Rea, telling her to bring Kaius and Amber over while he greets their ''guests''.

    Soon after, Rea came over, with Kaius on her back and Amber following behind her. Because she can walk, she did not need to be supported by the female shifter.

    When the three finally reached Dane and the still-unconscious Krys, Rea carefully placed Kaius down, just near Krys.

    Dane frowned as he watched Kaius lying there on the ground, his eyes closed.

    And without any warning, Dane kicked Kaius, sending the latter flying, much to Amber''s shock.

    Before Kaius hit the wall, he had agilely jumped against the wall before landing on the ground with a frown. And within seconds, he had already stood beside Dane and was about to throw a punch.

    Dane grabbed the other shifter''s fist and frowned back. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded quietly.

    Kaius frowned deeper. "I''ve just met my mate. What''s your excuse?"

    "Is that good enough of a reason for you to pretend to be dead to be alone with your mate longer?" Dane mocked.

    Kaius glanced at Amber who was looking at them, fascinated and back at Dane again. "Wasn''t alone, though."

    Dane rolled his eyes and then growled. "Go and protect my mate. Make sure that dem warlock stays down," he ordered.

    Kaius nodded as he looked down at the unconscious young warlock.

    Dane stepped out of the rubbles and out on the field.

    Soon after, he saw something coming at them at full speed. He quickly went on guard and waited for it to come at him.

    Within seconds, Dane got hit on the shoulder, forcing him a few steps back but not enough to throw him off.

    "Ho ho ho," the mutated rogue mocked playfully. "Seems like you''re getting stronger now. You''re finally infused with your power, is it?"

    Dane just kept quiet, looking at the rogue with blazing anger in his eyes.

    A man stepped out from behind the mutated rogue. And without any warning and a flick of his wrist, he sent the rogue behind him.

    The mutated rogue growled with dissatisfaction as he struggled to get up. But he did not dare to counter back at the warlock.

    The man stood in front of Dane. He did not look intimidated by Dane''s overtowering height. Rather, it did not even bother him one bit. He just stood there, looking at Dane in the eyes, unflinching.

    Unlike when he greeted the Alpha and the Beta earlier, Rehan just kept quiet and suddenly, he grabbed the neck of Dane, gripping it tight.

    Dane gritted his fangs, not expecting that the warlock has some strength in his puny body of his. He grabbed the hand of the warlock with his two paws, wanting to tear it off him.

    Before he could do that, Rehan had released him and jumped back a few steps away, his eyes still on the shifter.

    Dane let out a cough, his neck still hurting from the tight grip Rehan had on him.

    Then as if Dane did not exist in front of his eyes, Rehan looked over behind Dane''s back, his eyes darkened when he saw the young warlock lying down amidst the rubble, surrounded by two shifters and a young woman.

    There was a confused glint in his eyes when he first saw a human being beside the shifters. Then understanding dawned on him as he looked at Dane and back to the female.

    And without another glance towards Dane, he immediately set off towards where Krys was, together with the other three. At first, Dane thought that he was targeting Krys, wanting to save him. But he was naive.

    It seems like his target was Amber!

    "Amber, watch out!" Dane shouted when he realized who the target was.

    Amber was scared stiff, she did not know what to do as she sat there, numbed.

    The two other shifters; Kaius and Rea immediately stood in front of Amber, protecting her.

    But this did not stop Rehan from casting a spell that pushes both shifters away, leaving the human being vulnerable without any protection. Seeing the opportunity, Rehan quickly casted another spell towards Amber.

    Before he could finish his spell, Dane had already jumped onto him, slapping the warlock to the ground. Though, unfortunately for Dane, the spell succeeds in protruding a small earthen wall from underneath Amber.

    Amber, who screamed out of fright, was pushed up by the wall, bringing her several hundred meters off the ground. And because the spell was interrupted, the magic was also broken, crumbling the earthen wall. Without the wall, Amber soon fell.

    Dane felt his heart stopped when he saw Amber falling. He was not sure whether he could save her or not.

    Rehan, at that time, was on his feet and was about to cast another spell when suddenly, a shadow swooped in and saved Amber.

    The shadow rolled around on the ground, his furry arms protecting Amber from hurt. Once the shadow was on his feet, Amber must have fainted from fright as she laid in the shadow''s arms, unconscious.

    The shadow slowly stood up as he cricked his neck. "Feck, that hurt a lot!"

    Amarok looked around him. Chaos was an understatement when he described the area. Everything was nearly destroyed. The mansion has lost almost half of its building, where the whole bas.e.m.e.nt was exposed. The trees nearby were practically gone, with most of them crashed to the ground, broken in pieces.

    He looked over to see Dane watching him. And then he looked at the warlock who was levitating near the other shifter and growled.

    "Youˇ­ You''re the one who did this to me!" Amarok roared as he sprinted towards the warlock.

    Squinting his eyes, Rehan immediately casted a protective spell on him. But his eyes widened in surprise when he realized that his spell was slower than usual.

    His eyes then narrowed suspiciously at the enraging shifter who was running towards him. ''Seems like his power has awakened,'' Rehan thought grimly.

    Since he could not stop his chant, all he could do was to place both of his arms in front of him to protect himself.

    A powerful punch hit him, sending him several meters away. Rehan nearly fell as he stood his ground. The dirt underneath his feet created a long trough-like hole.

    Blood spurted out of Rehan as he wiped his mouth, his eyes flaming with fury. It has been a while since he was pushed like this.

    Dane frowned as he studied Amarok. ''Time control magic?''

    He was surprised to see that power in a shifter. It was not rare but rather, it was more of a power that can only be used by a lycan. Seeing the fur on Amarok, he did not see any traces of white fur in him. Unlike Rea. Hence why Dane was surprised.

    Amarok then looked over at Dane once more and rushed over to him. He stopped in front of Dane and said in disbelief, "A lycan?"

    Dane just frowned at him.

    "Since when did you become a lycan? Were you a lycan all this while?" Amarok continued to ask, his face full of disbelief.

    Before Dane could reply, Rehan had launched an attack, creating a huge crater in front of them. Apparently, he had missed his mark and if he didn''t, the two of them would not be standing still when it hit them.

    While they were distracted by the attack, the mutated rogue had swept in and kicked Amarok''s legs, making him fall. He then grabbed one of the latter''s legs and threw Amarok at Dane, who was caught unaware.

    Both Amarok and Dane fell to the ground.

    Just as the two shifters were about to stand, Rehan had already casted a spell, making the ground beneath the two to surge up, pushing them in the sky.

    Without any standing, the two shifters were helpless in air, giving the warlock an opportunity to cast another attack spell, hitting the two shifters mid-air.

    It was hard for Dane and Amarok to avoid the attacks since it was undetectable.

    When the two shifters finally dropped down to the ground, there were wounds and scratches everywhere on their body. They were struggling to get up when Rehan sent another attack on them.

    The mutated rogue was having a field day with this as he grabbed a broken bark of a tree and threw it at the two shifters.

    He was laughing hard, pleased at how things eventually turned out.

    However, his joy won''t last long when several more shifters come in to join in the fun.

    And they were not friends with the warlock and the mutated rogue.

    "Can we join the fun?"

 Chapter 162 - 155: I will become the only true lycan!

    The mutated rogue was having the time of his life as he unleashed all of his frustrations and anger by throwing a broken bark of a tree at the two shifters, who were struggling to get up.

    He was about to grab another bark of tree when he heard someone say behind him,

    "Can we join the fun?"

    Before he could turn around, someone had already kicked him from behind. And with another swift kick to the head, the mutated rogue was slammed to the ground.

    Growling with shame and anger, the rogue crawled back up but then he was slammed to the ground once more as someone punched the back of his head. Fortunately for the rogue, although the punch was powerful enough to create a small crater on the ground, it did not kill him.

    Elias shook his paw airly as he looked down at the rogue sprawled beneath him.

    At the other side, Willem and Rehan were staring at one another, sizing each other up. Rehan narrowed his eyes as he studied the Alpha in front of him, standing a few meters away.

    By then, Willem, Artemis and their other packmates had arrived at the scene. Willem immediately confronts Rehan whereas Elias went to subdue the mutated rogue.

    Artemis rushed over to where Dane and Amarok were struggling to get up after falling down. The Alpha looked down at Amarok and felt a sense of relief to see his son''s werewolf was alright.

    But he felt something off about his son''s werewolf counterpart. It seems... It seems like his blood has awakened! Artemis'' eyes narrowed as he could sense the stirring in the other shifter''s blood. He looked at the other shifter who was now standing beside the crouching Amarok and sighed inwardly. The Kendall pack was truly blessed to have a Lycan Prince in their pack. One who can even heal faster, even more so than the young Cairin shifter.

    While Artemis went to assist Amarok, Dane went to help Elias who was fighting against the mutated rogue.

    As for the other shifters, the Alphas have already ordered them to secure the area, making sure that there wasn''t anyone else in the building. And also, to assist the injured back to safety.

    Without wasting any more time, both Willem and Rehan went on an attack mode. Willem ran towards Rehan, who started to cast attacks after attacks on the former.

    Small blasts appeared near Willem''s paws who skillfully evade them. When Willem nearly reached close to Rehan, he swept his legs out, trying to make the warlock fall.

    Unfortunately, the warlock managed to cast a levitation spell on himself and avoid the sweep. While he was levitating, he casted an attack spell which hit Willem on the shoulder and chest, making the latter spurt out blood, pushing him back.

    Changing his position to a crouch, Willem wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his paw and quickly jumped on the warlock. Rehan kept on sending attack spells at the former, who expertly avoided them. Holes began to appear on the ground where the warlock had attacked and missed.

    While the two were fighting, Dane and Elias were dealing with the mutated rogue. Although they were not having a hard time, compared to before, the rogue was quite difficult to deal with. It was as if he was a c.o.c.kroach, not a shifter. Every hit that Dane and Elias sent missed and even if it connects, the rogue manages to counter back.

    Krys was still unconscious, lying down on the ground. Amarok and Kaius were there too, getting attended by other shifters, with Artemis watching over them.

    Seeing how they were outnumbered, Rehan took a step back, his face looking very grim. He looked behind him and saw that the shifters were about to take Krys away. He immediately levitated himself towards where the latter was.

    Caught unaware, Willem chased after him. However, Rehan was faster. He quickly cast a spell over Krys, which caused the surrounding shifters to be blown away. He then continued casting by sending a fog to all over the place.

    Dane''s eyes widened as he shouted to everyone to close their mouth and get down. This was the same fog Krys had used before but it seems the fog was much denser and was even much difficult to see.

    After the fog was spread successfully, Rehan quickly grabbed the mutated rogue and pulled him over with a spell that acted as an invisible rope. He then ordered the latter to carry the young warlock. And soon after, the three escaped under the shifters'' eyes.

    Willem and the other shifters were frustrated that they couldn''t see anything beyond their paws. It was exasperating when he was also an Alpha but the mere fog could prevent him from going after the warlocks.

    When the fog finally dissipated, Willem and the others looked around them. The place was now empty, other than them. There wasn''t a trace of the warlocks and the mutated rogues.

    Dane cricked his neck as he walked over to his Alpha. "That wasn''t much of a fight," he mumbled to himself.

    Willem looked at him. It has been awhile since he has seen his ''son'' in his shifter form. It was awkward, to say the least. Because although he was his son''s Alpha, his son was also a lycan, which has a higher hierarchy in the shifter pack.

    Dane looked at Willem and understood what he was thinking. He immediately bent one knee as he bowed his head. "I greet my Alpha."

    Rea, who was coming over with her mate, had her eyes widened in shock when she saw the lycan prince kneeling in respect. She was about to rush over and pulled the prince up but Kaius grabbed her arm and slowly shook his head.

    Willem frowned. "You may rise."

    Dane stood up. "Alpha," he said. "Although my blood is of a lycan, my soul and my human self have already sworn to the pack and also to you as my Alpha. There is no need for the lycan hierarchy."

    Willem felt a bit relieved at this as he quietly nodded.

    He then turned to the others and told them to clear everything up before they leave this place. Dane stood behind his Alpha and asked, "What are we going to do about this place?" looking up at the mansion.

    "Destroy it."

    Dane nodded.

    And then suddenly, there were little bits of wet and white snow fluttering down from the sky. Everyone, including Amber, who had just woken up, looked up at the sky. Each snowflake slowly floated down, swirling and dancing in the air as they greeted the first flake of the year.

    Amber smiled ruefully as she now looked around her. She did not expect that one day she would be surrounded by shifters and that her boyfriend was one of them. And now, looking at them having fun, as the tension and strain of fighting were lifted off their shoulders, clearly enjoying the snow, jumping around, she thought that seeing her first snow in town wasn''t so bad. And she was looking forward to other seasons with them.

    -----

    Rehan just closed his eyes as a chair flew past him, slightly grazing his cheek. A scratch formed on his cheek where blood started to drip down from it.

    The burly man turned around, not wanting to look at Rehan''s face, disgusted at the failure that was reported to him.

    "Only one survive?"

    Rehan quietly nodded.

    "What about that young warlock?"

    "He needs more training," Rehan answered, his head still bowed low in respect, ignoring the blood dripping from his cheek. "And I will personally train him."

    "You do that."

    Rehan nodded again.

    "Now leave."

    Rehan immediately disappeared from his sight, leaving the man alone in thoughts.

    After looking out the window for a few minutes, he turned back around, walking to his table where several papers were spread out on top of it.

    He picked up one of the papers. On the paper, there was a picture of Erick and Amber stapled together side by side.

    "So, this is the human that you have chosen, Dane?" he murmured, a weird glint in his eyes as he studied the smiling photo of the two young teenagers.

    He tossed the paper back on the table and looked out the window. It has been centuries since he had last seen Dane. The last time he had seen him was when they were escaping from the internal war of the lycans. Although he wasn''t one of the strongest among the lycans, he overcame all that with the experiments he had made with Rehan.

    Once he has Dane in his hands, he will definitely kill the latter to become the only true lycan in this world.

    "Or my name is not Harding," he said softly, clenching his fists.

 Chapter 163 - 156: Can I come up?

    It was winter time in the town of Burkendall. The semester was still ongoing with examinations coming soon, which will determine whether the students will go to their next year and so forth.

    It has been a week since the incident with the rogues and warlocks. And when Amber returned home, she felt sad for making her parents worry. Ever since she moved to this town, she had been making her parents worry about her and she really feels guilty about that.

    She had gotten out of the police car that same evening at her house. She saw her parents standing at the front door of their house, apparently waiting for her. They probably received a call from the Police Chief, informing them about her arrival.

    When her parents saw the police car had arrived, they did not wait any longer as they rushed over and gave her a huge hug, just as she got out of the car.

    This time, they did not scold her. They were just grateful that she was not hurt. In fact, Amber''s parents keep asking her whether she was alright, frantic as they were concerned that she might be traumatised from the kidnapping and attack.

    There were times during the incident when she felt so scared, especially when the warlock created a huge wall of dirt underneath her and pushed her up in the air. She wasn''t afraid of heights but at that time, it was scary.

    Then again, it was also quite an experience for her. In just one night, she managed to see two kinds of supernatural creatures in action. Unless you count the rogues as a whole different being from the shifters.

    And it was a bit exciting to see them in action, really exhilarating. Though, she was a bit ashamed for fainting at one point but can''t really blame her since it was her first time being in that kind of predicament.

    That night, the whole family sat down for dinner. Even Remi went down and sat together with them. In whole, it was a very nice dinner, filled with laughters.

    The fun did not stop there as they continued to sit together, watching an old movie in the living room.

    Hours later, Amber, who had been sitting next to her brother, noticed that he was fighting his sleepiness as he tried to hide his yawn and sleepy eyes. It was adorable at how he tried to fight his drowsiness by forcing his eyes wide open and a bright smile. But Amber and her parents knew better.

    Not wanting to make him feel bad for going to bed early, since they knew that he always sleeps early, the three of them feigned tiredness.

    Seeing that his family was tired as well, Remi inwardly felt relieved that he did not spoil the mood. He let his father help him go up to his room with his sister and mother following behind them.

    When the family of four went to their respective rooms, Amber, who was in her room, stood near her window, watching the snow fall. It was a lovely night. The sky was dark with white snow fluttering down to the ground. It was almost magical. It was her first winter in this town so she was a bit excited about it.

    She was so absorbed in watching the snowfall that she was startled when she heard a small knock on her window. She looked out the window and saw Erick waving up at her with a huge smile on his face. His smile looked bright, against the dark, making him look more dazzling.

    Even though it was snowing, it seems like the cold weather has no effect on him as he only wore a light t-shirt and a slack.

    In his hand, there was a phone and he was gesturing at her to check it, pointing at his phone.

    Puzzled, Amber walked away from the window and went to look for her phone. After she had arrived home, she forgot all about her phone and only remembered about it when her mother passed her the phone, which she got from the Police Chief the other day. Then she just tossed it aside on her bed and went down to spend her time with her family.

    Looking at her phone, she was surprised to see that there were a lot of missed calls and unread messages. And all of them were from one sender. Erick. No wonder he went straight here when he saw there wasn''t any response from her.

    She smiled as she swiped open on the phone screen to read the latest message sent by him.

    ''Can I come up?''

    She quickly shot a reply. ''Hohoho. So, you''re finally asking permission now, instead of going in straight away?'' she teased.

    Immediately, there was another reply from Erick who sent a crying and sad emoji.

    Amber continued to tease him, having fun until she finally lets him in.

    She was not surprised to see Erick suddenly appear outside her window, with his huge smile. Little snowflakes dotted his hair and dark t-shirt, making him look adorable.

    Although she knew that the weather probably does not bother him at all, it does not stop her from worrying about him as she quickly opened her window and urged him to get inside quickly.

    Once he got inside, she quickly brushed away the snow from his shoulders, clothes and hair, at the same time, mumbling her complaints about him being reckless. She also passed him a small towel to pat himself dry from the snow.

    Erick''s heart warmed at how concerned she was over him. He does not feel the cold at all. But seeing her actions and worry over him made him feel pleasant and loved. So despite her scolding him, he did not mind that and let her continue to vent her frustrations and agitation on him.

    After she was done, she told him to wait inside while she went down to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for him. At first, he told her that it was fine and that he did not really need any hot drinks. But Amber was adamant to make him one so that he can warm himself up. Besides, she was thinking of drinking one before she knew that he was coming. So, there wasn''t any reason for her to make him one too.

    Once Amber had left the room, Erick placed the towel down on a table and looked around her room. It has been awhile since he last entered her room. And there weren''t many changes. He continued to look around and then he went to the bed and sat down, with his shoes off, lounging against the headboard.

    Amber quietly sneaked down to the kitchen, careful not to make any noise, lest her parents got up and asked her what she was doing.

    Inside the kitchen, she grabbed a couple of mugs and placed them on the kitchen island. She then grabbed some milk from the fridge and a saucepan from one of the cupboards. She turned on the heat on the stove and began to pour milk in the pan.

    Grabbing a whisk, she added in cocoa powder and sugar and whisked them together until it was warm. Once it was warm, she added in a handful of chocolate ch.i.p.s and whisked them more until it melts in the milk.

    After adding a bit of vanilla extract, she grabbed the two empty mugs and began to pour the hot cocoa drink in. Since she did not have any whipped cream, marshmallows were the only toppings she could find.

    She was then done making two cups of hot chocolate. She placed them on a tray before quietly returning to her room where she found Erick still lounging on her bed, reading some books.

    She placed the cups on the bedside table near Erick and turned to look at what he was reading. Apparently, he had found her Harry Potter books and he was currently reading ''Harry Potter and the Prince of Azkaban''.

    "Oh?" Amber said as she climbed up the bed and sat next to him. She leaned over to see the page he was reading and continued, "This is one of my favourites."

    Erick turned his head to her and said, "Is it?"

    Amber nodded. "It was quite an exciting book! I had chills when I read it. Especially the part---"

    Erick quickly cut her off, saying, "Alright. Don''t spoil it. I just started reading it." he then turned back at the book and continued, "Seems like it was mentioned that there''s a werewolf in this book."

    Amber went silent, knowing who he meant.

    Erick turned to her again, c.o.c.king an eyebrow, looking suspicious. "Is there something about the werewolf?"

    Amber made a gesture as if she was zipping her mouth close with her thumb and finger, indicating she will not say anything. "You told me not to spoil you, remember?" she argued.

    Erick just chuckled as he returned back to the book. He then said, "Do you mind me borrowing this?"

    With a huge smile on her face, she nodded excitedly. "Of course not!" she would be happier if she could make him become a Potter fan!

    The two young lovebirds continued to make themselves comfortable as they talked about Harry Potter. The incident back then was no longer in their mind at that time as they just enjoyed each other''s company.

 Chapter 164 - 157: I have something to tell you

    It was after midnight when Erick finally left Amber''s house. He was walking alone underneath the snowy dark night, making his way to his house. Although his house was not that near, it wasn''t that far either. And with his shifter speed, it did not take long for him to reach his house.

    Amber was surprised when she heard that he had walked to her house by foot. She became even more worried when she saw snow began to fall heavily. It took him some time to reassure her that he would be fine and that he was a shifter. A little snowfall like this would not make him sick nor would it make him feel cold. In fact, he still feels warm. He even had to grab her hands and hold it tight.

    Amber was once again surprised at the warmth his hands were emitting. It felt cosy and nice.

    The two held hands for some time until Amber awkwardly pulled hers away, looking so shy. She got carried away!

    Erick was feeling a bit dejected when she pulled away but grinned when he saw her looking away so shyly. She was so adorable!

    Before he reached his house, he saw the lights were still on at the pack house. Curious as to who was still awake at this hour, he changed his direction, heading towards the building.

    Normally, the pack house was not locked so it was easy for Erick to walk in. And besides, who would dare to steal things from the pack house, which was full of shifters? These shifters would already know who trespass in their property before they walk in too. Hence why no one was there to greet Erick when he entered.

    Looking around, he saw the lights in the mess hall were switched on. As he got closer to the hall, he could hear voices coming in from there. He then entered the hall and was surprised to see that there were many people inside.

    They all looked up when Erick entered. Noaz immediately stood up and walked over, his face full of concern. "Erick, what''s wrong? What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be at home? Its late now." He stopped when he caught a whiff off him.

    His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did you just return from your mate''s house?" he asked.

    Erick just ignored him and went over to the others.

    Inside the mess hall, the triplets, including Latham who had been badly injured, were there. Other than the triplets, there were also the pack doctor and the elders who joined in the mission before.

    Back then, they were worried that Latham could not make it. It was fortunate that Makena had given a bit of her blood to heal amputated hand before they separated. The blood helped slowly healed him. And after having a calm mind, Melody realized that most of the wounds he had were superficial, other than the hand.

    At that moment, his hand was still slowly healing, even though his hand was gone. There was a huge bandage wrap at where his hand used to be. His legs were already fully healed as well, thanks to Melody''s medication.

    By looking at their faces, Erick realized how grim the topic was. But it did not stop his curiosity.

    Erick went and sat down next to Roel and asked, curious, "What are you all doing here?"

    "What are you doing here?" Elder Aziel asked back, his arms crossed across his chest. Although he was chosen to join in the mission earlier, he was ordered back by Lachlan to follow Isaiah to ensure he returned to his pack safely.

    He had just returned from the Cairin pack that night and was startled to hear what had happened. He did not get the chance to meet Isaiah''s granddaughter as they missed each other by a couple of hours. He had already left the town when she arrived together with Riedrich and the other Cesaro packmates.

    He only knows bits of what happened when Erick arrived.

    Erick stood up, bowed his head in respect at the two elders before sitting back down. "I just saw the lights on here and was wondering what was going on. So, I came here to check things out."

    "Don''t you have class tomorrow?" Elder Ulanni asked, a look of concern on her face. She did not think a youngster like him should stay up this late.

    Erick looked guilty as he nodded.

    "Then go home," she ordered.

    "Can I just listen for awhile?" he argued. "I''ll go home after this."

    Ulanni turned to Aziel, who looked at her as well. The latter then just shrugged. He did not care much. If he wants to stay, he can. Don''t blame him if the teenager overslept later.

    They all continued their conversation. Aziel felt relieved that the mission was a success and that they managed to rescue Isaiah''s granddaughter and the others. Although they had a lot of casualties, they did not have anyone dead in their camp, compared to the other camp.

    And it was quite a pity that the warlocks and the mutated rogue managed to escape.

    Aziel''s face turned sombre when he heard the strength of these three. Even though Krys was young, it would be one''s death if they were to underestimate him. And the shifters in the mess hall knew that the next time they meet this young warlock, he would be much more powerful, compared to before.

    While they were talking, Erick who had been listening quietly felt something stir inside him.

    ''Dane?'' he asked in his mind.

    ''That warlock.''

    ''Krys?'' Erick asked again.

    ''No, the other one. I forgot to mention this. That warlock. He has another scent to him. A familiar scent. It''s a scent that I recognized. From way back,'' Dane answered.

    Erick was shocked. From way back? Back when he was a full lycan?

    ''Is he a lycan?'' Erick asked carefully.

    ''He is yet not,'' the answer came vaguely.

    ''Is he similar to Makena or Bastian?'' Erick asked again.

    Both Makena and Bastian have the lycan blood. But Makena was not of the higher lycan. Rather, Makena''s wolf counterpart was one of the few who were related to them. Hence, her powers were not as strong as Dane''s. Bastian''s wolf counterpart, on the other hand, was the result of lower breeding. In short, Amarok was a mixture of a lycan and a shifter. It was rare that his lycan blood was stronger than his shifter blood, thus, the reason why Amarok has the lycan power yet has the appearance of a shifter, rather than having white mane.

    ''No. He''s more of a family.''

    Erick was shocked once again. Meaning that there was another true lycan similar like Dane in the other camp.

    ''But this scentˇ­ seems offˇ­'' Dane continued, a hint of confused tone in his voice.

    Once he was done talking to Dane, Erick decided that it was better to talk to his father about this. It was important that he talked about this to the Alpha first, instead of telling this group of shifters first.

    He quickly said his goodbyes to them and went home.

    His house was dark by the time he had reached it. It seems like his parents were already asleep. He wasn''t surprised, though since it was nearly two o''clock in the morning.

    But then, when he entered his house, he was surprised to hear his father calling him from upstairs. Erick went up to his parents'' room and knocked softly on the door.

    After hearing his father telling him to come in, he entered and saw his father sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard, whereas his mother was fast asleep beside him.

    "You''ve just arrived home?" his father asked.

    Erick nodded.

    "You do know that you have school later on, do you?"

    Erick looked down at his feet, looking a bit guilty as he nodded once more.

    Lachlan sighed. He really did not want to scold his son since he was no longer a child. But sometimes this pup makes him forget that he''s already a grown-up. Thus, he just shooed his son away, telling him to not get home late again since his mother would worry. He did not want to admit that he was worried as well.

    Erick was about to leave his father''s room when he just recalled what Dane had told him earlier.

    "Dad, are you busy later on? Are you working late tonight?" Erick asked, turning back to look at his father.

    Lachlan frowned, looking confused. "No, I''ll be going home as usual. What''s wrong?" he asked in concern.

    "I have something to tell you."

 Chapter 165 - Side Story: The Triplets [2]

    Nineteen years ago.

    For a shifter to give birth, it was similar to human beings, where they would need to become human and bear a child for nine months. It was during these months, the female shifter was deemed helpless as their powers would weaken due to their wolf soul taking a step back, letting the human soul be stronger to give birth.

    That day, the Kendall Luna was about to give birth. Back then, while she was pregnant, there were many attacks coming at her. Not just from the rogues but also from other supernatural beings; such as the warlocks and the witches.

    While Lachlan, the Kendall Alpha and the other Elders went to strike against the enemies, the triplets, who were eleven years old at that time, would stay behind with the Beta''s wife, who was also pregnant at that time, to protect the two female shifters. Other than the triplets, Paccia, the pack seer, would also stay behind with them.

    Despite their young age and without a wolf soul, these triplets were quite powerful as well. Latham was the strongest one, among the three, whereas Noaz was the smart one and Roel was the fastest one. When these three are together, they formed a formidable force that would not lose to any senior shifters in the pack. Although it had only been a couple of years since he officially adopted these three, the bond between them was already strong. Thus why Lachlan was confident leaving his wife with them. He trusts his adopted sons.

    Hours had passed. The triplets were inside the house where the Alpha lived together with his Luna. They surrounded the Luna , who was sitting on the sofa, together with the Beta''s wife in the living room. Latham sat in front of the two women, while Roel stood on the side and Noaz at their back. Even though their stances seemed relaxed, they were prepared for any surprised attacks.

    Looking at the three youngsters looking all serious, the two women, although a bit worried, could not help but stifle their laughter. Paccia, who stood near them, did not care as she laughed out loud.

    The three youngsters looked at her, their faces still looking stern.

    "Such adorable kiddos," Paccia commented.

    Roel just ignored her whereas his two brothers just snarled at her, looking a bit miffed that she was not taking this situation seriously.

    Soon after, Lachlan walked into the house, followed by Fergus. There were splashes of blood and scratches on their clothes. They looked a bit haggard. The fight must have been difficult and tiring.

    Instead of going up to his room to change, Lachlan went straight to his wife, sitting next to her, as if he had been seeking her warmth. He patted Latham, who was the nearest, on the head lovingly. Latham had a huge grin on his face when his adopted father patted him.

    He turned to Paccia, who was standing near them, and thanked her for her good work. Paccia accepted the thank you, bowing to her Alpha in respect.

    With a look of concern on her face, Luella turned to her husband and patted his body, checking for wounds.

    Just then, while she was checking for wounds, her hand froze as her face suddenly winced in pain. She quickly placed her hands on her stomach. Water began to spill out from underneath her clothes.

    Luella turned to look at her husband, a look of panic on her face. "Darlingˇ­ I think my water just broke."

    After she had said those words, everything turned to chaos. Lachlan began to panic as he started to shout orders to the others to bring this and that. Fergus too began to panic as he carried his wife in a princess carry. Not wanting his wife to worry, he told his Alpha that he would be going home to send his wife.

    Mary had shouted at him, instead, saying that she wanted to go to the hospital as well.

    To say that it was a bedlam was an understatement as other shifters began to rush into the house once they heard their Luna was about to give birth.

    It was quite a whirlwind, even Lachlan did not know how he managed to bring Luella to the hospital safe and sound.

    Waiting outside the labour room was excruciating for the young Alpha as he paced up and down the floor. The triplets could only watch their adopted father walking around as they too waited outside. At first, one of the elders, Ulanni offered to bring them home. But they refused. They wanted to be there when their little brother came out. No matter how long it would take.

    It was a bit crowded at the waiting area of the labour room with almost all of the packmates waiting that the nurses had to tell them to return home and that only intermediate families were only allowed to wait there.

    With a wronged look on their face, some of the packmates looked at their Alpha, wanting to stay. At first, Lachlan wanted to tell the nurse that it was fine until the head nurse told him that it would be hard for Luella and other new mothers to rest if there was a crowd outside.

    Immediately, he ordered his packmates to return home and wait for his news. Again, the triplets were adamant to wait, refusing to leave the waiting area.

    In the end, Lachlan allowed them to wait with him. Together, the four of them wait outside the labour room. Each of them not making a single sound as they wait patiently.

    More than five hours had passed.

    It was slowly turning to night when Lachlan heard a small cry from inside the labour room. With his super hearing, he knew that it was his son crying for the first time.

    Seeing how the Alpha suddenly froze, the triplets knew that their brother had finally arrived. The three of them quickly turned to the door which led to the inside of the labour room.

    Soon after, one of the midwives came out, carrying a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. "Mr. Kendall?" she said.

    "That''s me," Lachlan said, immediately walking over, followed by the triplets.

    The midwife smiled as she held out the bundle of joy. "Congratulations, Mr. Kendall. You have a healthy son."

    Lachlan held his son in his arms. He then lowered himself so that the triplets could see their brother as well.

    "Whoa. He''s all wrinkly," came the first comment from Latham.

    Roel just frowned as he studied the baby in Lachlan''s arms.

    Noaz grinned as he ran a finger down the baby''s soft cheek. "He''s so cute," he said excitedly.

    Lachlan looked at the midwife who was smiling, watching them, and asked, "How''s my wife?"

    "She''s currently resting. We will bring her to the ward room once she has enough rest."

    Lachlan nodded as he turned back to the triplets who were either excited or nonchalant about their new brother.

    After handing the baby back to the midwife, seeing how he was hungry and all by his cries. Lachlan looked down at his adopted sons and said, "That''s your younger brother now. And soon, you three will protect him just as how I protect the three of you."

    The three of them nodded seriously, looking determined.

    "I can''t wait for the Luna and our baby brother to come home," exclaimed Noaz happily.

    His two brothers nodded, agreeing with him.

    -----

    Present day. Before Amber moved to town.

    Noaz watched as Erick stood outside the school with a couple of girls giggling beside him. He had a huge smile on his face as he flirted with the girls.

    It was after school and Noaz had stopped by to pick him up.

    He let out a sigh. How time had changed. Erick used to be such an adorable kid. Now, he is just some kid pretending to be a playboy.

    Seeing that the teenager was still chatting with the girls, he felt his patience running low as he lowered his window down.

    "Erick, come on! Let''s get home!"

    The teenager looked up and saw Noaz inside his car waiting near the curb. He then turned back to the two girls and said something to them, which prompted another giggles from them.

    Running a finger down his arm, one of the girls had a flirtatious look on her face, again saying something to him.

    Erick nodded and soon, he rushed over to Noaz.

    Noaz watched as the teenager fastened his seat belt. He inwardly sighed. His ''younger brother'' was still too young. Still like to play with the girls all the time.

    He then chuckled inwardly. He could not wait for the day his brother will have a mate. He wondered how Erick will be like, then.

 Chapter 166 - 158: Love like this is not wasted

    "I have something to tell you."

    Seeing the serious look on his son''s face, Lachlan nodded. "I''ll try to come home on time," he said.

    Erick nodded back. He then went out of his parents'' room, closing the door behind him softly.

    Luella, who had been sleeping earlier, stirred around in the bed and turned to Lachlan. "What''s wrong with Erick?" she asked. Apparently, she woke up when Erick came in but she pretended to be asleep as she listened.

    Lachlan shrugged as he slid down and cuddled with his wife. "Said he has something to tell me."

    "Hope it''s nothing bad," Luella fretted.

    Lachlan dropped a kiss on her forehead and said, "Don''t worry. I''m sure it''s fine."

    The next morning.

    Erick was in homeroom class, together with Hamish and his other friends. Amber hasn''t arrived yet. At first, Erick wanted to pick her up from home and go together with her to school. Of course, with Hamish too. But she rejected, saying that her father will be sending her, instead.

    Although it was still early, Amber usually wasn''t late for homeroom, except for that one when she overslept, which made Erick concerned.

    When he saw Dana had already arrived, he walked over and asked whether she had seen Amber.

    The latter shook her head. "She didn''t say anything, though."

    Seeing the concerned look on Erick''s face, Dana patted him on the arm. "Don''t worry. I''m sure she will be fine."

    Just then, Amber walked in, looking tired. She was panting by the time she reached her table. She tossed her backpack on the table, emitting a loud thud, drawing glances from the other students and sat down with a huge sigh of relief.

    Erick squatted next to her table, his chin resting on top of it. He then said, "Did you overslept again?"

    Amber glared at him and said hotly, "It was only that one time!"

    Erick stood up and laughed. "Alright, alright." Sliding his hands in his pockets, he asked again, "So, why were you late?"

    "Ioverslept," she mumbled quickly.

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at her.

    Dana, who had been listening in their conversation, leaned closer at her and asked again, "You what?"

    Amber glared at her. "I overslept," she gritted out reluctantly.

    Both Erick and Dana then laughed at her, making her pout and flushed red in embarrassment.

    Once homeroom was over, they all went to their perspective classes. Erick and Amber had the same class where they had English Literature class.

    When they entered their class, Mrs. Evans, the teacher, was already inside at her table, arranging some papers.

    The three of them greeted her hello before going to their seats.

    Once everyone was in their seats, Mrs. Evans looked up from her papers and scrutinized them with narrowed eyes, making them sweat with fear, unsure of why she was like that.

    She placed the papers down and put both of her hands on top of the table. ??So, exam week is coming soon," she announced. "Although there isn''t much to learn in this class, other than exercising your mind and thinking skillsˇ­

    Guess what? We''re having a test now!"

    Everyone in class groaned when they heard that.

    Erick raised up his arm.

    Mrs. Evans turned to him and said, "Yes, Erick?"

    "Is it too late for me to drop this class?"

    Soon after, a whiteboard pen came flying at him. Luckily, he had a quick reflex as he grabbed the pen with one hand, before it hit him or the student behind him.

    "Wow, Mrs. Evans! That''s a good throw! Ever thought of introducing a female rugby team with you as the coach?" he praised with a huge grin.

    Mrs. Evans just rolled her eyes as she walked over to pass the papers to the students. "There are only three long-answers questions and you need to answer them all. You may use your books for guidance," she instructed. "You have thirty minutes to finish them all."

    Once she sees that everyone has their papers, she said, "You may start now."

    Soon, the class fell into complete silence, other than the sounds of pencils scribbling and the squeaking sounds of the chairs.

    Mrs. Evans went back to her table where she continued to mark some papers.

    After the test was done, Mrs. Evans did not even give them a break as she continued her lessons, almost rendering them lifeless.

    Once the class was done, it was as if there was a group of zombies walking out from her class.

    Erick looked tired with his half-opened eyes as he walked out of the class. Amber walked beside him, her hand covering her mouth, stifling her laughter.

    Seeing how she was quite amused by all these, Erick slid his arm around her waist and placed his head on her shoulder. "I''m so mentally tired. Please comfort me."

    Amber rolled her eyes. She then tried to push his arm away from her waist but to no avail. She flushed red from embarrassment when she saw people were looking at them. "Let go, you''re embarrassing me," she hissed.

    Instead of releasing her, he nuzzled more, making her become more red in the face. "I don''t want to," he whined.

    "Erickˇ­" she said warningly.

    Erick immediately released her and gave her a huge grin. He then grabbed her hand, trying to placate her with soothing words.

    Hamish, who had just walked out of his class, saw them. He inwardly let out a sigh and he soon followed them from behind since after that, he has the same class as them.

    That afternoon, Erick and Hamish do not have any practice since it was cancelled due to revision week. Although the final playoffs were not done yet, they had to finish their exams before they could participate in the game. This is when the coach and the other teachers would need to check the players'' exam results to see whether they were eligible to participate or not.

    Hence why, instead of going to the football field, they were at the library, studying. Or at least, trying to study.

    Amber was diligently trying to practice some questions in her notebook. But with Erick sitting beside her, fiddling with her strand of hair, it was kind of hard and very distracting.

    Hamish was sitting across them, ignoring the dog food in front of him. He, too, was studying but he kept glancing at his phone, which he had placed on the table beside his book. From what Amber had recalled, before they had parted ways with the Cairin and Cesaro packs, Hamish had given Makena his phone number, making her promise to send him a text or something.

    Looking at how he was constantly looking at his phone from time to time, it seems like she hasn''t contacted him. It wasn''t surprising for Amber since Makena had been living in a place where she has no technology and no one to talk with.

    She was amazed and in awe at how strong Makena was, living in that sort of environment. A normal person would go insane, living there. What more for nearly ten years.

    Makena basically has no childhood, other than just memories of being stabbed and used. It was fortunate that she wasn''t horribly s.e.x.u.a.lly abused.

    Ignoring the young man beside her, Amber leaned closer to Hamish and asked him about the math equation that she has been trying to solve but failed.

    Hamish looked up and then down at the notebook where she was pointing at the question she was asking about. He then turned to Erick, who was still twirling a strand of Amber''s hair around his fingers. "Why don''t you ask him? He''s better in maths than me."

    Amber rolled her eyes. "I wouldn''t want to disturb him playing with my hair," she said sarcastically.

    Erick released her hair and leaned closer at her. He then whispered in her ear and said softly, "Are you that jealous of my attention to your hair?"

    Amber rolled her eyes again as she pushed his face away. "Yeah, right," she scoffed.

    Erick then hugged her from the side and nuzzled deep between her shoulder and neck. "You smell good. It''s been awhile since I sniffed you."

    Amber pushed him again, feeling a bit frustrated. Ever since that little adventure, this wolf has been quite clingy to her. Although he knows his limits when she said enough is enough, it was still a bit disorienting. As much as she loves him, she did not expect that once he knew that she was fine with him being a shifter, something inside him just broke loose. He became more unrestrained in his feelings and touchy.

    She inwardly sighed as she looked at Erick, who was now teaching her on how to solve the problem after she scolded him.

    She then smiled to herself. It doesn''t matter. This just proved to her how much he does love her. Some people might not like this kind of love. But she does. A love like this is not wasted.

 Chapter 167 - 159: Longing for her mate

    That same evening, Erick had just returned home, his backpack on his back. Before heading home, he had sent Amber and Hamish to their home first. He was like a driver for the both of them. He did not mind driving for the both of them since one is his mate and the other lived just next door to him.

    Opening the door, he could smell dinner had just served in the kitchen.

    "Mom! I''m home!" he yelled out as he brushed the snow from his jacket. He then took off his jacket and hung it on a coat rack.

    "Welcome home, dear! Go freshen up before going for dinner!" came her reply from the kitchen. She was probably still busy cooking since Erick could still smell the food being cooked.

    "Alright," he shouted back before rushing up to his room to take a shower.

    His father hasn''t arrived at home yet but he did say that he would be home for dinner so he probably will be coming home soon.

    Before going down to the kitchen, Erick shot a quick message to Amber, informing her that he had arrived home safely. Since Amber had accepted him as a shifter, Erick had become more open towards his feelings where he no longer feels restricted in showing his love. And one way was to text her every time he had arrived or leave his home.

    His mother once teased him about it when she found out. She said that he never does that to her. He just ignored her.

    Just as he walked in the kitchen, his father had just arrived, still in his uniform. There were little snowflakes on his shoulder and head. Their eyes met.

    "Welcome home, dad," Erick greeted.

    Lachlan nodded as he brushed away the snow from his clothes and took off his wet boots. He then went up to the master bedroom to take a shower.

    Lachlan had just entered his room when Luella walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a cloth. "Was that your father?" she asked.

    Erick nodded as he entered the kitchen. On the dining table, there was food being placed on top of it; philly cheesesteaks, lamb pot pie, mashed potatoes, charred broccoli with melted cheese and tomato soup.

    He quickly went to wash his hands and then sat at the table, waiting for his father. His mother placed a jug of orange juice and sat down as well.

    While waiting for her husband, she started a conversation with her son, asking how was school, his mate and so forth.

    Like most male teenagers, Erick just nodded and said a few words to his mother, his mind already thinking which of the food should he eat first.

    Seeing the distracted look on her son''s face, Luella grabbed a wooden serving spoon and smacked him on the shoulder, scolding him and demanding to give her some attention.

    Erick immediately talked more than before. Saying how his game was on hold due to the upcoming exams and how he was swamped with assignments.

    Shortly after, Lachlan walked into the kitchen at the sight of his son talking animatedly with Luella. A small smile formed on the Alpha''s lips as he watched on, warmly.

    After dropping a kiss on top of Luella''s head, he sat at the head of the table and they began to eat.

    The conversation at the table was comfortable and nice as they began to talk with one another about how their day has been. Lachlan gave his son a knowing look, indicating that they can have their conversation at his office.

    Erick nodded as he ate his dinner.

    Once dinner was over, instead of going straight to his father''s office, Erick stayed behind to help his mother clear the dishes. Lachlan, too, helped with the clean-up.

    Luella then made some hot coffee for her husband once the dishes and the table were cleaned.

    Lachlan went to his office with Erick trailing behind him.

    A couple of minutes later, the two Kendall males were inside Lachlan''s office. Luella had already served him his coffee, which was sitting on his table.

    The two men sat across each other. Lachlan behind his desk while Erick sat across him.

    Lachlan leaned forward in his seat and said, "So, what was so important that you had to talk to me in private?"

    Erick was quiet at first. He then looked at his father in the eyes. Lachlan was surprised to see his son''s eyes had turned to amber. And that there was a glimpse of sharp fangs inside his mouth. It was then he realized that Erick has the ability to change to Dane, without fully shifting.

    Was this the power of a lycan?

    "Greetings, Alpha."

    "Dane."

    "I presume that Erick had told you about something?" Dane enquired.

    Lachlan thought it was a bit weird to be talking to his son, yet he was not his son at the same time. "He did tell me that he wanted to tell me something but not yet," he answered.

    Dane nodded as he leaned against the chair, crossing his arms across his chest. "As I''ve told Erick before. During that incident with the warlocks, I can smell something familiar from one of them. The older warlock."

    ??Something familiar."

    Dane let out a sigh. "Yes, not all of my memories are back yet so there are still some parts of it that are still foggy," he admitted. "But when I battled that warlock, the scent was not strong yet I could scent it. It was somethingˇ­ familial."

    Lachlan was surprised. "Lycan?" he said softly, hesitant. He felt a bit anxious about the answer.

    Dane rubbed his eyes then ran a hand through his hand, suddenly looking very tired. "Sort ofˇ­ butˇ­ I''m not sure. Something about that smell seems off."

    Lachlan was surprised once more. He did not expect that a lycan such as Dane would be unsure when it comes to his assumptions and opinions.

    "But that warlock," Dane suddenly said, his face solemn. "It wouldn''t do us any good to underestimate him. Back then, he did not go all out. One might say that he was testing us.

    And that he will be back soon. There was something that he wanted. Now that his captives, the granddaughter of the Cairin pack and the son of the Cesaro Alpha had escaped, he''s probably be waiting to capture them once more."

    "Them?" Lachlan repeated.

    Dane nodded. "Not only them."

    "Who?"

    "Me."

    -----

    It has been days since she was finally back in her hometown. To be exact, it has been years since she last stepped in this town and everything was very unfamiliar to her.

    When the Alpha of the Cesaro packs and the rest of the packmates had escorted her back to her hometown, Makena could feel emotions swarming her whole body; happiness because she was finally home and sad because she just found out that her mother had passed away years ago.

    After finally stepping on the soils of the Cairin Oaks, she could sense thunderous footsteps heading in her direction. She was terrified, at first. She was not used to a crowd.

    Seeing that Riedrich just pushed her in and then waved her goodbye, she could not voice out any word of protest as he suddenly disappeared from her sight, along with his packmates.

    Standing alone at the entrance of the Cairin Oaks, she could only wait for the thunderous footsteps to arrive.

    Before she could hide, a huge man instantly appeared in front of her. He has a large body, quite fit for his age. He looked as if he was in his sixties but Makena knew that he was probably much older, looking at how his eyes told her. His hair was trimmed short, lush with a salt and pepper tint. His eyes looked so clear but what surprised Makena was the tears that were sliding down from them.

    Just as Makena was about to take a step back, she was enveloped in a tight hug. "My childˇ­ my dear grandchildˇ­" he said tearfully. "Welcome back."

    Hours later, Makena was in her room, sitting on a chair as she looked out the window. It was snowing and the town was nearly blanketed in white goodness, looking pure and beautiful. But none of these were on her mind.

    Earlier, she and her grandfather had a long talk. Before, she had heard about how her pack was enchanted with spells, making them unable to join the mission. She had heard how they were cursed where the warlocks could see through their eyes.

    Hence why she was worried when she was in the room with her grandfather and that the Beta was there with them. The warlock might have listened to their conversation.

    However, her grandfather had reassured her with a satisfied grin, saying that the spell was broken just before Makena returned to the Oaks. Everyone in the pack who had been enchanted with the spells had their eyes blinded for a while, causing panic. But soon after, their sight returned, brighter and clearer. It was then they knew, with great relief, that the spells were broken. Adding with the return of Makena, the Cairin pack was in great spirits for days.

    Now in her room, she sat down, looking out the window, watching the snowfall as her mind was filled of a shifter mate she met back then. Inside her, Rae was furious when they were separated; him to the Kendall pack and her following the Cesaro pack to her pack.

    Rae had been bugging her to follow their mate back to the Kendall pack but Makena thought it was better for her to meet her pack first.

    Now, sitting there, looking out of the window, she has done what she wanted to do; meet the packs and spend time with her grandfather.

    But why does she still feel empty? Was this how one misses her mate?

 Chapter 168 - 160: Reunited

    The next morning.

    Erick was inside the library, together with Amber and Hamish, where they were studying and doing their homework. It was their free period. Rather than goofing around, they decided to study, especially when the two young shifters do not want to mess up their opportunity to join the final game. It was not that they had bad grades but the two of them just want to prove that they can deserve the position as well.

    They were soon joined by a couple of girls; Jeayan and Dana. Apparently, they, too, have a free period at that time. The two of them saw the three of them inside the library and decided to join them. Jeayan wanted to ask for help from Erick and Hamish as well since they were smarter than her.

    Soon, the school library which was quiet at first became a noisy place, making the librarian furious, sending a glare in their direction every single time. Because it wasn''t only them. There were also some students at the library who were talking about Erick''s group, squealing as they admired the two young men''s good looks.

    Dana then hissed at them to keep quiet before they were forced to leave the library.

    They immediately went quiet.

    After a few minutes, Amber nudged Erick, asking him for help on one of the equations.

    Erick patiently explained to her, telling her to use this formula and to use this method.

    A couple of minutes before the free period had ended, Hamish suddenly stood up, knocking the chair back on the floor, generating a loud crash, much to the librarian''s displeasure.

    Before the librarian could tell him to get out of the library, Hamish had already ran out of the library, leaving behind his things and his bewildered friends.

    Well, except for Erick, who was still patiently teaching Amber.

    Amber, who was quite surprised by Hamish, turned to Erick and asked what had happened.

    Erick turned to the direction where Hamish had gone to and nonchalantly turned back to her again. He then shrugged. "He sensed his mate."

    The three girls'' eyes widened in surprise. "Mate??" Jeayan repeated softly. "He has a mate?? When did this happen??"

    Dana quietly placed the chair that Hamish toppled over upright. She, too, was curious about his mate.

    "Back when we were rescuing Amber and the rest," Erick answered casually as he grabbed a textbook from in front of him and opened it. He then flipped to a page that he wanted and showed it to Amber. He pointed something from the page, saying that this is the method that she needed to use for the equation.

    "So you''ve met her before?" Jeayan asked, curious.

    Erick nodded quietly as he turned back to his notebook, studying .

    "What was she like?"

    "Okay."

    "Pretty?"

    "Okay."

    "How is her personality?"

    "Okay."

    "Nice?"

    "Okay."

    Jeayan suddenly threw her notebook at Erick, who swiftly avoided it. The notebook hit the person behind Erick. The guy rubbed the back of his head where the book had hit him. He turned around, looking confused and a bit miffed from being hit.

    Fortunately for Jeayan, the librarian did not see what she had done as she was busy attending to another patron. The guy behind Erick handed him Jeayan''s notebook while Erick apologized, on her behalf.

    Erick handed her notebook back to her.

    Jeayan snatched it with a glare, without saying thank you. She felt quite annoyed from Erick''s unhelpful answers. She then said, "What''s with the okay??"

    Erick frowned at her, with a look that says, ''are you dumb?''.

    Jeayan narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    Erick let out a sigh, looking as if he was forced to talk with an immature child and said, "Why are you asking me about another girl when my mate is here?"

    Amber turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow in questioning.

    "What? Are you scared of her being jealous and scolding at you for looking at other girls?" Jeayan retorted.

    Amber frowned at Jeayan. "Hey!" she protested, her cheeks red. She was not a really jealous person, okay???

    Erick rolled his eyes. "Do you think I want to bother myself by remembering how another girl looks like when my mate is more than enough for me?" he said.

    When he said that, inwardly Amber felt incredibly flattered and pleased, while Jeayan, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes in exasperation.

    Seeing that Hamish probably wouldn''t return at any time soon, the four of them helped to gather his things and brought them back with them. They have another class after their free period but guessing from how Hamish acted and how he had been waiting for his mate, he probably would just skip the class.

    On their way to class, in his arms, there were many folders and on his back, there were three backpacks. Amber wanted to grab her backpack from him but he refused, saying that he did not mind carrying them.

    Behind them, Dana and Jeayan both agreed that Erick is one henpecked boyfriend. He probably will become worse when he becomes the husband.

    Before they head towards their next class, Erick suggests to stop by his car. Looking at him curiously, Amber had asked why.

    He said that he wanted to toss Hamish''s things in the car before going back to class.

    Amber agreed. It would be quite tiring and a hassle to carry all of those things.

    What Amber did not know was the fact that the only reason why Erick did not want to carry Hamish''s things was because he did not like to touch another person''s items, especially when it wasn''t his mate''s.

    After placing Hamish''s things in the car, the two went back inside and headed for their class.

    -----

    At the shopping mall.

    It has been nearly an hour since Hamish had left the school. After scenting his mate''s scent, he found himself at the shopping mall, looking confused.

    Avoiding the patrolling policemen who were walking around, he continued to look for his mate. What was weird was that he could also smell a familiar scent with hers. And another weird thing was that, why was the scent here?

    He remembered that they had separated back then when she went back to her pack whereas he went to his. Kaius had been so distraught at the separation that whenever Hamish wanted to shift, Kaius wouldn''t budge.

    Hamish understood Kaius'' sulking. He, too, wanted to go there and claim her. But he has a commitment to his pack and that his Alpha had told them all to return. He could not disobey his Alpha.

    And after he had returned, he was bombarded with school works. Too many excuses, yes. But what can he do, being a lowly shifter in the pack? He doesn''t have much power, other than being the future Alpha''s friend and possibly becoming the future Beta.

    Now that he was back in school, he had thought that he should find some time to go to the Cairin Oaks to find her. Coincidentally, he smelled his scent right here in Burkendall town!

    Of course, he went straight there. He did not even think twice of leaving behind Erick and the others behind.

    He was walking around the mall aimlessly when he smelled the scent being quite strong at one of the shops. He quickly followed his senses and to his delight, he saw a familiar auburn red headed woman with her back to him, standing next to another red headed woman. Though, the one standing on the left was much taller than the one on the right.

    He quickly walked over and grabbed the auburn red headed woman''s arm.

    Surprised, the woman whirled around, her eyes widened. When she saw that it was Hamish, her hand raised up to stroke his cheek, trembling.

    "Mate?" Makena said softly.

 Chapter 169 - 161: Back to training

    School has just ended and Erick was walking to his car with Amber beside him. Seeing that Hamish hadn''t returned yet, Erick thought that he would just send his things when they have their shifter training later.

    After dropping Amber off at her house, he went straight to his home.

    He quickly parked his car and went to grab all of his items from the back seat of the car, where he had tossed them earlier. He turned around and saw that the lights were off at Hamish''s house and assumed that the Beta was probably working late again and that his wife was at their house.

    Whenever Fergus works late, Mary usually goes over to their house to spend time with Luella, so that she would not be lonely.

    Entering his house, he tossed his backpack on the floor before hanging up his coat. He then turned to where the living room was and was surprised to see many people inside. Other than his mother and Mary, there were also Hamish and an unfamiliar woman, sitting next to him.

    When the woman saw Erick walking into the living room, she immediately stood up and gave him a low bow. "Good evening, Lycan prince."

    Both Luella and Mary were surprised. Although they knew what had happened during that incident, they do not know much or fully. They only know bits of it from what they know from their husbands and other shifters who were involved in it.

    But what they did not know was that Erickˇ­ or rather, Dane was the Lycan prince.

    So, they were incredibly surprised to see the granddaughter of the Cairin Alpha bowing down to Erick.

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly rushed over to her, telling her that it''s fine. But before he could reach her, he could feel a glare digging at him. He looked up and saw Hamish glaring ferociously at him.

    He inwardly sighed and took a step back from her, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He then said to Makena, who was still looking in awe and confusion, "No need to greet me like that. It''s my wolf that''s the Lycan prince, not me. And it''s a bit weird to have someone older than me to bow down to me."

    Hamish immediately stood in front of Erick. "Who are you calling, ''old''?" he demanded angrily.

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise once more as he held up his hands. "No one," he quickly said.

    Makena looked confused as she looked at Hamish then at Erick and back again.

    Luella chuckled. "Now, now, calm down, you two," she said. She then turned to Erick and said, "You''ve done a terrible thing, son."

    Erick looked confused as he sat down on an armchair, next to the couple (Hamish and Makena). "What did I do?" he asked.

    Mary laughed lightly while Luella said, "You shouldn''t say the word ''old'' to a lady. It''s rude."

    Erick turned to look at Makena, who looked back at him with a small smile, ignoring the growling teenager beside her and back again. "I see," he said, understanding. He turned back to Makena and apologized.

    Makena just shook her head, brushing away his apologies.

    "So, you''re really Hamish''s mate?" Erick asked curiously.

    Makena nodded happily as she reached out for Hamish''s hand and gripped it tightly.

    Erick could see happiness bubbling inside Hamish as he let out a rare smile.

    Mary clapped her hands together happily as well, looking at her son and mate. "Such a happy event! You''ve finally found your mate, son!" she gushed.

    Hamish nodded, still smiling.

    "Will you be staying in town?" Luella asked.

    Makena nodded again. "Yes!" she said. "My grandfather had given me permission to stay and be acquainted with my mate for a while." she then looked at the two women in front of her and said again, with a bit of hesitation in her voice, "Is that alright?"

    Mary turned to Luella, who nodded. "Of course, it will be fine," she said. "But you''ll be staying here for the days you''re here."

    Hamish immediately stood up. "But why?" he demanded. "We also have some extra rooms in our house! She could stay there!"

    Luella kept quiet while Mary quickly admonished him for his rudeness. "Hamish!"

    Hamish quietly sat back down. Makena rubbed his back, calming him down.

    "It''s not that I want to separate the two of you," Luella explained. "But Hamish is still young. And although you two are already known to be mated to each other, we''ll wait for Hamish to graduate from high school."

    She turned to her son and said, "It''s the same for you too, Erick."

    Erick just nodded.

    "How old are you now, Makena?" Luella asked.

    "I''m twenty this year," she mumbled softly.

    "Just two years apart," Mary nodded.

    Hamish quickly grabbed both of her hands and rubbed them together. "It doesn''t matter. What matters the most is that you''re my mate."

    Makena smiled brilliantly at his answer.

    Erick pretended to gag after listening to Hamish''s answer.

    The two mothers just smiled, gushing with happiness.

    Erick then stood up and said to Hamish, "Training has been continued. We''d better get ready."

    "Latham will still be training you all?" Luella asked.

    Erick nodded.

    Mary then turned to Makena and asked, "Why don''t you join them? You can get a glimpse of how we train and do around here."

    Makena nodded happily.

    It was late in the evening and every young shifter was gathered around at the field where they first trained.

    Erick was there, together with Hamish, who stood beside him. Even Makena was there, though she stood far from there at the side. She thought that since she was not part of the pack, she shouldn''t intrude on the training and just watch.

    While waiting for their instructor, the young shifters were talking amongst themselves. Some were whispering as they kept glancing at Hamish''s mate who just stood there, waiting quietly. The whispers became more excited as they watched the usually-cold young shifter walk over to his mate and lovingly brushed a strand of her auburn hair off her shoulders.

    Erick, who was watching them, rolled his eyes. He then let out a sad sigh, suddenly missing his mate.

    Just then, Latham had just arrived, together with his brother, Noaz. The eldest triplet had his amputated hand in a sling and although it was still amputated, Erick could tell it was slowly growing as he could also tell that the fingers were slowly growing inside the wrapping.

    He turned to Makena and thought how amazing her blood was. It was no wonder she had been captured for it. He then looked down at his body.

    Suddenly, Dane voiced out in his mind, saying, ''You don''t have to think much. Your blood is more powerful than hers. Just that it''s hard to make sure of yours since they can only get the pure lycan blood when you''re shifted to me.''

    It was then Erick understood. Makena''s blood was easily extracted and made use of because she has the lycan blood, as in the Cairin pack was descended from the lycan. But then they have a mixed breed, hence it wasn''t as pure. As for Erick, although their packs were also descended from the lycan, it wasn''t as strong as the Cairin nor the Cesaro pack. But he has the lycan prince as his wolf soul so the only way to extract a pure lycan blood was only when Erick becomes Dane.

    "Let''s queue up in straight lines!" Latham shouted as he stood in front of the young shifters.

    Hamish immediately went behind Erick as they lined up.

    "We''ll be doing a combat practice," Latham said. "I''d like to see whether you all have improved and did not slack on your training."

    He then ended by saying, "In your human forms."

    He instantly divided the young shifters in a group, with the help of Noaz. It was then he noticed Makena standing behind them, watching them curiously. He then approached the young woman.

    "Hello there," Latham greeted. "Aren''t you Alpha Isaiah''s granddaughter?"

    Makena looked up with a surprised look on her face. "Ah, yes, yes, I am," she stammered. "I''m just watching. I hope I didn''t disturb you all."

    Latham chuckled. "Not at all," he said, waving away her concerns. He then gave her a small bow of gratitude. "The other day I didn''t get the chance to personally thank you for the blood," he said as he raised his amputated hand. "Although it''s not there yet, it''s healing well now."

    Makena put her hands together, feeling relieved. She peered at his hand and asked, "Does it hurt?"

    Latham shrugged. "Just like a pinch here and there. Stings here and there but otherwise, it''s not that bad," he answered simply.

    Recalling how she was watching the others about to go training, he asked her whether she wanted to join or not.

    Makena''s eyes widened. She quickly shook her head, shaking her hands in front of her. "I wouldn''t dare to intrude," she stammered.

    Latham shook his head. "Nah, you won''t. Come and join us. You''ll have fun."

    With that last few words, he went off to where the other young shifters were waiting.

    Makena looked at where Hamish and the others were talking among themselves, "Maybe I should give it a tryˇ­" she murmured softly.

 Chapter 170 - 162: I will join this group

    The night was peaceful with little stars dotting the dark sky. However, one would hear sounds of a skirmish once they go deep into the forest where the young shifters usually had their training.

    It has been a while since they had their training, since before the time that Erick and a few shifters from the pack went on their mission. Added with the fact that the young shifter''s head trainer needed time to recover, this was actually the first time that they had their training.

    Earlier, Latham had approached a young auburn haired woman, asking her to join the training. She rejected his offer, worried that she might be in the way. She rather watches them, though the look in her eyes tells another story.

    Thus, the more she watched, the more intrigued she felt. She never had anyone to train with. She doesn''t even train before, other than shifting and running around. It was probably Rae who got excited when it comes to sparring but she too feels excited.

    "Maybe I should give this a tryˇ­" she murmured softly, her eyes began to brighten with excitement.

    She then stood up and started to approach them.

    A small smile appeared on Latham''s lips as he pretended to not notice the young woman walking towards him as his back was to her. He knew that she would get curious and wanted to join in the training. Which young shifter, who had been trapped in a room for more than five years, would not get excited in ''stretching'' their arms for a bit?

    Hamish, who also noticed Makena walking towards them, had his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

    Separating himself from the group, he approached Makena before she could reach Latham''s side and asked in concern, "What''s wrong? Are you bored?"

    Makena gave him a small smile as she shook her head. "No, I''m not. I just wanted to ask Big Brother Latham whether I can join the training."

    Hamish frowned. "Why would you want to join? You should just rest. It hasn''t been that long since you got free from that crazy warlock''s place."

    "I think I''ve had enough rest," she argued.

    "Now, now, Hamish," Latham said, as he approached the couple. "Let her be. She probably wants to play a little."

    He then turned towards Makena and continued, "Don''t you?"

    Makena nodded, her eyes brightening with excitement.

    Hamish let out a sigh as he looked at his mate, a look of worry on his face. "Then you should just join my group. If anyone bullies you, you should tell me."

    Both Latham and Makena rolled their eyes. "Who would dare to bully the granddaughter of the Cairin pack?" Latham said. "And one who has the power of healing? No matter how much they wanted to beat her up, she would already be healed in full condition."

    Hamish just scowled at him.

    Latham frowned back. "Don''t give me that look. Go and train!" he ordered, pointing him to his group telling him to return back.

    He then turned to Makena and said, "You can choose any group that you want. And within that group, you can fight with whomever you want. Just remember that this is just a practice fight. Not a fight to death."

    Makena nodded.

    Both Erick and Hamish were in a different group. Erick was grouped together with Jeayan and other young shifters while Hamish was with Dex and other young shifters. Each group, there were at least five to six young shifters. At Erick''s group, there were already six of them whereas at Hamish''s group there were only five of them.

    Seeing that they were only one person short, Hamish believed that Makena would join his group.

    To his great shock and disbelief, he watched Makena approaching Erick. He then quickly chased after Makena and pulled on her arm. "Why are you going there? Come and join my group."

    Makena shook her head as she gently pried his hand away from her arm. She then said, "I want to be in Erick''s group."

    She looked at Erick, who was also looking at her in the eye and continued, "I want to fight with him."

    Loud gasps resonated throughout the field as everyone turned to look at the bold young woman. It has been a while since anyone wants to challenge Erick. And the fact that he has some parts of his wolf''s soul, it was well-known that his strength was also getting stronger. Even Dex did not dare to challenge him.

    Erick just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at the young woman.

    He then walked towards her with a grin on his face. "I don''t mind fighting with you. And as my respect to you as Dane''s kin as well as someone older than me, I won''t hold back."

    There was no longer a glimpse of the terrified and awkward young woman from before, rather there was a confident young woman standing in Makena''s place as she smiled back. "I''d rather you do that."

    Erick then narrowed his eyes at her and said, "A pleasure, Rae."

    Hamish c.o.c.ked an eyebrow while Latham looked at the young woman in surprise.

    "How did you know it was me?" Rae asked in surprise.

    "Your scent is different from Makena''s."

    Apparently, Makena was able to change into Rae, without shifting as well. It was just that it''s not often that she does that because it may disrupt the two souls. But probably because she and Rae had a very strong bond, it was possible for them.

    Rae just gave a light chuckle. She then peeked a glance at Hamish under her lashes and said, "Seems like you''re not the only one who knew I''m not Makena."

    Hamish just looked away when Rae was looking at him, unconcerned. Totally unlike when he was pampering Makena earlier on.

    "It would be shameful for me if I don''t know my own mate," Hamish declared.

    Rae walked closer to Hamish and said, "But technically, I''m still your mate."

    Hamish just keeps quiet. It was true. Even if Rae was only Makena''s wolf soul, the two of them were still Hamish''s mate.

    Latham then stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, "Alright, everyone! Let''s stop this chit-chat and get on with the training. Return to your group right now. Noaz and I will oversee this training so do not go overboard!"

    He turned to Noaz, who nodded back at him.

    Overall, there were five groups. And as mentioned before, each group has five to six shifters in them. And everyone was given fifteen minutes to spar before the next two starts.

    Although Latham only has one functioning hand, it did not stop him from training the young shifters. And even with one hand, the young shifters do not dare to undermine his command or be disrespectful towards him.

    Latham was in charge of three groups whereas Noaz was in charge of the other two.

    Once everyone was in place, Latham began giving out instructions and the rules of the training. Noaz and him will not interfere in the training unless they are forced to. He also told them of the punishments should they break the rules or try to go overboard with their training.

    Makena was standing in Erick''s group, where she stood a bit further from them. Although she did challenge Erick for a spar, it was still a bit awkward for her to stand near the front when she was not from the pack. However, Jeayan had pulled her to stand next to her.

    Jeayan does not know Makena, other than the fact that she''s Hamish''s mate so when she saw the latter joining them, she immediately latched herself to Makena. She then introduced herself.

    Makena felt surprised at the other young woman''s friendliness that she could not help but being pulled in. She no longer felt awkward as she began to talk with Jeayan.

    Jeayan was quite surprised as well when she found out that Makena was two years older than them. She had thought that she was either the same age or younger than them. Still, that did not stop her from getting closer to her.

    Hamish could only watch in envy, as he glared daggers at how friendly Jeayan was.

 Chapter 171 - 163: Shes a bit wild

    Nearly an hour has passed and by then, each young shifter has already fought among each other.

    However, Erick hasn''t fought with Makena yet as they wanted their spar to be the last one. At that moment, Erick was sparring with Jeayan, who was known to be quick.

    Despite her speed, she still lost to Erick, who overpowered her, not only in strength as well as techniques, making the young woman stomped her foot in frustration when it was declared that Erick was the winner. Though, she was quite surprised to see that Erick was getting quicker.

    She knew that ever since Erick had found some part of Dane''s soul, he was getting stronger. And it seems like it was also because of that, he was getting quicker. He nearly matched her in her speed. But she knew that if they were in their shifter forms, Dane would definitely beat Chiwa in speed.

    After her spar with Erick, they were given a five minute breather where Latham took the opportunity to tell Jeayan what she had lacked. He did mention that Erick was fortunate to join many missions, compared to her, hence why he was able to outsmart her when it comes to techniques and plan of actions.

    While he was teaching Jeayan, Makena, who was done with her spars, walked over to Erick.

    "My lord," she greeted.

    Erick took a huge gulp of water from his bottle as he looked over at Makena. He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and said, "What''s with this sudden respect?"

    Makena smiled. "I''m sorry for Rae''s rudeness," she apologized. "She was just excited to battle with you."

    "But you do know that I won''t be battling her," Erick said. "It''s you I''m sparring with."

    Makena nodded. "Yes, I do."

    "I hope you''re ready."

    "Ready as always."

    Just then, Latham called for the next two shifters to get ready for the fight.

    Both Erick and Makena walked to the center of the field. The other three groups were already done, except for Erick and Makena, Hamish and another young shifter from their pack. Though, many of them went to Erick and Makena''s side as they were curious to see the battle between the Alphas'' descendents.

    For them, the fight between Erick and Makena was like the fight between the Kendall pack and the Cairin pack.

    When he saw that the two of them were ready, Latham then shouted,

    "START!"

    The place where the two young shifters stood earlier was now empty. Soon after, there was a loud booming sound coming from between with dust and dirt flying all over the place. Some of the spectators had to cover their mouth and eyes to protect themselves.

    When the dust settled down, they were surprised to see Makena up in the air, with her foot on Erick''s arms, where he had blocked a kick from her. She quickly used his arms as a stepping stone as she jumped backwards.

    Before she landed on the ground, Erick had rushed over, with his arm pulled back. He was about to land a hit on Makena but she was able to avoid it by placing her hand on top of Erick''s fist. She then pushed his fist down and twirled her legs, like helicopter blades.

    Erick leaned back to avoid her spinning legs. He waited for the right moment and then grabbed one of Makena''s legs. He then swung her around before releasing her, sending her flying across the field.

    Some of the spectators moved aside to avoid being hit by the flying woman.

    It was fortunate that there were trees around them as Makena used one of them as her step. Forcing more power to her legs, she pushed them to fly across the fields, towards Erick. The tree broke into two, due to the power.

    While she was flying towards Erick, he had rushed towards her as well. And before she could reach him, he had jumped up and was about to stomp on top of her from above.

    Because this was only a training spar, Erick did not put any power in his legs as he rammed the young woman to the ground.

    After Makena was knocked down, Erick jumped back and went on a defensive pose.

    Makena spurted out the dirt out of her mouth as she struggled to get up. She then rushed towards Erick and this time, she was the one who had pulled her arm back. She was about to punch the young shifter in front of her when he caught her fist in his one hand and used his other fist to punch her in the stomach.

    "Ooof!"

    Staggering back as she held her stomach with her one hand, Erick was about to kick her again when Latham shouted at them to stop.

    Erick immediately stopped, his foot in the air. But before he could lower his foot down, he was kicked from behind. He fell to the ground, right next to Makena''s feet.

    Surprised, Makena looked down at Erick and up at Hamish''s blazing eyes.

    Hamish was about to kick Erick again when the latter grabbed his foot and pushed him, making the former fall on his bum.

    "What the feck is wrong with you?" Erick roared as he stood up.

    "You hurt my mate."

    "What part of training did you not understand?"

    "You still hurt her."

    Erick rolled his eyes.

    Makena then helped her mate get up. Once he had gotten up, she helped to brush away the dirt off his clothes while saying, "But I''m not even hurt."

    Hamish looked at her in the eyes.

    "Really! It didn''t hurt at all!" she pressed on.

    "But it hurts me when you got hit," he said simply.

    Makena felt her heart beat fast when she heard his words.

    Erick then leaned closer to Jeayan, who was standing next to her. "Was I that sickening when I''m with Amber?" he asked curiously.

    Before Jeayan could answer, Erick had answered himself, crossing his arms across his chest. "Nah, everything I say to Amber couldn''t be that lame," he said confidently.

    This time, it was Jeayan''s turn to roll her eyes.

    Once everyone had settled down, Noaz clapped his hands to get their attention. And then Latham announced that for the spar between Erick and Makena, it was Erick''s win. He then continued his talk, telling everyone that they had done a good job, though, some of them would still need more training. There will be more practice spar in the future and that they will be sent to missions where they could improve more on their skills and techniques.

    After he was done, he dismissed them all.

    Once everyone had left, there were only Latham and Noaz left alone in the field where they were in their own thoughts.

    Noaz then broke the silence by commenting, "She''s pretty good, huh?"

    Latham agreed. "Despite being held up in that hell, she does fight well. Her fighting skills were a bit wild since she doesn''t have much training but with more polish, she could probably be one of the strongest female shifters I''ve ever met."

    Noaz nodded as well, agreeing with his brother. "Indeed. She reminds me of Elder Omorose."

    "Based on her fighting?"

    Noaz nodded again. "Elder Omorose can be pretty wild when it comes to fighting but she''s also slick and smooth."

    "It would be good if she was to stay here. And who knows, she might probably be able to train under Elder Omorose''s guidance."

    "I agree as well."

 Chapter 172 - 164: How Makena arrived at Burkendall Town

    Out from the training field, Erick walked a few steps further, heading towards his house when he suddenly stopped. He whirled around, glaring at the couple behind him.

    "Why are you two so slow??" he demanded hotly. "Can''t you walk faster?"

    The couple looked at him blankly. Hamish had his arm around Makena''s shoulders, who was supporting him. Earlier, after her battle, she noticed that there was a wound on his shoulder, although it was just a small wound, he told Makena that he was hurting badly.

    Makena knew that it wasn''t a serious injury but she, too, wanted to hug her mate. She just wouldn''t want to admit it since she was still feeling shy. So, to say, both were feeling kind of shameless.

    "I was injured," Hamish said.

    Erick pointed at Hamish''s shoulder, his finger trembling out of anger and exasperation. "Feck! You call that an injury??? Even a bump on the head is more serious than that wound of yours!"

    He then turned to Makena and said, "And you! What are you doing, coddling him? Are you his mother??"

    "No, I''m his mate," she answered seriously.

    Erick placed a hand on his forehead, not sure what to say anymore.

    Feeling a bit jealous that he can''t lovey-dovey with his mate, like Hamish is with his, Erick just walked off, leaving them behind.

    But since Makena will be staying over at Erick''s, they followed him.

    Once they arrived at Erick''s house, Erick waited at the hallway, his arms crossed across his chest while he waited for the couple to say their goodbyes.

    Soon after, Makena walked in and was slightly surprised to see Erick waiting for her. She thought that he would have left her behind, seeing how he looked nauseated from their lovey-dovey moments.

    He gestured for her to follow him up the stairs when she stood in front of him. He then went up, with Makena following behind him.

    When they arrived at a room that was slightly further in and was a bit smaller compared to Erick''s room, he said, "This is your room. Heard that you immediately followed us for training without checking out your room and all. Mom and Aunt Mary helped to buy some stuff for you. So, if there''s anything else, just holler."

    Makena shook her head. "I''m sure everything is there," she said. She then gave him a little bow. "Thank you for letting me be selfish for awhile. I apologise for intruding in you and your family''s home without any discussion and all."

    She felt a bit embarrassed now that she had thought of her actions.

    She then recalled the time when she first arrived in town. She had arrived at Burkendall Town and went to stay there, without making any plans with the Kendall pack there. If it was any other packs who had done this, there might be a war breaking in since it will be an intrusion.

    But she had been so excited when her grandfather had told her that she could go and meet her mate. He probably did not expect her to want to meet him straight away.

    She just did not have anything else to do. Currently, at her pack, they were getting used to the feeling of not being monitored, ever since Rehan''s spell over them had broken. Knowing that, it made her want to explore the world.

    And the first thing she wanted to explore was where her mate lived. And to know more about his daily life.

    And that was what she did. She left home, after telling her grandfather that she would be gone for a week and then she went to plan her trip, checking the bus schedules.

    In actuality, it was only after a couple of days when she finally arrived in Burkendall Town with only a backpack on her back.

    It was because she got on the wrong bus that went to the other side, instead of towards Burkendall Town. She had to stay there for a night since it was already late before going on the right way.

    When she finally arrived at Burkendall Town, she was fascinated and amazed with the sights. She did not expect a shifter town to be so modern. Well, compared to Cairin Oaks, this town was quite contemporary.

    The previous town she went to did not count because there weren''t any shifters around. She had to be careful as well to make sure that no one there knew that she''s a shifter. Her grandfather had warned her numerous times of how shifters were still greatly disliked by humans and that she needed to be cautious every time.

    Once she had arrived at Burkendall Town, she had walked around, curious about her surroundings. She had rode the bus, looking out the window. While riding the bus, they had passed by many places; the local library, the community center and post office. They even stopped at the bus stop near the Burkendall high-school before continuing on.

    When they arrived at one of the shopping malls, seeing how many people had gotten out of the bus, she followed them. Again, she became fascinated as she looked around the building with her big eyes.

    It was then she met Hamish''s mother. She had been walking around when she caught a familiar scent. It was familiar yet different. Following her instinct, she searched for the scent which led her to a redheaded woman at a grocery store.

    Makena discreetly sniffed the woman and felt her heartbeat fast. Before she could open her mouth, the woman had turned around, looking at her curiously.

    Looking at the eyes which bore resemblance to her mate''s eyes, Makena was surprised.

    "May I help you?" the woman asked. Her face looked a bit confused.

    "Um, do you know Hamish?" Makena asked nervously.

    The woman became more surprised. But seeing how the young woman was nervous and didn''t have any killing intent in her, she knew she didn''t bore any murderous thoughts. "He''s my son."

    Makena''s eyes widened. ''How should I tell her that he''s my mate?'' she thought.

    She was still quiet in her thoughts, thinking on how to break the fact that she was her son''s mate when Mary asked gently, "Do you know my son?"

    Panicked, Makena blurted out, "He''s my mate."

    Mary''s eyes widened in surprise. She then clasped the young woman''s hands and said excitedly, "Oh my! Oh my!"

    Looking around her, she knew that they needed a place to chat so she abandoned her idea to go grocery shopping and brought Makena outside the store.

    "Oh my!" Mary said again. "Are you Alpha Isaiah''s granddaughter?" she asked softly. She only knew a bit about Hamish''s mate but she only knew that from other people, not from her son. Everytime she tried to ask her son, he had been tight-lipped about it.

    Makena nodded.

    "When did you arrive in town?"

    Makena bit her lips nervously. "A couple of hours ago."

    "Do you have a place to stay? How long are you planning to stay?"

    Makena shook her head. "Just a couple of days," she replied sadly.

    Then Mary, with her hands on her h.i.p.s, said, "Alright, we''ll go meet the Luna and talk about this."

    Before Makena could answer, she felt her arm being pulled from behind. She whirled around and her eyes widened, "Mate?"

 Chapter 173 - 165: Lathams progress

    That morning, since both Erick and Hamish have school, Makena was left alone at the house, together with Luella. She couldn''t possibly have joined them since she never attended school before.

    Lachlan, too, had left for the office so Makena was in the kitchen, still having her breakfast. She was pretty occupied earlier that morning when Hamish had joined them for breakfast. She basically pampered her mate, serving him food and all, much to Erick''s annoyance and Luella''s amus.e.m.e.nt. She hasn''t eaten hers yet as she wanted Hamish to have his fill before eating hers.

    After they had left for school, Makena was finally able to eat her breakfast. As a person who doesn''t eat much, probably because she got used to little portions when she got locked up, she was shocked to see the dishes being laid down on the table.

    It looked like a breakfast buffet, rather than a normal breakfast meal. There were hash browns, sunny-side up eggs, toasts, beef stripes, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, baked scones and potato salad.

    She was even more shocked to see that the food was almost gone, eaten by these two young shifters and the Alpha. It was no wonder the Luna never stopped being busy in the kitchen, cooking non-stop for these three hungry men.

    Once she was done with breakfast, she went to the guest room and cleaned. By the time she returned back to the kitchen, the Luna was also done with her breakfast and had cleaned everything.

    Makena was surprised once more. This was her second shock of the day. She wanted to help Luella with the clean-up but it seems like she had finished them all within seconds.

    Luella did say with a proud look on her face that it helps when she has a sturdy dishwasher.

    Soon after, the two women were ready to go out. And before they headed to the packhouse, they stopped by the Beta''s house to pick up Mary. The three women continued their walk to the packhouse.

    When they arrived, the packhouse was quiet. It was as if no one was around. But in actuality, it was more like they were lurking. Many were curious about the Cairin Alpha''s granddaughter, especially when she has some of the lycan''s powers as well as being Hamish''s mate.

    Many of the packmates were close with Hamish as they considered each other as family. So, knowing his personality, they wanted to know what kind of mate he has.

    Makena had just stepped inside the packhouse when she felt curious stares stabbing at her. She looked around her and was confused to see no one was around.

    "Don''t mind them," Luella said, as she walked further in. "These little pups are just curious about our special guest."

    Mary nodded as she followed Luella from behind.

    "I see," Makena murmured as she joined them. Although the stares didn''t hold any murderous intent, it was still a bit stifling and uncomfortable. Especially for someone like her who isn''t used to being in the spotlight.

    They finally reached one of the rooms, which Luella pushed open. Peering inside, Makena realized it was a doctor''s room. And further in, she saw a pretty young woman unwrapping the bandage of a young man''s arm, which was off the sling.

    Looking closer at the man, she realized it was the same young man whom she had given her blood to, as well as the young man who were training the young shifters last night.

    The young man and woman looked up when they heard the door open. They were sitting across each other and immediately stood up, bowing in respect to their Luna.

    Luella waved her hand, telling them to sit back down and asked what''s his progress.

    Behind her, Mary whispered to Makena, telling her that these young man and woman''s names are Latham and Melody. Latham was the young shifters'' head trainer and he worked at a local workshop, whereas the woman was the pack doctor and is Latham''s mate.

    Makena''s mouth dropped open in an ''o'' shape, a look of surprise on her face. ''Amazing,'' she thought to herself.

    Apparently, that day was the day when Melody would check Latham''s hand, whether it was healing nicely and to see if there were any side-effects. Though, the man did say that he didn''t feel anything uncomfortable, just some itch since his hand was growing.

    Before Melody unwrapped the bandage, she warned the other women, telling that the sight of this might be repulsive and that if they were weak hearted, it is advisable that they should leave the room as there might also be an unpleasant odor emitting from the wound.

    Mary quickly excused herself, leaving the room. Luella stayed because she did not mind seeing the wound and did not mind the smell either. Makena, on the other hand, her curiosity to see how her blood helped cure the man''s amputated hand was more than confronting the repulsive sight and the unpleasant odor. So, the two women stayed behind.

    After Mary had left the room, Melody looked at Luella, who nodded back.

    The pack doctor slowly unwrapped the bandage and they were soon swamped with a light putrid smell. Dead skins slowly dropped to the floor as Melody unwrapped.

    Luella had a serious look on her face as she looked at the exposed arm while Makena, behind her, tried to hold on to her retch.

    Once the bandage was finally removed completely, Makena peered in closer and was surprised to see the improvement.

    There were already fingers growing on his hand but not fully, yet half-way. It looked really weird, rather than repulsive. It wasn''t like a baby hand was growing on his wrist, like the one in the movie, Deadpool. Rather, it was more like a full palm with half fingers.

    Leaving his half hand on the table, with a towel underneath it, Melody stood up and went to the fridge and took out a vial. Inside the vial, there was a red liquid. The vial wasn''t full and it looked as if it had been used before.

    Looking at it, Makena felt her blood tingling.

    Melody looked at Makena and smiled. "Thank you once again for this," she said, holding up the vial. That''s right. The red liquid inside was actually Makena''s blood.

    Makena smiled back. "It''s the least I could do after the Kendall pack had saved me."

    Luella patted her on the shoulder, smiling.

    Melody then poured a few droplets of the blood onto Latham''s exposed hand. Latham immediately winced when the blood touched him.

    "Does it hurt?" Melody asked in concern.

    Latham shook his head. "It''s kind of cold."

    "Probably because of the exposure," Luella commented.

    Melody nodded, agreed.

    They went silent for a while and shortly after, Latham winced once more. He could feel his blood was rushing towards his amputated hand and there was a prickling sensation at the tips of his fingers, as if it was growing.

    Melody was looking at his hand intently and her eyes widened when she saw there was a bit of growth in the hand. She looked up with a smile and said, "In less than a week, there will be a full hand.??

    Luella grinned widely. "That''s great news."

    Latham looked at his hand, choked with happiness. "Yeah, great news," he said softly, his eyes misty.

    Melody, too, could feel her eyes being moist. She knew better than anyone else at how much her mate had suffered after returning back from the mission. She knew that he had blamed himself for being weak but to her, he was the strongest. He had sacrificed so much for the pack. Other than his amputated hand, there were also his legs. Luckily, it did not take that long to heal his legs and it wasn''t much of an injury. She was proud of her mate for being strong.

    Knowing that these two mates would want to be left alone, Luella and Makena quietly leave the room.

 Chapter 174 - 166: Goodbyes

    It has been nearly a week since Makena had stayed at Burkendall town and it was time for her to leave for Cairin Oaks.

    On the last night before her departure, she had spent the time with Hamish, where they went on a date; dinner and movie. Hamish thought of this because he knew that Makena had never experienced this kind of life before. Her childhood was basically stolen so he had thought to at least make her experience the teenage love life. Other than that, they even went for a run, shifting to their wolf forms, sprinting through the forests, feeling in the fresh air.

    So, the next morning, since Erick, Hamish and Jeayan had classes, they could not send her off. There were many times when Hamish tried to sneak out and even skip school because he wanted to be there when Makena went back.

    Unfortunately for him, he wasn''t strong enough for the triplets. Fergus had already warned them about a certain young shifter who might be against the fact that he has to stay in school, instead of being with his mate. So, the Beta further asked for the triplets'' assistance to make sure that the young shifter stays in school.

    Earlier that morning when Erick was about to pick Hamish up from his house to go together to school, the latter had told him that he will go to school later.

    Erick just nodded and set off for school. But he knew Hamish. Go to school later? More like skipping school! But then again, he wasn''t going to get involved and will pretend to be oblivious. He doesn''t want to be that concerned over Hamish''s affairs when seeing Amber was more important than that.

    Hence why Erick was amused when he saw Hamish being escorted to their homeroom by Roel, who held Hamish''s collar from behind, as if he was carrying a mischievous child.

    Erick held back his laughter when he saw the unwillingness on Hamish''s face after the latter was being pushed inside by Roel. The former continued to watch as Hamish grudgingly walked his way to his seat.

    Hamish glared at Erick before sitting.

    Erick turned his face away, pretending to look somewhere else.

    Amber, who had been watching the whole scene as an avid spectator, turned around in her seat and asked her boyfriend, "What''s wrong with him?"

    "His girlfriend is going home today," Erick casually replied. He then took a glance at his wristwatch and said, "Right now, to be exact."

    Amber nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see."

    Hamish just sat down, ignoring the whispers that surround him. He felt downhearted that he wasn''t able to see Makena off. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-166-goodbyes_50921294211897809">/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-166-goodbyes_50921294211897809</a> for visiting.

    Amber looked at Hamish and then said to Erick, "Though, it''s quite a surprise to see him like this. He''s always been so cold. But nowˇ­" it was her first time seeing Hamish looking so dejected. He usually puts on a serious face, other than an annoyed face.

    Erick rolled his eyes and said, "Just ignore him."

    Hamish''s sorrowful presence continued on until afternoon where they were at the McClay''s, having their snack while studying.

    Half of the diner was filled with students from the Burkendall Highschool, hence it was quite rowdy and noisy inside. But the owner and the other patrons of the diner did not mind the racket at all. Instead, they were happy and pleased to see the teenagers enjoying themselves. It helps when some of the other patrons were closed with some of them, especially with Erick and Hamish.

    So, when an elderly person walked over to Erick''s table, he was surprised to see the sad look on Hamish''s face that he asked Erick what had happened.

    It seems like it wasn''t only Amber but they too were stunned that Hamish can show a dejected look on his face.

    Erick just shrugged as he swiped some of Hamish''s fries. "He''s heartbroken," he replied nonchalantly. Seems like the latter has no appetite, hence why he did not get angry when Erick stole some of his fries.

    Amber slapped her boyfriend''s hand, admonishing him for taking advantage of Hamish''s sadness.

    Erick just rolled his eyes as he continued to eat his food with his notebook placed wide open in front of him.

    The elderly man then smacked Hamish on the back, a couple of times, as if he was trying to comfort the young man. "Don''t worry, boy," he said. "There are other fishes in the sea!" The elderly man doesn''t know that they were shifters so he did not understand the concept of having a mate, thinking Hamish was just a normal teenager.

    Hamish immediately turned his head, facing the elderly man with a glare. "I don''t need any other fish! She''s mine!" he snarled.

    Erick then smacked him on the head. "Respect your elders," he scolded. In a low voice, he continued, "Control your emotions or I''ll hit you once more until you understand what control is."

    Hamish went quiet. He knew that Erick was getting annoyed by the serious tone he had used on him.

    They continued to do their work; studying and revising while eating. Other than them, there were also several of their friends from school, mostly those from the football team. This was because they wanted to get the best marks that they could achieve so that they can join the final match in a couple of months.

    The ''studying'' continued on until late at night. Since Latham was currently getting more treatment from Melody after Makena had sent over more of her blood, there wasn''t any practice. At first, Hamish protested when Makena gave them her blood. But Makena told him it was fine. Lachlan and Fergus, too, wanted to refuse her, not wanting her to sacrifice more of her blood and worried that she might get weak from the loss of blood.

    Again, she reassured them it was fine. For her, this was nothing. She had her blood taken a lot more than these when she was locked up in that mansion.

    A couple of hours later, when Erick had finally returned home, he was surprised to see there were people inside their living room. His parents, the Beta, the triplets and the pack doctor were all there, wearing a solemn look on their faces. Erick knew that something serious was going on. He was curious but since he saw the warning look that his father had given him, he decided to not intrude.

    Saying goodnight to them, he quickly rushed up to his room.

    Back in the living room, once they were sure that the young shifter was inside his room and was not eavesdropping on them, they continued their conversation.

    "I''ll depart first thing tomorrow morning," Latham announced.

    Lachlan nodded.

    Melody, who was standing next to her mate, held his other hand and gripped it tight. Her eyes became watery after she had heard his announcement.

    Luella immediately walked over to Melody''s side and patted her shoulder in comfort.

    That morning, after Makena had left, Latham went for another checkup and instead of healing, they were surprised to see that the healing process became worse. It wasn''t sure as to what had happened but when Isaiah Cairin had heard what had happened to Latham, he instantly told Lachlan to bring Latham to them.

    It was the least he and the Cairin pack did after the Kendall pack had saved Makena. And that the symptoms sounded familiar to Isaiah. It was one of the rare side effects that would happen when another pack used the blood of the Cairin pack.

    It was unsure how long Latham might have to stay at Cairin Oaks, but he was ready to stay there until his hand was healed.

    Since she was the pack doctor, she could not follow him. Instead, one of his brothers, Noaz, will be joining Latham to accompany him.

    As for the training, ever since the arrest, Roel hadn''t done much work. He was still working but not so much as before. It was not sure whether the owner of the restaurant no longer trusted him but rather, Roel himself requested for lesser days. Hence, it was agreed that Roel will replace Latham in the young shifters'' training.

    Lachlan patted Latham on the shoulder and said, "Take care of yourself there." he then turned to Noaz, "Protect each other."

    "Yes, Alpha!"

 Chapter 175 - 167: Lycan descendents

    Erick looked around him, thinking that there was something off. Yesterday, Makena had left for Cairin Oaks so things were slowly getting back as usual.

    Well, excluding Hamish, who was still walking around with a sad look on his face the whole day yesterday. Although there were times that he was being annoying, Erick could not admonish him too much. Because he knew that if he was in Hamish''s shoes, he would be much worse.

    Last night, after the Beta, the triplets and the pack doctor had left his house, he went down to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. He thought the atmosphere back then was a bit stifling as he could guess something big was going on.

    Before he entered the kitchen, he noticed his parents were still in the living room, sitting next to each other, a worried look on their faces.

    Frowning, Erick changed his course and turned to walk towards the living room. He entered and sat down from across his parents and asked in concern, "What''s wrong?"

    His mother looked up at him and shook her head sadly.

    Erick frowned deeper, feeling a bit suspicious at their actions. ''Seriously, what''s going on?'' he thought.

    ''Hmmmˇ­ Seems like all''s not well,'' Dane thought in his mind.

    ''What do you mean?'' Erick asked back.

    ''That older brother of yours. The eldest triplet,'' Dane said. ''It looks like there''s a side-effect to his hand.''

    Erick felt shocked. ''Didn''t Makena''s blood work?''

    ''It worksˇ­ but I guess not perfectly. Usually the blood of the Cairin only works for them and those with the lycan blood. Those outside the pack might benefit from it but not completely.''

    ''Whats the side-effect of it?'' Erick asked curiously.

    ''Disability.''

    Erick suddenly turned grim when Dane had answered. He then looked at his parents and said, "Is this about Latham?"

    "Dane told you about it?" Lachlan asked back, not surprised that Dane had told his son.

    Erick nodded.

    Lachlan sighed. "Yes. He''s going to Cairin Oaks, together with Noaz. Alpha Isaiah might probably have the answer to it."

    "How long?"

    Lachlan shook his head. "We''re not sure. Until he heals backˇ­ or not."

    Luella bit her lower lips, looking sad and worried.

    "Is there no way to heal his hand, other than her blood?" Erick asked.

    Lachlan let out another sigh. "It is unsure. Alpha Isaiah mentioned that this had happened before but it was way back. They never thought these side-effects might occur again since it has a rare chance for it to happen."

    Erick leaned back against his seat and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Still, we shouldn''t blame Makena and the Cairin packs since they were trying to help us."

    Lachlan nodded. "Of course," he agreed. Inwardly, he felt proud of his son. He thinks rationally and has a good mind.

    Few minutes later after more talking, Erick got up from his seat and said, "I''m going to get some water and then I''m going to bed."

    His parents nodded. "Alright, good night, son," Luella said lovingly.

    The next evening at the shifter training field.

    Erick was stretching his arms up, with Hamish standing beside him. He looked around and noticed that the trainer that would replace Latham had not arrived.

    His parents told him that someone else would be replacing Latham as their trainer.

    Although there was a high possibility that Roel would be the replacement, he hoped it wasn''t true. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-167-lycan-descendents_50969345249042245">/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-167-lycan-descendents_50969345249042245</a> for visiting.

    Latham might be a sadistic trainer but Roel was on another level. He wasn''t as black bellied as Latham, rather he was more upfront which can be scary too.

    While they were talking with one another, suddenly, silence swamped through the field as every young shifter turned to look at the approaching man, coming towards them.

    He wore glasses with his black hair combed to the side. He was walking with both of his hands in his pockets.

    When he was finally in front of the young shifters, his gaze swept through them, his eyes judging them. His eyes stopped for a while when it reached Jeayan and his gaze turned soft.

    Both Erick and Hamish noticed his gaze and inwardly rolled their eyes.

    Once everyone had finally quieted down, Roel began to introduce himself. Telling them all that he will be replacing Latham, who he said, was still recovering. Not many people knew that Latham and Noaz had left town, other than the related people.

    Without giving them time to react, he shouted at them to run thirty laps around the field, which was actually bigger than a football field. And before they could protest, he quickly added that if there''s any sounds of unwillingness, he told them to double the laps.

    And once he was done with the instructions, the young shifters immediately ran.

    Roel stood there, with his arms crossed across his chest, watching them. His eyes studying each of the shifters, making sure that they were not lagging behind and to ensure they ran properly.

    Since they were shifters, it was inevitable that they ran for less than an hour as they should be.

    After they were done with their laps, they had to endure Roel''s harsh criticism of their paces. Even Jeayan got scolded.

    Soon after, Roel told them to do shadow boxing and high jumps. Erick was starting to think that they were training for an army, doing all these exercises.

    Everyone laid on the ground, exhausted once they were done.

    But unfortunately for them, Roel was not done with them as he shouted at them to get a five minutes rest after warm up before the real training starts.

    Erick inwardly groaned. He seriously had no energy that he could only turn his head. His eyes darted around until it landed on Jeayan few meters away.

    He stared hard at Jeayan, waiting for her to notice him. He couldn''t shout out to her, lest Roel heard them.

    Minutes later, Jeayan turned her head towards Erick and saw he was making faces and gestures with his face. At first, she thought he was joking around and was being weird. Then she saw him gesturing towards Roel, with his wide eyes.

    It was then Jeayan understood what he meant. She then replied back with a look that read ''you think I haven''t tried?''

    Erick then gave her another look, furiously gesturing at her to ''persuade'' her mate.

    Before Jeayan could answer, Erick could hear Roel''s sarcastic but quiet voice from above him. "Hmmmˇ­ What''s this? Trying to use my mate to persuade me about the training?"

    Erick''s eyes widened in shock as he slowly turned his head up to find Roel looking at him disdainfully. He did not even hear him. It was no wonder Roel was like an assassin. Quiet but deadly.

    "Uhhhˇ­ Iˇ­ I---"

    Roel turned away and said out loud, "Everyone, get into position, except for Erick. He will do another twenty laps."

    Erick felt like he was dying.

    -----

    Port Robston Bay.

    Bastian was in his room, looking down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them.

    Ever since he was strapped on the examination bed with needles stabbed in him, he had felt quite weird. Although it doesn''t have much effect on his wolf, Amarok, he could not help but feel something was amiss.

    ''What''s wrong?'' Amarok asked in his mind.

    Bastian just kept quiet, shaking his head.

    This was another thing that was new to Bastian. Before, he never could talk with Amarok when he was in his human form. But now, it was possible for them to talk, without shifting to wolf form.

    Bastian wasn''t sure what happened but he was confident that it had to do with the short experiment the warlock did to him. It was as if he was increasing his lycan power, which he did not know he had.

    When they got back home after that mission, he had asked his father, the Alpha about their lycan bloodline. He was surprised to know that they do have but it wasn''t as strong as the Kendall and the Cairin. It was because there was an inter-mating in the Cesaro pack.

    And coincidentally, Amarok was one of the descendents of the inter-mating as well.

    Looking down at his hands, he felt like he needed to know more about the lycan.

    ''Should I meet up with Erick and that woman, Makena?''

 Chapter 176 - 168: A surprise visitor

    Cairin Oaks.

    It has been a couple of days since the two triplets from the Kendall pack had arrived at Cairin Oaks.

    When they arrived, they were welcomed by Alpha Isaiah himself. It was very different from when Noaz first arrived there with Erick and the others. This time, Noaz could feel the atmosphere in the town had greatly changed, for the better. He could sense the happiness emitting from the shifters there.

    The two brothers were immediately brought to the Alpha''s house. Makena, who had just arrived the day before, was resting in her room and did not realize that they had come.

    When they were in the receiving room, together with the Alpha and the Beta, Makena, who found out that they were here, rushed over. She bowed in respect to the Alpha and the Beta before giving her greetings to the two brothers.

    She was confused as to why they were here. She had just left their town and if she had known that they were coming here, they would have gone together.

    However, before she could ask, her grandfather cut in by saying that, "They''re here because of his hand," gesturing at the bandaged hand of Latham, which was in a sling.

    Makena''s eyes widened as understanding dawned on her. She remembered her grandfather told her years before she was kidnapped that although her blood was quite powerful, it can have some side-effects for those who were not from their pack. Hence why he had been warning her to not easily give away her blood. Other than the receiver getting the side-effects, it might cause Makena to slowly regain her blood back, as in her blood may become depleted before her body can create more.

    Isaiah Cairin immediately called for Lita.

    Soon after, a female shifter appeared by Isaiah''s side. Noaz recognized her as the same female shifter who served them tea and coffee back then. Even though they did not manage to drink the refreshments before Isaiah told them to get out of town.

    Isaiah then turned to the two brothers and introduced Lita, "This is one of the pack doctors, Lita. She will bring you two over to the examination room to have a look at the hand."

    Both Latham and Noaz nodded as they stood up. They bowed to the Alpha and the Beta before following the pack doctor out of the room.

    Ezekiel Fernsby, the Beta of the Cairin pack, turned to Isaiah and asked, "Alpha, will this work?"

    With a solemn look on his face, Isaiah admitted, "Truthfully, I''m not sure either."

    -----

    Erick was in the living room of his house, where he was watching the sports news. He was alone together with Luka, who was resting beside him on the sofa as his parents went to the packhouse, to meet up with Melody. They were going to discuss more on Latham''s recovery.

    He was munching on some potato ch.i.p.s, tossing some to Luka, who quickly jumped to grab one before lying back down again, when he heard someone rang the doorbell.

    Frowning, he wondered who it could be. Usually, Hamish would text him if he wanted to stop by but he didn''t. And other packmates would hardly come over to the Alpha''s house unless it was an emergency.

    He looked down at Luka, who was still lying down and it looked as if he had no intention of getting up. And seeing how he was barking like madly, apparently the one at the door wasn''t anyone suspicious.

    He went to the front door and peeked through the peeping hole. He was surprised to see Bastian standing there, looking relaxed.

    What the heck is he doing here? And how did he know this place?

    He was still thinking of how he got here when Bastian suddenly banged on the door. "Erick, you arse! Open the deng door!" he yelled.

    Erick opened the door to reveal a fuming young shifter. And soon, he slammed the door closed again, much to Bastian''s annoyance and surprise.

    Again, Bastian banged on the door. "Woi!" he yelled again.

    Erick opened the door once again and then said innocently, "Oh, sorry, my parents told me not to open the door to strangers. So, I''m going to shut this door again."

    But before he could close the door, Bastian had quickly rushed inside the door. With a proud look on his face and his hands on his h.i.p.s, Bastian laughed out loud. "Haha! Too slow!"

    Erick just rolled his eyes and returned back to the living room, ignoring the young man standing at the front hall.

    Flabbergasted, Bastian could only watch Erick nonchalantly walk into the living room, sit down on the sofa and continued to watch the news while munching on some potato ch.i.p.s. Totally ignoring the fact that he was there.

    Bastian angrily walked over and stood in front of Erick, blocking his view of the television. "The heck, bro??? Is this the courtesy of the Kendall pack?"

    Erick narrowed his eyes dangerously at him and said, "Sit down!"

    Bastian immediately sat down, just beside Luka with his arms behind his head as he relaxed. "Don''t think that just because I listened to you, I''m scared of you," he said.

    Erick looked down at Luka and said, "This guy is suspicious. Next time you see or smell him, you should bark loudly and we can call the police."

    "The heck, bro!"

    Erick just ignored him as he turned back to the television.

    "Where''s the Alpha and the Luna?" Bastian continued to ask. He scented that Erick was alone.

    "At the packhouse."

    "I see."

    The two were quiet as one continued to watch the news silently while the other was lost in his own thoughts, trying to come up with a conversation starter. Luka was still lying down, ignoring the young shifter whom he just met.

    Just then Erick broke the silence. "How come you''re here?" he asked, his eyes still on the television. "Don''t you have school tomorrow?"

    Feeling a bit happy that Erick was giving him some attention, Bastian immediately answered, "I do. But I came over here."

    Erick turned to frown suspiciously at him. "Does the Alpha know?" he asked, referring to Alpha Riedrich.

    Bastian shrugged. "I left a note while he and my mom went out."

    Erick could feel black lines going down his forehead. Why do the people around him seem so reckless? Previously, it was Amber who walked around, looking for his house. Now, it''s this guy.

    He groaned inwardly. Is this how the triplets and Hamish felt when he acted recklessly? Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-168-a-surprise-visitor_51010795978410667">/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/chapter-168-a-surprise-visitor_51010795978410667</a> for visiting.

    "You''re going to be dead," Erick said seriously. "My condolences."

    Bastian looked confused as to why he was sympathizing with him. But he quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind as he recalled the reason why he came here.

    "Call out your wolf," Bastian demanded, with a serious look on his face.

    Erick narrowed his eyes at him. "And who are you to make demands out of me? And in my own house too?" he retorted back.

    "You don''t have to shift," Bastian said. "Just call him out."

    Erick was inwardly surprised as to how Bastian knows he can call out Dane without shifting. But he put on a blank face.

    Yet, it did not deter Bastian as he continued, "I know because I can do that as well."

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise. Is this one of the skills of a lycan?

    "So, yeah. I need to ask him about something."

    Seeing the serious and determined look on his face, Erick could only call out Dane.

    Soon after, Erick''s eyes changed and he could feel his teeth started to grow a bit longer. His subconsciousness started to fade slowly. He closed his eyes and once he reopened them, Bastian could see the pure amber eyes. And he knew that he was now facing Dane.

    Even Luka could sense the change in Erick as he quietly whimpered, backing away.

    Bastian then could feel Amarok inside him stirring, as if he could sense Dane was around. He then stood up and bowed in respect.

    "Lycan prince," he greeted, his voice raspy.

    Dane stood up and nodded. "Amarok," he greeted back.

 Chapter 177 - ANNOUNCEMENT

    Firstly, I''d like to apologise. I''m sorry that there will be no chapter for the time being. I think I overestimated my schedule today that I''ve never been able to work on the chapters. I no longer have some free time, nor do I have any flexible timing anymore.

    So, for now, there will be no chapters as I need to settle things down but I assure you that this novel will not be dropped. I, too, wanted to see this until the end.

    Hope you understand this and I appreciate it. This chapter will be deleted to be upgrade to the next chapter

    Thank you, Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/announcement_51088261870837588">/book/his-human-mate_14915762706180805/announcement_51088261870837588</a> for visiting.

    TheTalkingCupcake

 Chapter 177 - 169: Return to the Cairin Oaks

    "Amarok."

    Dane then crossed his arms across his chest. "What brings you here?" he demanded.

    Amarok returned to his human self as he felt Bastian would explain things better.

    Bastian then scratched the back of his head awkwardly and then quickly explained how he felt something weird happened to his body, most specifically, his eyes and that he sometimes would feel like he would blackout at any time. Furthermore, another strange thing was that whenever he experienced this, Amarok would not notice. It was as if nothing had happened.

    Dane frowned deeper. "So when your eyes started to see something, you would black out?" he asked.

    Bastian nodded. "I thought it was something related to being a lycan because the things that I see was likeˇ­ watching something from the past."

    "The past?"

    Bastian nodded again. "What my eyes saw then was a war. I''m not sure what but I feel like I was being transported back to the war where the lycans battled. And I saw you," he said.

    Dane narrowed his eyes, still keeping quiet, his look thoughtful.

    "And after that, I would sometimes blackout or just have a huge headache," Bastian continued. "I also saw that woman. Or rather, that female shifter."

    It was then Dane recalled that the Cesaro pack was known to inherit one of the lycan''s powers. He looked at the young man in front of him and asked, "Did you have some unique powers that only you and your father have?"

    Bastian''s eyes widened in surprise as he slowly nodded his head, still keeping quiet.

    "The one who can control time," Dane simply answered.

    The young man''s eyes widened even more. "How did you know?" he said softly. He did not expect the lycan in front of him could easily know what his powers were.

    Dane tilted his head thoughtfully. "It seems like your lycan power has been sleeping all this while and it has just recently awakened. So the ''dream'' that you thought you have been seeing, that''s probably due to it. When you were kidnapped, they must have done something to you to make you awaken that power more. And because you could not cope with the powers yet, hence why you blackout. And what you see was probably from the past."

    "Back during the civil war between the lycans," he ended, looking grim.

    Bastian was shocked. How could he have possessed a power that was that strong? He knew that his wolf was unique, ever since his father had commented on it when they first met Amarok.

    "What else did you see?" Dane asked.

    Bastian rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit agitated. "I don''t know. Every night ever since we''''ve got back, I''ve been dreaming of this. I haven''t told my Alpha about it because I thought it was something that I can solve myself. Though, from what you have said, it''s probably not a dream," he said. It was no wonder he felt so tired. Mentally exhausted.

    "And the last couple of nights, I saw you and that woman in it. Thus why I came to you. I thought that you might know something about it."

    Dane nodded. He then turned around and said, "Stay here for the night. I''ll get Erick to explain to the Alpha about this. He probably has some insights to this."

    Bastian bowed his head and said, "Thank you."

    The next morning.

    It was fortunate that it was the weekend, hence, Bastian did not miss any class. Apparently, Alpha Riedrich was aware that his son went off during the night. He apologized for his son''s sudden visit to Lachlan.

    Since it was the weekend and there was no school, Erick was planning to head over to Amber''s place and go on a date with her. Unfortunately, with the unexpected appearance of Bastian, he could only forgo his plans as his father, too, told him to entertain the young man.

    And since Lachlan was working that day, he told Erick to wait for him at home and they can talk more about Bastian''s eyes and how it relates to Dane.

    Erick could only grit in frustration and nodded unwillingly.

    Seeing his master was frustrated, Luka began to growl silently at the young man as well.

    So they were still at Erick''s house, lounging in front of the television in the living room, while Luella was in the kitchen, preparing some snacks for them. She was quite happy when she found out that they had an unexpected visitor. She loves having guests around as it gave her something to do, which in this case, was pampering and giving them more food, much to Bastian''s delight and Erick''s annoyance.

    Luella was bringing some food to them when Hamish came over. When he saw Erick''s mother was carrying some food, he quickly walked over to her and helped. She thanked the young man, patting him on the head. Or at least, trying to since he was taller than her. He had to lean forward a bit to let her pat him on the head.

    Carrying the food in, with the tray, instead of placing them on the coffee table, he sat down on an armchair and placed the tray on his lap. He then started to eat them.

    Both Erick and Bastian looked over and started to shout at the other young man, tossing throw pillows at him.

    The three of them began to fight over the food with Luka growling in the background.

    The noise attracted the Luna from the kitchen, who immediately shouted at them to keep quiet. She then began to scold and lectured at them.

    Once they had quieted down, they continued to watch the television.

    Just then, Hamish just recalled the reason as to why he had stopped by. He looked over at Erick, who was lying down at the sofa and said, "I just remember something."

    Erick frowned as he lazily looked at Hamish. "What is it?"

    "Makena has invited us over to her place. Do you want to go there?"

    "What''s happening over there?" Bastian butted in.

    "When?" Erick asked, ignoring the young man next to him.

    "Later this afternoon," Hamish answered, also ignoring Bastian. "They''re going to work on Latham''s hand later and ask whether we want to come over and see it. Apparently, they will be doing some kind of ritual to heal his hand and thought we might be interested to see how it goes."

    Scared that Luella might come in again to scold them if they were going to be noisy, Bastian could do nothing but endure his frustration as they easily ignored him. He silently fumed, crossing his arms across his chest as he sat back against the sofa, watching them talk.

    "Should be fine, I guess," Erick said.

    "Dad''s probably going since they invited the pack too. So he''s going in as a representative," Hamish replied.

    It seems that there will be a formality in regards to healing Latham''s hand. Due to the rare occurrence that a side effect had happened, which can be a bit alarming, the Cairin pack was concerned of how it may turn out. This was because it may lead to an unwelcoming result, which literally means ''turn to rogue''.

    As Latham''s mate, Melody, the pack doctor will be joining the trip as well.

    "Can I join?" Bastian butted in again, waving his hands wildly, trying to get their attention. Since they were going to the Cairin Oaks, he should be able to meet with Makena as well.

    Erick nodded, still ignoring the other young man. "I''ll inform mom and dad." Their talk will have to be pushed to a later time since he wanted to go over to the Cairin Oaks.

    Hamish nodded back.

    Bastian then jumped up from the sofa and said, "I''ll be going too."

    Hamish finally turned to him and said, "Who are you again?"

    Bastian growled at him. "Frick you, you deng mutt!"

 Chapter 178 - 170: Ill go through it

    Amber was studying in her room when a text message came in from her phone. She picked it up and saw it was from Erick. Apparently, he was texting to apologize that he couldn''t come over and had to go somewhere. Amber was a bit confused since she did not think that she made any plans with him. She frowned, wondering what it was that made him unable to come over.

    She inwardly sighed. She still feels like, even though he has opened up to her to being a shifter, there were some things that he was hiding from her. But she couldn''t figure out what and why.

    She placed the phone back face-down on the table and continued studying. Because their teacher had mentioned that there might be some surprise tests but she did not mention when. She could not afford getting a red mark on her report card. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''ll-go-through-it_51246081786307773">#''ll-go-through-it_51246081786307773</a> for visiting.

    Amber actually wasn''t the studious type but she did not like surprise tests and does not like to be caught unaware.

    Her brother, Remi, was on her bed, reading one of her Harry Potter''s books. Since he hardly spent time with his sister, whenever she was at home, he would come to her room and stay with her.

    Although he likes to be with her, they were both quiet, not talking. It was like they just enjoyed the presence of each other, appreciating the peaceful moments. Remi was a quiet boy in the first place so the atmosphere between these siblings were always like this.

    An hour later, their mother had knocked on Amber''s door, telling her that it was time for dinner. Remi already had his dinner earlier since he has a different timing when it comes to his meal, due to his medication. Nevertheless, it did not stop him from joining in. Amber did tell him to just wait in her room but he did not want to.

    So, the two women had their dinner together, with Remi joining them. Eren Keene, Amber and Remi''s father, was working outstation so he wouldn''t be able to join them. He would only return home in a couple of weeks.

    While they were eating, Amber would talk with Remi now and then until her mother, Syden Greer, asked her daughter where Erick was. It has been a while since she last saw him.

    Amber shrugged. "He went somewhere," she said nonchalantly as she stabbed a broccoli, using her fork.

    Her mother tutted at her. "Why do you act as if it wasn''t any of your concern?" she asked. "Did you have a fight with him?"

    Amber looked surprised at her mother''s question as she quickly shook her head. "No, I don''t. Of course, I didn''t. Why would I fight with him?" she said quickly in confusion.

    Her mother sighed. Sometimes her daughter can be so unromantic and a bit obtuse when it comes to love. It was such a surprise that Erick, a good-looking young man, would fall for her. Despite being her daughter, she too does not know what Erick sees in her. Amber can be a bit tomboyish but apparently, she has her unique charms that made Erick fall for her. Again, Syden did not know the true origins of the young man.

    "Not going out for a date?" her mother asked her again.

    Amber shook her head as she continued to eat her dinner quietly.

    They continued to eat their dinner quietly as her mother changed the topic of conversation.

    Soon after, the three of them continued to spend the time together by watching a movie in the living room before going to bed.

    However, Amber was still awake at that time as she looked at her phone, as if she was waiting for someone.

    Earlier, she did not mind that Erick was being quiet as she assumed that he must be really busy. But since it was already late, she further assumed that he would already be free. Apparently not.

    She wondered what he could be doing at that hour to make him be so busy to text her.

    She let out a long sigh as she fell face first on her bed. She grabbed her pillow and snuggled in.

    That same evening.

    Erick was standing inside the Cairin Alpha''s house at the Cairin Oaks, together with other packmates from the Kendall pack.

    They were still in discussion in regards to Latham''s hand, with Isaiah Cairin and Fergus Cairns heading the talk.

    When the Kendall pack had arrived at the Oaks, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Makena were waiting for them at the entrance to welcome them. They looked slightly surprised when they saw Bastian in their group. After a brief explanation from Fergus as to why he was with them and that they do not mind him joining in, Isaiah nodded and guided them to his house.

    Once inside, Isaiah began to tell them of the methods that they would need to do and they needed the Kendall pack''s consent to continue the procedure.

    Fergus reassures them that he has his Alpha''s permission to make the decision for Latham, as well as Melody''s agreement.

    A few minutes later, the Kendall pack was shocked when they heard what was needed to fully cure the side-effect of Latham''s hand. It appears that they needed to use wolfsbane to cure the hand. Although wolfsbane was known to be a werewolf''s kryptonite, it also worked as their remedies. Yet again, it was unsure of how it being a remedy may help in this case.

    According to the Cairin pack doctor, he explained that the wolfsbane will be made into powder and would need to be rubbed all over Latham''s hand. As the weakness of the werewolves, it can be excruciating painful and Latham has to endure the pain.

    Once the powder has fully absorbed Latham''s blood, they will need to extract the blood from him so that the healing process could resume.

    After listening to the pack doctor, Melody was feeling conflicted. She wanted her mate to be healed but at the same time, she could not bear to see him in pain. For a werewolf, just being near wolfsbane was painful, what more when your body absorbed it. Hence why she was feeling perturb.

    They were all silent once the pack doctor was done talking. Some of them were looking at Latham, waiting for his answer whether he wanted to continue with the healing process.

    Latham turned to look to Fergus, as if he was asking for permission to voice out his thoughts and opinions.

    Fergus nodded, silently saying without words that whatever decision Latham had chosen, the Kendall pack were behind him. They will support whatever decision he makes.

    Latham looked down at his amputated hand, which was still wrapped in bandages. Although it did not look like he was hurting, Melody, who stood near him, could see his other hand twitching as if he was trying to hold onto the pain. It appears that the side-effect of using Makena''s blood was hurting him.

    Melody walked closer to her mate and held his amputated hand tenderly with her two hands.

    Latham turned to look at her and could see tears about to fall from her eyes. His heart melted from the love and concern she had for him. If he did not continue with the healing process, there might be a chance that the side-effect will overtake his mind since it was spreading and there would also be a chance for him to turn to rogue.

    If he did continue, although it was painful, he might heal. Again, there would be other circ.u.mstances whereby the healing process might not work.

    In short, there were risks on both sides. And he needed to make the decision right there as to not waste time and to ensure the spread would not worsen.

    Soon after, Latham looked up with a determined look on his face and said, "I''ll go through it."

 Chapter 179 - 171: Something is there

    After Latham had agreed to the healing process, the Cairin packmates in the room immediately went to make preparation, followed by Melody, who wanted to assist them, leaving the others, including Bastian in the living room.

    Latham dropped down on one of the sofas, letting out a long breath. He felt like his burden had finally lifted up from his shoulders.

    Fergus walked closer to Latham and patted him on the shoulders. He knew how stressed and distraught the other man felt when he caught the side-effect of the blood. And knew how upset he was, not knowing what to do. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-171-something-is-there_%!d(string=51428029754307900)">#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-171-something-is-there_%!d(string=51428029754307900)</a> for visiting.

    It was such a great relief when Isaiah Cairin had heard of his side-effect and immediately held out a helping hand to them to resolve the problem. Although the process would be difficult to withstand, for Latham, as long as there was a chance to heal his hand, he did not mind going through the pain.

    While Latham was talking with Fergus, Erick and Hamish were standing at the side, looking at them. Just then, Hamish turned his head and saw his mate poking her head from outside the room. Earlier, she had followed her packmates out and it appears like she had just returned back.

    When she saw that she had gotten her mate''s attention, she gestured at him to come over to her.

    Without a word to Erick, Hamish immediately walked over and out of the room.

    Outside the room, once Hamish was standing in front of her, she immediately grabbed his hands and apologized to him in a sad tone. She apologized for giving her blood to Latham, making it worse, rather than healing it. She had already apologized to Melody, as well.

    Similar to Melody, Hamish waved away her apologies, saying that she has nothing to apologize for. It was not her fault that the side-effect had happened and that it was actually a rare chance for Latham to get it. And also, Hamish knew that Makena was trying to help Latham with good intentions.

    There were tears in Makena''s eyes when she heard Hamish''s words. She had been feeling guilty all this while, especially when she heard what had happened to Latham.

    Erick, who had come over, overheard their conversation and he too told her that there was nothing to be sorry about. He was confident that Latham would heal.

    Shortly after, Isaiah Cairin and his other packmates returned to the room, where they had another discussion with Fergus and Latham. It was decided that Latham will continue to stay at the Oaks, accompanied by his brother, Noaz. Melody, being the Kendall pack doctor, could not stay because she has her own responsibilities at home.

    Although she was quite disappointed that she could not stay with her mate, she knew that it was inevitable. She could only trust Noaz to take care of her mate.

    Since they had to return back to Burkendall town, they quickly finished everything that needed to be settled and set off for home.

    However, just as they passed the woods in Cairin Oaks, where Erick and the others first met the rogues and the warlocks, Erick suddenly felt Dane stirring inside him.

    ''Dane?'' Erick asked in concern, inside his mind.

    Dane did not answer. Soon after, he went quiet again as if he went back to sleep.

    Erick became intrigued as he turned his head around to look back at the woods. They were already on their way home. But apparently, something must have caught Dane''s attention.

    Turning back around again, Erick became solemn. It was unfortunate that it was already late and that they do not have time. Or he would have gotten down and checked things out.

    Continuing their way home, Fergus was looking at the rearview mirror and his eyes landed on Bastian, who was sitting between Hamish and Erick. "What about you, son?" Fergus asked. "Will you be returning home?"

    Instead of answering him, Bastian turned to look at Erick, who looked at him back. "Why are you looking at me for?" he growled.

    Bastian just kept quiet and turned back around. "I still need to meet with the Alpha," he said.

    Fergus looked at Erick via the rearview mirror, who just shrugged.

    Fergus then shrugged back and continued his route towards Burkendall town.

    By the time they had arrived at Burkendall town, it was late at night. Concerned that it was getting late and that there was no way that they would leave him to go back home alone, Fergus had to call Bastian''s Beta to tell them that he was still staying with them.

    Fergus had already sent Melody back to the packhouse and currently, he was standing outside Erick''s house, together with the three young men.

    When Fergus was calling the Cesaro Beta, it was a coincidence that at that time, Alpha Riedrich was also together with his Beta. After Fergus had told the other Beta about Bastian''s current situation, Riedrich immediately told Fergus to pass the phone to Bastian.

    With a scared look on his face, Bastian took the phone from Fergus with trembling hands.

    Before Bastian could say ''hello'', a yell came out from the phone, furiously scolding him until he had to pull the phone back from his ear.

    "YOU FECKING BAST*RD! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU GOING TO STAY THERE AND SKIP SCHOOL??"

    After his father was done yelling, Bastian quickly answered him, trying to placate him with assurances. "Dad, take a deep breath and chill," Bastian said softly.

    "WHO THE FECK ARE YOU CALLING, ''DAD''?? CALL ME, ''ALPHA'', YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SON OF MINE!"

    "Yes, yes, Alpha," Bastian quickly said. He then became quiet as he continued to listen to his father''s rage with his forlorn look of his.

    Shortly after, Bastian hung up the call with a long breath. He handed the phone back to Fergus, who had a look of question on his face.

    When Bastian continued to be silent, Fergus prodded him, asking him what happened.

    Bastian quickly gave a bow of respect towards Fergus and apologized for imposing too long in Burkendall town and he quickly added that he will be heading home soon.

    At first, Fergus was concerned that the young man would be going home alone late at night. But he quickly reassured the Beta, saying that there will be someone from his pack who will come and pick him up.

    Soon after, while Fergus was talking to Bastian, telling him to be careful and whatnot, someone or rather, a shifter suddenly appeared in front of them.

    Scenting that the shifter was not a foe, Fergus looked up and saw a familiar figure next to Bastian.

    Jose. The Beta of the Cesaro pack.

    It has been a while since Fergus had met up with the Beta of the Cesaro pack. So, it was quite nice to finally meet him again, even under these circ.u.mstances.

    Fergus immediately held out his hand towards the other man, who shook it. "Nice to meet you once again, Jose," Fergus said, giving him a huge grin.

    "Likewise, Fergus," Jose replied back, giving the former his smile as well.

    The two of them immediately turned to Bastian, who had his head bowed, as if he was scared to look up. Behind Fergus, both Erick and Hamish were snickering silently, obviously happy to see the other young man''s misery.

    Jose suddenly grabbed the scruff of the young man''s neck and dragged him closer. And without any warning, he suddenly punched the latter''s stomach, knocking him unconscious.

    With wide eyes, the other two young men could only watch Jose hoist Bastian on his shoulder before turning to Fergus, who did not even blinked an eye at the action.

    Jose turned back to Fergus and said, "Thank you again for taking care of this brat for us. We''ve appreciated your hospitality."

    Fergus nodded. "It''s no problem on our side."

    Jose nodded back. And within a second, he disappeared from sight.

    The next thing the three Kendall packmates heard was the sound of Bastian vomiting. And soon after, there was a yell from Jose and in the next moment, a huge sound of smack could be heard.

    Both Erick and Hamish visibility cringed when they heard how loud the smack was. That got to hurt!

    Once all was silent, Fergus turned around to look at the two young men. He then turned to Erick and said, "You''d better go home. I presume you must have something to tell your father, don''t you?"

    Erick nodded.

    Fergus nodded back. He turned to his son and said, "Let''s go home."

    With that, the two of them left Erick standing alone at his front porch.

    After they had left, Erick let out a sigh as he once again tried to call for Dane.

    "Something must be there," Erick thought to himself as he made his way inside his house.

 Chapter 180 - 172: I need to see her

    Inside, although the night was already late, Erick could see the lights were still on in his father''s office. He took off his jacket and hung them on the coat rack. And before he went to his room to freshen up, he went straight to his father''s office and knocked on the door.

    Seconds later, he could hear his father''s rough voice telling him to come in.

    Erick opened the door and saw his father behind his desk, working.

    He quietly walked over and sat in the seat in front of his father''s desk and waited patiently, not wanting to disturb.

    After a while, his father stopped what he was doing, placing the paper down on the table and looked at his son, who was looking back at him.

    Lachlan cleared his throat and linked his fingers together, placing his arms on the table. He then said, "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

    Erick quickly talked about Bastian''s purpose of visit and what Dane had found out about the young man. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-172-i-need-to-see-her_%!d(string=51519941785995238)">#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-172-i-need-to-see-her_%!d(string=51519941785995238)</a> for visiting.

    Lachlan was slightly surprised when he heard that Bastian too actually has some lycan blood in him, albeit small. Nevertheless, it was still a lycan blood and that he also possessed one of lycan''s most powerful abilities, which was time.

    Lachlan realized that Dane''s instinct was very strong since he could easily detect and sense the abilities and the true origin of Bastian''s. He himself could not see them at all.

    Erick continued to talk about how Bastian also has these ''dreams'' which actually wasn''t a dream but rather a ''flashback'' of what had happened in the past.

    Lachlan was further shocked by these findings. It was really unexpected. He resumed listening to Erick''s talking.

    Soon after, Lachlan caught the whole gist of what was currently happening. He decided to have a meeting soon with his Beta and the elders in regards of this. And most likely, a meeting with Alpha Reidrich, as well. Lachlan believed that the ''flashback'' that Bastian has been seeing will give them a clue of who was the real antagonist that was behind all of these. And he would need help from the other packs.

    Once Lachlan had heard everything from Erick, the latter stood up and was about to leave the room. However, he stopped just before the door. As if he had just recalled something, he turned back around and said, "Dad?"

    Lachlan was planning to continue working when he heard his son calling him. "Hmm?" he said, looking up.

    Erick took a deep breath and let it out. And then he said, "So, we went to the Cairin Oaks earlier."

    Lachlan nodded, waiting for him to continue. He knew since he had told him earlier before. Fergus too had told him about Erick''s plan to join as well.

    "Well, when we were passing the woods where we used to encounter the warlocks and roguesˇ­ Dane was actingˇ­ somewhatˇ­ edgy."

    "Edgy?" Lachlan repeated, unsure of what his son was trying to say.

    Erick nodded. "It happened before. Whenever Dane feels like his soul is nearby, he would get a bit edgy. Like he would stirred around in my mind as if there was something."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes. "Did he say anything to you after that?"

    Erick shook his head.

    "We''ll talk more about this in the morning," Lachlan said. "Now, you should go to bed. You have class tomorrow."

    Erick nodded and after saying goodnight to his father, he left the room, leaving Lachlan lost in his thoughts.

    The next morning.

    Erick was preparing to go to school when he heard the doorbell rings. At first, he did not think much about it as he presumed that it must be Hamish coming over to get a ride with him.

    However, when he went down the stairs, he was surprised to see a familiar figure standing and talking at his house foyer, together with Hamish.

    The petite curly brown haired girl turned around when she heard Erick coming with a bright smile on her face. She waved wildly at him and yelled, "Hey Erick!"

    Erick visibly cringed at the sudden yell. "Do you mind not shouting, Jeayan?" he said sarcastically, picking on his ears as if it had hurt.

    Jeayan just ignored his question as she continued to smile at him. "I''m hitching a ride with you to school," she said.

    Erick frowned at her. "Then go stand by the side of the road and hitch a ride then," he said.

    Before Jeayan could say anything, Luella had heard his words and smacked his head from behind. "That''s no way to talk to a young lady! Apologize now!" she scolded.

    Erick grabbed the back of his head and winced as he turned around and looked at his mother with aggrieved eyes. "B-b-butˇ­"

    "I did not teach you to talk like that so apologize!"

    Erick pouted and looked at the smug looking Jeayan and mumbled with unwillingness on his face, "Sorry."

    His mother smacked him once more at the back of the head. "With sincerity!"

    Just as Erick could apologize, Jeayan grabbed her phone and went to press something on it. She then pushed her phone towards him and said, "Apologize again with a loud voice this time!"

    Beside her, Hamish just looked on with a small smile on his face, apparently finding the whole situation funny.

    With great reluctance in him, Erick had to apologize loudly, much to Luella''s satisfaction and the other two teenagers'' delight.

    Before going off to school, Luella invited Hamish and Jeayan over to eat some breakfast.

    The three of them were eating their breakfast with Luella pampering them, serving them with more food. Luka was lying down beside Erick''s feet. But he would jump up on top of Erick''s leg as if he was asking for food, which the latter would give.

    Once they were done with breakfast, the three of them said their goodbyes to the Luna and Luka and went out of the house, heading towards Erick''s car.

    On their way to school, Erick asked Jeayan, how come she was here. Although he was just joking earlier, it was not as if he did not welcome her to join him and Hamish to go with them to school.

    Erick was slightly surprised when Jeayan had answered that her father had to attend the pack meeting at the packhouse. He did expect that his father would want to have a meeting with the top packmates in the pack. He just did not expect that he would do it straight away.

    The three of them into a comfortable conversation when suddenly, Erick felt a tightening in his heart as dread and worry consumed him. He thought it was weird that he had this sudden feeling as if something bad had happened.

    Hamish, who was sitting next to him in the passenger seat, noticed Erick''s abnormality, so he asked what was wrong.

    Erick rapidly blinked his eyes as a lone tear slid down from his eye. "I''m not sureˇ­" he said, looking confused. He was shocked to feel tears coming down his face.

    He quickly drove to the side of the road as he rubbed his eyes furiously, still confused about his sudden emotions.

    "Did something happen to Dane?" Hamish asked again.

    Erick turned to look at him, his eyes red, brimmed with tears. "Not that I know of," he replied.

    Jeayan leaned closer at Erick, looking at him in the eyes. "This is weird," she murmured. "Are you sure you''re alright? Are you positive it''s not you who suddenly feel like crying?"

    "Why would I even want to cry?" Erick barked.

    Just then his eyes suddenly turned to amber as his teeth suddenly lengthen to fangs. Both Hamish and Jeayan watched in total shock as Erick suddenly half transformed to Dane. It was their first time seeing this.

    "Amberˇ­ I need to see Amberˇ­"

 Chapter 181 - 173: Visiting the sick

    The two other teenagers managed to calm Dane and persuaded him to bring Erick back. And soon after, Erick was back to normal, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the fog in his mind.

    He blinked his eyes furiously and then turned to Hamish, looking confused as he held his head. "What happened?" he asked.

    "Dane was taking over you," Hamish said solemnly.

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise. "Did he say anything?" he asked slowly.

    "He said something about Amber," Jeayan replied.

    Erick went quiet. And then said, "Something probably happened to Amber."

    Jeayan quickly grabbed his shoulder and shook him roughly. "What happened to her??" she asked urgently.

    Erick pulled away from her grasp and exclaimed, "I don''t know."

    "Do you want to go to her?" Hamish asked quietly.

    Erick looked down at his hands. He then shook his head. "I don''t know," he said again. "I want to. Butˇ­ I don''t know."

    Jeayan then smacked him on the head. "Make up your mind!"

    Erick held the back of his head and turned on his seat to glare at Jeayan. "What is it with you women and my head??" he exclaimed.

    "Why don''t you give her a call?" Hamish asked, ignoring their antics. "Just to ask whether something had happened."

    Erick gave him a thumbs up. "You''re right! Why didn''t I think of that?" he said happily.

    Jeayan just rolled her eyes. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-173-visiting-the-sick_%!d(string=51618923333862524)">#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-173-visiting-the-sick_%!d(string=51618923333862524)</a> for visiting.

    Erick immediately went to grab his phone but then Hamish stopped him. "What are you doing?" Erick asked, looking confused. He had just suggested calling Amber and now, he was stopping him. What exactly does he want?

    "Don''t call and drive," Hamish warned. "We''re still young and I want to be able to mate with Makena before I die."

    Jeayan immediately burst into huge laughter while Erick just looked shocked. It appears that Hamish''s words had just rendered him into speechlessness.

    Erick then drove them to school safely. And after he had parked the car, he went to make a quick call to Amber.

    Unfortunately for him, the three times he had tried calling her, it seems that her phone was switched off, making him feel more worried.

    They just walked through the front entrance of the school when Hamish noticed the concerned look on Erick''s face. "What''s wrong?" he asked his friend.

    Erick turned his head to look at him, his face still looking worried. "Her phone is switched off," he replied.

    Jeayan patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t worry! She''s probably in the class already and she just forgot to switch on her phone," she assured him.

    Erick nodded, turning to her. "I hope you''re right," he said.

    Jeayan then shrugged. She wasn''t so confident herself but she just did not want to make him worry more. It felt weird seeing him so dejected. Like a lost puppy.

    Since Jeayan has a different homeroom from them, they parted ways and Erick fast walked to the class, followed by Hamish from behind.

    When he opened the door to the class, his eyes started to dart around the room. Unfortunately, his eyes could not find that familiar blonde girl that he was looking for.

    He took a step forward, his eyes still darting around the room, wanting to see that familiar blonde girl. At least, just a glimpse.

    Just then he heard someone clearing their throat loudly from behind him. He turned around and saw Mrs. Harris, their homeroom teacher, standing behind him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Get to your seat, Mr. Kendall."

    Erick dejectedly went to his seat. He then noticed Hamish already sitting in his. He glared quietly at him, silently accusing him for not warning him about the teacher''s arrival. Hamish just looked away, pretending as if he did not see the other young man''s glare.

    Once everyone had settled down in their seats, Mrs. Harris walked over to her table and sweeped her glance over her class. "So, Amber will not be coming to school today so there''s no need to look for her, Mr. Kendall," she said pointedly at Erick, who was surprised by the news.

    ''She was sick?'' Erick asked Dane in his mind.

    Dane murmured positively.

    ''Why didn''t you just tell me??'' Erick scolded furiously.

    Dane just kept quiet.

    All throughout homeroom and other classes, Erick was greatly distracted, his mind was already thinking of escaping the classes to get to Amber. But Hamish and Jeayan stopped him from doing that.

    Hence, when it was finally lunchtime, Erick immediately ran out of the class and ran towards Amber''s house. He did not even use the car as his mind was flooding with sentences like, ''I need to see her!''.

    It was fortunate that the car keys were with Hamish as he would be able to drive the car home later. Jeayan was about to join them for lunch but was slightly surprised when she heard from Hamish that Erick had already left the school.

    "Soˇ­ He''s not coming in for the afternoon class, huh?" Jeayan asked sarcastically as she sat next to Hamish at the cafeteria.

    "Doubt," Hamish simply said as he ate his food.

    Jeayan put her chin on her palm as she sighed wistfully. "I envy Amber for having a mate like Erick."

    Hamish turned to look at her, a shocked glint in his eyes.

    Jeayan then realized how she sounded and quickly turned to Hamish. "No, no! What I mean, I envy that Amber has someone who really cares about her and all. Dropped everything just to make sure she''s alright," she explained.

    Hamish tilted his head in question.

    It was as if Jeayan understood what he was trying to say as she nonchalantly talked again. "Yeahˇ­" she said slowly. "It''s as if I''m not his mate. Did you know how many times I''ve seen or talked to him ever since he first told me that I''m his mate?"

    Hamish patiently kept quiet as he waited for her answer.

    "Once! That only one time when he came over to my house to give me breakfast!" she exclaimed hotly. "After that, it''s nada! Zilch!"

    Hamish just nodded as he turned back to his food.

    "Hey!" Jeayan exclaimed. "Aren''t you even listening to me??"

    Hamish again just nodded.

    Jeayan leaned back against her seat and let out a long sigh. "I wish I could be closer to my mateˇ­" she said softly, looking up at the ceiling.

    -----

    Erick stood in front of Amber''s house, his eyes looking at the door then at Amber''s bedroom window and back again. He was contemplating as to whether to go knock on the door or climb up the window.

    He then looked around him. Although Amber lived in a quiet neighbourhood, there was bound to have people nosing around. And if he was to climb up the window, they might alert the police and he might be in trouble with his father.

    Before he could make the decision, the front door to Amber''s house was opened, revealing an older version of Amber, yet still looked quite young. She also has blonde hair but much darker than Amber.

    She looked surprised when she saw him standing alone, looking a bit lost. "Erick, is that you?" she called out.

    Erick jumped in surprised and he quickly turned his head towards the voice. He became a bit nervous when he saw Amber''s mother looking at him curiously. He did not know why he suddenly felt nervous. It was not as if it was his first time meeting her.

    Not wanting to make her wait for him, he rushed over to her.

    "Mrs. Keene, how are you?" he politely greeted.

    "Erick, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking confused.

    Erick scratched the back of head awkwardly, looking a bit sheepish. "I heard Amber was sick so I rushed over from school."

    Mrs. Keene c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "But school hasn''t ended, has it?"

    Erick immediately went silent, looking down at his shoes.

    Mrs. Keene then let out a laugh. "It''s fine. It''s sweet that you''ve come over to visit her. Come on inside," she invited.

    Erick followed the older woman into the house.

 Chapter 182 - 174: The longing is finally gone

    It was not his first time visiting Amber''s house. He had come over before when he brought along his parents as well. And yes, he had walked through the front door too before, not just climbing up to her bedroom window.

    Looking around him, he felt a sense of familiarity. It has been a while since he last visited and he could smell that familiar scent in the air.

    He continued to follow Amber''s mother into the kitchen where she began to serve him a glass of orange juice.

    "Before visiting Amber, I''d like to ask, how are you, Erick?" she asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

    Erick gave her a small smile and answered politely, "I''m good. Thank you for asking." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-174-the-longing-is-finally-gone_%!d(string=51661191449201430)">#%!d(string=14915762706180805)/chapter-174-the-longing-is-finally-gone_%!d(string=51661191449201430)</a> for visiting.

    She was holding a cup of orange juice as well and she took a sip before replying back, "Yes, you haven''t been visiting us lately. Have you been busy?"

    Erick frowned inwardly. Why does it seem like he was being interrogated here?

    "Yes, sort-of, Mrs. Keene. I''ve been busy with family and all that," he replied back, still being polite.

    "Hmmˇ­ family, is it?" Mrs. Keene said slowly as she sipped her drink again.

    Before he could answer, he could scent a familiar scent yet sickly behind him. He whirled around with wide eyes to find Amber, with a blanket around her body, sniffing. She looked adorable with her hair all tied up on top of her head, in a messy way. Her eyes were watery and her nose was red from constant sniffles and rubbing from tissues.

    Apparently, she did not know that Erick was coming over to visit so she was extremely shocked when she saw him standing in her kitchen. She wanted to scream of fright but because she was sick, she could only cough.

    Erick immediately rushed to her side, rubbing her back. "What are you doing out of the bed? You should be resting," he scolded gently.

    Amber stared at him with wide eyes and said with a raspy voice, "And what are you doing here? Aren''t you supposed to be in school?"

    "I heard that you were sick," he replied, as if that answers everything. He then leaned closer to her and said softly, "And Dane was getting fidgety. He wanted to see you too."

    Amber squinted her green eyes at him and answered back, "And you don''t?"

    "I do, very much," Erick said softly as he brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. And before she could say anything, he had carried her up in a princess carry.

    Oblivious to the gasp from the two women, Erick turned around with Amber in his arms and said, "I''ll be bringing her up to her room, Mrs. Keene."

    Amber''s mother was too shocked that she could only nod quietly as she watched her daughter being carried away.

    Amber covered her red face with both of her hands. She then hissed at Erick with that throaty voice of hers, "The heck are you doing?? My mom was right there!"

    Erick looked down at his beloved woman in his arms. Although she looked less than what she usually looked, it did not matter to him. She was still the most beautiful woman in his heart.

    He looked confused at her embarrassed rage. "Yeah, I know. I can see your mother right there," he replied, sounding bewildered.

    Amber rubbed her face in resignation.

    Erick awkwardly opened the door to her room with her still in his arms. Once the door had opened, he walked in and gently placed her on her bed. He pulled her blankets up to her chin and tucked her in.

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "Don''t you feel shy about being in my room, knowing my mother is outside?" she asked in disbelief.

    Again, he looked baffled. He had been in her bedroom so many times. Why should he be even embarrassed about it? Granted, her parents were not aware of him being in her room. But still, why should he care?

    Hence, he voiced out his concerns. "What''s wrong? Should I be embarrassed?"

    Amber just sighed and had no energy to talk with this young man of hers. She then sneezed. She wordlessly tried to reach for the tissues on her bedside table but Erick was much faster. He grabbed a couple of tissues and held them on her nose.

    "Blow," he ordered gently.

    Amber stared at him, wide-eyed. Did he seriously ask her to blow her nose in his hand? Even with the tissue??

    He saw the shocked look on her face and realized that she was probably embarrassed again. He gently nudged the tissues towards her nose and ordered softly, "Come on. There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. Just blow."

    Amber embarrassedly and reluctantly blew her nose. Her face was really red; it was unsure whether it was because she was sick or because she was really uneasy.

    After she was done blowing her nose, Erick turned to throw the dirtied tissues in the dustbin and went to look for something on her bedside table. He then found what he was looking for and put the thermometer in her mouth.

    He frowned when he saw her high temperature. Removing the thermometer from her mouth, he placed it back and went out of the room, leaving Amber looking confused.

    Few minutes later, he returned with a couple of towels and a cup in hand. When he got closer to her, she realized that it was a cup of hot lemon and honey. He placed the cup on her hands and said, "You should drink this. It''s good for your throat."

    He leaned closer to her and placed his hand on her forehead. He then found that it was still hot. Frowning, he looked at her.

    Amber looked back and realized how close he was. Panicked, she tried to move away from him. Erick frowned even more when he saw that she was trying to get away from him. "Why are you moving away from me?" he asked.

    "I don''t want you to catch what I''m having now," she said with a muffled voice as she covered her mouth with one hand and another holding her cup carefully.

    Erick smiled as he pulled away. "You don''t have to worry about that. We, shifters, never get sick."

    "Ever?" she said dubiously as she slowly lowered her hand.

    Erick nodded.

    ''How lucky,'' she thought enviously.

    As if he knew what she was thinking, he said, "If you''re to be mated with me, you won''t ever get sick as well."

    "Mated?" Amber repeated.

    Erick nodded.

    "How does that work?"

    Erick immediately went beet red. He quickly looked away, looking embarrassed. She could see his ears turned red as well. She found this veryˇ­ endearing and adorable. "I''llˇ­ let Jeayan tell you about that," he mumbled softly.

    "Awwˇ­ Are you being shy now?" Amber teased.

    Erick turned to her and pretended to look angry. "I''m not!" he protested. He then gestured at the cup in her hands. "Now, go and drink!"

    Amber hid her smile as she took a sip of her hot honeyed lemon drink. It felt good being pampered like this, even though she was sick. Her smile grew bigger when she saw he was still embarrassed.

    He then turned to her and frowned more when he saw that she was still amused. "Go and finish that drink quickly!" he demanded. "I''m going to grab some food for you to eat."

    "Yes sir!" Amber said cheekily, giving a mock-salute.

    Erick suppressed a smile from his face as he walked out of the door.

    Amber let out a happy sigh once he left the room. It really felt good having him around here. Makes the longing feel like it didn''t exist before.

 Chapter 183 - 175: A shifters bite

    Erick was about to climb the stairs with a bowl of warm porridge in the tray he was carrying when Dane was stirring in his mind.

    He paused at the bottom of the stairs and asked in his mind. ''What''s wrong, Dane?''

    ''I scent something strangely familiarˇ­'' he replied.

    Erick frowned. ''Something familiar?'' he repeated in his mind as he discreetly looked around him. It was weird that Dane should find something strangely familiar in this house when he did not scented it before when Erick was here previously.

    As if knowing what Erick was thinking of, Dane explained that since he had most of his broken souls back, his senses were getting stronger, or rather, were getting back to normal.

    However, Erick was getting more curious as to what was making Dane feel a bit anxious. He could feel the latter''s concern at the discovery of the strange familiar scent.

    Before Erick could think of an answer, Remi, Amber''s brother, stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at him curiously. "Big brother Erick?" he called out. "What are you doing there?"

    Erick turned his head and suddenly, he felt Dane shouting in his mind, ''Him! It''s him!''

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise as he studied at the sickly-looking young boy at the top of the stairs. ''Are you sure it''s him?'' Erick asked in his mind.

    ''Are you doubting me, you brat?'' Dane snarled.

    Remi was wearing a loose soft grey shirt that showed a bit of his collarbone and short pants. Although he was seven years old, he looked like he was five years old; younger than his age. He had heard from Amber that her younger brother was only two years old when he was afflicted with cancer. Although she mentioned that it was cancer, truthfully Amber''s parents weren''t sure of what''s the real ailment. The many doctors that they went to weren''t even sure of the ailment.

    Erick narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the young boy, who was looking back at him, all confused as to why the big brother was staring at him like that. "Big brother Erick?" he called out again nervously.

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously and then let out a smile as to not scare the young boy away. "Ah, sorry. I was daydreaming earlier," he lied, still smiling.

    Remi smiled back, looking relieved that the big brother wasn''t angry at him. "Be careful, Big brother Erick," he cautioned. He then saw the bowl on the tray that Erick was carrying and asked, "Is that for big sister?"

    Erick nodded as he climbed up the stairs. Once he was standing beside Remi, he looked down and gently asked, "Do you want to go visit your sister?"

    Remi looked down at his bare feet sadly. "I do want to," he said softly. "But my parents and big sister were worried that I might catch whatever big sister was having and my sickness might worsen."

    Erick balanced the tray with one hand and patted the young boy on the head gently. "You won''t, I promise you," he reassured. "So, come on. Your sister would be too happy to see you."

    Remi smiled widely with happiness as he nodded his head vigorously.

    He dutifully followed Erick from behind and stopped when the latter stopped as well to knock on the door.

    When they heard Amber''s raspy voice, telling them to come in, Erick stood aside, allowing Remi to open the door for them. He watched as Remi quickly rushed inside, oblivious to Amber''s surprised look at the presence of her little brother.

    He continued to watch as Remi jumped into Amber''s arms. He felt his hands tightened on the tray he was holding as he watched Remi giving his sister a kiss on the cheek.

    *Crack*

    He looked down and saw a small crack on the tray where his hands were holding. He quickly walked over to the bedside table and placed the tray there.

    Amber, who thought that she must be hearing things, looked over to where the tray was and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow when she saw the cracks.

    Erick just looked away, feeling a bit guilty when Amber stared at him suspiciously.

    Remi, who did not know what was happening, pulled back from his sister''s embrace and grinned widely. "Big sis! I missed you!" he declared.

    "Who told you that you can be here? You might catch my flu!" Amber scolded gently.

    Remi pouted sadly. He then looked at Erick from beneath his lashes and said nothing.

    Seeing that her brother was looking at Erick, she looked at him again, suspiciously. "Erickˇ­" she said slowly.

    "He won''t," Erick said confidently.

    "But you don''t understand---"

    "I''m confident that he will be fine, Amber," Erick promised with a determined look on his face.

    When Amber looked into his eyes, she knew that he was serious and that he was confident with his promise.

    He then looked at the oblivious young boy, who seems content to just sit next to his sister, and walked closer to her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I''ll tell you later."

    Feeling a bit ticklish from him whispering in her ear, she pushed him away, her face turning red from embarrassment.

    Remi tilted his head in confusion when he saw his sister''s beet red face. "What''s wrong, big sister?" he asked.

    Amber forced a smile on her face while sneaking a glare at Erick for making her feel that way. "It''s nothing, Remi. Don''t worry," she reassured him.

    "Why don''t you go downstairs and accompany mom in the kitchen?" she suggested. "Dad''s coming home tonight so she probably would like some company while she''s cooking the storm there."

    Remi nodded happily. He jumped down from the bed and ran out of the room before Amber could tell him to be careful and not to run.

    Once he had left the room, Amber immediately turned to Erick with accusing eyes. But before she could say anything, she suddenly sneezed.

    Erick quickly grabbed a handful of tissues and placed them gently on her nose. "Alright now, blow," he instructed softly.

    No longer feeling embarrassed by his actions, Amber blew, ungracefully. To her joy, Erick did not seem disgusted by it but rather, he became more gentle in his gestures.

    After she was done blowing her nose, Erick threw the dirtied tissues into the dustbin and sat down next to her on the bed. He took the tray from the bedside table and placed them on her lap. He was about to hand her the spoon but when she tried to reach for it, he pulled his hand away and asked teasingly, "Do you want me to feed you with my mouth orˇ­?"

    Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the spoon from his grasp and retorted, "I can eat by myself!" Though, her face became more red from embarrassment.

    His grin grew wider when he saw how shy she became. It made him want to pounce on her and kiss her. But then again, she probably will kick him away from her. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-bite_51736282509927811">#''s-bite_51736282509927811</a> for visiting.

    After a couple of bites, Amber placed the spoon in the bowl and turned to Erick. "What was it you wanted to tell me?" she asked.

    Erick''s face turned solemn and then he said, "I know that this seems crazy but I believed that your brother is not sick because of cancer."

    Amber frowned. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked in bewilderment.

    "Do you believe me if I told you that it was probably from a shifter''s bite?" Erick asked with a serious look on his face.

    Amber''s eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean?" she repeated. Her mind was going crazy. Shifter''s bite? How could it be?

    "That''s why I need to talk with your parents to ask about this."

    Amber nodded slowly. "Alright thenˇ­"

 Chapter 184 - 176: Dinner with the Keenes

    Erick was outside Amber''s house where he was trying to call his father to discuss the scent on Remi, Amber''s brother. After talking to Amber, he realized he wouldn''t be able to talk with Amber''s parents unless he exposed his identity as a shifter, which they did not know.

    And according to any shifter''s rules, ever since the past wars, one should not expose their shifter identity freely without permission from their Alpha. Erick was fortunate to have a mate like Amber, who accepted him as a shifter. But he doesn''t know what her parents would feel, though. Hence why he sought for his father''s advice.

    "Yes?"

    His father answered.

    "Dad, I need some help," Erick quickly said.

    "With what?"

    Erick immediately went to a long explanation about how he was at Amber''s house and that Dane caught a strange familiar scent on Amber''s brother and that he needed his father to talk with Amber''s parents to ask more about what had happened to Amber''s brother and why there was a familiar scent on him.

    While Erick was talking to his father, the latter was quiet the whole conversation. Once his son was done talking, Lachlan continued to be quiet until a couple of minutes later, he calmly said, "Why are you at Amber''s house? Aren''t you supposed to be in school right now?"

    Erick became stumped when he heard his father''s question. He inwardly facepalmed himself as he actually forgot about him skipping school.

    He regretted not looking at the time as he listened to his father''s scolding and lecture.

    After his father was done reprimanding him, he asked Erick why he had to skip school.

    Again, Erick quickly explained about how he and Dane were concerned over Amber not attending school and then to find out that she was out sick. And that he came over to visit her. He also reassured his father that he actually did come to school in the morning. He only left school after lunch.

    Although Lachlan understood the anxiety a shifter would feel once they found out that there was something wrong with their mate, it did not stop him from scolding Erick for being irresponsible. As the future Alpha, it was important for Erick from the young age to show how he lives up to his commitment and responsibilities.

    Once Erick was done explaining to his father, Lachlan kept quiet as he contemplated everything inside his mind. His son was right about one matter. Even if Amber was fine with them being shifters, it does not mean that her parents were, as well.

    He then told Erick to tell Amber''s parents that he and his mother would be coming over to have a talk with them.

    Erick agreed immediately and hung up the call. He then went inside the house and went to tell Mrs. Keene of his father''s intentions.

    Amber''s mother was curiously confused as to why Erick''s parents would want to talk with them, though she did not mind. Seeing that her husband would be returning home as well that night, it would be good if the two parents were to meet up once again and have a pleasant talk.

    She was quite worried too since Amber was still sick but Erick reassured her that she would be fine. He and Remi would take care of her.

    That evening.

    Erick went home earlier as he would be returning to Amber''s house, together with his parents.

    Amber''s father, Eren Keene, had just arrived a couple of hours ago. He, too, was surprised when he heard from his wife that Erick''s parents wanted to meet with them. Although he did not mind meeting with them as they respected one another, he did not know what was the purpose of them meeting so urgently that night.

    Eren was in the living room as he waited for the Kendalls to arrive. Before this, he had gone to see his daughter, who was currently resting in her room with Remi, sitting quietly next to her bed, reading a book. Once he had seen that his daughter was fine, he went down to the living room.

    Syden was in the kitchen, where she had prepared dinner for the families. Similar to the Kendall''s last visit, Syden had prepared a lot of food. Remembering how Erick and his father ate, even more so than her own husband, she felt like she was prepared this time. She had roasted beef, mashed potatoes with a side of green peas, cornbread and pecan pie.

    While she was scooping the mashed potatoes in a large serving bowl, she heard the doorbell ring. Eren, who was in the other room, went to open the front door.

    He opened the door and greeted the Kendalls with a huge smile on his face. "Welcome," he greeted, shaking hands with Lachlan.

    Syden, who just left the kitchen, also went to greet them. She and Luella exchanged light hugs with one another. She then invited them to eat first before having their talk in the living room.

    The Kendalls thanked the husband and wife for their hospitality and followed them to the kitchen table where dinner was served.

    Before entering the kitchen, Erick turned around and looked up from the bottom of the stairs to where Amber''s bedroom was located.

    Noticing Erick''s glance, Syden reassured him that Amber already had her dinner together with Remi. So she should be fine and that he can visit her after dinner.

    Looking a bit dejected at the thought of not sitting in the same table with Amber, he followed Syden to the kitchen with heavy steps.

    When Luella saw her son''s expression, she laughed, saying that this is the first time she saw her son looking so sad when it comes to dinner. Lachlan just kept quiet but there was a hint of a small smile on the corner of his lips.

    The families had a pleasant conversation around the kitchen table, where Lachlan and Eren talked about their work and a bit of politics. The women, on the other hand, talked about the cooking shows that they recently followed and the new shops that were recently opened in town.

    Without his mate, Erick could only eat his food while tuning off to the a.d.u.l.ts'' conversations. Even though the food was delicious, he did not feel the taste as he just mechanically ate whatever was in front of him.

    Once dinner was over, Eren invited them to the living room. At first, Luella wanted to help Syden with the clean-up. Knowing that Amber was sick, she would be alone with the clean-up. But Syden refused, saying she could not possibly allow her guests to help her with the clean-up.

    After much persuasion from Syden, Luella reluctantly backed down. But before she left to head over to the living room, she did not forget to narrow her eyes at Erick, giving him a signal.

    Knowing what his mother meant, Erick quickly went into the kitchen and saw Syden already starting to clean the place up. He swiftly offered his services. At first, Syden wanted to protest but Erick was too fast as he had already cleaned the table up and carried all the dirty dishes to the dishwasher. Syden was pleasantly surprised with his swift and natural effort, making her realize that he probably helps his mother out in the kitchen as well.

    Another point scored for Erick!

    In the living room, Eren was offering Lachlan a drink, who nodded yes. After Luella walked in, Eren offered a drink to her as well.

    With their drinks in their hands, the three men and woman sat down. Lachlan sat together with his wife on a sofa, whereas Eren sat alone in a large armchair.

    Eren then cleared his throat. "So, I''ve heard from my wife that you would like to have a talk with us?" he began.

    Lachlan nodded. "Yes. But let''s wait until your wife joins us. It''s best if she was here as well."

    Eren nodded.

    Few minutes later, Syden walked in, wiping her hands on a handkerchief. She smiled, a look of confusion on her face when she saw that the three of them have not started the conversation yet.

    Seeing the confused look on her face, Eren told his wife that they were waiting for her.

    Syden nodded and sat down on the arm of the armchair where Eren was sitting. "Alright, we can start the conversation then," she said pleasantly.

    Lachlan and Luella looked at each other. Before coming to the Keene''s house, Lachlan and Erick had updated her on what had happened and she agreed to come along. If things don''t go well, she had hoped to pacify the situation.

    Lachlan turned to the curious looking parents in front of him and asked with a serious look on his face, "Did something happen to you while you were pregnant with Remi?"

    The question was directed to Syden.

    When the Keenes heard his question, their faces abruptly changed from curious to shocked.

 Chapter 185 - 177: I forbid you!

    "Did something happen to you while you were pregnant with Remi?" Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_51831190834966417">#!_51831190834966417</a> for visiting.

    When the Keenes heard his question, their faces abruptly changed from curious to shocked.

    Syden Greer looked at her husband, looking as though she was not sure how to answer Lachlan''s question.

    Eren immediately went on alert. "How did you know?" he asked, a grim look on his face. That day was one of the worst days of his life. And what had happened after that made him feel distraught and greatly upset.

    Lachlan discreetly took a deep breath before answering him. "Your son. What he has is not cancer. But rather, a long overdue effect from a bite."

    The Keenes'' eyes widened in shock once more. How did he know about the bite?

    Eren looked at his wife, who nodded back at him, looking a bit distressed. It has been so long since they talked about this. So, it was a bit difficult for them to open the topic once more. As if the wound was still fresh.

    He let out a long sigh and began talking. "Back when we were still living in one of the towns before moving here, it was in the midst of going to normality. Apparently, before we moved there, there were cases of shifters running wild. They began to attack and kill people. It was such a rampage. The government had sent the military to subdue the attacks. I was one of them. At that time, Syden was already heavily pregnant with Remi. So I had to leave her behind with Amber back home while I moved into the barracks nearby that town."

    Eren then looked at his wife with a loving smile, as if he did not regret anything back then. "One day, the military had issued a permission whereby families could come and visit the soldiers. I did not expect Syden to come and visit me. If I knew then, I would have forbidden her to come. Not because I did not want her to come but rather, I still think it was not safe yet."

    He grabbed his wife''s hands and rubbed them between his. "But I did not regret the time when she surprised me with the visit. I was grateful, though, that she did not bring Amber with her at that time. We were having our dinner, together with the other families of other soldiers at the mess hall. It was at that time we were attacked by the shifters," he continued, his face turning solemn. "I was fetching some food for Syden when they came. It was chaotic. It was hard for me to get to her that all I could do was shoot. Apparently, the bullet did nothing to them."

    Eren took a deep breath, as though it was hard for him to reenact the scene. Syden, who was sitting beside him, rubbed his back tenderly, supporting him.

    "When I finally reached her, I saw a bite mark on her shoulder. I saw red and immediately shot the shifter who had bitten her right in the head. And I quickly brought her to the army doctor. It was fortunate that she was fine butˇ­" he looked at her sadly as he tightened her hands in his. "She had to go through the PTSD therapy."

    Syden gripped her husband''s hands and strongly said, "Sweetheart, it wasn''t your fault. I''ve told you this many times."

    Eren lovingly smiled at her. There were a bit of tears in his eyes.

    Lachlan and Luella smiled at the loving couple in front of them. This kind of relationship among humans are kind of hard to find, especially where the two love each other so much, going through the pain together.

    Eren turned to look back at the Kendall couple and continued, "It was also fortunate that her pregnancy went well. There were no problems with her delivery. However, when Remi turned two years oldˇ­ he suddenly turned from an energetic child to lethargic child. We weren''t sure what was happening. We went to many doctors but none could find out what happened. But this one doctor found something unusual. He too asked whether Syden had gotten involved in something. And when we told him about the bite, instead of helping us, he told us to get out. He shouted something like a shifter''s bite. As if it was a curse or something."

    After both Lachlan and Luella heard the words, ''shifter''s bite'', they then understood what had happened. When a shifter suddenly becomes a rogue, they will lose to their wolf counterpart and become mad. Their thoughts will become wild and irrational, not knowing what was going on and what they were doing.

    That was probably what had happened to Syden. She was unfortunate to encounter newly-formed rogues and got bitten by them. When one was bitten by a newly-formed rogue, they too will be affected by the mad disease. But by seeing how Syden did not, Lachlan suspected that the disease moved to the unborn baby inside her, who was Remi at that time. And because he was still seven years old, he probably would not get the disease until he was of age.

    The two pairs of parents went quiet.

    "But how did you know that it was from a bite?" Eren asked curiously. The other doctors, other than the one who told them about the ''shifter''s bite'' didn''t even know. So, how did a police officer from a faraway town know about it?

    "We''re actually shifters, as well."

    -----

    Erick was in Amber''s bedroom, together with Amber and Remi. Erick was helping Remi with his studies. Even though he was homeschooled, he still got some homework, just to give him an education. Erick thought it was awesome that the young boy would want to study.

    Usually, Mrs. Keene would be the one who tutored Remi but because she was busy with the other parents, having a serious discussion in the living room, Erick thought it would be nice if he was to tutor Remi. Besides, one should help their family, no? Remi would be his future brother-in-law, anyway.

    However, before Erick could finish tutoring Remi, the door to Amber''s room was suddenly opened, revealing a grim looking man.

    Erick was confused as to why he felt a murderous intent from Ambers father when he turned his gaze at him.

    "Erick, your father is waiting for you downstairs. You should go home now," Eren said, a frown on his face.

    Erick was startled at the unfriendly tone in Eren''s voice. "Oh, alright," he said. He stood up and gave a friendly pat on Remi''s head and said, "I''ll see you again soon, alright, buddy?"

    Remi grinned up at him and nodded.

    Amber frowned in confusion when she noticed her father''s clenched fists. What happened downstairs?

    When Erick left the room, instead of following him downstairs, Eren slammed the door loudly behind him, much to Amber and Remi''s surprise. They hardly see this serious yet rude side of their father before. And from what they see, it was as if he hated Erick. But why?

    "Daddyˇ­" Amber started.

    "Amber, I forbid you to meet up with Erick ever again," Eren said, turning around to face her.

    Amber frowned. "But why?"

    Eren did not know that his daughter was aware that her boyfriend was a shifter so he assumed that she did not know. But he did not want her to be with him as well.

    "Just don''t," he said before leaving the room.

    Remi was a bit frightened to see their father looking stern and furious. ""Big sisterˇ­ what''s wrong with daddy?" he said nervously.

    Amber frowned as she continued to look at where her father just left the room. "I don''t knowˇ­" she said slowly. She really did not know but she will try to find out why and fast!

 Chapter 186 - 178: He wont hurt me!

    Erick rubbed his temples in consternation.

    Things didn''t go well. He did not want to believe it but after sensing that bit of murderous intent coming from Amber''s father, he knew that the conversation plummet badly.

    When he had gone down the stairs, he saw her parents standing at the bottom of the stairs, apparently waiting for him. He also noticed that Amber''s mother was not around and that he heard the door slammed from behind him. Seemingly, Amber''s father wasn''t going to send them off personally.

    Although it was kind of rude, Erick understood Amber''s parents'' feelings in all this, especially when they found out that their daughter had been interacting closely with the species who had hurt their family.

    On their way home, the shifter family of three were quiet. All three of them were lost in thoughts as they recalled the past few minutes they were in the Keene family.

    Luella did expect this kind of setback, seeing how the shifter''s bite has more or less traumatized the couple and how it nearly ruined their life. But she did not expect this harsh reality where they wanted them to leave the house and never to come back again. Especially Erick.

    Thinking how Erick would become devastated at the thoughts of not being able to see his mate, Luella, as his mother, felt her heart broken and felt guilty for ruining her son''s life, even if it''s not directly.

    Impatient with the sudden quietness, Erick had demanded his parents to tell him what had happened during their conversation with Amber''s parents. Even if the former has a good hearing, he did not eavesdrop on their conversation as he was busy with Amber and Remi.

    At first, Luella did not want to tell him because she was worried that he would become upset. However, as blunt as he can be, Lachlan told him directly what had happened.

    After listening to his father, realization dawned on Erick. It was no wonder that Amber''s father had glared at him furiously. But then, he could not blame his parents for all this.

    Going back to the current scene, Erick was presently in his bedroom as he contemplated on what to do. Luka was lying down on his stomach, snoozing at the foot of Erick''s bed.

    He was startled awake when Erick suddenly fell down on his back to the bed, groaning. His arms were spread widely on the bed as he looked up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

    Similarly to his mother, he did expect this kind of reaction but he did not know that it would hurt this badly. Especially when he thought that it would be difficult for him to meet Amber. Even though he has the power to be with Amber, he wanted a relationship where he has the blessings, not only from his parents but also from Amber''s.

    And it seems like the only way to get to Amber, he has to go through this one difficult obstacleˇ­ the parents!

    -----

    Huddled with her thick sweater and blanket, Amber dragged herself down to the kitchen where she saw her parents talking quietly with one another, sitting at the dining table. She could sensed that the conversation was quite serious from the agitated posture her mother has and the stubborn look on her father''s face.

    Amber made her presence known by coughing and sniffing. Her parents abruptly went silent and turned to look at the entrance of the kitchen where Amber stood, looking at them.

    Her mother immediately went over to her and held her in her arms. She then pulled back and placed a hand against Amber''s forehead. "You''re still feeling a bit warm. What are you doing out of the bed?" she asked.

    "Mom, what''s going on? Did they leave already?" Amber asked curiously, referring ''they'' to Erick''s parents. She was confused as to why Erick''s parents left without seeing her, especially his mother. They have a quite close relationship so it baffled her as to why they left without saying anything or even visiting her.

    Syden turned to look at her husband, her eyes full of accusation as if to tell him to solve this problem.

    Amber''s father let out a sigh. "Amber, I''ve told youˇ­" he began.

    Amber turned to look at her father. "But you did not tell me why!" she argued.

    Eren sighed again, placing his head in his palm, his body language telling, ''how should i deal with this?''.

    Amber pulled away from her mother''s embrace and approached her father, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What happened?" she asked seriously.

    "Amberˇ­" Eren began again. "You need to trust me. You shouldn''t meet with Erick again. He''sˇ­" he stopped.

    "He''s what? He''s kind? Handsome? Eat too much?" Amber shot. She threw her hands up in the air, dropping the blanket from her body. "I know that!" she exclaimed.

    "He''s a shifter! Just like his parents! The whole family is a shifter!" Eren shouted, abruptly standing up on his feet, pushing the chair back to the floor.

    The whole room was silent. Both daughter and father stared at each other''s eyes, while the mother looked from behind, appearing worried and concerned.

    "I know."

    Both Eren and Syden looked shocked as the latter gasped, after they heard their daughter''s calm confession.

    "Is this true?" Syden asked softly as she walked over to her daughter''s side. "You''re not just saying this, do you?"

    Amber frowned at her mother. She could not believe that her own mother would think that she was making this up. "I''m telling the truth. I''ve known that he is a shifter and I don''t care if he is or not! I likeˇ­ no, I love him!" she declared.

    Her mother gasped again. "How did you know?"

    Eren was quiet the whole time after Amber''s confession.

    "I found out by accident," Amber said. She was afraid that if she told them the whole truth of how she found out about Erick''s origin, they would hate him more. "But I''m fine!" She was quick to reassure her mother.

    "But we''re not!" her father cut her in. "He''s dangerous! Who knows that he might go wild like the one who had hurt your mother and made Remi as he is now?" he shot.

    "He won''t!" Amber protested hotly. "I know him and I believe him! He won''t hurt me! Ever!" she said vehemently.

    Eren felt irked that his own daughter dared to argue back with him because of a shifter. He felt a bit sad too that Amber was determined that Erick would not hurt her. After experiencing the emotions he had when he saw his beloved being bitten by those ''dirty things'', he did not want to feel that kind of emotion anymore. He does not want Erick to be close with his daughter!

    Seeing that her father was adamant to not listen to her, Amber rushed over to her father''s side, trying to make him see what she saw in Erick.

    Unfortunately, before she could say anything, her father had walked out of the kitchen.

    Amber coughed as she watched her father walk away.

    Her mother walked to her side and rubbed her back. "Go back to your room and rest," she said gently.

    "Mom, do you believe me? Erick won''t hurt me, truly!" Amber asked, turning to her mother, still coughing.

    Her mother just smiled, not answering her before following her husband up to their room.

    Amber stood there alone, watching as her mother walked away. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''t-hurt-me!_51898284666575779">#''t-hurt-me!_51898284666575779</a> for visiting.

 Chapter 187 - 179: Its a good thing, right?

    It seems that the only way to get to Amber, Erick needs to go through that one difficult obstacleˇ­ the parents!

    However, a week has passed by and nothing seems to be improving. As Erick looked through his car window, watching as Amber climbed into her father''s car to get to school, he felt the sentence, ''getting on the parents'' good sides'' was easier said than done.

    He was in his car with Hamish at the passenger seat. Earlier they were driving on their way to school and were about to go by Amber''s house. Erick was hoping that at least, he could pick her up to go together to school. But seeing how her father had already planned to send her to school, he could only watch, feeling dejected. Seems like he still does not accept Erick.

    And It was fortunate that Amber''s father did not see his car. Or perhaps, he was just ignoring Erick.

    After they had driven off, Erick waited a few minutes before following them from behind to head for school. Hamish, who had learned what had happened last week, could only accompany the pitiful young man.

    Once they had arrived at school, they were not surprised to see Amber''s father, still standing at the sidewalk, near the school. Beside him was Amber, who had a bored look on her face as she listened to her father''s lecture.

    When Erick and Hamish got closer, the father-daughter duo turned around. There was a look of unwillingness on Eren''s face whereas Amber had a huge smile on hers. She was about to shout hello to them when Eren gave her a warning glare, to which she replied with rolling eyes.

    Her father grabbed her arm as if to stop her from approaching Erick. He then waited for the two young men to walk into the school and only then, he released his daughter''s arm. Amber rolled her eyes once more. It was not as if he could monitor her all day long. And she too could still be with Erick inside the school.

    When Amber pushed open the door to their homeroom class, she saw Erick already sitting in his seat. And when he saw her, a huge smile brightened his face, making Amber''s heart beat faster.

    Even if they meet each other in school, they still miss each other, especially their alone times.

    Amber sat down in her seat and turned around to shoot him a big smile of her own. Erick reached out and grabbed her hand, rubbing it with his thumb.

    Dana, who was sitting near them, rolled her eyes. She really wasn''t that hungry for some dog food.

    Few minutes later, their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Harris walked in and began to take attendance. She then told them to do their own work while they wait for the bell to ring for the next class.

    Amber and Dana, who was sitting next to her, immediately turned in their seats.

    "So, Amber," Dana began. "Your dad still sends you to school?" she asked curiously, a smile creeping out from the corner of her lips.

    Amber rolled her eyes. Dana was another friend of theirs who ''accidentally'' found out about Erick and Hamish''s origins. And like Amber, she was fine with it and had been a good friend to keep quiet about it.

    "Yeah, apparently, he still doesn''t trust Erick and his family. My dad nearly requested for a move but luckily, I stopped him, telling him that this is quite a sensitive time to move," Amber replied with a sigh.

    Erick frowned. "Are you saying that you and your family will move in the future?" he asked, sounding worried. He doesn''t know if he could handle it if Amber and her family moved outˇ­ away from him.

    "No, no, no!" Amber quickly reassured him. She reached out her hand to pat Erick''s arm. "Don''t worry, I won''t. I''ll make sure of it," she said determinedly.

    Erick nodded, though his face still looked a bit worried.

    He then looked down at his notebook. He then thought that there must be a way for him to get into their good books! There has to be!

    -----

    That weekend.

    Eren was inside a hardware store in town. His car has been acting up and he needed to look for tools to fix it. It was his long-awaited day off so it was the perfect time to check what was wrong with his car.

    And speaking of tools, he just remembered that he needed to replace his oil filter and since he has lost his oil filter wrench, he thought that it would be the best time to buy it.

    While he was studying the tools being displayed at the shop racks, there was a bell ringing at the entrance of the store, indicating new customers had walked in the store.

    Never one to take notice but Eren felt a familiar presence. He turned around and light dimmed his eyes when he saw Erick and a young man, who looked a bit older than him. He knows that Erick was an only child so this young man was probably a family friend or something.

    As if realizing that someone was watching him, Erick looked up and when his eyes landed on Eren, his eyes brightened. Little did Eren know, Erick knew he was inside. He purposely brought Roel with him to ''accidentally'' bump into him.

    "Mr. Keene!" he greeted happily. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-a-good-thing-right_51963494349732338">#''s-a-good-thing-right_51963494349732338</a> for visiting.

    Eren just harrumphed and ignored his greeting, turning back around.

    Disregarding the fact that Amber''s father had just blatantly given him the cold shoulder, Erick walked over to the former, dragging Roel with him. "I''m not sure whether you''ve been officially introduced to my ''brother'', Roel."

    Eren turned to look at Erick with disdain. "''Brother''?" he repeated. "Is he also one of you?"

    Roel was about to raise his hand for a shake. When he heard the contempt in Eren''s voice and his words, he turned his shocked eyes at Erick, who nodded, as if to say, ''Yes, he knows''.

    Erick gave out a weak smile and said, "Yes, he''s one of us. And he''s a really great brother."

    Eren harrumphed once more. "Yeah, right," he mumbled as he turned back again towards the shop racks.

    Erick immediately nudged Roel, who frowned at him. Erick then gestured towards Eren with his head, as if to tell him, ''Go and work your charms!''.

    Roel just frowned at him. When Erick came by at the pack house, he had approached him, saying he needed help to fix his car. Although Roel doesn''t work as a mechanic like Latham, he still knows his way around with cars.

    However, looking at how Erick was trying to get into the man''s good grace, it looks more like that man was the one who needed help, not him. He had seen Amber''s father before but as mentioned by Erick, they haven''t officially met.

    Then when he saw Erick''s pleading eyes, he knew he wouldn''t be able to let him down. Although the triplets were strict on Erick, there were times that they just could not bear to reject him. Especially when it comes to his happiness.

    "Hello, Mr. Keene. My name is Roel, Erick''s brother. Is there something in here that you''re looking for?" Roel asked politely.

    Eren looked at him and scowled. "Do you work here?" he asked rudely.

    "No, butˇ­"

    "Then you''re no help," Eren cut in, before looking back again.

    Roel turned to look at Erick who gestured to him again, telling him to try again.

    Roel inwardly rolled his eyes and turned to Eren, who was still ignoring them.

    Few minutes later, it seems like Eren has thawed down as he begins to ask more questions at Roel. The man thought the latter''s advice about car repairment was useful and he learned more about it. Eren was amazed to hear that Roel has another brother who was a mechanic and is more amazing with car repairs.

    While the two men were talking, Erick, who was standing behind them, felt a bit left out. He thought to himself, ''This is a good thing, right?''

 Chapter 188 - 180: Going to school?

    While Eren and Roel were talking, Erick, who was standing behind them, felt a bit left out. He thought to himself, ''This is a good thing, right?''

    It was then Eren had a shocked look on his face as if he just realized something. He then turned to Erick with a frown and cleared his throat. "You have a good brother here," he said, patting Roel on the shoulder.

    "Uh, thank you, sir," Erick said, looking a bit confused. His thoughts screamed, ''Aren''t you supposed to be praising me?''

    Eren then turned to Roel and said, "Hope to see you again, son. Perhaps we can talk more about this. I''ve been into car repairs lately, what with my late father''s old car, which I''m trying to fix."

    Roel nodded politely. "Yes, sir. Once my brother is well, I can introduce him to you as well," he suggested.

    "That would be great!" A huge smile appeared on Eren''s face, making Erick look shocked. He had never smiled at him like this.

    Then when Eren turned to Erick, it was as if the light had gone down from his eyes. He harrumphed and said, "I still won''t let you near my daughter, though."

    With that, he brought the items that he wanted to buy and went straight to the cashier. After paying for his purchases, he went out of the store, without looking back.

    Erick could only watch after him, dumbfounded.

    Roel then turned to the shop rack where numerous tools were displayed and grabbed one of them. "I should probably buy one of these," he murmured, ignoring the shell-shocked young man behind him.

    Erick walked over to Roel''s side and asked, still looking confused, "What just happened there?"

    "I got in his good books," Roel simply answered, without looking at him, still looking at the displayed items, comparing them in his mind.

    Erick crossed his arms across his chest with a small pout on his face. "Some help you are. I should have brought Hamish, instead."

    Roel c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Yes, you should," he agreed. "Who told you to bring me?"

    Erick shrugged. "I thought he would soften a bit once he knew I have a brother who knows about cars and all," he said. It was a coincidence that he found out about Amber''s father''s sudden fascination with cars when he saw lots of car magazines in the Keene''s living room.

    And then Amber mentioned her father bringing over her late grandfather''s car and how he became engrossed with it, washing it if there was a speck of dirt on it. And recently, she also mentioned that because the car hasn''t been attended to for a long time, it has some broken parts that he needed to replace.

    That was when Erick thought of a great idea. Although he couldn''t bring along Latham since he was still in Cairin Oaks, Roel was also good with cars. Perhaps if Roel was to soften the man up by buttering him with talks of what he loved, he would soften his attitude towards him!

    But apparently, things went differently and not what he had expected. While Erick was thinking where he had gone wrong, Roel fought the urge to not roll his eyes. He then smacked Erick''s head.

    Erick looked at Roel with aggrieved eyes, clutching his head because of the pain. "What''s with that?" he exclaimed, feeling wronged.

    "Although you''re very good in your studies, you''re kind of lacking in the EQ department," Roel said.

    Erick frowned in confusion, while holding his head. "What do you mean?"

    Roel finally rolled his eyes and did not bother to answer him. Instead, he picked up the items that he wanted and went to the cashier to pay for them.

    Erick, once again, was left, still at loss.

    -----

    Amber''s mother, Syden, was in the kitchen where she was sitting down at the kitchen table, a thoughtful look on her face. On top of the table were several papers spread wide, that read ''Student Registration Form''.

    Amber had just walked in the kitchen to grab a glass of water when she saw her mother lost in thoughts, her eyes on the paper.

    Curious, she walked over and was surprised to see the form. She picked one of the papers up to have a closer look and asked, "What''s this? Are you thinking of sending Remi to school?"

    Syden nodded, letting out a sigh. "But I''m not sure whether it''s a good thing or notˇ­" she said slowly. "I feel like I''m holding him back in his education. Just homeschooling is not enough. But then, I''m worried about his health too."

    Amber tilted her head and said, "But doesn''t Erick''s parents know of a way to cure him? Since they know what''s the cause of it?"

    Syden froze. And then she said, "We should never get involved with them, Amber."

    Amber frowned. "But why?" she questioned. "I''ve told you that they are nice people! It doesn''t matter whether they are a shifter family or something. It''s not like they are the one who bite--"

    "Amber!" her mother cut in angrily.

    Amber stopped. "I''m sorry," she said softly.

    Her mother gave her a weak smile and grabbed her hand. She pulled her daughter closer and hugged her. "It''s fine," she reassured.

    "But he''s really a nice guy!" Amber argued as she pulled back from her mother''s embrace. "You''ve known Erick for months now. You should know how he is like and he''s not what you and daddy thinks of him!"

    Syden smiled weakly again. "I know, sweetie. It''s justˇ­"

    Amber hugged her mother and said softly, "I know that it''s going to take everything in you and daddy to accept him. But I hope you still take it positively, okay?"

    Syden hugged her back and nodded. "We will."

    Just then, Eren had walked in, apparently returning home from his shopping with his hands carrying shopping bags. A smile appeared on his face when he saw his beloved two women sharing a hug with each other.

    Both mother and daughter pulled away from each other and greeted him.

    "Where did you go, daddy?" Amber asked as she walked over to him, helping him with the bags.

    Eren passed her the lighter bags while he carried the heavier ones and placed them on top of the kitchen island. "Just going around the shops and buying some stuff," he replied.

    He then looked at Amber and said with a c.o.c.ked eyebrow, "Your boy is quite persistent, isn''t he?"

    "Erick?" Amber guessed with confusion.

    Her father just murmured his agreement as he unpack all the things from inside the shopping bags onto the counter. After he went to the hardware store, he went to the supermarket to do some grocery shopping for Syden.

    "Where did you meet him?" Amber pressed as she stood next to her father. Although she just saw him yesterday at school, it was quite despondent that she wasn''t able to see him during the weekends.

    "At the hardware store. He has such a good brother. Nice young fellow," her father answered. He then turned to her. "Why don''t you dump that Erick and go for that brother of his?" he suggested.

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. "What brother?" she asked.

    "Roel," Eren answered. "Quite a nice fellow. Although there might be a large age gap between you two, it should be fine."

    Behind Amber, Syden giggled as she watched the shocked look on her daughter''s face as the latter listened to her father''s teasing.

    "Daddy, seriously?" Amber said, her face still shocked.

    Eren chuckled. "I''m just joking, dear," he said once he put the items away.

    He then walked over to the table where Syden was sitting. After dropping a kiss on her head, he took the papers from the table and looked through them. "So you''re planning to send him to school?" he enquired, looking down at his wife.

    Syden nodded. "Do you think that''s a good idea?" she asked.

    "I think that would be a great idea but let''s ask Remi about it on how he thinks about going to school," Eren suggested.

    "Ask me about what, dad?"

 Chapter 189 - 181: The new tutor

    "Ask me about what, dad?"

    The three Keene family members looked up and were surprised to see Remi standing at the entryway to the kitchen, looking curiously at them.

    Syden immediately got up and embraced him in her arms. She then pulled back and swept a hand over his head, "What are you doing down here? Are you hungry?" she asked in concern.

    Remi shook his head. "I''m fine. I just want to go down," he replied.

    He then looked down at the papers on the table and frowned. "What''s that?" he asked, pointing at the papers.

    Syden looked at her husband and then back to Remi and said gently, "It''s the papers for your school. Do you want to go to school?"

    "School?" Remi repeated. Then a smile slowly began to brighten his face with happiness as his fists clenched with excitement. "Can I?" he asked excitedly, looking from his mother to his father and back again.

    Syden glanced at her husband once more and turned to look at Remi with a gentle smile. "If you like, we''d register you in time for the new school year," she suggested. "There''s a chance that you might be placed in a class with students younger than you."

    Remi shook his head, still grinning. "I do not mind at all!" he declared, already excited to start school.

    Eren then took a step forward and suggested, "Perhaps we can look for a tutor to teach Remi before he starts?"

    Syden turned to her husband with a grin. "That''s a great idea!" she agreed.

    "I''ll go ask around at the camp whether they know a good tutor," Eren said.

    Syden nodded. "And I''ll go around at the community services here to ask for suggestions as well," she offered.

    Behind them, Amber had a thoughtful smile on her face as a great idea just appeared in her mind.

    -----

    A couple of weeks later. Saturday morning.

    Eren walked into the living room, wearing his uniform. Apparently, it was time for him to return to the barracks as his leave was ending. Coincidentally, it was also the time when the new tutor would come to start his tutoring with Remi.

    The other day, both Eren and Syden were introduced to a nice young man named Isaac. By chance, he was also a classmate of Amber at school and had quite good grades. They had a little talk with him at a community center where he did his volunteering. After talking with him, the Keenes were elated to know him and straight away asked him whether he could tutor Remi. They were even more happy when he agreed to it. At first, he did not ask for a fee as he sees this as a volunteering activity. But both Eren and Syden were adamant to pay for his services since he was still a student. It wouldn''t be right that they had to take away his free time to tutor their son.

    So, before Eren left for the barracks, he decided to welcome Isaac, together with his wife. Inside the living room, Syden was sitting on the sofa with Remi beside her. It was fortunate that he seemed fine that day. The two were worried that the tutoring might overwhelm him, especially since he was still ''sick''. But Remi had assured them that he was fine numerous times. Amber agreed with Remi since he hadn''t had any problem with his health lately. Although he still seems weak, it was not to the extent that he would blackout, like before.

    Even if that sounds like good news, truth be told, Amber and her parents were actually quite worried too because the doctor who told Eren and Syden about the shifter''s bite had informed them that the next stage to this ''disease'' is normalcy. Once he frequently blackouts, he would experience normalcy as if he never had the ''disease'' earlier for a couple of years before submitting to the ''disease''. They weren''t sure what was the ''disease'' as the doctor did not want to tell them but it still worries them.

    The three of them waited in the living room for Isaac to arrive. A few minutes later, they heard the doorbell rings. Eren quietly got up from his seat to open the front door.

    He opened the door and to his surprise, it was not someone he had expected. Rather, it was someone he least expected!

    "What are you doing here?" Eren asked rudely, a scowl appeared on his face.

    Erick grinned. "I''m here as a replacement for Isaac," he said helpfully.

    "What happened to him?" Eren asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    Erick shrugged. "Apparently, he just remembered that he had just committed to another commitment and could not fulfill his promises to you. But don''t worry, although he was quite disappointed that he wouldn''t be able to tutor Remi and he was quite excited to meet him, he said that I would be the perfect replacement for him."

    He then took out some papers from his backpack and handed them to Eren. "Here are some records of my previous scores in exams and all. As you can see, I''m good at studying and I''m actually better than Isaac," he said with a beamed smile on his face, looking so proud. "I even tutored some of the younger kids at the pack--- some center."

    Eren c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at Erick''s nearly slip of a word.

    Confused as to why her husband was still at the door and not welcoming Isaac in, Syden walked over to her husband and when she saw Erick, instead of Isaac, she looked quite surprised. She looked at her husband and asked, "What''s going on?"

    Eren turned to his wife and explained to her the situation. Syden''s eyes widened in surprise once he was done explaining. She then turned to Erick and said, "Well, there''s nothing we could do."

    She pulled her husband aside and said to Erick, who was still standing on the front porch, smiling, "Come in."

    "Thank you, Mrs. Keene," Erick grinned. He then gestured at the papers which Eren was still holding onto and said, "Those are the papers that I''ve shown to Mr. Keene. I assured you that I will help tutor Remi to get him ready for his school!"

    Syden gave him a smile. "Well, that''s the most important thing," she agreed.

    Just then, Amber was going down the stairs and when she saw Erick at the front hallway, she hurried her steps and walked over. "Erick! What are you doing here?" she said in feigned surprise.

    His smile brightened more when he saw his mate beside him. "I''m here to tutor Remi," he said.

    Eren, who saw through the whole act, rolled his eyes. He shoved the papers back to Erick and said, "I''ll let it go this time. But you won''t be studying in Remi''s room. Instead, you''ll be in my study!"

    He turned to his wife and said, "Leave the door open and you need to check on them now and then." He glanced at his innocently smiling daughter and said, "And make sure no one else enters their room. No one."

    Amber rolled her eyes at her father''s deliberate strong emphasis on ''no one''.

    "You''re going now?" Syden asked her husband.

    Eren nodded. He went to grab his knapsack and hoisted it on his shoulder. He also carried his duffel bag. He then went over to his wife and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He did the same to Amber as well. He turned to face where the living room was and shouted, "Remi, dad''s going now."

    Soon after Eren shouted that, Remi came walking out of the living room. He was surprised to see Erick at the front hallway, together with his family. Eren picked Remi up in his arms and hugged him.

    Remi, who was in his father''s embrace, turned his head to face Erick and asked, looking confused, "What''s Big brother Erick doing here?"

    "He''s going to tutor you, Remi," his mother answered, rubbing his back.

    Remi''s eyes widened and a smile blossomed on his face. "Yes!" he said loudly, his tone filled with happiness.

    The two parents looked at each other, unsure whether they did the right thing or not.

    Erick smiled, happy to see his future brother-in-law being so happy.

    Eren placed Remi down and said to Erick warningly, "Now, you take care of my son here."

    Erick nodded. "I will," he promised.

    Eren narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. Although he still has his misgivings about this young shifter, day after day, he realized that Erick wasn''t so bad at all. Perhaps letting him tutor Remi will show Eren what kind of shifter he was and whether he deserves his daughter.

 Chapter 190 - 182: She knows my favourite snacks

    After saying goodbye to Eren, the rest of the Keene family members went to the living room, together with Erick. The latter was carrying his backpack, which was filled with his teaching utensils. He had planned to use them to teach Remi.

    Inside, Syden was explaining to Erick on the topics she had taught Remi before and also showed him the syllabus that Remi would be learning the next school year.

    While his mother was explaining to Erick, Remi was sitting on the sofa, together with Amber. He was waiting patiently to start studying with Erick, his eyes brightened like the stars as he fidgeted around in his seat. Amber had to hold his hands to keep him calm.

    Amber looked down at her brother and felt a bit sad. She felt sympathy for her little brother who hadn''t had any experience of going to school and meeting new friends. At most, he would meet them at some center with their mother, which he hardly goes, as well.

    Apparently, Syden was done explaining to Erick and was about to go to the kitchen when she saw her daughter sitting together with Remi. She c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

    Amber narrowed her eyes back at her mother. "I''m just sitting hereˇ­" she said slowly.

    Syden smiled. "Oh, so you''re not doing anything, is it?" she asked, sounding suspiciously sweet.

    Amber furrowed her eyebrows, feeling a bit wary with her mother''s behavior. "What''s going on?" she asked.

    Her mother immediately went into the kitchen, without answering her. A few minutes later, she returned with a piece of paper in her hand. She handed it to her dumbfounded-looking daughter and said, "Here, go and buy the things in this list."

    Amber frowned as she took the paper from her mother and read the list. "Didn''t daddy just go grocery shopping the other day?" she asked in confusion.

    Syden leaned closer to Amber and whispered in her ear, not knowing that Erick could still hear her whispering. "Do you think the food here would be enough? It wouldn''t be polite if we don''t have enough food for our guest here," she said softly.

    In front of her, Erick could feel the corner of his lips twitching in amus.e.m.e.nt when he heard Amber''s mother''s words. Seems like Syden understood his appetite more than he realized.

    After Amber reluctantly left home to do her chores, Syden brought Erick and Remi over to Eren''s study.

    At first, Erick was surprised as to why Eren would sacrifice his study room to him. For men, their study room is like their personal haven where no one should enter unless permitted to.

    However, as he walked inside Eren''s study, he realized that there was no reason for the latter to be wary of other people using his study.

    The room itself was big, with beige wallpaper adorning the walls and soft lighting brightening the rooms. There was a huge study table, in front of the large bay window, which was framed with white lace curtains. Lights from outside could be seen seeping through the window, illuminating the room inside. On the side of the room, there were several bookshelves, filled with numerous books. Using his eyes, looking far from the entrance of the door, he could see that most of the book titles on the side were of psychology, laws and sociology. On the other side of the room, there was another table with two chairs being placed side by side.

    Erick assumed that the table should be one he has to use.

    After telling Erick and Remi to not touch other things in the room, other than the table that they will be using, Syden left the room. However, she had left the door ajar as instructed by Eden.

    Once she had left the room, Erick led Remi to the table and told him to sit down. He then began to place the books that he will be using as a guide to teach Remi.

    Since Remi was seven years old, he will probably be entering first grade in school. And seeing how he doesn''t have much practice with his handwriting, compared to reading, Erick decided that he should start on the handwriting. He brought along some handwriting practice books for Remi to write on. Along the way, he also helped Remi to read out some words and to recognize the letters and sentences.

    An hour later, Syden came in, knocking on the door, bringing a tray filled with snacks and drinks. She brought with her, a jug of fresh orange and a huge plate of club sandwiches. When she placed the tray on an empty spot on the table, it was then Erick noticed there was a small bowl of chocolate biscuits, as well.

    Seeing that Erick was looking at the bowl, Syden said that the biscuits were for Remi while the club sandwiches were for him.

    Erick felt warmth in his heart. He knew that Amber''s mother still doesn''t trust him much ever since she found out that he was a shifter. But seeing how she prepared these food for him and that she trusts him with her son alone in the room, even if the door was left ajar, shows how much she was slowly trusting him once more. And it was one of his favourite snacks too!

    He gave her a huge smile and thanked her happily.

    Amber was watching from the entrance of the study room, holding the laundry basket. Earlier, she wanted to bring the tray up to them but her mother stopped her, saying that she would distract them.

    She was flabbergasted at her mother''s insinuation that she would disturb them when she was just going to send the tray to them. But her mother still refused to let her and told her to just stay in her room and study or do the chores around the house.

    When her mother was about to leave the room, she saw her standing outside the room. She then gestured at her with her chin, as if to tell her to go continue to do her chores.

    Amber withheld the urge to roll her eyes and continued on, going down the stairs to the laundry room.

    Erick smiled when he saw Amber walking away. He grabbed one of the club sandwiches and took a bite. His eyes widened in surprise. It was quite delicious. Crispy lettuce, cold sliced cuc.u.mbers, sweet mayonnaise, turkey b.r.e.a.s.t slices, fresh tomatoes and cheddar cheese stacked together between two slices of wheat bread.

    He was on his fifth piece when Syden poked her head in and said that it was Amber who made those sandwiches. Erick felt more love towards his mate. She really does know what his favourite snacks are.

    Once they were done with their snacks, Erick and Remi continued on with their studying. Truth be told, Erick really did enjoy his time with the little boy. And seeing how the latter still looks happy and excited to learn, he knows that he has done his job well.

 Chapter 191 - Side Story: Luka [2]

    Weeks after Erick and the co. returned from Rehan''s mansion.

    It has been days since Luka has come out of the house and played. Ever since his master got back from his mission, he always returned home, looking haggard and dispirited. He never has time for Luka as he usually went home and immediately went to bed. Other than going to that pretty female human''s house, whom he likes to make goo-goo eyes at, he would be busy at his table, holding that stick and moving his hand.

    One time, while its master was sleeping, Luka had jumped onto his table and gnawed at that tiny and light stick. It thought it was something to play with, seeing how his master likes to play with it, as well. But apparently, it was not since Luka got scolded, instead. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%5B2%5D_52153469863249326">#%5B2%5D_52153469863249326</a> for visiting.

    During the time Erick was busy with his mission at Rehan''s mansion, Luka spent more time at the packhouse than at its own home with its Alpha family. It was because the Alpha and Luna were too busy to take care of it. Although it misses them, it enjoyed its time at the packhouse. Luka was quite surprised that the people inside have more or less the same scent as its family. But it still prefers its family''s scent more. Especially Erick''s.

    However, ever since Erick had returned, Luka had felt something was different about its master. It could sense that he had becomeˇ­ more powerful. It was strange. What exactly did he do during the time he was not home?

    And then one night, after Rehan''s mansion mission, Luka was in Erick''s room, where it was playing with its toys when Lachlan, Erick''s father, walked in. He cajoled Luka to stop playing since he wanted to bring Luka over to the packhouse.

    Luka thought they were going out for a walk and to have fun. Reality hurts when it got left behind at the packhouse with Roel while they continued their journey to who-knows-where.

    Luka had been growling and barking after them. It was fortunate that Roel was strong enough to overpower a wolf like Luka as the latter picked the wolf up in his arms and brought Luka inside.

    Hours later, while Luka was playing with some of the packmates, Roel had come over to guide him back out, saying that Erick had come to take him back.

    When Erick finally came to pick Luka up, the latter felt something was amiss. The atmosphere around its master was dark and sad as he didn''t even say a word to Luka. Just quietly thanked Roel and brought Luka to the car.

    Inside the car, the tension was even more deep where one could cut the air with a knife. It bothered Luka as it whimpered closer to Erick.

    Startled by the sudden brush from Luka, Erick looked down and just rubbed the top of its mane but still kept quiet.

    Once they arrived at the house, Luka immediately ran to Erick''s room. It could not stand the air around the three Kendall family members. He rolled around in front of Erick''s bed before lying down on its stomach after finding a suitable position to sleep.

    Few minutes later, Luka was in a dreamland, dreaming about meat, meat and meat when suddenly, it was startled awake by the loud groaning and thumping sound from the bed. (Please don''t think ''weirdly'' here).

    Luka got up and saw its master lying on his back on the bed, his eyes closed, looking distressed. It immediately jumped onto the bed and began to lick Erick''s face, hoping that the latter would not be so sad.

    Oblivious to Luka''s efforts to comfort him, Erick was lost in thoughts, trying to think of a way to make Amber''s parents like him once more.

    Just then, he suddenly sat up, jostling Luka off. Luka began to walk around Erick''s and growled, as if to ask what was going on.

    "I''ve a great idea, Luka!" Erick exclaimed. "Let''s go to the packhouse and meet Roel!"

    Luka doesn''t really understand what Erick was saying but seeing how the latter was happy, Luka could only just jumped around and growled happily as well.

    An hour later, they were at the packhouse where Roel was inside the kitchen of the mess hall, practicing his cutting skills. Just after the mission at Rehan''s mansion, he returned back to his job. And because it has been awhile since he worked, he was a bit worried that his cooking skills might decline. So he usually spent some of his free time, cooking up the storm at the packhouse, much to the pleasure of the other packmates, who get to eat his delicacies.

    He was about to chop more ingredients when a burst of wind named Erick came storming into the mess hall and straight to the kitchen. Luka only poked its head from the entrance before heading towards the other place.

    Other than the Alpha family, the other favourite person of Luka was that sweet and pretty brown haired woman named Melody. Recently, she has been looking so sad that Luka was feeling a bit down too.

    Seeing that the door to the doctor''s office was ajar, Luka nudged the door open with its snout. Inside, Melody was sitting at her table, holding a photo frame in her hands. And apparently, she still looked so sad, looking down at the frame. Moving closer to her side, Luka saw it was a picture of her and a young grinning man.

    As if she sensed Luka''s presence, she placed the photo frame down on the table and turned to look down.

    Her eyes widened when she saw it was Luka. She got down from her seat and down to her knees. She then opened her arms and hugged Luka. She pulled back and forced a smile on her face. "Luka, who brought you here?"

    Obviously, since it could not answer and understand her, it could only growled.

    Melody laughed lightly as she stood up. She then said, "Let''s go and get some food for you."

    Seemingly, the word ''food'' was something Luka was familiarized with and love, its tail began to wag furiously, like a happy dog. The sight of a wolf wagging its tail made Melody laugh.

    The woman and wolf walked their way into the mess hall and into the kitchen where they saw Erick talking animatedly with the quiet Roel, who seems to be listening to the young man while chopping some celeries.

    Noticing that there were some sausages being set aside, Melody took a piece and fed Luka. Roel narrowed his eyes from the corner of his eyes when he saw his sister-in-law unceremoniously took something from him without his permission.

    Ignoring the look from Roel, Melody continued to feed Luka more sausages.

    Luka continued to bask under Melody''s pampering and affection as it ate more.

    Seeing that Luka was being fed by Melody, Erick frowned and then turned back to Roel and asked, "Hey, what about me?"

    Roel frowned back. "Feed yourself," he said coldly.

    Luka was oblivious to its master''s envy as it enjoyed the food given to it. And this is why his favourite after the Alpha family was this young sweet woman.

 Chapter 192 - 183: Do you believe me?

    It has been a couple of days since Erick had tutored Remi. And to his happiness, it seems like Amber''s parents were slowly starting to trust him again. That one evening, he was done tutoring Remi. And seeing how exhausted the little boy looked, Erick thought it was definitely time to end the tutoring. He did not want to tire him out.

    Giving Remi some space and breather to himself, Erick told him that he can go back to his room and rest.

    To his surprise, Remi suddenly has a lot of energy as he jumped down from his seat and walked quickly to his room, saying that it was time to play.

    For a ''sickly'' kid like him, Erick was surprised but pleased to see that he was still such an energetic child.

    Just as the boy left the room, Erick could feel Dane rousing in his mind.

    ''Dane?'' he enquired in his mind.

    ''Erick, you need to bring that boy to the Cairin pack,'' Dane told him.

    Erick frowned. ''What''s wrong? Is it because of the shifter''s bite?'' he asked again.

    Dane murmured an agreement in his mind. ''Yes, it appears that the effect is festering much faster than expected,'' he said solemnly.

    ''You can sense that?'' Erick asked in surprise.

    Dane murmured another agreement. ''There''s already madness slowly stirring inside him.''

    ''And you think the Cairin pack will be able to heal him?'' Erick asked, feeling a bit apprehensive.

    ''Yes. Among the packs that I''ve encountered, they have the best healing properties of a shifter. And that young female shifter has a strong healing skill in her. She should be able to cure him,'' Dane said.

    ''What if it backfires?'' Erick asked again as he recalled Latham''s side-effects.

    ''It won''t,'' Dane reassured firmly.

    Erick kept quiet as he pondered on how to tackle this situation. He had just gained a bit of Amber''s parents'' trust after he started tutoring Remi. He wasn''t sure whether they would be able to accept the idea of having another shifter healing their son when it was caused by one.

    He sat down on his seat as he held his head in his hands, trying to figure out a way.

    While he was lost in thoughts, Amber just happened to pass by the study room. Hearing that there were no noises inside, she poked her head in. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw Erick in that posture, as if there was something that was bothering him.

    Before Amber could surprise him, Erick had looked up and saw her. He greeted her with a huge smile, earning a roll eye from Amber.

    Erick smiled with a confused look on his face. "What''s wrong, sweets?" he asked as he reached out for her hand and pulled her closer to him.

    Amber rolled her eyes again and kept quiet. She forgot that he has a strong sense of scent, hence why he was able to know she was here.

    She then recalled his expression was before she approached and asked him what had happened.

    Erick was surprised by her question as he did not expect that she would catch him out. He gave her a weak smile and contemplated whether he should be truthful or not.

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him. And then smacked his arm as she mockingly threatened him. "You''d better tell me or elseˇ­" she slowly warned.

    Erick laughed. It seems like he could not hide anything from her. He then patiently explained to him of what Dane had told him and what he should do. And he also told her about how he was worried of her parents'' reactions to their suggestion.

    Amber nodded, understanding his point of view. Her parents haven''t fully trusted him and if he was to suggest this to them, he might break their trust once more. It was still fragile at the moment.

    The two were quiet, both still thinking of a way on how to make her parents listen to Erick''s suggestion when Amber suddenly had a little fright of her own. She looked down and saw Erick rubbing her hand against his cheek. She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away.

    But it seems that a shifter''s strength should not be underestimated because no matter how hard she pulled her hand, she could not get free. In the end, she gave up and let him be.

    Just then an idea occurred to Erick as he abruptly turned around in his seat and grabbed hold of Amber''s two hands. "I have a great idea!" he exclaimed.

    Amber tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?" she asked, curious to know what was his answer.

    "We could ask Roel for help!"

    "Roel?" Amber repeated, looking more confused. What does Roel have to do with her parents?

    Erick then quickly explained how he and Roel once ''stumbled'' upon her father at the hardware store and how her father really liked him and all. Perhaps if Roel was the one who talked with Amber''s father, he might have softened up a bit.

    Amber let out an ''ahh'' sound, as if she had just recalled something.

    It was now Erick''s turn to be confused. "What is it, sweets?" he asked curiously.

    Amber giggled before she told him of how her father told her and her mother about him meeting Erick and Roel at the hardware store. And yes, Eren liked Roel so much that he suggested to Amber whether she could break up with Erick and be with Roel, instead.

    Amber giggled again as she thought how funny it was, even though it wasn''t at that time.

    Erick frowned as he digested those words. Inside him, Dane was snarling in anger at the audacity that Amber''s father has to suggest someone else for his mate. Even if that someone else was his brother.

    Seeing how her mate was quietly seething in anger, she quickly tried to placate him, rubbing her thumbs at the back of his hands. "It was just a joke," she reassured. "You know I won''t agree to that. You''re the only one for me. Do you not trust me?"

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously and looked at her. He then gave her the sweetest smile he ever gave and said softly, "I do. Trust you forever with my life," he vowed.

    "Then believe in me, alright?" Amber said softly.

    Erick smiled gently and nodded.

    "So what''s this with Roel?" Amber asked, changing the topic.

    Erick smiled again, this time, at Amber''s subtle way of changing the topic. He then talked about how they could ask for help from Roel to help talk with her parents.

    She listened and nodded, thinking that this was a great idea.

    Now, they only have to ask Roel to help them with this. The better they heal Remi, the better!

 Chapter 193 - 184: Will you come with us?

    "Roel!"

    Roel frowned when he heard his name. It was Sunday morning and it was one of the days that he goes to work. He usually comes to work, hours before his shift starts so that he has time for his preparations. Currently, he was inside the kitchen at his present workplace, where he stood in front of his counter, reading off the recipes that he had stuck on the counter.

    After he was being detained for being a suspect in the death of Mateo Zant, he had been told to stop working. This was because the police wouldn''t let a suspect work freely while the investigations were still ongoing.

    And unfortunately, this brings a bad light to his image as his ex-colleagues now sees him differently. Hence, instead of going back to his previous workplace, he had applied at another restaurant for a new job. He did not want to deal with the unwelcome stares from his ex-colleagues.

    Here, at his current workplace, although it wasn''t that far from his old workplace, the atmosphere was much better as it has an unhurried environment. It was quite understandable as the restaurant was more intimate. To describe the place clearly was that the restaurant caters more to private dinners, rather than being family-oriented, which was what his previous workplace caters to.

    It was time for his shift and he was about to start on his preparations for his starters when someone called his name through the open kitchen window.

    He glanced over and saw a female hostess smiling brightly at him. "Roel!" she called once more. She then gestured at him to come over with a wave of her hand.

    Roel frowned. Although he enjoys working in this restaurant, there was one thing that dampened his mood whenever he went to work, which was the presence of this woman. Her name is Olivia; a pretty redhead woman with green eyes and a voluptuous body. Ever since he started working there, she had been pestering him, asking annoying questions, like where he is from, what he likes and so on.

    Being the quiet one among the triplets, he usually just kept silent whenever she came over and let her drone on and on. And whenever she asked him a question, he usually answered with an abrupt ''yes'', ''no'' or ''I see''. Even if the question asked for a long answer.

    Knowing that she was beckoning him over for another ridiculous talk, he inwardly sighed and walked over. She wasn''t his superior, though. But he did not want to create any trouble in the workplace when he just worked there.

    "Hey Roel, what are you doing after work?" she asked flirtatiously, her arms stacked on one another on the open kitchen window sill. Her chest was on top of her arms, exposing a bit of her cleavage.

    Roel narrowed his eyes through his lens and just kept quiet, not answering.

    Apparently, that did not stop the woman from asking more questions.

    "Are you free later after work?"

    "Did you know there''s a new movie coming out at the cinema?"

    "Want to check it out with me?"

    "There''s a cute restaurant that I want to try out, want to go with me?"

    Roel continued to listen with his poker face, not answering her. He was trying to withhold his visible nausea of standing too close to the woman. He could feel and scent her coquetry from where he stood and it smelled awful to him. He could also smell her reek of being ''impure'' as it appears that she had slept with more than one man.

    In the midst of her asking questions, another colleague of theirs walked over to them.

    Seeing how the man looked undisturbed by their conversation as if it was normal for him to see Olivia shooting her questions out to the silent Roel, it seems like this was another typical day for them.

    The man first nodded to Olivia in greeting before turning to Roel. "Roel, you''ve got a visitor," he said.

    Roel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Who could be visiting him while he was working?

    -----

    A couple of hours before.

    Jeayan stood, leaning against the doorframe of her front door, her arms crossed across her chest. She was only wearing a lacy maroon tank top and dark brown short pants with her hair tied up in a messy bun on top of her head.

    She yawned as she looked at the couple in front of her with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "You do know that it''s seven o''clock in the morning, do you? And that it''s Sunday today, right?" she asked them slowly.

    Amber''s eyes widened. It was her first time seeing an angry Jeayan. She glanced over at Erick, who gave her a look that said, ''I told you so''. She then quickly tries to calm the other girl, saying, "I''m sorry, Jeayan, for disturbing your Sunday but we need your help."

    Jeayan frowned. "My help? What kind of help do you need that you would have to wake me up so early on a Sunday?" she sarcastically asked.

    Amber visibly cringed. She really held a grudge against those who disturbs her Sunday sleep-in. She looked over at Erick once again, hoping he could help her deal with Jeayan.

    Erick let out a sigh. Well, they both needed Jeayan''s help so he should also make an effort to ask for her help. It was just that it was a bit hard for him to ask for help, especially from Jeayan. Guess that''s ego speaking.

    "Jeayanˇ­" he began.

    Jeayan narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

    So Erick quickly explained his plans about Amber''s brother''s situation and how he needed to ask Roel to help talk to Amber''s parents in regards to this. That day when he came up with the plan, he immediately went over to the packhouse after the tutoring session, to see Roel and told him of his plans.

    However, Roel promptly rejected his suggestion and told him to think of another way. Erick had protested, asking him why he wouldn''t help him. Roel just kept quiet, not answering him.

    Unbeknownst to Erick, the reason as to why Roel had not wanted to help him was because he did not want to involve himself with another shifter''s mate''s family. He felt that it was unseemly that he should get mixed up in other people''s affairs. That was just his personality.

    The more Erick explained, the more downhearted Jeayan looked, which made Amber confused. Why does she look so sad?

    Curious, Amber voiced out her concerns to Jeayan, who seemed startled that Amber had noticed.

    It was then Jeayan told them of her insecurities about Roel. Even though he was her mate, he doesn''t act like one. There was no jealousy, no affection, nothing! After that one sweet breakfast, he just stopped.

    Amber and Erick looked at each other and back again to Jeayan, who looked down at the ground sadly.

    Erick then said to her, "You know, Jeayan. Even though he doesn''t show his feelings, we know how much he cares about you. He always asked me about you. Asking how you''ve been in school and whatnot."

    "Why can''t he ask me himself?" Jeayan exclaimed.

    "I guess the only way to know that is to ask him personally. So, will you come with us?"

 Chapter 194 - 185: Nice to be back home

    "I guess the only way to know that is to ask him personally. So, will you come with us?"

    Jeayan looked away, pouting.

    "Oh, come on, Jeayan," Erick implored.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes and then let out a sigh. "I''m not mad at you two," she said, her arms crossed. "It''s just so frustrating when someone you love doesn''t show some affections toward you."

    She then glanced at Erick and added, "Well, except for you. You''re annoying."

    "Hey!" Erick protested.

    Amber giggled.

    Waving away the insult thrown at him, Erick continued to ask, "So, are you coming with us?"

    Jeayan nodded. She then stepped aside to invite them in. She brought them over to the living room and asked them to take a seat while she changed her clothes.

    Both Erick and Amber sat down next to each other on the sofa inside the living room. It was not their first time visiting Jeayan''s house so they were unperturbed about being there and made themselves comfortable.

    Erick leaned back against his seat, playing on his phone while Amber grabbed some magazines from the coffee table and began to flip through the pages.

    Not long after, they were joined by Jaylen, Jeayan''s brother, who looked surprised to see visitors early in the morning.

    Before Jaylen could say a word, Erick had already turned his head towards the doorway and grinned. It has been a while since he last saw Jaylen. As mentioned before, Jaylen lives at the university dorm and hardly comes home. So, Erick was pleasantly surprised to see him here.

    He got up from his seat, startling Amber because of his sudden actions. She turned around in her seat and was surprised to see Jaylen standing at the doorway. She did not notice that he was there nor did she hear his footsteps!

    Erick held out his hand towards Jaylen with a smile and said, "Hey brother! You''re here again! Back for the weekend?"

    Jaylen shook Erick''s hand and just grinned.

    It has been a while since Amber last saw Jeayan''s brother. Now, knowing that he''s a shifter, it reallyˇ­ doesn''t change much.

    She was staring off-space when she realized that Jaylen was looking at her.

    Erick noticed him looking at her and asked, "You''ve met before, right?"

    Jaylen nodded. "We''ve met," he said quietly. "She came here before and had a sleepover."

    Erick immediately blocked Jaylen''s view of her and said, "Okay, that''s enough then."

    Behind him, Amber just rolled her eyes and went back to flipping through the pages of a magazine, ignoring Erick who was being so possessive.

    And it seems that Jaylen couldn''t be bothered as he just smirked and turned around and left the room.

    Seeing that Jaylen had left, Amber immediately smacked Erick on the arm, scolding him for being rude in a host''s house. Erick just grumbled and went back to sit next to her.

    He then continued to grumble, saying, "Where the heck is that woman? Why is she taking so long?"

    Soon after, he turned around in his seat and scowled at the newcomer. "You sure took your time," he commented sarcastically.

    Amber turned around too and looked at Jeayan in surprise. Jeayan was a girl who hardly dressed up and at most, she would put on her best shirt and pants. Then again, she was already cute in the first place.

    However, that morning, she looked quite pretty, wearing a white shirt dress with pastel blue flower patterns all over it, revealing her thin fair arms. Her curly brown hair was tied up in a tendril updo, framing her face.

    Both Erick and Amber stood up from the sofa and approached Jeayan.

    Standing in front of her, Erick narrowed his eyes at her, studying her from top to bottom. "What are you doing, trying to be so pretty? Who are you and what have you done with Jeayan?" he asked in disbelief.

    Amber immediately smacked him on the arm for being insensitive. He can be such a doofus. What woman doesn''t want to look pretty for the man they love?

    Erick felt wronged as he looked at his mate with aggrieved eyes, rubbing the spot where Amber smacked him.

    Jeayan ignored him and turned to Amber. "So, lets go?" she said.

    Amber nodded. She then tilted her body to look behind Jeayan and asked, "What about your parents? Are they at home?"

    Jeayan shrugged. "They aren''t at home. It''s just me and my brother. They went to the fish market since the freshest fish would usually sell out after dawn," she replied nonchalantly.

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. She did not know that.

    Seeing the look of surprise on the other girl''s face, Jeayan explained that there''s actually a small fish market in town that only opens during the weekend. It opened after the break of dawn, usually right after the fishermen went fishing. So, to ensure the freshness of the fishes that they''ve caught, they usually sell it straight away.

    Erick scoffed. "A shifter eating fish?" he said jokingly.

    Jeayan rolled her eyes at Erick. "Don''t knock it until you try it, bud," she said, poking a finger at Erick''s chest.

    Erick held up his two hands, as if to surrender. "Fine, fine. Next time invite me over for dinner if you''re cooking fish," he said, shamelessly inviting himself.

    Jeayan just rolled her eyes, not answering him. She then turned around and headed towards the kitchen where Jaylen was making breakfast.

    Inside the kitchen, Jaylen was flipping pancakes at the stove. At the side, there were already a huge stack of pancakes on a plate. Apparently, while Amber and Erick were in the living room, he had been busy cooking up the storm in the kitchen since there were already a jug of orange juice on the table, as well as a huge plate filled with scrambled eggs, a basket filled with toasts and another plate filled with sausages and beef patties.

    "Jaylen, what are you doing cooking so much food?" Jeayan asked, confused as she looked at the food laid on the dining table.

    Jaylen flipped the pancakes onto the stack of pancakes and brought the plate to the table. He then looked at her and said, "It''s for our guests. We shouldn''t entertain them with nothing."

    Although both Erick and Amber had already eaten their breakfast at home before coming over, it did not stop Erick from grabbing a chair and helping himself to the food.

    Amber sat down next to him and frowned. "Didn''t you say that you''ve eaten already at home?" she asked, confused.

    "I have but it doesn''t hurt to eat again," Erick answered as he placed some pancakes onto his plate. "We shouldn''t reject big brother Jaylen''s great hospitality." He then passed her a plate filled with pancakes and scrambled eggs and said, "Here you go."

    Amber cringed, trying to reject him. "But I''m still full," she protested.

    "It''s fine, just eat a bit," Erick cajoled. "Whatever you can''t finish, I''ll finish it for you."

    Amber sighed, giving him a weak smile, accepting the plate from him.

    Jeayan walked over and sat down across them. "I feel like my eyes are going to hurt from too much rolling," she commented sarcastically as she helped herself to the food.

    Jaylen just smiled as he joined them for breakfast. It was nice to be back home.

 Chapter 195 - 186: It should be for my eyes only

    At Roel''s current workplace.

    One of the waiters, who was working at the same restaurant as Roel, was walking around, apparently looking for someone. He then recalled that Roel usually was in his work area at that time of hour so he changed his direction and immediately headed for the kitchen.

    Arriving near the kitchen, he saw Roel standing near the open kitchen window. And it looked like he was talking to someone. Or rather, someone was talking to him. But as he got closer, he saw it was just Olivia. Knowing that nothing would ever come up from their conversation, he thought it would be fine if he interrupted them.

    Walking over, he nodded first to Olivia in greeting before turning to Roel. "Roel, you''ve got a visitor," he said.

    Roel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Who could be visiting him while he was working?

    He turned around and headed for the sink, ignoring Olivia''s suspicious frown. He then went to his counter, grabbed a hand towel off the counter and wiped his hands with it.

    Still ignoring the woman, he walked out of the kitchen, passing by her and went to follow the waiter.

    Curious, Olivia too followed them from behind.

    As they got closer, Roel''s eyebrows began to scrunch up. He sensed a familiar scent.

    He immediately quickened his pace, even overtaking the waiter, making the latter surprised by Roel''s sudden speed.

    Soon after, Roel reached at the entrance of the restaurant where two young women and a young man stood talking with one another. The young woman with the curly brown hair, wearing a white and blue shirt dress had her back at him. However, as he got closer, the girl turned around, showing her bright smile.

    Before Roel could say anything, the smile on the girl''s face dimmed. And inwardly, to Roel''s distraught and confusion, the girl suddenly looked away, pouting.

    Roel frowned as he approached the girl, ignoring the two other people standing near her. His frown changed to scowl when he saw a hint of anger in her dark brown eyes. "What''s wrong?" he asked, fury starting to form inside him when he saw his mate looking upset.

    Just as Jeayan was about to say something, someone appeared behind Roel, making the latter frowned deeper. That someone poked her head from behind him and looked at the three young people in front and said with astonishment, "Oh, who are they, Roel? Your little brother and sisters?"

    She then stood beside him and smiled up at him. "I thought you''re the youngest," she said.

    Roel quickly stepped aside, moving away from her and moving closer to Jeayan.

    It was either she was not offended and did not care by the fact that Roel visibly avoided her or she did not notice, she smiled at the three young people in front of her. "Hello, I''m Olivia. A close colleague of Roel''s," she introduced herself.

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in surprise at her shameless way of stressing on the word ''close'' when she introduced herself.

    Before Roel could retort on her way of introduction, Jeayan took a step forward with her hands on her h.i.p.s. "What are you implying with that ''close'', huh??" she responded hotly.

    Olivia''s eyes widened in surprise. She did not expect someone would scold her for the way she spoke. Especially when that someone was a girl younger than her. "Iˇ­ I-Iˇ­" she stammered, unsure what to say.

    Jeayan grabbed Roel''s arm and pointed her finger at him. "He''s mine, you get it? Who are you to make the claim that you''re close when you''re not?" she retorted.

    "I''ve seen shameless peopleˇ­" she continued, glancing at Erick before turning her gaze back at the older woman. "But you''re much worse."

    Erick rolled his eyes. Why do you have to look at me when you say the word, ''shameless''?

    "And we were calling my boyfriend out, not you? Why are you here too?" Jeayan snapped. "Do you lack friends or something? Go check desperate.com whether there''s anyone who''s willing to talk with you!"

    Amber''s eyes widened at Jeayan''s words. She''s so fierce!

    Looking down at his mate''s evident possession over him, Roel felt his heart filled with love. However, being someone who doesn''t really show his feelings on his face, he remained poker-faced, much to Jeayan''s annoyance.

    Olivia quickly blinked her eyes furiously. She then turned to Roel, hoping that he would back her up, showing him his tearful eyes. Unfortunately for her, he hasn''t glanced at her for even a second this whole time as his eyes were stuck on Jeayan.

    Jeayan then thought she should not be bothered, trying to pick a fight with the woman and abruptly turned around to exit the restaurant, pulling Roel with her.

    Erick and Amber, who were quiet the whole time, nodded at the shell-shocked woman before following behind the couple out.

    Olivia was flabbergasted. She never thought that there would be a day when a guy would reject her so blatantly. And the fact that he rejected her because of a little girl, who looked like she hasn''t developed her body fully.

    However, everyone but her knows that even if Roel wasn''t in a relationship with Jeayan, he would still not give her a second look. There were so many times when Roel had expressed his distaste towards this woman. It was just that she herself does not accept the reality and continued on with her fantasies.

    Outside, after they were a few metres away from the restaurant, Jeayan dropped his arm and turned around to face him with a scowl on her face. But to Roel, she looked so adorable that he could not help but pinch her puffed out cheeks.

    Before he could pinched her cheeks, she had already slapped his hand away with a shocked look on her face. What''s wrong with him? She was trying to look fierce here and he has the gall wanting to pinch her cheeks? No way!

    Jeayan was about to say something to him when Roel suddenly caressed her other cheek, saying softly, "My dear mate, don''t you worry about that woman. I''ve never even talked to her before. At most, she''s the one who does the yapping. And if it''s not because of the rules being made in this human society, she would have been dead already."

    Jeayan''s eyes widened in surprise. He''s so aggressive. But she loves him, anyway!

    He then leaned closer to her and asked seriously, "And why were you looking for me?" He looked down at her, studied the way she dressed and continued, "Why do you dress like this?"

    Jeayan pouted. "Why can''t I dress like this?" she asked angrily.

    "Because it should be for my eyes only," he answered quietly as he pulled back.

    Jeayan''s face flushed red, feeling shy.

 Chapter 196 - 187: Welcome, Roel!

    "Because it should be for my eyes only," he answered quietly as he pulled back.

    Jeayan''s face flushed red, feeling shy. She then pulled back her arm and gave him a punch on the stomach.

    Behind them, Erick and Amber who had just arrived at the scene, coincidentally saw Jeayan punching Roel.

    "Now, that''s the Jeayan that I know!" Erick exclaimed. Beside him, Amber rolled her eyes.

    Being a shifter and the fact that the punch wasn''t that strong, Roel was able to withstand the punch and let his mate vent her frustrations on him. However, seeing that there were two unwelcome presences nearby, Roel turned his head and frowned at the unwanted company who was approaching them.

    Seeing the scowl on his face, Amber inwardly shivered with fear and grabbed onto Erick''s arm for comfort.

    Although he loves the feeling of his mate looking for protection and safety, it does not mean that he liked the idea that she has to be frightened by his older brother to get it. Hence, why his easygoing smile changed to a scowl, matching the one on Roel''s face.

    "Roelˇ­" he said warningly.

    Roel immediately cleared his throat and looked away. Even though he was older than Erick, the latter was the Alpha''s son and the future Alpha. He still has to respect him. Also, the latter''s wolf counterpart was the lycan prince. Against Calder, Dane will definitely win.

    Jeayan shook her head, thinking that her mate can be too impetuous when it comes to scaring people with his serious looking face.

    "I assumed that you''re here because of ''her'' brother, is it?" Roel asked, his arms crossed across his chest. The ''her'' he was referring to was Amber.

    Before Erick could say anything, he continued, "And that''s why you brought Jeayan along with you to soften me up, is it?" exposing their plans straight away.

    Amber looked down at her feet, looking guilty while Erick stared at him, wide-eyed, his face saying, ''how did he know all this?''

    Jeayan pinched Roel''s arm, saying softly, "Why did you not think that perhaps it was me that wanted to go see you?"

    Roel decided to keep quiet, not answering her. From Erick''s expression and Amber''s guilty look, he already knows the truth. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_52431722540757458">#!_52431722540757458</a> for visiting.

    He then let out a sigh. Looking at the three young people in front of him with their expected looks on their faces, he felt like he was a villain if he was to reject their help.

    After a moment of silence with a bit of prodding on the side from Jeayan and the pitiful looks from Erick and Amber, Roel finally relented and told them that he will go with them later after work to meet up with Amber''s parents.

    -----

    Late evening.

    Working in a restaurant means that he usually worked late at night, which was normal for any worker in this workfield.

    He had just left the restaurant through the back exit when he saw the same three young people who visited him that morning, standing near his car. Behind his car, there was another car, which belonged to someone he definitely knew.

    They were busy talking with one another and they did not seem to notice Roel walking over to them. Perhaps they did notice but chose to pretend not to. How could they not notice since two of them were shifters?

    He then cleared his throat loudly on purpose, trying to get their attention.

    Jeayan was the first one who turned around. She then immediately walked over to him, linked her arm around his. "Roel, how was work? Are you tired?" she asked sweetly.

    Before Roel could say anything, Erick voiced out, "Stop pretending to be a dutiful wife and let''s get going. Time is wasted here." With that, he went over to his car, followed by his mate. He started the car and waited for Roel to go to his.

    Roel inwardly rolled his eyes and walked over to his car, with Jeayan still hanging onto his arm. Naturally, she too followed him into the car and drove over to Amber''s house.

    Shortly after, the two cars soon arrived at Amber''s house. Unsurprisingly, the lights were still switched on there, showing that there were still people awake at that time.

    When Amber went to her house and went through the front door, she was surprised to see that her younger brother was still awake as well. "What are you doing up, Remi?" she asked curiously at her brother, who was sitting alone at the staircase.

    He just shook his head quietly. He did not want to tell her that he was actually waiting for her. He wanted to play with his sister before going to bed.

    Just as he was about to say something, he finally noticed a few people behind his sister, coming in the house. His eyes brightened when he saw the familiar young man behind her.

    He immediately got up from the staircase and walked quickly towards Erick. "Big brother Erick!" he greeted happily.

    Erick grinned when he saw the little guy. He rubbed Remi''s head gently. "Hey, big guy. Why aren''t you sleeping yet?" he asked.

    Again, Remi did not answer but he kept glancing at his sister.

    Noticing that perhaps he was too shy to answer the question, Amber told him to get to his room and sleep. But before that, she also promised that she will go to his room to see him.

    Happy with the promise, Remi went up to his room, waving enthusiastically at them before he left. "Bye Big brother Erick! Bye big sister and the other scary big brother!" he said innocently.

    Roel''s face darkened when he heard the word used to describe him.

    Amber and Jeayan quickly covered their mouth from laughing. Erick wasn''t so subtle as he even laughed out loud.

    Surprised to hear that there were huge laughters at the front hall, both Amber''s parents walked out of the kitchen.

    Apparently, Amber''s father had just returned home from the barracks since he was still wearing his uniform. He was just in the kitchen to have his late dinner with his wife accompanying him. Before he arrived, his daughter had called him to come home, saying that there was an emergency.

    He was surprised when he got home to find that there wasn''t any ''emergency'', rather it was more of his daughter wanting him home to meet someone.

    He was prepared to scold his daughter for tricking him because for this lie, his job in the military might be jeopardized.

    He was about to do that when he heard the front door open and his daughter talking with his son. But before he could say a word, he was interrupted by a huge sound of laughter.

    Eren frowned when he saw Erick standing at the front hall, together with his daughter and two other people. The question of ''what are you doing here when you don''t have tutoring tonight?'' flew out of his mind when he noticed Roel behind Erick.

    The frown on his face turned to a bright smile.

    "Roel! Welcome!" he greeted.

 Chapter 197 - 188: Sydens courage

    "Roel! Welcome!" Eren greeted when he saw the young man standing behind Erick, together with a young brown-haired girl.

    The two men shook hands in greeting.

    Eren looked to the side and thought that the young girl looked familiar. It was then, he realized that it was the same girl who is always with his daughter.

    He glanced at Roel, giving a questioning look as if to ask the latter who the young woman was.

    At first, Roel did not get Eren''s non-verbal question until he followed Eren''s gaze and comprehension dawned on him. He grabbed Jeayan''s hand and introduced her, "This is Jeayan, my girlfriend."

    It was then Eren also realized that this was the girl whom Amber had her sleepover back then. He had never met the girl nor her parents face-to-face, rather he had heard a lot about them from his wife. At that time, he had talked with Erick''s mother and Jeayan''s father. Because Erick''s father was the Police Chief and his mother was very well-known in town and very much loved, he had trusted their words.

    Then he took another second surprised look at the young girl, who was smiling brightly up at him. H-h-his girlfriend??

    Eren stared at Roel, the look on his face obvious.

    Roel ignored the look and patted his girlfriend on the head. "Go and play with Amber. Erick and I will be having a talk with her father," he suggested lovingly.

    Jeayan slapped his hand away from her head. Her lips formed a frown on her face. "Stop acting as if I''m still a kid," she protested.

    Roel just smiled.

    Hearing the hint from Roel, Amber grabbed Jeayan''s hand and said, "Let''s go. I''ll bring you up to my room while they talk." She then turned to her mother, who was standing beside her father and said, "I''ll be going up first, mom!"

    Syden nodded. She placed a hand on her husband''s arm and said, "Seems like they have something to talk about with you. Why don''t you bring them to the living room and I''ll go make some drinks for you all?"

    Eren nodded. He knew that there was something going on. He noticed his daughter had been acting weird lately, hinting at him about something. He knew that it would be related to Erick because she kept mumbling his name and then changing her mind.

    After inviting the two young men to have a seat, he then took a seat himself across them.

    The three of them were quiet, not knowing who shall start the conversation first.

    But since it was them who wanted to have a talk with him, he decided to let them speak their mind first.

    Few minutes later, Erick broke the silence. "Mr. Keene, we''re here to inform you about Remi," he started.

    Eren immediately went on alert when he heard his son''s name. "What about him?" he asked, his face showing a stern look.

    Erick turned to glance at Roel, giving him the floor to talk.

    Roel cleared his throat before commenting that it was recommended that his wife should also be in the room to hear his talk since it would be good to get her opinion as well.

    Eren''s respect for Roel went up a notch, noticing how thoughtful he was towards him and his wife.

    Just then, Syden walked in, carrying a tray with a teapot and a couple of cups. She bent down to place them on the coffee table and began to serve them some hot tea, even to Erick, who thanked her for the kindness.

    She was about to leave them alone for their talk when Eren grabbed her arm, telling her that she should stay and listen.

    At first, she was confused as to why she was needed. But when she heard Eren telling her that it was about Remi, she immediately sat down next to her husband in another armchair.

    Once she has settled in, Roel begins to talk to them in a soothing manner, as if he was worried that they might go off in a temper or hysterics.

    They were puzzled when Roel talked about Remi and his condition. But then they realized that perhaps Erick had told him about it. It was just baffling as to how he seems to know more about the condition when they never talked to him about it. It nearly made Syden think that Roel''s second job was in the medical field.

    Soon after, they found out why Roel wanted to have a talk with them. At the beginning, both Eren and Syden were being skeptical about his suggestion. How could they trust a shifter when it was a shifter that had done this to them? Especially an unknown shifter whom they have never met before?

    After much persuasion, the two of them softened a bit. But then again, inside Syden''s heart, she was still afraid. Afraid that this trust that they had given to the shifters might get thrown back to them. It was not that she did not fully trust the shifters but that trauma from back then came rushing in, right at that moment, causing her to lose breath, making Eren panicked.

    The three men stood up, concerned about the woman''s sudden loss of breath. Eren quickly went over to her side and rubbed her back, advising her to calm herself. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-courage_52477870907388095">#''s-courage_52477870907388095</a> for visiting.

    While Eren was comforting his wife, the other two young men exchanged a look. Was this a good idea?

    Worried that his wife would go for another panic attack, Eren was about to tell them to leave the house when Syden placed a hand on her husband''s arm, telling him without words to stop.

    Eren turned to look at his wife with a surprised look. "Honeyˇ­?" he said slowly.

    Syden shook her head, again telling him to stop. She then took a deep breath and turned to the two young men.

    "Tell me," she said calmly. "Will this work?" there was nothing that could stop a mother when it comes to her children''s happiness and future. She would do anything, just to see her children smile and live like a normal child should live.

    Roel gave her a little bow of respect and placed his hand on top of his heart. "I swear on my pack that young Remi will be cured from this shifter''s bite. My brother is currently healing himself there so I believed that nothing would happen to young Remi."

    He did not want to mention the side-effect that Latham had experienced because it was a wholly different type of medical procedure. And the fact that many human beings were cured from the shifter''s bite, thanks to the Cairin pack, Roel believed that it should be alright for Remi.

    Eren looked down at his wife in concern. "Syden, are you sure?" he asked.

    Syden nodded, a determined look on her face. She then raised her eyes at Roel and said, "I will trust you. But if you so betray my trust, I will do whatever it takes to bring you down. I don''t care whether you''re a shifter or not, I will die trying," she said seriously.

    Both Roel and Erick looked shocked at her proclamation but greatly admired her courage.

    ''It''s because of her that her daughter grew strong and why I love her more everyday,'' Erick thought with happiness.

    Eren''s heart swelled with high spirits and joy when he witnessed his wife''s words of spirit. ''This is the woman that I fell in love withˇ­ and forever."

 Chapter 198 - 189: Suspicions on Rehan

    It was very late at night when Erick and Roel finally left Amber''s house. The couple greatly apologized to the two of them for taking much of their time.

    At first, both Amber''s parents were reluctant to get help for Remi, especially from a shifter. But after much persuasion and reassurance from Roel, they finally admitted that they needed help. It was then decided that they will go bring Remi to meet with the doctors at the Cairin Oaks the next weekend.

    The conversation between them took so long because Eren and Syden had so many questions to ask, which Roel had answered patiently.

    Jeayan was about to doze off when they finally ended their conversation.

    When they saw Jeayan''s sleepy look, they apologized once again for taking much of their time, especially since tomorrow is a school day. The three of them waved away their apologies, saying that it was fine.

    Since Roel and Erick went to Amber''s house in different cars, it was naturally decided that Erick would drive back home alone while Jeayan went with Roel in his car.

    On the way home, Erick was pondering on Remi''s condition. Although he had heard of the ''disease'', he had never seen the effect of it. But from what Roel had explained, it must have been petrifying, especially when one goes rogue, they will lose their humanity. In worst cases, they will become wild werewolves with no intelligence but survival instincts.

    When he finally arrived home, the lights were all switched off at his house, indicating that his parents were already asleep. It was fortunate that he had his house keys with him.

    Unlocking the front door, he immediately went to the side of the front hallway. Earlier before he unlocked the door, he had heard that there were thumping sounds coming from the inside. It sounded like something was heading down the stairs, heavily. And soon after, just as Erick opened the door and stood aside, there was a whoosh sound from where he had stood earlier.

    He then peeked out and saw Luka looking around him, as if he was looking for someone. He then sniffed the air and whirled around. He growled happily when he saw Erick laughing softly, inside the house.

    Erick laughed again when Luka successfully jumped onto him, growling happily. Seriously, sometimes Luka is like a dog, instead of a wolf.

    He gently pushed Luka away from him and patted the latter on the head. He then went up the stairs, followed by the happy Luka, with his tail wagging happily.

    -----

    Cairin Oaks.

    Latham was inside the guest room of the Cairin Alpha''s house, where he shared the room with his brother, Noaz. It has been nearly a week since they had stayed there.

    So far, there hasn''t been any problem with his healing process. In fact, his hand had already grown back albeit a bit weak. But he has to stay there for another couple of days for observation.

    It was fortunate that he could ask for leave from work for medical purposes but Noazˇ­ it was difficult for him since it was nearly exam week. Hence, for his brother, he was willing to get unpaid leave.

    Noaz was currently talking with one of the pack doctors of the Cairin pack, asking about the healing progress and what were the next few steps and procedures that they should take note of. So, while Noaz was talking, Latham was alone in the room, clenching both of his hands, comparing the two. He could feel his power was coming back but not all.

    Seems like he needs to train more to regain his strength, he mused thoughtfully.

    While he was lost in thoughts, the door to the guest room opened. Noaz walked and the first thing he saw was his brother sitting on the bed with his elbows on his knees, staring hard at his two hands.

    He sighed and walked over. He stood in front of his brother, who did not notice him entering the room.

    Latham then looked up when he felt someone was watching him. He frowned and asked, "So, what did the doctor say?"

    Noaz sat down next to Latham and flopped down on the bed, his arms wide opened. He then placed both of his hands under his head, looking up at the ceiling. "The doctor said that once your hand has fully healed, we should be able to go home in a couple of days. They just need to give you the last dose and you''re done."

    Latham rubbed his face in resignation. "That''s great. I don''t know how long I can stand without my mate," he said, sighing. "And I feel like I''ve been stabbed so many times, I''ve lost count."

    Noaz just laughed softly as he continued to look up at the ceiling.

    The two were quiet for a few minutes until Noaz broke the silence.

    "Yo, bro," he began.

    Latham turned his head to look at his brother and said, "Hmm?"

    "So, that guy. Rehanˇ­" Noaz said slowly. "You think there might be someone behind him? Someone more powerful?"

    "Should be," Latham replied as he turned back to looking down at his hands.

    "It''s weird," Noaz murmured thoughtfully. "I always thought warlocks were always kind of weak, compared to us. But he seemsˇ­ strong," he continued. It was kind of shameful to admit that there were other creatures that were more powerful than them.

    "And it seems like he has control over those mutated rogues," Latham added.

    "That''s what I thought too," Noaz agreed. "That''s why I have this crazy thought."

    Latham frowned as he turned to look at his brother. "What is it?" he asked.

    Noaz sat up and placed his elbow on his knee with his chin propped on his palm. "You thinkˇ­ a shifter was involved in this?" he guessed.

    Latham''s frown deepened. "That would be a blasphemy," he rejected the thought. It was unethically impossible for a shifter like them to work together with other supernatural beings, other than their own race.

    Although all supernatural beings were not at war with one another, it was not as if they were friendly as well.

    "But think about it. How could a warlock be able to control those mutated rogues, unless a shifter has a hand in this?" Noaz argued. "Yes, they know our weakness," he continued, "But I do not think it was enough to know how deep our weakness could be exploited."

    Latham let out a light chuckle. "You''ve been thinking a lot, haven''t you, bro?" he said.

    Noaz smiled a bit. "I guess," he said.

    "I don''t want to think much about that," Latham said slowly. "But I guess it''s inevitable, isn''t it?"

    Noaz nodded.

 Chapter 199 - 190: Another request for help

    Latham and Noaz were still talking about their suspicions and theories in regards to the warlock when they suddenly stopped talking. Both of them turned to look at the door and a few seconds later, there was a knock on the door.

    "Come in," Latham called out.

    The door opened to reveal Ezekiel, the Beta of the Cairin pack, standing outside their room.

    The two brothers immediately stood up from the bed and before they could say anything, Ezekiel had already nodded to them in greeting and informed them that the Cairin Alpha would like to meet with the two of them in private in his office.

    Both Latham and Noaz looked at each other before turning back to Ezekiel, nodding in agreement.

    Soon after, the two brothers found themselves in Isaiah''s office with the latter. Ezekiel had left the three of them alone for privacy while he went to deal with other pack matters.

    A comfortable silence fell across the three men as they scrutinized one another.

    Isaiah cleared his throat and turned to look at Latham. He looked down at the latter''s newly formed hand and said, "It seems like the healing process was successful this time."

    Latham nodded. Only he knew the feeling of the excruciating pain he had gone through from the procedure. He has Makena''s blood mixed with wolfsbane in his body. At first, when he heard the healing procedure, he was ashamed to admit that he was a bit scared.

    In order to subdue the side-effects of using Makena''s blood, they had to mix it with wolfsbane. Other than mixing it in the blood, they even had to scrub the amputated area with the wolfsbane, which made it more than twice the pain that Latham had to go through.

    There were days during the procedure that Latham had passed out so many times from the agony that it took some time for him to be conscious once more.

    He was gratefully grateful that his mate, Melody wasn''t around to witness his suffering. He did not want to see her looked so sad from seeing him in torment.

    "So, in two days, you two will be going home?" Isaiah enquired, his hands linked together in front of him.

    Both Latham and Noaz nodded once more. They then stood up together and bowed a little towards the Alpha, giving their thanks for his and his pack''s hospitality.

    Isaiah waved away their gratitude, replying that it was the least he and his pack would do after all the pain the Kendall pack had gone through to save his granddaughter as well. If it wasn''t for the Kendall and the Cesaro packs'' help, Isaiah would not have been able to see his granddaughter again.

    The three men continued to talk with Isaiah trying to end the conversation by saying that any Kendall packmate was welcome to visit the Cairin Oaks. Especially when it comes to medical help since that was what the Cairin pack was best known for.

    Just as Latham and Noaz were about to leave the room, the two of them received a mindlink from their Alpha. They suddenly stopped as they listened to Lachlan''s orders.

    Isaiah frowned in confusion when he saw the two brothers suddenly froze in their steps. Looking closer, he realized that they probably received a mindlink. He stood in front of them, patiently waiting for them to be done with the mindlink.

    Shortly after, both Latham and Noaz blinked their eyes, as if to get rid of the haziness. Latham then turned to Isaiah, who was looking at them curiously.

    He gave a little bow and said, "With all due respects, Alpha. We have another request to ask of you."

    Isaiah nodded, gesturing to him to continue.

    Latham cleared his throat before continuing, "We would like to ask for help, in regards to curing a shifter''s bite."

    In the mindlink earlier, their Alpha had told them what he had heard from Erick. According to the latter, Amber''s brother had suffered an aftereffect of a shifter''s bite and he wanted to help the brother. Hence why he had a talk with his father to request help from the Cairin Alpha, in regards of this.

    Isaiah frowned. "Shifter''s bite?" he repeated. From what he understands about shifter''s bite, this usually affects the humans, not supernatural beings. If the Kendall pack asked for help because of a shifter''s bite, does this mean that a human being was involved?

    Knowing the question in the Alpha''s mind, Latham helpfully answered, "Our Alpha''s son''s mate''s family member has it. Apparently, the mother suffered from the shifter''s bite but it was transferred down to the baby she was carrying back then. And now, the son has already shown signs of receiving the effects of the shifter''s bite."

    Isaiah''s eyes widened in shock. "How old is he now?" he asked curiously.

    "He''s currently seven years old, Alpha."

    Isaiah frowned, looking thoughtful. Seven years. It was a surprise that the effects had lasted this long and that it was finally showing. He was now more curious about this little boy.

    Although getting a shifter''s bite was relatively rare, it still could happen. They had received a number of people getting a shifter''s bite before but it doesn''t mean that they accepted all of the requests. Why should they sacrifice their blood for the unknown people?

    But since the Kendall pack was their ally now, Isaiah did not mind helping them once more. Especially when it involved the Lycan prince''s mate. And afterall, only their pack knew of the cure of the shifter''s bite.

    Isaiah nodded grimly. "Alright. When will they come?" he asked, his mind already thinking of the things he needed to prepare for the healing procedure.

    Both Latham and Noaz looked at each other once again.

    Latham turned back to Isaiah and said, "Probably as soon as possible since there''s already signs of the aftereffects." When there''s already signs of an aftereffect, of course they need to heal Remi immediately.

    Isaiah nodded. He walked away from them and looked out the window of his office. "We''ll prepare everything here first and wait for the boy to come," he said, not looking at them.

    Latham and Noaz nodded. With words of gratitude, the two brothers left the room, leaving the Cairin Alpha in thought.

    "Ivorˇ­"

 Chapter 200 - 191: Father, please kill me

    Ivor Cairin.

    As Isaiah looked out the window from his office, memories of the past rushed towards his mind, flooding his senses as tears slid down his cheek.

    The day when he watched as his son''s heart was cruelly ripped off him and was crushed, was still fresh in his mind. It was as if it had been yesterday when that wretched day had happened.

    What the other packmates don''t know, Isaiah actually had another secret deep inside him. One secret where he did not even tell his son''s mate. It was that something that he had felt was a lesson to him. A lesson learnt for leaving his pack, for being selfish that day.

    Although it was said that his son had died due to his heart being crushed, it wasn''t so, truthfully. Back then, when the rest of the Cairin pack wanted to bury his son, he was the last one to leave. He had told his son''s mate to go home first because he did not want her to be more heartbroken.

    That day, he was alone at the pack graveyard, with his son inside the coffin, deep in the ground. The coffin was still laid open as Isaiah wanted to have the last talk with his son. He sat on the ground, next to the pit where the coffin laid.

    While he was talking with tears streaming down his cheeks, he was shocked when he saw his son''s quivering hand. At first, he had thought he was seeing things. But just as he looked closer, his dead son suddenly opened his eyes.

    Isaiah was so shocked, he fell back on his bottom, his eyes widened, looking at his supposed-to-be-dead son.

    However, as he looked closely at his son, he noticed that Ivor was aliveˇ­ yet not alive.

    He looked the same as he did when he was killed, still in his human form. Yet, his eyesˇ­ tells a different story. It looked wild and hazy. As if there was no sign of humanity inside his eyes. As Isaiah studied his son closely, horror gripped his heart and thoughtsˇ­

    Ivor had become a rogue.

    Before Isaiah could say or do anything, Ivor had jumped out of the coffin and ran off.

    Worried that Ivor might do harm to some innocent people, Isaiah quickly cleaned the area, left the coffin empty but buried and chased after his son.

    His son was known for his speed in the pack, so it was no wonder that Isaiah wasn''t able to catch him.

    After that day, Isaiah had spent more than two weeks outside the pack. Ezekiel, his son''s beta back then and Grace, his son''s mate and Makena''s mother, were worried about him when Isaiah hadn''t returned back home. They did not know about Ivor''s sudden awakening and thought that Isaiah had left the pack because he wanted to grieve.

    Outside the pack, Isaiah had roamed all over, trying to look for his son.

    When he first heard news of a shifter''s bite occurring in one of the nearby towns, dread overcame him. He knew where the shifter''s bite came from and it was definitely not a coincidence that a shifter''s bite was found, just when Ivor became a rogue and escaped.

    However, when he arrived at the town, it was too late. Ivor had already escaped. And for those who had been inflicted with the shifter''s bite, Isaiah could only advise them to seek help from his pack. But he could not be able to help all because he did not want to waste time, looking for the victims and concentrating more on finding Ivor before he inflicted more harm.

    Back then, he did not realize that one of the victims that Isaiah failed to help was Amber''s mother.

    Few days before he returned back to Cairin Oaks, he had found his son in the woods, a few hundred miles away. He was sitting on top of a large rock, looking down at his hands, which was bloodied.

    Isaiah slowly approached him with caution. Afraid that he might run away.

    When he was a few metres away, Ivor suddenly looked up and saw him.

    Isaiah quickly was about to run towards him when Ivor softly said with a confused tone in his voice, "Father? What are you doing here?" he then looked down at his hands and said, "What have I done?"

    "Ivor?" Isaiah said softly.

    "Fatherˇ­ My mindˇ­ feels heavyˇ­ I don''t remember anything," Ivor said slowly. Then he suddenly choked on his tears. "But scenes have been playing on my mind. Likeˇ­ biting people, killing peopleˇ­ innocent peopleˇ­ Was that me? Or was it someone else?"

    He raised his tear-streaked face. "Fatherˇ­ Have Iˇ­ Am Iˇ­" he said, grief could be heard in his tone.

    Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly grabbed his head and screamed. Spittle started to leak out of his mouth, making Ivor look crazy and insane. His eyes widened as it turned hazy, as if he had become blind.

    He then stood up straight and turned around to face his father, who looked dismayed and shocked.

    "Father, please kill me," was his last sad words before he ran towards his father. Any sign of mercy and humanity gone from his eyes. All that was left was a rogue who only has thoughts of killing in his mind.

    Sounds of trees crashing against one another, cracks of the ground with dust flying all over the place could be heard as the once father and son fought until the end.

    Hours later, a lone man could be seen and heard sobbing in the forest, crying his heart out. In his arms was his son, lying down with his eyes closed, not breathing.

    Isaiah finally found out the reason why his son was still alive. Apparently, the wretched man did not fully kill his son. He purposely crushed Ivor''s heart and had slipped in some drug that changed his son to a rogue.

    After he was done grieving, Isaiah stood up and began to bury his son. Exactly next to the large rock where Ivor last sat before he fully lost to his werewolf counterpart.

    Once Ivor has been buried, Isaiah placed a couple of rocks on top of the burial to mark his grave. He then sat down next to the grave, silent as memories of his son flooded his mind.

    Hours later, he finally stood up. He planned to return back to the Oaks. He did not plan to tell his son''s mate about him turning to rogue. He doesn''t want her to get hurt anymore since she has suffered from the loss of their daughter as well.

    Unbeknownst to Isaiah, it seems that he had forgotten about a mate instinct. Back then, Grace knew that there was something weird about her mate''s death. And coincidentally, the exact moment when Isaiah finally killed Ivor, Grace had fainted out of pain.

    After she had woke up, tears suddenly slid down her cheeks. It was then she too knew that her mate was finally dead.

    When Isaiah eventually returned to the Oaks, Grace had kept quiet. But seeing the sadness in her father-in-law''s face, she knew that he knew. But the two kept quiet, not telling each other. Both grieving alone.

    Present time.

    Isaiah took a deep breath as he turned away from the window. He walked out of his office and began to give out orders to the pack doctors for the preparation of shifter''s bite.

    This was the least he could do, asking for forgiveness on his son''s behalf.

 Chapter 201 - 192: Under one condition

    Remi looked out of the car window, his eyes twinkling with excitement as he watched the buildings and other infrastructure passed by.

    Beside him, his father sat at the other side of the back passenger seat, his arms crossed across his chest, his mind filled with worries and concern.

    Together with Roel and Elder Zyair, the four of them were on their way to the Cairin Oaks where Remi will be having his treatment. Erick could not join them since he has class on that day. They decided to go to the Oaks immediately after Alpha Isaiah had given them the green light to come over. They needed to treat Remi''s shifter''s bite as soon as possible, hence why the very next day, they decided to go there.

    Eren had to apply for an emergency leave from the military to accompany his son to the Oaks. He did not want his wife to go there with Remi when he could accompany his son himself. Because Eren trusted Roel, Alpha Lachlan decided to let Roel go with them, together with Elder Zyair.

    Elder Zyair was one of the Elders at the Kendall pack, who was good when it came to creating and brainstorming strategies rather than talking with his fists. Hence why he doesn''t get much screen time here. But because Alpha Isaiah also requested for someone to talk with, on behalf of the Kendall pack, Alpha Lachlan had sent Elder Zyair over too.

    The atmosphere inside the car was quiet, other than the excited squeals from Remi, who was thrilled to get out of the house. One should understand that because of his ailing health, he doesn''t get out much since Eren and Syden were worried that he might get sick. Thus, this was probably his first outing after months being confined inside the house.

    He understood the reason why he has to be confined and he did not blame his parents for not allowing him to go out. Hence why he was excited to finally get out of the house, even if he''s going because of the treatment. For him, it''s still the same as going out for fun and whatnot.

    Hours later, they finally reached the entrance of the forest, leading them to the Cairin Oaks. They have to park the car outside and go by foot to get there.

    Looking at the eerie forest, Eren was concerned about his son''s safety. He was not sure what to expect inside the forest and it seems dangerous to bring his son inside when he was still this small.

    Noticing the concerned look on Eren''s face, Roel quickly reassured him that they will protect him and his son at all costs.

    And apparently, Eren has nothing more to be worried about because when they reached the entrance of the forest, they were welcomed by Ezekiel and Makena. The two of them were waiting for them to arrive so that they could escort them to the Oaks.

    Ezekiel greeted the four of them with a smile. He introduced himself and Makena. He knew that both Eren and Remi were both human beings so he quickly set their mind at ease, saying that they will also protect them while going to the Oaks.

    Eren nodded as he carried Remi on his back. At first, Roel volunteered himself to carry Remi but Eren rejected his offer, saying he prefers to carry his son himself. So the four of them, together with Ezekiel and Makena walked together into the forest.

    It took them a couple of hours to finally reach the Oaks. Because Eren was just a normal human being, the others could not use their super speed to get to the town and it took them longer time than usual.

    When they finally entered the Oaks, Remi who was on Eren''s back, looked around with big eyes filled with awe and amazement. "Whoaˇ­" he said softly, looking around him.

    Eren too was in awe. He could sense the peace and serenity that surrounds the town and thought it was a nice place to be. It was fortunate that he did not know of the chaos that happened in that town decades ago.

    Noticing the fatigue on both Eren and Remi''s faces, Makena decided to be a good hostess and tell them that they should rest first before meeting her grandfather.

    The two of them nodded in agreement.

    They continued to walk until they reached Alpha Isaiah''s house. Makena then brought the father and son duo to their room, while Ezekiel brought Roel and Zyair to meet with the Alpha.

    Inside his office, Alpha Isaiah was talking with a couple of the pack doctors, discussing the preparations that need to be done for Remi''s treatment. They quietened down when they heard the knock on the door.

    Isaiah nodded at the doctors, giving them the permission to leave the room. "We''ll continue later," he said.

    The two doctors nodded and were about to leave the room when Isaiah turned to look at the door and ordered to come in.

    The door opened, revealing Ezekiel, Roel and Elder Zynair.

    The three of them nodded hello to the doctors who nodded back before leaving the room.

    After the doctors had left, the three men went to greet the Alpha, bowing their head in respect. Isaiah nodded and said, "At ease."

    He then told them to take a seat.

    Once they were done making themselves comfortable in their seat, Isaiah returned to his desk and sat behind it. He then turned to Ezekiel, asking where Remi was. Ezekiel immediately answered that Makena was currently escorting the father and son to their room to rest.

    Isaiah nodded. He then turned to Elder Zyair, "Zyair, it has been a long time since I''ve last seen you," he commented.

    Elder Zyair gave him a small smile. "Yes, it has been," he agreed. The last time they met was when Isaiah left his position as an Alpha and handed it to his son. He witnessed the exchange of powers between the father and son.

    When he had heard what had happened to the Cairin pack back then and now from Alpha Lachlan, he was quite shocked. He did not expect something horrible had happened to the Cairin pack.

    Isaiah then turned to Roel and said, "I see that the youngest triplet has come this time. Welcome. Your brothers are in their room. You can meet them later. Let''s have a chat first."

    Roel nodded. "Yes, Alpha Isaiah," he said.

    The four of them then began their discussion about Remi''s treatment. Elder Zyair was there, on behalf of Alpha Lachlan so whatever decision Zyair makes, it will be with Lachlan''s agreement.

    Isaiah told Elder Zyair and Roel that they agreed to help with the treatment under one condition.

    Elder Zyair then asked him what was the condition.

    When both Elder Zyair and Roel heard what the condition was, they were slightly surprised. They did not expect that at all.

    Elder Zyair immediately agreed to the condition, thinking that there was no harm to it.

 Chapter 202 - 193: Youre here

    It has been weeks since Remi and his father went to Cairin Oaks for the former''s treatment. Because of the long procedures and process of the treatment, Eren had to request for more than a month''s leave from the military so that he could accompany his son. He felt bad that he had to leave to be with his son while his wife and daughter were alone at home. He actually felt torn about this.

    But Syden and Amber had reassured him that they would be fine. In fact, it wouldn''t be their first time living in a house without Eren in a long period of time. He used to not return home for quite some time because of his military duties. Hence they understood his position as a father.

    Unbeknownst to Eren and Syden, in actuality, every night since both Remi and Eren left town, Erick would patrol around their neighbourhood to ensure that there wasn''t any trouble brewing.

    Erick had told Amber about his patrolling before so that she wouldn''t be alarmed. He had heard about her father going to stay at the Oaks, together with Remi for a while, hence he was a bit concerned about the two women living alone at home. Thus, he volunteered himself to help look out for any danger while her father was away.

    He did not inform Amber''s mother about this because he does not want her to reject his goodwill. It was enough that he spent a couple of hours walking around for safety measures.

    One fine evening, before Erick went to patrol around Amber''s neighbourhood, he was at the training area where the pack usually did their training. As usual, Hamish stood beside him as they were waiting for their trainer to come.

    It has been a while since they last trained. Although previously Roel was the one who was in charge of the training, in the absence of Latham, they did not do much training. It was because Roel was also busy with other pack matters.

    Even though the other young shifters knew of Latham''s recovery, they did not know he had returned. So they were quite surprised when they were informed that there was a training session that night.

    Just as the young shifters were talking amongst themselves, rustling sounds could be heard from behind them. All of them turned around and saw Latham walking towards them with both of his hands in his pocket. Everyone but Erick and Hamish was shocked to see Latham, looking healthy. In fact, they could sense him stronger than the last time they saw him.

    Without a word, ignoring their shocked expressions, Latham continued to walk past and then stopped in front of them. Some discreetly had their eyes on his hands which was still tucked in his pockets. They were a bit curious whether his hand had fully healed or not.

    Once everyone''s attention was at him, he cleared his throat and simply said, "I''m back!" putting his fists together.

    Soon after his very short announcement, there were huge cheers coming from the crowd of young shifters with most of them shouting ''congratulations'' to Latham. From here, one could see how happy they were with Latham''s return and how close they seemed to be with him.

    A few minutes later, Latham told them to settle down and that he was going to check every young shifter''s progress. He told them before that even if there was no training, one should not slack behind and become lazy. He needed them to become strong, not just mentally but also physically.

    Hence, now he wanted to see whether they did their training based on their performances. He needed to know whether there was an improvement or not.

    Thus, Latham spent a couple of hours, walking around, examining each shifter''s progress where some of them had a practice match with one another or did some shadow boxing.

    And his reprimands could be heard by all the young shifters, making some of them winced in shame and disappointment.

    "Is that what you call a ''punch''? I''ve seen a little human kid punch a stronger pack than that!"

    "What is this? Some kind of dancing competition? Go land some blows! Don''t just jump here and there!"

    "What have you been doing all this time? Busy picking your nose?"

    Only a few of them got his compliments and praise. Jeayan was one of them who received them as she battled against her fellow shifter.

    Latham watched with a frown on his face, his arms crossed across his chest. In front of him, Jeayan was fighting with Dex. It was unsure who had the advantage as both of them were not giving each other an inch.

    Jeayan narrowed her eyes as she jumped a few steps back to avoid the punch Dex had landed in front of her. The ground cracked from the punch it received, creating a small crater.

    She immediately rushed forward and when she got closer to Dex, she pulled her arm back, about to land a hit on the male shifter. However, Dexwas faster than her as he leaned his upper body back. He then grabbed her arm and swung her whole body around in a circle, making Jeayan feel a bit dizzy.

    When he saw the dizziness in her eyes, he released her arm and tossed her. Jeayan went flying, cutting through some battles that were happening nearby them. She then hit against a tree with a grunt of pain. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''re-here_52756609453060180">#''re-here_52756609453060180</a> for visiting.

    Not wanting to give her a chance to recover, Dex rushed towards her with full speed.

    Spitting out the blood from her mouth, Jeayan weakly got up from the ground. She then used the bark of the tree as her stepping stone and jumped forward, pushing all her strength in her legs. She leaped onwards, meeting Dex in the middle. When they were near each other, the two immediately exchanged blows, one after another.

    Before they could ''kill'' each other, Latham quickly stepped in. Both Jeayan and Dex were shocked to see their trainer standing between them and they were not able to pull back their punches on time to avoid hitting Latham.

    However, things were not as they expected. Dust and dirt flew around the three shifters due to the pressure and power emitted from the punches. No one could tell what was happening at that moment.

    Other shifters who were watching the battle could only watch as the dust that enveloped the three shifters starting to settle down. They gasped in surprise when they finally saw what was happening.

    Latham held each of the two shifters'' fists with ease, whereas for the two, everyone could see the shock in their eyes and expressions. Everyone thought Latham would have been flattened by the punches. But instead, he held off their punches as if it was nothing.

    Latham looked down at the two shocked young shifters and then at the others, who were still staring at them. "Do you think that I would become so weak because of my hand?" he asked them sarcastically.

    Just then more rustling sounds could be heard from behind them. Some of the young shifters turned around in curiosity, wondering who would venture out in the forest late at night like this.

    Latham looked up and smiled. "You''re here."

 Chapter 203 - 194: Battle between the mates

    Latham looked up and smiled. "You''re here."

    The young shifters from the Kendall pack turned around, curious to see to whom Latham was talking to.

    Makena walked out from the bushes, a gentle smile on her face. Behind her was a group of unfamiliar young men and women, who seemed to be following her. Together, they walked towards Latham, who stood waiting for them to come closer.

    She then gave a little bow of respect to Latham and then turned around to introduce herself and her group to the Kendall pack. "Hello. My name is Makena Cairin from the Cairin pack. You can just call me, ''Makena''. We''d like to thank the Kendall pack for giving us the opportunity to train together," she said.

    Immediately, there were sounds of animated murmurs and whispers around the Kendall pack. Most of them rarely meet shifters from the other packs. Especially those from the Cairin pack, which was rumoured to never associate with the outside world. Hence, they were quite surprised to see them here.

    Latham looked at Makena and the two exchanged pleasantries.

    Makena nodded as she listened to Latham. She then told him that they arrived a couple of hours ago and were staying at a nearby bed and breakfast place. And they will depart early next morning.

    Hamish immediately stood between them, giving Latham his back. He then grabbed one of Makena''s hands and rubbed the top of it with his thumb lovingly.

    Latham rolled his eyes at Hamish''s possessiveness and jealousy. He then faced the crowd and clapped his hands together, trying to get everyone''s attention.

    "Alright, everyone! Let''s not get too excited!" he announced. "So, the Cairin pack will be joining us for the training every once a week! With this, we''ll be able to practice our skills and techniques and also to share our knowledge! Let''s see this as a training camp for everyone!"

    He then turned to look at Makena and turned back around. "At the end of tonight''s training, there will be a competition between the two packs. Although they have just arrived, they do not mind having battle between the two packs. So, the rules are that three members of each pack will fight on behalf of their pack. So there will be no repetition of the same shifter. Makena here will be the leader for the Cairin pack andˇ­" he stopped to glance at Erick and continued, "Erick will be the leader for the Kendall pack."

    "I''ll give each pack some time to prepare and then we will continue with the training," Latham ended.

    He then nodded to Makena, who nodded back. She then turned to the Kendall pack and said with a bow, "Please guide us well."

    Cheers resonated throughout the forest as each young shifter was excited for the battle to begin.

    Makena then turned to Hamish, who was still holding her hand with a smile. "So, will we see each other in the battle?"

    Hamish immediately shook his head. "I would never go against you. Even if it''s a practice match," he rejected.

    Makena let out a light laugh. "How will we improve then?" she asked teasingly.

    Hamish gave her a rare smile. "I''ll battle the others, but not you."

    Before Makena could reply, Erick had already dragged Hamish away, headlocking the latter underneath his arm. "Let''s go, loverboy."

    Hamish growled angrily, pissed at the fact that he got separated from his mate.

    Makena just smiled and then turned back to her pack to discuss the strategy.

    After they arrived at their side of the pack, Erick released Hamish and then said to the others, "Alright. This may be sudden but we had practice earlier and we should be able to learn from our mistakes. Although some of us have some battle experiences, we still need to improvise ourselves."

    He turned to Dex and Jeayan and said, "Perhaps you two can take a break since you''ve just had your battle earlier."

    Dex rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Are you saying that I''m too weak to go for another battle?" he retorted.

    Erick frowned. "No, but I''m just saying this to give other people a chance. You''re one of the people who have battled outside training sessions. You even battled against other types of supernatural beings before," he snapped back.

    Jeayan immediately placed a hand on both Erick and Dex''s arms. "Alright, you two," she said. "Cool it."

    She turned to Dex and said, "You know Erick doesn''t mean that." She turned to Erick next. "And you, calm down."

    After the two shifters have calmed down, they began to discuss their strategy. Although it was just a practice match, they too wanted to win their ''first'' battle against the other pack.

    A few minutes later, the practice match began. And because the night has gone late, they were given fifteen minutes to battle it out.

    Nearly an hour later, they were finally done to the final battle. At that moment, both packs were at a tie, with one win and one loss.

    For the final battle, the Kendall side had decided to send Hamish to the field.

    The other shifters stood in a circle, surrounding the participants, who were going to fight. Hamish stood in the middle, alone as he waited for his opponent to step forward.

    His eyes widened in shock when he saw Makena stepped forward and stood in front of him.

    Ignoring the smiling Makena, Hamish turned around to glare at Erick, who looked away, pretending to not notice his friend''s scowl.

    "Hamish?"

    Hamish reluctantly turned back around to look at the confused-looking woman before him. "Makenaˇ­" he said sadly.

    Makena''s face turned serious, saying, "I won''t forgive you if you look down on me and do not give me your all." After saying that, she took off her clothes unashamedly and immediately shifted into her werewolf counterpart.

    Before Hamish could react, Rae had already appeared before him. Her arm was pulled back and was about to hit the former in the face.

    But Hamish managed to dodge it by jumping back a few steps. His eyes widened in surprise as if he did not expect his mate to attack him. He felt a sting on his face. He touched his cheek and saw that there was blood on his hand. Apparently, Rae managed to scratch him and she was serious in this fight.

    "Bring out Kaius, Hamish," Rae said in her raspy voice.

    Hamish narrowed his eyes. He then stripped out of his clothes and changed to Kaius as Rae wanted.

    Once Kaius appeared in front of everyone, without further ado, the two mates came into blows.

    Paws after paws were exchanged between the two shifters, sending dust flying around them. However, the people who surrounded them took no notice of the dirt as their eyes concentrated on the two shifters fighting in the middle.

    It seems like the two shifters were of equal power. It was unsure who would win or who would lose. However, from their understanding, they believed that Rae would win because she has the healing power, making it easy for her to reduce fatigue and decrease pains and wounds.

    While the two were exchanging blows, at some point, Rae noticed the pain in Kaius'' eyes and she took the opportunity to sweep her legs, making the latter fall on his back. And without giving him a chance to retaliate, she was about to land a blow towards his stomach.

    But apparently, she was too slow. Just as she leaned closer, Kaius managed to scissor lock her head with his legs and toss her behind him. Rae went flying, upside down, making the people who had surrounded them to move aside to avoid the collision.

    Before she was about to hit the tree behind her, she managed to put herself into a horizontal position and used her legs against the tree to propel towards Kaius once more.

    However, before she could reach her mate, a voice called out to them.

    "That''s enough!"

 Chapter 204 - 195: Rehans suspicions

    "That''s enough!"

    Rae''s eyes widened in surprise at the command to stop. However, because she was currently propelling towards Kaius in mid-air, she has no way to stop.

    Kaius immediately went into a position, his arms wide open, ready to catch Rae.

    Just as Rae was about to collide with Kaius, the latter quickly grabbed her in a hug so that she wouldn''t get hurt. However, the force from the launch was quite strong, Kaius also went flying together with Rae. Kaius quickly stretched out one arm behind him while another hugged Rae in his embrace and placed his claws onto the ground. The soil underneath them was torn off due to Kaius'' claws. He then turned his body around, still protecting Rae in his arms as he placed his feet onto the ground to brake.

    Kaius gritted his teeth from the pain of the frictions of the ground.

    When they finally stopped, Kaius looked up at Latham with a glare. "Why the feck did you tell us to stop?" he roared.

    Latham walked over to them, with his arms crossed and said, "I was testing whether you can test your response when it comes to command. Whenever shifters get engrossed in their fighting, they would not be able to listen to the orders and this would bring problems to their packmates and most especially to their Alpha."

    Kaius growled. "Even soˇ­" he said raspily.

    Latham turned around, ignoring the shifter''s mumbling and complaining. He looked at the other shifters around them and announced the end of training.

    When he turned back around, both Kaius and Rae had already turned to their human counterparts. Standing beside them were Jeayan and Erick, who brought them their clothes to change.

    Once the two have already dressed, Latham asks Makena whether she will be going to the B&B place straight away.

    Makena nodded. "Since we''ll be going straight home tomorrow, it''s better we get some rest before we go," she said.

    She then turned to Hamish and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away, looking shy.

    Hamish''s eyes widened in surprise. He never thought that she would kiss him in front of everyone, knowing her personality.

    Both Jeayan and Erick inwardly rolled their eyes behind them. Erick then leaned closer to Jeayan, asking softly, "So, this is how you usually feel?"

    Jeayan nodded. "Yep," she said, clicking her tongue.

    Ignoring the two lightbulbs behind him, Hamish smiled gently down at his mate. "So, shall I bring you back home?" he asked flirtatiously.

    Before Makena could reply, Erick had dragged Hamish away by the back of his collar. "Let''s go, lover boy. We got school tomorrow."

    "The heck, Erick! Let me go!" Hamish roared.

    The other shifters stepped aside, giving Erick some space, letting the latter walk past them.

    Makena just smiled as she watched them leave. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-suspicions_52872212524356050">#''s-suspicions_52872212524356050</a> for visiting.

    Jeayan walked over to her and placed a hand on her arm.

    Startled by the sudden touch, Makena whirled her head towards the other girl, her eyes widened.

    Jeayan immediately pulled her hand away and raised both her hands up as if to surrender. "Oh, sorry. I didn''t mean to startle you."

    Makena smiled at her as she shook her head. "No worries. I''m just easily surprised," she said.

    "I didn''t expect that you and your packmates would come here," Jeayan commented. "Did Hamish know?"

    Makena was about to answer her when Jeayan answered herself. "Nah, that''s impossible. You probably told him earlier, right?" she asked.

    Makena smiled secretly at Jeayan. "Actually, he didn''t know. I didn''t tell him about it. I was planning for this to be a surprise," she said.

    Jeayan''s mouth dropped to an ''o'' shape. "No wonder," she said. She then giggled. "Good for him."

    Before the two of them could talk more, Latham had clapped his hands together, trying to get everyone''s attention. "Alright, everyone! Let''s break it up here and we''ll see each other in the next training session."

    He turned to Makena and said, "Thank you again for your participation. We hope to see you and the others soon! Have a safe journey back home."

    Makena nodded and thanked him as well.

    -----

    Krys nestled deep underneath the branches and leaves as he watched the two young shifters below him. He was squatting on top of one of the branches in a nearby tree where the Kendall shifters had their training. He was surprised when he saw unfamiliar shifters joining their session.

    After he heard Makena''s introduction, it was then he knew that the Kendall and the Cairin packs have come into an agreement and partnership. And they were now training together.

    He was planning to stay a bit more to listen to the conversations below when Erick, who was dragging Hamish by the collar, suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at the tree where Krys was hiding.

    Krys immediately cursed softly, thinking that perhaps his scent spells have worn out. The scent spell was one of the warlocks'' spells that enable one to hide their scents from anyone, even from shifters. He could not risk exposing himself in this den of shifters lest he could get killed. He quickly cast another spell on himself.

    What he didn''t know was that Erick did not actually sense his smell. It was more of his instincts were telling him that someone was there.

    Coincidentally, just after Krys casted a spell on himself, Erick turned back around and continued to drag Hamish out of the forest.

    After the two young shifters have left, Krys turns to look at the training area where Latham had just dismissed everyone.

    Krys continued to watch from behind the leaves. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Makena and her other packmates left the area. Earlier, before he left for Burkendall town, he was baffled as to why Rehan had told him to not chase after the woman, saying that they did not need her anymore.

    Krys knew how valuable and precious her blood was, hence he was confused why Rehan told him to ignore the woman. Instead, he told him to keep an eye on Erick.

    Yet, seeing how Erick seems to be suspicious of his surroundings, Krys could only abandon his plan to follow him out. He wasn''t sure why Rehan wanted him to follow the young shifter. He knew that Erick was suspiciously getting stronger day by day. He could not put a finger on how the latter managed to strengthen himself up. He suspected Rehan probably knew something but just needed confirmation.

    He doesn''t know what Rehan was looking for. But perhaps the information of the two packs working together would still be good.

 Chapter 205 - 196: Exam Period

    Erick was on his bed, where he was twirling a pen on his fingers. Leaning against the headboard with his one leg crossed over another and his one hand behind his head, he exudes quite a relaxed image. But in his mind, he was arguing with Dane. To be accurate, it was more like Dane was scolding him and he was lazily listening to the rebuke.

    ''Seriously, when are you going to train yourself?''

    ''I did tell you someone was spying on us and what did you do? You just left him alone.''

    ''I know you can sense it but why did you just leave him alone?''

    ''It was a fecking warlock.''

    ''When are you going to look for my other soul?''

    ''Didn''t you say you felt something familiar in the Cairin Oaks?''

    ''Why aren''t you going there to check it out?''

    Erick could only sighed inwardly. It was hard to talk with an old guy like Dane, who doesn''t understand the life of a student. Knowing that this guy was ''ancient'', he definitely doesn''t know how school works. He recalled the time when he first attended school after Dane had already integrated inside him, the latter was baffled.

    Dane had bombarded an eleven-year-old boy with so many questions that he had gotten quite dizzy. What does a little boy like him know how to answer his questions about school? Back then, he only knew to study, never questioning why. His father only told him that it was for his own good. As an Alpha, he shouldn''t just rely on physical brute strength but also on mental capabilities.

    Erick continued to listen to Dane''s nagging while twirling a pen on his fingers.

    Once Dane had stopped, Erick too stopped twirling the pen. He then asked sarcastically in his mind, ''What? You''re done?''

    ''You brat!''

    Erick let out another sigh and explained, ''Look, Dane. I understand your urgency. Yes, there''s a possibility that what I''ve sensed back then was probably the last one of your soul fragments. But you should understand that I can''t simply skip class every now and then. I''ve missed so many classes now. I know the importance of you getting it butˇ­ it''s out of my hands right now.''

    ''Let me talk to your Alpha.''

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise. ''No, Dane. Please. I don''t want to burden my dad anymore with this. You just need to be patient with me. Can you do that for me?'' he pleaded in his mind.

    This time, it was Dane''s turn to sigh. ''You humans and this school,'' he mumbled inside Erick''s. ''During my days, we don''t need those schools.''

    Erick inwardly rolled his eyes. Sometimes Dane can be such an old grandpa.

    After Dane had gone silent, Erick was left to his own thoughts. Despite Dane''s nagging, he too actually wanted to go and check the forest out but he doesn''t really have the time. Exams are starting and he needs to score high. And the Oaks were kind of far from town, unless he shifted to run there.

    He exhaled a long breath. He got up from the bed and went to his study table to read up on his textbooks.

    -----

    Exam week.

    In Burkendall High School, the examinations usually take place at the student assembly hall for the seniors whereas the juniors, sophomores and freshmen usually have theirs in their classes. Students were usually seated according to their names, not by classes. So, there were chances that Erick would not be sitting near his classmates.

    And being a senior, he and the others had to wait outside the assembly hall since the examinations had not started yet. They were sitting outside on the floor, reading on their notes while waiting to be called inside.

    Although the examinations were about to start in less than an hour, it does not dampen the mood of the students outside as they still managed to joke around, laughing. Some would say that they were probably confident.

    Erick was sitting next to Amber on the floor, both reading their own notes when they heard someone clearing their throat above them.

    The two looked up and saw Zoe and Dex standing in front of them. Zoe smiled down at them, waving airly while Dex frowned, looking somewhere else, not meeting Erick''s gaze.

    "Hey?" Amber greeted, unsure. It has been a while since she last talked with Zoe. Ever since the other girl got together with Dex, Amber had not seen her at all. It was as if she disappeared in thin air. So she was surprised to see that same girl standing in front of them.

    "Hey," Zoe greeted back. Then she sat down near them. Since she was wearing a skirt, she was careful to make sure that her skirt was tucked nicely underneath her legs, not showing any parts of her body that were supposed to be concealed.

    She then grabbed her boyfriend''s hand and pulled him down to sit next to her. Dex reluctantly let himself be pulled as he grudgingly sat down, still not looking at Erick and Amber.

    Hamish, who was sitting near them too, looked over with a frown. Although he doesn''t dislike Dex, he knew the latter doesn''t like his cousin. So he was curious as to why they were sitting nearby.

    After Dex had sat down, Zoe turned to Erick with gleaming bright eyes. "I remember that you were good in Statistics. I was wondering whether you can help with calculations. We were confused as to why this formula was used and how it got this answer," she said, opening up her notebook and showing him the questions.

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow towards Dex, who was still not looking at him. "We?" he repeated cheekily.

    Dex rolled his eyes, finally turning to his cousin. "Yes, we," he said. "Come on and help us."

    Hamish felt the corner of his lips raised.

    After much teasing from Erick, he finally told them about the techniques. So, the time before the exam starts was spent on teaching others, showing them the method and how to solve the problems.

    A few minutes later, an examination invigilator walked out of the hall and ordered them to queue up and get ready to get inside.

    The examinations took two hours and thirty minutes to end. And the examination days took almost a week.

    When the examination period was over, it was nearly time to continue the playoffs.

 Chapter 206 - 197: The mate of the future Alpha

    The past week has been hectic for the students of Burkendall High School and it was finally over. Their finals were done, exams were no more and what was left were some assignments and reports that they have to submit to their teachers.

    The week had gone so fast, it was as if the exams did not happen at all (the author was too lazy to talk more about exams in the previous chapter). But it did, much to the students'' sadness.

    Since their examinations were over, the students did not need to attend classes anymore, other than homeroom. This was specifically for those who needed to submit their assignments and reports. Although Erick was done with his work, he still went to school because he needed to attend practice since the team will be fighting for the year''s championship.

    The day after the exams were over, he was inside the school library with his chin propped against his palm, watching the girl sitting next to him.

    He looked around him lazily. It has been a while since he last stepped in the building. The library was quiet as usual; only sounds of scribbling, scrapping of the chairs and tables and so forth could be heard.

    He looked down at the girl once again. If it wasn''t because of her, he wouldn''t have come here.

    That same girl turned her blond head to him and pouted. "I''m so tired," she complained, shaking her hand as if to show how aching it was.

    Erick could only smile as he took her ''aching'' hand and massaged it.

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "What''s with that smile?" she asked suspiciously.

    Erick blinked his eyes innocently. "What?" he asked back. "Can''t I just smile for you?"

    She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. She then turned back to her notebook and continued to write her report. She was actually one of the students who hadn''t handed in their reports so she had to go to school to do it. She probably could do it at home but then, she wouldn''t be able to ask Erick for help.

    While Amber was doing her report, Erick, who was getting bored, started to look around him again.

    It was then he noticed a group of guys walking in the library. He recognized them as Kry''s friends back when he thought he was just a normal human. Surprisingly, when Amber confronts them about Krys, they do not have a clue about who Krys was. They were baffled as to why Amber was scolding them about someone they do not know. When she showed them a picture of Krys, they still do not know who he was.

    At first, Amber and Erick thought that they were lying to them and were hiding Krys from them. It was then when Amber went to meet the teacher who was in charge of the school committee that they realized that the guys were telling the truth. Krys does not exist in the school records at all!

    It was as if their memory of Krys Williams were removed completely.

    The two were perplexed about the whole situation. When they told Hamish and the others about this, they, too, were shocked. It seems like he had planned all this way before.

    Erick gritted his teeth in frustration, his fists clenching. He could not wait to tear that guy apart after lying and trying to kill them. Especially when he got Amber involved.

    Noticing that Amber was looking at him weirdly, he quickly changed his expression, forcing a smile. Amber narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him before turning back to her report again.

    He inwardly sighed as he looked around his surroundings again.

    Since they were in their senior years, there probably would not be enough time for him to enjoy all these facilities once they graduated. Although graduation seems far off, time has flown by so fast, one would not realize it. Hence one should take their time slowly and enjoy the moment.

    He sighed inwardly. Truthfully, he was more eager to start his holiday than thinking of graduation. Once the holiday season had started, he wanted to straight away look for Dane''s last fragmented soul. He felt that it was finally time.

    He looked over at Amber. And perhaps it was finally time to fully become true mates with her.

    -----

    It was finally the last day of Remi''s treatment at the Cairin Oaks. Eren, who had been accompanying his son for the last couple of weeks, was amazed at how much the treatment worked. He was grateful that there weren''t any side-effects to the treatment as he had dreaded.

    In fact, Remi looked more healthy than he ever was before. The hospitality that they had received in the Oaks was amazing as they treated them as VIPs. Though, of course, the two did not take advantage of their kindness and were willing to help and do whatever was needed. After all, it was for the good of Remi''s health.

    Eren did not know how the procedure and the process of treating Remi goes since he was told to wait outside while Remi was left alone with the pack doctors. But he knew how painful it was, looking at the pallid look on his son''s face.

    Yet Eren was still proud of his son. Even the pack doctors complimented Remi''s courage and bravery as he never let out a shout of pain nor cry when they did the treatment on him. What the doctors didn''t tell Eren was that, although Remi did not cry out, he did faint out of pain. They did advise the boy to just shout if he''s hurting but he was adamant to not cry because he did not want his father to fret if he heard him cry.

    They had spent hours inside the treatment room where Remi was being treated. Outside the room, Eren was waiting patiently and quietly, his eyes on the door.

    That was where Isaiah and Ezekiel found him. They knew that Eren and his son would be leaving once the latter had been treated and rested. As much as they wanted them to stay because they were worried that they would get tired. But Eren, even after he apologized for being rude and ungrateful, he was worried about his wife and daughter back home.

    Ever since he knew about the existence of shifters in their town, he could not risk getting his family hurt once more. He knew that not all shifters were bad. Yet, not all shifters were good as well.

    "Hello there," Isaiah greeted as he walked over to Eren, with Ezekiel following behind him.

    Startled by the sudden greeting, Eren quickly stood up. Then remembering his manners and how Roel had called him, ''Alpha'', he knew that this man was someone respected and of the highest ranking in the pack hierarchy.

    He quickly bowed a little and greeted back. "Hello," he said. He then quickly added, "I''d like to thank you again for my son''s treatment."

    Isaiah brushed away his thanks with a wave of his hand, implying that it was nothing much. Seeing that Remi was one of his son''s victims, he actually felt that this wasn''t much of a help. They deserved much more. Hence the VIP treatment.

    "So, you won''t be staying for at least, one night?" Isaiah asked, his hands behind his back as he stood in front of Eren.

    Eren went quiet as he began to think. He was quite worried about his wife and daughter.

    "I''m sure that your wife and daughter will be fine," Isaiah reassured him, knowing what the other man was thinking. "In fact, they are in the good hands of the Kendall pack."

    "Kendall pack?" Eren repeated, looking confused.

    It was Isaiah''s turn to be confused. "Don''t you know who the Kendall pack is?" he asked. He found it strange that the man didn''t know about the Kendalls when it was the latter who brought him and his son here.

    Before Eren could answer, Ezekiel leaned closer to whisper in Isaiah''s ears. Realization dawned on Isaiah after Ezekiel had told him something.

    He turned to Eren, who still wore a confused look on his face.

    "The Kendalls are the pack who lived in Burkendall. In fact, your family is involved with them."

    "My family?" Eren felt stupid as he became more confused.

    Isaiah nodded. "Erick Kendall. The son of the Kendall pack. The future Alpha of the Kendall pack."

    Eren''s eyes widened in shock when he heard Isaiah''s words.

    His jaw dropped open too when Isaiah ended with, "And your daughter is the mate of the future Alpha, Erick."

 Chapter 207 - 198: Semester break has started!

    It has been a day since Eren and Remi had returned to Burkendall town. They arrived late in the evening and the two women in the house had been waiting in the living room for their arrival. When Eren and Remi had finally arrived, both Syden and Amber were shocked to see Remi looking healthier than ever.

    It was as if he had never been sick before!

    Syden immediately burst into tears when both father and son walked into the living room. The former immediately got up from the sofa and ran to her son. Tears filled with relief and gratitude fell from her eyes as she shakily hugged her son, shoulders trembled greatly.

    Both Eren and Amber stood behind them as they watched the scene in front of them. Eren knew how much guilt and remorse Syden had kept all these years, thinking it was her fault that Remi was sick. Back then, thoughts of ''what if'' had plagued her mind until she became sick.

    Now that Remi has finally healed, the Keene family can finally rest.

    Hours later when the family of four decided to call it a night and went to their rooms, Eren decided to stay behind.

    Not wanting to pry, Syden left him alone in the kitchen, not forgetting to tell him to go to sleep early.

    Once the others were finally inside their room, Eren got up from the kitchen table and began to make himself some coffee. Ever since they had left Cairin Oaks, Isaiah''s words had been playing non-stop in his mind.

    ''And your daughter is the mate of the future Alpha, Erick,'' Isaiah''s words came swimming in his head.

    Eren rubbed the temples of his head, feeling tired all of the sudden. He did not expect that there was a reason why that boy, Erick, was attracted to his daughter. Although she was not a great beauty, she was still pretty. Yet there were more pretty girls in that school, other than his daughter. He used to wonder why. Perhaps her personality? Apparently, it was this.

    He was not sure how mates work in the shifter community but it seems quite baffling. Probably because he does not know much about the shifters. He only knows their existence and how they probably look.

    As he continued to sit down at the table, engrossed in his own thoughts, Amber had just entered the kitchen, about to get a glass of water.

    She looked surprised when she saw her father still sitting at the table. Looking over, she noticed that his cup of coffee had gone cold too. She walked to his side, tilted her head in question and asked, "Dad? What are you doing still up?"

    Eren jumped, startled. He looked up and saw his daughter looking at him curiously. "Nothing, nothing," he answered, shaking his head as he looked down again.

    Amber frowned as she continued on to grab her glass of water.

    Once she was done, she walked over to her father''s side once more and asked, "Why are you still awake, daddy? Is there something in your mind?"

    Eren was quiet for a while before looking up at Amber. He then asked, "Amber, is Erick all right with you? He never hurt you before?"

    Amber frowned, confused as to why her father was asking her such questions. "He never hurt me before, daddyˇ­ other thanˇ­" she trailed off.

    "Other than whatˇ­?" Eren''s eyes widened as he got up from his seat, his hands slamming on the table. He never thought that Erick would harm his daughter.

    "Other than stealing my fries," Amber pouted, looking away.

    Eren sighed in relief as he sat back down. "I thought it was something serious."

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "That was serious, though."

    She then looked up at the wall clock and back again at her father. "Daddy, I''m not sure what''s going on in your mind and what''s eating you up. But I hope that everything will be fine," she said. "I''ll be going to bed now. And you should too, daddy."

    Eren nodded.

    Just before Amber left the kitchen, Eren called out her name.

    She paused at the doorway, her head turning to her father. Eren was still sitting at the table but turning in his seat to look at her. "Did you know Erick was your mate?"

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. She never thought the word, ''mate'' would come out from her father''s lips.

    She slowly nodded.

    "Do you know what a mate is?" he asked again.

    Amber bit her lips as she thought. "I''m not quite sure but all I know is that it''s one for life," she said.

    "One for life?" Eren repeated, looking confused.

    Amber nodded again. "We''re fated to be together forever. Might sound crazy but I believe it."

    -----

    Erick was leaning against his car, playing with his phone as he waited for Amber to come out of the school, after submitting her final report. It had been a long few weeks where they had struggled to finish their assignments and burning the midnight oil as they crammed for their exams. And since exams were over, they have a long period of months to enjoy their free time before moving on to the next school year.

    A few minutes later, he looked up and saw Amber walking towards him with a huge smile on her face.

    She jumped onto him with a huge hug. "It''s finally over!" she squealed happily.

    Erick pulled back and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He grinned and said, "Congratulations!" He then opened the passenger door to his car and helped her in.

    Once he was at the driver''s seat, Amber turned to him, still smiling widely. "So, where shall we go to celebrate our last day of school?" she asked excitedly.

    Erick smiled back, influenced by her happiness. "Where do you want to go?" he asked back.

    "I want to eat hotpotˇ­ No, I want to eat sushiˇ­ Wait, sloppy burgers?" she said as she thought of the foods that she wanted to eat.

    Erick laughed. "Not what to eat but where?" he asked again, teasingly.

    Amber shrugged. "I''m good anywhere."

    Soon after, they finally decided to stop by at one of the shopping malls. The reason as to why they have chosen this was because they wanted to eat at the foodcourt. Since there were so many things that Amber wanted to eat, it would be more convenient if they eat at a food court. At least, she can have a choice of her own.

    They were inside the food court where the both of them were walking and looking around at the menu being posted at each small counter.

    Erick was about to walk a bit closer to one of the counters, curious about the menu when his nose twitched at a familiar scent.

    He frowned and whirled around, startling Amber.

    "You!"

 Chapter 208 - 199: Too many lightbulbs

    "You!"

    Both Hamish and Makena turned around in surprise. The two of them were standing in front of one of the counters a few steps away, browsing through the menu when Erick exclaimed.

    Hamish frowned, displeased that there was someone intruding on his date moment.

    Makena smiled, as if she was happy to see them. And then she noticed Amber standing behind Erick, she immediately walked over and grabbed her hands. "Amber! It has been a while. How are you?" she asked.

    Amber smiled back, tightening her hold on the other woman''s hands. "I''m fine. How are you and what are you doing here?" she asked, looking around them. She did not expect to see the other woman at the mall, especially since it''s a place that was quite far from her own hometown.

    Makena looked around too, making sure there wasn''t anyone listening in on their conversation. She then said softly, "I''ll tell you later."

    She let go of Amber''s hands and walked back to Hamish''s side. "Did you two just arrive?" When she saw Amber nodded, she then said, "Let''s eat together, okay?"

    Both Erick and Hamish turned their heads to look at Makena. They did not want to eat together!

    Erick''s hope to eat together alone with Amber plummeted down when he saw Amber nodded in agreement.

    When Makena saw the dejected look on her mate''s face, she pouted. "Can we?" she asked.

    Hamish blinked, seeing the coquettish look on her face. "Sureˇ­" he said slowly.

    Makena suddenly grinned. She walked over to Amber''s side again and wrapped her arm around hers, saying, "I''ll go with Amber to find us a seat while you two go and buy us some food."

    Without waiting for them to reply, Makena had already brought Amber to look for a table for them to sit.

    Erick turned to Hamish, glaring.

    Hamish let out a sigh. He then said, "Well, I guessed I have to thank you and Amber."

    Erick scowled. "Why?" he barked. He was not pleased that his mate was taken away by someone else after days of exams and cramming.

    Hamish turned around and continued to browse through the menu. Erick followed behind him. "You know how Makena used to be quiet after years of being locked in that damn mansion?" he asked.

    Erick nodded. He remembered how Amber recited her story of being locked in that mansion, how dull and lifeless the place was. She had only been locked for nearly a day or so but already, she felt suffocated. Even if Bastian was with her. And imagine Makena, who had lived there for years with no human communications, other than the so-called ''jailkeeper''.

    Hamish looked over to see Makena and Amber sitting down at the table, chatting away, oblivious to their surroundings. "She''s slowly breaking out of that coffin so I guess it''s a good thing that she was being initiative, wanting to be friends with Amber," he said, a tone of happiness and relief could be heard in his voice.

    Erick rolled his eyes. "What do you mean, wanting to be friends?" he retorted. "They are already friends!"

    Hamish gave his best friend a rare small smile. "Yes, they are," he agreed.

    -----

    A couple of hours later, after much talking and eating, the two couples decided to go their separate ways. Well, it was mostly Erick and Hamish wanting to be alone with their mates.

    Erick and Amber were about to walk around, window shopping at the shopping mall, when Erick suddenly stiffened. Amber, noticing this abnormality, turned to look at him in confusion.

    "What''s wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

    Erick looked at her and gently turned her around. "Let''s go to the other side," he suggested quickly.

    With her brows furrowed in suspicion, Amber could only follow what he had told her to. However, before they could take a step forward, they both heard a voice calling out their names.

    Erick let out a frustrated breath, rubbing his eyes in consternation while Amber turned around.

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Erick''s parents walking over to them.

    She was about to greet them when Luella suddenly hugged her tight. "My dear daughter-in-law! When are you coming over to our home? It''s been ages!" she complained.

    Amber winced at the sudden hug. It was not that she disliked the contact but rather, it was so sudden and awkward that she left her hands hanging by her side. Then she lifted her arms and clumsily hugged Erick''s mother back.

    The corner of Lachlan''s lips lifted up in a small smile when he saw his enthusiastic mate hugging their son''s mate. He walked over, saving the poor Amber by tapping on Luella''s shoulder. "Alright dear. You''re going to embarrass the young lady."

    "Who''s going to embarrass my daughter??" Luella snarled as she turned her head to look at her mate, her arms still around Amber.

    Both Lachlan and Erick wisely kept quiet.

    After Luella had released Amber, she wrapped her arm around Amber''s once more. "So where are the two of you headed for?" she asked curiously.

    "We''re--" Amber started.

    "We''re going to go and watch a movie together!" Erick cut in.

    Amber''s eyebrows raised up in surprise. She did not know about this movie date of theirs.

    Luella nodded. She then turned to Lachlan and asked, "Shall we join them?"

    Erick''s eyes widened. He did not expect this at all! He quickly turned his back against his mother and urgently signalled his father with his big eyes, telling him without words to reject his mother''s suggestion.

    Lachlan lightly chuckled when he saw his son''s silent plea. He turned to his mate and said, "Now, now, honey. Let''s leave the kids on their own. We still need to look for the items needed for the preparation."

    Erick''s ears caught his word, ''preparation''. "What preparation?" he asked curiously.

    Lachlan smoothly grabbed his mate''s hand, leaving Luella to immediately release Amber''s arm. "Nothing that you should know," he replied simply.

    After telling them to enjoy themselves and make sure not to return home late. Both Luella and Lachlan left them alone and continued on their browsing.

    Once their shadows cannot be seen anymore, Erick can finally let out a long breath of relief. He turned to Amber, who was looking at him curiously.

    "What?" he asked.

    "So, what movie are we watching?" she asked as they walked together.

    "Oh, I lied," Erick said, not looking shameless after admitting to lying to his own parents.

    Amber frowned.

    But before she could scold him for lying to his parents, he continued, "It''s the only way I could say to make them go away. Can''t I be alone with my love for even a day?"

    Amber began to warm up at his sweet confession.

 Chapter 209 - 200: Invitation to the Cairin Festival

    A couple of weeks later.

    Both Erick and Amber were watching a movie at the Keene''s living room that Saturday night while Remi was reading a book, on a chair next to them.

    Seeing how it has been a while since Amber''s parents had gone on a date, they decided to go that night. At first, they weren''t sure whether they could leave Amber and Remi alone at home but Amber reassured them that they got Erick to accompany them. With Erick around, they would definitely be safe from any danger that may come to harm them. Knowing that Erick was a shifter and also a strong one, Amber trusts him.

    Going back to her parents, she knew that her parents had been longing for some date time, since her father has always been busy with the military duties and whatnot. Most of the time, it was either her father was busy with his duties or her mother was busy, taking care of Remi. So, since Eren finally got some free time before returning back to the military, they decided to go on a date.

    Yet, Eren was concerned about leaving his children alone at home. He had never left them alone at home as it''s usually either Eren or Syden was at home. Recently, he had become quite a worrywart, ever since he knew about shifters living in town. Again, it was not that he disliked all shifters. Just became more wary.

    When Amber''s parents finally left for their date, Erick had just arrived a couple of minutes later. He brought with him ''some'' snacks, which he carried in two huge shopping bags in his hands. Both siblings watched in awe as Erick unpacked his snacks in front of them in the kitchen. There were more than five potato ch.i.p.s bags, three huge bottles of soda drinks, two big containers of salsa dips, four bags of nacho ch.i.p.s, three containers of cheese and Jalape?o dips, three bags of peanut butter caramel popcorns and more.

    "Did you just rob a convenience store?" Remi asked, flabbergasted as he looked at all the snacks Erick had brought. He had never seen so many snacks in one place before, other than in the supermarket.

    Erick furrowed his brows in confusion. "It isn''t enough?" he asked, tilting his head as he looked at Remi.

    Remi shook his head furiously. "It''s enough, big brother!" he said quickly, his eyes widened.

    Erick nodded, satisfied that he made his little brother happy. He and Amber started to arrange and sort out the snacks in the kitchen, after telling Remi to go to the living room.

    When they were done and headed towards the living room, Remi was sitting on an armchair, reading a book with the television switched on.

    Asking him whether he was watching the television, Amber was about to grab the remote control to increase the volume when Remi shook his head. He then said that he only left it switched on because he liked to hear some noises. To him, it felt like he wasn''t alone.

    Amber ruffled her little brother''s head, feeling a bit sad and guilty. She knew how lonely he must have felt back then when she was busy at school and wasn''t around to accompany him. But now that he was finally cured and her parents had signed him up for the school year, she hoped things would go great for him soon.

    They were in the middle of watching a new movie that was currently on air when Hamish sent him a text message. Curious as to why he had sent a text so late at night, he swiped open the text message and read.

    He frowned after he was done reading.

    Noticing the frown on his face, Amber glanced at him and asked what was wrong.

    He placed his phone back in his pocket and let out a sigh. "He''s inviting us to the Cairin Oaks. Apparently, there''s a festival there that they usually celebrate every three months. And being that it''s the first festival Makena will be going to, after so many years of being locked up, they are inviting us to go there," he explained.

    Amber''s eyes glimmered with excitement. "That sounds fun!" she said happily. Then she tilted her head in confusion when she just noticed Erick''s expression. "Wait, what''s wrong?" she asked. "You don''t want to go?"

    Erick was quiet at first and then he slowly shook his head.

    "Why?" Amber asked again.

    Erick gave her an aggrieved look and said, "Then how am I going to spend my free time with you if we go there?"

    Remi, who was sitting nearby with his book, was puzzled as to why he suddenly felt like he was suffocated with sweetness in the air.

    A couple of hours later.

    Amber and Remi''s parents had just returned from their date. Erick was still there when they had just arrived home.

    Syden thanked Erick for accompanying her children while Eren just grunted his gratitude. He was still a bit skeptical when it comes to Erick. Especially since he was a shifter and Amber is his mate.

    Eren was about to grab a glass of water from the kitchen when he heard Erick calling out his name.

    Frowning with suspicion, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to see Erick approaching him.

    Thinking that perhaps the two men would like some privacy, Syden shoo-ed her children up to their rooms, despite Amber''s protest.

    Erick gave his mate a smile as Amber waved goodbye from the top of the stairs before entering her bedroom.

    Once everyone went upstairs, leaving Eren and Erick alone in the kitchen, the two sat down at the kitchen table where the former placed two glasses of water in front of them.

    Surprised, Erick looked at the glass of water and then at Eren and back again. Question marks kept popping out of Erick''s head as he looked confused.

    Eren rolled his eyes. "It''s just a cup of water. Don''t be so dramatic and just drink it," he said sarcastically.

    Erick beamed with giddiness. "Thank you, sir."

    Eren rolled his eyes again.

    The two fell silent once more.

    Few seconds later, Erick took a deep breath and said with a serious look on his face, "Sir, may I bring Amber and Remi over to the Cairin Oaks for a visit?"

 Chapter 210 - 201: Back again at the Oaks

    Erick took a deep breath and asked with a serious look on his face, "Sir, may I bring Amber and Remi over to the Cairin Oaks for a visit?"

    At first, Eren just crossed his arms, scowling as he looked at Erick from across the table, leaning back against his seat.

    He then exhaled a long breath. "What is this?" he complained goodnaturedly. "I thought it was something serious. Why does it sound like you''re asking for my daughter''s hand in marriage?"

    Erick immediately choked in his words. He did not expect those kinds of words to come out of Eren''s mouth. He looked at the man in front of him, wide-eyed shocked.

    Ignoring the look on the young man''s face, Eren placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "So what''s going on in Cairin Oaks?" he asked.

    "There''s a festival there that I''d like to bring Amber and Remi to. Makena, the Alpha''s granddaughter, has invited us as this will be her first time attending it."

    ''First time?'' Eren thought to himself. Numerous questions popped into his mind as he felt something was a bit strange.

    Seeing the confused look on Eren''s face, Erick quickly briefed him on some details of what had happened to Makena but not the whole story. After he was done narrating, there was a sad look on the former''s face, as if he had never expected that such a thing had happened to a very young girl. It was such a relief that she doesn''t have any traumatic side-effects after that horrifying experience.

    He then continued to ask more about the festival and what it was about.

    Unfortunately, Erick doesn''t know much about the festival as it would be his first time attending it as well. He further explained about how the Cairin pack used to be closed from the outside world. So this would be like the first time they had opened their doors to the outside. Meaning, the other shifters.

    Eren then started to shoot questions at Erick, asking how many people would be joining them, whether there is a chaperone joining them, how long will the festival be and so forth.

    Erick answered each of Eren''s questions calmly.

    Soon after, Erick finally got the green light from Eren and then he went home.

    The next day.

    It was a calm Sunday evening as the sun was about to set, blanketing the earth with soft orange glow.

    A huge van of nine seater could be seen driving its way from Burkendall town, heading outside the town. Inside the van, there were several young shifters with a couple of young men. One of the men, who had a beauty mole underneath one of his eyes was driving the vehicle with a serious look on his face, concentrating on the road.

    Beside him was another young man, with his arms behind his head as he lounged against his seat. He let out a sigh. "Why oh why did the Alpha send me to babysit a bunch of kids?" he mumbled. "If this is his way of telling me to relax, he got it all wrong."

    Hamish, who was sitting behind him, kicked the seat in front of him.

    Surprised by the kick, Fergus jumped and whirled around in his seat. "Who''s the brat that kicked my seat?" he barked.

    Other than Hamish, there were Erick, Jeayan, Amber, Remi and Dex at the back seats. The five of them immediately pointed at Hamish, who looked out of the window, as if he hadn''t just done the deed.

    Before Fergus could scold his son, Roel, who was driving at that time, straight away scolded Hamish for being rude and disrespectful towards their Beta. Hamish felt contrite and immediately apologized to his father.

    Fergus shot the kids a smug look before turning back around.

    Roel sighed inwardly. Sometimes he felt that his Beta can be quite childish, if he was to be impudent. There were times he felt that both Hamish and his father had a switch in their personality where Hamish was more mature. Well, at some points.

    After that little ''incident'', the atmosphere inside the vehicle was quiet, other than the smooth sounds of the drive.

    At the very back seats, Remi was dozing off, next to Amber, who was listening to her music player. And next to Amber was Erick, who was holding onto her hand while looking out the window.

    Hamish was on the middle right side of the vehicle while Dex was on the middle left side with Jeayan sandwiched between them.

    Each of these young shifters were in their own thoughts as they headed their way to the Cairin Oaks. They passed by familiar areas and soon after, they reached another familiar area where they needed to park the vehicle before entering the forest.

    Though, the Cairin packs have assured them that the forest was now safe but one can never be too careful as Roel gave a small talk to both Amber and Remi since they were the only humans in their group. Even if Remi had gone to the Oaks before, he was still a young boy that needed to be cautioned every few times.

    They were standing outside the forest where both Jeayan and Erick helped the siblings to prepare to get inside.

    Despite the fact that it would be much faster for them to shift into their wolf counterparts to get to the Oaks but because Amber and Remi were there, it wasn''t convenient. Also, it might be tedious to change out and into their clothes.

    At first, Fergus told Roel to carry Amber behind his back because among them all, he was probably the strongest in their human forms. But then, he got silenced by the glares of both Erick and Jeayan. The young female shifter even hissed at Fergus for even suggesting that.

    Just as they stepped into the forest, Erick suddenly felt ringing in his ears. Lights started to flash in front of his eyes.

    Amber, who was on his back, noticed his abnormality and asked what was wrong.

    To her and everyone''s shock, Erick suddenly fell down on his knees, bringing Amber with him. It was fortunate that she wasn''t hurt, other than a little bump on her chin. She jumped off his back and walked around in front of Erick.

    Her eyes widened when she saw what was happening to Erick.

 Chapter 211 - 202: The trees lifeline

    Amber immediately jumped off Erick''s back and walked around in front of him. Her eyes widened when she saw the changes in him.

    The others quickly rushed in front of Erick and was surprised to see what had happened, as well. Fergus, who has the strongest senses among them all, felt that the wolf inside of Erick was reacting to something nearby, which caused this reaction.

    It was then he recalled something his Alpha had told him before they left for the Oaks. The latter had warned him that there was part of Erick''s soul that was probably trapped somewhere in this forest and that, he, Fergus, needed to be cautious, should there be any danger that may occur.

    Even with that warning, Fergus did not expect this kind of reaction.

    At that moment, Erick''s eyes were bloodshot, shimmering in amber light. His teeth had grown longer vertically downwards into fangs. And his hands had transformed into sharp clawsˇ­ yes, it was as if Erick was shifting into Dane. His clothes had been torn off as his body continued to grow wider and bulkier.

    What worried Fergus and the others was that Dane did not seem humane and conscious. It was as if he had submitted to his wild side as he snarled and growled. When Dane snarled, the others, excluding Fergus, immediately took a few steps back unconsciously.

    Soon after, Amber and Hamish wanted to take a step forward towards Dane but were stopped by Fergus, who ordered them to not come closer. He was worried that they might get hurt.

    However, just as Fergus was about to say something to Dane, the latter had jumped up and before they could do anything, he had grabbed Amber by the arm and ran off with her.

    "SISTER!"

    "AMBER!"

    -----

    Amber winced in pain after Dane had roughly grabbed her by the arm. And then she felt the weight underneath her lightened as she was thrown up into the air. She let out a little shriek of fright, tightly closing her eyes.

    She had thought that she was going to die at that moment but soon after, a warm and furry arms enveloped her into an embrace.

    She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in Dane''s arms as he ran ahead in full speed.

    "Dane?" she said softly, peeking at him hesitantly.

    Dane just growled softly as he continued to run.

    Shortly after, they arrived at what seems like a large clearing, nothing but green grass. However, when Amber finally took a second look around her, she realized that there was a huge tree in the middle of the clearing. Its uprooted roots could be seen protruding above the ground, making it seem like small hills. The leaves growing on its branches were so thick, it spanned out widely up in the sky.

    Amber was so in awe with the tree that she did not realize that Dane had gently released her.

    She also did not notice that there were several shifters surrounding the tree as if to protect it. But Dane did as he began to snarl angrily at them.

    And before Amber could react, Dane was gone from her side. And the next thing she saw was Dane attacking the shifters.

    At first, she was worried because Dane was alone and outnumbered. But then again, it seems like she was worried for nothing as she watched him easily defeat all of them.

    Amber became fl.u.s.tered, not knowing what to do while Dane continued to fight the shifters. She doesn''t know who the shifters were and why Dane was attacking them.

    As she looked around her, she just recalled that they were separated from the others. She began to fret, thinking whether Remi was alright or not.

    She turned around, thinking that perhaps she could go back and looked for her brother.

    But as she looked ahead, she found that she had no idea where Dane had brought them.

    Behind her, Dane was still fighting the shifters until a loud shout could be heard over the fight.

    "THAT''S ENOUGH!"

    Dane managed to kick one of the shifters before turning his displeased look at the intruder interrupting his fight.

    His eyes narrowed as he watched the Cairin Alpha walking towards him, followed by his Beta and granddaughter. Apparently, Fergus and the others managed to reach the Oaks since Dane and Amber could see them following behind the three Cairin packmates.

    Amber felt extremely relieved when she saw her brother among the entourage. She was about to rush over to him when she saw Dane snarling at the Alpha.

    Amber was confused as to why her mate was angered by Isaiah''s presence.

    Dane growled dangerously under his breath as he studied the expressions of Isaiah. He saw the shocked look on the latter''s face before changing his expression. Dane could still see the guilt in the old shifter''s eyes.

    He knew!

    "You--"

    Isaiah immediately bowed his head, shocking the shifters around him. "Please, Lycan Prince. Let''s talk at my residence."

    He waited for Dane''s answer, tension could be seen in his posture as he awaits.

    When he finally heard the other shifter''s agreement, Isaiah let out a breath of relief. He immediately turned to Fergus, ordering him to go and make sure things were going smoothly at the festival whereas to Makena, he told her to attend to the injured shifters, who were protecting the tree.

    Nearly an hour later, they found themselves inside the Alpha''s house, in the receiving room. Dane sat on one sofa, together with Amber, who looked awkward. Probably because Fergus and Roel were standing behind them as if they were the subordinates and Dane was the boss.

    Isaiah sat across them, a solemn look on his face.

    The atmosphere in the room was so tense and thick, one could cut the air with a knife. Isaiah could sense the fury and killing intent in Dane''s eyes as the latter continued to brood in his seat.

    Isaiah felt it was fortunate that the Lycan Prince''s mate was there with them or he knew that he would probably breathe his last breath at that time.

    "So, tell meˇ­ how did part of my soul become the lifeline of that damned tree?" Dane barked.

 Chapter 212 - SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

    Many apologies! I could not help but keep saying apology. I know I haven''t been posting chapters lately and I apologized for not living up to my commitment.

    A couple of days ago, I was down with acute gastroenteritis, which made me unable to write any chapters at all. Although, currently I''m fine, I''m also swamped with work which does not give me any free time to write my chapters as I used to.

    So, I''m sorry for not being able to write and I hope that I will be able to write soon! Thank you for your understanding!

    If you''d like to reach out to me, do join my Discord server discord.gg/uwE9yeF or you could follow me at Instagram @deetalkingcupcake and drop me a message to say, ''hi''.

 Chapter 212 - 203: True Lycan

    "So, tell meˇ­ how did part of my soul become the lifeline of that damned tree?" Dane barked.

    Isaiah took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. It has been a while since he felt a strong pressure like this. He does not feel ashamed that he felt intimidated by a shifter that was younger than himself. Though, it could be said that Dane was older than him.

    Soon after, Isaiah slowly explained about how part of Dane''s soul was first discovered at the Oaks. One could imagine a soul similar to a ghost fluttering around in the air, looking for a body. But instead, it found the nearly dying tree. That huge tree was one of the Cairin pack''s foundations and was strongly protected by the Cairin pack. However, it slowly weakened after non-stop attacks from Rehan back then.

    Just as it was about to die, Dane''s soul arrived and inhabited the tree. For years, it had helped in healing the tree. At first, the Cairin packs thought that it was a miracle that the tree was suddenly cured, albeit slowly. However, only Isaiah knows as he noticed a sign of a different life inside the tree. He had kept this information all these years because for his selfish purpose; he needed that soul to help cure the tree. Even if they were known as a pack that was strong in healing but it wasn''t enough for the tree.

    It had been years since Dane''s soul had inhabited the tree. Because of the long duration of possession, it seems like the soul became disoriented as it continued to stay there. It was no wonder the soul did not react when Erick once visited the Oaks that first time.

    But now that Dane has his other soul fragments, making his senses more strong, he could finally sense that last fragment.

    After Isaiah was done talking, there was a moment of silence as the other shifters from the Kendall packs and Amber tried to digest all the information they had received inside their minds.

    Dane then broke the silence and stared at Isaiah straight in the eye. "I want my soul back."

    A couple of hours later, Dane and the rest of the Kendall packs, together with the Keene siblings were standing in front of the tree where Dane''s last soul fragment resided.

    Isaiah was with one of the Cairin elders on the other side, discussing on how to retrieve the soul out. At first, when the elder knew the whole story of what had happened, he rejected the notion of removing the soul from the tree. However, he took back his rejection when Dane had glared at him, threatening him without words.

    Remi, who was clueless about the whole thing, kept tugging on his sister''s clothes, shooting questions of whats, whys and hows. At first, he was scared when he saw his sister being stolen away by a huge werewolf. He was really shocked when he saw his big brother Erick changed to a werewolf.

    It took Hamish, Jeayan and Dex some time to explain to the little boy about shifters and what they were. But being a little boy, rather than getting more scared, he was in reverence, as his eyes turned shiny with admiration. So, now that he knew Erick and Dane were the same person, he wasn''t that scared anymore. Then again, it does not stop him from firing more questions at Amber.

    The latter, not knowing how to answer, just quietly shushed him and said that she will tell him later.

    The little boy wasn''t satisfied with the answers that his sister had given him but seeing the grave look on each person''s faces, he was smart enough to stop his questions and be silent.

    Soon after, Isaiah walked over to Dane and said some words to him, to which the latter nodded.

    Isaiah turned around to look at the Cairin elder and nodded, who returned the nod. He then took a few steps forward until he was standing exactly in front of the tree. He made a small nick on his hand and then dropped a bit of his blood on the roots of the tree.

    It was eerily quiet after that little drop. And suddenly, the ground beneath them started to shake, making it feel like there was an earthquake that was happening at that moment.

    Makena and Ezekiel, who had just returned from duties, quickly rushed over when they felt the sudden tremors. It seems the tremors could be felt throughout the Oaks.

    "Grandfather!"

    "Alpha!"

    The two ran over to the two sides of Isaiah Cairin. "Grandfather, what happened?" Makena asked, worry evident in her eyes and tone as she wrapped her arm around his.

    Isaiah placed a hand over hers and shook his head, saying without words that there was nothing to be overly concerned about.

    Seeing how the Alpha was fine and did nothing, Ezekiel took a step back and waited patiently, behind the two.

    The tremors underneath them took quite some time that it attracted many shifters to their side. It was fortunate that the Cairin pack was organized and disciplined as they were able to maintain order around them.

    At that moment, people there had their eyes concentrated on the tree, ignoring the trembling below them as they awaited what would happen next.

    "What the frick is going on here??"

    Hamish, Dex and Jeayan turned around and was surprised to see Bastian standing not far from them, his eyes on the huge tree, looking baffled and in shock.

    "What are you doing here? You''re alone?" Hamish asked as they watched the other young man walking towards them.

    "My pack was invited for the festival here. I was walking around when I felt the tremors. I followed my instincts and it brought me here," Bastian answered, his eyes still on the tree.

    Before Hamish could answer him, Dane, who was in front of him, suddenly surged forward, towards the tree. Soon after, they could see something coming out from the tree, hovering in the air. Despite its weak appearance, they could feel the strength and power from that soul.

    Once he could see the soul, Dane immediately let out a huge roar and in seconds, the soul that was drifting above rushed towards the lycan. Amber and Remi, who were standing next to him, could feel the intense pressure sweeping towards them that they nearly fell down. It was fortunate that Hamish and Jeayan were quick on their feet as they rushed to pull them away from Dane.

    After moving to safety, followed by the other nearby shifters, there was only Dane crouching on his feet, in front of the tree. The soul was already inside Dane.

    And at that moment, similar to the previous incidents where he merged with his other soul fragments, he felt like there were thousands of needles stabbing on his head as prickling heat overcame his body and more. His claws dug down on the ground as he tried to withstand the pain that was surging throughout his body.

    Although he could not see what was happening to him physically, the others could as they watched in awe and shock.

    What used to be dark had now turned to white; his front body, legs and head had now turned to white, making him look like a true Lycan. No, he is the true Lycan!

    After what felt like hours but actually long minutes, Dane finally stood up. Compared to before, he became bigger with his fangs and claws more pronounced and sharp. His amber eyes glistened against the white fur, making it more striking.

    He then raised his head up to the sky and howled loudly, as if to announce his return.

    The surrounding shifters immediately kneeled down towards Dane.

    Amber and Remi, who were still clueless about what had happened, had no idea what to do next so they too followed the others as they kneeled.

    Dane cricked his neck and looked over at the other side of the area. "Seems like they are here," he commented.

 Chapter 213 - 204: Uninvited Guests

    Dane cricked his neck and looked over at the other side of the area. "Seems like they are here," he commented.

    As soon as he said that, the whole area around the tree started to darken.

    Dane immediately turned around and barked out orders. "Jeayan, Dex, bring Amber and Remi to safety! Protect them at all costs! Fergus, Roel, Hamish, shift now!"

    Ignoring the surprised shrieks and shouts from the two siblings, Jeayan and Dex quickly did as they were told as they grabbed both Amber and Remi and ran out of the area as fast as they could.

    Fergus, Roel and Hamish immediately stripped out of their clothes and shifted into their wolf counterpart. Bastian, who had stood up, looked around, looking confused. "What''s going on?" he asked.

    Isaiah frowned in displeasure as he too looked at where Dane was looking at.

    Makena narrowed her eyes too in that direction as she stripped out of her clothes, preparing to shift. Ezekiel, who stood behind them, also did the same thing as Makena.

    Bastian soon found out why Dane and the others had shifted to their wolf counterpart as he quickly followed suit.

    Shortly after, there were a group of shifters, waiting for the battle to start with Dane leading.

    After the area started to mysteriously darken, a swift of haze swept around them, fogging their visions. However, it did not hinder Dane''s sight as his senses are obviously stronger than the others.

    Before the others could regain their standing, Dane had rushed ahead. And soon, there was a loud explosion that could be heard.

    After that huge commotion, the haze around them started to dissipate as Kaius and the others could finally see their surroundings.

    In front of them, Dane was on the ground where his claws had made a large crater where his punch had hit. The ground cracked underneath Dane''s power.

    "Oops! Seems like I was late~"

    Dane''s eyes narrowed at the annoying sing-along voice above him.

    Krys!

    The young warlock was hovering above, using a telekinesis spell. He looked down at the growling white lycan and snickered. "Seems like I''ve made the young prince angry." He then pretended to look scared, as he cupped his hands over his mouth in an exaggerated action. "Lord Rehan is going to kill meˇ­"

    "Youˇ­" Dane growled.

    Krys looked down at Dane arrogantly and said, "Yes, that''s how you should look at me. Looking up." He then guffawed, as if it was funny to see the proud lycan looking up at him.

    While he was laughing with tears coming out of his eyes, he did not realize that Dane had jumped up and slammed him down to the ground, thus creating another small crater beside the previous one.

    Krys was shocked when he got slammed down. He did not expect a lycan could fly.

    Spitting out the dirt from his mouth as he weakly tried to push himself off the ground, he looked up and discovered that Dane hadn''t actually flown. Instead, his jumping strength was so strong that it made it look like he could fly. His eyes narrowed at Dane.

    He quickly stood up, ignoring the pain all around his body and shouted, "Attack!"

    Soon after, there was another group of warlocks coming forward, hovering in the air. Their hands started to make weird movements as their loud chants resounded throughout the area.

    Isaiah felt like his heart was going to drop when he saw spells on top of the tree. He whirled around at the other Cairin packmates who were still around and yelled, "PROTECT THE TREE!"

    Rae immediately turned around, heading towards the tree, together with the other Cairin packmates. After they reached the tree, Rae quickly ordered them to surround the tree, forming a barrier in a defense stance.

    While Rae and the other Cairin packmates were busy protecting the tree, Kaius and the rest, including Amarok, Bastian''s wolf-counterpart, went to join Dane.

    Seeing that he was about to be outnumbered, Krys let out a smirk and blew a whistle. Soon after, there was a rumbling sound, coming from behind the warlock, followed by tremors underneath them, as if there was a huge stampede coming their way.

    Dane''s eyes narrowed at the incoming and uninvited guests; rogues!

    It seems like the warlocks are really working together with the rogues.

    And there was one familiar rogue among them. It was the same rogue that they had battled with at the mansion. And Dane could sense an eerie feeling emitted from the rogue and from that sense, he could feel that he was stronger than before.

    "Haha! Time for payback!" came the raspy laughing voice of the mutated rogue as he led the rogues into the clash.

    Isaiah''s face fell. He then realized that either the Oaks was lacking in defense or his packmates were already defeated by them, enabling them to invade the Oaks.

    Seeing a familiar face among the shifters, the mutated rogue ran at high speed, his fisted claws heading straight for Dane. But before his fist could reach Dane, the latter had quickly side-stepped, dodging the attack and grabbed the former''s wrist. Dane then turned around, swinging the mutated rogue in a circle before tossing him against the incoming rogues, hitting them.

    Winded, the mutated rogue and the other rogues struggled to get up. The former was quite surprised with Dane''s speed. Apparently he had become more fast, compared to the last time he had seen him. Was it because he was now a full lycan?

    Gritting his fangs in fury and jealousy, he never thought that the time that he hadn''t seen the shifter, he would get that strong and that he was a lycan too!

    When he finally got up, he thrusted himself forward by pushing against the ground, heading towards Dane. However, this time, Dane did not avoid the attack as he waited for the strike to reach him.

    And when the punch reached Dane, the mutated rogue was shocked to realize that rather than hurting the other party, he got hurt instead. His claws felt like it was broken in several places as his strength went limp. Dane just c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at the pain the mutated rogue was expressing and sent a kick towards the latter''s stomach, sending him flying once more.

    Wanting to make sure that the rogue wouldn''t recover that easily, Dane followed behind as he leaped forward.

    The mutated rogue was shocked once more when he saw Dane''s leaping power was quite fast as he was already above him. Ignoring the look of surprise from the rogue, Dane bashed his claws at his face, slamming the latter on the ground. The power from the punch was so strong that the rogue got dragged down the ground, bringing the dirt and soil with him.

    Krys'' eyes narrowed. It seems like he had underestimated Dane''s strength. He did not expect that he would get this strong after finally becoming a full lycan.

    He looked over at the other rogues and warlocks. The warlocks were having trouble against Rae and her group, several of the warlocks were either injured or dead. As for the rogues, although they outnumbered against Dane''s group of shifters, he knew that sooner or later, the other shifters from the Cairin pack would come.

    He needs to come up with something!

 Chapter 214 - 205: Thats it?

    Oblivious to the worried concern inside Krys'' mind, Dane and the other packmates continued to attack the rogues and warlocks. Despite being outnumbered, the shifters were stronger than them as they easily retaliated against the ambush. It doesn''t matter whether they were attacked by surprise, the strength of the shifters were stronger than them. One has not yet counted for the remaining Cairin packmates who were not yet near the sacred tree.

    Seeing that the rogues and the warlocks were about to be defeated, Krys immediately thought of a plan. Although he was not that afraid of Rehan, he feared the man behind Rehan. He had never met Harding before, but he had heard stories about him; his cruelty and brutality. He had seen the look of terrors in other people''s eyes when they talked about him, even Rehan. And he knew that Harding wasn''t a person that one should take lightly of.

    He immediately sends out a telepathy to all the present warlocks, telling them to give buffs to all the rogues. He then casted buffs on himself. Seeing the ''useless'' mutated rogue having a hard time dealing with Dane, he decided to help him. He did not want to feel the wrath of Harding later.

    At that time, Dane and the mutated rogue were exchanging blows after another. The pressure and power emitted from the punches send vibrations throughout the area that it even reached those at the tree.

    Rae was trying her hardest to fight off the warlocks and at the same time, to ensure that the tree did not receive any damages from both the warlocks and the impact of Dane''s fight.

    There were some noticeable damages to the tree since there were some spells casted by the warlocks that the shifters were not able to defend against. There were some burn marks on the tree caused by the warlocks and fortunately, it wasn''t that serious. Some of the Cairin shifters who were already there had to forgo joining the battle and concentrating on healing the tree, including Isaiah Cairin.

    The mutated rogue started to become agitated, realizing that his strength was on par with Daneˇ­ or perhaps, less. He knew that he was fighting a lost cause but he did not want to lose to a demn shifter.

    He was brought back to life when he became a rogue. Lord Harding gave him this life! Lord Rehan gave him this strength! He will not disappoint the two of them and will do everything it takes to win.... Even at the cost of his life!

    Not satisfied with the way things went, the rogue quickly jumped on Dane and was about to land a punch down. However, Dane was much quicker as he managed to side-step and landed a kick towards the rogue''s side abdomen, sending him flying.

    The rogue winced in pain but he managed to slow down from flying further as he stabbed his claws on the ground, decelerating his speed. He soon jumped onto his paws and headed straight for Dane, who was waiting for him.

    Dane purposely let the rogue slammed his claws into his face, making Dane''s back nearly bend backwards. But the former managed to withstand the slam as he stomped down on the ground, holding back from falling.

    Shocked, the mutated rogue took a step back. He had used all of his strength in that punch but it seems like it was nothing but a small graze from him to Dane.

    "Youˇ­"

    "My turn," Dane said. He then returned his claw right in the face too, sending the rogue flying.

    SLAM!

    The mutated rogue gritted his fangs in anger and in pain as he flew across the area once more. Fortunately for him, he didn''t fly that far as he was saved from falling further by slamming against some of the nearby fighting rogues.

    Dane frowned. Such a pity that he didn''t manage to knock him dead. Seems like he needs his soul to get used to his body after a long hibernation inside that tree.

    He was about to rush towards the mutated rogue when he felt something heading towards him. He immediately jumped aside and soon after, there was a fireball whizzing past by. Unfortunately for Dane, it did not hit the mutated rogue as he too managed to avoid the attack.

    Dane growled as he watched Krys floated next to the mutated rogue. Seconds later, he saw the warlock casting more and more spells on the mutated rogue. Seeing how the rogue seems to look as if he was getting stronger, Dane knew that this doesn''t bode well for him. He guessed that the spell must have been quite powerful to be able to strengthen the rogue.

    It seems like Krys had not been slacking behind on his spell classes.

    And he was right as he could sense the strength of the mutated rogue has become stronger, ten-folds. In fact, Dane could sense that their strengths were probably more or less the same. And before he could speculate more, the mutated rogue had already appeared in front of him and punched his face, sending him a few steps back.

    Without giving Dane a chance to recover, the rogue continued to pummel the former in the face, all the while laughing hysterically.

    The mutated rogue was slightly happy when he saw Krys appear beside him earlier. He knew that he must have finally shown himself to support him. And after being casted on, he was deliriously ecstatic when he felt power surged throughout his body. He felt he had a chance to win against Dane.

    While the rogue was happily punching Dane in the face, he did not notice the look in the latter''s eyes changed.

    After a few more punches, when the rogue was about to land another one, he was surprised when Dane caught his claw in his. He turned his head towards Dane, who looked at him with fury in his eyes.

    Before he could do anything, he felt immense pain from the claw that was caught in Dane''s.

    AAARGH!

    Dane had gripped the rogue''s claw so tight in his that the latter felt like his bones were breaking. Which it did.

    After subduing the rogue, Dane twisted his wrist and pulled back. Soon after, the rogue felt like his arm was about to be pulled out. Which again it did. Dane immediately clawed off the arm from the rogue''s arm, emitting a cry from the latter.

    Krys was shocked at the Lycan''s brutality. He was about to rush over to assist the rogue but before he could reach them, Dane had thrown the amputated arm at Krys, knocking him off.

    Not wanting to let the rogue to recoverˇ­ or even to let him escape, it was Dane''s turn to pummel him. The rogue felt he was submerged in endless pain after his arm was amputated that he did not have the strength to retaliate nor to defend against the attack.

    Shortly after, the rogue died with many holes in his body from the pummelling of Dane''s. His eyes were wide open in shock when he died as if he could not believe that he would die at Dane''s hands.

    Looking down at the dead rogue on the ground, Dane frowned.

    ''That''s it?'' he thought.

 Chapter 215 - 206: Never underestimate the one with the Lycan blood

    [Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and death!]

    Looking down at the dead rogue on the ground, Dane frowned.

    ''That''s it?'' he thought.

    Krys grudgingly got to his feet, his eyes widened at the scene in front of him. ''Noˇ­ this can''t be!'' he thought to himself, feeling dread overcoming him. ''I''ve used all the power I can to strengthen that damned mutt and it''s not enough??''

    He took a staggering step back, his eyes on Dane who was still looking down at the dead rogue. He then looked around and to his disbelief, even though they outnumbered the shifters here, they were still losing!

    What''s going on here??

    Before Dane noticed him, he decided to flee. He regrets coming to this place, not expecting that this would be his burial ground! He immediately went the other way. In the midst of other rogues and shifters'' fighting, he broke through them. But before that, he had quickly casted an invisibility spell on himself to ensure that Dane did not notice him.

    The others were startled when they felt something had bumped or pushed them away, resulting in a chaotic scene that does not benefit both sides of the parties.

    "HEY!"

    "What was that??"

    "Something just fricking bumped into me!"

    Ignoring the bedlam he had caused behind him, Krys continued to escape with tails between his legs. He rather faced the wrath of Rehan than being killed by that vile lycan. He did not want to be known as the warlock who was weak against shifters. Even if that shifter was a lycan!

    Just as he was running away, Dane raised his head and looked around him. Havoc rising up around him as many casualties increased; there were many warlocks, shifters and rogues ended up being dead in the fight. It was quite a gory and barbaric brawl. There were slashes and gashes here and there; causing many blood to spill in the area. What used to be a lush and greenery field was now a red and bloodied place, where the smell of the metallic blood was very strong in the air.

    Dane looked around him and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

    Over at one side, Kaius and Elias were fighting together against some of the rogues. Seeing how there were hardly some scratches on their body and how many rogues were left lying on the ground with blood around them, it seems like the father-son duo have such great teamwork.

    Calder and Amarok, on the other hand, seems like they were not used to each other''s fighting as they kept intercepting each other, resulting in Amarok shouting blasphemy at the calm Calder, who continued fighting, without replying to the angry shifter.

    Seeing how they seemed to be able to handle the situation around him, Dane decided to search for the ''mischievous'' warlock, who had been giving him problems and annoying him.

    Using his sense of smell, he carefully looked around him. He knew that the warlock was probably in incognito, hiding among the brawl happening around the area. Disregarding those fighting around him, Dane quickly followed the scent. Although he could not see the warlock, he could still smell his scent.

    There were a few warlocks and rogues, who had their sight in Dane as they either attempted to attack him or double teamed on him. However, the lycan easily subdued them, flipping them over his shoulders and continued on his pursuit.

    Ahead of him, Krys was getting anxious and panicky. He felt like the lycan was closing in on him. He was too afraid to look over his shoulder as he pushed his way through the brawls happening around him.

    When he saw Rae fighting against one of the rogues, who was trying to destroy their sacred tree, he felt like he had found a chance to live. He immediately rushed towards Rae, who was oblivious to the incoming danger coming to her.

    Once he reached Rae''s side, the latter felt something appear next to her. However, when she turned, she could find nothing, which seemed bizarre.

    Before she could speculate what was going on, she felt her arms were being held behind her, against her will. And she could feel something hot, like fire poking underneath her chin.

    Her eyes widened in shock when a warlock suddenly materialised beside her. She looked down to where she could feel the burning sensation and saw that it was a wand that was probably smothered with wolfsbane.

    Dane narrowed his eyes dangerously when he saw that the cowardly warlock had used Rae as the scapegoat for his way out.

    Kaius, who was in the middle of fighting against two of the warlocks, saw what had happened to Rae, at the same time Dane did. He felt angry at how the despicable warlock has the guts to use his mate as his shield. He immediately finished off the two warlocks, slamming their heads against each other with full power, smashing them like one would smash a watermelon.

    Ignoring the blood and fluid that were dripping down from his claws, Kaius quickly rushed over to where Rae was being held against.

    However, before he could reach her, Dane had held out his arm, stopping the shifter from moving ahead. Kaius growled in anger at his interference.

    Dane looked over at Kaius and said raspily, "Do you not trust your mate?"

    Kaius snarled in anger at Dane''s assumption. "Of course, I do! But she''s--"

    "Trust her."

    Before Kaius could reply, Rae, who was thought to be helpless in her current situation, suddenly turned her head to the other side, Towards Krys and grabbed the wand in her claws. There was a sizzling sound coming out from her claws, as if her claws were burning. But the shifter was oblivious to it, much to the warlock''s shock.

    She snapped the wand in half and grinded it into dust in her claws, shocking the warlock further. The wound on Rae''s chin where the wand with the wolfsbane had poked her, quickly healed up, as if it wasn''t there in the first place.

    Taking advantage of the warlock''s surprise, Rae grabbed Krys by the neck and raised him up in the air. Krys immediately tried to grab at her claws, trying to get away from her as he tried to breathe.

    Dane scoffed. "Never underestimate a shifter who has been locked in the bas.e.m.e.nt for so long, thinking she has done nothing at all. Especially one who has the lycan blood."

 Chapter 216 - 207: RĂ©union between the brothers

    Krys looked down at the claws that were gripping his neck, trying without success to release them. Now that his wand was broken, he was not sure whether he could get away from this place safely. He can''t chant any spells without his wand!

    Feeling that the grip on his neck has tightened more, Krys could feel that his days were about to end as he was about to choke to death. He tightly closed his eyes as he grabbed hold on the claws at his neck, already waiting for his demise.

    However, just as he thought he was going to die at that moment, the hold on him suddenly lessened. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Rae falling to the ground.

    "Rae!"

    Kaius quickly rushed to her side and growled when he saw the burn marks on her right shoulder.

    Seeing that the shifter had his attention on his mate, Krys swiftly crawled on his behind, away from the two shifters, fear and relief on his face.

    Dane frowned when he saw someone approaching them. Or rather, two of them.

    There was a small fire flickering above one of the two men''s hands. He was standing behind a burly and muscular man, who was walking leisurely towards them.

    The man in front looked over at Kaius and Rae and immediately dismissed them from his thoughts as he only spared them a glance before his eyes landed on Dane.

    "Dane, long time no see," the man said raspily.

    A shocked glint appeared in Dane''s eyes as he recognized the man in front of him. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He did not expect that he was still alive after all these decades.

    "Brotherˇ­" he said slowly.

    Harding laughed out loud as he held his head in one hand, throwing his head back, seemingly to find it amusing when Dane called him, ''brother''.

    Once he was done laughing, there was still a hint of laughter in his voice as he wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes. With his one hand on his h.i.p.s, he looked at Dane, who was growling at him.

    Nearby, Kaius, who had the unconscious Rae in his arms, felt the immense pressure emitting from the man. He could sense he was strong. Perhaps, stronger than Dane.

    "Wowˇ­ It has been a while since you called me, ''brother''," the man commented sarcastically.

    "I thought you were dead," Dane stated simply.

    Anger gleamed in the man''s eyes before it disappeared, making one think that they were probably seeing things. "You would like that, wouldn''t you, Dane?"

    "Why would I like itˇ­?" Dane retorted back sharply. "YOU KILLED OUR PARENTS, HARDING!" he then shouted angrily.

    Harding shrugged. "They were in the way," he replied nonchalantly. He then narrowed his eyes at Dane as he growled fiercely under his breath. "Father has the nerve to choose you as the next Alpha when I''m around!"

    He continued on, snorting, "And those other ''brothers'' of ours," he spat out the word ''brothers'', "They think they were strong enough to overthrow me when they were just some bunch of weaklings in our packs, despite being the offsprings of the Alpha. Useless."

    Dane''s eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "Did you kill them too?" he asked, unsure.

    Harding threw his head back again as he barked out a loud laughter. "Those idiots don''t even know what was happening around them. With a couple of whispers here and there, it was easy to make them kill among themselves!"

    Dane clenched and unclenched his claws. Although he wasn''t close with his other brothers, they were still his blood siblings. And to think that the sibling that he was close the most was this man in front of him.

    He was shocked when he first heard stories about Harding. He did not want to believe that the same shifter who used to play with him and talk about his dreams and hope were the same shifter who had killed their parents.

    That day when the massacre had happened, he had hid inside the closet, not wanting to go out. But at some point, he had peered out and saw with his own eyes that Harding had slashed their parents in front of him to their death.

    He had quickly covered his mouth, feared that he would be the next one. It was fortunate that Harding did not notice him as he continued on with his massacre. He had to admit that he was scared at that time. He was still weak, compared to Harding who had years of battling experience.

    It was unsure what had happened next. He was so scared and in shock, it appeared that he probably fainted after screaming and then was killed. By whom, until this day, he did not know who.

    Seeing his brother standing before him, Dane knew that what had happened before actually happened.

    Despite the loud fighting that was happening around them, they were quiet as they studied each other. It has been decades since they last saw each other.

    "I seriously did not expect that you were still alive," Harding commented, surprise detected in his tone. "Although you''re just a soul now, living in a human''s body, I seriously thought you were dead. Could this be the reason why Father chose you as an Alpha? Did he know something about you that we don''t?"

    Dane just kept quiet as he continued to stare at the unfamiliar brother of his.

    Harding then let out an exaggerated sigh as he shrugged. "Anyway, I''m not here to reminiscence on boring memories."

    He turned to Rehan, who stood dutifully behind him and said, "Kill him."

    Dane immediately went on a defensive stance as he waited for Rehan to rush towards him.

    However, to his surprise, Rehan only went past him, without sparing him a glance.

    Dane whirled around and was further surprised when he saw who Rehan was rushing towards.

    Krys'' eyes widened as he watched his superior coming closer to him. "Lord--"

    He did not get the chance to speak more as Rehan stabbed his hand through Krys'' body where his heart lies.

    Krys looked down at his body in shock, watching as Rehan had his heart in his hand. Soon after, the former could feel a burning sensation running through his body as Rehan''s arm suddenly goes up in flames.

    Shortly after, Krys died in the hands of Rehan, his body charred from the fire and his heart crushed after being squeezed. Krys'' last thoughts were in disarray as he wondered why they had killed him.

 Chapter 217 - 208: Well meet again soon

    Dane narrowed his eyes at Rehan, who looked emotionless as he looked down at his bloody hand, holding bits of Krys'' heart. The latter then shakes his hand as if trying to get rid of the residues. After that, he wiped his hand clean with a handkerchief, before burning the napkin.

    Seconds later, he appeared once more behind Harding, who had his arms crossed across his chest.

    "I thought that guy was your subordinate," Dane accused, anger could be heard in his tone. Although Krys was someone he detest, he did not think that his superior would just kill him without a second thought.

    Harding turned to look at Dane, a surprised look on his face. Or rather, his expression was saying, ''What kind of comment is that? Do I look as if I care?''

    "Subordinate?" he repeated. He then laughed out loud. And as quickly as his expression changes, he turned solemn as he answered, "What use of a subordinate who fails again and again?"

    Dane frowned in confusion. And then he recalled back then. It seems like the incident where Krys had kidnapped Amber and Bastian and again at the mansion was deemed as a failure that Harding could not tolerate.

    "Bite me once, bite me two times, never again!" declared Harding as he placed his hands on his h.i.p.s.

    Rehan, who was standing silently behind Harding, cleared his throat and corrected the latter softly, "I believe the saying is, ''Once bitten, twice shy'', my Lord."

    "Shut up!" Harding snarled, displeased at the fact that he was corrected.

    Rehan immediately went silent.

    Harding then turned to look around him, inspecting the situation happening before his eyes. The more he looks, the deeper the frown on his face.

    Without turning to face Rehan, he ordered, "Lets go."

    "Go, my Lord?" Rehan asked in confusion.

    Harding nodded as he turned to walk away from the scene.

    "But what about--"

    "Leave them. It''s an honour for them to die for me," Harding replied nonchalantly.

    "Harding, you--!" Dane shouted.

    Before Dane could speak more, he was hit by a fireball from Rehan. Although it did not render him unconscious, as it had happened to Rae, it did prevent the former from approaching them further.

    Dane gritted his fangs angrily, his claws touching the wound where the fireball had hit his hind leg. He could only watch Harding and Rehan walk away, not caring that they had abandoned their people without looking back.

    He tried to get to his feet but he staggered back down when the pain in leg became quite painful, sending a flaming sensation throughout his veins.

    Calder, who had been fighting alongside Amarok, just noticed Dane''s predicament and wanted to rush over. Seeing how Amarok seems to be coping well, Calder did not hesitate to leave him alone. After telling Amarok that he was going over to Dane, the former just waved him away.

    Apparently, he was having the time of his life, fighting against the warlocks and the rogues. Even though there were many bruises and wounds on his body, the bloodl.u.s.t in Amarok''s was so strong that he did not feel the pain.

    By the time Calder had arrived by Dane''s side, both Harding and Rehan had already disappeared from sight.

    But before Harding left, he threw some words for Dane. "See you later, little brother. I will leave you off for now."

    Dane clenched and unclenched his claws, gritting his fangs furiously. He slammed his claws on the ground, creating a small hole from the impact. He was furious at how Harding managed to leave without any conscience towards his people and how he easily disregarded the fact that he had killed their parents.

    What made him more furious was the fact that after all these decades, he was still too weak against Harding. It did not matter whether he finally had all of his souls. The point was that he was even defeated by a measly fireball from Rehan. Even if that wasn''t any ordinary fireball.

    As he silently fumed, crouching on the ground, Calder went down and bowed at Dane. "My apologies, my prince. I was late to assist you."

    Dane shook his head. "It''s fine. I was just too weak," he admitted. He tried to get up once more but teetered when the pain rushed up from his leg. Calder immediately supported him by wrapping his arm around the former''s shoulders.

    After supporting the lycan to a spot where he could sit, Calder quickly checked the injury on Dane''s shoulder and was surprised to see that there were some flakes of wolfbane dust. It was no wonder Dane was weakened and Rae had fainted from the small fireball.

    Hours later, what used to be a place that was filled with shouts, punches and slashes soon dimmed and silent as the numbers of rogues and warlocks began to dwindle. Unfortunately, so did the numbers of shifters too. There were many deaths and injuries around them that the place reeked of blood and gore.

    Earlier, when the warlocks and rogues finally found out that Krys was dead and their lord had basically abandoned them, they scurried around, trying to escape the place. They knew that they did not have the chance to stay alive if they lingered. Sadly for them who did not manage to escape fell into the hands of the other Cairin shifters, who had arrived a few minutes before.

    There were many activities happening at that moment after most of the rogues and warlocks had been disposed of. There were shifters, who were led by Isaiah Cairin, tending to the tree, as they used their healing powers to cure it. And there were some who went to look after the injured.

    Ezekiel was the third strongest shifter in the Cairin pack who had great healing power, after Isaiah and Rae. Thus, all he could do was to send out orders for the other shifters to bring the injured to him. Next to him, Elias also helped as he carried at least two or three injured on his back, carrying them to Ezekiel.

    Seeing that Ezekiel was going to heal the injured, Kaius also carried Rae over for healing.

    At first, Calder had asked whether Dane wanted to walk over to Ezekiel to get healed up. But Dane shook his head, rejecting the offer by saying that he was fine. Truthfully, his healing powers were much stronger than Ezekiel. Even more so than Rae, since he finally has all of his souls. So he will probably heal much faster and better than waiting for Ezekiel.

    Watching as shifters were busy here and there, Dane let out a sigh. Although he has his full soul back, it seems like it was not enough for Harding.

    He needed to get stronger!

 Chapter 218 - 209: Ten years later

    Ten years later.

    "CASE CLOSED!"

    Erick stood up from the table and smiled as his supervisor shook hands with his client, congratulating her on winning the case.

    It has been ten years since the last confrontation with Harding and Rehan. And since then, it has been quiet. Erick and the others have graduated from highschool and were in their prospective career fields. Although they have their own jobs, they were still in contact with one another, especially those from the same pack.

    Erick and Amber were still together (of course!) but they do not have the plans to get married just yet. This was because Erick wanted to pass the bar exam before proposing to Amber, who agreed and supported him. But the two did get engaged a few years back.

    At first, their families did not support their decision. They argued that it was better for them to get married immediately. However, Amber refuted their arguments, saying she was satisfied with the status for now. She knows how much Erick wanted to become a lawyer so she wanted to help him achieve his dreams, even if their wedding might take a couple of more years. She understood that their families, especially her family were concerned about her. But she believed that Erick and her were even more close than any other married couples. So she did not mind at all, especially since they lived together now.

    As for their friends, Roel still works as a chef and there were stories about him being chosen as the next owner since the owner has no heirs to leave the restaurant to. Jeayan was a housewife where she worked full-time taking care of the house and also has spent her free time at the packhouse, taking care of the other packmates'' pups. The two had gotten married immediately after Jeayan had graduated from highschool. At first, Roel wanted to wait for her to finish her college education but she disagreed, saying that she did not want to wait any longer. Unfortunately, the two don''t have any children yet.

    Hamish, on the other hand, now worked as an Inspector of the Police, following his father''s footsteps. After Makena moved to Burkendall town a couple of years ago, the two got married in a huge ceremony, combining the two packs; the Kendall and the Cairin pack. It was quite a happening ceremony that it took nearly a week for the event to end.

    Since Makena does not have much experience when it comes to a job, Mary invited her to join her in her bakery business. It was then Makena realized she has the knack for baking as well. Currently, she was pregnant with their first child.

    At that moment, Erick was with his supervisor at the town court where they had just finished a case on child custody. Their client was a single woman who got sued by her ex-boyfriend, wanting to get full custody of their child. There were times that the custody would automatically go to the mother but because the father had argued about the fact that he has enough income to support his child, compared to his ex-girlfriend, the case was raised.

    At first, the woman felt like she would not win the case and with no choice, she sought help from her friend, who was also a friend of Erick''s supervisor.

    Erick''s supervisor was actually a human being named Murray Jentzen, who specialized in cases such as child custody. He was a close friend of Coach Elijah, who had introduced the two of them. After knowing that Erick has no intention to continue playing football as his career but instead, had an interest in law, he then invited Murray to meet his star player. It was fortunate that the two of them had hit off and Murray had immediately taken Erick as his associate where he would be teaching him the ropes.

    In regards to the case, Erick was very much involved where he did some investigations and more, resulting in them discovering that the ex-boyfriend of the client was actually a man who had lots of debts and was planning to sell his son to another family. With this evidence, Murray was able to win the case for the woman. He was grateful and pleased with Erick''s work that he wanted to invite him for a drink for celebration.

    They were outside the courthouse when Murray invited his young associate. However, to his surprise, Erick rejected his offer.

    He had shook his head, saying that he needed to get home. Ever since the case has started, he hasn''t been at home much and has missed his alone time with his mate.

    Murray chuckled. He knew Erick was a shifter and that he hadn''t mated with his beloved. He once asked out of curiosity, apologizing first for being crude, why he did not mate with his beloved? Surprise, respect and admiration poured out from Murray for the young man when he had heard his answer, saying that the young shifter would rather wait for the wedding. He wanted it to be special, knowing that he would not fall to his primal urges.

    Murray then told him perhaps next time they can go for some drinks and that he could invite Amber along. Erick nodded and thanked him. The two then went separate ways.

    Few minutes later, Erick finally arrived at his house. It was a house that was given by his parents. It was a modest two-storey house with a small porch, painted in white and topped with a red roof. There was a small garden in front of the house; it was where Amber usually did her gardening, where she planted vegetables such as tomatoes and chilis.

    At first, Amber''s parents disagreed with them living together when they were not married yet. But after much reassurance from Erick''s parents, saying that they will be staying close to their house and that they will be staying in different rooms, Eren and Syden finally conceded. However, sometimes Eren would sneakily send Remi off to Erick and Amber''s house, with the excuse of wanting them to take care of him while they were off to work, when in reality, he wanted Remi to be a chaperone.

    Erick did not mind Remi''s presence, though. Because he knew that there were times when Amber would miss her family. So with Remi around, she won''t become homesick.

    Standing in front of his house, Erick let out a small smile of content as he could hear his beloved''s voice talking happily with her brother.

    ''This is lifeˇ­''

 Chapter 219 - 210: Goodnight

    Erick continued his way to his house where he had shared with Amber. Hearing the happy laughter of the two siblings from the inside, he felt his heart getting warm with content. It has been a while since Remi had visited them. He was now attending highschool but because he was late in entering the school year before, due to his sickness, he was two years behind.

    He did not feel ashamed, though, being the oldest in his class. In fact, he was one of the most popular guys in highschool, especially when his schoolmates knew that he was close with Erick (who was once the most popular guy in school) and that he always has a sunny and friendly personality.

    After Erick had walked inside his house, he immediately went straight to the kitchen where he saw the two siblings talking animatedly with one another. It appears that they were waiting for him since the food that was served on the dining table has not been touched.

    Erick walked in, placing a kiss on the surprised Amber''s forehead and placed his suitcase on the floor, beside the kitchen table.

    Unembarrassed to see the loving scene in front of him, Remi grinned at Erick and teased, "You two seems like a married couple already."

    Amber flushed red at her brother''s teasing as she glared daggers at him. She then helped Erick take off his jacket before hanging them on the coat stand in the front hallway.

    Erick grinned back and said, "We''re more than any married couple." he then went to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. Remi just laughed.

    Amber had just returned to the kitchen when she heard Erick''s words. She flushed more and playfully hit Erick on the arm.

    Remi still has a smile on his face. Inside, he was thinking, ''Am I torturing myself with this dog food?''

    After the three of them had settled down at the kitchen table, Erick was surprised to find that the food was still hot, as if it was just recently cooked.

    Seeing the surprised look on Erick''s face, she understood why he was surprised and quickly explained that she had indeed just finished cooking a few minutes before he had arrived home. That was why the food was still piping hot.

    The three of them had a pleasant conversation together. Remi would be having his school tests in the next few weeks, hence why he was spending more time at his sister''s house. He wouldn''t be able to come over once he sits for his tests.

    Amber, who worked at the daycare, had come home early when Remi told her that he would be coming over. So, other than cooking Erick''s favourite dishes, he also made Remi''s. It was fortunate that the three of them mostly shared the same interest when it comes to food.

    On the table, there was a huge pan of shepherd''s pie, steaks, a huge bowl of potato salad and ginger chicken stir-fry with cabbage.

    Looking down at the ginger chicken stir-fry with cabbage with a strange look on his face, Erick turned his head to look at Amber with the same expression. Amber then giggled, saying that she saw the recipe on the internet and wanted to try something new for once.

    Erick shrugged. To him, it did not matter what kind of food there was on the table, as long as it''s delicious and there were some steaks. Remi, too, loved his steaks. Especially now that he was a growing young man, he felt like eating steak made him stronger.

    Shortly after, once they were done with dinner, Remi spent another few minutes with them, chatting before leaving the two lovebirds to themselves.

    When they were finally alone at home, they continued their relaxing evening by watching a movie together. At that moment, they were watching the ''Fantastic Beasts and where to find them''. It was another one of Amber''s favourite movies, other than the Harry Potter series. It wasn''t so surprising to know that these were her favourites as well since Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts has the same author/writer.

    They were nearly halfway to the end of the movie when Erick felt something dropped on his shoulder. He looked over and let out a small smile. Apparently, it has been a tiring day for Amber. In the morning, she had to work at the daycare, taking care of the kids until the afternoon. And then because of her brother''s arrival, she had to rush home to cook dinner for them. It was not everyday that her brother came over, thus why she did not mind cooking for him.

    Erick wasn''t that engrossed in the movie as much as she was. And since she was sleepingˇ­ He switched off the television before carrying Amber in a princess carry. At first, he was worried that she might have woken up when he carried her in his arms. But seeing her cuddling closer to him, he turned around and went up the stairs to her room.

    To honor Amber''s parents'' promise of them, the couple did sleep in different rooms. As much as Erick would love to sleep with her in his arms, he still has his conscience, not wanting Eren and Syden to distrust him.

    Opening the door with his hand, albeit with a bit of difficulty since he was still carrying her, he walked into her room.

    Her room shows signs of a woman''s room with lacy curtains on the windows, a large vanity mirror and a white vanity table. There was a small armchair on the side of the room with a small bookshelf, filled with her storybooks and novels. The room was huge as it has a connecting room with no doors, leading to a walk-in closet and a bathroom. The room was actually a master bedroom but because they decided to sleep in separate rooms, without any hesitation, Erick gave her the master bedroom while he took the other bedroom.

    He did not mind whether he would get the master bedroom or not since he never placed much importance towards a sleeping quarter, other than a place to sleep. In fact, he hardly spends time in his room. He would rather spend more time at the living room or in the kitchen.

    After placing Amber on her soft bed, he gave her another kiss on the forehead before tucking her in with the blankets. He whispered goodnight to her before moving away, switching off the lights and leaving the room.

    He was on his way to his own room when he received a mindlink from his father.

    He frowned. ''I wonder why dad is sending me a mindlink at this hour?'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 220 - 211: Mysterious death in the alley

    The next morning.

    Erick and Amber were having their breakfast together that morning. And surprisingly, it was a light breakfast, consisting of just toasts, eggs and sausages. Apparently, Amber was so tired that she overslept, resulting in Erick making breakfast, instead. Hardly the one who makes breakfast, thus why the meal was easy and simple.

    Once they were done with breakfast, the two left home together where Erick would send Amber off to the daycare first before going off to his own office. When he finally reached his office, he parked his car and went into the building.

    Greeting hello to the security guards and receptionist, he went ahead towards his office floor.

    His office was actually one of the office cubicles on his floor where it was arranged in rows of twos. It was a partially enclosed workspace with its own computer, office table and swivel chair. Although it may seem packed, it does not feel suffocated for Erick. And since he was only an associate, naturally he would only work in a cubicle and not in an office, like his superior, Murray, who was an attorney.

    Instead of going straight to work, he just sat on his seat as his mind wandered off,recalling his father''s warning to him the night before. After all these years, why now? It has been ten years. They have been living peacefully, going about on their days with no worries and anxieties. Yet, this happened.

    According to his father, someone has died in an alley in town. The cause of death was unknown and the body was found just a few minutes before his father had mindlinked him.

    Although Lachlan had retired from the police force, his successor to the position still informed him of things. Back then, there were talks about Fergus taking over the position of the Police Chief once Lachlan had retired. But to their surprise, when Lachlan retired, Fergus had followed suit. It wasn''t a surprise to the packmates who were still in the police force. They knew that their Beta would follow their Alpha everywhere he goes.

    Moving back to the death case, it was uncertain whether it was a murder or a suicide but Lachlan wanted Erick to investigate the case. The latter had argued that he wasn''t certain whether he could get near to the crime scene. Soon after he had said that, he then remembered Hamish. So, he immediately sent a text to Hamish that night as well, asking for help, which his best friend agreed and told him to meet up during lunchtime.

    Erick leaned back against his seat, still lost in thoughts when someone had knocked on his cubicle wall. He looked up and saw Murray standing outside his cubicle, looking down at him curiously with papers in his hand.

    He immediately stood up and greeted his superior.

    "What''s on your mind, bud?" Murray asked.

    Erick shook his head. "It''s nothing." Although his superior was aware that he was a shifter, it does not mean that he should tell him everything about the shifter world. Especially one who has no connection to it, like Amber.

    Seeing that his associate was reluctant to share with him, he inwardly shrugged. As long as it does not distract him much from his work, Murray can let him off. He then handed Erick the papers in his hand. "Here, I need you to do research on this man for our next case," he told him.

    Erick looked down at the papers and skimmed through. The man in the report was a caucasian man in his thirties with an army cut with a small mole above his right eyebrow. It was stated that he was one of the people who have signed the agreement on the building of the new tower in town, despite the protests and disagreements from the public. It appears that he was probably one of the owners of the building and that he had agreed to the construction due to the bribe funds.

    "I need some dirt on him and some other guys here," Murray said, tapping on the papers Erick was holding.

    Erick nodded. He was about to turn to his seat when Murray left, saying that he needed the reports on them by tomorrow morning.

    Erick inwardly groaned. He wasn''t sure whether he could finish by that day. It seems like he has to bring his work home today. He really could not miss the meeting with Hamish at lunchtime.

    When lunchtime finally arrived, Erick immediately packed his stuff and brought with him; his notebook, pen, recorder and mobile phone to his car. Before starting his engine, he went to check his phone whether Hamish had shared his location. And when he did, Erick quickly drove over to the area.

    Arriving at the site, there was a bit of commotion there where there were many crime scene tapes all over the place. There were people who had come over due to curiosity as they took out their phones to sneak in a picture of the scene. Some of the policemen had to block their attempts while warning them that the area was restricted.

    At first, it was difficult for Erick to come close due to the crowd. Even though he recognized some of the policemen as his packmates, he did not want to bother them during their working hours. He then took out his phone and texted Hamish.

    Shortly after, a young man walked out of the alley, where the crime scene was located. He pulled up the crime scene tape that was blocking the path to get out of the alley. Ignoring the shouts from the crowd and those reporters who were shooting questions, he continued his walk until he saw Erick.

    He then stood in front of Erick, with both of his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a black trenchcoat, making him look elegant and suave. His hair was combed to a side, with his glasses perched on his nose. His face no longer shows the youthful trait that it used to have, giving him a more mature look.

    Standing together with Erick, the two of them oozed s.e.x.u.a.lity and stunning persona. What used to be youthful handsome teenagers were now alluring and striking men.

    "Did the Alpha send you a mindlink last night?" Hamish asked nonchalantly.

    Erick nodded. "He said I should be of help to this case," he replied.

    Hamish was quiet at first and then nodded in agreement. "You probably would be," he commented. He then turned around and said, "Follow me."

    After informing the team leader that Erick was a ''specialist'' that he had brought over to help with the crime, Hamish led the way to where the corpse was found.

    Ahead of them, there were a small throng in one area. As Erick got closer, he could hear them talking about the corpse that they had found, sounding baffled and confused. They stated that there was no sign of struggle nor signs of any blood around. Yet the corpse was pale as if it was drained of its blood with its wrinkled skins. At first, they thought it was a work of a vampire since it fits their description of killing but then again, they could not find any bite marks in the body.

    One of the evidence recorders crouch next to the corpse, trying to look for more proof but to no avail.

    Hamish stood behind the man and asked whether there were any new finds. The man gave him a negative answer. The former then sent a mindlink to Erick, saying that he, too, had tried to sniff discretely for more evidence but he was at a stalemate.

    Erick nodded. However, when he looked down at the corpse, his eyes widened.

    "What the--!"

 Chapter 221 - 212: Not an ordinary murder

    Amber was wiping clean one of her students'' faces after they had their mid-morning snack time when one of the teachers from her daycare, where she worked, rushed over to her classroom.

    "Amber! Did you hear?" the teacher shouted, startling some of the students.

    Amber and the student in front of her turned their heads in surprise to look at the approaching teacher.

    The former was on her knees since she needs to be on an eye-level with her students to clean their faces.

    Once the teacher arrived by her side, Amber gently urged her students to get back to their tables and do some coloring. She then stood up and placed the dirty tissue inside the pocket of her apron. "What''s wrong?" she asked as she turned to look at the teacher.

    The other woman grabbed Amber''s sleeves, seemingly excited to share her story. Ms. Lizzie was one of the teachers at the daycare, who had worked there longer than Amber. She was also a couple of years older than Amber with shoulder length curly brown hair. Despite her age, there were still a bit of freckles splashed on her nose, making her look younger than she really was.

    "Have you heard?" Ms. Lizzie asked her excitedly.

    "Heard what?" Amber asked back, looking confused, sliding her hands in her jeans pockets.

    Ms. Lizzie leaned closer to Amber and whispered in her ear, "There''s a new owner for this daycare."

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise as she pulled back and stared at the other woman. From what she knows about the daycare was that it was a family business that has been in the trade for nearly five years. Although it was short, the company was quite well-known in town. Amber had never heard of any rumours of the daycare being bankrupt or any financial problems. So why was there suddenly a new owner?

    Noticing the confused and surprised expression on Amber''s face, Ms. Lizzie finally realized why as she quickly corrected her words. "Not really new. But more like, the owner has decided to hand the business to her adopted son," she reassured.

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously. After all these years, she did not know that the owner has an adopted son. She always thought that the latter was alone, hence why she started a daycare to relieve her loneliness.

    She wanted to ask more about the adopted son and whether it would affect them when her students were becoming restless and kept calling her name, "Ms. Amber! Ms. Amber!"

    Amber let out a sigh in resignation.

    Ms. Lizzie giggled and said softly to her, "Alright. We''ll talk later. I''m disturbing your class, after all. But I just can''t wait to tell someone!"

    After saying goodbye to each other, Ms. Lizzie rushed out of the room, looking for another ''victim'' to gossip with while Amber continued her work.

    Currently, she was cleaning the tables and chairs after the children''s snacktime, sanitizing every furniture while they went to play. Although her hands were moving, her mind wandered off as she got distracted. ''Hmmmˇ­ I wonder who that person is...." she thought to herself.

    -----

    "What the--!"

    Hamish looked over at the surprised Erick and c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "What''s with you?" he asked curiously.

    Erick looked down at the corpse with a grim look on his face. Even though the corpse was all wrinkly and looked as if it had aged, he recognized the facial features of it.

    It was the same caucasian guy that Murray had told him to investigate on!

    Was there something going on? Was Murray involved in something that he shouldn''t have?

    Even if Murray was his superior, he was also someone that he has great respect for and care about. He did not want anything bad to happen to him!

    He was lost in thoughts that he did not notice Hamish trying to get his attention. After the latter had shook his shoulder gently, only then Erick went back to reality. He turned to Hamish with a ''hmmm?''.

    "What''s wrong?" Hamish asked again, this time, looking concerned.

    Erick shook his head and said softly, "I''ll tell you everything later."

    Hamish nodded.

    Erick then went down, crouching in front of the corpse. He turned his head towards the evidence recorder and said, "May I?"

    The man nodded. He stood up and took a step back, giving Erick some space.

    Erick swiftly put on latex gloves to ensure that he wouldn''t mess anything up and began to touch the corpse, testing for any bumps or wounds on his body. Using his senses, he felt that there was something suspicious about the body. It was as if his soul was being sucked out of his body.

    He gingerly opened the corpse''s mouth out wide, looking deep inside, checking whether there was any evidence before pushing the body to its stomach. He then started to check the back of the corpse, where to the n.a.k.e.d eye, there weren''t any wounds. But it did not escape his sight where he noticed that there was some strange dusting on the back. He wiped the dust and he could see silvery glitter on his finger.

    His eyes narrowed in suspicion. The heated sensation from the dust felt strangely familiar. It looks likeˇ­ wolfsbane!

    The question wasˇ­ how did a wolfsbane appear in this town and out in the open? From what he had remembered about this "herb" was that it was a rare plant that can''t be found in town and can only be brought here.

    Hamish squatted next to Erick and asked softly, "Where did you find that?"

    "The corpse''s back. I believed that you didn''t detect it earlier because there was something added that hid its presence."

    Hamish turned his head to Erick and asked again, "What was it?"

    Erick shook his head. "I''m not quite sure myself," he admitted. "The thing that baffled me was, what was this man''s involvement in all this."

    "What do you mean?" Hamish questioned, looking confused.

    "Dad told me about this ''murder'' and earlier before I came here, Murray asked me to investigate this man," Erick said. "I think there''s a connection in all of this but I''m not sure what. I need to research and investigate more."

    "That is weird," Hamish agreed.

    "But from what I deduced from this man''s killing was thatˇ­ it is not an ordinary murder," Erick said, pointing at the corpse.

 Chapter 222 - 213: Other supernatural beings?

    Erick was on his way to his cubicle when he saw the door to Murray''s room was ajar. He tilted his head to the side, trying to peek in and saw his superior working hard at his table.

    The murder case from the alley was still strong in his mind, especially when the dead was actually the same person that he had to investigate.

    He took a deep breath to calm himself before changing his path, walking towards Murray''s room. He knocked on Murray''s opened door. "Hello sir. May I come in?" he asked politely.

    Murray looked up when he heard the knock. His face brightened up a little when he saw his associate standing outside.

    "Hey Erick, what''s happening?" He greeted. "Come in, come in. Close the door behind you."

    After Erick closed the door, he walked over and sat down on the seat Murray had gestured him to. Once the former had settled down, Murray linked his fingers together with his elbows on the table and leaned forward in his seat, asking Erick, "So what brings you here? Are you done with your research?"

    Erick shook his head. Murray was surprised. He had thought he was done, hence why he wanted to see him.

    "Then, what''s wrong?" Murray asked, looking curious.

    "I don''t believe that I can continue on with the research."

    With his brows furrowed, Murray became more confused. "What do you mean?" he asked again. "Why?"

    "The man that you wanted me to investigate is dead," Erick answered abruptly.

    Murray''s eyes widened in shock as his mouth dropped open. He did not expect this kind of reasoning. "D-D-Dead?" he exclaimed. "How did he wind up dead??"

    Erick quickly explained to Murray on what had been happening; his father''s call to investigate a murder case in the alley and the coicidential investigation on the same man Murray wanted to look into. He did not mentioned about the mysterious and suspicious things in regards to the murder; how there was no blood.

    After he was done explaining, Murray ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He really did not expect these things to happen. It seems like everything had gone haywired on him.

    "Sir," Erick began as he placed his elbows on top of his knees, leaning closer to his superior. "May I know why you asked me to investigate that man?" he asked. "Is there something going on?"

    Murray let out a sigh and admitted, "This was actually a pro bono case that I''ve taken for a friend. And that man was involved in that case."

    Erick felt black lines going down his head. He couldn''t count how many times his superior has taken pro bono cases. Although that was sweet of him, Erick was grateful that he had the money to do it or he would go bankrupt.

    "What kind of case was it?" Erick asked, curious.

    Murray looked at Erick, as if he wasn''t sure whether he should tell him or not. In the end, he blurted out, "White collar fraud."

    Erick frowned. "That''s not your field, though, is it?" he questioned.

    Murray nodded. "It''s not. But thenˇ­" He then shook his head again. He had nothing more to say.

    Seeing the reluctance in his superior''s eyes, knowing that it was hard for him to tell the whole story, Erick stopped trying to pry. Despite his high curiosity, the latter doesn''t want to ask any more questions, thinking that there should be a good reason why Murray was finding it difficult to share.

    After leaving Murray''s office, Erick returned back to his cubicle. Even though he had told Murray that he would stop his investigation on the dead man, he secretly continued it. This was because he knew that there was more than just a fraud happening in the case. Or else, his father wouldn''t have told him to come and examine the corpse.

    When office hours ended, Erick went straight to his parents'' house, instead of going home. He texted Amber, informing her of his whereabouts lest she got concerned.

    Few minutes later, he found himself inside his father''s study where the latter was currently reading the reports that had been sent to him. As mentioned before, even if his father has retired from the police force, it does not mean that he had stopped working altogether.

    Erick waited patiently for his father to be done with whatever he was doing. And soon after, his father placed down the paper he had been reading and looked at him.

    "What else did you find?" Lachlan asked, going straight to the point.

    Erick rubbed his temples in consternation and let out a sigh. "It''s quite complicated," he admitted. "I couldn''t be sure whether it was really the work of a warlock or other supernatural beings."

    Lachlan narrowed his eyes. "Other supernatural beings?" he repeated.

    Erick nodded, looking up at his father. "As I''ve told you before. There were no signs of blood, no signs of being forced or attacked. There were just little hints of wolfsbane dust on the body. What it does, I can''t be sure."

    Lachlan sighed in frustration. "If you can''t figure it out, what more can Paccia do?" he said. Yes, apparently, ever since Dane has his full soul, his senses and detection of any abnormalities were stronger than Paccia. Even if Paccia can use her spells, Dane can do it better.

    "I do suggest that Paccia come and look it over with me once more," Erick said. "There was something in that alley that seemed strange. I could tell that there was a spell being casted over there but I could not detect what it was."

    Lachlan looked over at him and asked, "You think Paccia may know something?"

    Erick nodded. "At least, that''s what Dane had told me." Earlier during the time Erick was examining the body, Dane had told him that there was something that surrounds them. Although he had sensed something, he could not be sure what it was. He only knows that it has to do something with witchcraft.

    Lachlan nodded. "The sooner the better then," he said.

    Erick stood up and said, "I''ll immediately go and meet up with Paccia. And then we''ll return to the alley."

    "Yes. And I hope to hear some good news."

 Chapter 223 - 214: Youre here

    Amber looked up at the wall clock with a concerned look on her face. She was alone at home and recently, ever since the murder case at the alley had happened, Erick had been busy, working late at night. She knew that he no longer had to investigate the man yet he still goes out, looking for clues and all.

    Many times she wanted to ask him why but she never got the chance. In fact, they hardly see each other these days. She was usually fast asleep, by the time he arrived at home. And he would be gone again the next morning before she even wakes up. He used to send her to work but lately, she had to use the bus to get to work since she doesn''t have a car of her own.

    Tomorrow, it was fortunate that the daycare was closed, hence she could wait until he returns home to talk to him.

    It was closer to midnight and Erick still hasn''t returned home. She was about to doze off on the sofa, her head drooping off and her eyes blinking, trying to keep them wide open. She nearly fell asleep when she heard the click of the front door, indicating that someone had just walked in.

    She immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran towards the front hallway.

    Erick was about to hang his coat at the coat rack when he felt someone hugging him from behind. Startled, he looked down at feminine thin arms hugging his waist tightly.

    "Amber?" he said, confused. "What are you still doing up, honey?"

    At first, he couldn''t understand a word she was saying since she had her face pressed muffled against his back. "Hmmm?" he prodded gently again.

    "I miss you," came her muffled soft voice.

    Erick placed a hand on top of Amber''s arms, which were still wrapped around his waist. He let out a sigh as he clenched and unclenched his other fist.

    Although they lived together, they don''t have much body contact with one another. This was because Erick was worried that he might give in to his desire to monopolise Amber for his own. Which was happening at that moment as he gritted his teeth, trying to rein in his urges, albeit with difficulty.

    When she heard Erick panting as if he was trying to hold onto something, realization dawned on her as she quickly moved away. "Oh! I''m sorr--"

    Before she could apologize and ran away to her room, Erick had grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall.

    Amber looked at him, wide-eyed as Erick placed an arm beside her, trapping her. "Erick?" she said softly.

    Erick leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. He was panting hard, trying to keep his cool. "Justˇ­ just let meˇ­ be like thisˇ­ for a second."

    Amber nodded slowly as her face turned red, feeling shy. Even though they have kissed each other many times before, she always felt like she was back to being a teenager having her first kiss.

    She then jumped when she felt his tongue licking her neck and gave her a bite. "Erick?!" she exclaimed in surprise, trying to pull back.

    But before she could pull further, Erick had grabbed the back of her head and fiercely kissed her. The kiss was wet and powerful, making her lightheaded. Drowned in his smell, the kiss continued on, slowly making Amber weak in the legs.

    Just as her body went limp, the kiss had ended. Amber could only stare at him wide-eyed, gasping for air. He, too, was panting hard as he met her eyes. He then grabbed her and carried her in a princess carry.

    "Whaa--"

    Shortly after, Amber found herself in her bed, being tucked in. Erick pulled the blankets up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead, making her flushed red. Even at her age, he still has the power to make her feel shy.

    "Goodnight," he said softly before leaving her room.

    Amber slowly sat up on her bed, placing a hand on where he kissed her and mumbled, "What was that all aboutˇ­"

    The next morning.

    Amber yawned as she walked down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. She stopped at the doorway, her eyes widened in surprise at the sight in front of her.

    Erick turned around, a spatula and a pan in both of his hands as he stood in front of the stove. He grinned, looking adorable wearing a lacey apron, which doesn''t really suit him at all.

    "Good morning!" He greeted her. "Had a nice sleep?"

    Amber nodded as she sat down at the kitchen table. She watched as Erick placed a steaming hot plate filled with stacked pancakes, dripped with honey, a sunny-side up egg and two pieces of italian sausages.

    Instead of eating her meal straight away, she continued to watch Erick as he turned back to the stove to cook more food.

    Feeling as if someone was watching him, Erick turned his head and was surprised to see Amber still looking at him with a confused look on her face. He switched off the stove and walked over to her. "What''s wrong, baby?" he asked gently.

    Amber shook her head and finally asked, "How come you''re still at home? You''re usually out at this time."

    Erick went back to the stove to grab his food and sat down next to her, placing his plate in front of him. His portions were double the amount of Amber''s, if not more; with a huge stack of pancakes, three sunny-side up eggs, five pieces of italian sausages and four pieces of hashbrowns. In fact, his plate was also double the size of Amber''s.

    "I''m working late today since I''ve been working overtime lately," he replied as he ate his food. He then looked over at her and said, "And it''s been a while since I last sent you to work and I''m going to do that today."

    Amber beamed with pleasure, happy that Erick would be sending her to work. Her happiness showed as she merrily ate her breakfast.

    After they were done with breakfast, Erick went to wash the dishes while Amber returned to her room to change her clothes for work.

    A few minutes later, they were on the road to Amber''s workplace. And once he had dropped her off, Erick continued on his journey. However, instead of returning back to their home, he drives into town.

    Passing by the commercial building, he resumed until he reached the deeper end of town, where the buildings were more dilapidated and rundown. One could say this was the slums.

    Erick parked his car in a discreet area and locked it. He then looked around, as if he was looking for someone and then he took his phone from his pocket and began to text someone.

    Soon after, there was a text notification coming in. Erick read it and looked up, his eyes looking around him until it landed on a small diner just across him.

    The diner was quite small, compared to the McClay''s, where Erick usually frequented as a teenager and it was built in an ''L'' shape. The sign across the top was made of neon pink and blue lights, reading ''The Slums'', though the letter ''S'' seems like it has burned out a long time ago. And the name of the diner was accurately named. Inside, the floor was tiled black and white checkered, making it look classic and retro, with bar stools facing the bar table and a large window, showing outside. There were several small tables and chairs in the middle of the diner, with the booth and booth table being arranged to the side of the diner, against the wall.

    As he entered the diner, he was welcomed by the pungent smell of food mixed with sweat and heavy perfumes. He discreetly cringed at the smell, trying hard not to cover his nose because of the smell. He looked around; there were many kinds of patrons in the diner. There were construction workers, women who were scantily dressed, sitting together with some white collar office workers and some elderly people.

    Erick frowned as he continued to look around him.

    "You''re here."

 Chapter 224 - 215: Missing other supernatural beings

    Erick frowned as he continued to look around him.

    "You''re here."

    Erick whirled around to see Bastian standing behind him, with one hand in his pocket and another waving.

    He was still the same blonde blue-eyed shifter, though, his build was larger, compared to when he was a teenager. There was a small nick of a wound near his wrist, probably from the time when he was kidnapped by Rehan and Krys. He has that mature air that surrounds him, looking different from when he was still in high-school. He also has that little telltale of crow''s feet at the corner of his eyes, indicating that he was someone who loves to laugh.

    Erick growled dangerously at him underneath his breath. He then looked around him, with a look of disdain on his face and said, "Seriously, why did you have to invite me here?"

    Despite the cleanliness of the diner, it still looked a bit dodgy for Erick, especially when he saw the types of customers that came there

    Bastian placed an arm around Erick''s shoulder and led him to a booth where he had been sitting earlier. "Because people that we know would never come here and we can have our private conversation without anyone eavesdropping on us."

    Erick rolled his eyes. Why did he have to make it sound like they were having a secret affair? And even so, he could have at least looked for another place to meet up.

    Inside the booth, there were several papers laid on top of the table, together with several plates filled with stacks of burgers and fries. After the two had settled down in their seat, a waitress came by at their table. Seeing that there was still some food on the table, the waitress assumed that they had enough.

    She was about to turn back around when Erick said, "I haven''t ordered anything."

    The woman looked startled as she looked down at their table, her eyes asking, ''what about these?''

    Knowing what her eyes were asking, Bastian immediately answered, "These are mine. I''m not sharing them with him."

    The waitress could feel black lines going down her forehead as she stared at the two men in front of her in disbelief. Despite their good looks, she did not expect them to be such a bottomless pit.

    She did not have time to think as she mechanically wrote the names of the foods that Erick had shot off. The way the latter had listed out what he wanted was like a machine gun shooting bullets non-stop.

    One could see how tired the waitress looked after she had taken all of Erick''s order as she made her way to the kitchen to place his order, looking a bit fatigued.

    After the waitress had left, Erick turned to Bastian, who was currently eating a burger while reading a paper. "So, have you waited long?" he asked. "Is it fine for you to come here during office hours?"

    Bastian shrugged. "It''s all good," he replied nonchalantly. "I have a meeting with the local school here anyway." Bastian currently works as a high school football coach at Port Robston Bay. Since he loved football, he decided to share his experiences as an ex-football player after being awarded with a sport science degree.

    Erick nodded. He then asked, "So, what do you have?"

    Instead of answering him, Bastian just slid the paper towards him.

    Erick wordlessly picked the paper up. And when he saw what was written on it, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Seriously?" he asked, looking at Bastian.

    Bastian took a sip of his milkshake before nodding.

    Although Bastian was a coach, he also owns a private investigation company. He decided to open up the company after he had heard about the mysterious disappearance of Rehan and Harding. He had heard a lot from both Erick and Hamish and thought it was quite suspicious. He was not satisfied at how the duo disappeared, hence he spent most of his free time, trying to find clues about them.

    After ten years of no news about them, it made him feel more cautious and sceptical. He shared his concerns with Erick, who surprisingly has the same thoughts as him. Apparently, Erick, too, had been busy investigating their disappearance all these years.

    And knowing his brother, Harding, Dane, too, agreed that they must be plotting something.

    Even though it has been ten years since they last saw the duo, one shouldn''t be so laid back and underestimating them. In fact, they should be very cautious and wary. With this long gap of years of not knowing what had happened to them, it must be something big.

    Hence why Erick was suspicious about the involvement of the man who was killed at the alley. According to Bastian''s sources, the man, who was dubbed as ''Suspect A'' by Erick, he was a man from a town not far from Port Robston Bay. He currently lives at Port Robston Bay due to ''work''. Although he was a human being, it was further found that he usually frequents at a bar where most shifters hang out.

    He seemed chummy with some of the shifters there, who were not from the Cesaro pack, but rather from outside the town pack. These shifters usually visit Port Robston Bay before continuing their journey to other places because the town was like a centre.

    The Cesaro pack don''t take much notice of the packs from outside because the latter usually don''t cause any troubleˇ­ until recently.

    Hence why Bastian immediately took notice of them and started to dig further in. He noticed that just a couple of weeks ago, suspect ''A'' started to visit Burkendall Town quite frequently. As for the reason why, he can''t be sure yet. The strangest thing was that he wasn''t alone too.

    So where was the other person when suspect ''A'' was found dead at the alley?

    Erick told Bastian about how suspect ''A'' had died and the latter was surprised.

    Few minutes later, Bastian suddenly realized something and showed Erick another report that he had taken note of.

    Erick skimmed through the report and his eyes widened as he read it.

    He looked up at Bastian and said, "You''re not joking with me, aren''t you?"

    Bastian shook his head grimly. "I''m not joking. I told you how our town welcomes just about anythingˇ­ and when I say, anything, I meant, other supernatural beings."

    "Have you met them before?"

    Bastian shrugged. "Quite a few." His face then turned solemn. "Though, the other day, my team told me that there were some reports of other supernatural beings being missing."

    "Other supernatural beings?" Erick repeated, looking curious.

    Bastian nodded. "Vampires."

 Chapter 225 - 216: Ericks bafflement

    Erick was lost in thoughts as he leaned back against his seat inside his office cubicle. After meeting Bastian, he immediately went straight to the office where Murray had given him another new task to tackle.

    Usually he would quickly work on the new task that he had been given but instead, he placed them on his table and started to think about what Bastian had told him that morning.

    ''Vampiresˇ­'' he thought. In all of his life, he had never met a single vampire. He knew that they exist but they were something that were hardly seen, especially in a land where it was filled with shifters. It was probably because shifters and vampires don''t usually see eye to eye. In short, vampires were known to be the natural enemy for shifters.

    The thing that made Erick baffled was how did they disappear and how come their killing method was found on the dead man when he knew that vampires would not venture into a shifter town that easily.

    He was still spacing out when Murray came over and knocked on his cubicle wall. "You haven''t started on it yet?" he asked in surprise.

    Erick jumped, startled. He whirled around in his seat to find Murray looking down at him curiously as he leaned against the cubicle wall, his arms crossed across his chest.

    Erick forced a smile on his face and apologized, "Sorry, I''ll go straight to it."

    "Are you alright, my man?" Murray asked, patting him on the back.

    Erick nodded furiously.

    "Okay, okay," Murray said as he turned around. "Be sure to throw some questions at me if you''re confused about some stuff inside there," he ended before leaving.

    Erick scratched the back of his head as he turned back to his table. He really could not afford to be careless right now. So many things were happening and he needed to focus.

    He grabbed the brown folder that was handed to him when he arrived at the office and took out the reports from inside. He skimmed through the reports and went to work.

    A couple of hours later before lunch break starts, Erick received a text message from Amber, asking whether he was free for lunch.

    Even if he still has work to do, he definitely would not miss this lunch date with Amber, which was a rarity, since she''s usually busy with the kid''s mealtime. It was then he realized, what about the kid''s mealtime?

    Thus, he quickly asked her that exact question.

    Amber promptly replied, saying that her colleagues will cover her shift, knowing that she had been taking over the kid''s meal schedule for weeks already.

    Erick then answered back, saying that he will pick her up in a few minutes.

    Soon after, the couple was seen driving through the lunch hour traffic, on their way for a meal.

    After parking his car at the designated parking lot, Erick guided Amber inside a restaurant where they served comfy good foods such as beef stroganoff and onion soup. It was not their first time coming to this restaurant as it was one of their favourite places to eat in.

    Also, it was also where Roel worked.

    At that moment, Roel was talking with a couple of waiters, telling them to serve the meals when he saw Erick and Amber entering the restaurant. The three of them noticed each other at the same time.

    Amber waved happily at Roel while the two men just nodded at each other.

    Without the help of the menu, the two of them had already known what to order and immediately placed their request. Once their hostess received their requests, Roel immediately took the requests and went inside the kitchen where he prepared the meals for them. Roel doesn''t usually cook for the customers in the restaurants as he has his assistant chefs to do the cooking. But whenever Erick and the other Kendall packmates came, Roel would take the initiative to cook for them.

    A few minutes later, their meals were done cooking and the waitresses helped to serve them to both Erick and Amber. They had ordered Matzo ball soup, chicken fried steak and chicago deep dish pizza. When the waitress placed a huge bowl of garden salad, Erick frowned at it and looked at the waitress. He then asked, "I did not order this."

    Before she could answer, Roel came towards them, without the apron and the chef hat and said, "It was me." And without waiting for any invitation from the couple, he joined them, sitting between them.

    A waiter, who had followed Roel from behind earlier, immediately set another dining place for Roel and discreetly left them, together with the other waitresses.

    Erick rolled his eyes at Roel''s uninvited presence. Amber, who got used to Erick''s family butting in on their ''dates'', ignored this as she got up to serve herself some of the food. Erick quickly patted her down, implying without words that he will help her, instead.

    Roel, who was also used to seeing this lovey-dovey moment from them, just ignored as he served himself some food as well. He then passed the huge bowl of garden salad to Erick, who was giving him a cringed look.

    "Eat," Roel ordered quietly.

    Fortunately, Amber was the type who was not picky with her foods. So when she saw Erick was being hesitant, she frowned. He was already a grownup. And he was still choosy with the foods that he eats.

    Together with Roel, the two of them ''persuade'' Erick to eat his greens. Amber keeps feeding him by spoon feeding him the greens, which he can''t reject since it wasn''t always that Amber would do something like this. While Roel keeps handing the bowl of garden salad to Amber, adding them to Erick''s plate.

    After that little ''torture'' was over, Amber excused herself to go to the restroom.

    Once she was gone, Roel turned to Erick. "So, why is Bastian here?"

    Erick pretend to look dumb as he stared wordlessly at Roel, not answerinng.

    Roel rolled his eyes. "I have my sources here, Erick," he said.

    Erick let out a sigh, fully aware that he can''t beat Roel and probably the other two triplets when it comes to secret investigation. He then slowly told Roel about what he and Bastian had found out.

    Roel''s face turned grim the more he listened to them. He too had thought of the possibility of vampires appearing but like Erick, he also did not know how they came to town and why.

    "Bring me to meet Bastian," Roel ordered.

 Chapter 226 - 217: Vampires

    At the football field of the Burkendall High School, Bastian was standing next to the school''s football coach. He nodded as he listened intently to Coach Tripp Gundlach. Coach Gundlach was the son of the previous coach, Elijah Gundlach. Similar to his father, he knew the existence of shifters in Burkendall town and was more or less, nonchalant about it. Though, he did not know the man he was talking to was a shifter himself.

    The two highschools were planning to conduct friendly matches between the two teams, for at least twice in a month, just like their predecessors have done.

    While he continued to listen to the other coach, Bastian could sense someone approaching them from behind but he did not let it be seen in his expression. Because the other person did not emit any killing intent, hence why Bastian was unconcerned about it.

    Seconds later, he felt a hand clamped on his shoulder. He smelled a familiar scent and turned around to find Erick and Roel standing behind him. He frowned. What were they doing here?

    Erick nodded hello to Coach Tripp, who nodded back at him. He turned to Bastian and said, "We need to talk. Are you free after this?"

    Bastian looked at his wristwatch before turning to Coach Tripp.

    Coach Tripp shook his head. "There''s nothing more to discuss," he answered. "We''re all good." Although he knew that the two men used to be the football captain for their school back then and most probably saw each other, he did not expect that they have a close relationship to be able to meet up outside school.

    Bastian then turned to Erick and said, "Give me a few minutes and I''ll go with you."

    Erick nodded as he and Roel walked over to the bleachers to wait for Bastian.

    A few minutes later, Bastian joined them and the three men decided to go to the nearby cafe to have a talk.

    At the McClay''s, the diner has not changed at all, other than a couple of new faces working there. One of the waitresses who had worked there ever since they were still in highschool remembered Erick. Apparently, she was the daughter of the diner''s owner. She greeted him and the other two men, telling them that she will get back to them.

    The three of them made themselves comfortable in one of the booths. Bastian was about to grab one of the menus that was placed on the table when Erick stopped him. He looked at him curiously, wondering why he had stopped him.

    "What''s wrong?" Bastian asked, looking confused.

    Erick waved away his question, saying instead, "You don''t have to check the menu."

    Roel, who was quiet all of this time, continued to be silent as he looked out the window.

    Shortly after, the owner''s daughter walked over, carrying a huge tray. It was then Bastian realized that the people at the diner had memorized all of Erick''s favourite food and took the opportunity to immediately cook them before he arrived.

    She carefully put the tray on their table and began placing the dishes from the tray to their table. There were burgers, fries, hotdogs, coleslaws and milkshakes. As usual, she had to grab another extra table to fit everything in.

    The woman felt satisfied, thinking that she finally managed to get all of Erick''s orders ready. It was fortunate that the man had texted them earlier to inform them that he would be coming.

    She had learned her lesson well. For years, she and the other servers were dead tired because of Erick and his friends with their bottomless pit stomachs. They had to spend some time preparing their huge orders. They could not afford to displease the man because her father was fond of Erick. What she did not know but her father does, was that Erick was the future Alpha and may help them sometime in the future if they ever encounter any problem.

    She was about to leave the table when Bastian stopped her, saying that he wanted to order another three sets of onion rings. She could feel black lines going down her forehead. Just how much do these people eat? She had thought they would have enough food to last them for the day. Apparently, she had underestimated their stomachs.

    She forced a weak smile on her face and said that she will return later with his orders of onion rings.

    After the woman left their table, the three men finally started their conversation.

    "So, what''s going on?" Bastian asked curiously. "I thought we were done talking last time," he said, looking at Erick.

    Instead of answering him, Erick turned to Roel, who immediately asked, "How did you know that vampires were involved in this? And are they really missing? How is it related to the murder case in the alley?"

    Bastian looked around them and after feeling reassured that no one would be eavesdropping in their conversation, he immediately revealed his sources.

    Months before Bastian had met up with Erick, there was a bit of a chaotic situation in Port Robston Bay where there were many reports of unidentified corpses being found.

    Since Bastian also has some people in his town''s police force, it was easy for him to learn what was happening behind the scenes. Similarly to the man who had died in the alley at Burkendall town, the corpses that were found at his town died the same way. And after much investigation, he traced the killing to a den filled with vampires.

    Unfortunately, he was too late. He arrived at the den with no vampires inside. He had thought that he was a step ahead of them but he was wrong. For months, he continued his work, looking for any clues, together with his team.

    At some point, they managed to find a lone vampire who had escaped from the den. It took some time for them to talk with the vampire since they were natural enemies. After much persuasion of convincing the other supernatural beings that they would not kill him, the latter finally talked.

    According to the vampire, they were visited by a warlock, who wanted to partner up with them. He persuaded them, saying that vampires had long been hidden in seclusion and he wanted to help them. At first, they were skeptical about the whole partnership thing. It was not until the warlock had shown them a way to be stronger. With the potions provided by the warlock, the vampires were able to go out during the day and also killed their prey.

    Happy with the new found power and strength, the vampires agreed to work with the warlock. They began their partnership not long after, which was a couple of years ago. It was unsure what had happened between those years and today, but slowly, they began to feel something was off.

    Even if they had become stronger, they were confused as to why some of their people went missing.

    One day, the same vampire who had admitted everything to Bastian, stumbled upon a secret of the warlock. Apparently, he had been using the vampires for his experiments!

    He wanted to tell the others but he was too late. They were forced out of hiding and were framed for the crimes committed towards the humans. Their den was discovered and some were captured and killed. That was the day before Bastian and his people had found their den.

    He ran, hiding himself, making sure the warlock or the humans did not find him. Unfortunately, he was discovered easily by shifters, instead. Which led to the current situation.

    Erick frowned when he heard this story. He then asked, "Why did you not tell me about this vampire that you had found?"

    Bastian shrugged. "I was expecting you to tell at least one of your packmates," he said. He looked over at Roel and continued, "And a good thing too. I believed Big brother Roel would have a plan about this."

    Erick scowled. It seems like Bastian was getting ahead of himself again.

    "And so, did the killing of the humans were done by these vampires?" Roel asked.

    Bastian turned to him and said, "Some, yes. Some, no. But the one that got killed in your town in that alley? It wasn''t from a vampire."

    "How did you know?" Erick demanded. How was he able to see the corpse when he himself had to see it when Hamish was around?

    Bastian snapped his fingers.

    Soon after, both Erick and Roel felt something weird had happened around them. Roel looked around him and was shocked to see that things and people nearby wereˇ­ moving slowly!

    How could thisˇ­

    Both Erick and Roel turned to look at Bastian again, who was grinning.

    Erick let out a small chuckle. "Seems like you''re getting the hang of it," he commented.

    Bastian grinned widely. He snapped his fingers once more and the time around them went back to normal.

    Roel nodded. "Impressive," he praised. As expected as the future Alpha of the Cesaro pack and the one who has the Lycan blood.

    Then his face turned grim. "Did the vampire ever mention who the warlock was?"

    Bastian''s face turned solemn.

    "Rehan."

 Chapter 227 - 218: The Paccitos

    "Rehan."

    After not hearing that name for years, it still has the power to make their expressions grow grim as both Erick and Roel felt troubled.

    Erick leaned back against his seat, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Seriously. I had wished for him to die but he''s still here," he complained. "Why, after all these years, does he suddenly appear now?"

    He then leaned closer to Bastian and asked hurriedly, "What else did the vampire mention? Was there any mention of that bastard, Harding?"

    Bastian gave a weak smile, as if he was a bit ashamed of this failure. "No. I''m not even sure whether he''s still alive or not," he admitted.

    Erick rolled his eyes. "He''s definitely still alive," he snorted disdainfully.

    Bastian just shrugged.

    Roel rubbed his chin with his pointer finger and thumb. "This is quite troublesome," he commented, looking thoughtful.

    He looked over at Erick and said, "We''d better inform the Alpha about this." He turned to Bastian. "And if possible, we''d like to invite the Cesaro pack to this meeting."

    Bastian nodded. "I''ll go back home and inform my Alpha about this," he agreed.

    Soon after, Bastian''s orders of three sets of onion rings finally arrived. The three of them quickly finished off their meal before going their separate ways.

    -----

    That late evening, Erick was at the training field where he and his other packmates used to train when they first shifted. Nowadays it was still being used as a training ground and he purposely chose that night to come because he knew that there wouldn''t be any training.

    He took a deep breath before stretching his muscles and body. He then went to run a few laps before sitting down on the ground, resting. He took off his shirt, showing his well-defined toned abs with sweat dripping down his body.

    He used a towel to wipe his sweat from his body, head and face.

    He then laid down on his back as he looked up at the night sky. Three times in a week, he would go here where he would run for hours or just do some shadow sparring. He has been doing this for years, hence why his fighting experience has become smoother and thorough. Although Amber was aware that he had been doing this, she wasn''t aware of the true reason. Erick did not want her to feel guilty or worried.

    The true reason as to why he has done so was to suppress his mating instinct. No one knows how painful it was to put out his mating instinct as there were many times he nearly ''jumped'' on Amber to mate with her. Not only does it hurt his ''third leg'' but also his mind. He had once asked Paccia on how to control his ''urges'' but she said that it was quite difficult as he may receive some backlash from it.

    One night, he decided to just tire himself out by going for laps and other strenuous exercises. Surprisingly, that had worked. And he had done so for years. And it was fortunate that there hasn''t been a case where shifters would go to a ''heat'' since the last time ''heat'' had occurred, it was decades ago.

    He let out a sigh. Shortly after, he could feel something inside him, particularly ''down there'' started to stir up once more. He quickly jumped up and groaned in frustration.

    "Still feeling frustrated?"

    Erick whirled around and saw Hamish approaching him.

    Erick frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

    Hamish shrugged. "I went to your house, wanting to talk about your meet up with Bastian. But Amber told me that you''re here and here I am," he said simply.

    Erick ran a hand through his wet hair, sighing again.

    "Still got a lot of pent-up energy?" Hamish asked.

    Erick just growled in warning at Hamish.

    Hamish let out a light chuckle. "Let''s go," he said. He then took off his clothes and began to shift.

    Erick''s eyes widened. And before he could say a word, Kaius had already appeared in front of him. Kaius'' claws clamped around Erick''s neck, pushing the latter off the ground. And Kaius then sent a kick towards Erick''s abdomen, sending him flying across the field.

    Erick gritted his teeth from the throbbing impact. He quickly changed his position in the air, pushing his hands down onto the ground to slow down his speed. He continued to grit his teeth from the pain hurting from his hands. He knew that it would be bleeding soon.

    Once he had stopped, he swiftly stood up and looked down at his bleeding hands. Soon after, the bleeding had stopped and his hands miraculously turned back to normal as if it wasn''t hurting before. He quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes and shifted.

    "You have some guts, Kaius," Dane chuckled in his raspy voice.

    Kaius just kept quiet. Seconds later, it seems like the ground was trembling and shaking, as if there was a small quake. Tremors and vibrations swept through the field as the two shifters started to exchange blows after blows. Due to them not avoiding each other''s punches, there were more tremors spread out to their surroundings as dust flew around them.

    Hours later, the two of them finally stopped as they crouched in front of each other, both panting hard. Seeing that they were done sparring against each other, the two of them slowly shifted back to their human selves.

    The two shifters collapsed on the ground, side by side.

    Erick weakly lifted his fist towards Hamish and said, "Thanks, bro."

    Hamish returned a feeble fist bump and said, "Anytime, bro."

    -----

    Daycare was over and all the children had gone home. Amber was currently rearranging the books in the bookshelves and cleaning the room when her colleague, Ms. Lizzie walked over and grabbed her arm, looking excited. Amber was startled at the sudden hold that she whirled around in confusion.

    "What''s wrong, Ms. Lizzie?" she asked in concern.

    "The new owner is here!" she announced excitedly. "And ohˇ­ my gosh! He''s so good looking!"

    Amber c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Good looking?" she repeated. "Is this the adopted son of the previous owner?"

    Ms. Lizzie nodded, grinning. "Yes, yes! And the principal is calling everyone over to meet the new owner so let''s go!" she said, pulling on Amber''s hand.

    Amber giggled. "Give me a few minutes to finish this up and I''ll join you."

    Ms. Lizzie nodded before heading off to the teacher''s lounge room.

    Shortly after, Amber walked in the teacher''s lounge to find the room was already filled with the other teachers. There weren''t a lot of teachers being employed at the daycare since it was a small business. At most, there were at least thirteen of them being employed there, including the labourers.

    She looked around and then her eyes landed at the three people standing at one side of the room. Mrs. Paccito, the previous owner of the daycare, was talking and smiling with the principal and the young man beside her. Mrs. Paccito was a kind woman who was not married, still in her seventies. She used to be engaged when she was young but her fiance was killed during a car accident years back. And she has not been the same until she adopted a son years later.

    She herself was an orphan and had decided to adopt a son, rather than looking for a husband. The boy she had adopted was only two years old when they first met each other at the local orphanage. Mrs. Paccito fell in love with the young boy and decided to adopt him.

    It has been twenty-eight years since Mrs. Paccito had adopted the young boy named Ronan Paccito, who had also taken his adopted mother''s last name as his.

    As Amber studied the young man in front of her, she had to admit that he was quite good looking with dark brown wavy hair with clear chocolate brown eyes. Deep dimples appeared on both of his cheeks when he grinned, making him look more handsome as the corner of his eyes crinkled with lines of laughter. His body was toned, indicating that he was someone who looked after his body quite well.

    Yet, her Erick was more handsome than him.

    As if he noticed someone was looking at him, he looked up and his eyes met Amber''s. The principal, who was talking, noticed Ronan looking somewhere else and looked over as well. Mrs. Paccito, too.

    The principal then said something to both Paccitos. And soon after, Amber was surprised to see the three of them walking towards her.

    Before she could discreetly leave, they had already appeared in front of her.

    "Mrs. Paccito, Mr. Paccito, this is Amber Keene, one of our teachers here at the daycare," the principal introduced.

    Amber held out her hand, nodded hello to the Paccitos. After shaking hands with the previous owner, it was his turn to shake hands with her.

    When they shook hands, the both of them were a bit startled to feel sparks in their hands. They then pretended to be oblivious, as if they did not notice what had happened.

    "So, we''ve finally met, Ms. Keene," Ronan commented, smiling, showing his deep dimples. "I''ve heard many great stories about you."

    Amber smiled. "I bet it wasn''t much, Mr. Paccito," she replied modestly. "Thank you very much, though."

    "Well, I hope that we will be able to work together just well," he said, still smiling.

 Chapter 228 - 219: The Shameless Erick

    Amber took off her jacket and hung them on the coat rack. She frowned, confused as to why it seemed like someone was cooking. She looked down at her wristwatch and saw that it was too early for Erick to return home.

    Although most of the time, Erick would find the time to send her to work, he hardly picks her up from work due to their clashing schedules. But it was mostly because Erick usually works overtime so he can''t pick her up.

    Walking in the kitchen where the smell comes from, Amber was surprised to see Erick at the stove, cooking. "Erick?" she said, sounding shocked.

    Erick turned around, with a wooden spoon in his hand. He grinned when he saw Amber looking confused, standing at the kitchen doorway. "Welcome back, darling," he greeted.

    Amber looked down at the spread of food on the dining table. "What''s the occasion?" she asked, still looking confused.

    Erick shook his head. "Nothing, really," he said as he placed a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. He then walked over to Amber and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, everyday is special with you around."

    Amber rolled her eyes. Sometimes he can be too sweet yet so lame. She then smiled to herself. But she loves him for that!

    Just as she was about to say something, Erick suddenly grabbed her arm. She turned her head to look at him and was surprised to see the furious look on his face. Even his eyes were glittering with fury as if he was holding back his anger.

    "What---"

    She jumped in surprise when Erick suddenly nuzzled at her neck. "Wha-- what are you doing, Erick?" she exclaimed.

    "Who is that guy??" he growled angrily as he pulled back from her, his hand still wrapped around her arm.

    Amber''s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What guy?" she asked again.

    "I smell a foul scent of a guy on you!"

    Amber tilted her head as she tried to recall whom she had met that morning. The guys that she usually met were her students. But they were only little children. He couldn''t possibly be jealous of them? And she always meets them so there usually isn''t any problem. But why nowˇ­?

    It was then she remembered that she met the new owner of the daycare, Ronan Paccito.

    "Well, I did meet with the new owner of the daycare, Mr. Paccito," Amber admitted.

    "Is he human or something else?" Erick asked.

    Amber rolled her eyes. "How the heck would I know? I don''t have any special ''powers'' like you shifters," she said sarcastically.

    "But does he seem suspicious?" Erick asked again.

    Amber frowned. "I don''t think so. He was quite nice and friendly," she said.

    "Then he''s suspicious."

    Amber just rolled her eyes.

    She was about to turn around and go to her room to freshen up when Erick, who still had his hand around her arm, pulled her, going towards her room as well. Amber frowned. "What''s wrong?" she asked.

    "You need to clean yourself."

    "I know. I was about to go to freshen up before you pulled me," she said as the two of them climbed up the stairs together.

    "Yes, and I''m going to help you with it."

    Amber''s eyes widened. Few minutes later, inside Amber''s bathroom, one could hear shrieks of laughter mixed with frustration coming from the room. And after a while, it was all quiet.

    Soon after, Amber walked down the stairs, looking freshly showered with her cheeks flushed red. It wasn''t certain whether it had turned red from the shower or from embarrassment as she was also fidgeting. Behind her, Erick looked quite satisfied with his huge grin.

    When they entered the kitchen, the food that was on the table had already grown cold. Erick immediately went to reheat the food while Amber sat down at the dining table, pouting.

    When Erick was done reheating their meal, he noticed that Amber was still sulking, not touching the food in front of her.

    He walked over and brushed a strand of her hair that escaped from her messy bun. "What''s wrong, honey bunny?" he asked teasingly.

    Amber narrowed her eyes at him, glaring. "Y-y-youˇ­ shameless!" she shouted.

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Shameless?" he repeated.

    She nodded furiously. "What you did in the bathroomˇ­" she started.

    "Uh huhˇ­." He said, prodding her to continue.

    Amber rolled her eyes as she looked away, feeling shy to continue.

    "I was just cleaning you up from that awful smell," he said, looking apologetic. "I didn''t expect the scent to beˇ­ everywhere!"

    Amber turned back around to glare at him. "What do you mean, everywhere??" she exclaimed. "The scent wouldn''t beˇ­ you knowˇ­''there''!"

    "''There''?" Erick repeated, looking innocent.

    Amber just narrowed her eyes, warningly.

    Amber grew suspicious. What made this man look so happy? She warily looked down, trying to find what it was that made him happy. And then she gave out a loud gasp.

    "Erick!"

    Erick looked at her and tilted his head innocently. "What?"

    "You can''t be serious!" she exclaimed, frustration laced in her tone.

    He reached out his hand to brush the hickey on her collarbone and grinned again. "Beautiful piece of art made by yours truly," he said proudly.

    Amber just rubbed her temples in consternation. It seems like she has to use a high neck shirt tomorrow at work to cover her hickey.

    Erick then sat down next to her and began to serve her the food. Then he said with a serious look on his face, "You gotta understand me, sweetheart. I''m trying to suppress myself here and this is the least I could do without forcing you to mate with me."

    He sighed. "I''m sorry if you feel uncomfortable," he apologised.

    Amber let out a sigh too. It was already too big of him to try to control his urges. She knew how hard it was for him, especially when his mate was nearby and that he had been trying to hold on for years. It''s not that simple.

    She placed a hand on top of his and said with a small smile, "Alright."

    Then as if there was a switch being switched on, Erick''s expression quickly changed to eagerness as he said, "So, can we do it again?"

 Chapter 229 - 220: Just the two of us

    After leaving the slightly annoyed Amber back home, Erick went to his parents'' house where his father was waiting for him.

    He knocked on the front door as a courtesy, to which his mother did not appreciate it as she scolded after she opened the front door, "Why are you knocking the door? Just get inside here!"

    Erick let out a resigned sigh. "Mother, I no longer live here. Of course I would knock on the door.

    It''s just good manners on my side for you," he explained patiently.

    Luella rolled her eyes. "Since when do you bother about good manners?" she asked sarcastically as she led the way to the kitchen with her son following behind.

    "As long as you''re our son and the fact that your room is still here, don''t you dare think of yourself as an outsider!" Luella continued hotly.

    Erick gave her a wry smile as his mother passed him a glass of orange juice. "Yes, mother," he said obediently, feeling warmth in his heart.

    The mother and son began to talk, catching up on things, having a pleasant conversation with each other. Soon after, Erick said goodnight to his mother and went up the stairs to his father''s study room.

    When he entered the room, after knocking on the door, he was surprised to see Roel and Fergus sitting inside the room, together with his father.

    "Why are you late?" Lachlan asked, frowning.

    Erick took a seat near the other two shifters in front of his father and said, "I was talking with mother earlier."

    Lachlan nodded. "Alright. You should come here often with Amber. Your mother misses spending time with you two," he said.

    Erick nodded. "Okay. I will tell Amber about it."

    Lachlan turned to the other shifters and said, "Start talking."

    Lachlan turned to Erick and asked how come he did not tell him about this. Erick quickly explained that the bastard, Bastian, did not tell him the whole story, saying that he was waiting for either triplets to come and talk to him.

    Lachlan just shook his head.

    Once Roel was done talking, Lachlan immediately ordered Fergus to arrange a meeting with the Cesaro pack. And also to invite the Cairin pack.

    Fergus straight away agreed.

    The next morning.

    Amber was putting on the final touches to her makeup when she noticed Erick standing at her bedroom doorway, leaning against the door, via the reflection of her mirror.

    She was surprised to see him since the other night, he had told her that he would be busy every morning due to work.

    "I thought you were busy?" Amber asked as she walked over to him.

    Erick narrowed his eyes at her dangerously. "Do you think I would let you come close with that bastard?" he asked.

    Amber rolled her eyes. "Well, it''s not as if he''s going to be in the office every day," she replied. Because the previous owner hardly comes to the daycare so she assumed it would be the same with her son.

    "I''m not taking my chances!"

    Amber just sighed.

    She doesn''t know whether to feel a little tad irritated or a bit pleased. When they arrived at her workplace, he usually just dropped her at the entrance. But earlier, she was surprised to see he had driven past the entrance and into the parking lot.

    He then parked his car and went to accompany her to the daycare. Amber had asked him why. And he replied with the same sentences; "I''m not taking my chances! What if he''s here??"

    Again, Amber could only sigh and let him do whatever he wanted.

    After he had sent her to her classroom, yes, he went all the way to the classroom, he pecked her on the cheek, gave her a goodbye kiss and promised to pick her up later after she was done with work.

    Amber tilted her head in contemplation as she watched her mate leave the daycare. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. She does miss him sending her to work and spending a little more time with her. She guessed this was probably how she could steal a wee bit of his time.

    After Erick had finally left, Amber turned around to enter her classroom. However, before she could turn, she was surprised to see a tall man walking towards her way from the other side of the hallway. The silhouette of the man looked strangely familiar. As he got closer, Amber recognized him as Ronan Paccito.

    Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What is he doing here so early in the morning?

    "Ms. Keene!"

    Amber turned around, a confused look on her face. He was looking for me?

    She stopped her tracks as she waited for him to approach her. And when he stood in front of her, she thought she must be imagining things as she saw him wincing as if in pain before changing his expression to neutral.

    "Yes, Mr. Paccito?" she asked.

    Ronan gave out a light chuckle. "You don''t have to be so polite with me, Ms. Keene," he reassured. "You can call me ''Ronan''. Can I call you by your first name as well?"

    Amber''s eyes widened. She immediately refused his offer. "No, no, I wouldn''t dare call you by your first name, Mr. Paccito," she said quickly. "Please, just call me ''Ms. Keene'' too."

    Ronan looked surprised at her refusal. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Ah, right. I see," he said. "My apologies for making you feel awkward and uncomfortable."

    Amber shook her head. "No, you did not, sir," she said. She then tilted her head in question. "But why are you looking for me, sir?"

    Ronan blinked his eyes and said, still looking awkward, "I was actually thinkingˇ­ Perhaps you could join me for lunch later?"

    "Lunch?" Amber repeated in confusion. "With the other staff members?" She did not recall her colleagues informing her about a meetup for staff during lunch.

    Ronan quickly corrected her. "No, it''s just for the two of us!"

    Amber''s eyes widened once more. "What?"

 Chapter 230 - 221: Something about Ronan

    In a corridor of a daycare, a woman and man were standing next to each other, talking. Although it looked like a harmless conversation between the two, apparently, the woman found it getting weirder and weirder.

    "With the other staff members?" Amber did not recall her colleagues informing her about a meetup for staff during lunch.

    Ronan quickly corrected her. "No, it''s just for the two of us!"

    Amber''s eyes widened once more. "What?"

    Ronan smiled. "Yes, is there a problem?" he asked.

    Amber could feel black lines coming down her forehead as she stared at the man in front of her, looking confused. "I definitely have a problem with that, Mr. Paccito. I''m very sorry if you may find this offensive. But regardless of just having lunch with each other professionally, this is a small town and people talk. I''m an engaged woman, soon to be married to the one I love and I do not want to have people talking behind my back about me having lunch with another man," she said firmly.

    The man was silent for a few moments before saying out loud, "I''m impressed, Ms. Keene. But I just have to warn you that not every employer would care about your words, be that as it may."

    Amber nodded. "I know. But I''m trying to be honest here, Mr. Paccito. I''m sorry if I''m being disrespectful as that was not my intention. And I''m sorry if I''m being presumptuous but I have to be careful with my actions as my status as an engaged woman," she said as she bowed her head down.

    Ronan looked down at her bowed head and sighed inwardly. Seems like he has to try harder. Out loud, he said, "It''s fine. I''m just asking. If you''re not comfortable with this, we can bring along the other staff. But perhaps, another time?"

    Amber looked up and nodded.

    After a moment of silence, Amber quietly excused herself, saying that she has a class to monitor and teach. Ronan nodded, giving her permission.

    Watching her go inside the room, Ronan stood outside, his eyes still on the door as he stared off-space. Soon after, he walked away, heading towards his office.

    -----

    Erick was in the office filing room where he was looking for files that were related to a case that Murray was currently working on. He has been in the room for hours, even missing lunch because of it.

    One of the legal assistants was so surprised to see still working hard in his research that he came up to Erick many times to check whether he was fine or not.

    He was looking through the files when he noticed an abnormality in one of the folders inside the file cabinet. He took it out carefully from the cabinet and read the name of the file, ''Ronan Paccito''.

    He frowned. The name sounded familiar. But he couldn''t put a finger to it. He turned the folder, assessing the thickness and thought it was weird that it was quite thick.

    Usually this means that the man was involved in a lot of things happening in town but usually was protected by law.

    Inwardly shrugging to himself, he placed the file back to its original location and resumed his research. He didn''t dare look into the contents lest it might cost him his job. He did not have the permission to peek inside and the legal assistants would be aware that someone had looked inside by the little disturbance he had caused to the papers if he had done so.

    A couple of hours, looking fatigued from reading the file doc.u.ments and without having lunch, Erick sat down inside Murray''s office, waiting for the latter to speak. Murray was leaning against his seat, the reports in both of his hands as he skimmed through.

    Moments later, Murray placed down the paper and looked at the nervous Erick, sitting in front of him. He then said, "Great job. This is the information that I''m looking for. Perhaps you can join me at the courtroom to observe the session?"

    Erick''s eyes widened. He then grinned widely, looking excited. "Sure, I''ll be there!" He stopped. "What time should we meet up?" he asked.

    The two of them stood up together. Murray then walked over to him, placing a hand on Erick''s shoulder and said, "Let''s meet up at the courthouse at 7:30 in the morning. We''ll be meeting the client first before the session starts at 8 o''clock."

    Erick looked surprised when he heard the time and then thought that it was normal since lawyers usually do need time to be prepared before going to ''war''. It seems like he won''t be able to send Amber to work tomorrow. Thinking that, he felt dejected and a bit frustrated. Further thinking that the guy who owned the daycare where she worked might be lurking around.

    Unfortunately, he had suppressed his urges to bash that man down and hoped that Amber wouldn''t get so close to him.

    Which he felt reassured when he got home and Amber had told him all about what had happened with the man. She told him about how he approached her, asking whether she would go to lunch with him. Alone.

    At first, Erick felt furious when he heard her and was about to run out of the house to look for him and bashed him down. If it wasn''t for Amber''s threat of leaving the house and staying at her parents'' house if he went there, he would have really gone there.

    He finally calmed down when Amber told him the words she had told the man.

    It was then realization dawned on him. He turned to her and asked, "What was his name again?"

    "Ronan Paccito," Amber replied, looking confused. "Why? I thought I''d mentioned his name before."

    Erick shook his head. Wasn''t that the name that he had saw in the filing room?

 Chapter 231 - 222: Still trying...

    Erick frowned as he thought of the file that he had seen back in the filing room.

    Confused as to why he had asked that question, Amber prodded him in the arm. "Erick, sweetie? What''s wrong?" she asked.

    Erick blinked his eyes and turned to her with a gentle smile. "Nothing''s wrong, my love."

    Then his expression changed as he sniffed her, making Amber look more confused. "What''s wrong now?" she asked warily.

    Instead of answering her, he immediately pulled her into his arms and carried her off to her room.

    She shrieked in surprise. "What are you doing?" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around his neck, scared of falling down.

    Erick grinned cheekily down at the woman in his arms and said, "Of course, it''s time to clean you up. You smell really nasty, my love," he ended with a look of cringe on his face.

    Amber pouted as she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "Seriously, you shifters and your sense of smell!" she said sarcastically.

    Inside her bathroom, he put her down, though, not releasing her as he circled his arms around her waist. He then leaned closer, placing his face closer to the spot between her collarbone and where her heart beats.

    Before Amber could react, she felt his lips on her skin and suddenly she shrieked again in surprise. Seconds later, Erick pulled away with a cheeky grin on his face, looking very satisfied.

    Amber smacked him on the shoulder. "Seriously, what are you doing?" she scolded.

    Erick didn''t answer her. Instead, he looked down at the spot he had just nuzzled in with a pleased look on his face.

    Following his gaze, she was stunned to see a hickey underneath her collarbone. She gasped.

    Oblivious to her gasp, he then said happily, "And that''s where I will mark you when we mate."

    Amber''s eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red.

    Taking advantage of her silence, he quickly went to fill the bathtub with water and proceeded to "help clean her up".

    -----

    Bastian stood alone inside his parents'' living room as he waited for his father to come and join him.

    He had rushed back home soon after he had cleared his duties at Burkendall town. After hearing the Alpha Kendall''s orders, he wasted no time in trying to get his father aware of the current situation.

    Nothing has happened yet but the pot was starting to brew. So before the pot blew up, it was better to prepare to put the lid on top of it to evade the explosion.

    At first, he was concerned about the things that had been happening at Port Robson Bay. So he was surprised to hear that the same situation had happened at Burkendall. He wasn''t sure what but when he heard the name, ''Rehan'' from the mouth of the vampire, he knew it wasn''t that simple.

    He still remembers the time when he got kidnapped, along with Amber. And how he was ruthlessly experimented and poked at. He felt unclean and weak as he recalled his emotions back then.

    Although there was something good coming out from that situation where he discovered his lycan powers, it doesn''t mean that he would thank them for it.

    No, he still wanted to have his revenge and show them what he''s capable of. He wanted to show his current strength. The strength of the future Cesaro Alpha.

    Looking out the window, he could see the serenity of the scene outside. But he knew deep down, it wasn''t as peaceful as it seems.

    Lost in thoughts, he did not notice his father walking in, carrying two glasses of red wine.

    Hearing someone clearing his throat behind him, Bastian whirled around in surprise to see his father holding a glass of wine towards him.

    Murmuring thank you, he accepted the glass and took a huge gulp of it, finishing the drink.

    Riedrich shook his head slowly, watching his son drink. He took a sip of his and said, "One must savour the taste of the wine. Not gulping in just one go."

    Bastian just ignored his words and sat down in one of the armchairs.

    Letting out a sigh, Riedrich went and sat in one of the armchairs as well.

    "Where''s mom?" Bastian asked.

    Riedrich frowned. "Sleeping," he replied. "Your mother has been missing you. Why didn''t you come earlier? It has been a while since we had dinner together. She has been overly concerned about you. Especially when you haven''t found your mate yet."

    Bastian inwardly sighed to himself. This was one reason why he dreaded coming to his parents'' house, especially coming face to face with his mother. He did not like the concern that was on her face when he would answer that he hasn''t found his mate yet.

    Unfortunately, he wasn''t as lucky as those shifters at the Kendall pack. They were lucky enough to find their mates in their own town and even in the same pack. And even if their mates weren''t from the same pack or town, they were lucky to still manage to find them at all!

    It wasn''t as if he did not try to find his mate. It just wasn''t so easy as it seems. And it just so happens that he has put ''looking for his mate'' mission on hold because of what had been happening around here and there.

    He just kept quiet.

    Riedrich let out a resigned sigh. "When are you going to look for your mate, Bastian?" he said. "You''re not getting any younger. Your mate should be out there. At least, once you''re mated, I would be rest assured with you."

    Bastian scowled. "Are you implying that I''m weak if I''m not mated yet?" he growled.

    "Of course not!" Riedrich roared. He then sighed again as he leaned against his seat. "Enough, Bastian. Just try and make an effort to look for your mate."

    "It''s not as if I wasn''t trying," Bastian muttered under his breath.

    Riedrich just ignored his words. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me about?" he asked, changing the topic. "You''ve met with the Kendall pack?"

    Bastian nodded and proceeded to tell his father everything about what he had learned and what Lachlan had suggested.

    Riedrich nodded, agreeing with Lachlan''s suggestion. "That''s a good idea. We can have a discussion on what to do about this. Never thought that this Rehan would appear once more. It seems like we have to deal with him as soon as possible."

    Bastian nodded as well. "I agree," he said.

 Chapter 232 - 223: The man in Ronans office

    The daycare where Amber works at was not that big in size and it is what people would describe as ''center-based daycare''. Although it was solely owned by the Paccitos, they do have sponsors for the place as well, where they usually sponsored utilities and other facilities. Small in size, it only has two office rooms, belonging to the owner and the principal, a staffroom for their teachers and a few classrooms, pantry and restrooms.

    They don''t exactly have any cleaners at the daycare so it was usually the teachers who cleaned the school, at most their classrooms.

    School was over and Amber was sweeping the front hall of the daycare. She was done cleaning her classroom and since she has some free time, she could just clean the hall as well. Sweeping the floor, she waved goodbye to the other teachers who were done with their duties.

    Just as she was about to return back to her classroom, she saw someone approaching the entrance. She looked over and saw it was a courier, carrying a small parcel.

    The courier looked up and smiled when he saw her standing at the entrance, looking back curiously. He quickly approached her and asked politely, "Good afternoon Miss. May I know whether Mr. Ronan Paccito of Little Sunshine is in?"

    Amber nodded warily, holding the broom.

    The courier then placed the parcel on the ground and took out a clipboard from his courier bag and handed it to her. He then politely pointed at the bottom of the paper and instructed, "Please sign here."

    Amber frowned in confusion. "Don''t you need the man himself to sign this?" she asked, referring to Ronan.

    The courier shook his head. "It''s fine. We just need your signature and identification number to prove that you were the receiver," he explained.

    Amber nodded in understanding as she proceeded to sign the paper. Once she had done so, the courier then handed her the parcel and left with a thank you and goodbye.

    She stood there at the entrance with the broom, tucked under her arm and her hands holding the parcel.

    ''Guess I should go and give this to Mr. Paccito,'' she thought to herself. She quickly placed the broom back inside the utility locker near her classroom before going over to his office.

    She was about to head over there when she saw one of her colleagues walking towards her. The other woman looked up and smiled when she saw Amber.

    "Hi Ms. Peiffer," Amber greeted with a smile. Ms. Peiffer was one of the teachers who worked at the daycare and could be considered as Amber''s colleague. She was petite with blonde hair and blue eyes, making her look sunny and happy as she smiled a lot. Although she worked as a teacher, in actuality, she also worked as the previous owner''s personal assistant, which now falls to Ronan.

    Apparently, she had just left Ronan''s office before going back home when she bumped into Amber. Knowing that the latter hardly go down to this path, Ms. Peiffer asked her what she was doing there.

    Amber held out the parcel in his hands and said that she received a parcel for Mr. Paccito and that she wanted to give him this before going home.

    Ms. Peiffer frowned thoughtfully as she tapped her forefinger against her chin. "If I''m not mistaken, there''s someone with him in the office. So, I''m not sure whether it would be alright for you to go in."

    After a few seconds, she then patted Amber on the shoulder and continued, "Nevermind that. I''m sure it will be fine. Just tell him that you have a parcel for him. It''s not as if you''ll disturb him about anything unnecessary."

    Amber gave her an awkward smile.

    Soon after, the two women said goodbyes to each other before Amber continued her way to Ronan''s office.

    Just as she was about to knock on his door, she could hear murmurs from inside the room. It sounded like the conversation inside was a bit heated as she could hear Ronan''s frantic voice.

    It made her think twice as to whether she should interrupt the conversation. She looked down at the parcel in her hands. It wouldn''t be that polite if she were to just place the parcel on the floor without telling Ronan about it.

    While she was thinking on what to do next, she jumped in surprise when she heard Ronan''s voice asking who was outside.

    "It''s me, Mr. Paccito," Amber answered at the closed door. "I have a parcel here which is for you."

    "Oh, I see," came his voice from the inside. "Do come in."

    She cautiously opened the door with one hand and another holding the parcel in front of her. Inside, she saw that there was another man with Ronan. He looked quite tough with his slicked hair and a scar above his right eye, making him look a bit terrifying, especially with his frowning face. The man was standing a few metres away from where Ronan was sitting behind his desk. And between the man''s fingers, there was a lit cigarette. He stood there, smoking with one hand tucked in his pocket.

    He also looked over at Amber when the latter walked in. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her before looking away, smoking, not caring that he was smoking in a no-smoking designated area.

    Amber inwardly cringed at the smell of tobacco. She really did not like the smell of it. She consciously walked towards Ronan, a bit further from the intimidating man.

    She did not know why but the man gave her the creeps. As if there was something dangerous about him.

    "Here you go, Mr. Paccito," Amber said politely as she placed the parcel on his table.

    Ronan smiled up at her and thanked her.

    Before she left the room, she could hear the other man growling at Ronan and said, "Next time, don''t easily invite unnecessary people in this room when I''m here."

    Amber frowned when she heard the rude man. ''I wouldn''t even come inside, if you''re not around either,'' she thought to herself.

    After she left the daycare, she then totally dismissed what had happened in Ronan''s office as she thought of what to eat for dinner.

 Chapter 233 - 224: The hunt for the vampires clues

    Erick was inside one of the meeting rooms at the packhouse. The last time he went there was years ago when they had the meeting with Lachlan and the other elders of the Kendall pack.

    Looking around him, he felt like he was back at that time, with the addition of the Cesaro Alpha and son and the Cairin Alpha. Isaiah Cairin was still the Alpha of the Cairin pack. And he did not look as if he had aged since the last time he had last seen him. According to some rumours he had heard, if the baby in Makena''s belly was a boy, he would be the future Alpha of the Cairin pack.

    Bastian stood behind his father, who was sitting at the long meeting table, waiting for everyone to settle in.

    The representatives from the other packs had just arrived a couple of minutes ago and were immediately guided to the meeting room. Jeayan was also there to help to serve the guests some refreshments before leaving the room.

    Once everyone had settled in, the room went silent. If Amber was there at that moment, she would joke about how the atmosphere there was so full of testosterone. However, there were also other female shifters in the room, such as Luella, Elder Ulanni and Elder Omorose. Paccia was also there.

    Unlike before, Hamish did not join the meeting, instead, Makena was the one who joined as she stood behind her grandfather. For Isaiah, she was still considered as one of the Cairin pack members, even if she had married into the Kendall pack.

    And behind Lachlan, stood Erick and Fergus as the future Alpha and the Beta of the Kendall pack. The former who had been sitting down then stood up and voiced out his greetings and appreciation to the other Alphas.

    The other Alphas grunted their acknowledgement.

    And moments later, Lachlan put the topic forward, in regards to the missing and the dead found in their towns and the reappearance of Rehan.

    Both Riedrich and Isaiah''s faces grew solemn when they heard Lachlan''s report. They knew how dangerous Rehan was, what more the man behind him. Especially when the man himself was a lycan, one of the lycan princes.

    After Lachlan was done talking, he immediately asked for their opinions about the current situation.

    Riedrich was the first one to voice out his thoughts since he had seen Rehan before and knew of his power. His main concern was the involvement of the vampires. Knowing that they are the nemesis of the werewolves, naturally both sides would know of each other''s weaknesses. And should they have fallen under Harding''s hands, they would definitely be more powerful.

    Everyone went silent after Riedrich had given out his opinions. It was such a dangerous thought; a shifter with a vampire''s powers. Though they would not know how it would actually turn out to be. But it would be pretty bad for them.

    "What I want to know is what had happened to the vampire that told you of all this?" he asked quietly, his eyes on Bastian.

    Everyone then turned their heads to Bastian, who looked surprised at being called out. He immediately controlled his expression and answered calmly, "Actually, after the corpse was found in the alley back in Burkendall, the vampire suddenly disintegrated into dust. We weren''t able to find what was the cause or what trigger it."

    "So, there''s basically nothing inside that den or cave or whatever it is?" Elder Zyair asked again as he crossed his arms across his c.h.e.s.t.

    Bastian shook his head. "Nothing," he answered.

    Elder Zyair turned to Riedrich and asked politely, "May I contribute a few words for you, with your permission?"

    Riedrich nodded.

    Elder Zyair turned to Lachlan, who nodded, as if giving him his full permission to say whatever he wanted.

    "Then please accept my apologies but I''d like to suggest that we search the area once more for any clues on the vampires," Elder Zyair suggested. "I think that perhaps, young Bastian did not have the proper means to search for a vampire, hence why he could not find any other clues. Bumping into that vampire could be considered as a fortunate situation."

    Riedrich frowned, a bit displeased that the other shifter seems to imply that his son wasn''t doing a good job in searching for more clues. However he had to agree that perhaps they were just looking in the wrong way.

    Isaiah Cairin also agreed with Elder Zyair''s suggestion. "Yes, I believe that is a good idea," he said, nodding. He then looked at his granddaughter, who nodded back and turned back again to the others. "Of course we will support whatever you all make. Your pack wasn''t the only one who had suffered in the hands of this warlock and that ''man''," he spat out, not wanting to admit that the other man was a lycan; a being that was one of the most respected in the shifters'' world.

    Lachlan nodded. "Then let''s work together to do this," he announced.

    A few minutes later, the team that was chosen to look and searched in the vampires'' den was finalised.

    From the Cairin pack; Ezekiel (the Beta), Paxon and one other shifter were chosen. If Makena wasn''t heavily pregnant, she would probably have been chosen to go as well.

    From the Cesaro pack, Bastian, Jose (the Beta) and another shifter were chosen.

    From the Kendall pack, Erick, Paccia, Elder Zyair (he volunteered himself as he wanted to see the vampires'' den) and Dewei were chosen. (Yes, Dewei is back :) )

    With these, the team of strength and wisdom was formed in search for the vampires'' clues.

    It was further agreed that they will venture out in three days. Not more or less. They will meet up at the Port Robson Bay before heading off together.

 Chapter 234 - 225: Ambers curiousity

    Erick was inside the kitchen, with papers strewn all over the kitchen table. It was after midnight and he was working late. Although Amber usually scolds him for bringing work home since he should just rest, instead of working, he sometimes still brings them. It was not because he did not want to listen to her but it was because he had to.

    The night after the meeting at the packhouse, he had accompanied the other Alphas and Bastian to one of the lodging houses in town, which was owned by one of the Kendall packmates. Once he had helped them to settle in, Erick returned back to the packhouse where he had another conversation with Lachlan and Fergus.

    The conversation continued on until two o''clock in the morning. At some point, Hamish even came over to join in the conversation. Although he won''t be joining the mission, he likes to put his two cents in the strategy plan. He thought it was a pity that he would not be able to join but with Makena getting closer to her due date, he knew it would be impossible for him to leave her side.

    After Erick had returned home, Amber was already asleep but she was sweet enough to leave the lights on at the front porch for him. He entered the house, carefully trying to not make any loud noise so that Amber would not be awake.

    He placed his bag on top of the dining table and began to take out the papers from inside. However, just as he was about to put the bag on the floor, he noticed a paper just on the side of the table. He grabbed it and began to skim through.

    His eyes brightened after he was done reading. It seems that Luka was ready to return home. A few weeks ago, Luka had some complications in his leg and had to be operated on. Because the vet in town wasn''t as good as the one in another town, they had to send him there. Although he was done with the operation and fortunately it was a success, Erick and Amber had to leave him there since they needed to check on him more for observation. He was an old wolf so it wasn''t a surprise as to why the veterinarian had to take extra care with Luka.

    Erick smiled, greatly pleased that he was able to meet his beloved pet once more. He set the paper aside and continued to take the papers out from inside his bag and put them on the table.

    A few minutes later, he was deep in work. Because he was going to take some leave from work for a few days, he had to finish all of his work before setting off. Cases have been piling up on his desk with more reports that were needed to be done soon. Since he was one of the smartest associates in the firm, most of the difficult cases were usually given to him. He does not mind the work, instead, he loves the challenges.

    He continued with his work until the wee morning.

    Amber, who had just woken up, yawned as she opened the curtains in her bedroom, letting the sunshine in. She stretched her arms up as she looked out the window. ''Seems like another beautiful day,'' she thought to herself.

    After she had done her morning stretches, she went to her bathroom to wash her face and teeth before leaving her bedroom.

    Hearing that there were some noises coming from the kitchen, she tilted her head in confusion. She peeked inside and was surprised to see Erick still working.

    "Erick!" she scolded.

    Erick jumped in surprise. He turned around in his seat, showing her his tired face and dark eye bags underneath his eyes.

    "Did you not sleep at all?" she exclaimed as she rushed forward at him. She immediately grabbed the pen away from his hand and quickly tidied up the table by collecting all the papers from there.

    "Babyˇ­" he started.

    Amber whirled around, her arms holding the papers to her c.h.e.s.t and the pen gripped in her hand. She glared at him and scolded some more. "I''ve told you again and again! There will be no bringing back work home! Home is for you to rest, not work again!"

    It was then Erick realized that he had not told her about his mission on the vampires. "Baby, listenˇ­" he tried to explain.

    She ignored him as she resumed cleaning the table and placed the papers in his bag. Once she was done, she continued to ignore him as she began to cook breakfast.

    Erick chuckled lightly, rubbing his eyes and temples. "Babyˇ­" he started again.

    Amber pretended to not hear him as she broke a few eggs into a huge mixing bowl.

    "I''m going to go for another mission in two days."

    She stopped for a few seconds before continuing to break more eggs. After whisking them and adding a few other ingredients into the bowl, she slowly turned to him and asked, "What kind of mission?"

    Erick smiled wryly. "Mission together with the other packs," he said.

    "Will it be dangerous?" she asked, looking worried.

    Erick shrugged. "I''m not quite sure," he admitted. "We''re looking for some clues in a vampires'' den."

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. "Vampires? Den?" she repeated.

    Erick nodded.

    Amber blinked her eyes as her hands continued to hold the bowl in her arms while stirring the mixed eggs inside. "Wow. Never thought I would be able to see a vampire these days."

    "''I''?" Erick repeated, looking confused.

    Amber just smiled and shook her head. She turned back around, continuing to prepare for breakfast. And without turning around, she asked whether he would be working that morning.

    Erick answered yes.

    Few minutes later, the two of them enjoyed breakfast together while having a pleasant conversation. Amber continued to shoot more questions at Erick about his mission while the latter patiently answered them one by one. Although she was really worried for him, she knew that it was for a good cause.

    ''I wonder how it would be like to meet them?'' Amber thought to herself, referring to the vampires.

 Chapter 235 - 226: Elder Zyair

    Erick looked on with a wry smile as he watched Amber meticulously packed his things in a huge backpack.

    "Um, honey?" he started. "You do know that I''m going on a mission, right? I don''t really need all of these things," he said, gesturing at the items that were laid on the bed.

    The two of them were inside Erick''s bedroom where the latter was just about to get ready to set off for his mission when Amber barged in with many things. Before Erick could say anything, Amber had dropped the things on his bed; scattering everywhere. There were sleeping bags, extra clothes, torchlights, a pack of batteries, a pocket knife, a map, a compass, a fire starter and most importantly, snacks. Lots of it.

    Amber glared at him with her hands on her h.i.p.s. "You can never be too careful!" she exclaimed. She had once ''accidentally'' joined his ''mission'' where she got kidnapped and she knew just a little gist of what his ''mission'' is like. Even a gist of it was enough to make her worry, hence, all the things that she had prepared.

    He could only sighed inwardly as he watched her rearrange and put things inside the huge backpack.

    Few minutes later, she took a step back from the bed and looked proudly at the stuffed backpack. It was quite filled to the brim that it was a surprise that she managed to zip the bag tight.

    Feeling satisfied, she turned back around to Erick, who was looking at her blankly. She frowned when she saw his expression. "What''s that look for?" she asked suspiciously.

    Erick gave her a smile. "Nothing, babe," he said.

    And speaking of the devil, Luka himself walked in Erick''s room through the open door, growling as he went. A couple of days ago, after their working hours, the two of them had gone over to the other town to pick up the happy Luka.

    He wasn''t as aggressive as he was before as he became more tame over the years. Sometimes Erick felt like he had picked up a husky, rather than a wolf. The veterinarian at the other town was surprised when he found out Luka was a wolf. He, too, thought that he was a husky. He was amazed and impressed by how tame Luka has become.

    Apparently, being pampered and babied by Erick and his family made him become more domesticated than the wild wolves.

    While Erick was hoisting the backpack on his back, Luka had jumped onto the former''s bed and settled in comfortably. Even though Luka has his own bed, he likes to sneak into Erick''s bed, until now.

    Amber used to be quite envious at how Luka seems to favouritise Erick, compared to her. She used to try to bribe him with snacks but to no avail. In the end, she gave up trying, thinking perhaps it was because Erick was a shifter and that Luka felt more close to him than her. Erick used to tease her too, saying that instead of Luka, he can cuddle with her in bed, to which she immediately refused.

    Both Erick and Amber smiled wryly as they both watched Luka making himself comfortable before snoozing into sleep.

    "He''s going to miss you badly," she commented airily, chuckling.

    Erick just smiled. It has only been a couple of days since Luka had returned and only a few days since both master and pet have been together.

    He then looked over at her and said, "Please take care of him for me."

    Amber rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her c.h.e.s.t. "You don''t have to ask me," she retorted. "I will love Luka more than I will love you."

    Erick''s eyes widened. He quickly pulled her in his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. "Don''t make me send Luka to the packhouse."

    Luka continued to sleep soundly, not realizing that his master was about to easily ''abandon'' him at the packhouse.

    Amber rolled her eyes again as she pulled away from him. "Stop being so mean!" she scolded him.

    Before Erick could say anything, she quickly changed the topic where she asked him whether he had everything prepared. He nodded each time she listed every single item.

    It was nearly midnight and the other shifters had already gathered at the packhouse where they will go together and head over to the Port Robston Bay.

    Because it was already late, Erick did not allow Amber to follow him to the packhouse. He did not want her to return home alone at a very late hour.

    Hence, the two lovebirds could only say their goodbyes at home where they shared a very sweet kiss.

    Hours later, Erick found himself sitting in a van, sitting next to Paccia while Dewei drove. Elder Zyair sat quietly at the front passenger seat, looking out the window.

    Dewei was whistling happily as he drove them, heading towards the direction of the Port Robston Bay. It has been years since he had last gone on a mission so he was very excited. He then thought of the tools and weapons that he had brought along with him and felt even more excited! He can''t wait to use them!

    It was then he saw her mouth was moving softly as if she was talking in soft whispers. Using his keen sense of hearing, he sighed inwardly. Why did he think that she was being weird today? It seems like she was behaving like her usual self as she softly mumbled about the things that she wanted to cast on and the spells that she had just created and wanted to test.

    Yes, he was traveling with two of the weirdest elders in the Kendall pack. He looked to the front and studied the other elder in front of him. He had never had a proper conversation with Elder Zyair, compared with the other elders.

    In fact, this would be the first time he would be working alongside with Elder Zyair. He had heard stories about the elder shifter. Bad ones.

    Apparently, even if he seemed quiet, he was quite cunning. Especially when it comes to coming up with strategy. He likes to play mind games, rather than violence. Many other shifters had warned Erick before that if he wants to annoy the elders, annoy the others but never Elder Zyair. You''d never know what hit you.

    ''This would be interesting,'' Erick thought.

 Chapter 236 - 227: Search for the vampires mission begins!

    It was early morning where the night sky was still dark with scattered stars lighting the heavens. It was quiet where there were only sounds of crickets and nocturnal animals.

    The Kendall pack representatives had already arrived at Port Robston Bay and were making their way to the Cesaro packhouse. At first, they were supposed to meet up outside town but changed at the last minute, lest there were other people watching them.

    Although Erick has been to Port Robston Bay before, he had never gone to the Cesaro packhouse before. Hence, he was quite curious to see what it''s like. Would it be the same as theirs? Or really different?

    Few minutes later, they finally arrived at the Cesaro packhouse. It wasn''t a surprise that the place was similar to their packhouse, which was built like a modest yet huge cottage with a high thatched roof and thick grey walls. It looked quite homey with plants framing the sides of the cottage and trees surrounding the building.

    After parking the car, the Kendall pack got out of the car and walked towards the cottage. And before they could reach the entrance, the door to it was flung wide open, revealing a brawny young man, standing just outside the front door.

    He was blond and muscular with blue eyes. And when he saw them outside, he grinned and waved his hand. His grin grew even wider when he saw Erick was amongst the group. And before anyone could say anything, he was gone. And in the next second, Elder Zyair and the other two had to take a step back when they felt wind breezing past them.

    They turned around to find Erick with his arm raised up, blocking the punch from the other shifter who had lunged towards him. The two of them grinned maniacally before the latter took a step back. But Erick took the chance to return the kick, which successfully hit the other on the side of his body. This pushes the other, but not to the extent of him falling to the ground.

    Bastian grinned as he tried to stabilize his footing. "Not bad," he complimented.

    Erick just grinned back, cracking his knuckles.

    Elder Zyair immediately came between them and said, "Alright, enough horseplay." He then turned to Bastian and said, "Bring us to your Alpha."

    Bastian c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at the disrespect that Elder Zyair had given him but he wasn''t surprised since the other was an Elder and that his centuries as a strong shifter made him a bit egoistical.

    Shrugging inwardly, Bastian led the way inside the packhouse. Although the exterior seems familiar to the Kendall packhoue, the interior was a whole lot different. By looking around the cottage, it was surmised that it has more than ten rooms and instead of a front hallway, when Erick and the others first entered, they were greeted with several shifters from the Cesaro pack, playing pool table and hanging out at the sofa. To the right, it seems like it led to private rooms, seeing how there were a couple of shifters guarding the door that led to it. Bastian guided them to the left where there was a hallway. They passed by several doors, which Erick presumed would be the offices before stopping in front of one of the doors.

    Bastian knocked on the door. He waited until there was someone from inside,telling them to come in before opening the door. He stepped aside, giving the Kendall pack space to enter before following them from behind. He then shut the door behind him.

    Inside, apparently, the Cairin pack had already arrived, which wasn''t a surprise since Port Robston Bay and the Cairin Oaks were closer to each other, compared to Burkendall and Port Robstom Bay.

    Ezekiel sat to the right of the Cesaro Alpha with Paxon and one unfamiliar shifter standing behind him. Erick studied the other shifter closely and suddenly realized that he must have seen him from somewhere but he couldn''t be sure from where.

    The seat to the left of the Cesaro Alpha was empty, which Erick assumed must be left for the Kendall pack representative. Although Erick should have the right to sit there, he politely gestured to Elder Zyair to have a seat, instead, since he was the leader for the Kendall pack.

    After the Alpha had left the room, Jose immediately took hold of the reins. Everyone in the room immediately went into a heated discussion; all giving their opinions on how to start off their mission, including Erick and Bastian.

    Soon, they finally came up with the plan. To ensure that they won''t be suspected nor detected, the packs will be mixed for the mission.

    Team 1: Jose, Paccia, Paxon and one shifter from the Cesaro pack named Riowins.

    Team 2: Elder Zyair, Erick and Bastian.

    Team 3: Ezekiel, Dewei, one shifter from the Cairin pack named Trey.

    According to the plan, it was agreed that team 1 would first go over to the den and look for clues and ensure that every inch of the place was thoroughly investigated. And team 2 will survey the outside, making sure that there aren''t any enemies or any surprise encounters. And team 3 would be the backup.

    After everything was done and agreed, they all began to set off for the mission. It was still very early in the morning, just a couple of hours before the sun rose when they were on their way to the den.

    Because Bastian was the only one who had been to the place before, he temporarily joined Team 1 to help guide the way. It was fortunate that there were some lights that helped lead the way, making it easier for Bastian to point out the directions.

    It did not take them long to finally arrive at the area. But it took them more than an hour, just to search for that abandoned den as it had been for some time since Bastian last went there.

    Team 3 quickly looked for places to hide while still able to see what was going on in the den whereas Team 1 cautiously walked in, one by one.

    Elder Zyair stood in front of the entrance with Erick and Bastian, standing beside him.

    "Something smells off," Erick suddenly said.

    Bastian looked over at him in surprise. He didn''t expect those words coming out of Erick''s mouth.

    Elder Zyair let out a rare smile. "You think so?" he asked, crossing his arms across his c.h.e.s.t as he looked at the entrance.

    Erick nodded.

    "We''ll just wait here and see," Elder Zyair answered.

    Both Erick and Bastian nodded.

    It finally begun!

 Chapter 237 - 228: Secret room

    Paccia looked around her as she followed Jose, who was walking in front of her. Behind her were Paxon and Riowins. Riowins was at the very back, whereas Paxon was in between, together with Paccia.

    Before they had entered the den, Paccia had felt something ominous drifting from the inside but she couldn''t put a finger to what it was. She noticed the stiffened and cautious way of how Jose was walking in front of her and knew that he must have noticed it as well.

    However, the four of them continued to move forward while being careful. The smell of rotting leaves and moss grew stronger the deeper they walked in. To describe the place as a den was probably inaccurate since it looked more like a cave. It was quite dark inside and it was fortunate that they were still able to see what was inside. Water dripped down from the ceiling, indicating that there was water flowing above them.

    Although it was only a few minutes since they had been inside, for the four of them, it felt like ages. Paxon, who was behind Paccia, moved closer to the wall, touching it as if to try to feel something. It was damp, hard and wet.

    With his hand still on the wall, they continued to move forward when Paxon suddenly stopped. Paccia, too, stopped.

    Jose, who was in front of them, stopped when he noticed the abnormal behavior they were showing. "What''s wrong?" he asked, confused.

    Paxon only looked at Paccia, without answering him.

    Paccia gave them a look for them to keep quiet. She silently casted a spell, conjuring a small ball of light in her hand. She then flicked the ball of light in front of her, casting a low light around them. The ball of light started to jump around the den, bouncing against the wall before disappearing back in Paccia''s hand.

    Oblivious at the bewildered look on the three''s faces, Paccia''s face grew thoughtful. She looked around and then said softly, "Someone was here. Or ratherˇ­ a group of shifters were here."

    Jose and the other two looked surprised at her comment. "How come we could not detect them earlier?" he asked. Werewolves were known to have the best sense of scent. So it was quite shocking that they weren''t able to scent anything at all.

    Paccia shrugged. "It''s either they were good at hiding their scent or because the smell here overpowers their scent, which I doubt," she said.

    "Could it be that they have a witch in their group that helps cover their scent?" Jose asked again.

    Paccia shook her head. "There''s no sign or indication that there was a witch presence, other than myself," she disagreed. She then looked at the three shifters and told them to be more careful.

    Few minutes later, the four of them continued their way in until they reached a wooden door. Paccia and the other two shifters turned to Jose, who was considered as the leader and the strongest among the four of them.

    Jose nodded before trying the knob. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. This made them become more wary. The former slowly opened the door.

    Anticipating a surprise attack from inside, they were further surprised to find that there was none. They all walked in and saw that the inside was not what they expected.

    The room they walked in was a living room. And it was quiteˇ­ homey? There wasn''t a single furniture overturn. It was as if the place wasn''t ransacked before. Everything was in its place; the chairs, the coffee tables, the grandfather clock, the fireplace.

    They all frowned in confusion. Didn''t Bastian say the place was destroyed? That, not a single thing was left out in its destruction.

    Paccia walked over to one of the armchairs. She warily touched the furniture. It was real.

    "What''s going on here?" Riowins asked as he walked over to Paccia''s side.

    "There''s something strange here," Paccia murmured as she looked around her.

    After a few minutes of walking around, the four of them meet up in the middle of the room and discuss amongst themselves.

    Jose held up a strand of hair in front of him. "I found this underneath one of the chairs," he said.

    Both Paxon and Riowins took a quick sniff at the hair. Their eyes widened when they realized what the scent was.

    "Bear shifters?" Paxon said in surprise.

    Jose nodded grimly.

    "How did a strand of a bear shifter end up here?" Riowins asked aloud.

    "That''s what we''re about to find out," Jose said.

    Paccia looked up at Jose and said, "Show me which armchair it was."

    Jose immediately pointed to one of the armchairs that was a bit further from them.

    Paccia swiftly rushed over and started to chant a spell. She casted the spell over the chair and waited for a few seconds.

    Soon after, a glow of green light covered the whole armchair. There was a sound of sizzle and sparkle coming from the light. And then the chair suddenly broke into smaller pieces.

    "Wha---" the three shifters exclaimed in surprised.

    Then something more surprising came out from the broken chair. The green light suddenly morphed into a form that looked like a bear. It is then divided into more bears.

    From what Jose and the other two shifters understand, it seems like Paccia was trying to reenact what had happened before in the room using the strand of hair.

    They continued to watch what the morphing lights were trying to do.

    They were surprised to see that their surroundings suddenly changed into a place of destruction. It was then they realized that they were now in the illusion of the past.

    And suddenly, the fireplace, which was the only one in the room that wasn''t destroyed, began to emit a creaking sound.

    The four of them looked over and were surprised to see there was a pathway that was revealed after the creaking sounds had ended.

    Shortly after, the illusion ended and they were back to the current time where the furniture was all neatly arranged, even the grandfather clock.

    Paccia nodded at Jose, who nodded back. The latter walked over to the clock and imitated what the bear had done.

    Soon, the same thing happened.

    Looking at the pathway, Jose turned to Paccia and the other two and said, "We should inform Elder Zyair and the others about this."

 Chapter 238 - ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello. I know you''re expecting a chapter, instead of this but many apologies. I don''t think I can publish a chapter tonight. It seems like I''m still adapting to my working life which has drained me, leaving me with less free time.

    So I''m going to make another change that the updates will be on every Monday and Wednesday. My apologies once again but I don''t have a choice as I do not want you all to keep wanting for the chapter. I promise that once I have some spare time, I''d make up with all the chapters that I have not given to you.

    Thank you for your understanding and I''m sorry for this..

 Chapter 239 - 229: Something suspicious

    Bastian crouched in front of the den entrance, using a wooden stick to draw stick figures on the ground. It has been more than an hour since Jose and his group have entered the den. And so far, there hasn''t been any news or indication that they were in trouble. Although they weren''t in trouble, which was good news for Elder Zyair and the two future Alphas, it made the latter two more restless.

    While Bastian was scribbling gibberish on the ground, Erick was next to him, playing pebbles as he tossed them in his hands.

    Elder Zyair was leaning against a tree, a few metres away from him, patiently waiting for any news. He has his eyes closed so no one knows what he was really thinking about.

    He suddenly opened his eyes and then he looked over at the two fidgety shifters. He frowned at their agitated behavior.

    He continued to watch the oblivious shifters who were not aware that they were being watched.

    "Yo, bro," Bastian suddenly called out.

    Erick looked over at Bastian, a questioning look on his face.

    Bastian was quiet at first. Then he asked out loud, "What do you think would happen to shifters who will never find a mate?"

    Erick frowned at this question. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking baffled.

    Bastian turned his head and looked at Erick straight in the eye. "Exactly what I mean," he said, looking serious. "What do you think would happen to shifters who will be forever mateless?"

    Erick furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you talking about yourself?" he asked, knowing that Bastian still hasn''t found his mate.

    Bastian turned back to his scribbles and went quiet.

    Erick inwardly sighed. Although Bastian may seem playful and all, he knew deep down that the other man was deeply worried about himself. He knew that he was concerned about himself not having a mate. And he further knew that Bastian had worked long and hard to search for his mate, but to no avail. Hence, he understood his worries.

    Erick looked down at Bastian''s scribbles and said softly, "I''ve never heard of any shifter who will ''change'' if they become mateless. Nor have I heard whether it was compulsory to have a mate."

    Bastian turned his head towards Bastian, a furious look on his face. "What do you mean, not sure whether it''s not compulsory or something?" he exclaimed hotly. "When have you heard about a shifter who never had a mate ever in his life??"

    Erick nodded. "True," he agreed. "But then again, even if he doesn''t have any mate now, who''s to say that he won''t find one in the near future? And I don''t think there''s any time limit to finding a mate."

    Bastian looked down at his scribbles once more, a thoughtful look on his face.

    "Look at Roel. He still hasn''t found his mate either. I know he''s a bit worried too but I believe that it still doesn''t stop him from giving up and losing hope. So, you shouldn''t be, as well," Erick continued. "Being mateless for now doesn''t make you weak, even for the future Alpha as yourself. So, I don''t think you should be overly concerned about it. I know you might think that I have no right in saying all these since I found mine in highschool but you know my words are right," he ended his advice with a comforting pat on Bastian''s shoulder.

    Bastian let out a light chuckle of relief. He threw a grin at Erick and said, "Of all people who could have comforted me, I didn''t expect it to be you."

    Before Erick could reply to that, Bastian leaned back, his arms supporting his body as he laid on the ground. "Though, it would be much nicer if it was a woman who comforted me, rather than an overgrown muscle-brained guy," he surmised jokingly.

    Erick immediately lifted his leg and gave the other shifter a kick to his side, making the latter roll over ungracefully.

    "The feck, man!" Bastian complained as he turned on his side, still lying on the ground. He glared angrily up at Erick, who brushed his pants from the sand, ignoring him.

    Erick walked over to Elder Zyair, who now had his eyes closed again and his arms crossed across his c.h.e.s.t. His whole posture screams ''do not disturb me'', hence why Erick was unsure whether to approach him or not.

    He continued to move past Bastian and stood in front of the den entrance with his hands on his h.i.p.s.

    "Got a word from the shifters inside," Zyair announced, without turning, his eyes still on the entrance.

    Both Erick and Bastian became alert, immediately rushing over to Zyair''s side. "From who, Elder?" Erick asked, a tinge of excitement could be heard in his voice.

    "Jose."

    Bastian''s eyes widened when he heard the name of his pack Beta. "Did something happen?" he asked.

    Elder Zyair shook his head. "Can''t be sure," he replied. "He did not say anything more, other than to tell us to come over quickly. They probably found something or someone."

    Erick and Bastian looked at each other and then at Elder Zyair. They both nodded.

    The three of them cautiously walked inside the den.

    Because Bastian has been to the place before, he was the one who walked in front as a guide, followed by Erick and Elder Zyair taking the rear. The interior of the den was similar as when Bastian had last entered, however the smell of rotting leaves and moss were stronger this time. He looked around the familiar place and had second thoughts. No, it wasn''t so familiar now. There were some changes. It wasn''t this damp before. And there was more debris on the ground, compared to before. As if a quake had occurred before, after he went there.

    "What''s wrong?" Erick asked when he saw the other shifter stopped.

    Bastian turned around to look at Erick and Elder Zyair and said, "It seems like we have company."

    Both Erick and Elder Zyair frowned when they heard him. They frowned deeper when they saw an unfamiliar long strand of black fur hair. From what they remember, none of them has long black hair. Nor did any of them have turned into their shifter forms.

 Chapter 240 - ANNOUNCEMENT

    Unfortunately, this is a bad kind of announcement. I''m sorry that I have to pause my writing for two weeks and yes, this means that there''s no chapter for today. I will return sometime next month where I will be a bit free to write.

    My apologies once again. I don''t think I could cope writing this week. I''ve been on a verge of burnout and swamped with deadlines and lot of workloads.

    I hope that you all understand my situation here. And again, I don''t want to leave this story hanging. So this is the best I could do. So, I''ll see you next month. Hopefully with more chapters!

    Thank you for your understanding and I appreciate it.

 Chapter 241 - 231: Trick or trick?

    Levi Ainge blinked his eyes furiously. He held his head with his one hand and another hand supporting his body as he gingerly sat up. He felt a bit lightheaded, trying to get his equilibrium back.

    He felt and heard someone talking beside him but he could not catch what they were saying. He still felt a bit shaky as he tried to get up. Before he could fully stand up, someone grabbed him by the arm. At first, he was about to flung the hand away until he realized that the other person was trying to help him get up.

    After he had got up, his arm around the shoulder of the other person in support, his eyesight finally was able to focus. He looked over and found out that it was Oz who had been trying to help him up.

    It was then he finally remembered what had happened!

    He pushed Oz away from him and rushed towards Jose, who was talking to Bastian.

    Jose had just turned his head when suddenly a fist came towards him, sending him once again flying across and out of the room. As if it wasn''t enough to dampen his anger, Levi followed him out.

    Jose recovered quickly from the punch as he managed to avoid Levi''s rain of punches. The two continued to exchange punches and kicks.

    Oz, who was pushed away from Levi earlier, looked dumbstruck as he watched his brother fighting against the wolf shifter. He let out a sigh in resignation. Among the four of them, including Storm, Levi was the most hot-headed brother. Compared to Atticus, who was more gentle, despite his big frame, Levi can explode at any moment, regardless of the situation.

    Hearing someone grunt his presence, Oz turned around and spoke of the devil, Atticus was standing behind him, watching the fight too. He then looked down at Oz, as if asking for permission, to which the latter nodded ''yes''.

    Just as their fists were about to collide against each other, both Levi and Jose were surprised to see that their fists were grabbed by someone else, stopping the punches.

    Dusts were floating around them while they were fighting and when it finally settled down, Levi and Jose finally found out whose hands grabbed theirs.

    Atticus looked at the two of them and shook his head. There was still a bruise mark near his cheekbones where Jose had accidentally attacked him earlier.

    "Let go!" Levi snarled, baring his fangs at his brother.

    "Enough, Atticus," Oz ordered.

    Atticus immediately let go of their hands and took a step back.

    Both Levi and Jose shook their hands, the one that Atticus had gripped tightly, shaking them into feeling. Levi turned to Oz, who was approaching them and snarled, "Why did you stop me?"

    Instead of answering him, Oz turned his head and Levi followed his gaze. The latter frowned when he saw a familiar figure walking towards them.

    "Little Erick?" he said in disbelief, his eyes widened. The last time he had met Erick was years ago, back at the Cairin Oaks. He did not expect that they would meet each other again. He had always thought fondly about the young Erick.

    Erick rolled his eyes when he finally stopped in front of Levi. He placed his hand on the latter''s shoulder and said, "Levi, please listen to us."

    Levi frowned but nodded.

    After a few minutes of talking with Levi, the latter reluctantly backed down. Although he was not satisfied and would like to continue to pummel the other shifter down, he listened to his old friend.

    Oz rubbed his chin with his hand as he absorbed Erick and the other shifters'' speculation on what had happened to Storm. He turned to his brothers who were also nodding along with their theory.

    Similar to what Paccia and the others had seen from the imagery earlier, Oz walked over to the grandfather clock and began to follow exactly on what had been done before. He reached for the pendulum and started to shake it with the chain.

    Likewise, a loud ringing reverberated throughout the room. Since all shifters have s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e hearing, the noise was quite loud, making all of them, even Paccia, cover their ears. And soon after, there was a creaking sound.

    Everyone turned their heads to where the creaking sound came from. As expected, there was a hidden pathway that was revealed once the sound had ended.

    They all looked at each other, a silent question rose up. Who will go first?

    Atticus immediately took a step forward, the same time as Elder Zyair. The two shifters looked at each other in surprise, startled by the other''s willingness to be the ''scapegoat''.

    Elder Zyair quickly cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was curious to know where the path leads,'' he answered simply.

    Atticus only quietly nodded. For him, he thought that because he was the largest among them, it seemed ''right'' for him to take the fall for the others.

    Paccia then casted a protective spell on the two of them. Once the spell has been casted, Atticus swiftly went ahead, followed by Elder Zyair and the others.

    All of them were quiet as they walked in a line inside the cramped pathway. Unlike the room that they were in earlier, it was quite dark and stuffy inside the passage. It was unsure what they would find at the end of the way.

    Finally, they reached the end after another couple of minutes. Atticus was the first one to step out of the pathway. He blinked his eyes rapidly, looking immensely shocked.

    Confused as to why the bear shifter suddenly stopped in front of him, Elder Zyair moved aside and soon, his eyes, too, widened in surprise.

    When all of them had stepped out of the pathway, Bastian, who was one of the shifters at the back, took a step forward and looked around him in shock. It felt like deja vu. It was as if he had turned back in time, to the past where he was dragged by Krys into one of the experimental rooms.

    The decor in the place was exactly the same as back then! There was an examination bed on one side of the room, with several glass tubes connecting to one another on the other side. There were unidentifiable liquids flowing inside the tubes, emitting a strange smell. There was also a huge cupboard on another side of the rooms, filled with weird items and jars.

    "What is thisˇ­?" Elder Zyair muttered in confusion, breaking the silence.

    Erick quickly sniffed the area and his eyes widened. "Warlocks?" he said out loud, looking baffled.

    "What is going on?" Bastian mumbled, looking and feeling perplexed. Did that vampire trick him? Were they actually working together with the warlocks?

 Chapter 242 - 233: Back where they first officially met

    It had been days since Erick had left for the mission. And from what she had heard from Hamish, it seems like quite a big mission since there were other packs joining in the mission. She had met the latter that day when she went over to his house to visit Makena.

    Makena''s due date was near so Amber took the chance to visit the other woman, bearing gifts. The two women were having some small talk in Makena and Hamish''s living room when Hamish just returned home from work.

    He did not seem surprised to see Amber in his living room because other than Jeayan, Amber was also a frequent visitor to his house. The reason why Amber and Jeayan loves to visit his house was because they were excited and wanted to care for Makena while he was out for work. Makena was carrying the first baby of their generation. It was unfortunate that Jeayan had some work at Roel''s restaurant. Or she would have joined the other two women.

    Hamish hung his coat on the coat rack and joined the two women in the living room.

    Amber and Makena were laughing at one of the stories Amber was telling about her students at the daycare. The two stopped talking when Hamish walked in and sat down next to Makena on the sofa. Amber, who was sitting on an armchair, just nodded ''hello'' before continuing her talk.

    "Did you hear anything about Erick?" Hamish cut in through their conversation.

    The two women stopped talking again. Amber then turned her head to Hamish with eyes gleaming with anticipation. "No, did you?" she asked back. Although she was a bit sad that Erick had not contacted her ever since he went for the mission, she could not blame him since he must be pretty preoccupied.

    Hamish nodded. "I heard it from one of the elders in the pack," he answered simply.

    "What did he say?" Amber asked, leaning forward in her seat.

    After Hamish was done talking, there was a look of concern on Amber''s face. She did not realize how dangerous Erick''s mission was.

    Seeing the look of apprehension on the woman''s face, Hamish felt a bit guilty for telling her this. He quickly reassured Amber, saying that Erick will be fine. He has other shifters to protect him and in actuality, Dane was strong enough to protect himself too.

    Listening to Hamish, in the end, Amber nodded. Yes, she should trust Erick and Dane''s strengths. Even though she hasn''t fully witnessed their full strengths, she knew that they were strong.

    After another few minutes of small talks, Amber said her goodbye to the couple and went home. It was still early as the sun was about to set. Instead of going straight home, she decided to drive around town. Besides, if she went home, there wasn''t anyone to greet her home, other than Luka, who probably was still sleeping.

    She continued to drive until she reached the diner where she first ''officially'' met Erick. She looked out the window as she drove past, feeling a bit nostalgic. The exterior of the diner was still the same. She swiftly parked her car at the designated parking lot before heading inside the diner.

    When she entered the place, a strong savory yet pleasant scent hit her, making her unconsciously wrinkled her nose. The environment inside was bustling with chatters and laughter, brightening the place, which surprised her. Because she knows that the place was known as a stop-over for tourists or travellers who rested there for a bite to eat.

    She smiled ruefully as she looked around her. The place really brings good memories. It has been years since she last went here. She went to sit in an empty booth and realized it was the same booth where she was waiting for her mother and then Erick and Hamish ''barged in'' on her.

    A few minutes later, after she had placed her order, she looked out the window, with her chin on her palm. She became lost in thoughts as memories began to flood her mind. She only returned back to reality when one of the waitresses had placed her food and drink in front of her.

    Startled, Amber looked up at the waitresses, giving her a thank-you smile before turning to her food. Unknowingly, she had ordered the same thing she had back then, which was a cheeseburger, two large fries, a packet of wraps, an ice-cream soda and a coke.

    The waitress who had served her earlier looked quite shocked when she saw Amber''s order of food and drinks. At first, she thought that Amber was going to eat with a friend. But apparently, her thoughts were wrong when Amber said that she would be eating alone. It wasn''t surprising as to why the waitress was shocked since Amber was quite petite.

    Nearly an hour later, Amber was done eating with only her ice-cream soda left. She continued to sip her drink while looking out the window, watching the cars drive past the diner.

    Once she got bored and tired, she decided to leave. She went to pay for her dinner before walking out of the diner.

    The night has gone late with a few stars that could be seen shining on the dark sky, illuminating the roads and sidewalk.

    Amber stood outside the diner for a few seconds before walking towards her car.

    There weren''t any people around as most of them were either inside the diner, still eating or had left the area.

    She unlocked her car, unconsciously, without knowing that there was someone who had followed stealthy behind her.

    Just as she was about to climb inside her car, her arm was roughly pulled back. Surprised, she whirled around and before she could see who was rough-handling her, someone had placed a cloth over her nose and mouth, making her drowsy.

    She suddenly became limp and before she hit the ground, she was carried away in an unknown van, leaving her car door open and her handbag on the ground.

 Chapter 243 - 234: Going back to square one

    Erick was examining one of the glass jars inside a glass cabinet when he suddenly looked at the direction where they came in. Bastian, who was standing beside him, noticed his weird action and called out to him, "Hey, what''s wrong?"

    Erick frowned, turning to Bastian. He then shook his head. "Nothingˇ­ I suddenly felt something had happenedˇ­" he said slowly.

    "Something?" Bastian repeated, a confused look on his face. He looked around him. There was nothing that seemed weird or out-of-place, hence why he was baffled as to why Erick seemed to sense that something had happened.

    Erick let out a laugh wryly. "It''s nothing," he said, turning back to the glass cabinet. ''Was it my imagination?'' he thought to himself, inwardly shaking his head.

    Just as he was about to grab the jar for a closer look, Oz shouted at all of them for their attention.

    Everyone in the room turned to where Oz was. He was hunching in front of a hole where one of the cabinets used to be. Apparently, he had thought that the cabinet seemed a bit off and noticed how it was placed quite strangely. He then noticed that the back of the cabinet was a bit further from the wall as if it had been pulled or pushed in a rush. Following his instinct, he pushed the cabinet and noticed a glimpse of the hole before pushing more of the cabinet to reveal the hole.

    It was unsure whether the hole was new or not but apparently it seems like someone had used the hole to escape from the place.

    When everyone had gathered around Oz, the latter turned to Elder Zyair. "What do you think?" he asked, wanting his opinion.

    Elder Zyair frowned. "It''s either a trap or their getaway," he answered. He then looked at Jose, who nodded in agreement.

    "How about this then?" Oz suggested. "We, brothers, will be staying here and continuing to be on a lookout while you werewolves go ahead and chase after them."

    "That is only if there really was someone escaping," Bastian mumbled to himself.

    Jose frowned as he crossed his arms across his c.h.e.s.t. "And why would you suggest that?" he asked, looking suspicious. Truthfully, he was still a bit skeptical about the bear shifters'' involvement in all this. He finds it unbelievable as to how the bear shifters were in the den in the first place. Even if they said that they were looking for their elder brother, it shouldn''t be that long, should it?

    Oz frowned at Jose''s disrespectful tone. Levi, the hot-headed one, stepped forward towards Jose in a warning. He would have stood in front of Jose, glaring down at the latter if Atticus hadn''t held him down.

    Erick let out a sigh as Paccia tried to be the peacemaker once more. "Now, now, Jose," she said warningly.

    "Hmph!" Jose said as he looked away.

    Bastian rubbed his face in resignation. He then studied his Beta and wondered why he was being stiff about all this. He himself believes in the Kendall packs'' words. If they said that the bear shifters could be trusted, then he believes in that.

    Seeing the distrust in Jose''s face, Elder Zyair knew that he could not put him and the bear shifters together, hence, he suggested Paxon and Riowins could stay behind, together with the bear shifters. The two wolf shifters nodded in agreement.

    After a few more minutes of discussing their next plan, the two groups separated.

    Paxon and the others waved goodbye to Elder Zyair''s group before heading back inside the hidden pathway, trying to look for more clues that they have probably missed.

    Elder Zyair was the first one to jump down the hole, followed by Paccia and the others.

    Noticing the weird expression on her face, Erick asked her what was wrong.

    She then grimly replied, "Warlocks have been here."

    Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Warlocks? Not vampires?" he asked.

    Paccia shook her head. To prove her statement, she conjured up a small spell and casted it around. Suddenly, the whole area was filled with sparkles and a weird scent, making the shifters cringed with revulsion.

    "Warlock''s scent," Elder Zyair muttered with disgust.

    Paccia nodded. She then looked ahead and said, "We should be going. The scent is weakening. It means that they have gone for so long already."

    With that said, they immediately set off, looking for the end of the pathway.

    After nearly an hour, they finally reached the end and what greeted them shocked them.

    A few hundred metres away, they could see a wolf shifter hunching over a trembling prone figure. As they walked closer, they realized that it was Li Jie with a devious smile on his face. In his paw, there seems to be a remote controller with a button which he kept pressing on and on.

    Sensing there were some people behind him, Li Jie looked over his shoulder, still hunching. He gave them a smile and greeted, "Oh, you all are here!"

    "Where''s Ezekiel and Trey?" Bastian asked, looking confused as he looked around him.

    Li Jie simply raised his paws, pointing at the direction of where the other two shifters ran and said, "Trey was chasing an escaping warlock. Thinking that he might have a problem capturing the warlock, Ezekiel just went after him, not too long before you all arrived."

    "And what''s wrong with him?" Bastian asked again, pointing at the trembling warlock in front of Li Jie.

    Instead of answering him, Li Jie turned to Paccia and said, "I used that thing that you gave me to him."

    Paccia frowned. "What thing?" she asked, looking confused.

    "The vibrator."

    Everyone''s faces, excluding Li Jie, turned strange.

    Paccia let out a resigned sigh, rubbing her face in consternation.

 Chapter 244 - 235: Lukas instinct

    "Amber, are you home?"

    Jeayan shouted from outside, looking up at the dark house. She had just gotten back from Hamish''s house a few minutes ago where Makena asked for a favour from her. Apparently, Amber had forgotten about the paperbacks that she wanted to borrow from Makena. Knowing that Amber was planning to read it that night since she had run out of books to read, Makena thought that she might be looking for the books.

    The odd thing was that Jeayan could have sworn that Hamish and Makena had told her that Amber had left their house a couple of hours ago and should be home by now. Yet, looking at the darkened house, it seems like she hasn''t arrived home. She probably went out somewhere, using her car, instead of going straight home.

    She tried calling the other woman on her mobile phone but there wasn''t any answer. That was another weird thing. She usually would answer her call. And Jeayan had tried calling more than once.

    Jeayan tapped her chin with her forefinger, a thoughtful look on her face. "This is strange," she murmured to herself. "Where could she have gone to?"

    She walked over to the window and tried to peer inside. She then stopped. ''Do I seem like a burglar if I do this?'' she thought to herself. She inwardly shrugged. ''Whatever,'' as she peeked inside.

    Looking inside with her sharp eyesight, it seems like nothing was wrong. Everything seems normal.

    She pulled back and started to walk back home. Since their houses were near each other, it was more convenient to walk, rather than using a car. She needs a walk, anyway.

    A few minutes later, she finally reached her home. Apparently, Roel was already home and was in the kitchen, reading the restaurant monthly sales report while having a cup of coffee.

    He looked up from the report when he heard Jeayan walked in through the front door. "Hello darling," he greeted warmly.

    Jeayan burst into huge smiles when she heard her mate''s voice. Without taking off her coat, she swiftly walked in the kitchen, placed the books on the table and gave Roel a back hug. She then gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Baby~!" she greeted back.

    Roel placed a hand over her arms and then looked over at the books. He frowned, looking confused. "What are those?" he asked curiously.

    Jeayan waved airly. "Ah, those," she said distractedly. "Those are the books Makena asked me to give to Amber but she isn''t at home."

    Roel looked up at the wall clock and said, "At this time?"

    Jeayan, too, looked up at the clock. Her eyes widened in realization. "You''re rightˇ­" she said slowly. "Where could she be?"

    "You''ve tried calling her?"

    Jeayan nodded. "I did. Many times," she answered. "But there were no answers."

    Roel frowned, his mind already thinking of the possibilities. Unfortunately, most of them were bad.

    Seeing the frown on her mate''s face, Jeayan asked, "What''s wrong, baby?"

    Roel gently pulled her arm down and stood up. "Let''s go check on Amber once more."

    Jeayan just nodded, looking confused.

    Soon after, the couple were in front of Erick and Amber''s house. Like before, the house was still dark. It was as if no one had been home for hours. Roel looked over at Jeayan, who looked worried. He then walked to the front door and knocked.

    It was then he remembered that Luka was home and decided to call out his name.

    A few minutes later, there were growling sounds from the other side of the door. Roel called out his name once more before deciding to open the door by force. He concentrated most of his strength to his fist and punched the door, next to the door knob. After succeeding in creating a small hole, he reached his hand in and opened the door, using the knob.

    Jeayan tsk-tsk from behind. "So easy to get in," she commented.

    Roel rolled his eyes. "Who even has the guts to steal from shifters?" he said.

    Jeayan nodded in agreement. "Good point."

    Before Roel could enter the house, Luka had jumped out and was now on top of Roel. The latter, who had fallen from the impact, pushed Luka off of him and swiftly stood up. He then brushed the dust off his clothes and hunched in front of Luka.

    "Hey, big boy," he greeted, rubbing Luka''s head. "Where''s your mistress?"

    Luka growled menacingly as he turned his head towards the road.

    Jeayan frowned as she hunched next to Roel. "Do you think he knows what happened to Amber?" she asked.

    Roel shrugged. "Probably. He has good instincts," he commented. "And he should remember Amber''s scent."

    Jeayan was about to ask more when Luka continued to growl and bark. Pulling away from Roel''s grasp, Luka ran out onto the road.

    Both Roel and Jeayan''s eyes widened in surprise. They quickly chased after the wolf.

    While running, Jeayan turned to Roel, "Baby, do you think we should get the car?" she asked.

    Roel blinked his eyes as realization dawned on him. He then said, "You go and get the car while I follow Luka."

    Jeayan nodded. She smoothly turned around on her heels and continued to run in the opposite direction to get their car.

    Roel resumed his chase after the wolf, who seemed determined to follow the scent.

    -----

    Amber blinked her eyes furiously as she recovered her consciousness. Her head was still a bit woozy and heavy. She did not remember what had happened. She closed her eyes, trying to suppress her throbbing temples. When she felt a bit better, she slowly opened her eyes a bit.

    The last thing she remembers was that she was about to climb her car to drive home from the diner when suddenly someone came up from behind her and covered her mouth with a cloth, making her sleepy.

    She sat up straight, feeling wide awake now. She then looked around her and thought, ''Where the heck am I?''

    She recalled a few years ago when she first met Makena. She too had been kidnapped before. She rubbed her face in consternation. Was she being kidnapped again? Was it that easy to abduct her?

    However, she continued to study her surroundings. The weird thing was thatˇ­ this does not seem like a typical room where one would lock their prisoners. It feelsˇ­ homey? Strange. What is going on?

    While she looked around her, feeling confused, she then heard voices from outside the door. She quietly tiptoed towards the door and placed her ear on the door, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

    "You idiot! Why did you kidnap her like that?" Person A hissed angrily.

    "What else was I supposed to do? Invite her for tea??" Person B replied back sarcastically.

    "Well, you should have thought of another way to bring her here! Now, with your smart moves, you''ve just alerted the authorities! She isn''t some ordinary woman! She''s the ex-Police Chief''s daughter-in-law!"

    "They aren''t married yetˇ­"

    "Who the feck cares! All I know is that Master Silas is going to be furious about this!"

    Amber frowned. That Person A''s voice sounds familiar. It was unfortunate that she could only eavesdrop through the door and their voices were kind of muffled. Before she could speculate more, there was another voice joining in.

    "I''m more than furious."

    There was a short silence until Person A and Person B both shouted at the same time, "Master Silas!"

    Amber frowned deeper. Another familiar voice.

    Again, before she could think further, she suddenly felt the door move and she nearly stumbled out. She swiftly managed to balance herself and quickly took a step back.

    The door was opened from the outside, revealing three men.

    When Amber looked up, her eyes widened in surprise.

    "You--!!"

 Chapter 245 - 236: Another dead end?

    "It seems like another dead end."

    Erick looked over at Paccia, who had voiced that comment out. ??

    Elder Zyair frowned. As much as he hated to agree with the comment, she was right. He let out a sigh, looking over at Dewei, who was now in his human form, still playing with the warlock. The warlock had long gone unconscious after hours of being ''played around'' by the eccentric shifter. The other warlock was still unconscious, still lying on the ground with Bastian and Erick guarding over him. They would immediately pounce on him, should he start to awaken.

    "Enough of that, Dewei!" he ordered sternly.

    Dewei immediately stopped. He then looked up at Elder Zyair and gave him a frown, implying he was such a spoilsport.

    Ignoring the glowering shifter, Elder Zyair looked down at the unconscious warlock and said to the others, without turning his head, "Bring him and the other one back to the packhouse prison. We will interrogate them, together with the Alpha."

    He then looked at the dead warlock and snorted inwardly. It was better to leave it here and let the wild beasts eat his corpse.

    Elder Zyair turned his head and looked over at Ezekiel and Trey, who had just returned back a few minutes ago. In Trey''s hands, he was holding up the escaping warlock. The warlock looked so frightened that he had been trembling non-stop and one could see a wet stain on his pants.

    Dewei saw the trembling warlock and he burst into a huge grin. "Can I---"

    "No!" Both Elder Zyair and Paccia said in unison.

    Dewei pouted.

    Elder Zyair approached the warlock, who was then dropped to the ground by Trey. The warlock was then immediately surrounded by the other shifters, preventing him from escaping once more.

    With Ezekiel and Erick beside Elder Zyair, it was quite an imposing sight to be confronted by.

    Just before the shifters had arrived at the den, they were actually still inside the hidden laboratory where they were conducting spells and experiments. From the blood of the vampires and the eyes and hearts of the humans, they were trying to create another potion that would please their master. However, before they could succeed in that mission, they heard warning bells in their mind, alarming them that there were intruders in the hidden path.

    They had heard these warning bells once when the bear shifters had found their hidden path but since they were stuck in their path, the warlocks did not take much notice of it and continued on with their experiments.

    Yet now when they were so close to succeeding with the experiments, mangy mutts have come scratching at their doors. They had no choice but to postpone their experiments. They quickly grabbed the jars and pots that were filled with their ''ingredients'' and then casted a spell over the place to make sure that they did not leave any clues behind.

    They were lucky by a few minutes where they managed to escape the place before the shifters arrived at their laboratory. They were snickering with glee, imagining the stupid shifters'' shocked faces when they found that there was nothing that they could find in the laboratory. They were aware that the shifters have an annoying seer in their group, hence why they took extra caution when it comes to casting their spells.

    Unfortunately, their bliss came short as they got out of the hidden pathway, which was located a few hundred metres away from the den, and found that something or someone was actually heading towards them.

    Unbeknownst to them, while they were running away, one of them unknowingly stepped on one of Dewei''s trigger traps. They continued to run until they suddenly heard pounding sounds heading their way. Listening carefully, they realized that it was the sounds of a person rushing towards them at high speed. They quickly turned in the other direction, hoping that they might be able to escape from the other person''s radar.

    Even so, before they could run further, someone had jumped onto them, smashing into the four of them.

    Cutting off one of the warlocks'' screams, that someone had grabbed him by the mouth and tossed him behind while his feet were on the backs of the other two warlocks. One of the warlocks stared at the man in shock. He couldn''t believe that they were caught.

    Not wanting to be captured since he was the one who held their ''ingredients'', he didn''t think twice as he immediately ''abandoned'' his fellow warlocks.

    Despite feeling indignant from being deserted, the other warlocks knew deep down if they were in his shoes, they''d do the same thing. The most important thing was to make sure that their ''ingredients'' were safe and sound so that they could resume their experiment. It was not that easy to get them.

    The two warlocks who were underneath the man''s feet were trying to crawl out from his grasp when they felt something happened above them. They warily turned their heads up and were surprised to see that the person above them was starting to shift.

    Li Jie hunched on top of them, his smile looking more devious, rather than pretty. He looked like a furry gangster, with his arms hanging on top of his legs, as he squatted above them. His paws pressed strongly on their backs, making them spurt blood a little.

    The shifter then jumped off them, before grabbing both of their heads and smashing them together. And with that, the two warlocks fell unconscious, laying on the ground, side by side.

    Li Jie made a tsk sound, looking very dissatisfied. "That''s it?"

    Looking down at the two unconscious warlocks with disgust on his expression, he saw their wands beside them and quickly stepped on them, breaking it into half.

    He then looked over at the warlock that he had tossed behind. The latter was about to escape when Li Jie suddenly jumped onto him.

    The two immediately exchanged fists. Despite his lanky stature, the warlock did a good job in holding himself up against a shifter. Although his powers mainly relies on casting using his wand, apparently, Li Jie was smart to make sure that the former did not have the chance to use his wand as they continued to fight.

    This was the scene where Ezekiel and Trey found him.

 Chapter 246 - 237: Search for Amber

    Erick was looking out the car window as they drove back home after a not fruitful mission. As before, Dewei was driving the van, whistling happily, seemingly unconcerned about their ''failure'' in the mission. One would not say that it was a full failure since they did manage to bring two of the warlocks back alive. With Paccia''s spell casted on them, it would be difficult for them to try to commit suicide to escape the interrogation.

    The reason as to why Dewei was happy was because when he asked his Alpha whether he could join the interrogation, the Alpha had given his approval, making the former ecstatic. He was already brainstorming in his mind on what tools to use to practice on the warlocks.??

    Other than the two warlocks and the two shifters, there were also Paccia and Elder Zyair, making it a bit cramped inside the van. The shifters from the other packs were following them from behind in other vehicles.

    As for Paxon and Riowins, who were together with the bear shifters, decided to join them at a later time since they decided to explore more of the den and the outside.

    On the way back to Burkendall Town, Erick still could not get rid of the feeling that something bad had happened. He could not pinpoint what. He tried to call Hamish, using their mindlink but apparently, the latter was not answering. He did not want to think negatively about it so he let it be.

    Besides, he was on his way home so he will find out sooner or later.

    -----

    "You--!!"

    Amber stared wide-eyed at the three men standing at the door. She staggered back in surprise as she tried to distance herself from them.

    As she moved further inside the room, the three men walked in. The man at the back, closed the door behind him, making Amber feel wary and more cautious. Here she was, alone with three men, so of course, she was a bit mindful.

    The tough looking man with a scar above his right eye, the same man that she saw in Ronan Paccito''s room, slapped the man, who had shut the door, at the back of his head. "You fool!" he scolded. "I told you to bring her here, not to kidnap her! Do you think the cops will not hear about this??"

    The man looked wronged as he held his head after being slapped. "But Master Silas, you didn''t specifically tell us what to do!" he protested. Assuming that Master Silas was most worried about the police interference, he quickly added, "But don''t worry! I already hacked into the surveillance cameras nearby! They won''t know a single thing about what has happened!"

    Ronan rubbed his face in resignation. Sometimes he wondered how someone like him was scouted by Master Silas. It was a good thing that he was good at hacking or the latter would never give him a second chance. Hence, it was thanks to this man that Master Silas was able to get some clues on where to find Erick Kendall.

    Master Silas just shook his head in disgust before turning to Amber, who was still watching them warily.

    The two of them looked at each other in the eye, both not backing down. Inwardly, Master Silas was slightly impressed at how courageous the woman in front of him was. She truly was worthy of being the Lycan Prince''s mate.

    "Good day, Ms. Keene," Master Silas politely greeted her. "I''m sorry that my subordinate has taken you away in such a heinous way."

    "Subordinate?" Amber repeated. She then looked at Ronan and rudely continued while pointing at the latter, "Is he your subordinate as well?"

    Master Silas looked over at Ronan, who was standing next to the other man quietly and back again at Amber. "Yes, he is," he answered.

    Amber blinked her eyes in astonishment. She never expected that a man like Ronan was a subordinate to someone like Master Silas. She then studied the man in front of him. Who was he?

    -----

    It was after midnight when Erick and the groups arrived at Burkendall Town. Because of how important the mission was, they immediately set off for the packhouse''s meeting room, instead of the resting area.

    Erick was walking together with Bastian and the rest of the shifters who went on the mission with them when he saw Roel coming out of his father''s office with a worried look on his face.

    He seems like he has a lot of things in his mind that Erick could not help but call out his name in concern.

    "Roel!"

    Roel immediately looked up, startled by the call. He glanced over and his eyes widened. There was a glimpse of concern and dismay in his eyes.

    He quickly walked over to Erick and said hurriedly, "I need to speak to you privately."

    Erick suddenly felt his instincts were correct. Something bad must have happened. Was it Amber?

    Not wanting to waste anymore time, he looked at Bastian and nodded, indicating that he could go ahead with the others to the meeting room. Bastian nodded back.

    Once the other shifters have left, Roel brought Erick to a quiet corner and told him about Amber being missing. He told him about how Jeayan went to his house to find it empty, other than Luka. And then he talked about how they took Luka out and the latter had brought them to a diner where they found Amber''s car and belongings.

    Roel and Jeayan had questioned the people in the diner, including those who worked there. And according to them, they did remember seeing Amber in the diner but she had left hours ago. And they did not see what had happened because the car was parked at the back of the diner in a bit of a secluded area. Hence, they did not realize that she was missing until Roel and Jeayan came to them.

    And although they have surveillance cameras placed around the diner; inside and outside, the strangest thing was that when they looked in the recording, there was nothing of Amber in there. It was as if the recording was damaged.

    "Where''s Luka?" Erick asked, trying not to panic, looking grim.

    "He''s with Jeayan right now," Roel said.

    "I''m going to take him and we''ll go find her right now."

 Chapter 247 - 238: Clues at the diner

    Lachlan was talking with Elder Reginald inside the packhouse meeting room. The two of them were discussing the information that had been conveyed to the Alpha by Elder Zyair. The expressions on the two shifters'' faces were grim as they continued to talk about the mission. At the same time, they were waiting for those who went on the mission, together with those from the other packs.

    Although it was already quite late in the night, they could not rest until the problem had been solved, which was on how to deal with the warlocks that they had apprehended. ??

    At the moment, all of the elders of the Kendall pack were inside the meeting room, together with Luella, the Luna. She had been yawning, fighting back sleep as she sat on the right side of the Alpha''s seat. Lachlan had told her that she could just go to sleep while they had their meeting. But she was adamant to join them. She did not want to be left alone in the house, fretting non-stop when she could hear the discussion first-hand.

    Another reason as to why she wanted to join the meeting was because she wanted to see her son, Erick. Knowing that he would immediately go straight to the packhouse after returning from the mission, she needed to talk to him and be there for him when he heard the news from Roel and Lachlan.

    Unbeknownst to her, Erick had already left the premises after he had heard the news from Roel. He was currently with Luka, heading towards the diner where Amber was last seen.

    Few minutes later, when the shifters from the mission had returned and were now entering the meeting room one by one, Luella looked up with a look of anticipation on her face. However, once everyone had entered and Roel had closed the door behind him, the anticipated look turned to confusion. Where is Erick?

    She gave a look at Roel, who immediately walked over to her side. He bent down respectfully to hear what his Luna was about to say. When she asked where Erick was, she was surprised to hear that he had left. She continued to hear what Roel had said and after he was done, he left her to stand behind. She then looked down thoughtfully, feeling a bit concerned. Then she tried to think positive, ''perhaps he has a way to look for her and had to go immediately,'' she thought.

    Seeing the thoughtful look on his mate''s face, Lachlan knew that she had found out about Erick''s plight and knew that he had left. At first, he wanted to tell her that she shouldn''t worry much about Erick since he knew that his son would find a way to look for Amber. It wasn''t that he did not want to help look for his future daughter-in-law but he too cannot leave his responsibilities as the Alpha.

    He inwardly let out a sigh. He looked out the window and sent a ''good luck'' mindlink to his son.

    Once everyone had settled down, except for a couple of shifters, including Dewei, who went to the packhouse prison to personally ''escort'' the two warlocks, Lachlan began the meeting.

    -----

    Erick stood outside the diner where Roel had told him the place where Amber was last seen. Growling next to him was Luka, who was looking around him as if being cautious.

    Knowing that animals weren''t allowed inside the diner, he told Luka to stay put while he went in to question the employees inside. Fortunately, the employees were the same people who had seen Amber before and were also the people that Roel and Jeayan had asked earlier.

    The employees were confused as to why people kept asking them about the missing woman and were a bit worried. They did not want their restaurant to be in deep trouble.

    After assuring them that there wouldn''t be any trouble and that he just wanted to look for his wife. To prove to them that he was really her ''husband'', he showed them his photos with Amber, his screensaver in his phone, where it was a picture of the two of them with Luka, as well as their engagement party photo. Once they had seen the proof, the people at the diner immediately became more helpful. They even told him little details that they left out from Roel and Jeayan.

    They showed him the booth where she sat that night. Luckily, at that time, the booth was empty, however, any traces of Amber would have been gone by then since they had cleaned it. Then again, Erick was a shifter. A powerful lycan, to be exact. Things like these do not faze him.

    Without them being suspicious, he quickly pretends to sniff, trying to get a whiff of her scent.

    Soon after, they brought him to where her car was last parked. Currently, her car and other belongings were at their home, brought by Roel and Jeayan. And since it was quite late at night, there weren''t many cars parked in the parking lot. There were only lights from the streetlights, the LED parking lot lights and the moon light.

    Again, that does not pose as a problem for a shifter like Erick as he managed to search around for more clues. It was then he noticed something off on the ground. He hunched down and picked it up. It was a small button. It looks like something from a woman''s blouse. It was probably Amber''s!

    He then looked around and saw a bit of white powder not far from where he found the button. He wiped it with his finger and took a sniff. It smells like a strong sleeping powder. They probably had used this to make Amber sleep and then take her away.

    The manager of the diner had actually followed him outside. He looked quite shocked when he saw what Erick had discovered. Because it was nighttime, they couldn''t see what was around. Even Roel and Jeayan did not manage to find anything. Hence, he was surprised to see that Erick did find something.

    He felt a bit pleased because, at least, they were not at a stalemate.

    Oblivious at the clear relief on the other man''s face, Erick looked beyond, past the diner to the highway. Judging from the way Erick looked at that moment, it seems like he knows where he was going next.

 Chapter 248 - 239: Prince Dane

    Despite running for nearly an hour, there wasn''t a single sweat beading on Erick''s forehead and body as he ran along the road, together with Luka beside him. To others, it may seem as if the two were having a nightly run. Then again, it also seems a bit weird, considering that Erick doesn''t even wear workout clothes.

    And because of that, there were many cars that had stopped near the side of the road, asking whether Erick needed a ride. After reassuring them that he was fine, especially since he has Luka with him (though, in actuality, even if he was alone, he could fend for himself), he thanked them and continued on his journey.??

    Using his senses, together with Luka, they were able to pinpoint where Amber was.

    Soon after, they enter the residential area of Burkendall Town. Erick had inwardly rubbed his face in resignation. It seems like they were going in circles. He looked down at his furry friend and shook his head at him. Luka, as if he understood what Erick was saying to him, gave him a small whimper, looking as if he was wronged.

    Erick let out a light chuckle and rubbed Luka''s head affectionately. They then continued their travel, though, this time, they were walking, instead of running. They did not want to disturb the sleeping neighbourhood.

    After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached a humble and modest bungalow. It looked like any other bungalow in the neighborhood, with a broad small porch, large front windows and sloped roof. Looking over, it looked as if the people inside were sleeping but he knew otherwise.

    He studied the house in front of him and recalled what Amber had told him before. He had once drove past this house, together with Amber. And he remembered that she had briefly told him that this was her boss'' house. Though, he couldn''t be sure whether the man had lived alone or not since he never did bother wanting to know more. He doesn''t care about the other males in Amber''s life, other than her father and those who he considered as families.

    He stealthily walked towards the front door, before shushing Luka to keep quiet. He placed his ear near the door and for a normal person, they probably could not hear anything. However, Erick could hear people talking, albeit not clear.

    Knowing that he couldn''t possibly break the door down without disturbing the neighbours, he did the next best thing. He gripped the door knob tight and crushed it. The door knob broke into small pieces. Erick opened his palm, letting the broken pieces fall to the ground.

    Ignoring the small hole made by the door knob, he opened the front door. Unfortunately, the door squeaked loudly from him opening it. He froze, worried that he may alert the people inside. He waited for a few seconds and was confused to find that no one came.

    He gestured at Luka to come. Luckily, the wolf understood that he needed to be quiet as he slithered in quietly as if he was going for his prey.

    Erick followed his senses, walking past the front hallway and living room. They were about to walk past the kitchen when Luka suddenly stopped and entered the room. Erick frowned, confused as to why Luka had entered the kitchen. He followed the wolf from behind.

    He rubbed his face in resignation when he saw Luka sitting dutifully in front of the fridge. He walked over and rubbed the wolf''s head. "You hungry, boy?" he said softly.

    Luka just growled.

    Erick let out a light chuckle as he nonchalantly opened the fridge door, not minding that it was someone else''s fridge.

    He whistled low as he saw the insides of the fridge. There was so much food; a whole turkey, sausages, salad, sandwiches and more. He took the whole turkey out and fed it to Luka, who gobbled it in a few minutes.

    After the wolf was done eating, the two continued their way until they reached in front of one of the rooms at the back. Erick''s face turned grim. He could sense his mate''s scent. Fortunately, she doesn''t seem to be scared or anything. But what pissed him off was the fact that there were other male scents around her.

    Without thinking twice, he kicked the door open with all of his strength, breaking it into half. Stepping on the debris that had fallen off from the broken door, he looked around the room.

    Oblivious to the homey atmosphere of the room, his eyes went all alert as he searched for Amber. And when he saw Amber sitting quietly on one of the armchairs, who looked surprised by his appearance, he quickly rushed over. He pulled her into his arms, giving her a squeeze.

    "Baby?" Amber said softly as she rubbed his back, as if trying to calm him down.

    Then as though he did not hear Amber calling him, he said, "Luka."

    Luka immediately went on an attack mode, snarling at the three men, who were standing nearby. He then growled at Toby, the man who was nearest to him. Toby was the hacker and also who ''accidentally'' kidnapped Amber.

    Toby''s eyes widened in fright, watching as the growling wolf approached him. He literally shrieked, running over to Ronan''s side, gripping the other man''s arm. He then shook Ronan''s arm frantically. "Help me! He''s going to eat me!" he screamed. "Why the heck is there a wolf here??" he continued to shriek.

    Although he looked calm on the outside, in the inside, Ronan felt petrified as he cautiously looked at the wolf, slowly approaching them.

    Before Luka could leap on them, Amber had pulled away from Erick''s arms and shouted, "Luka! Stop it right now!"

    Luka froze and turned to Amber. He quickly rushed over to her, pushing Erick aside. Amber giggled as she bent down to give him a rub on the ears.

    "Prince Dane!"

 Chapter 249 - 240: My Prince!

    Amber giggled as she bent down to give Luka a rub behind his ears. Luka growled softly under his throat, liking the rubbing from his mistress.

    Just then there was a shout from behind her.??

    "Prince Dane!"

    And before she could turn around, she was pushed aside roughly. It was fortunate that Luka was beside, giving her a nudge on her side, preventing her from falling down. She looked up and was shocked to see the ''Master Silas'' who she thought was rigid and cold, hugging her mate.

    Erick''s eyes widened in shock as he looked down at a strange man, who suddenly hugged him out of the blue. Before he could kick him aside, he could hear Dane''s voice in his mind, ''Silas???''

    ''You know this dude?'' Erick asked in his mind.

    ''He was one of my guardians.''

    At first, Erick cringed when Master Silas was hugging him. But he did not mind after Dane had told him who he was. Then again, after the latter started to rub his face against Erick''s c_h_e_s_t, Erick thought that was too much and he needed to push him away. So, he pushed Master Silas'' face away from him and then kicked him aside, without much strength.

    After Master Silas unwillingly released him, Erick quickly rushed to Amber''s side and pulled her back into his arms. He then turned his head at Master Silas, who looked as if he was wronged. Behind them, both Ronan and Toby''s eyes were wide in shock. Probably because they too did not expect this kind of behaviour from their ''boss''.

    Amber studied the man sitting on the floor, after being kicked away by Erick and thought, ''Is this what they meant by ''tsundere [1]''?''

    Finally realizing the image that he had always shown to his subordinates had been crashed, he cleared his throat awkwardly as he slowly got to his feet. He then gestured to Toby to come closer to him with his finger.

    Toby walked over to him, looking warily at his boss. "Yes, Master Silas?" he asked hesitantly.

    Toby then suddenly felt pain after Master Silas had slapped him behind his head. He looked at his boss, while clutching the back of his head. He felt wrongfully abused. "Master Silas! Why?" he protested.

    "You fool!" Master Silas scolded. He then pointed at Erick in a very respectful manner. "Go apologize to Prince Dane right now for kidnapping his mate."

    Amber felt like she had made a wrong assumption about Master Silas. He was quite nice and was actually polite. That was until she accidentally (or perhaps, Master Silas did it on purpose) heard the latter continue in a soft voice, "Although I did not expect my Prince Dane''s mate would be a humanˇ­ such a pitiful thing to be a mate of a Lycan prince. So horrendous."

    Amber whirled around and glared at Master Silas, who pretended to be oblivious, looking away.

    He then walked over to Erick, who was watching his every move, warily. Perhaps he was still a bit scared that the other man might have jumped on him.

    However, to his surprise, Master Silas immediately kneeled on one knee with his one hand over his heart. "Prince Dane, the Lycan Prince. I, Silas, have returned to your side to recommence my place as your guardian. Please allow me to rectify myself by piercing myself with a wolfbane for allowing you to be hurt for all these decades."

    Erick blinked his eyes and soon after, his eyes turned to golden amber, surprising Amber, who was still nestled in his arms. "Rise, Silas," came Dane''s raspy voice coming out from Erick''s mouth.

    Master Silas brightened when he heard that familiar voice. He rose up and stood courteously in front of Erick.

    "You don''t need to hurt yourself because of the past," Dane continued. "It wasn''t your fault. You weren''t around as you''ve been tricked by my bastard brother, Harding."

    "But my prince, that is no reason why I should have left you all alone!" Master Silas protested. "I did not expect that Harding had hidden his evil and selfish heart all this while."

    "And speaking of Harding," he continued, not caring that he did not use the title ''Prince'' on Harding as he did for Dane. "I''ve been wandering all these years to find that he is still alive!"

    "Yes, we know," Dane said, looking down at his mate.

    "You''ve met him?" Master Silas said in disbelief.

    Dane nodded. "Years ago. And I believed he was still around. He wasn''t dead when I last saw him," he confirmed.

    Master Silas immediately turned his head to Toby, who looked at him, wide-eyed. The latter hesitantly walked over once more after Master Silas gestured at him to come. And like before, Toby felt another pain after Master Silas had slapped the back of his head.

    "Again, why, Master Silas?" Toby protested, clutching the back of his head.

    "You fool! My brilliant prince had known all along!" Master Silas admonished him. "You made me lose face in front of him! You should have given me better information than this! What''s the use of you being one of the top hackers in the country when you just extract rubbish??"

    "How was I supposed to know that he already knows?" Toby argued back, still feeling wronged.

    Master Silas slapped him at the back of the head again. "What ''he''?? He''s Prince Dane, you ignoramus!"

    "It''s enough, Silas," Dane said.

    Master Silas immediately straightened. "Yes, my prince!"

    They were quiet for a few seconds before Master Silas voiced out his question. "My prince, I''d like to ask you a question."

    "What is it?" Dane said, curious.

    "Why is your body worse than your original body? This young man, Erick, doesn''t seem that good," he commented.

    Amber stared at him, looking at him with a weird expression on her face.

    ''What the heck is wrong with this man??''

    -----

    [1] Tsundere (ĄÄĄóĄÇĄě, pronounced [ts??nde?e]) is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially cold, temperamental, hotheaded (and sometimes even hostile) before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time. (Taken from Wikipedia, hahaha)

 Chapter 250 - 241: The fortress in the mountain

    After Amber had admonished Master Silas for his rude question to Erick, she demanded him to apologize. Even if Erick and Dane are more or less the same, they were still different entities.

    Master Silas grudgingly apologizes to Erick. It was not that he did not want to apologize to Erick, but he did not want to do what Amber told him to. He still hasn''t fully accepted Amber as Dane''s mate. He could not believe that his precious prince''s mate was a human. It wasn''t as rare as one would have expected because there has been histories of lycans being mated with human beings, even with other supernatural beings. But most of them did not end well. Hence why Master Silas was a bit skeptical with his prince''s mate.

    Amber inwardly rolled her eyes when she heard his insincere apology. But she just ignored it.

    Erick just smiled, knowing that these two had some personal issues between them.

    He then turned to Master Silas and asked that even though they were allies, instead of enemies, why did they kidnap Amber.

    Master Silas immediately apologized after he heard the question. He explained that it was not their intention to capture the young lady. They have been trying for days to get her to meet with them but she is usually busy with work and usually is surrounded by other shifters. They do not trust the other shifters, even if they were from the same pack. And that it wasn''t his idea to kidnap Amber.

    After Erick had listened to Master Silas'' explanation, he turned his head to Ronan, who immediately shook his head. Then he turned his gaze to Toby, who started to scratch his head. "Ha ha ha," he laughed awkwardly. "I don''t want her to reject our request so I just took her away."

    Master Silas swiftly slapped him at the back of his head while Ronan just shook his in resignation.

    Few minutes later, after more talking between them, both Erick and Amber decided to invite the three men to the packhouse. And because it was already late at night, the three men agreed to come over first thing in the morning.

    -----

    Somewhere in the mountains.

    It has been a couple of hours since Erick and Luka had crashed into Ronan''s house. While good news had happened as they finally found Amber, it wasn''t so in the huge fortress in the mountains.

    Inside the fortress, there were nearly thousands of shifters, walking around the perimeters, as if on guard. If the shifters back in the Kendall, Cairn and Cesaro packs were to see these shifters, they would be surprised to see that these shifters were actually rogues. It was nearly impossible to get rogues to listen to one''s command since they had lost their humanities. So it was quite surprising to see these rogues surveilling around after being ordered to do so.

    And further inside the fortress, there was an underground area, where experiments were being held out in one of the large rooms. Again, if those who had gone to the den earlier, looking for vampire clues, they too would have been surprised to see this because it was nearly identical to the one in the den. It was just that this one was much bigger. And what''s more frightening and inhumane was that there were several huge glass cylinders that were filled with an unidentified liquid. And most of all, there were human figures inside each of the cylinders. It was unsure whether they were still alive.

    In that room, there were several people inside; walking and talking with their wands floating in mid-air while they were writing and taking notes. Some of them were in front of the cylinders; the one with the human figures inside. There were tubes coming from the figures'' noses and mouths. Again, it was unsure what it does.

    These people, whom it was known to be warlocks, although they were working hard, it looked as if they were under pressure, by the way sweat seems to slide down their back and they were trembling with fright.

    It was no wonder. Because standing next to the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his ?h?st was Harding. Fury and annoyance seems to leak out from his aura as he watches the warlocks work intently.

    Earlier that day, he had gotten news from Rehan that one of their secret dens had been infiltrated. And their experiments had to be halted. Furthermore, two of their expert warlocks have been captured while the rest were killed. It made him furious to the point that he nearly killed Rehan, who was the messenger.

    Rehan was greatly apologetic as he did not expect the den to be easily infiltrated. And the fact that he did not think to put more security around the area was his fault. He was currently in the prison tower for his punishment, where he had consumed dark liquid which was known to be poisonous for warlocks. It made him numb; unable to talk or think clearly. Like one who was being poisoned with thorns stabbing around his body and head.

    And because of the infiltration, they could not do much about that place and could only place hope in the experiments being conducted in the fortress. Hence why the warlocks there felt pressured.

    Harding continued to watch the warlocks work on the experiment. "Damn you, Dane and those other mangy mutts," he cursed under his breath.

    He then looked at one of the human figures that was in the glass cylinder and let out a sinister smile. "At least I have you," he said softly.

 Chapter 251 - 242: Directionally challenged

    The meeting with the other packs, that night, was long over before Erick and the others had arrived there. And in conclusion, it was agreed that the Kendall pack will be in charge of the warlocks since they have a powerful seer in their pack who can counterattack them.

    So, while the Kendall pack would be interrogating the warlocks, the Cesaro pack was left to deal with the aftermath at the den, together with the bear shifters and as for the Cairin pack, they would need to ?ssist the Kendall pack.

    It was the morning after the meeting, when Erick finally brought the three men to meet with his father. This was because Master Silas had wanted to meet the Alpha of Erick''s pack. He wanted to meet an Alpha of today''s world.

    At first, Erick was surprised when he heard Master Silas has been without a pack for decades. This was because he had heard stories about lycan being a rogue, which made Master Silas scoff in derision.

    Back then, during the lycan days, although there was an Alpha, it wasn''t as abundant as it was today. And of course, Dane''s father was one of the true lycan alpha of his pack. And as time passes, of course, the bloodline slowly diminishes. And again, back then, there weren''t many problems of lycan being rogue, unless they have a weak mindset or their bloodline was weak.

    Hence why Master Silas had told Erick that even though he hasn''t been in a pack ever since Dane''s father''s pack had gone, he was ineffective against the turning of rogue. Master Silas himself held the same bloodline as Dane.

    Which brought them to the packhouse where Lachlan continued his discussion from the night before with Ezekiel, Jose and Elder Zyair on their next plan. The three shifters decided to wait at the packhouse for Paxon and Riowins to arrive while the others were either still resting at a nearby motel or had gone home.

    They were in the middle of their discussion when Erick had knocked on the door to Lachlan''s office. The three of them went silent and looked over at the door. Lachlan then told Erick and the other three to come in.

    When Erick entered the office with Master Silas and the other two following behind him, Lachlan ???ked an eyebrow in surprise. He did not expect to see guests; people that he did not recognize.

    Lachlan looked over at Elder Zyair, who understood his implication. The latter turned to Ezekiel and Jose and guided them to another room where they could wait for Paxon and Riowins to arrive. The two shifters nodded and followed Elder Zyair from behind. Before they left the room, they sneaked a look at Master Silas.

    Surprise glinted in their eyes. They could feel the strength in the man''s aura. In fact, it was closer to the strength of an Alpha. Or perhaps, even stronger. They began to wonder where Erick had met the man.

    After the three shifters left the room, Master Silas turned to his subordinates; Ronan and Toby and said, "You two should wait outside too."

    Ronan bowed his head in respect and left the room. Toby, on the other hand, with his eyes wide in surprise, tried to protest. However before he could open his mouth, Ronan had pulled the back of his collar and dragged him out of the room. He then quietly closed the door behind him.

    Finally, it was just the three of them in the room.

    And to Lachlan and Erick''s surprise, Master Silas suddenly kneeled down on one knee with one hand over his heart. And before the two Kendall shifters could comprehend what the other shifter was doing, Master Silas suddenly murmured something under his breath.

    Soon after, Master Silas looked up from below, his eyes suddenly glowed a beautiful amber colour. His teeth immediately grew longer into fangs as little wind engulfed around him. Minutes later, the wind swept past Erick and towards Lachlan, enveloping the latter.

    Lachlan''s eyes grew wide. This was a ritual to join a pack!

    He looked over to Erick, who still looked shocked. "Erick, this man isˇ­?" he asked.

    "He''s a lycan. He''s with us," Erick explained quickly. "Is heˇ­?"

    Lachlan nodded.

    "Then accept him and we''ll tell you about everything," Erick answered urgently.

    Lachlan nodded again.

    Shortly afterwards, the wind that was surrounding Lachlan charged towards his forehead, swooping inside. Lachlan''s dark eyes then turned to amber eyes before returning back to normal.

    Master Silas stood up after the ritual was done and said politely, "My apologies, Alpha Lachlan for being so abrupt in my request to join your pack."

    Erick took a step forward and introduced Master Silas to his father. "Alpha, this is Master Silas. He was once a guardian of Dane and again, he''s a lycan."

    "I''m still Prince Dane''s guardian," Master Silas quickly interjected. "And with that, I''m also young Erick''s guardian."

    Lachlan looked over at Master Silas and said, "I see."

    Master Silas then briefly explained about his intention of why he had seeked out Erick and also his intention to bring down Harding and so forth.

    Nearly an hour later, Lachlan fully understood the gist of all that had been explained by Master Silas and acknowledged his presence.

    But one thing that baffled him. Why now? Why after more than ten years, he finally was able to seek out Erick and Dane?

    Curiosity got to Lachlan, making him voice this out.

    At first, Master Silas was quiet after hearing the question.

    Then to Erick and Lachlan''s surprise, they thought they could see a blush covering Master Silas'' neck and onto his face.

    And with a bit of shame tinted in his low voice, Master Silas answered meekly, "I''m directionally challenged."

 Chapter 252 - 243: Going to the underground prison

    Jose, Ezekiel and Elder Zyair were in the other room where they had the meeting the night before. The three of them talked between them; exchanging stories about their packs. If one could hear the conversation between these shifters, they would realize that they were bragging about their packs; like how they were stronger and brilliant and so forth.

    And when the topic of the future Alpha arises, Ezekiel backs down since the Cairin pack, unfortunately, does not have a descendent, other than perhaps Makena''s child, if the child was a boy. A female shifter cannot become the Alpha of the pack as it has always been the male shifter. Although it may sound s?xist, it just had been like that for centuries.

    Elder Zyair smirked smugly as he leaned against his seat. "Our future Alpha has always been a smart kid. He has achieved flying colours throughout highschool and college. And now, he''s a successful lawyer," he boasted.

    Jose ???ked an eyebrow. "I don''t think young Erick can be called a lawyer since he has not taken the bar exam. It''s not even sure when he will become a real lawyer," he retorted back, stressing on the word ''real''. "Our Bastian is a well-recognized football coach who has many wins under his belt."

    The two shifters continued blasting at each other about Erick and Bastian''s good characteristics until Elder Zyair shut the other shifter up by ending the so-called competition, saying, "Our future Alpha is the Lycan prince. Full blood lycan."

    The three shifters then went silent. With one looking smug, another looking a bit peeved and the other who looked relaxed as if he wasn''t involved in all of these.

    Soon after, the door to their room was pushed open. The three of them looked over at the door and saw Lachlan, Ezekiel and Master Silas entering the room. Lachlan looked around them and asked, "Paxon and Riowins aren''t here yet?"

    The three of them immediately stood before Lachlan had questioned them. "Not yet, Alpha," Elder Zyair answered respectfully.

    Lachlan nodded as he walked towards the head chair. After he had sat down, the three shifters followed suit. Erick went over and sat next to Elder Zyair and Master Silas beside him.

    The three shifters looked curiously at the powerful man, sitting next to Erick but they did not want to pry.

    Knowing that they were quite interested to know who Master Silas was, Lachlan decided to satisfy their curiosity. He calmly explained Master Silas'' origins and his connection to Erick.

    After they heard the whole gist about the lycan, to say that they were surprised was an understatement. Elder Zyair himself could not believe that he would be able to meet three lycans in his whole life!

    No wonder that they could feel an imminent aura flowing off the lycan. He was that strong!

    While leaving them to digest that ''shocking'' information, Lachlan continued on by suggesting that they should head over to the underground basement where the warlocks were being held. At first, he wanted to suggest that Erick be left behind to wait for Paxon and Riowins.

    However, Master Silas shook his head. He said that if Erick stayed behind, he, too, would stay behind.

    In the end, Lachlan could only ask Ronan and Toby to stay behind and wait for Paxon and Riowins.

    Few minutes later, they finally reached the underground basement with Fergus leading the way. He joined late when he heard the Alpha wanted to see the prisoned warlocks.

    The underground basement was nothing like he had ever experienced before. And it was definitely not a place where shifters would casually walk in since the walls were embedded with bits of wolfsbane.

    The path to the underground prison was narrow yet clean with small wall lights brightening the way. It was a bit cramped to ensure that prisoners who were guided to the basement would not easily escape in that small space.

    The shifters who usually guarded the basement were those who have been casted with a wolfsbane-resistant spell. Even though they might still feel weak from long exposure with wolfsbane, it wasn''t to the extent that they would not be able to shift and use their full power. Hence why for every three hours, the guards were usually exchanged.

    When they finally reached in front of the closed metallic door, the guards who were safeguarding the door, immediately took a step aside. The door was soundproof, hence no one could hear what was happening inside.

    Lachlan nodded when the guards informed him that both Dewei and Paccia were inside.

    However when they entered the door, Jose, Ezekiel and Master Silas were shocked to see what they just saw. Lachlan and the other Kendall packmates looked unsurprised as they were used to this scene.

    Inside, the warlocks were being hung against the wall, with their arms raised up, rendering them helpless against the two mischievous Kendall packmates.

    The warlocks were also b?r?foot, making them powerless to do anything else but be tortured by Paccia and Dewei.

    Underneath one of the warlocks'' feet, just beside where Dewei was hunching over, there was a contraption that looked like a miniature ferris wheel. But instead of small seats, like those in the ferris wheel, it held feathers. At that moment, it was moving, brushing the feet of the warlocks, making the latter snigger, trying to hold his laughter.

    One warlock was trying so hard not to laugh that he unconsciously cried while another warlock was screaming in pain and agony.

    "They sure are tough," Dewei commented as he looked up at the laughing yet crying warlock.

    Paccia then casted another strong spell, shooting it towards the candles. "I''ll upped the flames more," she said. She looked at the peeling skins that dropped on the ground and nodded in satisfaction.

    And much to the others'' disgust, except for Dewei, they watched as the seer sweeped the skins into a jar and placed it inside her small duffel bag.

    When Lachlan cleared his throat, only then the other two realized that they had company.

    Paccia went over to Lachlan while Dewei just stayed in his place, standing up.

    Before Lachlan could ask what she was going to do with the skins, she quickly said, "I''m going to use this as an ingredient for my experiment." Then she gave him a doe-eyed look, as if wanting to appeal to her cuteness, which was failing since it does not suit her.

    Lachlan let out a sigh and said, "Fine."

 Chapter 253 - Apologies

Sorry, this is not a chapter. Just would like to apologise for a lack of chapter tonight. I''ve been busy today and probably for the whole week. But I''ll try to write one tomorrow ???? I hope for your understanding and thank you!

 Chapter 254 - 245: Rehans spell

    Erick was watching his father ''interrogate'' the warlocks, together with the other shifters when he realized that Master Silas was not in the room.

    With his eyebrows furrowed, he looked around and when he was sure that the other man wasn''t in the room, he too left.

    He had just left the underground prison when he saw Master Silas talking to Ronan and Toby just outside. The three men have a grim look on their faces as they continue their discussion. It seems like they were in a deep discussion that they did not notice Erick approaching them until Master Silas turned around.

    "Erick!" Master Silas exclaimed in surprise.

    Erick frowned at him. "What''s going on?" he asked him, looking a bit suspicious.

    Master Silas glanced over at Ronan and Toby, who understood what their boss was saying without words. They immediately excused themselves and returned back to the packhouse. After they were out of earshot, Master Silas then turned to Erick and said, "There was something odd about those warlocks."

    "What do you mean?" Erick asked, his arms crossed across his ?h?st.

    The other man swiftly explained that after he had used his skills to make the warlock tell the truth, he could feel that there was something strange about them. He could feel some notion about the warlock being ''possessed''. So, although he was telling the truth, it was not everything. There were still things that the warlock kept inside him.

    Erick felt a bit skeptical. How could Master Silas have known about this?

    Knowing that the shifter in front of him was feeling doubt about him, he quickly explained once more. Saying that he actually felt a bit unusual after he had grabbed the warlock''s jaws. When he looked directly into the warlock''s eyes, it was as if there was an empty soul inside the body and it was being used as a mirror. Something like someone was watching Master Silas through the warlock''s eyes.

    Master Silas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps everything that has happened was all a ploy to lower our guards against them," he said.

    "A ploy?" Erick repeated.

    Master Silas nodded.

    "This doesn''t look as easy as it seems," Erick commented.

    Master Silas nodded again. "That, I agree," he said. "Hence why we need to be open-minded. We shouldn''t slack and we shouldn''t trust the words from the warlocks that much. Even if I had used that technique on them."

    "Do you think it was Rehan?" Erick asked. "The one who was looking at you?"

    Master Silas shrugged. "I can''t be sure. I''ve never seen this Rehan before. But if he''s a warlock, it should be one of his spells."

    It was then realization dawned on Erick. He recalled about the Cairin packs being used as the ''window'' and thought that the same thing must have happened to these warlocks. Worried that his father might talk about something s?ns?t?v? in front of the warlocks, he quickly rushed back to the underground prison, leaving Master Silas alone, looking after him, a puzzled look on his face.

    Unfortunately, when he arrived at the room where the warlocks were being held, his father and the other shifters were no longer there. He was about to leave the place once again when he saw his father leaving one of the rooms nearby.

    Lachlan looked surprised when he saw Erick looking frazzled. "What''s wrong?" he asked his son.

    "Dad, we need to talk!"

    Lachlan nodded and the two Kendall men left the building. While walking towards the packhouse, knowing that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation, Lachlan then asked, "What is it?"

    "Dad, did you say anything to the warlocks? Other than questioning them? Or even talk about something important with Elder Zyair and the others, while in front of the warlocks?" Erick asked hurriedly.

    Lachlan looked puzzled at his question.

    Erick then informed him about what Master Silas had told him earlier. And also his ?ssumption of perhaps that the warlocks were being ''hypnotised''.

    Lachlan was quiet as he listened to his son. And after the latter was done talking, Lachlan simply said, "I know."

    "You know??" Erick repeated incredulously.

    Lachlan nodded. "I suspected something was wrong when I questioned them. There was something in their eyes that seemed off. Wary, even. Yetˇ­" he admitted.

    "So, you didn''t say anything crucial in front of them?"

    Lachlan shook his head. "No, I didn''t." He looked at his son with a ???ked eyebrow. "Do you think that I''m that stupid to fall for that trick?"

    "Of course not!" Erick hurriedly said.

    The two continued their walk, heading for the packhouse, with Erick giving his opinions to the predicament that involves warlocks and Harding.

    A few houses away.

    Amber was lounging against a sofa, reading the paperbacks that she borrowed from Makena. Earlier, when both Makena and Jeayan had heard that she had returned, they decided to wait until the next morning to see her. They did not want to disturb her, lest she was still sleeping, exhausted from the previous day.

    Hence, that very morning, Amber was greeted by the two women, who were crying in happiness and relief when they saw her safe and sound.

    Amber looked and felt helpless at that time as she held the two women, who grabbed onto her, on both sides. She kept trying to comfort them, saying she wasn''t even hurt and that the other people weren''t trying to kidnap her.

    She wasn''t sure whether they heard her or not because afterwards, they began to plot Master Silas and the other two men''s deaths in front of her.

    Amber thought it was fortunate that Erick had brought the three men away to the packhouse or if they had met each other, these two women would probably have scratched them to death.

    The three of them had breakfast together and even though Amber had eaten earlier with Erick, it doesn''t hurt to eat once more, right?

    And these women shared the same thoughts, which was that when one wants to have a chat with their friends, it is best to chat while enjoying their food too. So Amber brought to the table a jug of orange juice and a plate filled with scones, jams and creams.

    They talked and laughed with one another until Makena told them that she had to go home to prepare early lunch for Hamish. And Jeayan, seeing that Amber probably needs more rest, decided to go home as well.

    The two of them said their goodbyes to Amber, which led to the scene where the latter was enjoying her reading, with Luka on her feet, lying down, snoozing.

    She was still reading her paperback when Erick had just returned home from the packhouse. She jumped when she felt a soft kiss drop on top of her head. She looked up and saw Erick smiling gently at her.

    "Hey, you''re back," she greeted, smiling back.

    He nodded as he walked around the sofa and then sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

    She let out a sigh, feeling content. She wished they could stay like this forever.

 Chapter 255 - 246: Child Trafficker

    It has been awhile since Erick has returned to work. And fortunately, nothing much has changed so there wasn''t anything that he couldn''t do and he was still able to catch up with his work.

    He was inside his cubicle where he was reading reports from the time he wasn''t in the office. It was a case report on a tenant''s rights and duties on foreclosure. Apparently, the client, who was the tenant, had requested for Erick to be the one to handle the case, which surprised both Erick and Murray. Undoubtedly, Murray was also pleased with this because it means that someone has heard of Erick and wanted his services.

    Erick was too absorbed in reading the case that he failed to notice the familiar name in the client''s name. It was after he was done reading, he finally decided to take a look at it.

    His eyes widened in surprise. He then rubbed his face in resignation.

    He was still trying to calm his mind when he finally realized who his client was when one of his colleagues, another ?ssociate under Murray, knocked on his cubicle wall. Erick looked up and the other man said that his client is currently waiting for him in the private lounge room.

    Erick let out a sigh once his colleague was out of earshots. He then started to grab his essential items and notebook before heading towards the private lounge room. The private lounge room was a room that was designed for lawyers and ?ssociates to have a private conversation with one another. It was a modern and sleek room, with a coffee table and a couple of arm chairs and sofa. There was also a coffee machine, water dispenser and a wall mounted television, for the convenience of people using the room.

    Usually the room was fully booked throughout the day, however, it was fortunate that it was empty on that morning. Hence why Erick''s client was guided to the room to wait for the latter.

    Erick had just arrived at the door that leads to the room when he heard voices from inside.

    And without knocking on the door, he immediately opened the door, startling the two men inside. Though, one of them had already sensed Erick was outside but he just pretended to be surprised.

    "Seriously, what are you two doing?" Erick asked, looking tired.

    Master Silas, who was sitting on one of the armchairs, with his right leg over the other, smiled at Erick, looking innocent. "Hello there, Erick," he greeted.

    Ronan, who was on the other armchair, quickly stood up and nodded hello. Since Master Silas has regarded Erick as his ''superior'', that makes him his ''superior''s superior''. Hence why he has to be respectful.

    Erick let out a sigh as he approached Master Silas. He then tossed the case report on the coffee table and gestured with his head, asking without words, what was this?

    Master Silas leaned forward in his seat and took the report. Realization dawned on him as he saw the title. "Ah, this," he said nonchalantly.

    "What''s the meaning of this?" Erick asked, looking at Master Silas as he sat down opposite him. He then looked at Ronan. "Are you seriously planning to overthrow your mother?"

    Ronan shrugged. "She''s just my adopted mother. We don''t share any blood ties between us."

    "Even so, she adopted you since you were only a child," Erick retorted back.

    Ronan shrugged again. "Actually, Master Silas adopted me. And about her adopting me, it was only a cover for her. She met me when I was ''waiting'' in the orphanage. I was actually nine years old when I started staying with her," he corrected him. "Not two."

    Erick turned to Master Silas, who nodded. "Wait, whatˇ­?" he asked, looking confused.

    "As I said, she only used me as a cover. And in actuality, I too used her as a cover," Ronan explained.

    Erick then pointed at the case report, which Master Silas had put back on the coffee table. "So, this is...?" he asked.

    "Just what the report says," Master Silas said calmly.

    Erick took back the report and rubbed his face in resignation. According to the report, apparently, Ronan wanted to sue his ''adopted'' mother on his rights to foreclose the daycare center where Amber was working at. "But why?" he asked. "Even so, how does her being a cover make you want to sue her? And also, I don''t understandˇ­ cover for who?"

    Ronan looked at Master Silas as if he wasn''t sure whether they should tell Erick the whole story or not.

    "We have evidence that that ''woman'' is one of Harding''s subordinates," Master Silas said, spitting out the word, ''woman''.

    Erick was shocked. He never thought that the woman whom Amber had worked for, was someone who would work for Harding. "But she''s a human being!" he argued.

    "I''m also a human being," Ronan interjected, implying that Erick should not disregard human beings as well.

    Erick leaned forward in his seat. "Tell me what you know and why you would think she''s with him?" he asked.

    Master Silas looked at Ronan, who nodded back. The latter then took out his phone and started to text a message. Soon after, Erick was surprised to hear some glitching sounds. He looked up at the security cameras installed in the room and realized it had been hacked. This must be the work of Toby.

    He looked over at Ronan, who said, "So that no one can overhear our conversation."

    Master Silas then started to tell Erick about what they had found about Mrs. Paccito. Apparently, Master Silas has long suspected her back then when he fruitfully encountered her meeting with that right hand warlock of Harding. He had been following Harding ever since he had found him in one of the faraway towns. And one day, he found Rehan meeting up with Mrs. Paccito in one of the secluded areas, one where you would not typically meet someone unless there was something fishy going on.

    What surprised Master Silas was the fact that the woman suddenly moved to Burkendall town and became one of the locals. And through the local grapevine, he had heard that she wanted to adopt a son, using a story about her being lonely as she does not have any intention of getting married, but wanted a child.

    It was then he met young Ronan. He was really an orphan, who had lost his parents due to a plane crash. When Master Silas first visited the orphanage where Ronan had stayed, it was unsure why but young Ronan seemed to be quite taken with Master Silas and had kept following the latter. Master Silas too liked the young boy and decided to adopt him.

    But when Master Silas wanted to bring him back home, Mrs. Paccito had visited the same orphanage and at first sight, she was interested in young Ronan. She wanted to adopt him too!

    At first, Ronan was adamant not to be adopted by her and wanted to say that he had already had a ''father''. But one night, Master Silas had met up with Ronan and they made a deal. The latter will go with Mrs. Paccito and become his little eye for him. And once the time is right, Ronan can leave her.

    It took him more than ten years. And even though he could have left her after he had turned eighteen, both Master Silas and Ronan did not expect that the ''mission'' took so long. They needed more evidence and were waiting for her to fail at some point. And they finally achieved what they wanted and hence, why demanding for the foreclosure of the daycare was the first step.

    "But why the daycare?" Erick asked.

    "Remember the case of the missing children?"

    Erick frowned. He did recall that a couple of years ago that there had been a case of children missing in town. And back then, Lachlan was about to retire from the police force when the case was opened. It unfortunately became a cold case when they could not find what had happened. All leads were at a standstill, making Lachlan and the other shifters in the police force to become baffled and frustrated. They did suspect that some supernatural beings were involved but they could not bring that up since anything abnormal was prohibited.

    That was one of Lachlan''s many regrets while still in the force; being unsuccessful in a case.

    "She was the child trafficker."

 Chapter 256 - 247: Dont meet her

    Amber was wiping the food remains on one of her students'' faces when she heard a knock on her classroom door. She was hunching down, at the same eye level as her student, cleaning the mess. She then looked up and was surprised to see Mrs. Paccito standing outside the room.

    She quickly wiped her student''s hands, after cleaning his face and patted his head, telling him to rest first before going to play with his other friends. It was breaktime at Little Sunshine Daycare, so most of the students were in their classrooms, eating their snacks. There were some who were done eating so they started playing at the corner, where the toys were placed.

    "Oh, am I disturbing you?" Mrs. Paccito asked gently when she saw Amber helping to clean up after her students'' mess.

    Once the child had gone to join his friends, Amber swiftly stood up and approached the ex owner. Even though Mrs. Paccito has passed the ownership of the daycare, she was still the owner of the land where the center was built on. And she still comes over to look around. Hence why Amber wasn''t surprised to see her. Yet she was startled that she would come to look for her.

    She has no idea as to why the older woman was looking for her.

    "No, ma''am, you didn''t," Amber quickly reassured her. "Is there something that I need help with?" she asked.

    The older woman''s face suddenly turned awkward. She then leaned closer to Amber and asked softly, "I remember Ms. Peiffer has once mentioned that your fiance is a lawyer?"

    Amber was surprised. She did not expect that the other woman would remember a bit of her personal life. "Yes, he is. But he''s still an ?ssociate, though," she corrected quickly.

    "Do you think he could help me?" Mrs. Paccito asked hesitantly.

    Mrs. Paccito took a deep breath before continuing. "Perhaps, if you do not mind, shall we meet for a cup of coffee after work?" she asked.

    "My treat," the older woman quickly added.

    Amber tilted her head thoughtfully. She recalled that before Erick had left for work, he had mentioned about staying at the office a bit late since he wanted to do more work. Knowing that the reason he does this is because Amber does not like him bringing his work home, she reluctantly agreed.

    The reason as to why she was reluctant was that she thought she would be bored being alone at home, even if there was Luka. But since she got invited for a free coffee and snacks, perhaps it wouldn''t be so bad, after all.

    So, without any hesitation, she answered yes.

    After the older woman left her, Amber returned to her class and resumed the lessons as the school bell had just rung.

    When daycare was over, as usual, all teachers usually had to wait for their students to be picked up by their parents, only then they could leave.

    Seeing that Mrs. Paccito was waiting for her, Amber just realized that the other woman was probably thinking that they could just carpool. The latter quickly persuaded Mrs. Paccito to leave first since there were still some of her students waiting for their parents. She would feel guilty if she had let the older woman wait for her.

    Giving the excuse that she needed to go home straight away after coffee, the other woman finally left.

    "Babe?" came his voice.

    "Honey, are you still in the office?" she asked.

    It was then she heard some bustling sounds in his background and knew that he definitely was still in the office. So, before he could answer, she said, "Oh, it seems like you''re still there."

    "Anyway, I''m just calling you to tell you that I''ll be going out for a while," she continued. Ever since she got ''kidnapped'', Erick kept telling her to inform him if she was to go somewhere else after work.

    "Where are you going?" Erick asked curiously.

    Amber shrugged. "The ex owner wanted to treat me to a cup of coffee," she replied. "I''m not sure why she''s inviting me since I hardly talk or meet her at all."

    "The strangest thing was that she asked me about you," she continued.

    Erick was so quiet on the other line for some time that Amber thought that the connection was probably lost. "Erick honey, are you still here?"

    "Yes," he answered, sounding serious. "Is it Mrs. Paccito?"

    Amber let out a light laugh. "Of course. Who else is the ex owner of the daycare?" she asked teasingly.

    "Babe, don''t go with her."

    Amber was surprised. "Why? What''s wrong, baby?" she asked, sounding confused.

    "Just don''t," Erick said firmly. "I will tell you all about it when I get home."

    "Butˇ­ she''s waiting for me at the coffee shop," Amber said.

    "Make up an excuse and return back home," Erick replied.

    After they both hung up their call, Amber returned to her duties. Once she was sure that all of her students had gone back home with their parents, she went back inside to grab her belongings.

    However, she was about to head towards her car, when she saw a familiar car approaching her.

    Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ''What is he doing here?'' she thought to herself.

    She waited for the car to stop near her before she approached it. She peered down as the car window slowly slid down, revealing Erick''s handsome features. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously. "I thought you''re busy at work."

    "Nothing is as important to me than your safety," he simply said. He then gestured for her to come in.

    "What about my car?" she asked, though she climbed into the car.

    "I''ll pick it up later," he said.

    After making sure that she''s all buckled up, he started the engine and started to drive.

    "Have you told her that you won''t be coming?" he asked.

    Amber nodded. "I texted her while I went to grab my things," she answered.

    "What did she say after that?"

    Amber shook her head this time. "She hasn''t replied yet. Which was weird since she seemed like she wanted to talk to me urgently. Do you think she has some kind of legal problems?" she asked as she looked at him. "Is that why she asked about you being a lawyer?"

    "Perhaps," Erick said, his eyes on the road.

    Amber squinted her eyes at him. "You''re being suspicious!" she accused.

    Erick chuckled softly as he glanced at her before turning back to the road. "How am I being suspicious?" he teased.

    "Do you know something that I don''t?" she asked again.

    "I do, a lot."

    Amber then smacked him on the arm. "I''m serious!"

    Erick laughed and said playfully, "Hey, I''m driving here!"

    "Come on, tell me," she urged. She wanted to tug on his sleeves but did not dare to, lest she might disturb his driving.

    "I''ll tell you later at home," he promised.

    She then pointed at the road and said, "But this isn''t the way home!"

    Erick looked over at her and back again to the road. "Well, since I made you skip on a free treat, I thought I should compensate for that by bringing you to dinner. Isn''t that better than just coffee and cakes?"

    Amber beamed with happiness and said, "Definitely!"

 Chapter 257 - 248: Next is to investigate!

    The two lovers had hotpot that night for dinner. They were in an Asian fusion restaurant, where the food served were mostly dishes that were atypical in their country. But because the owner of the restaurant used to travel a lot and he had brought a lot of recipes from his journeys. It was then he decided to open up a restaurant that reminds him of his travels. And hotpot was one of those recipes.

    Hotpot was actually a dish consisting of raw ingredients such as meat and vegetables, which were then cooked by diners where they would dip these in a boiling pot of broth. Because it was raining outside, Amber thought that eating hotpot on a rainy night was the perfect dish to eat.

    It was fortunate that when they were still thinking about what to eat, the rain had just started to drip down and they weren''t that drenched. And before it fell heavily, she thought of this restaurant which was recommended by Jeayan. Apparently, she had eaten at the restaurant before, with Roel. And the owner was actually a mutual friend of Roel, who shared their passion for cooking.

    Knowing that Erick was sort of a brother to his good friend, the owner obviously had known about the former''s identity and most importantly, appetite. He had given both Amber and Erick a small private room with their own waiter. It wasn''t because he treated them as VIPs, but rather, he knew that the two of them would keep ordering for seconds, thirds and so forth. They needed at least one waiter that would cater to their hungry stomachs. Apparently, he learned his lessons from Jeayan and Roel''s previous dinner at his restaurant.

    It was quite late when they were finally done with dinner. Although Erick wasn''t full yet, he felt a bit pity for the waiter who had been serving them. He looked haggard after going in and out of the kitchen to grab their food. He could have sworn that he saw relief in the waiter''s eyes when he bid them goodbye.

    At home, it was quiet which didn''t surprise the couple. They knew that they had returned late and Luka wasn''t like a dog that would get excited to see his parents returned home. When he was young, perhaps he would run to the door, wanting to be pet. But as he grew older, the novelty of it probably had worn off. He rather sleep than rushed over to the door, which was exactly what he was doing at the moment when the two arrived home.

    Before Erick went to his bedroom to change his clothes, he peeked at where Luka was snoozing on his bed. And after making sure that his water was filled, he quickly changed his clothes before going back again to the living room.

    Erick was watching the late night show with a bag of potato chips on his ??p when Amber walked in the room. Without looking behind him, he knew it was her. Obviously, because there were only two of them in the house, excluding Luka but he could scent her. He could smell the flowery fragrance emitting off her; he couldn''t be sure whether it was from her soap or her natural scent.

    He looked up when Amber approached him. And without a word, she dropped down and snuggled deep in his arms. She then sneakily reached her hand towards his bag of potato chips and ''stole'' one chip.

    Shaking his head at her actions, he grabbed a tissue, without releasing her and went to properly wipe her fingers clean. And before releasing her hand, he quickly dropped a kiss on top of her hand.

    Amber then ???ked an eyebrow at him. "So, are you going to tell me about Mrs. Paccito?" she asked.

    He briefly told her about Master Silas and Ronan''s visit to his office and how they wanted him to be the lawyer to prosecute against Mrs. Paccito in regards to a tenant''s rights and duties on foreclosure.

    Amber frowned. "Are you really going to take the case?" she asked curiously.

    Erick nodded as he threw a chip into his mouth and munched. "I see no reason as to why not," he said airly.

    Amber frowned deeper. But what about her job? Won''t it affect her job at the daycare? Won''t it beˇ­ how to say, very difficult when the ex owner and the new owner were at loggerheads?

    Sensing her confused and worried mood, he quickly said that it probably wouldn''t be affecting her job that much.

    She then argued why it wouldn''t be when her fiance would be going against her old boss at work. However, she quietened down when Erick replied back, saying that instead, he would be working together with her new boss.

    She pursed her lips in contemplation. That makes more sense.

    Erick then patiently told her about what Master Silas and Ronan had told him about Mrs. Paccito''s background. The more Amber listened to him, the more shocked she felt. She never expected that Mrs. Paccito would be someone like that. It was so unbelievable that Amber kept asking Erick whether it was really true.

    Erick gave her a pout. "Don''t you trust me?" he asked, trying to look pitiful.

    Amber rolled her eyes and punched him playfully on his arm. "I do trust you! No questions asked! I''m asking whether Master Silas and Ronan were being truthful?" she asked.

    "I don''t see why they would be making this up, do you?" he asked back. "What about you? Do you think they can be trusted?"

    Amber tapped her chin with her forefinger, looking thoughtful. "Well, they seem nice. And they do look like they revere you. So yeah, I don''t think they would want to lie to you," she said.

    Erick nodded. He then brushed away a strand of hair from her face and said, "So, for now, I want you to not interact with the woman for now. I''m going to investigate her."

    "Don''t you think she would be suspicious if I suddenly became wary and avoided her?"

    He frowned as he thought about her words. "Hmmm," he said. "That''s true too." He then quickly added, "Then be yourself. Don''t talk about the case, Ronan and even Master Silas. Pretend you don''t know anything."

    Amber laughed heartily. "Well, I''m not that close with Mrs. Paccito. I''m just the lower subordinate in that daycare. I was actually surprised that she invited me for a coffee. Other than the time when she introduced Ronan to all of us, that was probably the third time I''ve talked to her," she said.

    "When was the first and second?" Erick asked, curious.

    "My first day at work and a week after my first day of work," she answered.

    Erick nodded. He then turned back around, his eyes on the TV programme.

    Although he looked as if he was watching the TV, his mind was filled with ideas and plans on how to investigate the old woman.

 Chapter 258 - 249: Busted by the familiar man!

    Not far from the city centre and in the midst of the residential area, there stood a long line of apartment blocks, which looked impressively neat and spacious, by how wide the buildings were. All of the blocks were of ten story high with two to three bedrooms.

    Erick was hunkered down on one of the branches of the trees that were located not far from the apartment blocks. Although it was a few hundred metres away from the apartment block that he had his eyes on, it was never a problem for him since his eyesight can be considered as good, being able to see far.

    ''You sure it''s that one?'' Erick asked Dane in his mind.

    Instead of answering him, Dane scoffed back. ''Sometimes I wonder how come your intelligence doesn''t increase as you grow older. Didn''t you smell her scent??''

    ''I did but it''s better to have a second opinion.''

    Dane just snorted in answer.

    The apartment block that the two were talking about was actually Mrs. Paccito''s place. At first, Erick was confused as to why an old woman like her would live alone in that place when she could have stayed with Ronan. It was then he remembered that the two weren''t close in real life. But it still baffles him as to why she would want to live in an apartment, instead of a house, even if the place was safely and strictly guarded.

    ''He''s here.''

    Erick frowned as he quickly scanned his surroundings. It was then he saw a shadow below him, standing underneath the branch where he was hunkering over.

    Erick frowned as he jumped down from the branch, landing quietly in front of the lycan. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

    "I''m here to help, my prince," the lycan answered.

    Erick let out a sigh in resignation. "There''s nothing for you to help out," he said. "I''m doing this for my work. I can''t let you as a client be involved. It goes against my work ethics. And not just that, it''s not under jurisdiction for clients to be involved."

    Master Silas pouted playfully, which made Erick inwardly cringed. It felt a bit nauseous when an old man tried to act cute but failed.

    "I thought I could lend a hand if I could," the lycan protested.

    Erick shook his head. "If I''m not doing this for work, perhaps you can help. But this, you can''t help," he explained patiently.

    Master Silas rolled his eyes. "These modern times have too many rules, compared to back then. It''s so restricting that it''s suffocating."

    Erick could only smile. It seems like the man used this kind of childish appearance, only in front of Erick and Dane. He bet Ronan and Toby would have the shock of their life when they see their boss like this.

    Master Silas turned around with his hands linked behind his back. He then said, "Oh well, I''ll just go home and watch some boring TV programmes."

    A few minutes later, Erick was seen back on the branch, hunching down as he looked for any kind of activity in the apartment block. More specifically, at Mrs. Paccito''s floor. He actually had waited there for more than two hours. After he had heard from Amber that Mrs. Paccito had left the daycare center, he quietly followed the old woman without the latter noticing him.

    That''s how he knew about her apartment. Because from what he recalled, her address in the phonebook was different. And it wasn''t this apartment.

    It was kind of funny how the old woman seemed to be unaware that someone was following her. But then again, that someone was a shifter. And Erick was good at hiding his tracks. It was just that because if she was to be one of Harding''s subordinates, she should have been more cautious.

    Perhaps, after years of being ''ignored'' and not ''supervised'', she had lowered her guard down. Hence, it makes her an easy prey to probe around. But Erick thought of another possibility. It was more likely that she wasn''t an important ''henchwoman'' so they did not care about her.

    It has now reached more than three hours since he had waited outside on the tree. Earlier, he saw Mrs. Paccito entered the apartment block and went up to her floor. Luckily, her room faced outside to the streets where he could see clearly, despite the dimmed lights.

    He continued to wait, reaching inside his small sling bag where he kept his dried beef jerky, in case he got hungry. He grabbed one and started to munch on it, his eyes still on the window.

    Thinking that the time has grown late already, he would have thought that the old woman would be sleeping by now. But to his surprise, suddenly there were lights in her room. He frowned as he watched her get out of her bedroom and to the front door.

    Soon after, he watched in surprise as she opened the door to reveal a familiar person. She invited the man inside her living room. It has been years since he had last seen that man.

    Rehan!

    And dem, these warlocks don''t age at all. Rehan looked exactly like he did a few years back.

    Although Erick has good eyesight, it doesn''t mean that he could eavesdrop on them, which was frustrating. He didn''t even realize that the man was there until he suddenly appeared. Did he morphed inside there?

    While he was thinking about the possibilities, Rehan, who was talking with Mrs. Paccito suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the window. And it was as if he was looking straight at Erick, knowing the latter was sitting right there on the tree branch.

    ''Feck.''

 Chapter 259 - 250: Mrs. Paccitos worries

    ''Feck.''

    Before Erick could blink once more, Rehan was no longer inside the apartment. And seconds later, he stood hovering in the air, in front of Erick.

    "Long time no see," the warlock greeted.

    Instead of answering him, a kick swung towards him.

    Rehan quickly dodged the kick and dropped neatly on the ground. He looked up to see an empty spot where Erick sat earlier.

    He swiftly swung his hand next to his face and soon after, there was another kick that hit Rehan''s palm. He then pushed the foot away, shoving Erick a few meters away.

    Erick jumped and turned in his steps before landing further from Rehan.

    The two of them looked at each other quietly.

    "What are you doing here?" Erick asked.

    "I was just visiting my friend," Rehan replied. "It was rude of you to snoop into our private conversation."

    Erick ???ked an eyebrow. "I did not expect that your friend would be an ex owner of a daycare center," he mocked. "I wonder what kind of things you two would share in common or interest to create such a wonderful friendship," he continued sarcastically.

    "Perhaps our mutual dislike for the orthodox shifters in this world?" Rehan suggested.

    Erick scoffed. "What a useless interest," he commented. "One that should have been eliminated years ago."

    After he had said that, he immediately rushed towards Rehan with his arm pulled back, intending to land a punch. Unfortunately, Rehan had seen through his actions and immediately dodged his attack by jumping and then floating in mid-air.

    Erick looked up and as he peered closely, he realized that the warlock was actually standing on his wand. It was his first time seeing the warlock with his wand. And he could sense the strength emitting from it.

    However, Erick has grown stronger, compared to before. Hence the fog trick doesn''t work on him anymore. He narrowed his eyes, turning his black irises to amber. Once his vision started to clear up, he could see Rehan was about to escape on his wand.

    Erick then immediately chased after him.

    Just as he was about to reach the warlock, Toby, who was approaching them from the other side, did not realize that he was heading Erick and Rehan''s path. He was too absorbed, texting on his phone that he did not see the people in front of him.

    Erick inwardly cursed when he saw the man that he had to break his run, nearly colliding with him. Rehan was more fortunate as he just swept above Toby and smoothly ran away while Erick was hindered.

    Toby''s eyes widened when he saw Erick suddenly running towards him and was trying to stop his speed. He did not even notice Rehan had flown above him.

    "Master Erick!" he exclaimed in surprise.

    Erick screeched to a stop a couple of metres away from Toby. His face looked furious as he thought of his plan to finally capture the warlock hampered by the other man.

    "What the heck were you doing?" he gritted out in anger, not wanting to shout since he doesn''t want to disturb the neighbourhood with his shouting.

    Toby was startled at the anger Erick was showing. He had never seen anger on the other man''s face and was baffled as to what had happened to cause such anger. "Iˇ­ I wasˇ­ I was lookingˇ­ uhhˇ­" he stammered nervously.

    Erick stepped forward and grabbed the front collar of Toby''s shirt. "You''ve caused me to lose my prey!" he hissed out.

    Toby''s eyes widened more. Erick''s voiceˇ­ doesn''t seem like it belongs to him. It was moreˇ­ hoarse. Prince Dane?!?

    It was this scene where Master Silas and Ronan had found them together. Apparently, the three of them were planning to sneak into Mrs. Paccito''s apartment. Master Silas, at first, thought it would be good if they were to work together with Erick but the latter disagreed. Thus, they could only do it their way. They knew that Erick still has his doubts about Mrs. Paccito''s involvement with Harding so they wanted to look for more evidence at her place. They could not do it during the daylights because they did not want to be seen by other people.

    And they weren''t sure whether they were fortunate or not to have concerned neighbours but every time, Ronan tried to come to her place, without Mrs. Paccito''s knowledge, her neighbours would gush at the latter, saying she was lucky to have a nice son who likes to make surprise visits to her.

    Back then, Mrs. Paccito wasn''t suspicious of Ronan yet. But as he became more viscid, wanting to know more about her activities and what she does, she became more sceptical. He changed after he had returned from overseas a couple of years back, making her wonder whether his behavior had changed due to outside influence.

    She became more concerned and worried after she realized that he knew about her other ''side'' job. She did not want him to be involved or even know about her affairs, thus why she decided to give him the ownership of the daycare to diminish his suspicion. Despite them not being close, she actually does care about her adopted son.

    Hence why she was so shocked when she received legal letters about him suing her. It was then she decided that she needed help. Apparently, Amber wasn''t going to help her since it seems that her fiance will be standing for her adopted son. She had never dealt with these kinds of things and that was why she sought for Lord Rehan''s help.

    She had thought that the warlock wouldn''t want to help her so she was quite surprised to hear from him that he would be coming that night to discuss.

    However, before she could tell him more about his worries, he suddenly disappeared from her sight. Looking out her window, she could only see a blurry image wheezing through the air, out of sight.

    What was she going to do now?

 Chapter 260 - 251: Dead asleep

    "You''ve caused me to lose my prey!" Erick hissed out.

    Toby''s eyes widened more. Erick''s voiceˇ­ doesn''t seem like it belongs to him. It was moreˇ­ hoarse. Prince Dane?!?

    He bravely looked at Erick''s face and nearly fainted out of shock. The latter''s face has changed. Although he still has his human body, his face has become hairy as if it was about to shift into a werewolf. His teeth have grown longer into fangs and his eyes have turned to amber.

    Toby desperately grasped Erick''s hand which was gripping his collar, pulling him up in the air. His legs dangling in mid-air, making him panicked.

    Master Silas and Ronan walked to this scene and what they say left them shocked.. The former quickly rushed towards Erick''s side and quietly calmed him down. "My prince, please calm down," he said. "Venting your anger on him is not worth it. On behalf, I apologized for anything he had done wrong."

    Without thinking twice, Master Silas had believed that it was his subordinate who had done wrong, not Dane. This was because he knew both men''s personalities and he, without doubt, would definitely believe in his superior, even if his subordinate had been under him for years.

    Erick frowned. Or rather, Dane. Erick, who was pushed back into his consciousness, was also trying to calm the latter down.

    Fortunately, it worked as Dane slowly loosened his grip, dropping Toby to the ground.

    Toby immediately started to gasp furiously, trying to get his breath back and calm his beating heart.

    Before Master Silas could say another word, Erick suddenly disappeared, running towards the direction they ?ssumed Rehan must have disappeared to.

    The next morning.

    Amber was cooking her breakfast when she noticed how quiet the house was. Well, except for Luka, who was gobbling his food. She frowned as she looked around the kitchen to findˇ­ no Erick.

    She switched off the stove and removed her apron. It was the weekend so she actually woke up late. She had thought that perhaps Erick was still sleeping in his room.

    Yet, it has been nearly an hour since there were any sounds. He usually would go out of his room and immediately zoomed into the kitchen, feeling hungry.

    She placed the apron on the kitchen chair and headed for Erick''s room.

    Seeing his mistress walking out of the kitchen, Luka stopped eating and followed her from behind. The two walked together towards Erick''s room.

    Hearing that there were no sounds coming from inside, Amber was confused. Did he not go back home last night?

    She took a deep breath and told herself. ''Alright, I''ll just barge in," she thought to herself. ''So please excuse me.''

    Without another thought, she pushed open the bedroom door. It was fortunate that Erick was someone who hardly locks his door. Why should he, anyway? Doubt there was anyone who would dare to come barging into his room.

    Stepping inside, the bedroom looked as if someone had not slept in. Compared to when he was in highschool, the Erick today was neater, who likes to tidy his room. However, looking at the room at that moment, Amber felt it wasˇ­ too neat.

    She frowned as she became very concerned. Where could he be?

    She grabbed her phone, which she kept inside her pant pocket and started calling Erick''s number.

    Soon after, she heard a ringing sound, making her even more confused. Is she hearing things? How come the ringing tone sounds as if it was somewhere near this house?

    And it appears that Luka heard the sounds too. And before Amber could think of where the sounds came from, the former had run towards the front door. He started to paw against the door knob.

    Just as Amber was about to say something, the door opened and suddenly, there was Erick, stumbling through.

    "Erick!" Amber exclaimed in surprise as she rushed forward. She pulled him up to a sitting position and realized that the man was still sleeping.

    ''What had he been doing, making him so tired?'' she wondered.

    She then tried to carry him to his bedroom, putting his arm around her shoulders. Unfortunately, she couldn''t even lift him up as she staggered before falling on the floor.

    Thinking that she might have woken up, she looked over, his arm still around her shoulders. She was surprised to see that he was still snoring softly. ''Sleep like the dead,'' she thought to herself.

    She pushed his arm off her shoulders and then stood up, her hands on her h?ps. She then began to think about what she would do to bring him to bed.

    While she was still thinking, Luka had walked over and before she could protest, the latter had grabbed Erick by clamping on his leg with his mouth and started to drag him.

    Probably because Luka had been walking, making Erick crash against the wall, chairs and tables that probably woke the latter up.

    He blinked his eyes furiously and tried to sit up. However, Luka continued to drag him towards his bedroom, making him speechless.

    Not wanting to crash again, Erick quickly pulled his leg from Luka''s jaw and grudgingly sat up.

    Amber rushed over when she saw that her mate had finally woken up, albeit still sleepy. "Erick, what happened? Why did you sleep outside?" she asked, looking concerned.

    But before he could answer her, she quickly waved her hands and said, "Never mind. Let''s get you to bed. You should get more sleep." With that, she grabbed his hand and helped pull him up. This time, it was easier because earlier, Erick was like a dead weight, making him heavier.

    Amber then guided him to his room, where he was still feeling a bit hazy from not enough sleep.

    Opening the door, she pulled him towards his bed and tucked him in bed. Men can be such babies.

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously, watching Amber about to leave the room. "Baby?" he called out softly.

    At the door, Amber stood there with a smile and said to him, "We''ll talk later, okay? Just get some sleep for now."

 Chapter 261 - 252: Cant wait for the reunion

    [Content Warning! In this chapter, there will be gore, blood and presence of child abuse!]

    Harding sat in his chair, swirling his wineglass in his hands. He looked quite relaxed with his one leg over another, his eyes looking down at his drink nonchalantly.

    However, despite that, the scene happening near him doesn''t seem that lighthearted at all. It was as if the tortured screams and cries of people happening right in front of him did not deter him. Rather, it seems like it was exciting for him as there were times that one could see that smirk on the corner of his lips.

    If one were to see these people, they''d realized that they were actually children, aged three to six years old. At that moment, there were rogues who were holding down some of the children to the floor while warlocks went to get their blood, cutting off their fingers and digging out their eyes. Their clothes were mostly ripped with evidence of slashes and other physical abuses all over their bodies.

    Streams of blood continued to pour down to the ground, painting it crimson red. The smell of metallic blood emitted strongly in the air. However, again, this does not put off Harding, who continued to bask in this sickening p???sur?..

    More and more children continued to scream for help, begging for the pain to stop until Harding got tired of their cries that he told the rogues to slash their mouths. Soon after, many children fainted, either from it being too painful or shocked.

    Once it was finally quiet, other than the sounds of slashing and slapping, Harding turned to look at Rehan, who was standing dutifully beside him.

    "So, you''ve met up with that old woman?" Harding asked as he brought his wineglass to his mouth to drink.

    "Yes, my Lord."

    "Andˇ­?"

    "Still no children suitable," Rehan informed him.

    "Useless thing," Harding muttered as he turned back to the scene in front of him. "And what took you so long?"

    "It seems like she requested legal help," Rehan said. "Apparently, her adopted son was suing her for tenant''s rights and duties on foreclosure."

    "Adopted son?" Harding repeated.

    Rehan nodded.

    "Oh, he''s still alive?" Harding mused.

    Rehan nodded again. "It appears that the time we have not seen him was because he had been overseas," he answered. "And he was under the guidance of a Mr. Silas."

    Harding turned to Rehan with a frown. "Silas?" he repeated. The name seems familiar to him. Was he Dane''s idiotic guardian? His frown deepened. He could have sworn that he had killed him back then.

    As if he knew what his master was thinking, Rehan quickly answered, "Yes. After much investigation, we have found out that he''s the same Silas that used to be Dane''s guardian. It seems that he has returned to Dane''s side, wanting to become his guardian once more."

    Harding pushed his head back as he laughed out loud. "Another idiot has appeared!" he said sarcastically, still laughing.

    He then scoffed, though a sinister smile started to form on his mouth. "I can''t wait for this ''reunion'' to happen soon when they meet ''him''."

    -----

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously. He grudgingly sat up and felt confused. He recalled that, after he had scolded Toby and brushed away Master Silas'' apologies, he had taken off after Rehan. Using his senses, he tried to follow Rehan''s scent but the latter was sneaky.

    He had chased after the warlock even to the outside of town but alas, he wasn''t able to. The scent miraculously disappeared just on the outskirts of town. He had just stood there as he looked around, trying to find some clues to the disappearance. It was then he thought of something. That sneaky b*stard must have flown off on his wand.

    After fruitlessly chasing that warlock and seeing that there was no way that he could catch up to him, it seems like it has taken quite a toll on Erick. Especially when he didn''t fully shift yet overusing his shifter powers, making him more tired.

    Hence why he did not know how he ended up in his bed.

    He does seem to remember that he saw Amber talking to him in his dreams. Again, he wasn''t sure whether that really was a dream or reality. Then again, he thought as he looked around him, it was probably real. Who else would carry him here?

    He yawned, scratching the back of his head as he got out of his bed.

    Before he could freshen up, the door to his room suddenly opened, revealing Amber''s smiling face poking in. "Hey, you''re finally up!" she exclaimed happily.

    "Was I out that long?" he asked in surprise.

    Amber nodded. "Yeah, you really were tired. You were only awake one time after Luka and I brought you to bed. After that, you''re knocked out for the whole morning and nearly the whole afternoon," she said.

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise. He quickly walked over to the window and was shocked to see that the sun was about to set.

    Concerning that he hadn''t had anything to eat for nearly a day, she swiftly walked into the room and started to drag him out. "Come on, I''ve made some food. Our moms even send some food over after they heard that you haven''t eaten all day. They must have thought that I didn''t feed you or something," she complained while pouting in a cute way.

    Erick laughed, pinching his mate''s puffed up cheeks. "No way that they think that, love," he said. He then slowly pulled his arm away from her grasp and said, "Let me wash up first. I must stink a lot."

    Amber stopped and then started to sniff him. She then cringed, wrinkling her nose as she moved away. She covered her nose and mouth and said in a muffled voice, "Yep, you do stink!"

    Erick quickly grabbed the laughing Amber, pulling her hand away from her nose and mouth and lowered his head to kiss her. And as if it has been some time that he hadn''t been this close with her, his kiss started to deepen, making Amber feel breathless. She started to punch him lightly, trying to get him off.

    She panted hard while trying to give him her angriest glare. "You brute!" she said hoarsely.

    "Tease me more and you will see an even more brutish behavior from me," he grinned back as he rubbed his nose against hers.

    Amber rolled her eyes and then pushed him away, "Just be quiet and shower!" she scolded. She harrumphed, exiting the room, ignoring the light chuckles from behind her.

    Few minutes later, a freshly showered Erick walked into the kitchen where Amber had just finished reheating his dinner.

    While Amber was placing the dishes on the dining table, Erick walked up behind her to slide his arms around her waist. He then nuzzled the back of her neck, giving little kisses and said, "What about now? Do I still stink?"

    Amber rolled her eyes and lied through her teeth, "Yes, you still stink."

    Erick pulled back, turning her in his arms. He then ???ked an eyebrow at her and said, "Then shall we shower together for you to make sure that I don''t stink?"

    Amber pouted, slapping his arm lightly. "Stop it. And get some food first."

    Erick grinned widely. "First?" he repeated. "Does this mean that after this, we will shower together?"

    Amber pulled away from his arms and retorted, "No! Stop twisting my words and eat!"

    Erick just grinned as he took his seat at the dining table.

 Chapter 262 - 253: Good vision

    The two lovebirds were having a pleasant dinner together, chatting about this and that when Amber started to change the topic.

    "So, what happened? Why were you sleeping on the porch?" she asked, her chin on her hand as she looked at him curiously.

    Erick froze, his spoon stopped midway to his mouth before he placed it down on his plate. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Honestly, I did not realize that I had fallen asleep there. Dane''s power must have slowly weakened, thus making me fall asleep."

    "Dane?" she repeated, looking confused. "How did Dane come about? Did you shift last night? What happened?" she asked, questions shooting quickly from her mouth.

    Erick let out a light chuckle. "Slow down, honey," he said, laughing. "One question at a time.."

    He then continued, answering her patiently, telling her about what had happened that night, how he half-shifted and tried to chase Rehan until the outskirts of town.

    Amber''s eyes widened in surprise. "You saw Rehan?!?" she said in disbelief.

    Erick nodded. He then looked at her in the eyes. "He was with Mrs. Paccito."

    Amber gasped in shock. "What? Mrs. Paccito? So was it really true?" she asked. "You saw them together?"

    Amber exhaled a deep breath. "Wow. I''d never thought that it could be real," she said, feeling shocked. "This is going to be so awkward..." she continued as she stared off-space.

    Erick frowned, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

    "What about my job?"

    "What about your job?" he asked back, still confused.

    "Like, how awkward would it be when it comes to the boss versus the ex-boss! And knowing that you''re going to side with Ronan, of course, I would be with you since you''re my mate!!" she exclaimed.

    Erick laughed. "I don''t see how that can be such a problem," he said, chuckling.

    She shrugged. "You''d never know," she said slowly.

    Erick stood up and ??r?ssed her head lovingly. "Don''t you worry about it. You''re just overthinking it. Even if there is a problem, you can just come to me, okay?" he said.

    Amber nodded as she smiled up at him.

    While the two mates were having a pleasant evening, it wasn''t so for the shifters at the Kendall packhouse. The atmosphere was grim and tense as Lachlan, Fergus and Elder Zyair were discussing the information that they had received from the imprisoned warlocks. In a few minutes, they were going to have a meeting with the other elders to get their opinions and feedback about these. Jose and Ezekiel had already gone back to their hometowns a couple of hours after that little meeting in the Kendall''s underground prison.

    "So, I believed that we should start as soon as possible. We can''t let this go on and let them get the upper hand," Elder Zyair said. "Didn''t that warlock say that Harding has started on an experiment that may bring chaos to this world? He''s going to make the power between all the shifters to be unbalanced. Hence, this does not just concern the werewolves but other supernatural beings!"

    Fergus nodded as he looked over at his Alpha. "I agree with Elder Zyair."

    Lachlan sighed. He then stood up and said, "Alright then." He turned to Fergus and said, "Inform the triplets, Erick, Hamish and Dex to join in the meeting."

    Fergus looked surprised. "Dex too?" he said.

    Lachlan nodded. "Yes. He''s been getting stronger lately. And it''s been a while since he had joined any mission. I''d like him to get more involved now, helping with Erick, especially when Hamish might not be around due to job."

    Recently, Latham no longer trains the newly shifted shifters as he became busy with his own work and also accompanying Lachlan at the packhouse. Instead, Dex, who has now married with his mate, had taken over the training.

    Although he and Zoe don''t have a child yet, the two weren''t in a rush. Probably because Dex wanted his mate to get used to the shifter life. After mating with Zoe, he brought her to live with him, where she was slowly trying to adapt, which was going well. And even if she wasn''t close to Amber and the other female shifters, they weren''t awkward with each other. Yes, she knew about them being shifters and wasn''t appalled by it. Rather, she embraced it as she herself became one after mating.

    And apparently, after Dex had taken over the training, he became closer to Latham, seeing the latter as an older brother or guardian. The two became close where Dex always comes over to see Latham, to ask for advice when it comes to training. Hence why, other than training the new shifters, he would also ?ssist Latham at his workshop. This was especially convenient since it helps Latham to be able to trust Dex to deal with the workshop if he was being called by the Alpha to the packhouse.

    Fergus bowed his head in respect and said, "Yes, Alpha."

    Lachlan looked around him and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that everyone was there.

    He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "Alright, let''s start the meeting," he announced.

    He then stood up straight and continued, "So, after much thought and getting the information from the warlocks, it was informed that Harding is back and is getting stronger. He has been conducting experiments, trying to make the power in this world unbalanced. So, before that happens, we need to put him down. However, we aren''t sure about his current powers right now. And because of this, we would need to look into it."

    He turned to Elder Zyair, who nodded back. The latter then stood up, looking at each shifter in the room and said, "And we actually found a clue on the whereabouts of Harding''s hideout. So, we''re goingˇ­"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Paccia, who had been silent all this while, raised her hand up. Everyone turned their heads towards her, including Lachlan.

    Paccia looked at Lachlan first, asking for permission to talk without speaking. Lachlan nodded.

    As she stood up, Elder Zyair went to sit down. Paccia cleared her throat. "Instead of just getting a clue, I have a better method."

    She glanced at Lachlan again before continuing, "I''ve been experimenting with the skins of the warlock earlier. And this is the result." She grabbed her small pouch and reached inside. She then took out some dust and sprinkled them on top of the table.

    Everyone was silent as they watched the dust being sprinkled all over. Soon after, the dust suddenly brightened and sparkled. It then began to float in the air before twirling around, similar to a small cyclone. It slowly widened its breadth before a small imagery started to appear in the eye of the tiny typhoon.

    It was the same warlock that was being imprisoned in the underground prison!

    The difference was that he looked healthy and uninjured. The audience in the room slowly realized that the image was showing them the past! They all quietened down as they continued to watch. Although there were no sounds coming from it, the image was very clear and vivid.

    Erick frowned as he too watched the image.

    Few minutes passed and the vision was still playing. The longer they watched, the more they understood that the image was playing backwards. And to their glee, it actually shows where the warlock appears from, before arriving at the vampires'' dens.

    Yes, exactly! The last image that they saw was of Harding standing in what appears to be his hall room in his hideout!

    After the vision was over, everyone was still quiet. All of them were surprised, never expecting this good outcome.

    Lachlan turned to Paccia and said, "Good work, Paccia."

    Paccia beamed with happiness. She bowed her head and said, "Thank you, my Alpha."

    Lachlan turned back to his packmates and continued, "With this, we can start to make plans to eliminate Harding once and for all!"

    "Yes, Alpha!"

 Chapter 263 - 254: Hardings short past

    Erick frowned as he read the reports in his hands. He was sitting next to Hamish, where the two of them were discussing the plans that Lachlan had told them about, earlier.

    At that moment, the Alpha and the elders continued to talk among each other, leaving the triplets and the three young shifters to themselves. It was not that they were not invited to have their say but rather, they preferred to keep quiet and let the ''experienced'' shifters work it out.

    The meeting continued on until the early morning but the shifters in the room were still active and buzzing with activities.

    Erick sighed as he thought of the vision that Paccia showed them. .

    Honestly, he felt like the place looked quite familiar and yet, he knew that he had never been there before. It was as if he could feel a strong connection with that place. But what?

    That question swamped around in his mind. He wanted to ask Dane about it but the strangest thing had happened. The latter was quiet. Hopefully he was alright.

    Dex, who was sitting on his other side, turned to him. "What do you think of the plan?" he asked.

    Erick frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked back.

    Dex stared at him as if he was dumb. "The plan that they were talking about," he answered, pointing his chin at where the Alpha and the elders were still talking.

    Erick shrugged. "It seems manageable."

    Dex rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say," he muttered as he placed his chin on his palm, looking wistfully. "It has been a while since I''ve joined a mission."

    "But at least, you''ve been training, no?" Erick asked.

    "It''s not the same as being in a real situation."

    "True, true."

    Soon after, the Alpha turned back to them and then told them all to settle down and be quiet.

    He looked over at Paccia and then back again. "We will take the time to make use of the vision that Paccia has shown us and we will immediately go on the offense. We do not have much time to sit around and wait for the ?ssault to come to us. Before Harding unleashed or revealed his secret ''weapon'' or ''power'', we will need to eliminate it."

    He turned over to Fergus and said, "You will need to get in touch with the other packs'' Betas and inform them of this. Better yet, arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

    Fergus stood up and bowed his head. "Yes, Alpha."

    Lachlan then turned to the others and said, "We will also need to have a contingency plan that only involves us, the Kendalls."

    He immediately shot out the names and the teams. Unlike previous missions, this was a big one where it involves all the elders, the triplets and the three young shifters. Even the Alpha and the Beta were involved. To say that this was not a powerful team was an understatement. This clearly shows how crucial the mission would be. And hopefully the last.

    -----

    It has only been a couple of days after that late meeting when another meeting has started once more. And this time, it was held in the morning and that, there were more people in the room, which included the Alphas and the Betas from Cairin and Cesaro pack.

    Lachlan welcomed and thanked their guests for coming from far away.

    Lachlan then continued by giving the objectives of the meeting; of why they were here. Riedrich, Isaiah and their Betas actually did not fully know the reason why they were called here. But they understood the urgency of the call they received from Fergus the other day, hence why they immediately came, without questioning why.

    After the other packs had heard the objectives of the meeting, they grew solemn and grim. They actually expected this but did not expect it to be too soon.

    Few minutes later, once Lachlan has his say, he passes the floor to Paccia, who then shows Riedrich and the others the vision she has gotten from the warlock''s skin. And this time, she also shows them the route of Harding''s hideout or one might called, ''fortress''.

    When the image of Harding''s fortress was projected in front of them; similar to the other packs, it was also the Kendall pack''s first time seeing it.

    At first, Erick seemed disinterested when he looked over. But suddenly, he felt some tingling inside him. His mind started to blur, making him a bit dizzy. It was not long when his eyes suddenly turned to amber.

    Ignoring the startled looks from around him, Erick roughly stood up, making his chair fall back to the ground with a loud ''bang''.

    He slammed his hand on top of the table and snarled, showing his fangs.

    "THAT FECKING BASTARD!"

    -----

    He was in the hall where it was once used as a throne room. He recalled this was where he had once stood, together with his brothers, including Dane as they listened to their father, the Lycan King''s speech. It was the last time he stood with his brothers in harmony until that day had happened. He was the oldest son of the Lycan King and yet, the throne was to be given to one of his younger brothers, who was not Dane.

    Dissatisfied with the appointed, Harding had planned to kill off his father before he appointed his brother to be the next Lycan King.

    He was satisfied and pleased that none had realized that he was the perpetrator of all this. He was the one who had committed patricide.

    Seeing how the lycan world at that time had become chaotic as there were disagreements of who was to be the Lycan King, Harding had taken this opportunity to eliminate his brothers. Using the presence of the strong Hunters, he could easily remove these ''obstacles''.

    He fumed silently as he recalled that day. He really had thought that Dane was dead. He never thought of the possibility that his human self had died but his wolf soul was still alive.

    ''It doesn''t matter,'' he thought to himself smugly. ''I will wait for you here, Dane.''

 Chapter 264 - 255: Mates cooking

    Erick rubbed his forehead in consternation as he skimmed through the reports that were handed to him that morning. He was inside his cubicle where he was sorting through his case files and was preparing for his trial. Although the court date has not been confirmed yet, he needed to prepare everything or else he wouldn''t have any time in the future.

    Earlier that day Ronan had come to visit him where they met up in the same room where the former first approached Erick about his wish to prosecute his adopted mother. However this time, he came alone as Master Silas was busy with other matters.

    When the two men met up, Erick had thought the other man wanted to talk about the case. But apparently it wasn''t so. It seems like Master Silas and the other two were aware that the three packs were going to ''ambush'' Harding''s fortress. Hence, Ronan had stated, on behalf of Master Silas, that they will be joining them. Erick has no problem with this and knew that his father would agree as well. The more help they could get, the better their position would be.

    After they were done discussing that, Erick was about to bring the topic of the other man''s prosecution against his adopted mother.. However, Ronan just waved casually and said that everything has been taken care of, making the former baffled.

    He became more confused when Ronan handed him a thick file. He opened the file and was further surprised when he read the papers inside; Mrs. Paccito''s illegal ?ssets; her bribery with one of the local officers; her bank transactions with some bunch of local thugs and thieves.

    "Where did you get this?" Erick asked slowly, suspicion in his eyes. Even if he did some research on the woman, it wasn''t as deep and serious as the ones Ronan had handed to him. And it was enough to not just prosecute the woman but also to put her in jail.

    "Toby," Ronan simply said.

    Erick let out a sigh. He should have known.

    He tossed the file on the coffee table between them and said, "I can''t use this. I would need a warrant before I would use this information since this was gained through illegal means."

    Ronan ???ked an eyebrow. "Is it that hard to get a warrant?" he asked.

    "Wellˇ­" it was then Erick finally realized something and a slow smile appeared in his face. He then nodded.

    Looking down at the reports in his hand, he shook his head regretfully. Such a nice woman but it appears desperate times call for desperate measures. And she chose the wrong people to put her trust in. He then took the file that Ronan had given to him earlier. Even though he had said that he would not be using it, Ronan still left it with him, hoping it will be of use to him.

    He continued to work, highlighting the points from the reports and writing new ones, praying that it would be enough to request for a warrant.

    -----

    Back at the young Kendall house.

    Amber had just returned from work. That day, she accidentally met up with Mrs. Paccito at the daycare and the latter seems unperturbed as she greeted Amber hello as if she wasn''t given a legal notice from her own son.

    Honestly, Amber felt quite relieved when she saw the older woman''s behavior. She did not want to get involved but circumstances forced her to. So she felt a bit awkward whenever she sees Mrs. Paccito when she has no reason to. Perhaps the guilt of hurting the old woman got to her? But then again, whenever she felt sorry for the old woman, she chastised herself, saying what about the children that she had helped smuggle out? All those kidnapped children who were probably living a bad life or worse, dead.

    Many times she has this urge to ask Mrs. Paccito where she had smuggled the children to. And why did she do it? Where was her humanity when she took the children out from the safety of their family?

    However, she held it in and could only nod back in hello before going back to her class. She wasn''t sure how long she could keep it up, especially when she had known what the old woman had done. She never did like hypocrites and she never will.

    So, because of that, she decided to cook to calm her nerves. She could not wait for Erick to return home so that she could cuddle with him and get rid of these ''bad vibes''.

    It was fortunate that she had gone to buy groceries the other night so she had all the ingredients she needed to make chicken dumpling soup. She started off by boiling a whole chicken in a large pot and adding a bit of salt to the water to make the chicken more tender.

    While the pot was boiling, she then started to cut some green onions, garlic and ginger. Once she was done with that, she transferred them to a large bowl before adding in sesame oil and soy sauce. She mixed them all together and set it aside, covering the bowl with cling wrap. She continued to cut carrots and celery into smaller pieces before transferring them in another bowl.

    Seeing that the chicken had finished cooking, she transferred the chicken to another large bowl and waited for it to cool down a bit. While waiting, she turned back to the pot to remove the fats from the broth before adding the carrots, celery and bay leaf. She then left that to simmer to make the dumplings.

    Luckily, she also bought the ''ready-made'' wrappers so she doesn''t have to make it from scratch. She tore the chicken meat off into smaller pieces and placed them in a food processor. Together with the onions, gingers and garlic, she made it paste-like. She transferred that to another bowl and started on the dumplings. She wasn''t an expert when it comes to folding the dumplings so the first few dumplings didn''t look nice as there were those in different shapes and sizes; there was one which seemed overfilled with the filling, so she just covered it with another bit of the wrappers.

    After she was done folding, she carefully dumped them in the simmering broth and then seasoned it with salt and pepper.

    Just as she was done putting all the dumplings in the broth, Erick had just returned home from work. He sniffed the air and thought it smelled quite fragrant.

    Taking off his jacket and placing his briefcase near the coat rack, he walked into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw his mate busy cooking at the stove. He felt like he could never be bored of this scene; coming home to his mate preparing for their meal.

 Chapter 265 - 256: Emergency meeting

    Deciding not to disturb her, Erick quietly grabbed his briefcase and placed it inside his study before going to his bedroom to freshen up.

    Few minutes later, he went down to find Amber arranging the dishes on the dining table. She looked up, surprised to see her mate, looking fresh out from a shower.

    "When did you arrive home?" she asked, surprised as she placed the dishes.

    Erick looked down and ???ked an eyebrow. "You seem like you''ve been cooking a storm," he commented, not answering her question.

    Amber also looked down at the table and let out a light laugh. On the table, there was her chicken dumpling soup, fried cabbages with potatoes and a huge bowl of steamed rice. She scratched her cheek awkwardly and said, "I''m feeling a bit down so I thought that cooking these would help keep my mind off."

    He frowned as he studied her face closely.. "What happened?" he asked in concern. "Did something happen at work?"

    She quickly shook her head, waving away his concerns. "Nothing, nothing," she said airly. She then began to sit down and invited him, "Come and let''s eat, okay?"

    Just as he was about to sit, Luka came rushing in and nudged Erick away from the table and he jumped up onto the dining chair and sat down. He sat there quietly as if he was waiting to be served some food.

    Erick just rolled his eyes while Amber burst out into laughter. Erick then pulled Luka off the chair while Amber quickly grabbed Luka''s bowl and started to fill in with food.

    She then called out Luka''s name, telling him to follow her as she led the way to where he usually has his meals.

    When she returned to the kitchen, Erick hadn''t grabbed his food yet as he was waiting for her. Amber raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw this.

    She washed her hands and then wiped them with a kitchen towel before sitting down at the kitchen table. "How come you haven''t started eating yet?" she asked.

    "I was waiting for you," he said as he reached out for her bowl and started to serve her her food.

    The couple sat across each other and the atmosphere surrounding them was sweet and happy as they enjoyed the meal Amber cooked.

    Apparently, because Amber had said that she was a bit down earlier, Erick thought to comfort her by giving her more food. So, although she had eaten a lot that night, Erick kept feeding her more and more. And surprisingly, she ate more than him.

    He was about to serve her another bowl of rice when she adamantly rejected him as she rubbed her stomach, showing how full she was.

    Erick frowned as he looked at the dishes on the table. There were still many foods and he doesn''t really like leftovers. He poured all the soup into a large bowl that was slightly smaller than a huge mixing bowl and dumped all the rice inside it. He then pulled the fried cabbages and potatoes closer to him and continued to eat until the bowl and plate were licked clean.

    Amber smiled. There was nothing more pleasing than seeing people enjoying your cooking. She burst into laughter when Erick showed her her weird shaped dumpling. Although it was slightly chewy due to the double wrapping, the meat inside was tender and juicy that he finished them all. He did not care how it looked, as long as it was edible.

    Soon after, the two of them enjoyed a relaxing evening after dinner, sitting in front of the television, watching their favourite show; of course, a cooking show.

    Amber was watching it seriously, nodding along the way as she listened to the chef''s tips and advice on the television. If she had a notepad with her, she''d probably write them all down. She looked up at the man, sitting next to her, who had his arm around her shoulders in an embrace.

    She laughed lightly when she looked closely at him. She could have sworn that she saw a drool at the corner of his lips. "Are you still hungry?" she teased.

    Startled, he quickly wiped his drool and shook his head. "Not really," he lied.

    She was about to tease him more when he suddenly froze up. She frowned as she leaned closer to him.

    She was surprised to see that his eyes seemed a bit hazy. Did he receive a mindlink?

    She turned back around and continued to watch the show, not wanting to disturb him.

    The show was about to end when Erick returned back to reality. He lifted his arm from her shoulders and abruptly stood up, making Amber confused.

    "Did something happen?" she asked in concern.

    He nodded, heading straight towards the coat rack. Amber quickly switched off the television and rushed after him. "What happened?" she asked.

    She watched as Erick quickly put on his jacket. He let out a sigh and turned to her. "Some guys from the Cesaro pack got killed when they were trying to keep a lookout at Harding''s fortress," he said grimly.

    Amber gasped. The last time Erick went to the packhouse to meet with the other packs, he had told Amber everything, including the vision that they saw and the fact that Harding''s fortress was exactly the same place where Dane and his family used to live.

    "So, there''s an emergency meeting at the packhouse," he quickly said as he opened the front door.

    She swiftly followed him and asked, "Can I join? I won''t be joining, I''ll just wait for you there."

    He stopped and turned around. He cupped her face with both of his hands, leaning his forehead against hers. "I''m sorry, baby," he said softly. He dropped a soft kiss on her forehead and continued, "I''ll be back really quick. It might be dangerous, especially since it''s already late at night."

    "But it''s just at the packhouse," she argued.

    "I''m worried that you might get bored waiting and it''s cold outside," he argued back. He walked over to the sofa and grabbed her shawl, which was lying on top of the sofa. He brought it over to Amber and began to cover her with the shawl. "Just stay here and keep warm. I promised that I''ll be back soon, don''t worry. As you said, it''s just at the packhouse."

    Amber pouted but nodded.

    Erick then laughed softly. "Besides, what would you do there? Jeayan and Makena won''t be there anyway so you really might be bored."

    "But at least, you''ll be there."

    "Yes, but I will be busy at the meeting so don''t fret much, okay?" he said softly, tapping her lovingly on the tip of her nose.

    Amber nodded again.

    Erick dropped another kiss, this time, on her lips. "Don''t wait for me. Just go to bed if you''re tired."

 Chapter 266 - 257: Bonding brotherhood

    Erick looked around the room as he took note of the people attending the meeting.

    For weeks, he felt like, other than going home and going to work, he had spent a lot of time in this room. He could almost memorize every single little detail of this room. And he was being sarcastic about that.

    However now, it seems like his pack has finally modernized as he sat there, waiting for the others to set up the computer and projector. Probably something crucial had happened and the other packs had no time to travel here and there, that they finally realized the benefits of technology, making Erick want to face-palmed.

    Hamish would be late since he had just returned home from work and wanted to freshen up before going to the meeting. Dex, on the other hand, was earlier and was sitting next to Erick. Unlike when they were teenagers, nowadays they were more cordial to one another. However, not to the extent that they would casually stop by at each other''s houses.

    So, while waiting, the cousins had a little talk between themselves, mostly about Harding and the mission that they will be going to.. Apparently, Dex has a bit of a reluctance to join. Although he was excited, the thought of leaving Zoe alone at home made him think twice since it would be the first time that he would be going off for a dangerous mission. Hence, he was asking Erick too about his opinions and advice.

    Few minutes later, the video conferencing had finally been set-up. The chairs and table in the room were arranged to accommodate easy conferencing with Lachlan in the middle, facing the projector, while the rest of them; the elders, triplets and others were on his right and left.

    On the screen, there were the Cairin Alpha and the Cesaro Alpha, with some of their packmates surrounding them. Looking at them, it seems like the Cesaro pack too has a meeting room, similar to the Kendall pack since their background looks as if they were inside one. The Cairin pack, on the other hand, were in the living room of Isaiah''s house with the latter sitting alone, surrounded by his pack.

    Riedrich, the Cesaro Alpha, started the meeting by thanking the two other packs for willing to conduct the video conferencing. One could see the stress on his face when he started talking. It appears that the death of his packmates had taken a toll on him. He continued on by updating them on their current situation and what they had been doing.

    It seems that after they had known about Harding''s whereabouts, they realized that their town was the closest to it, compared to Burkendall town and the Cairin Oaks. Hence why they decided to gather more information by observing the fortress from afar.

    Unfortunately, before they could gather more, they were busted by the patrolling warlocks and rogues and were killed. And there were not even bones that were left of them. And the other Cesaro pack was aware of this incident because before the ones, who were killed, brought with them tracking devices to ensure that the others were aware of their whereabouts. And after they were killed, those devices were destroyed.

    The other packs grew solemn when they heard the report from the Cesaro side.

    Lachlan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then it seems that they are onto us already," he confirmed. "They know that we are aware of their location and are trying to push us down before we could do more."

    Isaiah nodded.

    Lachlan shrugged then. "Since they know our plans, perhaps we should just let it be. No use in hiding it and we can''t continue to avoid this game of his. The sooner we take Harding and his people down, the better," he suggested.

    Both Isaiah and Riedrich nodded.

    Despite the deaths of some of his packs, it did not deter Riedrich from sending more of his packmates to continue observing Harding''s whereabouts. They learned from their mistakes and currently, there were more than twenty Cesaro packmates who were on a lookout.

    While they were still discussing, Erick, who had been listening to them talking, turned his head and was surprised to see Master Silas walking in. The latter walked over to him and stood beside him.

    "What are you doing here?" Erick asked softly.

    Master Silas ???ked an eyebrow at him and replied, "I''m still one of the Kendall packs, aren''t I?"

    Erick inwardly shrugged. Well, that was true. He then decided to leave him be since he did mention that he was going to join them for the mission as well.

    The meeting was finally adjourned after a couple of hours of discussion. The three packs decided to set off as soon as possible after they have settled their normal daily life activities. Which means, Erick has to ensure that the prosecution brought forward by Ronan has to be settled quickly.

    A couple of days after the meeting.

    Erick walked out of the courtroom, where he had a meeting with a judge earlier. Together with him was Hamish, who offered to accompany him to get the warrant. As an ?ssociate, he doesn''t really have the power to ask for a warrant since it was beyond his job description. So, it was fortunate that Hamish was around, since he was the Inspector of Police.

    Though, before he could get on with that, he decided to invite Hamish for some eats. It has been a while since they were alone with each other, bonding their brotherhood.

    They went inside one of the family restaurants at the city centre. And despite the fact that lunch has long since passed, there were still some people hanging around in the restaurant.

    The two quickly placed their orders and continued to settle themselves comfortably.

    Erick started the conversation by asking how he has been doing. Although they met up during the meeting, they don''t really talk much outside the meeting; what with the both of them being busy with their work and personal life.

    Apparently, it wasn''t only Dex who was a bit reluctant to join the mission. Seeing that Makena was about to give birth at any time, Hamish was quite worried. Erick was surprised by this. He did not expect that it had been nearly nine months. He wasn''t surprised, though, since it has been a while since he last met the woman.

    But even so, for the safety of the pack, Hamish decided to join. And all of his duties will be transferred temporarily to one of his trusted juniors.

    The two continued to talk until Hamish received a call from the station, asking for his return. The two men said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

    Seeing that he still has time before returning back to his office, he decided to walk around the city centre.

    Just as he was walking, he noticed a familiar person just ahead of him.

    Erick frowned. ''What was he doing here?'' he thought.

 Chapter 267 - 258: Third wheeler

    Erick had just gone his separate ways with Hamish, who was returning back to work. It was then he decided that he wanted to walk around the city centre. Just as he was strolling around, he noticed a familiar person just ahead of him.

    He frowned. ''What was he doing here?'' he thought.

    He quickly rushed forward and grabbed the other person''s shoulders.

    Bastian whirled around in surprise. His eyes widened when he saw Erick grabbing him. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Hey bro, fancy seeing you here," he greeted, smiling weirdly as if he got scared of being busted.

    Erick frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

    Bastian looked around, as if he was avoiding Erick''s eyes.

    Erick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. No wonder he did not see him during the teleconferencing on the Cesaro pack''s side.

    Knowing that the other shifter would not stop until he got some answers from him, Bastian leaned forward and suggested softly, "Look, let''s go somewhere private to talk."

    Erick frowned but nodded. "Let''s go to my office. We can have our talk there," he said.

    Few minutes later, the two of them sat together inside the lounge room, where Erick had once met up with Ronan the other day. It was Bastian''s first time coming to Erick''s office building so he was a bit in awe of the place.

    Erick sat down across from the other man, with his legs crossed, leaning against the armchair as he waited for Bastian to settle down.

    Bastian let out a light chuckle. "Such a fancy place you''re working at, bro," he said lightly as he too leaned against his seat, making himself comfortable.

    Erick ignored his comment and said, "So, what brings you here?"

    "When do the packs plan to infiltrate Harding''s fortress?" Bastian asked back, his face now looking solemn.

    "The day after tomorrow," Erick replied calmly.

    Bastian ???ked an eyebrow in surprise. "I see," he said softly, looking down at his hands.

    "What''s wrong?" Erick asked, looking at the other man suspiciously. By looking at Bastian, it seems like he wasn''t really excited nor looking forward to the mission.

    "I feel something is off," Bastian admitted.

    "What do you mean?" Erick asked back.

    Bastian frowned. "You know the news about some of our packmates being killed?" he asked, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he rested his chin on his palms.

    Erick nodded.

    "Did my father say that the dead bodies weren''t found?"

    "What my fatherˇ­ I mean, my Alpha didn''t tell you that it wasn''t that the bodies disappeared or died without a bodyˇ­ It was more like they were turned into rogues," Bastian said grimly.

    Erick''s eyes widened in surprise. "How could that beˇ­?" he said in disbelief. From his understanding, a rogue will only become one if they were packless.

    Bastian rubbed his face in resignation. "The reason as to why my Alpha did not tell the other packs was because they were in denial. They could not accept the fact that our packmates had fallen to it. We weren''t sure what had happened but we actually had some people on the backup and they themselves saw them being turned into rogues. It was fortunate that they managed to escape."

    "Feckˇ­" Erick cursed softly as he crossed his arms across his ?h?st.

    He then frowned. "But it doesn''t explain why you''re here," he pointed out.

    "Oh," Bastian said. "Actually, I came here to meet you."

    "At the city centre?" Erick said, not believing the other man''s excuse. "You went here without your father''s permission, didn''t you?"

    Bastian rolled his eyes. "I''m a grown man. I do not need an excuse from my father to go out," he scoffed.

    "But from my understanding, I believe that the Cesaro Alpha had mentioned that he had issued an order to his pack that no one should go out of town until the mission starts," Erick said. "And that includes you."

    Bastian shrugged. "Never mind that. Again, I''m a grown man. I know my limits," he defended himself.

    Soon after, he started to freeze as his eyes started to turn hazy.

    Erick ???ked an eyebrow. Whenever that happens to a shifter, it usually means that someone was sending them a mindlink. He then began to play with his fingers nonchalantly as he waited for the other man.

    Moments later, Bastian''s eyes turned back to normal and he then let out a sigh.

    "So what did the big boss say?" Erick asked. "Or should I say, how was the lecture?"

    Bastian shrugged. "Well, other than reprimanding me to be more m?tur? and be more responsible, he said that since I''m here already, I should just stay here and join the Kendalls when the mission starts."

    Erick could only roll his eyes.

    Bastian then grinned. "So, lend me a room, will you?"

    That evening.

    Amber was cooking dinner with Luka at her feet when she heard the front door open. She quickly turned off the stove and went out the kitchen with Luka following behind her.

    Just as she was about to greet them, the man looked up and her eyes widened.

    Seeing the surprised look on his mate''s face, Erick quickly explained that Bastian will be staying with them until the mission starts.

    Amber nodded in understanding. She then started to fret whether she had enough food for the three of them. Although she had prepared a lot of food, she couldn''t be sure whether it was enough since she knew shifters have a huge appetite. And seeing that there were two of them here, she couldn''t help but worry.

    She voiced her concerns to Erick while Bastian freshens up. Though, she felt like it was useless talking to him as he only shrugged. "Then let him starve," he replied.

    Amber frowned with dissatisfaction. "We wouldn''t be good hosts if we did that," she said.

    Erick shrugged again. "Who cares? It''s just Bastian," he replied. Deep down, he was actually a bit miffed. He had suggested to the man to stay at the packhouse. But unfortunately, Jeayan had told him that some parts of the packhouse, where guests usually stay, are under renovation. At that time, his father had heard about Bastian staying over in their town. So, before Erick could bring him to the nearest motel, Lachlan had told Erick to bring Bastian to his house, instead. His house, as in Erick''s house.

    Erick scowled when he heard it and argued back. "Why at my house?"

    Lachlan ???ked an eyebrow at him and replied back sarcastically, "You couldn''t be suggesting that he stays at my house, would you?" emphasizing hard on the word, ''my''.

    Hence why he had brought the shifter as a guest to his house unwillingly.

    Being a shifter, of course, he heard the conversation between the mates. However, he just ignored it and became thick skinned as he greeted Amber with a smile and thanking her for her hospitality.

    When it was time to eat, the three of them sat together at the dining table with Amber sitting next to Erick and Bastian sitting across from Erick.

    Throughout the dinner, although the conversation was pleasant, Erick was becoming annoyed every second. This was because Amber kept talking to Bastian;

    "Do you have enough?"

    "Was it good?"

    "Would you like some more?"

    "Try this dish. I''ve just tried a new recipe that I''ve found on a website."

    Erick silently pinched her under the table, trying to get her attention. Amber frowned at him, her expression asking, ''what''s wrong with you?''

    He only widened his eyes, signalling to her to stop giving the other man too much attention.

    Erick could only fumed silently as he watched.

 Chapter 268 - 259: Another kidnap?

    It has been a couple of days since Bastian had stayed in his house and Erick''s patience has grown thin. It was not because he did not like the man himself but he disliked his presence which was disrupting his lovenest with Amber.

    He was currently at his office, working on Ronan''s case. He had already received the warrant when he went to the court house, together with Hamish, thus he could immediately work on the case. Using the reports and evidence that he has received from Ronan, the investigation and the prosecution went well.

    Although the court date has not been settled yet, at least he was quite prepared with everything. While he was working, Bastian sat across from him, playing with his phone. Yes, apparently, he had followed Erick to the office. And they were inside the lounge room since Erick''s cubicle would not fit two burly men.

    The room was quiet as the two men kept to themselves, doing their own business when loud gurgling sounds could be heard.

    Both men looked up at each other.

    After the sounds were heard once more, Erick silently rearranged his things while Bastian waited for him to finish. And before they left the office, the former walked over to the receptionist, telling her that he was going for a lunch break and will be back later. Then he told her that his things were still inside the room and he had locked the room, bringing the keys with him. The receptionist nodded and wished him a good day.

    After the two left the building, they did not notice that a group of women had approached the receptionist, asking about the two men. The receptionist smiled professionally and answered that one of them was an ?ssociate from the firm.

    It seems like she had encountered this kind of situation by the look of her face and she looked quite immune to it. So yes, it was not the first time that women had come up to her, asking about Erick. But the thing was, he was not alone this time. He had introduced Bastian to her, saying he was a friend from out of town. Thus, inwardly, she was at a loss when women asked her about Bastian as well.

    She listened to the women talking in front of her, asking non-stop about the two men. She had to put up with their questions without being rude since they were clients of the company.

    Even though it was fine to give out Erick''s name since he worked there, she did not think it was polite to give out Bastian''s name. So, she endured little insults from the women who told her to her face that she was stingy and impolite. She continued on, forcing herself to smile while inwardly, she was cursing these women and also the two men. Why did you have to be so handsome??

    At the town square, not far from the office, the two men were oblivious to what had happened back there as they were busy trying to fill up their hungry stomachs.

    Bastian looked around him and ???ked an eyebrow at him. "Of all the places that you wanted to treat me to lunch, you brought me here?" he asked sarcastically.

    The two of them were standing in line in front of one of the concession stands where the vendors were selling different kinds of fast foods; cheesy nachos, hotdogs, fries and corn dogs.

    Erick studied Bastian from top to bottom and said with disdain in his voice, "It''s only you. Why should I bring you to some fancy place? And this is cheap and delicious. That''s the only thing that matters."

    Bastian just snorted.

    When it was finally their turn, the vendors thought that it was a good thing that they had stock up a lot of food. They knew that Erick had a huge appetite since sometimes he would come here to eat. But what they did not expect was that his companion also shared the same appetite as him.

    It took the vendors nearly half an hour to finish cooking up the two men''s orders and by the time they were done, one could see how tired they were.

    When they finally found one, they immediately sat down and began to place their food on the table. And it seemed like the table was full of their food that there was no more place to even put another plate of food.

    People who had walked past their table had their eyes widened in shock when they saw the food on their table. Even wider when they saw how quickly these two men finished them off.

    Once they were done with their lunch, they immediately cleaned after themselves, throwing their rubbish at the recycle bins and wiping the table clean. And the two made their way back to the office, waving goodbye at the vendors who cooked their food as they walked past the stand.

    Few minutes later, they were about to reach the office when suddenly, they saw a familiar person running towards them.

    Both Erick and Bastian waited for the man to reach them, feeling a bit anxious since the expression on the man''s face looked as if he was panicking and in a hurry.

    The man was actually someone from the Kendall pack named Fred and Erick wasn''t sure what had happened to cause him this distress. He was one of the shifters from Erick''s generation and they turned to a full shifter that same night. However, Erick wasn''t close with this man at all, seeing how the other man usually kept to himself. Hence why Erick was surprised to see him rushing towards him.

    "Erick!" he exclaimed when he reached them.

    "What happened, Fred?" Erick asked in concern.

    "I was walking past your mate''s workplace when I saw her being taken away by some suspicious people!"

    Erick''s eyes widened in shock. He grabbed the man''s shoulders, shaking it in panic. "Who? Who dares to steal my mate away??" he shouted.

    Fred blinked his eyes furiously, seemingly frightened by the look on Erick''s face. "I couldn''t be sure. I tried to chase after them but I lost them!"

    "How could you lose them?" Erick shouted angrily, drawing attention from other passerbys.

    Bastian quickly patted him on the shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Bro, chill," he said.

    Erick threw his hand away. "I have no time to stay calm!"

    Without another word, Erick suddenly ran towards the direction of Amber''s workplace. While running, he immediately typed a message to Murray, telling him that he has an emergency and won''t be returning to work.

    The two shifters, who were left by him, stood there, feeling baffled.

    Bastian turned to Fred and said, "You go back to the Kendall packhouse while I follow him."

    Fred nodded.

    After Bastian hurried over to follow Erick, he did not see the sinister smile forming on Fred''s mouth.

 Chapter 269 - 260: What signify a mate?

    "Huh?"

    Amber looked over her shoulder at Makena.

    She had left work early that day after she received a call from Makena, asking for help. Recalling that the woman had once tripped when walking around the house when she was heavily pregnant, it was no surprise as to why Hamish had been very worried when it came to Makena''s safety. It was fortunate that the fall wasn''t heavy and she only fell on her bu??, instead of face-front. But it does not stop Hamish from fretting over her.

    Usually Jeayan would be the one who would accompany Makena at her home, acting as a caretaker. However, at that time, Jeayan was called out by her husband to help with him at his workplace since they were short-staffed. Torn between helping out her friend and her husband, Makena put her worries aside and made a call to Amber.

    She didn''t have high hopes of getting Amber to help since she knew the latter was working. But it doesn''t hurt to try.

    To her surprise, Amber agreed. She doesn''t have any afternoon class so she was free to request for an early leave. As soon as they ended their call together, Amber immediately went straight to the admin office and applied for an emergency half-day leave.

    Knowing the other woman''s school schedule, the admin in the daycare office approved her request and Amber then rushed out to pack her things.

    After arriving at Makena''s house, at that time, there were only Jeayan and Makena. The two women were waiting in the front hallway, where Jeayan had already packed all of her stuff. Seeing Amber walking towards them, Jeayan quickly said her goodbye to Makena and thanked Amber for helping out before heading out to her car and driving her way to Roel''s restaurant.

    Amber waved away Jeayan''s thanks, saying that there was no need for gratitude since they were ''family''.

    The two women at the front door watched as the car drove past the house and onto the main road.

    Makena then turned to Amber and placed her hand on the other woman''s arm. "Let''s go in. And thanks for accompanying me today."

    Amber rolled her eyes playfully and patted Makena''s shoulder. "Again, there''s no need for your thanks. I''m willing to help a family member," she said. "Besides, Hamish would be such a worrywart if there was no one here to accompany you," she teased.

    Half an hour later, after watching a television drama together, Amber was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of orange juice when Makena joined her and asked her something.

    "So, when are you and Erick going to marry?"

    "Huh?" Amber said, looking surprised, the glass in her hand stopped just before her mouth.

    Makena giggled. "Why do you look so shocked?" she asked. "You never brought this topic up with Erick recently? You two have been engaged for months. And you''ve been together for nearly a decade. What''s stopping you two?"

    Amber took a sip of her drink before answering. "Wellˇ­" she said slowly. "The thought never occurred to me lately, probably because we are already familiarly comfortable in this status. I just don''t see the need toˇ­ get married yet."

    Makena ???ked an eyebrow. "You''re a strange woman," she commented. "Lots of women that I know would be happy to get married but not you."

    Amber just smiled.

    "Did something happen?" Makena asked curiously.

    Amber looked at her in surprise. "No, of course not," she hurriedly said. "Why would you think that?"

    Makena shrugged. "I thought that perhaps, something had happenedˇ­" she stopped and looked at Amber''s confused expression. The former then shook her head, chuckling lightly. "Then again, that''s impossible. Knowing Erick and how he loves youˇ­ I doubt something terrible happened between the two of you."

    Amber laughed too after she heard Makena''s words. "Please, Makena. Don''t curse my relationship with my mate, okay?" she teased. She then let out a sigh as she sat at the dining table.

    "But something is bothering you, no?" Makena asked as she joined her at the table.

    "I mean, even if I''m not in a rush to get married yetˇ­ there''s always been inside of me that do want to get married," Amber confessed softly, her chin propped against her palm with her other hand wrapped around her glass.

    "I do not blame you, dear," Makena patted the other woman''s arm. "But what''s stopping you?"

    "I don''t want to get in the way of his career."

    Makena ???ked an eyebrow in surprise. She was quiet at first before she replied, "You do know that Erick would quit his job if you just say one word against it."

    Amber looked at her. "And you do know that I wouldn''t do that. I know how he likes battling in court, even if the time to get there would take time. If he only wanted an easy life, he could have just worked at the police station, following his father but he did not. He follows his dream. And I don''t have the heart to stop him. He''s already supportive of me, working."

    "But working as a daycare teacher isn''t your life-long dream, is it?"

    Amber looked surprised and then she smiled ruefully, shaking her head.

    Yes, it was true that although she loves taking care of children and working at the daycare, she doesn''t see herself working there until the end. She actually wanted to either open up her own business or stay at home to take care of her family. But seeing Erick wanting to achieve his dreams, of course, she wanted to stay by his side and be successful in her own way. So, the first thing she needed to do was to earn herself some money. Hence why she worked at the daycare.

    "But seriously, I don''t see how getting married would affect Erick''s job, that baffles me," Makena commented. "It''s better to put a ring on your finger than just that small status."

    "Being his mate is enough for me."

    "Technically, you''re not his mateˇ­ yet," Makena pointed out bluntly.

    Amber went quiet. That was true too. Although Erick keeps saying that they are mates, what really signifies them as ''truly'' mates?

    She let out a dejected sigh.

    Before she could answer her, they were interrupted by a loud slam of the front door. The two women jumped in surprise. They both looked up to see Hamish, looking haggard, his hand resting on the doorway of the kitchen.

    "Amber? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

    Amber frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked back.

    "We just received a mindlink from Erick, saying that you were kidnapped!"

    "What???"

 Chapter 270 - 261: A traitor?

    "What???" Both Amber and Makena shouted in surprise.

    Amber pointed at herself. "How did I get myself kidnapped when I''m here?" she asked in disbelief. "Where did Erick get the idea that I was kidnapped?"

    Hamish rubbed his face in consternation with his one hand on his hip. Then he stopped. "Wait a minuteˇ­" he said.

    "What is it?" Amber and Makena asked in unison.

    Hamish rubbed his chin as he pondered. "He said he got the news from one of the packmates, Fred. But from my understanding, that guy was kind of a loner. He hardly ventured out to the city. So, how did he make up a story about you being kidnapped, unlessˇ­"

    Makena frowned. "Do you thinkˇ­?" she asked slowly.

    Knowing what she meant, Hamish frowned too. "How could that be?" he asked back, thinking that her ?ssumption was crazy. A traitor in their pack? No, that''s an unbelievable storyˇ­. Right?

    Amber stood up and quickly washed her glass at the kitchen sink. She then walked over to Hamish and said, "We need to meet this Fred guy." She never even met this Fred guy so why was he making up a story about her being kidnapped? To make Erick go on a wild goose race?

    Hamish nodded, agreeing with her.

    Makena stood up too, holding her protruding stomach with one hand on the table, supporting her weight. Seeing this, Hamish quickly rushed over to her and helped her.

    Makena was actually nearly eight months pregnant and her stomach grew so big that she couldn''t even see her feet when she stood up. It was no wonder as to why Hamish wanted people around her, while he was working since he was worried about her safety when he''s not around.

    "I''m going with you two," Makena announced.

    Hamish frowned as he looked down at his wife. "But---"

    Makena glared at him, cutting his sentence off. "No buts. Who will be here to accompany me if you two are going?" she retorted.

    "I could ask Mom to close her bakery for a day to accompany you."

    Makena rolled her eyes. "Stop disturbing mom," she scolded lightly. "It''s just going to the packhouse. You can''t possibly cage me here until I give birth!"

    Hamish glowered in dissatisfaction. As much as he wanted Makena to stay at home where he knew it would be safe, he knew too that he could not stop her from going out and being ''free''.

    He let out a sigh and then looked at Amber, as if asking for help.

    Unfortunately for him, Amber just shrugged.

    So, in the end, the three of them went to the packhouse.

    Inside the packhouse, the atmosphere was quite grim and tense. Yet at the same time, it was a bit hectic as shifters could be seen running here and there.

    However, when they saw Amber standing behind Hamish and Makena, they froze as their eyes widened in surprise. Numerous questions flooded in their minds; questions such as ''Wasn''t she kidnapped?'' ''Why is she here?''

    One of them approached Hamish and rudely pointed at Amber. "I thought she was kidnapped?" he asked the question in everyone''s mind.

    "That''s what I thought too," Hamish said. "Apparently, she was at my home, together with Makena."

    The other man frowned. "You''d better go and see the Alpha."

    Hamish nodded. He then turned to the two women behind him and told them to follow him as well.

    Shortly after, the three of them were inside the Alpha''s office. Other than the Alpha, there were also Fergus and Latham in the room.

    It seems that apart from Hamish, Erick had also informed Lachlan about the kidnapping, who then alerted the whole pack.

    Due to Amber''s supposed kidnapping, most of the packmates believed that this was the work of Harding. And to get to them, they would target the female shifters. Hence why Hamish had rushed off to his house to make sure Makena was safe. Even if Jeayan was there too, it did not dampen his anxiety.

    Lachlan and the two others were surprised to see Amber with Hamish and Makena.

    Lachlan quickly walked over to Amber and grabbed her shoulders. He studied her from top to bottom and asked in concern, "Are you alright?"

    Amber nodded, smiling. "Yes, dad. I''m fine."

    Lachlan then patted her on the shoulders. "It''s good that you''re alright now. But what''s this about Erick telling us that you were kidnapped?" he asked in confusion.

    Amber shook her head, feeling baffled. "I have no idea. He didn''t text me today nor call me. This morning he did tell me something about going to the office with Bastian and that''s it."

    "Nothing else?"

    Amber shook her head again.

    Latham then walked over to them and commented, "He probably was panicking that the thought of calling you slipped his mind."

    Both Amber and Lachlan nodded in agreement.

    Lachlan turned to Hamish. "Did he mention where he got the news of Amber being kidnapped?" he asked.

    Hamish nodded. "From Fred."

    "Fred?" Lachlan turned to Fergus and Latham.

    Latham frowned as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I seem to recall one of the shifters in our pack named Fred. Butˇ­"

    "But what?" Fergus prodded.

    "He''s a quiet one. Doesn''t talk much with the rest of the packmates. He should be one of the shifters in Erick''s generation," Latham recalled. "He''s quite strong but because of lack of battling experience, he isn''t that skilled, compared to Erick, Hamish and Dex."

    Latham stopped. "Do you thinkˇ­?"

    Hamish quickly cut in. "How could that be?" he really could not accept that a packmate of theirs would turn traitor. Even if he wasn''t close with them.

    "Where is he now?" Lachlan asked, referring to Fred.

    Latham stood up straight. "From what I remember, he should be at the packhouse construction site," he answered respectfully.

    For shifters who do not have a job in the human world, they would instead be working for the pack, be it under construction, daycare, cooking, etc. One example would be Jeayan where she doesn''t work in the human world, but rather takes care of the young pups at the packhouse. And apparently, it was the same thing as Fred.

    "Call him."

    Latham immediately nodded and rushed out of the room.

    Few minutes later, Latham returned back to the room with a grim look on his face.. "He wasn''t there."

 Chapter 271 - 262: Not strong enough

    "Hey, Erick!"

    "Erick, bro! Wake up!"

    Erick blinked his eyes furiously, his mind looking a bit hazy. He felt a bit disoriented as he tried to find his balance.

    Moments later, he grudgingly pried his eyes open and saw Bastian sitting across him on an armchair.

    Erick frowned. An armchair?

    He blinked his eyes once more, trying to shake away the haziness. He then ?r??n?d. It was then he realized that there was something strange about him. He looked down and saw there was a rope around him, tying him together with the chair he was sitting on. He tried to move his arms, which were tied to the back of the armchair and found that his wrist was chained together.

    When he tried to use his shifter powers, he could even feel his power suddenly fizzle, making him frown deeper in confusion. That was strange.

    He looked across him where Bastian was watching his every move. The other man nodded, as if confirming his suspicion.

    He growled in frustration. Not wanting to believe that he could not summon a bit of his powers, he tried once more. He even tried calling Dane in his mind but there was no response. What the feck is going on?

    He then tried to think of a solution on how to remove the chains when he recalled what had happened to them just before they got locked up here.

    He looked around him and felt like deja vu. He felt as if he had been here before but he could not recall when. And rather than calling the room where they got locked in, a prison cell or a dungeon, it was as if they were very important guests being treated with a hotel-like room. Except for the fact that their arms were chained behind their backs.

    It was no exaggeration to say that he felt like an important guest by looking at the room. The room was huge where it comboed between a bedroom and a living room, making the place more homey. Although the interior design of the room looked old, something that was conjured up from the Victorian ages, with a cast-iron bed, covered with canopies, drapes and ribbons, marbled-topped cabinets and tables and drawers made of oak. Even the lighting of the room was fashioned with candlelights.

    He turned his head back to Bastian and asked, "What''s going on?"

    Bastian rolled his eyes. "Don''t you understand?" he said. "I''m ashamed to admit that this is my second time being kidnapped. Am I that easy to be kidnapped??"

    Erick''s eyebrows furrowed. "Kidnapped?" He looked around the room, feeling rather welcome, despite the chains. So, why does it feel like he wasn''t being kidnapped?

    He then froze when another realization dawned on him. He looked hard at Bastian and asked roughly, "Wait! What about Amber?"

    He shook his head, his eyebrows still furrowed as if he was trying to endure a headache. He closed off his hearing from any distraction as he tried to recall what had happened. He remembered, after Fred had told him about Amber being kidnapped, he had rushed over to her workplace. He became greatly worried when the admin there told him that she had left work early that day. And when he asked where she could have gone, the admin gave him a weird look, saying that she only asked for an early leave.

    Apparently, he was worrying too much, it did not occur to him that he could have called her. If he had known that earlier, he would have smacked his head for his stupidity.

    Although the two shifters had the advantage at the beginning with their strength, they were unguarded against the trickery of the warlocks. And before they could retaliate, Bastian was the first to go down where he was hit with blindness spell before being hit until unconscious. Erick tried to help him but he too went down.

    Which leads them to being shuffled away.

    Erick gritted his teeth in anger as he cursed underneath his breath. "Feck, I can''t even reach dad with my mindlink," he swore softly.

    "Feck. That damned Fred must have tricked us," he cursed again once he realized that something fishy was happening to them. Similar to Hamish, he did not want to think negatively about his packmate. But the reality was that it had happened and they were now in the enemies'' hands. They weren''t even sure whether they could make it out alive.

    Thinking of it made Erick feel so frustrated and furious. Even after all these years, he still feels weak. He thought that he needed more power. He couldn''t even go against a group of warlocks.

    While he was trying to get the chains off his wrist by squirming around in his seat and moving his arms around, Bastian slowly stood up. Or at least, tried to stand up with the armchair on his back, his body bending nearly in a ninety degrees bow.

    Erick looked up in surprise as he watched Bastian gingerly walk towards him, carrying the armchair on his back with him.

    The other shifter continued to walk until he reached behind Erick, facing away from the latter. He carefully put the chair down, trying not to make too much noise, lest he would get unwanted attention.

    He then slowly edged closer to Erick so that their hands could reach each other and said, "Try to break my chains and I''ll break yours afterwards."

 Chapter 272 - 263: Back home?

    A burly man walked into the room where Erick and Bastian were being held, slamming the door open loudly. He scrutinized around the room before his eyes landed on the two shifters who were sitting across each other, their arms being tied behind the back of the chair.

    Unbeknownst to him, the two had already loosened the chains and were just pretending to be tied up.

    This burly man was unfamiliar to these two shifters but they ?ssumed that he was one of the guards who was ordered to keep an eye on them. And surprisingly, he smells like a human.

    Both Erick and Bastian exchanged a confused look. They did not know how they were brought here but they did not expect human beings to have their hands in this.

    The two of them hadn''t sent any mindlink to their Alphas since the chains were still on them, which prevented them from using any shifter power. They decided to wait until they found out more about the situation here. For now, they knew that they were still safe, seeing how they were only trapped inside the room. So they were still biding their time.

    The two shifters continued to watch as the burly man walked towards them. They weren''t sure whether the man was too lazy to be concerned about them or he was blind, he just walked over to them, glanced over at their wrists and moved away. He did not even notice that the chains were loosely locked around their wrists.

    Both Erick and Bastian exchanged another look and then waited patiently to see what the man was trying to do.

    Not long after, there was another man entering the room. Erick and Bastian looked up and were surprised.

    Fred!

    Bastian shot Erick a questioning glance, as if asking, ''Wasn''t he one of your packmates?''

    Erick did not notice Bastian''s look as he stared intently at the other shifter, who had a smug smile on his face.

    Fred walked over to the two shifters. Similarly like the human being, he did not take notice of the loose chains around their wrists, ?ssuming that they were still chained up. He smirked at their ''helplessness'' as he provokingly walked around the two shifters.

    "Fred, what are you doing?" Erick slowly growled, anger simmering in his eyes.

    Fred placed his hand on his ?h?st in mock surprise. "Me?" he repeated. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Now, that''s a good question. What am I doing here?"

    "Fecking arse!" Erick cursed out. "Did you lie to me about Amber being kidnapped?"

    Fred ???ked an eyebrow. "So what if I did?" he retorted back. He walked closer to Erick, pushing his face close to Erick''s and continued, "Blame it on your stupidity. How could you easily believe a word I say?"

    "We''re a pack, Fred!"

    Fred shrugged nonchalantly. "So?" he then rudely poked Erick on his forehead. "Who cares whether we''re a pack or not? Did you ever think everyone in the pack were equal? It''s always been either you, Hamish and even that Dex!"

    Erick just frowned, listening to the other man''s enraged spittled nonsense. He continued to rage, walking around in a circle, in front of Erick, who started to stare off in the distance, lost in thoughts. The latter felt like de vaju.

    He remembered this kind of rage when he was young. But instead of Fred, the protagonist was Dex. yet the two were worlds apart. At least, Dex wasn''t despicable enough to betray their pack. And it was a mere immature jealousy between the two young shifters. But this. This was worse than that.

    While Fred was still raging in front of him, Erick quietly snorted under his breath in disgust. This was pathetic. Before he nearly lost his temper, there was a sudden loud curse.

    Erick looked up and saw Fred with his hand on his cheek, glaring down at Bastian, who returned the glare back. He could see that there was a bit of saliva below the latter''s lips. Apparently, Bastian felt sickened towards this wretched shifter that he spit at his face.

    "You''re fecking disgusting!" Bastian retorted. "Because of that, you resort to betraying your pack? They have nurtured you, trained you, protected you within the pack and this is how you repay them? All because of this pathetic jealousy? If you fecking feel that was unfair, do something about it! Prove to them that you can do it with your own power!"

    Bastian spat again, this time, on the floor in front of him. "You''re so fecking useless!" he continued to spat. "I really have no words for you!"

    Erick felt black lines going down his forehead. Didn''t you just spout out a lot of words? How could you be shameless enough to say that you have no words?

    With anger filling his whole body and mind, he raised his leg and kicked the chair where Bastian was sitting.

    Confident that the other shifter would fell awkwardly, still chained to the armchair, Fred was shocked to see Bastian jumped up before he could fall together with the chair.

    The burly human being, who had been standing in the background, was also surprised to see Bastian not chained and was free. He was about to call for backup but before he could do anything, he could feel his neck forcefully turned. And without a word, he silently fell to his death with his neck twisted.

    Erick, who had killed the human being, coldly watched the man fall.

    Fred, who had been shocked earlier, was even more shocked now. How could this be? How did they get out? He then cursed under his breath. The guards here were useless. They could not even detain two shifters, even with the wolfsbane chains.

    Thinking that he might still have the advantage since he knew that the effect of wolfsbane on a shifter might take some time to dissipate, he turned to Bastian, who was the closest to him.

    Unfortunately for him, these two were not just any shifters. Hence, before he could land a paw on Bastian, the latter had slammed his face-first to the ground. Poor Fred could feel his nose and front teeth breaking from the impact.

    Few minutes later, Bastian was sitting on top of Fred, who had his arms locked behind his back with the wolfsbane chains around his wrist. To prevent him from talking or even trying to commit suicide, Bastian had broken his jaw and stuffed a cloth in his mouth.

    Now that they had freed the chains from their wrists, they were able to use their shifter powers. However, they needed to act fast before they were found out.

    Feeling that Dane was starting to stir in his mind, Erick called out his name in concern. ''Dane? You alright?'' he asked.

    Dane was quiet for a while. Then suddenly, his voice came out, sounding very surprised.

    ''Thisˇ­ this was my room!''