《Feral Confessions – Adrianna And The Alpha》


 Chapter 1 - The Promise

    It wasn''t easy for Adrianna to hide her gift. Whenever she laughed, she would shine brilliantly, making the people around her gape in surprise. Her older sister had always been jealous of her, and when they were younger, her sister would often snigger at her or make nasty jokes about her. Despite the mistreatment, as a kid, Adrianna would still run after her sister and her friends. One day, they were playing hide and seek when her sister told her to hide in a cave where no one would look for her. Adrianna willingly hid there, but after a long time, no one came to find her.


    The four year old Adrianna had tried to find her way out, but she accidentally wandered deeper inside. When she fell onto a rock and made a noise, it invited the wrath of a colony of bats that flocked around her. Screaming and ducking to save herself, she ran in the opposite direction, only to find a pair of yellow eyes staring at her intently. As the yellow eyes approached her, Adrianna became ever more frightened. She stood, frozen on the ground, her tiny hands clasping onto her frock. All bruised and aching in various places, Adriana couldn''t muster a word. Adjusting her gaze, she could see that the pair of eyes belonged to an animal that was stealthily walking towards her. It came near her and sniffed her. Adrianna instinctively shut her eyes before she was hoisted onto the back of the animal, who then ran towards the entrance of the cave, bringing her along.


    ---


    While passing through the jungle, blue moon pack chief, Pierre suddenly heard the shrieks of a small child. His heightened sense of smell pointed him in the direction of the sound, and he could sense that it was a wolf child. He entered the cave to see an injured and abandoned little girl. Walking closer, he could see that bats and all sorts of other nocturnal creatures were surrounding her. Although he had wondered why she was there, all he could do at the time was to save her. He quickly picked her up and ran outside, followed by a large number of bats.


    It was raining outside, but Pierre ran at a very high speed, cutting through the various obstacles in the thick jungle. He was amused by the fact that Adrianna was holding onto his ears firmly while riding on his back. He stopped only when he reached his friend Ed''s house. Shape-shifting back into a human, he took the sleepy and tired Adrianna from his lap and handed her to him.


    Ed was aghast to see his granddaughter in that condition. Adrianna had drifted off into a deep slumber and seemed to have fainted.


    "I found her in Alex''s cave," Pierre said, referring to the vicious chief who stayed deep within the jungle and didn''t allow his people to interact with others; any interaction with outer tribes invited death.


    Ed shuddered and asked, "How did she get there?"


    "I don''t know��"


    Ed took her inside and catered to her wounds. All bruised up, she looked so fragile in her sleep that both Ed and Pierre felt sorrowful. Being a wolf child, they knew she would heal fast, but until then, she still had to endure the pain.


    Since Pierre was very close to Ed, ever since the child was born, he had known her. Pierre really liked the child. Ed used to often bring her to his cottage to play around whenever he visited his son. Sometimes Pierre would be visiting, and unbeknown to him, he had developed a special affection for her. Ed had even entrusted him with the secret that she was the gifted one. It was a well-hidden secret with only two people knowing of it, both of whom were present in the room. He had often suggested for Ed to not send her back to her father because he knew how much her father hated her, but Ed knew that Adrianna could only get a proper home - well the closest she could get to a proper home - at her father''s place, as he, himself, was frequently traveling. Pierre would have loved to take that child with him but his pack''s difficulties were increasing by the minute.


    Before returning to his pack, Pierre had dinner with Ed and brought up his concerns, "Ed, my tribe is facing another onslaught of wolves that are not pure-bloods. It seems someone is trying to convert humans into werewolves and making them neotides. The worst part is that they are sending these neotides to us. The neotides do not have the control and temperament of the pureblood werewolves and hence they bite every human they come across, and kill pureblooded werewolves by hunting in packs.


    I''m returning for a few days in order to tackle this matter, but they''re increasing in numbers and getting fiercer by the day. It is possible that I��" he stopped.


    "Why are you speaking like this Pierre?" asked Ed.


    Pierre looked at his friend and said urgently, "Promise me one thing Ed."


    Ed was shocked with the way Pierre was speaking. He looked into his eyes and asked, "Do you need my help?"


    Pierre shook his head and replied, "No. I don''t need any help." No one could pity his alpha. "But you have to promise me one thing Ed."


    "Tell me."


    "I want you to give my son Adrianna''s hand in marriage."


    "But Pierre, you know that she has already been��"


    "I know Ed, but you have to promise me..."


    Ed could see how important was this for Pierre. He said, "My son has already decided things for her�� What can I do? However, I will try my best��"


    "No! You have to promise me!"


    Ed nodded and said, "Okay, I promise." He knew Pierre had his reasons for insisting.


    They had their dinner in silence before Pierre left and merged into the darkness of the night.


    A few days later, Ed received news that Pierre had been killed in the largest ever attack on pureblooded werewolves. Pierre''s family, consisting of his wife and seven-year son, were in hiding.


    Once Adriana had recovered Ed left her at her father''s place and went to search for his best friend''s family.


    He knew that nobody cared for Adrianna in the family. When her father saw Adrianna return after a long time with her grandfather, he merely glanced her from the corner of his eyes before ignoring her. It was her nanny who came to escort Adrianna inside.

 Chapter 2 - The Selfishness

    Adrianna lived with her father, her two older brothers and her older sister. Her father, Kuro, did not have many alliances with other packs. As a matter of fact, they were one of the few packs that were not bowing to the terms and conditions of the supreme alpha.


    The supreme alpha wanted to bring each and every pack of the werewolves under one rule for unity against dark forces. But Adrianna''s father refused to be a part of that alliance. For that reason, the alpha had waged a war against their pack after giving them sufficient time to concede to his demands.??


    Knowing that she was a force to be reckoned with, her father had used Adrianna to fight against his army.


    At nineteen, Adrianna was the youngest and the strongest of the siblings. However, her father disliked her to such an extent that she dared not appear before him. Although she was stronger, more agile, and had a more heightened sense of smell compared to any wolf her father had ever come across, he was afraid that she would one day revolt against him and become the chief of the tribe. He was more inclined towards his eldest son, who wasn''t as strong as Adrianna and hardly posed a threat to him, which only meant that he could rule over his tribe for as long as he wanted. But her father knew of her potential and used her against every enemy they had fought ever since she had turned eighteen; she was his hidden trump card. Even though her presence was an eyesore, he used her abilities to ensure his own safety.


    Adrianna knew that her father disliked her, but she believed that it was because her mother, Shira, had died while giving birth to her; she had been made to think that it was her fault. The guilt gnawed at her soul, pushing her to agree to fight in every war her father asked her to fight.


    She was still thinking about her father and wondering whether or not they had won the war against the Supreme Alpha when her grandfather entered her room.


    He walked over to her bed and sat near her. It was heart-wrenching to see her covered in so many wounds. She turned her head towards him, looking at him through her swollen, bloodshot eyes as he caressed her. There were deep cuts near her lips and her hands and legs were also badly bruised. He knew that she was in pain, but he also knew that she would never tell him so. He was thankful to the person who had carried her and left her in front of his cottage. When he found her, he brought her inside his house, tending to her wounds for an hour before placing her in bed. Being a wolf, he knew that her wounds would heal fast, but her current condition was still making his heart ache.


    "How are you my child?" he asked his granddaughter affectionately.


    Adrianna tried to smile through her wounds and said, "I''m fine, Grandpa." Then, she changed the topic and excitedly asked, "Have we won the war?"


    Her grandfather nodded as he continued to caress her head. She was his precious grandchild; she was one of the most beautiful girls he had seen in his family, and she was born with abilities beyond expectations.


    Although she was precious to him, she was an alpha and that scared him.


    His power-thirsty son had led a coup against him when he had wanted to take over as the chief of the tribe. The only reason he was still alive was because his daughter-in-law, who was expecting Adriana at the time, had pleaded his son to let him live, under the condition that he was to be banished from the tribe forever, staying in the periphery of the jungle, under constant fear of attacks from other tribes.


    When Adrianna was born, his daughter-in-law died, but before her death, she had called for him in order to hand over his daughter to him. While doing so, she revealed to him something that he was still pondering over.


    Adrianna had been born in the month of October. Because she was born during the full moon, it had invited an uncommon occurrence: the presence of the moon goddess during her birth. The moon goddess had lifted the child in her lap and holding Adrianna''s tiny hands, had transferred a moonbeam into her tiny body, making the child possess a magnificent aura around her. However, this power had its consequences. Whenever it was a full moon, Adrianna would involuntarily change into a werewolf and run into the jungle like a wild creature.


    At the tender age of seven, he could see that she was able to effortlessly garner enough energy within her to create a small gust of wind for her to play around with. By the time Adrianna was fifteen, she was able to easily channel the energy element inside her and create an absolute wind defense by manipulating the air around her, not allowing for any attacks to breach. Her wind defense was capable of protecting her from all sorts of attacks, regardless of the type, magnitude and direction.


    Even though her grandfather had helped her channel her powers, it was still a continuous process; no one else had the powers she possessed.


    He was constantly afraid that enemies from the dark forces would notice her abilities and either kill or kidnap her. Because of this, he had immediately made her learn how to control and channel the wild energy that was flowing within her, cautioning her not to use her power unless it was of a dire necessity.

 Chapter 3 - The Healing

    Adrianna looked at her grandfather satisfactorily. She was happy that the war was over. Her pain had started throbbing inside her body all over again, but she didn''t let it show on her face. She closed her eyes to focus on her inner energy, but being too weak, she failed. Her grandfather watched as she tried to use her power, smiling at her efforts.


    "Adri, don''t use your energy now. Your internal organs won''t be able to heal fast if you try channelizing your inner energy now. I''m going to get you a normal pain killer for humans," said her grandfather, fetching his medicine kit. He had cleaned and sanitized Adrianna''s wounds carefully so that they wouldn''t get infected, but there were still large gashes and a broken bone in her rib. She had fought bravely without complaining, and as usual, her father wasn''t interested in even knowing of her whereabouts. Despite Kuro''s disinterest, Ed had heard that he had hosted a grand feast to celebrate his victory.??


    Ed took out a painkiller and gave twice the normal human dosage to Adrianna. It had been a day and she still hadn''t healed up completely. It worried Ed because werewolves had a tendency to heal very fast; minor wounds barely had a chance to show up before they were healed. More serious and larger wounds, like large gashes, would heal within a few hours or a day at the most. For a pure-blood, healing never took that long, and injuries would soon be gone, as though they had never happened in first place.


    Adrianna had been to several battles before and her wounds had healed fast, but her body wasn''t healing fast this time. She also had a fractured rib bone, meaning she had to have been hit by a sharp object, or have fallen onto the ground with a heavy force; he wanted to know about it.


    Adrianna took the medicine and rested. At first, she couldn''t fall asleep because of the pain, but as the medicine started taking effect, she began to fall into a deep sleep.


    When Adrianna woke up next, she saw that the morning sun had filled her room. The sunrays were falling onto her face so she brought her hand over her eyes to shield them from the rays. She turned to the side and saw that her grandfather was sitting on a chair reading a journal surveying the jungles around them. The magazine''s. journalists had reported that they''d encountered werewolves in the jungles. His brows furrowed. Humans and werewolves had signed a treaty more than two hundred years ago, ensuring that there would be no interaction between the two species and that the werewolves would have to hide themselves if they wanted to cohabitate on the planet. For that reason, the werewolves had hidden their true identities. While most of them stayed within the jungles and amongst their own people, a few still had the courage to step out and mingle with humans.


    Adrianna was one such girl. She had been too headstrong ever since she was a kid and had wanted to mingle with humans. There were special schools created by werewolves for their children, but Adriana had insisted on attending school with humans. Her father allowed her to do so; for all he cared, she may as well end up dead with them. Thankfully, Ed was constantly around her to show her how to conduct herself amongst humans. With years of practice, she had mastered the art of staying undetected.


    Adrianna smiled at her grandfather, removing the sheets and rose from the bed. She yawned and said, "Good morning Grandfather!"


    All her wounds had healed and she was looking as beautiful as ever. As she smiled, she emitted a brilliant aura around her. Her grandfather stood and hit her head with the magazine.


    "Ouch!" she cried, her aura disappearing fast as she got angry with her old grandfather.


    "You know how to make people tense!" he growled at her. "Once you have had your breakfast, you have to tell me everything about your encounter with the enemy, especially how you got that fracture in the rib?"


    "What fracture Grandfather?" she poked her ribs to find it, but all she could find were her toned muscles.


    Ed sighed. "Get ready for breakfast. I want to hear it all after."


    "But Grandpa, I want to go to college. I have already skipped classes for multiple days." Adrianna hadn''t been able to attend college ever since the battle had started and her father had commanded her to fight alongside her brothers.


    "Sorry young lady, no college today. You have to stay back and tell me everything!"


    Adriana was worried that she must have missed important classes. She was just a freshman and had just started college in the fall. With an IQ of 160, Adrianna didn''t have difficulty in taking her college admission exams and get a perfect SAT score. Almost all the universities that she had applied to had accepted her, but she had chosen to go to the one her grandfather had chosen for her.


    She pouted, looking at him with ''pretty please'' cute eyes to persuade him to let her go, but nothing worked. Adriana had to accept defeat and went to take a shower while her grandfather left the room to prepare her favorite breakfast.


    Half an hour later, she was sitting in front of her grandfather narrating to him about all the major events of the war.

 Chapter 4 - The Encounter

    She tore through them one after the other, the thrill of the battle humming in her blood as they went down. The enemy had breached the last of their defenses and Adrianna fought desperately to protect the only home she had ever known. For each one she killed, two more seemed to take its place like some demented hydra. Five wolves surrounded her and the only thing she had on her was a knife. She had crafted that knife herself, with an edge so sharp that it could cut through limbs like butter.


    In one swift move, Adrianna pivoted, killing the wolf in front of her as she jumped off its body, flipping midair to stab the one leaping at her back. The other wolves started stalking towards her and she waited, tensing her muscles in anticipation. As they neared her, one of them suddenly jumped only to be torn apart. Its blood dripped down Adrianna''s face, as she looked at the remaining two with anger. Within seconds they were on the ground, dead.??


    She surveyed the forest. She could see her brothers embroiled in a battle further away, as well as enemy wolves coming toward her fast. Time blurred as she fought and before she knew it, she was deep in the forest chasing wolves. Alone now, she decided to go back to the battle, when she heard the leaves in the trees behind her rustle. She paused, as her heightened senses picked up on something above her. Before she could look up, a wolf attacked her from behind, and Adrianna shifted.


    A beautiful wolf with golden yellow fur and a lean muscled body, took her place. She narrowed her eyes at the enemy before growling. The other female tensed before they both leapt high into the air. Adrianna leapt several feet higher than her opponent but before she could slash at the other wolf with her claws, the enemy attacked her unprotected underbelly. Adriana shifted into her human form and flipped mid-air so that she lay on her stomach as the other wolf growled over her back.


    The other wolf pinned Adrianna to the ground and just as she was going to sink her teeth into Adrianna''s neck, Adrianna grasped her knife, and desperately slashed at the limb pinning her to the ground. The other wolf yelped and stumbled away from Adrianna, who warily got up as the other wolf howled in pain.


    More wolves surrounded them, summoned by one of their own howling in pain. Adrianna felt bone tired but when saw the other wolves prowling toward her, she crouched low and pressed her hand to the ground creating a tornado like field of wind with her at the center. The velocity of the winds looked so high, that no wolf dared approach it. She saw her enemy shape shift into a beautiful woman, watching her warily as she bled profusely. As Adrianna neared the woman with danger lurking in her fierce golden yellow eyes, she drew her knife to finally end the other woman when suddenly her field was broken. She gasped in surprise as a man entered, entirely unbothered by winds that should have been fast enough to tear him apart.


    Adriana watched the man prowl forward and her senses went haywire as she felt the sheer presence of his wolf. She dropped her guard for a second as she stared into the arctic-blue of his eyes, and her body shuddered entirely involuntarily. They gazed at each other, before his face twisted into a harsh scowl bringing her back to the situation at hand. She growled at him as he moved nearer to where she stood, the downed woman at her feet and her knife a scant inch from the woman''s heart.


    The alpha moved stealthily toward her and growled in warning. Her eyes couldn''t help flickering from his face to his well defined upper body, to his broad shoulders, and to his muscular arms. Power seemed to coil under his skin and was apparent in his every movement, something she couldn''t help but admire. The sheer authority and command radiating off him had both her body and her wolf riveted. Her blood heated and his eyes turned hungry, something that thrilled her as much as it surprised her, primal lust roaring through her body so intense that it almost hurt.


    He came to a stop in front of her, towering over her and her knees became wobbly. Her eyes turned to her natural brown again as she looked at him, confused at her reaction. Why was her control slipping?


    She came back to herself as he growled threateningly again. Involuntary attraction or not, she would not back down. He stood not two feet from her and she could feel his foreboding aura tint the air around them, as she readied herself to fight him- much to her wolf''s disappointment.


    She moved to put the woman between them, as her eyes turned a dangerous golden yellow again. Without thought she firmly gripped her knife, and raised her arms to bury it in the woman''s heart. Before she could do so, the werewolf thrust her away from the woman with such force that she landed a few meters away. She felt her head hit something and her vision swam. Her knife was soaked in blood and she didn''t know whose it was, all she could see was the man carrying the woman away in his arms. Her field of wind had fallen, and she could barely feel the wolves surrounding her leave with their alpha.


    She felt cold and knew with sudden, sharp clarity that no one would bother healing her. As she clung desperately to the last vestiges of her consciousness, she felt the warmth of a body around her. Its arms encircled her as she relaxed into it, and without further thought drifted off.


    She forced her eyes open after an indeterminate amount of time had passed, and assessed her surroundings before she realized where she was.


    Her inner wolf relaxed when she saw the familiar surroundings: the light cream walls plastered with various posters that she had accumulated over the years, the brown cushioned carpet that matched her eye color, and the very delicately crafted light pinewood shelves that matched her comfortable queen-size plush bed. She pulled over the blanket that was strewn across the bed and snuggled beneath it. Inhaling the fresh pine scent that surrounded her grandfather''s cottage in the jungle, she picked up a strange smell - it was the fresh smell of an unfamiliar wolf and it was coming from her room. Her inner wolf growled again, becoming alert. It wasn''t that she was nervous or anxious, but rather that she didn''t know who would dare enter her room.


    Was it an enemy? But who had the guts to enter her grandfather''s territory��

 Chapter 5 - Unless What?

    Ed listened with rapt attention. While she was narrating, he could tell that none of her brothers had helped her with any combat; she had been fighting the war alone. Besides this, Ed was more interested in knowing as to how she had ended up with a broken rib. He waited patiently until the last part of the story when Adrianna told him that she had been thrown by an alpha while she was about to kill a female wolf.


    Ed felt horrible when he came to know how she had fought alone, bravely, without any help. Exasperated, he threw his hands in the air and said, "You will not fight another war for Kuro! This was the last!"? ?


    Adrianna looked at him fondly and laughed.


    They had their breakfast in silence before Ed urged her to finish eating quickly. He wanted her to go and meet her father, even though he wasn''t looking for her. It was important that Kuro felt her presence around him at all times, and Ed didn''t want leave any chances. With Adrianna around, Kuro was threatened, and Ed wanted to ensure that he continued to feel so.


    Adrianna was not happy when she heard that she had to accompany Ed to her father''s place. When she was young, her nanny used to take care of her; she never remembered her father asking about her or playing with her, even though he would take time to play with her older siblings. She would always look at all of them from far. No one encouraged her to sit with them at gatherings and feasts. As they grew older, the distance between her and the rest of her family only increased. She wanted to get out of that house desperately; her nanny had died, leaving Adriana to be alone all over again.


    One day when she was only twelve, in a fit of anger and desperation, she ran away from her house. She had run to the periphery of the jungle when she came across humans. She hid herself as she could smell that they were different from her. Her interest piqued and she followed them to the main town outside the jungle. Human civilization was a huge shock for her. As she fearlessly walked around the malls and streets that day, unaware of all the danger lurking around her, she never wanted to go back.


    Ed had gone to meet Kuro to talk to him about an alliance with the most powerful alpha, which Kuro had declined. From then on, Kuro had fought far too many wars with them, each time successfully making them retreat.


    When Ed found out that Adriana had been missing from home for two days, he didn''t waste a single second before leaving the house to find her.


    Ed found her in a haggard condition loitering around in the streets. Adrianna had somehow managed to find food for herself during those two days. She had survived. She had controlled her wolf. She had shown that she had the grit to exist.


    When Ed found her, he could no longer bear her loneliness and took the little girl under his wings from then on. Adrianna was practically staying with him, but he insisted that she should still visit her father every once in a while.


    Ed once again insisted that she visit her father. Adrianna sulked; she didn''t want to meet her father or her elder brothers or her sister, but Ed asserted himself and soon they were on their way to her father''s place.


    Although they could shape shift and get there as wolves, Adrianna decided to get there on the motorcycle which Ed had gifted her. Ed had taught her how to ride the motorcycle and she would often take it to college. Sometimes, when she went deep into the jungle to cultivate her inner energy, she would ride her motorcycle to her favorite spot.


    It was a bumpy ride, but Adrianna rode it like a pro; only Ed knew what he had to suffer during that ride. Adrianna had made him almost fly off the motorcycle numerous times and he was barely just holding onto the edges of the seat. He must have shouted at her umpteen times asking her to slow down, but she wouldn''t listen. She would just grin and call him an old man.


    They stopped in front of the house her father owned. It was a huge house surrounded by many different types of trees. Inside, there were many rooms and the biggest was used for meetings with his allies. When Adrianna and Ed entered the house, they met Kuro in his meeting room. Kuro looked at his daughter and ignored her, continuing to talk to his two allies about the recent war.


    Ed and Adrianna sat further away and waited for the meeting to conclude. One of the allies, Claus, gazed at Adrianna and gestured for her to come near him. Adrianna sighed and walked to him, bracing herself for the familiar discussion that she had face so many times before.


    "Good afternoon, Uncle Claus," she greeted him drably.


    "Good afternoon Adrianna. Kuro when are you sending her to my house? I have already told you that my son is the best match for her," said Claus, looking at Adrianna but talking to Kuro.


    Kuro rolled his eyes and smirked at her. "Why do you want her in your house? She is a bad omen. She killed her mother as soon as she was born. Don''t you know that?"


    Kuro and Claus had known each other from a long time now and were fast friends. Claus liked Adrianna a lot and wanted her for his twenty-five year old son. It was a known fact that Claus''s son hadn''t found his mate so far, but he had seen Adrianna and had been strongly attracted to her. He had spoken to Adrianna about it once when he came to her house, but she had run away without replying to him. At that time, she was just sixteen. It had been three years since then, and he was still hoping that Adrianna would become his. He was hoping to mark her, thinking that it would create their soul bond.


    When Kuro said that, Claus became quiet. He knew that Kuro was offended by this conversation, but he also wondered why Kuro had not given up on her if Kuro hated her so much, and what better way to get rid of her than marrying her off.


    The meeting was over at that juncture and both the allies went out.


    Ed walked towards his son and granddaughter and said, "Now that you have won the war against the chief alpha, what are your plans? In my opinion, you should focus on your people now. They are weary of fighting so many wars."


    "I don''t need your opinion Ed!" shouted Kuro.


    Then he looked at Adrianna and said, "The alpha of the blue moon pack who had waged a war against us has warned us that he will continue his attack on us in the coming fortnight. Unless��" Kuro stopped mid-sentence and looked at the ceiling, shaking his head.


    "Unless what?" asked Ed, growing impatient.


    Kuro looked at Adrianna. "Unless you are being handed over to him in marriage," he finished the sentence as though he was still trying to make sense of it.

 Chapter 6 - It’s All Your Fault!

    Adrianna stood, frozen, staring as her father spoke. Surely he didn''t mean it. Two days ago, they were fighting the army of the blue moon pack, and today, their alpha was asking for her hand in marriage?


    "I am sorry Father, but I won''t marry anyone! You can give Kayla''s hand in marriage to him," she replied, looking down at her muddy jeans and shoes.??


    Kayla had yet to be mated and she would jump at the opportunity, so why her?


    Adrianna had learnt from her human friends that it wasn''t right to marry anyone unless you had dated them for at least three years. Moreover, they had made a list of things that were necessary in a boyfriend, and she wanted to have a word in her own marriage. She did not ever want to end up with someone as dark and brooding as her father. Most importantly, she did not want to marry someone that wasn''t her mate. It was a known fact that many alpha werewolves waited for their mates for their entire lives and she was prepared to do the same if necessary.


    Ever since she was a young child, her nanny had told her that mates were like your second skin - your other half. Mates completed you, emotionally and physically, in many different ways.


    On another note, her friend at college had made a list for essential things to see in a boy before she would even begin dating them, and Adrianna wanted to find her special mate or boyfriend. She didn''t want to just be married off to an alpha.


    Ever since she was fifteen, almost all the boys of her pack had accosted her in hopes of being her boyfriend. Her long black hair, extremely curvaceous body, pink lips that became red as soon as she bit them, and her small face, made her the most beautiful girl they had seen in all the packs combined together, not to mention that it was difficult not to notice the aura around her. She would glow whenever she was happy, and that was just what the boys tried to do: make her happy to see her glow. Her beauty captivated them.


    It was a different matter that over the years she had learnt how to control the glow around her.


    Her eldest sister, Kayla, was a blonde with very soft features, but she was nowhere near Adrianna in terms of looks.


    Kuro, on the other hand, wanted to ensure the safety of his pack. He was tired of fighting, and this was a golden opportunity for him to get rid of her. He had never wanted her, and marrying her off to the alpha of the blue moon pack would also stop the war, killing two birds with one stone..


    "Adrianna, I don''t care what you want. You are going to marry him," Kuro said, bringing her back to reality.


    Adrianna snapped. "I will not marry any alpha, beta, nor gamma of any pack!"


    Kayla had entered the meeting room just then. When she heard Adrianna shouting, she wondered if a gamma was some kind of a supreme commander. She said, "Father, I can marry the gamma."


    Adrianna couldn''t help but laugh at her sister and Ed joined in on her laughter.


    Kuro looked at his older daughter with disgust and said, "Go back to the kitchen. Your eldest brother will be coming with his mate today. He will not bear it kindly if you don''t make good food for her."


    Kayla looked at Adrianna with repugnance before leaving for the kitchen.


    Kuro turned his attention towards Adrianna and said, "You better get ready for this marriage. During his next visit, I will accept the proposal."


    "When is he coming back?" asked Ed.


    "He shall be here during the next waning moon," replied Kuro.


    Adrianna ran inside her room fuming. Most of her belongings were already present at Ed''s cottage, so she packed her remaining belongings into a small bag, collected her mother''s picture, and passed by the meeting room on her way out. Without looking at Ed or Kuro, she ran outside, started her motorcycle, and rode off.


    "It''s all your fault!" Kuro shouted, "You have spoiled her!".


    "Kuro, she is not a child. You cannot force her into a marriage," replied Ed.


    "Get out Ed! I don''t want any advice from you. Go back and rot in your cottage!


    "I know why you always bring Adrianna here. Did you really think I would be afraid of that girl? Well, you are wrong. One signal from me, and my army of werewolves will tear her limbs apart.


    "As for Adrianna, if she doesn''t marry the alpha of the blue moon pack, I will marry my eldest daughter to him," yelled Kuro.


    Ed smiled and smirked at his son. Kuro''s fear of Adrianna showed clearly in his eyes. He left the room and ran after Adrianna in hopes of quickly catching up to her. He tracked her scent as far as possible into the deep jungle, but after some time, her scent vanished. Ed ran his fingers through his hair and left for his cottage, hoping that Adrianna would soon return home.


    Adrianna did not return that day. When the night fell, Ed started pacing up and down within his cottage. He would even rush out at the slightest movement. Where could she have gone? He tried to remember all the places she had been to. He called her friends, thinking she might have crash at one of their places for the night, but everyone said that they hadn''t seen her for a week now.


    All of a sudden, while talking to one of her friends, he heard a rustle of leaves as though someone had just walked around the cottage. He picked a strange smell and ran outside onto the portico, but by the time he came out, there was no one.


    With tension rising in his mind, he wished for Adrianna''s safety. It would be difficult to get her back if she were to be lost to the dark forces.

 Chapter 7 - The Dark Forces

    The night Adriana was born, Vikra, the leader of the dark forces had been lurking in the shadows. He had been waiting ever since Shira had entered labor.


    Devoid of a real face, Vikra was more like a demented skeleton of a soul, wearing a black garb which hung over his figure. The garb blended with the darkness around him. Unable to walk on the ground, Vikra floated above the ground, and the fringes of his garb seemed to disappear into thin air every time he moved, only to appear when he stopped. Once an extremely powerful wizard king, he was respected amongst all the kingdoms. He had waged many wars and returned victorious. But soon his greed took over his morals and he started attacking humans and werewolves. The humans had to form an alliance with the werewolves to control his wayward ways. In the battle that ensued, many humans died. In the end when Vikra was surrounded, his fellow men��the wizards had used their powers collectively to bring him down and he was reduced to a skeleton that could never die. Eventually he was banished from the jungles and forced to live in the barren lands under deserted caves with no vegetation.


    Vikra only emerged from his hideout when a few freshly converted werewolves had come to take refuge in those caves after being chased by the pure blood werewolves. Soon, he had formed an army of neotides, promising them protection and a better future. Slowly, they had formed a base in the extreme western part of the jungles where even the wizards didn''t dare go.


    That night, Vikra had traveled the periphery of the jungle rather than going through it to avoid the various packs that inhabited it. Although traveling from the northern periphery was shorter, he preferred to travel through the southern periphery in order to avoid the wizards who lived in the northern parts.


    The thick clouds and heavy rain were covering the full moon. Taking advantage of the night, Vikra lurked around the small cottage where Shira was crying out in pain due to labor. Driven by his greed of lust and power, he had been compelled to come take the baby. The only person around the Luna of the pack was her maid. None of the pack doctors were allowed to go near her and her husband was not interested in this birth, leaving her alone. It made his work easy.


    He could have sent any of his servants, the freshly converted werewolves, to get the baby, but he, himself, had come.


    As soon as he heard the cries of the baby, he rushed towards the cottage. However, a bright light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blinding his nocturnal vision. Shrieking in pain, Vikra retreated to find darkness. When he was once again shrouded in darkness, he fixed his gaze on the object that was shining so bright.


    It was the moon goddess, Selene.


    It had stopped raining and the moon was shining brilliantly in the sky. The moon goddess appeared so ethereal that even Vikra fell on his knees. Appearing right before him, the moon goddess struck him with light energy so strong that his body started burning, making him shriek in pain.


    Alighting from her two winged horse, Selene floated in the air, her body glowing in the night and her golden crown emitting clear beams of moon light. With a long neck and black hair that blended into the dark night behind her, she appeared vibrant. She conjured up energy to make a small ball of white light in her hand and threw it towards Vikra.


    Vikra couldn''t stand the force and had to retreat even further into the shadows. He dared not come near the cottage unless she was gone. As soon as Vikra retreated, a bubble of impenetrable white light surrounded the cottage. Vikra knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn''t be able to enter that layer of protection. He left the place swearing that he would soon get the child.


    Because he left without being able to see the child, he wasn''t able to see whether the newly born child was a boy or a girl.


    The light Selene had thrown at him was so bright that the ray it had generated could be seen throughout the jungle. The wizards in the northern jungle became alert and some of them apparated near the source of the light only to find Vikra flying towards the west. The wizards chased him, but he was too swift for them.


    Over the years of having a body-less existence, Vikra had mastered the art of disappearing swiftly. He had used the energy from the humans to turn them into fresh werewolves for his defense, but ever since the wizards had become more vigilant, his energy source had started depleting fast. The neotides were becoming useless, but since they could not die, he could only admit them into his ever increasing army.

 Chapter 8 - It Hurts! Stop It!

    In a fit of anger, Adrianna drove far away on her motorcycle. Far from the boundaries of the blue moon pack and deep into the jungles. She stopped at her favorite spot�C a tranquil lake right in the middle of the mountains. The stars glimmered softly in the deep dark waters as though they had created another sky of their own. The mountains were stark against starry night, their dark peaks jutting sharply into the sky.


    Adrianna perched over a stony outcrop as a soft breeze lifted the ends of her hair and brought the smell of summer. She held her breath before exhaling softly, calming herself and letting her anger simmer down. Closing her eyes to focus on her power, she felt it strain against her control, begging to be released. Reaching deep within her, she found a pool of white light that was her wild magic. Unable to deny that pool of fire any longer, she crouched and threw her hands forward, releasing light that scattered across the surface of the lake as though thousands of stars had fallen there.??


    The water of the lake became crystal clear as if someone had lit it, and put the life inside on display.


    Out of nowhere Adrianna heard voices in her brain. Some shrieked while some clicked, and some bellowed sharply. They were begging her to stop it.


    "It hurts! Stop it!" one of them snapped at her.


    Adrianna''s concentration broke and she opened her eyes. The fire within her body immediately subsided. What was that? She was suddenly scared of herself. This had never happened before. She felt drained, and her energy was depleted to the point that she had to rest. After some time she stretched, and stood. The night was beginning to get chillier, but it felt pleasant to her wolf. A cool breeze grazed her cheeks and soon she felt sleepy.


    She would never marry someone she didn''t know. She thought of her father''s command. Next waning moon, the Supreme Alpha would come to meet them to take her officially but she would run away before she would acquiesce to a forced union.


    She didn''t know when she fell asleep but a strange movement made her open her eyes. She looked around sleepily �� not finding anything untoward, she went back to sleep. She dreamt of someone stroking her hair, her cheeks and then taking those long fingers softly down the contours of her body. Her body felt strange and she wanted to wake up, but the touch was so relaxing that she felt intoxicated. Was it real? Unable to get up, she sank back into sleep.


    Her eyes fluttered open as dawn broke, sensing the morning light. The mountains rose in front of her, their high peaks shrouded in mist. The sky was a vast expanse of blue, and below the lake reflected the sky''s color, slowly bleeding golden as the sun rose. Aa rug of vivid greens, deep yellows, bright scarlet, and burnt orange glinted in the lake, looking out-worldly. The lush green trees stood as silent observers of the snowy peak of the mountains, the clouds, the lake, and the river flowing out of it..


    She stood there in awe of her surroundings, her red jacket flowing flimsily around her.


    Adrianna dusted her clothes and got on her motorcycle to go back to her grandfather''s cottage. She had to attend university today and make up for the classes she had missed in the past week. Revving up the engine, she drove back quickly.


    She parked the motorcycle in front of the cottage and as she walked towards the portico, she saw her grandfather glaring at her. His eyes were red and it looked as though his wolf would come out at any moment. She neared him slowly and as soon as she was in distance of the front door, ran inside quickly to escape his wrath.


    He followed her and before she could close the door of her room, he growled, "Adrianna!"


    She stopped midway and turned around slowly. Meekly she asked, "Yes grandpa?"


    "Where were you the whole night? Do you know how worried I was?"


    She looked down at her muddy shoes as she tucked her hair behind her ear, and said, "I''m sorry, grandpa. I cannot marry someone unless I fall in love with him." Her wolf patted her for being so resolute. Her best friend Okashi had asked her to never trust anyone other than her own instincts apart from everything else she tells her. Of course, Okashi knew the best in these matters, being judged the most beautiful girl of the college. There were hundreds of boys who wanted to be her friend.


    "Foolish girl,werewolves are different!" he shouted, exasperated at her lack of knowledge about werewolf mating and his inability to talk to her about it freely.


    "Different? How?" she asked making her large brown eyes wider than they already were.


    His hands fisted and, with a lot of effort, he said, "The mates are strongly attracted to each other when they meet!"


    "In that case, Kayla can meet that pack''s alpha. She'' is looking for a mate, I heard it from her nanny. When she meets him, they will be strongly attracted to one another and I won''t have to marry him," said Adrianna triumphantly before turning to her room. She locked it from inside, grinning at her fantastic reasoning and went to the bathroom to get dressed for the university.

 Chapter 9 - Niiya

    When she came out dressed in jeans a checkered t-shirt with her hair tied up in a high pony, she danced her way onto the portico, where she met her grandfather again. He stared hard at her and held his left arm out in front of her, warning her not to take another step. Slowly, she raised her hand to remove his arm, but Ed caught a hold of her hand with his left hand and, turned her around. Before she knew it, she had been pushed out. The force was so strong that it sent her flying out of the portico. Adrianna double flipped in the air, landing gracefully on the ground, and ran to her motorcycle to drive away.


    Some good morning!??


    Ed could have run after his granddaughter and caught her easily, but he ended up laughing at her antics. He had been extremely worried the night before. However, today he was already laughing at her. He shook his head and went inside. He had always wondered how Adrianna could adjust amongst the humans; her heightened sense of smell must be very overbearing, but he admired the fact that she was patient and tenacious.


    Adrianna drove her motorcycle through the winding roads that lead to her college. Looking gamine, she loved the fresh air that whizzed past her body; it was refreshing and energetic. While riding her vehicle, she heard someone whispering softly, as if telling her to be aware of the danger that was lurking around her. She stopped and looked around. There was no one, only the deep lush forest from where she heard the owls hoot. The long winding road ahead of her was empty. Thinking it was just her imagination, Adrianna started up her motorcycle''s ignition and drove away.


    Adrianna only chose the college because it was closest to her grandfather''s cottage. The college was a small community college, which catered to the local students. The town was very small, located on the border of the jungle, and had no more than a population of five thousand. The college itself was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and surrounded by lush vegetation from all sides, and so when Adrianna wanted an escape, she would often enter the jungle and spend her time walking around.


    She parked her motorcycle in the parking area, removed her helmet and placed it in the top box attached to it. Circling her key around her finger, she whistled softly as she walked towards her class, unaware of the eyes that were staring her from above from a room with large windows.


    She entered the busy hallway that led to her class when her college''s dean, Howard, called upon her in a stern voice. "Adrianna!"


    She stopped and turned around. "Another round of bickering," she thought to herself.


    Howard walked up to her and in a very severe voice scolded her, "If you want to finish your major in biochemistry, you had better regularly attend college. The professors are complaining about you, and I don''t like it."


    Adrianna knew that no one at the college cared as to who attended the classes or not, but Howard was her grandfather''s good friend. In his late forties, he was one of the youngest deans amongst the colleges in the surrounding area. He had made his life''s ambition to train and tame Adrianna.


    All of the other students who were passing by started snickering at her. They loved it when Adrianna was reprimanded by their dean, so openly at college. Adrianna rolled her eyes and said, "Okay sir."


    She turned around , but she instantly fell onto the ground. "What just happened?" Adrianna thought as the students around started laughing at her. Agitated and bewildered, she got up and slowly walked to her class.


    Howard stared at the arrogant girl in front of him before rolling his eyes and turning around to go.


    These kinds of instances had become very common between Adrianna and Howard, and almost every student at the college knew about it.


    Adrianna saunteered towards her classroom that was located at the end of the hallway and quietly sat down somewhere in the far right end corner. Since class hadn''t started yet, there were only five other people in the corner, whom she stayed away from. Her friend, Okashi, was majoring in philosophy and her classroom was in a different part of the school altogether, but they had decided to meet in the gardens in front of her classroom after Adrianna''s class was over.


    Adriana was currently waiting for Niiya, Okashi''s twin brother, who was taking the same class as her, so that she could get the notes from him. Niiya was a bright student, only second to Adrianna. The two of them sat together in most of their classes and one could say that Niiya was totally infatuated by her.


    For Niiya, she was the one. He was extremely proud of her, and according to him, the best thing about her was her hair. It fell in black ringlets around her fair cheeks, so striking that he would keep staring at them from afar. He would listen to her and get drunk on her words as though they were a strong wine; he loved the tipsy feeling he would get. He looked at her as if the stars surrounded her. He so badly wanted to embrace her in his arms and never let go, but first things first, he had to ask her out on a date whenever he finally garnered enough courage to ask. His nerves were so bad that he shook at just the thought.


    Niiya arrived five minutes later and spotted Adrianna as soon as he came. He beamed at her and ran up the steps of the classroom to where she was sitting. Without a word, he took out all of his notes from the past week and handed them to her. With only five minutes left before class started, Adrianna took his notebooks and stashed them in her bag. The next five minutes were spent discussing gossip that happened within the college during the time that she was absent. Slowly, the class started filling up and the professor arrived.

 Chapter 10 - Come With Me To The Creek Today

    The class lasted for an extra half an hour. The professor had been teaching about covalent bonds for the last week and since most of it was numerical, Adrianna believed she wouldn''t have much of a problem catching up.


    When the class ended, Adrianna and Niiya went outside to the gardens that were located just out of their classroom and sat down to exchange notes. Adrianna wrote them down quickly and would ask Niiya questions whenever she doubted herself. Within the hour before their next class, Adrianna had covered most of what had been taught during the week that she was absent.??


    "Would you like me to come over and teach you the rest?" Niiya offered as they collected the notes that were scattered around them. Niiya had visited her home many times before on the premise of teaching her.


    At over six feet, Niiya towered above Adrianna who was only five feet eight inches tall. Even though she was considered tall amongst her human friends, she was of an average height amongst werewolf girls. Her father and her brothers were taller than Niiya and more daunting.


    "No�� I think I can manage..." said Adrianna. She was always grateful that she had a friend as fantastic as Niiya who always helped her. It was rumored that Niiya had been admitted on a physics major, but had changed his major to chemistry because of Adrianna. The fact that they were also lab partners was an added advantage.


    Most of her notes were in her hand and she had some stashed in her bag. As they got up to leave for their lab which was held in the second floor of the chemistry wing, Adrianna picked up the smell that she had picked up that day in her grandfather''s cottage when she had been injured. She stopped in her tracks and turned back to see the source of the smell. Her eyes widened when she saw him coming at her from the opposite direction along with three others. He was staring at her as he walked in her direction. Adrianna''s heart started beating fast as though it would leap out of her body. There was a slight glow around her. In her trance, her notes slipped out of her hand and scattered all around her.


    Niiya was walking alongside her and was looking ahead of him at all of the jealous stares that he usually received whenever he walked with her. He halted when he saw that all of Adrianna''s notes had fallen out of her hands. Looking at her, he found her staring at a devilishly handsome man.


    Jealous, he circled his arms around her shoulders and said, "Adrianna, pick up your notes, lest they get stomped on by others."


    Being forced to come back to reality, Adrianna blushed as her glow immediately receded and she bent down to pick up her notes. Her mind was confused. "How is this be possible?" She shook away her thoughts and forced herself to focus on the task in front of her: collecting the notes that had been scattered. She felt foolish for being entranced by him for the second time.


    A control freak, as she was groomed to be, she plastered a stupid smile on her face and collected her thoughts and her notes before getting up to go to class. She was determined not to look in his direction, but she ended up looking anyways. He wasn''t there and his smell was gone; only familiar ones remained.


    Niiya was trying to mark his territory, as a human would do in such situations. He had to find a way to confess his thoughts to her soon.


    While walking to class, Niiya asked, "Tonight, will you accompany me to the creek?"


    Located on the outskirts of the town, the creek was a small and beautiful body of water. The azure waters of the creek were surrounded by wild flowers and lush green forests. College students often gathered there in the evenings to have fun and get to know each other. They would burn fire, play music, dance, swim and hang out with their friends.


    "Umm�� no Niiya. You know I don''t like going out over there��" she replied, shaking her head.


    Niiya stepped in front of her and walked backwards while speaking, "C''mon, even Okashi will be going there. Both of us will come pick you up. Please? Just this once. I have been asking you for so long. It will be a lot more fun with you." He had pleaded her a much in the past, but she had never agreed. This time, he was adamant. The presence of that strange boy in the chemistry wing was alarming.


    The boy had been with a very beautiful woman with very sharp features and a voluptuous figure. With heavy makeup and body-hugging clothes, she was hanging onto his arm like a snake around its owner. But Adrianna was far more beautiful in an understated kind of way. Niiya liked her simple sense of fashion; it was almost gamine.


    "I will see, Niiya. Let''s get to lab. We are going to be late," said Adrianna, smacking his head with a rolled note sheet.


    "Ouch!" Niiya acted as though he was in pain and started rubbing his head. She laughed at his stupidity and walked into the classroom.


    By the time they walked in, the professor was already there and the students had already started working on their experiments. The lab today was on determining the melting point of various compositions when they were mixed.


    They headed to their desk after collecting the compound from the professor and put on their protective eyeglasses. They picked capillaries, took medium sized samples, and placed them in the melting point apparatus to heat up. It didn''t take much time and they started writing down notes once they had successfully discovered the melting points. While they were writing, Niiya pleaded, "Please come with me to the creek today."


    "Fine!" she answered, annoyingly.

 Chapter 11 - Her Feet Turned In His Direction

    They soon finished writing their notes and waited for the class to finish. The professor was making rounds to see whether anyone required his assistance, however, the experiment was so simple that everyone was able to quickly complete it so he simply returned to his chair. Noticing that most of the students had finished their experiments, he asked them to submit their lab notebooks and leave.


    Both Niiya and Adrianna were amongst the first ones to leave the class. Adrianna wanted to meet Okashi so she headed towards her wing. Niiya wanted to accompany her, but he was dragged away by a group of theater club members who wanted Niiya to write their play. Niiya had been the editor of his high school''s magazine and had directed many school plays. And that was just one of his talents. His other talents included rifle shooting and swimming.??


    "Guys, I am sorry, but you had better write your own play. I can help you with editing and maybe even help you with some scenes, but I won''t write the entire thing from scratch," he said, walking away from them.


    A cute girl with curly brown hair tugged at his shirt and pleaded, "Please Niiya? As english majors, we are already burdened with so much. Apart from writing this play, we still have to write our own plays and perform them in front of the class. You are so talented. Your creative side will come out and you will feel alive."


    "What?" Niiya looked at her with bewilderment while the rest of the group started laughing at her futile effort.


    She shrugged it off and said, "Basically, please help us!"


    Adrianna, who was watching them, smiled. Niiya was indeed very popular. She looked at him with interest as the girl practically begged him. She wondered just how many girls were waiting in line for a chance to talk to him whereas he hardly cared for them. He had rejected as many as five girls who had asked him out. Every time, the girl would urge him to go with her, but he would refuse on the pretext that he had someone else in his heart even though they were not understanding his gestures.


    Adrianna really wanted to meet that mysterious girl who had taken his heart unknowingly. She had even offered to talk to her, but Niiya would always ask her to forget about it.


    "Come on, Niiya," shouted the girl, bringing Adrianna to the present.


    Niiya looked at Adrianna and again became enticed by her smile. He just wanted to spend his time with her. He removed that girl''s hand from his shirt and said, "No! I have to go somewhere. I don''t have time."


    The entire group fell into disappointment. The cute girl was all the more dejected, as she had to do the most work out of all of them and this had been her last resort. One look at Adrianna and she knew that Niiya wanted to stay with her. Growing jealous, she said with a smirk, "Adrianna, please allow him to leave your side for a minute so he can help us."


    Adrianna felt extremely awkward. Her smile disappeared and she embarrassingly said, "We were just going to meet his sister. Niiya, I will go on my own. You should help them out." As soon as she finished her sentence, she left to look for Okashi. It had become so awkward that she couldn''t even look at Niiya when she spoke.


    "Adrianna! Wait!" Niiya shouted as he tried to run after her, but the drama club members literally dragged him away. "Come on Niiya. Help us, please."


    Okashi''s wing was two wings away and if she wanted she could have run fast and reached her destination in no time, but after staying around humans for so long, she had learnt to do things their way. She walked slowly towards the wing, wondering if Okashi''s class was over or not. Halfway there, she felt a strange presence - a familiar scent - something not human. She looked around wildly to locate the source of the smell and located it coming from a young, pale boy in a hood who was standing and gazing at all the people around him with a crazy look in his eyes. Instead of heading to Okashi''s wing, her feet turned in his direction.

 Chapter 12 - Checkpoints For Future Reference

    Slowly, like a predator, she stalked him. As she neared him, she saw that he was staring intently at a boy sitting in an secluded area a few yards away from him who was immersed in his book. Sensing danger, she increased her pace. She was within a ten meter distance when she saw that the boy''s eyes were actually a dull yellow. Neotide!


    But how could they gain access to the college premises? Neotides were rarely ever seen in this part of town. Was he a college student? She stepped closer. She had to be careful in taking him down as she didn''t want to raise suspicions. It could escalate into something really terrible.??


    The way she was staring alerted the neotide. He ran towards his prey before he could lose the opportunity, but Adrianna was faster than him. She sped up and was in front of him in no time, blocking his way and stopping him with a hand on his chest.


    He growled at her and in the next moment, Adrianna had dragged him into the forest at lightning speed. She grabbed him and threw him towards the trees. The neotide crashed into one of the trees, leaving a dent in the trunk, but he instantly got back up and charged at her. Adrianna was swift. She waited for him to come near her and as soon as he was close enough, she went for his neck and lifted him up.


    Her eyes were blazing with fury. "Who sent you?" she asked.


    He didn''t reply.


    Adriana applied pressure. He let out a soft growl and she soon felt the presence of other wolves. She lifted him into the air and threw him against a rock. The impact was hard and he landed on the ground unconscious.


    Without wasting any more time, Adrianna ran back to the college. On her way back, she noticed that the boy, who had been reading, now had the weirdest expression on his face. His mouth was open and he was stupidly looking at her. Adrianna grinned at him and quickly walked away. On her way to Okashi''s wing, she thought about calling her grandfather to inform him of the situation. The presence of neotides was rare��


    She reached her destination in another five minutes. On her way, she was met with the strange glares and giggles of the students.


    Okashi had come out of the classroom by the time she arrived. She noticed Adrianna on the first floor and waved at her. She quickly ran down the stairs to meet her.


    "Adrianna! My bestie!" squealed Okashi as she hugged her.


    Then she pulled back and looked at her with disgust. "What is wrong with you?" asked Okashi, as she started removing twigs from her hair. "It looks as if you took a roll in the bushes. There is so much mud on your shirt," she said, dusting her off.


    Adrianna smiled at her friend. The college beauty queen was always so prim and proper that not even a single hair was out of place. She was wearing a pink silk top with a black mini-skirt and ankle-length boots. Her hair was tied in a bun, giving her the most adorable look. It was as if the two of them had come from two entirely different worlds.


    Adrianna couldn''t help but laugh at her friend''s antics. When Okashi had fixed up her friend, they headed to the college cafeteria together.


    "Where''s that twit brother of mine?" asked Okashi, fully aware that he doted on Adrianna but did not have the courage to speak up.


    Okashi and Niiya were fraternal twins but they looked a lot like each other. When they were younger, their mother would often dress them up in similar colored outfits despite the fact that they were different genders. If Okashi wore a pink dress, Niiya would end up wearing a pink shirt. They were also often seen wearing the same outfit from head to toe. The relationship between the two of them was mysterious because they were each other''s best friend. They often cared about their other half more than themselves. Splitting up had been a huge issue when they were in kindergarten. They had cried a lot, but they eventually grew used to it. Nevertheless, they still constantly worried about each other. Their closeness was one of a kind.


    This was why Okashi really wanted Adrianna to be with Niiya. However, Okashi didn''t want to meddle in Niiya''s love life, knowing fully well that his pride would be hurt. Regardless, she would do all she could from her side to bring the two.


    "He was held up by a group of theater club members. They want him to write their play," Adrianna replied while munching on the cheese balls that Okashi had bought from the cafeteria counter.


    After a pause, she added, "Okashi, I have an urgent question to ask you."


    "Sure, what is it?"


    Adrianna was hesitant in asking. She mustered enough courage and said, "Remember that list of things you wrote about what to look for in a guy before marrying him?"


    Okashi popped a cheese ball in her mouth and exclaimed, "Ah-ha!" She leaned in close to Adrianna and with a raised eyebrow she asked, "What do we have here? Spill!"


    Adrianna let out a hollow laugh and said, "Nothing much. I just wanted those checkpoints for future reference. I lost the original list you gave me."


    "Girl, don''t worry. Let me write it out for you again," said Okashi, opening her bag and tearing out a piece of paper from her notebook.

 Chapter 13 - The Market (1)

    Okashi started writing down her list. The first ten points were written down almost immediately. However, after that, she had to stop and ponder before adding more to the list. The list soon grew and so did Adrianna''s eyes. Humans had to look for this many things? Or was Okashi being too nitpicky? When she saw that Okashi was actually very serious about what she was writing, Adrianna paid more attention. Together, they would discuss certain points before adding them to the list.


    Soon, a long list consisting of over forty pointers about what a girl should look for in her life partner was created.??


    Satisfied, Okashi placed her pen back in her bag and stood up triumphantly as she folded and handed the list to Adrianna.


    "Here, take it. And don''t let anyone bully you into marriage unless you are happy, okay?"


    "Yes, sir!" replied Adrianna with a chuckle before getting up to go to their next class.


    On their way, Okashi said, "Adrianna, Niiya texted me that you will be coming to the creek tonight with us."


    "Yes, he was pestering me so much! I don''t know what will I do there. It''s not like I am looking to get into a relationship," answered Adrianna with disinterest.


    "It''s not always about relationships. Just come with me and have fun!"


    "Okashi, you will be swarmed by the boys as usual, and I don''t want to be left alone. I hardly have any friends other than you. So... you know, it becomes awkward. It''s not that I want to meddle in your interactions, but what would I do otherwise?" said Adrianna with concern. She became anxious thinking about it.


    "Oh, please. Stop being so apprehensive about something you haven''t even seen!" said Okashi, nudging her with her elbow. Then, she added, "We will come pick you up at 8PM. Wear something nice!"


    "I wear nice clothes. What do you mean?"


    Okashi rolled her eyes and said, "Look Adrianna, you need to look alluring over there. If you will wear rugged jeans and a shirt, you will look like a country dame. Do you have any trendy clothes?"


    "I haven''t been to many parties, so there was no need," she replied, remembering all the parties her father would host for his pack and their allies where she would always be asked to stay away.


    "Oh, then that''s fine! Let''s go buy you a nice dress for the evening," said an over-enthusiastic Okashi.


    "No, Okashi! I won''t buy a dress just to go to the creek! I will just wear my usual jeans and a shirt."


    "Don''t even think about it girl. You cannot wear that lame outfit if you are going out with Okashi," she said, being proud of herself.


    The two of them argued until they had to part ways to get to their respective departments. Okashi refused to back down, and it was eventually decided that after their classes were over, they were going to shop at the only fashion street in town.


    When Adrianna reached her classroom, Niiya was already waiting for her.


    He asked, "What took you so long?" Having been waiting for a while, he looked furious.


    "Umm�� Okashi and I were making plans to go shopping��" she said sheepishly. She didn''t want to tell him about the dress part because she was just too uncomfortable.


    Niiya nodded in displeasure.


    "Did you agree to write the play for the theater club?" asked Adrianna in an attempt to divert the topic.


    "Yes, I got them started. I will resume writing tomorrow. Can''t spend so much time writing their play; I have my stuff to do," replied Niiya annoyingly. He had only written one page before rushing out to look for her, but she had already gone somewhere. Sustaining all the romantic gazes from the girls who were passing by, he had been waiting for her in the classroom for the past half an hour, .


    "Okay��" she said with a shrug.


    They became silent again. Niiya took out a book from his bag and started reading it while Adrianna continued copying the notes that she hadn''t gotten to in the morning. Her thoughts would keep going back to the encounter she had had with the neotide. It worried her and she wanted to convey it to her grandfather. She was frustrated by the fact that her grandfather did not own a mobile phone because according to him, wolves could read each other''s thoughts if they belonged to the same pack, so what was the point of having a phone? However this only worked within a certain distance, so it was inconvenient under large distances.


    After class was over, they left their department only to find Okashi talking to a bulky guy who was carrying a bouquet of roses for her. He had been religiously pursuing Okashi from a week now, but Okashi would always slip away from him. Currently, he was literally begging her to accept the roses in his hands.


    Okashi smiled at him, took the bouquet, and said, "Please don''t do this again. I am kindly accepting these roses today, only because I really pity you, but if you bring more, I will trash them!"


    A passerby laughed at the scene. Okashi taking the bouquet left the guy completely confused. Did her taking the bouquet mean she had accepted him?


    Okashi sashayed over to where Adrianna and Niiya were standing while saying, "I am just too cool!"


    Niiya rolled his eyes at his sister''s dramatic actions before heading to the parking lot with Adrianna and Okashi in tow.


    "Adrianna and I are going to the market," Okashi declared. "Niiya, you can take Adrianna''s motorcycle and go home. We will take the car."


    Niiya''s anger intensified. "I will just go to the market with you guys!"


    Adrianna quickly said, "Yes, that''s okay. You two take the car. I will follow the two of you on my motorcycle."


    "No, no!" protested Okashi, but Adrianna had already started up her motorcycle and was driving away while shouting, "See you both there!"

 Chapter 14 - The Market (2)

    Adrianna reached the market before the brother and sister duo. After parking her motorcycle, she walked towards the shop where they were supposed to meet. She wasn''t into shopping, but she loved hanging out at human establishments, and the town market was one of them.


    When she reached the shop, she picked up a familiar scent. Her wolf growled as she stepped inside. As if in a trance, she started walking in the direction of the smell when someone called her from behind, breaking her reverie. "Adrianna!"??


    Adrianna snapped out of it and turned around to find the person who had called her. Finding it had come from Okashi, she smiled at her friend and said, "Okashi!"


    With Niiya following them, they headed into the store. Niiya sauntered off to the men''s section while Adrianna instinctively walked to the section where jeans and shirts were being displayed. Okashi had to drag her out of there to bring her to the dresses section.


    "Adrianna, you should wear a dress that accentuates your figure," said Okashi, bringing her to a section with red dresses.


    "Okashi, I am never going to wear that color," said Adrianna, distastefully.


    "Fine, let''s see the blue ones," she held Adrianna''s hand as they walked over to the shelves where there were various blue colored dresses neatly piled up.


    Okashi picked one up and held it up in front of Adrianna. After a short moment, she shook her head and placed it back. After about ten dresses, Okashi finally managed to find a dark blue dress with black and white motifs that she liked.


    "No, that is way to flamboyant!" said Adrianna, trying to persuade her from buying it.


    "Oh it looks beautiful. Go to the fitting room and try it on. We will see after you put it on," coaxed Okashi.


    It was indeed an arduous task to convince Adrianna. Okashi literally had to drag Adrianna to the fitting room. "You try this one first. I am going to get another one." She quickly said that and stashed Adrianna into the last fitting room.


    "Phew!" Adrianna blew air and went in the room. She tied her hair up in a bun, took off her jeans, and looked at herself in the mirror. Even though she hadn''t gone shopping willingly, she was still enjoying the girls time out.


    She had just removed her shirt just when she picked up the smell again. Her wolf wanted to open the door and rush out to see the source. She grabbed her dress and hastily wore it before quickly opening the door. She froze at the sight of him. He was standing at the entrance of the fitting rooms. Their gaze met. Her hand clutched the doorknob as if it was her life support. Her wolf wanted to be with him, embraced within those muscular arms.


    Looking fierce and aggressive, he was extremely attractive. His arctic-blue eyes stared into hers, and she refused to turn away from that sharp gaze. Her wolf and her body were going against her better judgment. The primal lust was so dominating that she felt pained not being with him. She was startled at her reaction to him. This was third time in a row. What was happening to her?


    He had just parted his lips to say something, when the door to the room right in front of her opened up, blocking her view. She heard the occupant of the room say, "Hey! How does this one look?"


    Adrianna was smacked back to the present and she closed the door. Her wolf growled in protest. She held her jeans and her shirt tightly in her hands and sat down in an effort to calm down. Her patience was thinning by the second. How could a girl like her lose her self-control so quickly? She found herself a little thrown and she was very unhappy about it.


    "You look good in anything you wear Keisha," he said.


    Adrianna was all ears when he spoke.


    "Oh! You just love to flirt with me," Keisha replied and closed her door while saying, "Okay, I''ll take this one. Can you help me buy it?"


    "Yeah, sure," he said.


    Adrianna sat there like a statue. She felt winded. Her chest tightened. She wanted to run into the jungle for fresh air. Her eyes welled up when she heard their conversation. She was angry at her swelling emotions.


    "Adrianna?"


    She heard Okashi calling her name, and she immediately felt better. Focusing on what they had come for, Adrianna shouted back, "Okashi."


    "Hey, show me how it look on you," said Okashi, walking over to Adrianna''s room and knocking on the door.


    Adrianna quickly wiped her face and lightly slapped her cheeks to do away with the helpless feelings. Throwing the clothes onto the floor, she opened the door with a huge grin.


    Okashi looked at her with a strange expression. "What''s with that grin?"


    Adrianna sobered up a little and her grin faded into a sheepish smile. "How do I look?" she asked, keeping one hand on her waist and the other on the door in front of her.


    Okashi looked her over from top to bottom. She liked what Adrianna was wearing, but she also wanted her to try on a few more dresses before making a decision since she had found five more dresses. For the next thirty minutes, Adrianna modeled in front of her friend while Okashi kept making funny faces. In the end, Okashi approved the first dress Adrianna wore.


    "Okashi! Why did you make me wear so many then?" asked Adrianna, exasperated at her friend.


    "Haha. Come, let''s go and buy this one for you," said Okashi, collecting the discarded dresses and placing them in the large box that was kept near the entrance.


    Adrianna had calmed down by diverting her attention to shopping. She changed back into her jeans and shirt and went to the counter to pay for the dress. She was laughing and giggling with Okashi while walking to the sales counter when she saw Keisha again. She had her arms circled around him as he paid for her.

 Chapter 15 - No Time Wasted

    They had paid the bill and were exiting when Keisha''s gaze fell on Adrianna. Her face darkened and her wolf growled nastily at her. Adrianna stared back at her with an equal amount of disgust. If they hadn''t been in a human establishment, Adrianna would have pounced on her.


    He held Keisha''s hand and pulled her out of the store saying, "This is not the place."??


    Keisha left the place while glaring at Adrianna as much as possible.


    In the meanwhile, Okashi had gotten further ahead on the cashier line. When she saw Adrianna glaring at a stranger, she asked, "Hey, do you know her?"


    Adrianna didn''t reply and merely joined her on line.


    Okashi found it weird, but she didn''t insist on the question. Instead, she waited silently in line to pay for the dress. Adrianna realized that she might have seemed rude, so she shook her head and said, "I don''t know her��"


    Okashi just nodded as they had reached the counter. The young boy behind the counter was enticed by Adrianna''s beauty and asked, "How are you?" with a large smile.


    He didn''t even look at Okashi, who found this a violation of her beauty. She shook the card that she was holding right in front of him and said, "We would like to buy this dress!"


    Adrianna laughed softly, and the boy took the card while laughing. Niiya joined them at this time. "Sis, buy a few of these for me too!" he said, dropping a huge pile of clothes over Adrianna''s dress.


    "Niiya, we were only able to find one dress, yet you ended up finding that many in the same time frame?" said Okashi, bewildered at his hasty choices.


    "Well, you see, I am not a girl. I pick what I like and I don''t go around modeling. No time wasted!" he said with a shrug.


    The boy at the counter laughed again and billed them. The trio exited the shop with a large number of bags.


    Okashi and Niiya''s father was one of the few doctors in town and was successful because he was very good at his job. He had amassed a good fortune off of his practice and had given a credit card with no limit to both of his children, whom he doted upon. Although he had really wished that one of his kids would take up medicine, he had never insisted; he let them pursue what they wanted to do in life.


    By the time they had finished shopping, it was already late and Adrianna wanted to head back to the cottage. Ed must be worried by now, and she feared that he may just run to the college ot find her.


    Niiya wanted to delay her so that she would stay longer with them, so he said, "Adrianna let''s go get snacks before you leave."


    "Thank you for buying the dress for me Okashi,''" said Adrianna politely. Then she looked at Niiya. "No�� I better head back to the cottage. See you guys in the evening," she said, declining his offer. Seeing that his face was falling, Okashi smacked him from behind and said, "Niiya, we better go back home. I have to dress up for the evening. Plus, Cousin Rudolf will get home in some time. He has been wanting to see you for some time now."


    Niiya remembered his commitment and became quiet. Adrianna left them and headed to her motorcycle. Kick starting it, she drove away as Niiya watched her get smaller and smaller in the distance.


    "Do you want to keep watching her, or would you like to hop in the car so we can go home?" asked Okashi, teasing him.


    Niiya glared at his sister and sat in the car, brooding over how he would convince Adrianna to go out with him.


    "You need to let her know your true thoughts Niiya," said Okashi, as if mentally reading him.


    Niiya simply stared at the road in front of them and remained silent.


    It was already 6PM by the time Adrianna started going home. Within a couple minutes, she hit the country road which was surrounded by lush, dark forest. While driving, she, once again, heard someone telling her to be careful of the danger lurking around her. Adrianna stopped and concentrated on the sound, but all she heard was silence. She started up her motorcycle again and sped up a little in order to reach home faster.


    "Why doesn''t she understand that she shouldn''t go down that road?" she heard a voice speak. She was bewildered. Was it her imagination?


    She was driving with those thoughts when all of a sudden, she saw a large group of about ten men running towards her direction. She focused, and as she picked the scent, she realized that their skin was pale and they all had the same dull color in their eyes. Neotides!


    It was clear now that they were running towards her. She recognized one of them as the infiltrator in the college whom she had chased in the morning.


    She turned her motorcycle in the opposite direction, but it was too late. Some of them had leapt into the air and were surrounding her from all sides. She was trapped. She drove her motorcycle in a circle to look for an escape, but there was none.

 Chapter 16 - Who Are You?

    The neotides emerged from the darkness of the forest. The wind was chilly and could cut through human skin. As they ran towards her, they growled in anger and shape shifted. At first, Adrianna could only see them as silhouettes and their growls were carried by the wind. However, as they neared her, their fur became more noticeable. Their fur was not very thick and was colored, in whatever color their natural hair color was before they had become neotides. As neotides, they had only the killer instincts of a wolf and looked to be driven by revenge.


    They communicated with each other in low grunts, circling around her and , swishing their tails, cutting off any means of escape for Adrianna. All of a sudden, one of them leapt into the air and attacked Adrianna. She ducked, making him miss her and jump over to the other side. He landed hard on his belly and whimpered loudly as it puckered and crouched with its tail down.??


    She could only use her motorcycle to protect herself. She revved her engine and thought of breaking the circle, but by time she could even take an action, two of them were looking hard at her. Their lips were retracted, baring their canines and incisors as they leapt towards her.


    They landed on her with so much force that she was thrown off her motorbike. Adrianna fell on her sides and supported herself with her forearms on the ground. As soon as she was on the ground, they surrounded her and started circling her, growling at her to show their dominance.


    Slowly, Adrianna sat up. The two who were barely an arms length away attacked her again. This time, they aimed for her neck with their bare canines. But Adrianna was fast, and she defended herself by using her strength to hold their heads as she tried to freeze their minds with her wild and unrefined ability to reach their thoughts. The impact was so harsh that both of them were left paralyzed.


    A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout her body as she felt blood flowing out from somewhere. She could feel her legs begin to weaken. The magic was also beginning to affect.


    "They will not get better of me," she thought as she dropped on the ground, her tongue soaked in blood. Bruised and winded, she grabbed the front arms of another neotide, who had leapt at her again, and pulled it to the ground. The neotide whimpered as she twisted his leg with enough force to crack the bone. She rose from the ground and in her anger, she shape shifted. Gnarling at the rest of them, she waited for them to make the first move.


    Two of her opponents charged, barking and growling at her. She moved to the side, dodging them in a fluid move. They swiveled back in her direction. Her enemies in the front looked at her with blazing yellow eyes as they thrust their bodies towards her. They were attacking her from all sides. However, one of them was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown back onto the ground with a loud thud. A large werewolf with grey fur had appeared out of nowhere and was taking out the neotides that were attacking her from the back.


    Adrianna was quick to react and she attacked the rest of them with a renewed vigor and force. She leapt at the one in front of her. Baring her canines, she caught a hold of its neck and sunk her teeth in, making it whimper in pain. Throwing it aside, she looked intensely at the others and attacked fiercely, slashing at them with her strong paws. She could feel her power surging through her claws, as she tore through their skin and made deep wounds like a wild beast .


    Unable to withstand the attack from both sides, one by one , the neotides fled back into the deep forests with deep wounds and gashes.


    When the fight was over, Adrianna turned towards her savior. As she walked towards the wolf, she shape shifted back. The grey wolf was looking at her intensely with cold eyes. Sensing the metallic taste in her mouth, she wiped her face with her sleeve. Slowly, she went near him. The giant wolf was only within an arm''s length. She extended her hand to feel him. He gave in and lowered his head, as she softly touched him. It felt warm and fuzzy.


    As she touched him, she tried to read its mind, but she was immediately blocked. She smiled through her cracked lips and fresh blood trickled out. The wolf in front of her licked her wounds.


    "Who are you?" she whispered.


    He turned and ran inside the jungle, leaving Adrianna stunned.

 Chapter 17 - We Are Going To The Creek

    Adrianna watched as the mysterious savior ran into the jungle and disappeared from her vision. She could still feel his warmth in her hands. She smiled and mounted her bike to go back home. Although she was still feeling weak, she felt goofy. Her smile turned into a face splitting grin, then a chuckle, and then into loud foolish laughter. She had forgotten all about her wounds, as they had started healing by the time she neared home.


    It was already 7PM by the time Adrianna reached the cottage. She parked her motorcycle only to find Ed waiting for her on the porch. She could feel his stare on her. With one hand on his waist and the other leaning on the porch''s wooden pillar, he glowered at her as she unhurriedly walked inside with her shopping bag in one hand and her helmet in the other.??


    "Where were you all this while?" he asked very angrily.


    "Okashi took me shopping," she replied, gently lifting up the shopping bag and showing it to him. "This is why I asked you to buy a cellphone so that I can communicate with you." She continued to prove her point that he indeed needed a cellphone for such situations even if they could communicate by thoughts.


    Ed breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Adri, I heard there was a neotide in the college today. That bothers me."


    "Oh yes Grandfather! I have to tell you all about that!" Adrianna said as she opened the door and entered the living room. She threw down her shopping bag on the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and grabbed a bacon sandwich from the kitchen before perching on the beanbag.


    Ed just shook his head as he collected her things and arranged them neatly on the dining table.


    Adrianna narrated to him the incidents of the day. Ed was horrified when he heard about how she had been surrounded by so many neotides, and goose bumps started to line his skin. He scolded her, "Adrianna, acting wisely when afraid and in the face of danger is a good thing, but you don''t have to show your bravery at each and every situation like this. You should have sped away from there and not have risked your life! There are so many ways to deal with the neotides; they are brainless creatures, fueled only by jealousy and useless rage. How can a girl like you waste your energy on neotides?"


    "Grandfather, there was no escape out. I couldn''t move from there; they had blocked all my escape routes. Besides, I did analyze the situation, and I acted with a lot of self-control," she replied, lying through her teeth. She had used her recently discovered magic, making her go weak, but she was afraid to mention it.


    "Who was the wolf that helped you?" he asked, knowing fully well that his granddaughter was hiding something. After all, he could read her mind unless she blocked him, and at that moment, she had been so excited that she wasn''t even aware of him prying inside her head.


    "I don''t know Grandfather�� After the fight, he vanished into the jungle��" she said as she pondered over it, feeling warm all over again.


    Ed narrowed his eyes and Adrianna felt a jolt. "Grandfather, stop trying to get in my head," she said angrily as she instantly blocked him.


    Ed''s concentration broke. He chuckled, and said, "The food is ready. Eat it before it gets cold."


    "Umm�� Okashi and Niiya will be here soon to pick me up. We are going to the creek��" she said sheepishly.


    Ed was visibly irritated, but he didn''t say anything. Adrianna was old enough to hang out with her peers alone. He was just worried about her safety.


    "How do we ensure that you are safe from the neotides this time?" he asked, warning her not to go.


    "There haven''t been any incidents in that area so far. I don''t think the neotides would even dare to go there. There are too many humans over there for them to expose their identity so easily," she answered.


    "Okay��" he replied. He then got up to go to his room. On his way, he told her, "Adri, buy me a cellphone tomorrow."


    Adrianna smiled, and went to her room to change for the creek.


    As she was changing, she remembered the incident in the fitting room. She could feel his eyes all over her body, making her feel numb again. She remembered his arctic blue eyes and how looking in those eyes made her feel the same soul-twisting happiness that she would feel from taking a walk alongside the lake in the middle of the jungle during the summers. Was she done for at that moment? Her heart had started pounding, her legs had become jelly, and her whole body had trembled with excitement and anxiety. She felt crazily drawn to him.


    She was looking at her reflection in the mirror when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw his reflection, as if he was gazing at her and touching her with his eyes. She turned her head, only to find that she was just imagining things. Feeling sad and anxious at the same time, Adrianna sulked and felt like crying again.


    Her thoughts were broken by a loud honking sound.

 Chapter 18 - The Creek (1)

    Hastily, Adrianna wore her dress and combed her hair. She rushed outside, picking up her black ballerina flat on way and slipping them on while walking to the car outside. She called out to tell Ed, who was in his bedroom, that she was leaving. Adrianna chuckled when she heard him growling at her for disturbing him.


    She ambled to the car as Okashi and Niiya watched her in admiration. Seeing Adrianna in a dress was such a rare occasion that Niiya had to take a photo and set it as his phone wallpaper. He couldn''t resist getting out of the car to go to her.??


    "You l-look mes-merizing A-Adrianna," he said, while stuttering. He, reached out for her hand, inviting a smirk from Okashi.


    With her long hair falling to her waist, it was the first time he had seen her dressed up. She looked gorgeous. Her petite face was surrounded by a glow as her long and slender legs carried her towards the car. He held out his hand to help her climb in the car, worrying that she might stumble in her dress. Adrianna sat in the front with Okashi while Niiya had to satisfy himself with sitting in the back because his stupid sister had insisted on driving.


    "Girl, you look beautiful! Why don''t you toss that wardrobe of yours into the jungle and let me buy you a new one?" said Okashi as she turned her father''s Porsche sports car onto the main road.


    Adrianna laughed heartily at Okashi''s suggestion. She couldn''t even imagine a life without denim. Niiya, on the other hand, was playing with Adrianna''s hair that had fallen to the side of the seat. They drove to the creek with Okashi teasing Niiya every now and then about his crush. Adrianna joined them, not knowing who they were talking about.


    "Niiya, did you meet your crush today?" asked Okashi with a smirk.


    "Hmm�� I did��" he answered, as he played with a strand of Adrianna''s hair.


    Okashi glanced in the back and noticed what he was doing. She teasingly said, "You know, in olden times, men would cut their girlfriend''s tresses and keep a lock in their possession as a sign of love. Often, they would keep them in their coat pockets or wrap them around their finger. Niiya, you should also do that."


    Startled at Okashi''s discovery, Niiya gritted his teeth and withdrew his hand from Adrianna''s hair. He hated when his sister meddled in his affairs that were related to Adrianna.


    "Okashi, drive the car nicely!" he chided, but Okashi just laughed.


    Adrianna also joined in on their joke. She said, "Niiya, I''ve got an idea. Why don''t we, that is, Okashi and me, set you up on a blind date?"


    "What the hell? Am I that old? I don''t need blind dates! I can find a girl for myself!" retorted Niiya.


    Then he added, "Why don''t you set up a date for Okashi? She hasn''t liked a single boy that has approached her."


    Now the entire conversation became focused on Okashi. "Well, I am waiting for someone who can sweep me off the floor."


    "What does that mean?" asked Adrianna.


    "He should literally be able to sweep me off the floor. You know, like those hulks with muscular arms and broad shoulders �C they are my dream come true!" she said unabashedly.


    Adrianna stared at her friend as her mind went back to him. There was a moment of strange silence amongst the friends.


    "Why are you staring at me?" asked Okashi, breaking the silence.


    "Because you talk too much Okashi!" replied Niiya, defending Adrianna. "Now drive the car carefully."


    Okashi turned her gaze back to the road as Adrianna returned to her sulking mode. Niiya looked for her strand of hair again and stroked it softly. He was actually contemplating cutting off a strand now. He chuckled inside and let out a breath of cool air. Tonight, he would ask her to go on a date with him. She looked so lovely in her dress that he was barely able to control his urge to hug her and kiss her. He had bent forward to kiss her hair when Okashi braked the car, making him crash into the front seat.


    "Okashi!" he shouted at her.


    She looked behind to find him rubbing his left eye. "That is what happens when you don''t wear your seat belt," said Okashi as she jumped out of the car. "We have reached our destination, you dreamy head!"


    Adrianna laughed at his situation and offered to help him. Feeling a slight pain, he had covered his eye with his hand. Adrianna looked at the effected spot and blew over the spot. Niiya forgot all about the pain, as he melted like ice cream on a hot summer day. He could feel something growing in his pants. Could it get any worse?


    "Niiya, there is a slight swelling. I hope they have ice. Wait here. Let me fetch some for you." Adrianna hurried towards the only beer counter she could see. She returned with ice cubes for Niiya, who held them against his swollen eye and walked like a jelly next to her until they reached where Okashi was standing.

 Chapter 19 - The Creek (2)

    Surrounded by a couple boys, Okashi stood out like a queen amongst them. She was being flanked by some girls who worshipped her like a queen, as they talked about how beautiful she looked in her red romper. Adrianna and Niiya walked up to the group looking meek, as both of them felt awkward. Slowly, they walked towards a small desolated camp, and sat down. Niiya''s swelling had subsided considerably and he had removed the ice pack. They were sitting in silence when a cute girl with brown ringlets approached Niiya. Adrianna recognized her as the girl from earlier who had been begging Niiya to write their play for them.


    She looked at Niiya with warm inviting eyes as if asking him to be with her. Adrianna could see that she was clearly smitten by him. She looked at Niiya who was finding it uncomfortable to be under her fan-girlish gaze. Adrianna waited for them to strike a conversation, but when none started, she encouraged, "Would you like to sit with us?"??


    The girl looked at her, slightly embarrassed now, and said, "No�� thank you." Then she turned to Niiya and continued, "Would you care for a dance with me?" She pointed with her thumb back to a group of boys and girls who were dancing to loud pop music on the dance floor a few meters away.


    "I am not much of a dancer," answered Niiya, not wanting to leave Adrianna alone even for a minute. He suspected that as soon as he left, someone else may try to court her.


    The girl''s face fell as she looked at Adrianna with resumed jealousy. "Just one dance �C that is all I ask," she coaxed him.


    "Yes Niiya, you should go. It''s just one dance," Adrianna added, helping to cajole him.


    The girl didn''t seem to want to back down, so he asked, "What is your name?"


    "I am Pryce."


    "Pryce, I can''t leave my friend here alone��" he answered. This was his last hope that she would leave him peacefully.


    Pryce looked crestfallen. She turned to return to her group of friends when she heard Adrianna saying, "Niiya, I am going to go grab something to eat. I will see you around." Pryce happily looked back and saw that Adrianna had left Niiya without so much as glancing back at him. Her hopes rekindled and she found her courage to stand there to ask him again, "Shall we?"


    Niiya sighed as he shook his head at Adrianna''s cute gesture and Pryce''s idiotic intervention. He got up to join her for a dance.


    Adrianna walked towards the stall where they were selling tuna fish sandwiches. She noticed that the place was quite popular as there was quite a crowd that had gathered over there. By the time she got to the front of the line, the shopkeeper''s inventory had drastically dwindled; she was lucky to get one.


    She picked up some mustard sauce from the sauce station. Adrianna was on her way back when her gaze fell on the dance floor. Niiya was dancing with Pryce who was trying to take some extremely suggestive steps. Niiya seemed uncomfortable and kept moved backwards, but Pryce would always catch up to him. Eventually, Niiya bumped into a tall man behind him and Adrianna laughed. She was in for a surprise because she recognized him once the man turned around. He was dancing with Keisha.


    He looked at Niiya with a domineering aura. Niiya said a courteous sorry and stepped away a little before Pryce pulled him even further away.


    Keisha was dancing along with him. She was practically hugging him with her hands on his back, digging into his muscles. They swayed together as the music blared loudly. It was as if only they were the only two on the dance floor.


    Adrianna stared at them without blinking her eyes. His expression was intense. His tall and extremely ripped body were prominent amongst all others, and he looked devilishly handsome. While Keisha was clinging onto him, he stole a gaze at Adrianna and caught her staring at him. Caught off-guard, Adrianna stumbled a bit and turned away to flee from the scene. She felt like a thief stealing a gaze at him. She ran back to the place where she was originally sitting. She didn''t realize until she felt her wet tears on her cheeks that she was severely affected.


    Her tuna sandwich was suddenly unappetizing. She wanted to throw it, but then her anger would be too obvious. Controlling her annoying attraction towards him, she wiped away her tears and bit into her sandwich. If she had known that they would be at the creek, she would have never stepped into the creek. She would never come here again. She cursed Okashi for bringing her here.


    She was so furious that she started trembling.

 Chapter 20 - The Creek (3)

    Adrianna looked away from the dance floor as she tried to focus on munching on her sandwich. She felt her emotions were foolish. Why was his proximity to Keisha hurting her so much? She picked up her phone to start searching for an answer to her feelings. Rather than answering her question, the Internet was full of questions, like, are you the one into it, is it one- sided, perhaps you are crazy, is it infatuation, etc.


    Adrianna was trying to figure out which best fitted her situation, when she heard a throaty voice speak, making her jump, "May I have a dance with you?"??


    She looked up to find him gazing at her intently. Their gaze locked and she found it difficult to look away. Words left her; her body rooted to the ground. She clutched her phone tightly as she stared at the most handsome man she had ever seen. Wearing a blue shirt and white denim jeans, he looked gorgeous, as his blue eyes watched her closely.


    She gulped as she tried to find her voice. Just as she was about to say something, someone called her, "Adrianna!"


    Her mind was so dazed that she couldn''t even decipher who was calling. She broke her gaze and she looked in the direction of the sound to see Niiya rapidly walking towards her. Niiya was staring intently at the man as he called out her name.


    Niiya walked close. Breathless and panting, he asked, "Adrianna, why don''t you join us for a dance?" When he saw a boy approaching her, Niiya had literally ran towards Adrianna, leaving behind a shocked Pryce. Niiya had placed his hands on his waist and was glaring at him as though he was warning him to back off his property. This was the second time he had to show this kind of behavior in front of this guy.


    But to Niiya''s disgust, he shamelessly continued to stand there looking at Adrianna, waiting for her to make a decision.


    Adrianna looked back at him and gave a lopsided smile. Turning her face to Niiya, she said, "Sure, let''s go," giving him her hand for him to pull her up.


    When she got up, she dusted her dress and lied, "Thank you, but I have promised Niiya." She then walked away majestically. She had to punish him.


    She finished her sandwich while walking to the dance floor with Niiya, leaving a very dissatisfied someone behind.


    She had done that to teach him a lesson, but she didn''t even know if he had any feelings towards her�� Would he even realize that she was punishing him?


    On the dance floor, the music was loud as all the people enjoyed themselves. She wanted to forget her riled up emotions , so she joined Niiya and Pryce in dancing. Okashi joined them after a while. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him dancing with Keisha who had her back turned towards them. She could feel that he was glaring at them.


    She felt happy to have declined him. Was it love? Infatuation? Hate? She believed that she definitely didn''t love him, but she didn''t hate him either. For if she hated him, then there must have been love at some point. Perhaps she should try to be indifferent to him.


    Adrianna stepped on the floor and happily started dancing with Niiya, Pryce and Okashi. She wanted to release her energy, and dancing helped. She had forgotten her negative emotions. She was dancing wildly, throwing her hands and legs in every direction, much to Niiya''s amusement. He laughed at her as her hair swayed around her whenever she moved her head. Everything stopped for Niiya, as he saw her in a new light. Her petite face was filled with laughter and brightness. Things started happening in slow motion for him as he absorbed her beauty.


    Meanwhile, Keisha tried to break his gaze , holding his face and making him look at her. His face was in her hands, but he still kept staring at Adrianna, his breath getting hot due to his anger which was rising by the second.


    His dark emotions were like salt each pinch adding to the pain and ruining his mood. He wanted to run to her and squeeze the breath out of her.


    Keisha embraced him tightly and twirled around so that his back was now facing them. She held him tightly as if coaxing him into subduing his anger, but all he wanted was to rip Niiya apart, limb by limb. He left Keisha and started going towards her when Keisha suddenly grabbed his hand and dragged him off the dance floor and out of the creek.

 Chapter 21 - I Don’t Need Anyone’s Protection!

    The party continued until the wee hours of the morning, but Adrianna left earlier with Okashi and Niiya. They dropped her off at the cottage at a little past midnight. Adrianna was extremely tired, both physically and mentally, after the day''s encounters. She changed and settled in her bed.


    As she lay there, she couldn''t help but think that nothing was easy in her life. She kept thinking of him. Melancholy setting in again, she tossed in her bed. She slept, disturbed by her thoughts, and dreamt of him.??


    In her sleep, she dreamt that someone was wrapping her comfortably in his arms. She felt warm and drifted off into a soundless sleep.


    She woke up fresh and happy in the morning. She danced the entire way to the bathroom and got dressed. She had put on loud jazz music, much to Ed''s chagrin, and kept singing and dancing like a star until she came out for breakfast where she met Ed''s glare.


    "What up with the loud music Adri?" he asked, serving her a club sandwich and orange juice.


    "Grandfather, I am feeling energized. We had a lot of fun yesterday at the creek," she said, biting a mouthful.


    Ed liked it when she was in a joyful mood. He played along and said, "Don''t tell me you want to go there again?"


    Even though he wanted her to go, he didn''t want to show that he was easy.


    "I will, if I get a chance. Besides, Okashi and Niiya may take me there again!" she said, pouting her lips.


    "Okay, okay! Have your breakfast!" he said, conceding to her demands knowingly. "But we need to work on your magic Adrianna. It''s been a long time since you have worked on it," he added.


    Adrianna lowered her head and said, "Yes Ggrandfather., I wanted to talk to you about something I have discovered I could do."


    Ed''s curiosity increased immediately. "Now what?" He thought. He was already struggling trying to teach her how to subdue her existing abilities, and a new one would just be more trouble. How long would she be able to suppress them? He was getting worried about her situation. He wanted to talk to the wizards to enlist their help in protecting her, because her pack wasn''t helping her at all. He wondered if it was better to marry her off to the Supreme Aalpha. At least she would be protected that way.


    "What is it this time Adri?" he asked as he ran his hands through his grey hair.


    "Grandfather, I think I can communicate with animals��" she said, her head still low. "But I am not sure��" She hid the fact that she could reach her inner pool and cause catastrophe. Even that needed to be controlled.


    Ed raised his eyebrows, knowing that she was hiding something. He would try probing her mind, but he knew that she had already blocked him.


    "Now, that''s new. I have never heard of that!" He had to have the wizards explain it to him first before he could teach her accordingly. Meanwhile, he had to tell Howard about it.


    Ed tapped the dining table with his fingers while looking at her intently. "When are your holidays starting Adri?" he asked.


    "There are no holidays until January��" she replied.


    "You know that it will take a few days before you are able to actually refine it, and who knows - it may take months to improve and perfect that skill," he said, making her understand what it took to make her magic flawless so that when she used it, she wouldn''t feel weak.


    "Yes Grandfather��" she said, reading his mind.


    "Adri, I will be out for a few days starting tomorrow, and you will be all alone. Why don''t you go back to your father''s place?" he added.


    Adrianna looked up at him, her mood souring quickly. "No! I won''t!" she snapped like an angry baby.


    She remembered there were only a few days left before the waning moon when the Supreme Alpha would come to their place. Her body revolted at the idea of marrying him.


    "I don''t want to leave you alone over here. It is dangerous," Ed tried to reason with his rebellious teenage granddaughter.


    "When are you returning?" she asked with a frown and a worried expression. She hated when Ed left her to go on long trips. She felt lonely and as though she had been abandoned by the only person who doted on her.


    "I will be out for about five days��" he replied, understanding her very well. Ed loved her a lot, but he had his work: keeping the peace between the humans and the other inhabitants of the world.


    He was on a secret committee that had been formed in order to keep the peace, and he was furious that more and more neotides had been emerging recently. He became scared when Adrianna was attacked by them and had called for an urgent meeting to discuss the situation.


    Going to her father''s place was best for her as she would be at least be under the protection of her pack.


    Adrianna became angry when she heard him. She shook her head, and picking up her bag, she ran out of the cottage, leaving her breakfast behind. While rushing out, she shouted, "I will not go back over there! I can stay here alone and protect myself! I don''t need anyone''s protection!"

 Chapter 22 - Being Curt

    Ed lowered his head at Adrianna''s protest. He didn''t know how to convince her, as he knew that no matter what he said, she would only rebel more. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to send her to her father''s place.


    Since college was in full swing, theoretically, it was better that she stayed at the cottage because of its proximity to the college, but it wasn''t a practical approach, as leaving her alone at the cottage would only result in her getting into danger. He wondered if he could ask Howard to watch over her for a few days.??


    Adrianna reached the college right on time for the first class to start. As usual, Niiya was waiting for her, but today he looked different he was smiling at her foolishly.


    Adrianna tilted her head to the side a little and asked with a frown, "Niiya, do I look like a clown? You are smiling so stupidly."


    Niiya laughed at her cute joke and replied, "Well, you always look like a clown."


    Adrianna puffed her cheeks and sat down beside him. "You are the one who looks like a clown," she said in a low tone after a while as the professor had started teaching.


    "Don''t tell me you couldn''t think of a retort just now.," Niiya laughed softly at her.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and felt like smacking his head, but she had to restrain herself.


    The professor heard their light banter and he pointed at the duo, "So, Adrianna, tell us about the applications of ionization enthalpy?" While asking, he had been walking and had reached their table.


    Adrianna was at a loss of words for she hadn''t listened to the professor. "Sorry Professor, I don''t know what you said..." she answered.


    Some girls started sniggering at her.


    "She is always talking."


    "She hardly comes to class, and leeches off Niiya''s notes all the time."


    "Niiya is too nice. He always looks out for her."


    "Had it not been for Niiya, she probably would have never even passed the internal exams."


    The professor started laughing, and said, "That''s why you should pay�C"


    "But, one can detect relative reactivity of metals through ionization potentials, and the lower the ionization potential, more reactive the metal," she replied before the professor could complete his sentence. "There are more applications though��"


    The professor stopped mid-sentence after he heard Adrianna, and became quiet after that. He walked back to his table and resumed teaching the class.


    Adrianna sat back in her chair, wondering if she had offended the professor. She decided to sit quietly in class for the next hour until the class was over.


    Once the class was over, they collected their notebooks and bags, and went outside. The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. They saw that Okashi was sitting on a stone bench under a tree waiting for them. As soon as she saw them, she shouted, "Hey! Twit! I am here."


    Niiya looked in her direction and threw his book at her for yelling ''twit'' so loudly. Okashi ducked, saying, "Why are you so riled up? I wasn''t calling you a twit!"


    Niiya gritted his teeth, much to Okashi''s amusement. She burst out laughing and handed each of them a lunch box that she had bought from the cafeteria.


    While eating Niiya said, "Adrianna, that was one great answer. When did you read about ionization potential? We have barely covered it in class."


    "I read about it when the professor started teaching about it ten days back. It''s not my fault that he goes on leave for such long breaks and thinks that his students are dumb," responded Adrianna with a shrug.


    Niiya smiled and continued to eat his noodles. Okashi seemed bored of their conversation, so to break it, she asked Adrianna, "Hey, who was that handsome dude who asked you for a dance?"


    Okashi was salivating at the thought of him.


    Adrianna felt a pang of jealousy all over again and didn''t answer Okashi. Okashi insisted., "Come on. Tell me, tell me. He is so hot. That is the kind of guy I am looking for!"


    Niiya hated to hear about it. He stopped eating and waited for Adrianna''s answer with a held breath.


    "I don''t know his name��" replied Adrianna rather curtly.


    Niiya was happy by her answer and he continued eating, whereas Okashi was a little offended, so she became quiet and ate her noodles in silence.


    Adrianna realized that she was being rude and didn''t know how to make it up to her friend. She finished her noodles and rose from her place. "How about some ice cream Okashi?" She extended her hand to help pull her up.


    Okashi''s smile returned, and she took her hand. As Niiya had also risen to accompany them, Adrianna said, "Sorry this is only for girls!" They walked away, leaving Niiya gaping.


    They left the cafeteria and headed for the admin block of the college to take a quick pitstop, as Okashi had to know about some discrepancy in her tuition fee. They walked across the garden and hopped over the fence in order to get to the main wing rather than taking the road. When they reached the entrance, they saw that there were quite a few girls gathered there, giggling and tittering away.

 Chapter 23 - The Commotion

    Adrianna and Okashi moved closer to see what the cause of the commotion was. Holding their ice creams, they stood behind the crowd. Adrianna was so busy wiping ice cream off her olive green shirt that she hadn''t noticed the source of the commotion. All of a sudden, Okashi shrieked. She nudged Adrianna, and pointed to the boy who was the cause of the commotion, saying, "Look! It''s my dream boy. He is so handsome. He could easily sweep me off the floor."


    Adrianna looked up and saw him again. He seemed to be enjoying all of the attention from the girls who were surrounding him. He was accompanied by Keisha and two more very handsome boys who were just as tall as he was. One of them had blue eyes and blonde curly hair that fell to his forehead, while the other one had straight black hair that was neatly combed back. Keisha was clinging to his arms while wearing a shift dress that accentuated her curves.??


    Adrianna was thrown off when she saw them in the administration wing. Why were they here? She also wondered how come she couldn''t pick up his smell. It was strange. Was something happening to her?


    So many girls surrounding someone in the administration wing had never happened before, but she had to admit that all four of them looked surreal. For a moment, even she had been mesmerized by their beautiful looks, but she had controlled herself and looked away.


    Meanwhile, Okashi, who was creating a lot of noise along with other girls, nudged Adrianna again. "Adrianna, he is so good looking. I am going to introduce myself. You wait right here!"


    "Okashi, no! Are you mad? Why are you stooping so low? You gave me a huge list on what to look for in a partner, and now look at you!" said Adrianna, trying to pull her away from there. She was already finding it too awkward to stay near him for even a minute longer.


    But Okashi pulled her hand away, and stepped inside the crowd, much to Adrianna''s embarrassment. Okashi pushed everyone aside and made a beeline to the blonde in the circle. She looked at him with adoration and said, "Hi, I am Okashi��"


    Adrianna gaped at her stupid friend for practically throwing herself at that boy. She was even more surprised when he held her hand and squeezed it hard, "Hi, I am Nate." He spoke to her as if he had become breathless just by looking at her.


    Adrianna sighed a breath of relief. All this time, she had been thinking that Okashi was crushing on him, but she had gone for the blonde guy. Then, she thought, "What is there to be relieved about? He already belongs to someone else." She was beginning to get confused with him around.


    Adrianna shook her head and was about to leave when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that he was gazing at her intently. Keisha become extremely jealous when she saw them look at each other, even if it had been just for a moment, and her brows knitted. Adrianna controlled her thoughts as she turned around and walked out of the building, leaving Okashi. She threw the ice cream in the trash can. She had suddenly lost her appetite.


    While exiting, she heard two girls talking. "They were just admitted into the college. All of them will be joining the humanities department."


    "That''s nice! There will finally be some spice in our mundane college," said the other one excitedly. "Which courses are they talking?"


    "I think they are all taking philosophy."


    "No��" The second girl''s face fell. "I am in history, and my wing is so far away��"


    "Well, you could always swing by the philosophy department whenever your classes are over," replied the first one before they both laughed.


    Adrianna was angry. She was just on the verge of controlling her emotions about him, and now they would be attending the same college. The situation was just getting better and better!


    She decided to stay as far away from the four of them as possible. The fact that they were philosophy majors meant that she would hardly interact with them anyways. Thinking that he was already with Keisha, she wanted to be in control of her emotions. She didn''t want to be labeled as that "cheating" girl.


    By now, Adrianna had walked a good distance away from the administration wing. She looked at her watch and was shocked to find that she only had five minutes left before the start of her next lecture. She sprinted to the wing and entered the classroom, only to find that the lecture had already begun.

 Chapter 24 - Pryce

    She looked for Niiya and found him sitting in the last row. Since there were no empty seats near him, she went and sat in the only seat available in the front row. The lecture was finished in a little over an hour and the students started leaving. However, the professor quickly stopped them and said, "The college will be entering the state level science exhibition. The top three projects from the college will be chosen to be displayed. Although I don''t expect any of you to be able to make a project that is good enough for the exhibition, since you are all freshmen, I am still supposed to tell you about the opportunity. So, in case you have a plan, or want to participate in the exhibition, you can discuss it with me. The project theme this year is antibacterial silver."


    Adrianna became immediately interested in the project when she heard about antibacterial silver. Silver was used to kill werewolves, and she wondered what applications it could have.??


    She had collected her bag and was exiting the classroom when Niiya caught up to her. "What took you so long?" he asked her, panting, as he had run after her when he saw that she was leaving in a hurry.


    "Okashi wanted to go to the administration wing to check some discrepancies in her tuition. However, we were caught up in a commotion and Okashi stayed there," replied Adrianna, her mind still on the project.


    "What commotion?" He prodded her to reveal more.


    Adrianna didn''t want to talk about them, so she just said,. "I don''t know Niiya��"


    Niiya saw her reluctance, and stayed quiet. He followed her out of the classroom, and into the garden. They looked for a place to sit down, but other students had already taken up most of the space, so they found a spot in the corner while they waited for the next class to start in an hour.


    Adrianna wasn''t in the mood to study anything at all. She was still brooding over the fact that he had joined the college and mulling over how she would avoid him, when her thoughts were broken by the a shrill voice. "Niiya!"


    Pryce had come to the chemistry wing and was waving at Niiya. Niiya pursed his lips and uttered in anger, "What is wrong with this girl? Why can''t she stay away? How do I tell her to not follow me?"


    Adrianna laughed and waved back at her. Niiya asked, "What are you doing? She will come over if you do that. Can''t you see I am avoiding her?"


    But it was too late. Encouraged, Pryce hopped over. "Hi Adrianna," she eagerly greeted while looking at Niiya.


    "I am Niiya.," Niiya then pointed at Adrianna to say, "She is Adrianna."


    Pryce nodded, wearing a foolish smile and her heart on her sleeve.


    "How are you Niiya? I wanted to talk to you about the play. I have written part of it and wanted to show you," said Pryce, eager to show him what she had written.


    Niiya sighed and cursed himself for getting dragged into it. He thought that he should have quit from the start.


    "Okay, what is it?" he asked, exasperated.


    Pryce started taking out her notes from the bag as she sat down close to him, almost touching him.


    Adrianna looked at them and smiled. She collected her bag and started to leave. "You guys catch up. I have some important work to do."


    "Where are you going?" asked Niiya, feeling unhappy. "Sit back and listen to the play."


    "I have to go look for the professor. I want to join the project."


    She left, waving a cute bye to them.


    Rather then going to the staffroom, Adrianna headed towards the secluded area where she had seen the neotide the other day. There were four people sitting over there, so it didn''t look as deserted. She chose a spot under a willow tree and sat beneath it. Tying her hair in a bun, she took out her notes and started reading.


    Not even ten minutes had passed, when she heard her phone buzzing. Seeing the familiar number, her lips curved and she picked up the phone, saying, "Hi Okashi! I thought you forgot about me."


    "Where are you?" asked Okashi, ignoring the sarcasm.


    "Wait, let me share my location with you. Come find me," said Adrianna, ending the call. She shared her location and waited for the hurricane that was ''Okashi''.


    Okashi was there within five minutes. "Adri!" she shouted from a distance.


    Adrianna looked up, and her expressions darkened. Okashi was coming over with the four of them in tow. Adrianna wanted to run away from there. This was the most awkward moment of her life. How could Okashi do this to her?

 Chapter 25 - Dmitri Volkov

    She saw him gazing at her with his eyes and found herself locked in a stare-down as he walked towards her. She could never back out from the intensity of his gaze. His gaze was so focused on her that she should have felt uncomfortable, but she didn''t even flinch a little. Instead, she met his cold stare boldly, and was trying to outstare him instead. Her wolf growled in warning, inviting an odd lip curl from him.


    "Adrianna, see who I have got with me," said Okashi when she reached her.??


    Adrianna didn''t get up from her place and said a meek "Hi" to all of them, much to Okashi''s discomfiture. She had bragged so much about Adrianna and had asked them to meet her, which they had surprisingly agreed to, and now she was behaving oddly. "What is wrong with this girl," she thought. Why can''t she be a little friendly?


    Nate observed Okashi''s discomfort, and said, "Can we sit here?"


    Adrianna, who was still reeling under the effect of the devil''s presence, managed to nod. Keisha on the other hand, was keenly observing her and held him tightly. They sat down together like a couple with Keisha sitting beside him.


    Once they were all settled, Okashi introduced them to Adrianna. "This is my friend Adrianna. She is a chemistry major." She paused, looked at Adrianna and pointed at each of them. "This is Nate, Liam, Keisha, and Dmitri."


    Before anyone could say anything, he looked at her and said, "Hi, I am Dmitri Volkov."


    Adrianna looked at him and replied, "Hi��"


    Her eyes went to his parted lips and his handsome jawline. She gulped. She turned her head away to avoid getting hurt seeing them together. All she wanted at that moment was to rip Keisha into pieces. Her wolf growled at her. Even though she had learnt to control her emotions very well, his close proximity was becoming difficult to bear. Was it possible that he was thinking the same about her?


    While Okashi continued to talk to Nate and Liam about the college, Adrianna had to force herself to sit down amongst them. She found it strange how her wolf wanted to connect with him at the basic level. It can''t be love, she convinced herself. To be in love, you had to spend time with the partner;, at least, that was what Okashi had told her. So was it lust? Or maybe passion? She looked at him again, and her eyes became watery, her mind falling back into an emotion she was beginning to get tired of. So what if it was love? So what if it was strong? Did it even matter? With Keisha around him, Dmitri would never take her. This stupid infatuation was just in her eyes. Her wolf was not agreeing with her.


    Was he here to brag about Keisha? She wanted to escapef this situation and run away from these emotions. She wondered how her life was slowly getting wrapped around a man who was already with someone. At the moment, she hated herself more than that she hated him. She just waited for all this to finish as soon as possible.


    Okashi had gone to grab coffee. When she returned with tray of coffee cups, she offered a cup to everyone except Adrianna. Adrianna shook her head at her friend, and smiled.


    "What are you doing Adrianna?" asked Keisha, picking up the paper cup.


    Adrianna thought, "Trying to mentally rip you in pieces," but she coughed and said, "I am sorry, I don''t understand."


    Keisha grew impatient, and said, "What major are you?"


    "Oh! I am a chemistry major," she replied uninterestedly.


    They heard Okashi giggling as Nate asked her a question, to which she answered, "My classes will be over by 4PM. You can drop me home."


    "What a coincidence! My classes will also be over by 4PM," he said.


    Okashi looked at him with admiration and her face reddened a little. Adrianna rolled her eyes.


    Then, she heard Dmitri addressing her with a slightly irritated tone.


    "Not going to have some coffee?" Dmitri asked Adrianna. His wolf was finding it difficult to restrain himself, not wanting to sit away from her. He was very furious about the fact that she wasn''t paying heed to him.


    "No, I don''t like it," she answered flatly.


    His mood went south. "What country do you live in? Who doesn''t drink coffee here?" he said, much to her surprise.


    Adrianna looked at him with disgust. "Having coffee has got nothing to do with habitat," she replied, equally as irritated, and again, turned her face away.


    Keisha laughed at Dmitri''s dark humor. She enjoyed it when he belittled people.


    Taking a sip from his cup, he narrowed his eyes and said sarcastically, "Well, let''s try to get along as we are going to the same college."


    Adrianna could sense his hostility, and with a contorted face said, "There''s no need. I am fine."


    "Don''t give me that look Adrianna. Here, have some coffee," he said, looking at her with grimace while offering her his cup. "Sharing the same cup will improve our friendship," he added. Then he looked at others and asked, "Don''t you think so?" Except Keisha, whose face had darkened, they all agreed with smiles.

 Chapter 26 - Showing His Displeasure

    However, he didn''t receive an answer. He had wanted to provoke her into talking to him, one way or the other, but nothing was working.


    His body was reacting to her in the most unsettling way. His fingers itched to touch her, stroke her hair, and play with those silky strands. He was dying to caress those cheeks. His primitive hunger was crushing him inside and churning emotions that were making his blood flow to the place between his legs. He was becoming uncomfortable by the second. Gazing at her made him crazy; what would happen if he touched her? All his life, he had been in self-control. No one could stir up feelings within him, not even Keisha. Keisha had shown a lot of interest in him and he had acknowledged her; she had fought so many wars with him that it was not easy for him to just overlook her. But ever since he had met Adrianna, he would lose his willpower whenever he was around her. Thinking about her and Niiya together was infuriating.??


    "A girl taking chemistry? Do you really plan on being a scientist?" he asked after a while as if looking down on her. "It must be hard on your brains," he teased.


    "A man taking philosophy? It can''t get more ridiculous," she answered. "There are tons of girls taking chemistry, but how many boys are there taking philosophy? Wait, let me count �C three?" she said, looking at the three of them.


    Nate and Liam''s faces fell. They looked like imps who were just accompanying their boss.


    Okashi was extremely embarrassed at her. Why couldn''t she pretend to be nice and friendly? She nudged Adrianna''s elbow and said quietly, "Adrianna, what is wrong with you? Please be nice to them."


    Adrianna grunted at her for putting her in this situation.


    "I think you lack hormones Adrianna," said Dmitri. "And the lack of hormones really shows in your overall personality," he added to further provoke her. "Why don''t you go to a doctor and get a checkup?"


    Adrianna fumed, and Okashi gaped at Dmitri with wide eyes. He was overstepping his boundaries!


    "Don''t worry, I can give you the number of a fantastic doctor who can help you improve your femininity," he continued to torture her verbally.


    He was furious with her for being with Niiya, avoiding him, and not understanding his intentions. He believed this was a great way to show his displeasure.


    Keisha''s uncontrollable laughter was like fuel to the fire. Nate and Liam remained tongue-tied as this was the first time they had seen Dmitri lose his temper at a girl for no reason. They were really at a loss of words. Nate looked at Okashi, feeling as if she was slipping from him before he could even get near her.


    "It seems to me, that you have been watching a lot of porn or playing around with too many girls," Adrianna answered acerbically, not backing down even once.


    "What the-"


    Before he could say anything, she raised her voice, and said, "Seems you have never been in a steady relationship."


    Dmitri became angry and rose to sit on his knees. With the coffee cup in one hand, he clenched his other hand into a fist and hit the ground asking, "Have you been in one?"


    His movement was so jerky that the coffee from the cup spilled over Adrianna''s shirt and onto her breasts.


    Everybody stared at the two of them.


    "I am sorry," said Dmitri, his anger dissipating immediately. He proceeded to take out a hanky from his pocket and started rubbing the stain on her shirt.


    Adrianna gaped at him as she saw him wipe her stain in inappropriate places. She clenched her fists, and in one swift move, swatted his hand violently enough to cause sprain. Dusting her hands, she walked away.

 Chapter 27 - They Were Being Watched

    Adrianna walked away feeling cathartic.


    Okashi was at her wits end about Adrianna''s reaction. She didn''t even know how to apologize for Adrianna''s actions to newly made group of friends. There was also the fact that this was the first group that she had reached out to ever since she had started college. Her standards were pretty high, and this group had met all her parameters perfectly. She inwardly cried as she cursed Adrianna for being so rude, but she also didn''t like the way Dmitri talked to Adrianna. Just yesterday night, he was asking her for a dance and today he was being acerbic. Just what was wrong with the two of them? Then, she shook her head, thinking that some people just don''t vibe well with each other.??


    "I am sorry on behalf of Adrianna, but Dmitri you overstepped your line. You can''t say things like that to my friend," said Okashi.


    Meanwhile, Dmitri was still reeling under the impact of Adrianna''s fist while Keisha attended to him. He was angry, but he was inwardly smiling at the same time. He was at least able to get some reaction out of her.


    Keisha was panicky about his state, and ordered Liam to fetch some ice from the cafeteria. Dmitri looked at Keisha and said, "There''s no need. I will be fine." He watched Adrianna as she sped away from the site.


    Okashi left them to go after Adrianna. Nate and Liam stood there sheepishly, pondering over the entire situation. There were some onlookers who were having a hard time controlling their laughter.


    "Adrianna, stop," shouted Okashi, running and catching up with her friend. Since when did Adrianna start walking so fast? Okashi panted as she joined her, and said, "Adrianna, are you mad? If he complains about this to the administration, you will be suspended from school."


    Adrianna kept walking and looking straight ahead. "Let that wuss complain. I am not bothered."


    Soon, they reached the place where Niiya and Pryce were sitting. Adrianna looked at her watch. She still had another fifteen minutes before her next lecture. Okashi, however, had to run to attend her lecture. Before leaving, she said, "We aren''t finished Adrianna."


    Adrianna just pretended as if she hadn''t heard her. When Niiya saw the coffee stain on her shirt, he raised his eyebrows. "How did that happen?" He would have killed the person who had dared do that to Adrianna.


    "Forget it��" she answered.


    Fifteen minutes later, they went to attend their next lecture. The classes were over by 4PM, and all of them were too tired to do anything. In the parking lot, Okashi was leaning against her car as she waited for Niiya.


    When she saw that Adrianna was walking with Niiya, as soon as they neared her, she impatiently said, "Adri, you must apologize Dmitri. I heard they are planning to corner you and teach you a lesson."


    "Oh really?" she replied. "Then let them bring it on!"


    Niiya''s suspicion rose. "Who are we talking about?" he asked sternly.


    "Didn''t your best friend tell you about the incident?" said Okashi sarcastically.


    "What incident?" Niiya grew impatient.


    Before Okashi could say anymore, she saw Nate coming towards them, and all her guards dropped; she became jelly, and her eyes became starry-eyed.


    "Can I drop you home?" he asked, only looking at her as if the others didn''t even exist.


    Okashi nodded her head like a bobblehead. She tossed the car keys at Niiya, and went away with Nate without a word, leaving the two gaping at her stupidity.


    Niiya shook his head and opened the car. He wanted to talk more about what had happened, he saw that Adrianna was already headed to her motorbike. Frustrated, he left without saying a word. "If she won''t say anything, I will not pester her," he thought as he left for home. But he was having a hard time controlling his anger. Did she meet that boy from the creek again? The mere thought made him anxious, and he decided to ask her out for a date as soon as possible.


    Adrianna reached the cottage within thirty minutes and went straight to her room. She didn''t acknowledge Ed who was sitting in the porch waiting for her to come home and go with him to the market to help him buy a new phone.


    Seeing her anger, Ed followed her, fearing that she had encountered neotides again.


    "Adrianna, since you haven''t bought me the cellphone, let''s go to the market together and buy one now," he prodded. As he was leaving the next day, he figured that this would the best way to communicate with her.


    Adrianna looked up at him and said, "Okay Grandfather, let me freshen up."


    Ed nodded. He went back to the porch, and Adrianna came out within the next ten minutes.


    They went to the market, and Ed chose the most basic phone for himself. Adrianna became hungry, so the two of them decided to have dinner at the market. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched.

 Chapter 28 - Reese

    They were being watched by a group of neotides who had been assigned to this job by Reese.


    Reese was the master of the neotides, and only answered to Vikra. She wasn''t a pureblood, but rather one of the first neotides to have joined Vikra''s army. Through years of practice, she had learned to control her desire to mindlessly attack humans. The purebloods could interact with human easily as controlling their desires was a natural trait to them.??


    However, there were moments when she would lose temper. When she heard that a group of ten neotides had attacked a pureblood without her permission, she had personally seen to it that they were mercilessly executed. She had ordered her men to rip their limbs one by one in front of the other neotides so that all of them understood what it meant to do things without her consent. The execution of each of them lasted fifteen minutes, with them getting dismembered into bits and pieces, and their loud screams filling the space. After the execution, Reese had reported back to Vikra who was resting atop a hill and watching them die. He liked the way Reese executed control over all the neotides. She had them in her hands, and he had her in his hands.


    Adrianna was the flavor of the season; he had to watch her. It had been reported to him that she had been able to ward off several neotides, but what he didn''t understand was how she could make their minds go numb�� That one part had attracted his attention, and he wanted to know more about her.


    ---


    While watching the two of them from a distance, the group''s head noticed a weird stranger at the same diner where Ed and Adrianna were eating. He was sitting two tables behind them, and reading a book. When the leader looked at him, the stranger looked back in such a way that it seemed as though he could kill them with a snap of his fingers at any moment.


    "That''s a wizard!" The leader of the neotide group shuddered, and averted his gaze. Their mission was just to keep an eye on Adrianna, not to attack her as what he thought that the wizard might be thinking. More than Reese, he was scared of the wizard.


    ---


    Adrianna and Ed left for home after dinner. At home, Ed packed his bags in preparation for his trip north. Going north was a difficult journey, and he had to pack appropriately. After shape shifting, he would be cruising the jungles and heading through dense forests, so he had to pack light.


    Ed had met Howard in the afternoon secretly without telling Adrianna. He wanted Howard''s help to cast a protection spell around the cottage at night, once he had left, in order to protect Adrianna. Thinking about that, he called Adrianna to his room, and urged her, "Adri, I will be going for five days, which means I will return in the evening of the sixth day. It is a very long time. Please go to your father''s place. I understand that you don''t like it, but it is essential. Child, I am only looking out for your protection. I will not be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you."


    But Adrianna was reluctant. She said, "Grandfather, please don''t worry. I can take care of myself." She could use her magic if anything untoward were to happen.


    Ed narrowed his eyes at her thoughts and said, "You will not use your magic when I am not around!"


    "What?" She asked him with surprise, immediately blocking him from her mind.


    "You will not use your magic when I am not around. That will only invite unnecessary trouble!" he replied in anger. He shuddered to think of what would happen if Vikra found out about her power and her potential while he wasn''t around. Ed felt all the more helpless.


    "Okay��" she said, puffing her cheeks.


    "Promise me that you will visit your father on the weekend," he insisted.


    "Okay��" All Ed got was another drab reply. "But why do you always insist that I visit him when you clearly know that they would be happy if I was not there?" she asked.


    Ed didn''t reply, and instead said, "Do as you are told, okay? Now, scram!"


    Adrianna left grumpily, and went back to her room. She changed into her pajamas and settled on her bed. She fiddled with her phone for some time. She was unable to sleep well after reflecting on the day''s events. She felt guilty for so violently swatting away Dmitri''s hand, that her eyes welled up again. There was a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. She felt hopeless about her emotions for him and how her wolf was forcing her to be with him. She was unable to sleep, plagued by dreams of him.


    She kept tossing and turning until she felt herself wrapped in someone''s warm embrace, drifting off into a soundless slumber.

 Chapter 29 - Leave Your Mark On Me

    Dmitri embraced her in his arms and watched her sleep soundly. He didn''t want to ever leave her.


    Over the days which he had known Adrianna, he had become more and more out of control. His wolf wanted to be with her crazily. His life had become miserable, and he had no clue as to what had changed so drastically. All he wanted was to stay near her no matter what.??


    He was the supreme alpha, and had acted very wisely all these years in order to keep so many packs under his control. He was always calm, in control, and someone people looked up to. His pack feared him, and no one had the guts to confront him, be it in his decisions or his physical ability. At a young age, he had showcased his ability to be their general, and as their general, he ruled with a cold aura. He was not there for show or to coddle people, but rather to be their leader, and he protected his pack, and all the other packs under him, with zeal.


    Strong and mature, he was a very level headed man who people relied upon. Others would often come to him for advice. Even chiefs of other packs would come seek advice from him.


    Many chiefs had offered their daughters to be his mate, but he had declined all of them. Keisha had supported him in his time of need, and with Keisha at his side, he had never felt the need to have another girl around him. Although he had never felt love or attraction for her, he was well aware of the fact that she loved him deeply.


    She had even once suggested mating with him. She said, "Dmitri, we have been friends for so long. I have been with you ever since you took over our pack and my father promised his unconditional alliance with you. It has been an honor to fight in so many battles with you.


    "Why don''t we seal this relationship between us and become mates for life? Marry me Dmitri. You will not find a person more loyal to you than I am. I have watched you over the years, and I know each and everything about you and your habits. I am emotionally involved in this relationship, and would love to seal it with a bond."


    Dmitri had been sitting in his study when Keisha had come to profess her feelings for him. He was not surprised at her disclosure, but he didn''t want to hurt her either.


    He replied, "Keisha, I am not ready for this mating. I am aware of your predicament, but this is something I take very seriously. It cannot promise you this kind of relationship. However, out of respect for you, I will try my best to think over the possibility of us mating. Please give me some time to understand and possibly reciprocate your feelings."


    Keisha felt a stab of pain. She was sad and miserable, but she didn''t have any option other than to wait for him.


    Dmitri had refused her only because he couldn''t accept her feelings at that point of time. He felt guilty because she was constantly selflessly dedicating herself to him, and would often suggest she marry someone else. He had even suggested that he would ensure that she is married to an affluent chief who would always take care of her, but she had refused his offer.


    One day when they were dining together, he had mentioned, "Keisha, there are many chiefs who have asked for your hand. If you are interested, I can accept one for you. I would be happy to assist you in selecting as well. Also, if you like, you can spend some time with each one of them. Who knows - maybe your mate is out there."


    Keisha loved him a lot and wanted to mate with him, so she stopped eating and looked up. She replied, "Dmitri, why don''t we mate? I want you to leave your mark on me��"


    Dmitri was repulsed by her suggestion. She wasn''t his true mate, so even if he had left his mark on her, he would never ever imprint.


    Imprinting was a tight bond between mates, and the process could not initiate unless there were very strong emotions involved. There were many wolves that had never imprinted and had waited hundreds of years to find their mates. When wolves imprinted, there had to be a lot of physical contact for them to start the process.


    Dmitri just shook his head, left his food unfinished, and walked away. He was not ready for her��


    The next day, a battle was announced between the blue and the red packs as Kuro refused to ally with Dmitri.


    Keisha fought bravely with him in the battle that ensued until the day she was injured by Adrianna. It was the first time he had seen Adrianna, and he was fascinated by her ability to churn so much wind energy around her. He didn''t know how, but he could break her force easily while all the other wolves couldn''t. When he looked at her for the first time, she was all bloody. But there was something about her that made him spellbound. He wasn''t able to move his gaze from her. He was brought back to reality when he heard Keisha growl as Adrianna thrust a knife in her. In a swift move, he forced Adrianna away to save Keisha.


    He could sense that she had been badly injured and felt a pang of pain. He mentally conveyed to everyone an order of retreat as he didn''t want her to be further injured. After carrying Keisha to the doctors and without attending to himself, he left in a hurry, much to Nate''s anger. He ran straight to Adrianna''s cottage where he desperately wanted to sit near her and see if she was okay.

 Chapter 30 - Will You Come With Me?

    Ever since he had seen Adrianna, his wolf had become restless to the point of going crazy.


    He felt weird about his illogical presence in front of her house, so he hid himself until it was dark and Ed had left. It was late in the night when he sat on the floor near her. He gazed at her face and held her fragile hand in his.??


    So this was the girl who had killed so many from his army? He wanted to hate her, but all he felt was an intense attraction towards her. He wanted to tame and possess her.


    He had spent the night with her, sitting in the same position in fear of disturbing her rest, The next day, he had his beta, Nate, send a message to her father, asking for her hand in marriage, and threatening another attack if not. He wanted to trap her in a way that she had nowhere to run but to him.


    From then on, he had started watching over her. He had become her stalker.


    That day when she had run away from home, he had gone to her house to see her, but she wasn''t there. He had to run away as Ed came out to investigate. He had also gone to see her when she had been deeply wounded. He had sat down on the floor the entire night, caressing her, because he couldn''t bear to see her so badly injured. He had reluctantly left just before the break of dawn.


    After that, he would visit her whenever he had time. He would watch her sleeping in her room. One day, when she wasn''t able to sleep well and was clearly disturbed, he couldn''t resist, and went to lie down beside her. He had embraced her, and watched her fall asleep peacefully in his arms.


    He would continue watching her beautiful face and stroking her hair even after she was asleep. He had visited her three nights in a row now. It was becoming impossible for him to sleep anywhere else. His primal attraction was clouding his judgment. He had tried to stay away from her for two days, but by the end of it, he had become irritable and unbalanced, and had even attacked his beta, Nate.


    Yes, he was going crazy.


    He had joined the college to keep a watch on her, to protect her, and to be with her. But he wasn''t sure whether Adrianna was his real mate or not, whether she liked him or not, and whether she felt the same about him as he did about her? All those questions needed an answer.


    That day when he saw her with Niiya at the creek, he had wanted to kill Niiya. Had it not been for Keisha, he would have done so.


    He wanted to take his chances with Adrianna. Otherwise, he would become akin to a wild animal.


    He had to express himself properly. Otherwise, Niiya might win. Thinking of that possibility made a shiver run down his spine.


    That night, as he embraced her in his arms, he smelled her neck and thought to himself that tomorrow, he would apologize to her and ask her out. Her smell was intoxicating. He wanted to bathe in it. "Be mine Adrianna," he whispered. Slowly, he slumbered off.


    Adrianna woke up the next morning only to find that Ed had already left. She became sad, and after dressing up, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself.


    When she got to the kitchen, she found a note stuck to the fridge.


    "There is a lot of food in the refrigerator. Warm it up before eating.


    - Ed."


    She smiled, and her mood lifted. Her grandfather had made food for her so that she wouldn''t starve.


    Adrianna reached the college ten minutes before her first class, and skipped into the lecture hall happily. She saw Niiya sitting in their usual place, and she approached him with confidence.


    "You look happy Adri," he said, feeling a little sad.


    "Yes I am," she replied as she took out her notebook and a pencil from her bag.


    She looked at him again, and using the pencil to trace his forehead and his nose, she pressed it against his cheek saying, "Why are you so sad Niiya?"


    "I don''t want you to go near that new fellow who has just joined the college," he said gruffly.


    "I don''t want to anyways," she replied as if that was a ridiculous option.


    Niiya''s mood lifted and he continued. "Adri?"


    "Hmm?" She looked at him.


    His nerves rose and his knees became jelly, but he somehow garnered enough courage and asked her, "Adri, I would like to take you out for coffee in the evening. Will you come with me?"

 Chapter 31 - At Library

    Adrianna looked at him with surprise. She didn''t know how to answer his question. Was he asking her out on a date? She bit her lower lip and looked forwards, stunned. This was out of the blue! She gathered herself, and replied, "Niiya�� I don''t know�� I mean, I have never looked at you like that�� but I wouldn''t mind giving it a try��"


    Suddenly, she felt awkward sitting right next to him. Her face became slightly more red, which Niiya immediately noticed. He smiled, and held her hand beneath the table. He said, "Thank you for giving me a chance."??


    Adrianna smiled at him. For the entire class, all she could think about was that she owed it to Niiya for being so patient with her and helping her in numerous ways. At the same time, her wolf was against her idea. It was growling at her for making the wrong decision. She wanted to run wild. She wanted to be with Dmitri. But he was being such a jerk that she became angry at the thought of him.


    Why was he so rude to her? Did he want to show off in front of Keisha? But why did he need to be so acerbic?


    She shrugged, and shirked those thoughts from her mind. She had to focus her attention on Niiya who had only been nice to her. He was an ideal partner. So what if he was human? She could live with that. And when the time was right, she would tell him the truth.


    She was trying to convince herself to be with Niiya, but her wolf was convincing her otherwise.


    She was split between two people: one who looked after her and cared for her, and another who only gave her pain.


    Because she couldn''t focus in class, when she left, she asked Niiya to give his notes to her, but she found that even he hadn''t written anything. As a matter of fact, Niiya was flushing as he looked at her with a foolish grin on his face. She twisted her lips to one side, and asked, "Why are you grinning Niiya?"


    He just gazed at her as if he was love-struck, and said, "Mhmm��?"


    Adrianna frowned, and asked, "Why didn''t you take notes?"


    Niiya blushed further. "I wasn''t focusing on the class��"


    Adrianna shook her head, and said, "Now who do we ask to give us the notes?"


    "You don''t have to. I will read the chapter and make notes for you," said Niiya.


    Adrianna looked at him, and had an urge to wipe that foolish grin off his face.


    They found a place under a tree, and sat down. As Adrianna dug into her bag to find her other notebook, she remembered that she had to go to the library to return her book.


    "I have to go to the library Niiya. I will take my time to find another book. I will meet you during our next class.


    "Okay. I will come with you," said Niiya as he also started getting up.


    Their conversation was interrupted by a familiar shrill voice. "Niiya!"


    Pryce was here.


    Niiya was disgusted to see her again. He had started to leave, when she came running over and tugged at his shirt. She said, "Niiya, I need your help please."


    Niiya tried to release his shirt from her grasp. He asked, "With what?"


    "The principal has asked us to start a new drama club, and we have to recruit people. Can you please help us in recruiting?" she asked with bunny eyes.


    Adrianna laughed as Niiya watched Pryce, totally appalled by her. Adrianna said, "Yes Niiya, you must help her. We will meet later for our next class."


    "But I don''t want to help," he told Pryce directly.


    Pryce looked as though she would almost burst out crying. She said, "I promised my professor that I would bring you in to help us recruit people. Please Niiya��"


    Niiya wanted to hold Pryce''s shoulders and shake her so vigorously that all her ideas would thrust out of her mind. She was really annoying him.


    Before he could say anything else, she was already dragging him away, and Adrianna had already headed to the library.


    Adrianna went to the chemistry wing of the library, and had started searching for her book when she heard someone giggling from behind the shelf she was standing in front of. Peeping a little over to the other side, she found Okashi talking to someone on the phone.


    Adrianna entered Okashi''s aisle, and poked her on her shoulders. Okashi stopped in the middle of the aisle, and said to the phone, "I have to go. Will meet you after class," before ending the call.


    "Where have you been Okashi?" asked Adrianna in a hushed tone.


    Okashi looked at her friend, and she asked, "Did Niiya ask you yet?"


    Adrianna lowered her face as she bit her lip and nodded.


    Okashi''s lips curved into a face splitting grin. Excitedly, she clasped her hands and shrieked, "Ohhh! I am so happy for you!"


    Adrianna looked away. She wasn''t feeling excited at all.


    "Nate and I are also going out for a date. Why don''t you join us?" she asked.


    Adrianna, again, just shrugged, "Ask Niiya. I am okay with anything."


    Okashi hugged her, inviting glares from other students who were using the library, because she was being too loud. She left the library first, leaving Adrianna to look for her inorganic chemistry book.

 Chapter 32 - The Date (1)

    Adrianna left the library to attend her lecture. Niiya was already there waiting for her as usual. When she went to sit beside him, he said, "I will pick you up from your place at 8PM."


    Adrianna looked down at her hands. She wondered why she was even going out with Niiya. Her wolf was already angry at her decision. She nodded and focused on the lecture ahead. The professor was teaching about weak chemical forces.??


    The professor continued teaching for another hour before ending class. All the students were so exhausted and hungry by then that they rushed out of the class.


    Adrianna and Niiya went to the cafeteria together, and found that Okashi was sitting with Dmitri and his group. Dmitri looked at Adrianna with a look that could kill if possible.


    She turned her gaze away, and bought her lunch over to their table. She sat down with Niiya in the vacant chairs furthest away from them. She busied herself eating lunch and started chatting with Niiya about their latest lectures, forgetting about their presence.


    When Pryce got to the cafeteria, she immediately spotted Niiya. After buying her lunch, Pryce made a beeline towards him and sat down with them without even asking for permission.


    "Niiyaaaa! How are you?" she asked excitedly.


    "We just met two hours back. I haven''t grown horns on my head!" he replied.


    She missed his sarcasm, and giggled. "Niiya, you are so funny!"


    Niiya ignored her and continued chatting with Adrianna, which made her jealous. Although she didn''t show that she was jealous and looked calm on the outside, inside, she was furiously devising plans to remove Niiya from Adrianna''s grasp.


    As they had to attend their lab class, the duo left her eating in the cafeteria. They had back-to-back classes that day. By the time it was 4PM, they were tired. When they went to the parking lot, Niiya reminded her that he would be coming to pick her up at 8PM.


    Adrianna reached the cottage in less than thirty minutes. She was so tired that she didn''t even take a shower, and just crashed on the bed. She woke up at 7PM and thought of getting ready for the evening. Somehow, she dragged herself from the bed and took a shower. She dressed up in a white chiffon skirt and a blue blouse that accentuated her lithe body. She applied a light lip balm, and tied her hair in a messy bun. She was ready in less than an hour, and to her surprise, Niiya came early to pick her up.


    When he saw her coming out, he let out a soft whistle. Unstrapping himself from his seat, he jumped out to open the door for her. They drove to the town''s only elite restaurant where he had made reservations.


    When she entered the restaurant, to her surprise, she saw Dmitri and Keisha sitting together at a table, directly across from Okashi and Nate!


    She bit her lower lip as she could feel that this would end badly. Although her face showed dissatisfaction, her inner wolf loved it; it was pushing her in his direction.


    Niiya on the other hand, had a sour taste in his mouth. From where had these two come from? He wanted to scold Okashi for being such an idiot so as to invite Keisha and Dmitri.


    Okashi waved at them and gestured them to join the group. Niiya gritted his teeth. He held Adrianna''s hand, and walked over to them. Niiya sat diagonally opposite to all of them, and Adrianna sat as far away from Dmitri as possible.


    There was an awkward silence which was broken by Okashi. "What will you all have? Let us order some dinner, and then we can comfortably chat with each other?"

 Chapter 33 - The Date (2)

    The dinner was ordered. Adrianna saw that Keisha had ordered for Dmitri, making her wolf so jealous that she clenched her fists. He was doing that on purpose.


    Nate and Okashi were chatting enthusiastically while the rest of them, except for Dmitri, were feeling uncomfortable in each other''s presence.??


    "Let''s celebrate," said Dmitri. He waved to a waiter and asked him to get a bottle of wine.


    "Please get the most expensive wine in your cellar. We are celebrating here."


    The waiter nodded with a polite smile and came back in a few minutes with a bottle of red wine.


    Dmitri personally poured the wine into glasses for all of them.


    "Cheers," he said, raising the glass. Okashi and Nate happily toasted while Niiya, Keisha and Adrianna were barely courteous. While they were having their wine, the dinner arrived. The conversation was so minimal that Niiya felt stifled. He could feel Dmitri''s glare, and he didn''t like it. The way Dmitri was glaring at him seemed as if he would eat him alive.


    Adrianna had never had wine in her life. She looked at Keisha and saw that she was gulping it, so she did the same. She quickly downed the first glass and found Dmitri pouring her another glass. She picked up her glass and decided to go slow with it, because the first one had made her throat and stomach burn.


    Niiya chided, "You need to have that slowly!" This was not his idea of date. It was getting ruined because of his sister. He thought of excusing himself and Adrianna as soon as the dinner was over, however, Niiya felt sleepy. Adrianna was on her third glass by then, and was already giggling and making funny noises.


    Keisha looked at her in disdain.


    It took exactly twenty minutes for Niiya to pass out after having his first glass of wine. Okashi was bewildered at her brother''s low tolerance for wine.


    "You should take him home as soon as possible," said Dmitri, looking at the nervous Okashi.


    She nodded and got up saying, "I am sorry Nate. This was ruined because of Niiya. Could you please help me get Niiya into the car?"


    "Yes, of course," said Nate.


    Nate picked up Niiya and went outside, followed by Keisha.


    Adrianna was not able to get up from her seat. She was giggling away. She looked at Dmitri and said, "Where have they all gone? Has Niiya passed out? We were on a date." She laughed uncontrollably.


    Dmitri came to her side, and pulled her up. She was feeling so weak in the knees that she was unable to get up. She lost her balance and fell onto his chest, her head lolling. Dmitri wrapped his arms around her and softly whispered, "You are not allowed to go on a date with anyone."


    She smelled him and felt warm. She looked up at him again and said, "Dmitri, I hate you," before she started giggling again.


    Dmitri stared into her droopy eyes, getting intoxicated by them. He then picked her up and lugged her onto his shoulders before carrying her outside.


    He saw Keisha and Nate waiting for him. "Nate, take Keisha back. I will drop Adrianna home before heading back."


    Keisha was so jealous that she clenched her fist and gave Dmitri an angry glare, but he wasn''t even paying attention.


    He carried the giggling Adrianna to his car.


    While on his shoulders, Adrianna said, "Put me down." And when he didn''t, she swatted his hips with a loose hand. Dmitri''s blood rushed to his member, making it difficult for him to walk. He slapped her back saying, "Behave, or I will spank you harder!"


    Adrianna giggled and hit him back. Thankfully, they had reached the car where he strapped her into the passenger seat.


    He smiled, and drove the car to her cottage. His plan had worked perfectly. Not only was he successful in drugging Niiya, but he was also successful in getting his Adrianna back.

 Chapter 34 - To The North

    Ed had shape shifted and started running in the morning. He had to run through deep and dark forests to get to the north. He had informed Howard about his visit, and Howard had informed him of the difficult path to the north.


    As he entered a dense area of the jungle, the sky almost completely vanished. Only a few fragments of the sky could be seen as if they formed a jigsaw puzzle. The ground was damp and the fresh fragrance of the leaves lingered. It seemed that the rain had wet the ground a few hours before, making the soil wet and covering the forest in heavy fog. He ran across at a high-speed, hearing only the sound of his paws treading and the cracking of twigs beneath his paws. There was fear lingering in the air�� He had no clue as to what laid ahead. The chill increased, and he kept moving forward.??


    Howard had told him that as he headed deeper into the forest, he better not react or talk to anything or anyone. He should remain focused on treading ahead. The forest was charmed. It had beasts and trees that talked. There were beasts that had fallen to its charm, and they would trick passersby into talking to them. If the people who traversed through that area talked to them, they would also get sucked into that world and never be able to leave it.


    Ed could hear voices closeby, someone was whispering. As he got closer to the sound, he found that some trees were chatting with each other. Amused, he slowed his pace and looked at them. However, as he walked along, they became silent. He didn''t stop and kept walking. The jungle was becoming more mystical with every step. He followed the path traced by Howard. He remembered that it would soon become dark, so he increased his speed.


    He must have run a few miles when all of a sudden, a strange creature came in front of him, making him break his run. His paws slid into the ground and he almost tumbled.


    The strange creature with a deer''s body and a bird''s face talked. "Ed, take me with you. I want to come with you to the north. I will serve you as your loyal servant��"


    Its voice was so enticing that Ed looked at him with wide eyes. He was about to open his mouth to say something when a twig from above fell on his head, making him snap out of that charm. He looked back at the now crying creature, but he simply walked away.


    As he walked, suddenly, a voice came from below�� It was an old hedgehog that was laying down with its body curled. It murmured, "Hello Ed."


    Ed quickly realized that this area was the trickiest part of the forest and that he had to be careful. Without thinking much, Ed ran out of that part, ignoring all the cries and pleas of the creatures in the jungle who wanted him to take them with him. Some welcomed him while some swore at him. He must have traversed through that part for an hour before he arrived at the hilly area. He felt relieved and smiled at his small victory of willpower.


    He had embarked on this journey with a destination. He was curious to meet the council members.


    The hills turned into mountains and he started climbing them. He wasn''t as adroit as he was in his young age, so he climbed them carefully, keeping each paw in safe place. The mountainous path grew wide and the soil became soft. The path became narrow during the rocky passes. There were places where there was barely any path, just lichens, fungi, and some dirt. But it all led upwards to the north, the only destination he had in mind.


    Soon, he reached a high altitude, after which he would encounter only snow-covered peaks. The chill had gotten even colder. He grew tired, and had to find a cave to take refuge. As he traveled further, he saw a very dim light far away atop a peak. Curious, he turned in that direction, detouring a little.

 Chapter 35 - The Cave

    By the time he reached the peak, he was very tired and hungry. As he went near it, the dim light became brighter. He soon found that it was a cave which was guarded with a heavy wooden door. Thick bushes and some fallen rocks on the side of the entrance obscured the door. Ivy wound around the cave and hid the entrance. Through fissures, he could hear water running somewhere beside the cave. Perhaps the water was feeding the springs in the forest he had just left behind. The cave was looking like a travelers inn.


    He shape shifted back into a human and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, a werewolf opened the door. It was an old werewolf in front of him. He was not in his human form. When he saw Ed, he growled.??


    "What do you want?" asked the old werewolf.


    "I am a traveler going north and I was looking for a place to stay. When I saw the lights coming from your cave, I turned towards this side. Do you have any place to stay?" asked Ed.


    The werewolf growled again and let him in. Ed entered the cave with a smile, wondering what was that old werewolf doing in deep dark forests in the middle of nowhere.


    Ed greeted him politely and walked inside. Inside, it was dim. There were only two small fires burning in the corner. The cave looked neat with a few stalagmites hanging above them �C the stalagmites appeared rounded, irregular, and concave-shaped. The walls were stone, and were shining as there was nothing growing on them. There was a small woven mat made out of dried grass in the far corner and a roasting pot near it.


    Ed could see a strange beast sitting and yawning in the background. He was shocked when he saw that this was the same beast he had come across the charmed forest. Scared that he had entered the charm of the forest, he turned around to look at the werewolf with questions in his eyes.


    The old werewolf growled again and said, "There is no need to worry. That is my pet, Mun. He is also my guard, and has been keeping an eye on you ever since you entered the enchanted jungle."


    Ed breathed a sigh of relief and didn''t say another word.


    As he walked further in, he came across another opening which was again guarded by a wooden door. Soon, he realized that there were four such openings. He admired the upkeep of the place and wondered if the cave even received guests.


    His thoughts were broken when the old werewolf said, "You can stay in the cave at the far end."


    Ed bowed and opened the door of the room. As he walked inside, the old werewolf called, "Dinner will be ready in half an hour."


    Ed smiled and felt the warmth inside. There was a small fire in the corner which kept the temperature under control. There was a small window which opened out. He peeped out to see that there was a deep valley right beneath it.


    There was a neat bed made from dried grass. He shook his head at the thought of his own comfortable bed in his cottage. Tired, he laid down on the bed and let his body bathe in the warmth of the fire.


    Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he heard the old werewolf coughing loudly. He got up immediately and went outside. He was pleased to see that the dinner was ready. The old werewolf was feeding Mun and eating from the same piece of meat.


    Ed sat down and started eating. Over the meal, he asked, "How much do I have to pay for this?"


    "I will let you know," came the answer.


    "What is your name? How come you have an inn in this sort of place?" he asked out of curiosity.


    "Oh, formal introductions!" The old werewolf shook his head and continued, "I am Grant. My herd abandoned me some 150 years back, and since then, I have been living here. Now don''t ask me how I came here," he paused. "The usual guests of this inn are wizards and witches that fly from the north and are looking for a place to rest."


    Ed was getting intrigued and wanted to ask more but he refrained. He ate his dinner quietly and left. He had to conserve his energy for the next day to travel to meet the council, and he knew that the journey would be all the more difficult.

 Chapter 36 - They Slept…

    Dmitri strapped Adrianna into the car. She couldn''t stop giggling. All through the journey back to the cottage, she had been talking nonsense.


    "Tomorrow is Saturday, and I will not go!??


    "I will not go, that''s it! I will stay in my home," she thumped her foot.


    Dmitri looked at her and asked, "Where will you not go Adrianna?"


    Adrianna looked at him with her droopy eyes that were now slightly red. She said, "To my father''s home."


    "Why?"


    "I don''t like them. All of them hate me," she said gloomily and started crying like a baby.


    Dmitri took out his handkerchief and gave it to her. He patted her head and said, "Don''t go if you don''t want to."


    She looked at him again and said, "Dmitri, you fool! You don''t know anything. My grandfather made me promise that I have to visit my father and stay there for two days."


    "Well, then you should go Adrianna��" he said.


    Her cries got louder. "I feel stifled there."


    Dmitri hated to see her cry. He sped the car in order to reach the cottage as soon as possible. He parked the car in front of the cottage and rushed to Adrianna''s side to help her out. She stumbled out of the car right onto him. Instead of holding her hand, Dmitri picked her up and carried her inside.


    He had planned to drug Niiya, but he didn''t know that Adrianna would end up drinking so much.


    She circled her arms around his neck and held him loosely as her head kept lolling on his chest and arm.


    He placed her softly on her bed. Looking down at her, he looked into her tired hazy eyes. He removed her hair from her face and stroked her cheeks. She placed her hand on his thighs and tried to stare at him but couldn''t. Dmitri stroked her hair softly to lull her to sleep. He traced her nose and her lips that were just as red as the wine she had just had. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavy. Unable to resist the girl in front of him, Dmitri kissed her on her cheeks. This was the first time he had kissed her, and it was enchanting. She had played hard to get, and yet, now she was so vulnerable in front of him. He had an urge to make love with her, but he knew that it had to be consensual and not out of lust. He closed his eyes again and kissed her on her cheeks that were as soft as petals. His insides twirled as all the blood ran in between his thighs.


    No one had ever been able to have this effect on him.


    He watched her drift into deep slumber. Then, he removed his shoes and went to lie beside her. As usual, he curled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him so that he could spoon her. He smelled her neck and whispered softly, "Adrianna, don''t make me wait too long. My wolf is becoming crazier by the minute."


    They slept��


    A spell was cast around the cottage at night. No one could enter the area within twenty meters of the cottage. And if they tried to enter, they would be fried.


    The next day, Adrianna woke up late at 11AM and felt like puking in addition to having a severe headache. She ran to the bathroom and retched. Feeling a bit better, she took a long shower and returned with a towel wrapped around her. All of a sudden, she heard the clinking of utensils in the kitchen. She became vigilant and slowly walked towards the kitchen to take the intruder down. She saw the back of a tall, burly man with broad shoulders making breakfast. He was dressed only in pants. Adrianna gaped at the thick black hair below his ears and his bare ripped muscles. Muscles rippled across every part of his body. With sun-kissed skin, he looked like a seasoned warrior. She had never seen a man with those features, but she knew, without a doubt, that he was Dmitri.

 Chapter 37 - The Breakfast

    He was the man of any girl''s dreams. With smooth flawless skin like that of marble, he looked like Adonis.


    Adrianna shockingly gazed at him. She knitted her brows. What was he doing here???


    Dmitri smiled while making breakfast, and without turning, he said, "Good morning Adrianna." He flipped the egg in the frying pan, and turned to find her wrapped a white towel.


    "You are tempting me in that outfit of yours," he said, pointing at her towel. "It seems you really are attracted to me."


    Adrianna became angry as her face flushed red. She crossed her chest with her arms, and ran back inside, inviting Dmitri''s throaty laughter.


    When she went back to her bedroom, she saw Dmitri''s shirt lying on her bed. Feeling embarrassed, she had to ask him about yesterday. She remembered Niiya passing out after having wine, but after that, she had a faint memory. She decided never to have wine in the future.


    She put on denim shorts, a white shirt, and went outside to confront him.


    When she got out, breakfast was already ready and laid out on the table. She sat down in the chair near Dmitri. "Thank you for breakfast."


    Dmitri nodded with a smile as he pointed with his chin to indicate that she should eat it.


    Adrianna''s anger had subsided a little. She asked, "Did you sleep in my bedroom yesterday?"


    Dmitri nodded again. This time he looked very somber.


    "Did something happen between us?" she prodded, scared that he had taken advantage of her in her drunken state.


    "What do you think could happen between us Adrianna?" he asked, eating a mouthful of hash browns.


    Adrianna blushed and said, "Your shirt is lying on my bed. What can I expect?"


    Dmitri stopped eating, looked at her, and said, "Look at you, going all red."


    "Tell me!" she shouted.


    "Nothing happened, okay?" he answered with a smirk.


    "Dmitri, you are with Keisha. I am sorry but I don''t want to be labeled as the third wheel in a relationship," she said with a gloomy expression. "I hope she doesn''t misunderstand��"


    "Plus how dare you sleep in the same bed as me!" she roared at him after pausing a little.


    "Keisha and Nate left the restaurant after Okashi took Niiya back home. I had to bring you here. After I had put you to bed, I wanted to go away, but I couldn''t. There was an electric force right outside your house, which won''t let anyone enter or leave the premises, so I had to stay back," said Dmitri.


    He wasn''t ashamed that he had lied about the fact that he wanted to go, but he wasn''t lying about the electric field that had been generated around the house.


    Adrianna looked at him and said, "What a liar! We don''t have any electric field around the house!"


    Dmitri chortled as he continued eating his breakfast. He shrugged. "It''s okay if you don''t want to believe me, but then why do you think I stayed?"


    His question made her blush further as she stared into his black eyes, making her feel as if she could immerse herself in the depths of his eyes. Her wolf growled again, prodding her to take that man down then and there, but she couldn''t show her emotions on the outside. It was agonizing to be in front of him. Why wasn''t he wearing his shirt?


    She disengaged the war of gazes and focused on the food in front of her. Angrily, she dug the fork into the eggs and ate them. Her protective shield around her heart was up again. She couldn''t let him see her inner feelings.


    "You are impossible Dmitri Volkov!" she replied, irritated. "Please go and wear your shirt!"


    Dmitri laughed again. He was having fun teasing her. He remembered what she had said last night �C about going to her father''s place.


    "What are your plans for the weekend Adrianna?" he asked, not revealing that he already knew.


    "I will be visiting my father''s place," she answered with a sad expression.


    "I can drop you off there. If you''d like," he offered.


    "No, thanks. I can get there myself. I have my motorbike," she declined his offer.


    Dmitri pursed his lips. He really wanted to spend the day with her in one way or the other, but she was trying to slip away. Dejected, he lowered his head and said, "Okay��"

 Chapter 38 - Are You Affected By Me?

    They continued quietly having breakfast, each absorbed in their own thoughts about the things they had to do that day. But both of them didn''t want to leave each other''s side. They prolonged eating the meal in front of them by chewing it more than required.


    Dmitri still hadn''t worn his shirt, which was distracting Adrianna immensely. After they had finished breakfast, she reminded him, "Dmitri, wear your shirt!"??


    Dmitri walked towards her making her step backwards. He kept doing that until her back hit the wall and she had to stop. He put his hands on the wall, blocking her movement, and came dangerously close to her. His face was just an inch away from her. He said, "Are you affected by me?"


    Adrianna lost her voice. She shook her head gently as she looked into his eyes. Her wolf was losing control. She wanted to bite him on his shoulder. "I could never be affected by you. Keisha is the one for you," she said.


    Dmitri looked at her intensely, and then all of a sudden, turned and walked away. He disappeared into the bedroom, emerging only after wearing his shirt. Without saying a word, he collected his car keys from the coffee table and left the house.


    Adrianna listened to him leave. She felt so dejected that she ran to the sofa in the living room and crashed onto it. She felt as if a part of her soul had gone with him. She wanted to run after him, hold him, and tell him that she wanted to be by his side. A stream of tears ran down her cheeks as she thought about him and Keisha together. What will happen to her? Her heart pained. After she had cried for a long time, she got up and packed her bags to go to her father''s place.


    She was on her way to her father''s place within the next half an hour. The journey was bumpy, but she enjoyed the thrill of it. She would sometimes remember Dmitri''s small talk with her and it would make her smile.


    It was a fine summer morning. As she reached her father''s place and parked her bike, she saw that Kayla was out in the sun and had put down her long golden hair. Kayla looked so beautiful that Adrianna was mesmerized by her sister''s beauty for a few seconds. How come she was so beautiful? How come the two of them didn''t resemble each other even a bit. Both of her brothers had golden hair and light eyes, so how come she was the only one who was so different? All of them had inherited her father''s good looks. Why was she the odd one out? Perhaps that was the reason why they all hated her��


    Kayla smelled her presence and looked at Adrianna with disdain. "Oh hello Sister. What brings you here?" she asked as if wanting her to leave immediately.


    Adrianna was jolted back to reality. She didn''t answer her and went inside the house. She was met with her father and her brothers who were in a deep discussion. When they saw her, they stopped talking. Both her brothers, Reinjie and Sam, looked at her and their faces contorted. Before anyone could say a word, she said, "Grandfather asked me to come here as he needed to leave for a few days. I will, however, be leaving once the weekend is over as there are too many classes at college that I cannot miss."


    None of them answered her and resumed their conversation. Adrianna went to her room and sulked. She emerged when it was lunchtime, only to find that Uncle Claus had also come to join them for lunch.


    She said a soft hello to him and sat in the far corner along with the rest of the family. She wanted to finish lunch as soon as possible and go back to her room.


    Uncle Claus was talking to her father when all of a sudden he said, "Adrianna, why don''t you come to our house in the evening for dinner?"


    Adrianna was taken aback. She looked at her father who was looking at her with a blank expression. Then, she looked at her brothers but found them quietly having their lunch.


    "Uncle, is there a special occasion?" she asked gently, not wanting to offend him.


    "There is no occasion Adrianna. I just want you and my son, Rufus, to be together," said Uncle Claus, smiling for the first time since he had arrived. Since she was there, he didn''t want to miss the opportunity, seeing as his son had shown interest in her.

 Chapter 39 - The Dinner

    Adrianna stopped eating. Her heart started beating fast. She said, "Uncle, I don''t think Father would want me to go��" She remembered that he wanted her to meet the supreme alpha.


    "No, you can go Adrianna," said Kuro.??


    Kuro thought that it would be better if Adrianna was married to Rudolph. He would rather present his beautiful daughter, Kayla, to the supreme alpha. He was certain that the supreme alpha would never be able to deny her.


    Adrianna shuddered. She looked for help, but the only people around her were people who would rather throw her in danger.


    "Uncle, I have a lot of assignments to do. My internal assessments are due in fifteen days and I have to study a lot. It won''t be possible��"


    Kuro shot her a glance and said, "Adrianna, don''t you give me your college shit here. Are you trying to belittle the rest of us by saying that you attend college and are far more educated than us?"


    Adrianna was surprised at her father''s outburst. She wasn''t implying any such thing. Also, why was her father so insistent on sending her there?


    "No Father��" she replied.


    "Then go for dinner at Uncle Claus''s house," he ordered. "It''s not as if he will invite you every day."


    She flinched. "Okay��"


    She was mentally cursing her grandfather for putting her in this situation.


    Claus looked at Kuro and smiled. He looked at Reinjie and said, "Reinjie, you should also come with your mate."


    Reinjie smiled and answered, "Sure, thanks. We will be there."


    Adrianna really had no escape. She had to go for dinner at Uncle Claus''s house and meet his son. She remembered that when he had asked her to be his mate, she had run away. She was prepared to run away again if he asked her the same question. She hated the people in front of her for putting her in such a situation. Adrianna looked at Kayla who was eating peacefully. She had no tension in life��


    After lunch, Claus left, reminding Adrianna and Reinjie to come for dinner on time.


    Adrianna went to her room and shut her door so that no one could enter. She had carried her books and notebooks to her room, and spent the entire evening studying. The nanny came to serve her snacks for the evening and was impressed to see her surrounded by so many books. She told Adrianna that she was very proud of her, as she was the only person in the whole red moon pack who was interested in studying. The rest of them were either into making alliances or fighting amongst each other.


    Adrianna smiled at the nanny''s simple admission of her thoughts. Her mood lifted.


    She didn''t realize that the clock had struck 8PM until Reinjie knocked on her door and said, "Are you ready Adrianna? We have to be there soon."


    Adrianna looked at her clock and jumped out of bed. "Give me five minutes Reinjie," she said, quickly taking out a dress to wear. Without bothering much, she tied her hair up in a messy bun. She wanted to look as unattractive as possible. However, when she came out in her deep green dress, she looked so beautiful that even Reinjie was stunned at her beauty.


    Not wanting to show his emotions, he turned his head and walked outside. He still had to collect his mate, Meina, before going to Claus''s house.


    Meina was the daughter of the beta of the Lake Moon pack. Reinjie had found her lying in a pool of blood when they had attacked the Lake Moon pack a few years back. Ever since he had seen her, he had never let her out of his sight. She was his mate for life and they were planning to marry soon. She was very average in looks. However, when Adrianna met her, she was impressed by her gentle manners and soft demeanor which were so unlike Reinjie.


    After picking up Meina, Reinjie turned his car towards Claus''s house where they found that all of them were excitedly waiting for their guests.


    Adrianna was the last one to enter the house, only to find Rudolph eagerly looking for her. He approached her and said softly in her ears, "Hi Adrianna, you look so beautiful."


    Adrianna shrank backwards and said a polite thank you. She went and sat with Meina while Reinjie sat near Uncle Claus.


    Rudolph was very excited. He was only looking at Adrianna who was looking everywhere but at him. She wanted to get dinner over with, and get out of there. She remembered Dmitri. Her day had started on a beautiful note, and she wanted to end it like that.


    Wine was served which she refused. Dinner followed. Once dinner was over, Uncle Claus suggested that Rudolph and Adrianna take a walk outside.


    Adrianna''s wolf growled at Rudolph in dismay. It sensed danger.

 Chapter 40 - It Sensed Danger

    "The only thing I have studied is all that old literature about our tribes'' histories," said Rufus with a cackle.


    Adrianna ignored him and continued eating.??


    "Adrianna, what are your college timings?" asked Claus.


    "It depends on my classes for the day. Sometimes it''s 8AM to 4PM. Other times, it''s 9AM to 3PM."


    "Rufus, why don''t you also join her college?" asked Claus, trying to stir up a common topic between them. "You have already finished the reserve''s high school."


    Rufus was excited by the idea and said, "Oh, that''s a good idea. Adrianna, when can I apply for your college?"


    "Admissions are over for now. You will have to wait another six months��" She never wanted him to join her college. How disgusting would that be?


    Once dinner was over, Uncle Claus suggested that Rufus and Adrianna take a walk outside.


    Adrianna''s wolf growled at Rufus in dismay. It sensed danger.


    She didn''t want to, but Reinjie looked at her ferociously and mentally reprimanded her, so she got up and went out with Rufus against her wishes. They walked around the house before Rufus took her slightly deeper inside the forest.


    "There''s a beautiful hillock within a short distance from here Adrianna. We can stargaze. It is beautiful at night," he said, urging her to go there with him.


    She wanted to go back, but he pulled her hand and dragged her to the hillock.


    It was indeed very beautiful. The night was clear and the sky was sprinkled with so many bright stars that the scenery entranced her. Looking down from the peak of the hillock, she could see plains dotted with tall dark trees that appeared black under the night sky. The air was fresh, and she remembered Dmitri again.


    She looked up.


    All of a sudden, she felt a hand circling her waist. Alarmed, she turned to see that Rufus was standing too close to her. She stepped back.


    "I am sorry Rufus, but I cannot be your partner," she said politely.


    "How will you know unless we try Adrianna?" he asked, again coming closer to her.


    He forced his arms around her again. He was a strong wolf and it was not easy to get out of his grasp.


    Adrianna''s wolf growled at him. She became uneasy and said, "Rufus, get away from me."


    She was getting ready to use her magic to numb him when she remembered that she had promised her grandfather not to use it. She struggled to get out of his hold. He laughed at her and said, "Adrianna it is useless. Do you ever stop to think that it was actually your father who had called my father to invite you for dinner? Your father really wants you out of the picture.


    "Why don''t you let me mark you? We could get married."


    Adrianna was shocked at his disclosure. "I will never let you mark me Rufus! And marriage? That is out of the question! Leave me now or I will fight you."


    "The whole point of getting you here was so that I mark you," said Rufus, ripping her shirt.


    Adrianna swatted his hand in anger. "How dare you!"


    Angry at her rejection, Rufus held her arm tightly and threw her on the ground. Adrianna lost balance, and as she fell, she flipped in the air and landed on her stomach. She was about to get up when Rufus pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. Holding her hands together behind her back, he straddled her. Adrianna turned as much as she could and tried to dislodge him. He was heavy.


    He continued to rip her shirt. Adrianna used all her strength and kicked him with her leg. Her force was so strong that he lost balance and fell on the ground. He started laughing again.


    "This is what I expect from my mate. It will be fun controlling you Adrianna." As he said that, he got up to grab Adrianna again, but Adrianna had already started running down the hillock. She didn''t know which way they had come from, so she ran aimlessly. She just had to escape from that psycho.


    As she ran, he also ran after her. She didn''t realize, but she had run into the dense part of the forest. The problem was that even within those deep forests, she could not hide from him because he was from the same pack as hers and wolves of the same pack could easily pick up each other''s scent.


    She ran fast to distance herself from him, but Rufus eventually caught up with her.

 Chapter 41 - Would Love To Control You

    He grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled it back, making her stop and stumble back. Panting, he drew her closer to him and said, "Adrianna, why are you running away from me? Running away will only make me want you more. I would love to control you even more now."


    "Rufus, you psycho! Stop it now or I will kill you!" she shouted at him and kicked his shin with so much force that he winced and let her go to massage it. She took the advantage and started running again.??


    He shouted from behind, "Adrianna, no one is going to help you. This is the red moon pack''s territory, and no one will come to your rescue. Everyone in your family hates you! I am the only one who is obsessed about you. Stop running away from me." He stood up and started running after her again while laughing. He felt like a predator hunting his prey, and that feeling gave him a kick.


    She must have run for another ten minutes when all of a sudden, something really heavy hit her head. Her mind became numb with the pain, but through her blurry eyes, she saw Rufus standing in front of her with a log in his hand as she fell down. With whatever little conscious she had left, she could sense him dragging her. She fainted��


    Rufus knew that Adrianna was a very strong wolf and taking her down wouldn''t be easy if she didn''t accept it willingly. He had been ready for her denial. However, he didn''t know that it would turn out like this. He had to mark her; that was the plan. He dragged her to a small cave and placed her on a stony surface. He took off his shirt before unbuttoning her shirt and sitting beside her. Seeing her lying so vulnerable in front of him made him excited.


    He stroked her forehead and kissed her it. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time Adrianna. If you are not willing, then I have to take you like this."


    He bared his teeth and moved closer to her shoulders. Just as he was about to bite her, someone grabbed his hair from behind and jerked his head backwards. "If I were you, I wouldn''t do that. Instead, I would try to run."


    Rufus tried to dislodge his head from their grip, but a muscular hand now circled his neck. He was roughly made to stand up before being hauled out of the cave. Who the hell could it be? Rufus could feel his breath choking. He said through his choked breath, "Do you want to be killed? Who are you? The moment I let out a howl, my pack members will come and kill you."


    The hand that was circled around his neck tightened. "Then howl," the deep voice from behind threatened.


    Rufus was then thrown onto the ground and a heavy foot was placed over his chest, crushing him. The force was so strong that he became winded.


    Gathering all the strength he had, he removed the foot from his chest and holding the foot, he pushed the other person a few meters away. He got up, feeling somewhat unbalanced, and looked at his attacker who was already charging towards him. Rufus ran back towards the cave. He noticed a huge boulder on the side of the cave entrance and rolled it to block the entrance. He had to continue with Adrianna or else if she came back to consciousness, she would run away again.


    But his opponent had picked up the boulder and thrown it away to enter the cave. He charged at Rufus with a great force, and the both of them became embroiled in hand-to-hand lethal combat. Rufus was unable to understand just as to who this man was and why he was even fighting with him. His confusion was clouding his judgment which screamed not to fight him.


    In the fight that ensued, Rufus began to get dizzy as he was being thrown around like a bouncy ball in all sorts of directions. In his last attempt to escape, he again ran towards the cave and picked up Adrianna.


    Circling his hand around her neck in an attempt to strangle and twist it, he asked him with a bloody mouth, "Who are you? You don''t belong to the red moon pack." He was now feeling scared.


    "Wrong question. Who are you?" the man asked him back.


    "I am Rufus," he answered. "Are you here to save Adrianna?"


    "Rufus, leave Adrianna alone. Or else, I will make sure that you don''t leave this cave alive."


    Rufus let out a hollow laughter and said, "Get out of here. She is mine."

 Chapter 42 - The Mystery Woman

    Adrianna stirred a little. Sensing that she was in his grip and remembering what he wanted to do with her, she hit him hard with whatever energy was left in her. Although he let her go, like a maniac, Rufus attacked her and threw her to the ground with force. She fainted again.


    His opponent attacked him ferociously.??


    ---


    Rufus opened his eyes and saw that five men surrounded him. One of them was carrying a lit wooden torch. Through the light that was spreading within the darkness, he could see that they all looked as though they had been carved out to be the most handsome men on Earth. He noticed that they were all looking ferociously at him. Then he turned his gaze towards the man who had put his foot on his chest.


    ---


    After the bloody fight with Rufus, Dmitri had gone inside the cave to find Adrianna hurled onto the floor. He picked her up and placed her on a flat rock that was jutting out horizontally on the side. He removed his shirt, which had blood all over it, and lay beside her. He spooned her with his arm wrapped securely around her. He smelled her neck to calm down his anxieties.


    "Adrianna, sorry for being late. Come back to me," he whispered into her ears. Fatigue got a hold of him and he also drifted off to sleep with the darkness around him.


    ---


    Nate had captured Rufus and had made him a prisoner in one of the caves that belonged to their pack. He went out to search for Dmitri who he feared was wounded and needed help. He went to the cave that Rufus had mentioned, not believing that Dmitri would be still there. When he got there, he couldn''t find anyone. He tried to connect with Dmitri mentally, but couldn''t reach him. He scoured through the dense forest for some time until he came across a dilapidated abandoned hut from which he could see a faint light. He went there to find that the door was slightly open. He pushed it open softly, just careful enough not to make noise. Inside, he saw a Dmitri wrapped around a girl.


    He became excited. Had Dmitri found his mate? He would never sleep like that with a woman. It seemed to be that after rejecting Keisha''s numerous attempts in luring him, Dmitri had finally found his someone.


    He became happy and all the more excited for his alpha. He wanted to call him, but he didn''t want to disturb them. He was dying to see the woman who had finally captivated Dmitri''s heart, but all he could see was his muscular back.


    He circled the dried grass bed on which they were lying. He noticed that Dmitri had put his arms around her and her face was buried in his chest. The way Dmitri had embraced her, it seemed as if she was his possession. Becoming eager to take a peep at the mystery woman, Nate treaded softly. He was now on Adrianna''s side, and was able to see a little more when a hand reached out and belligerently gripped him. In the next moment, Nate found himself on the floor with Dmitri growling at him, "I will murder you."


    Dmitri threw a blood-curdling glare at Nate for his impudence. Dmitri had pressed Adrianna into his chest and had covered her with his body. He looked at Nate with a murderous glint.


    Nate threw his hands up in the air and said, "Hey, it''s me." He rose, rubbing his back.


    Dmitri was relieved to see him and said, "Sorry." He shifted her position and checked on her again. She was breathing normally, but was still unconscious. He appeared very worried. Leaving her there, he said, "Nate, she was hit very forcefully by a log and she hasn''t regained her consciousness. Is there a healer in her pack?"


    With the way he was stroking her hair, it seemed as if she was the one he had been looking for all his life. Nate had no doubt about it, but he pitied Keisha.


    "I don''t know�� but I will ask Liam about it. In my opinion, there should be one��" he answered.


    "What about Rufus?"


    "He has been dealt with. He will never be able to talk again. We had to let him go because his disappearance would raise unnecessary suspicions," answered Nate.


    Dmitri nodded. His body had completely healed. "Inform the red moon pack alpha that I will be coming to ask for his daughter''s hand today. I am not waiting for the waning moon."


    Nate smiled at his alpha''s impatience. He wanted to joke and laugh at him, but then again, matters of marriage were serious, so he refrained. He simply said, "Okay."

 Chapter 43 - The Healer

    Dmitri had been with her in the cave until midnight. Although it wasn''t chilly, Adrianna''s body had slowly become colder. He had wrapped himself around her to give her maximum warmth, but it hadn''t been sufficient. In the middle of the night, he had scurried around before finding a hut and bringing her in after lighting the fire.


    Dmitri got up from the bed and lifted Adrianna carefully. He came out, followed by Nate, and they started walking towards the red moon pack''s territory. Nate mentally communicated with Liam about the situation.??


    The healer was waiting with Liam at the pack''s border. Dmitri handed Adrianna to the assistants who were there with the healer. The healer nodded and left with Adrianna.


    Under the constant monitoring of the healer, Adrianna''s situation improved as the day progressed. She had been given traditional medicines. Since her pulse was fine, she was not in any immediate danger. She woke up with a headache after almost two hours. All she remembered was that Rufus had hit her with a log. Her shirt was tattered at places. She felt like crying at her state. She looked around and found herself in an unfamiliar place. There were stacks of medicinal herbs around her. She jolted upright on the bed only to be pacified by the healer.


    "Don''t worry Adrianna. I am the healer of the red moon pack. Your father knows you are here," he answered her, having read her thoughts.


    Adrianna sighed a breath of relief. She asked, "How did I get here? Who brought me?"


    The healer couldn''t answer her question as he had to keep the fact a secret. The supreme alpha had mentioned that Rufus would be in danger if he let it slip, so he lied. "We found you lying unconscious just outside the red moon pack''s territory."


    Still, Adrianna couldn''t understand how she had reached there. She wanted to ask about what had happened to Rufus, but she refrained. She didn''t even want to mention his name. What he had told her about her father and her brothers make her resentment towards them grow all the more. Why were they so cruel to her? Her heart ached for those who didn''t love her. She remembered Dmitri�� and then Keisha��


    She got up from the bed and said, "I would like to leave... But do you have a spare shirt?"


    The healer went inside and brought a fresh white shirt for her. He left her and waited outside.


    As Adrianna changed, she decided to leave this place for good. She would go to her room, pack everything that belonged to her, and leave them. Tears rolled out, wetting her white cheeks. Her eyes looked forlorn and miserable, although she knew that no one would come to pacify her. She missed her grandfather. There was only darkness that surrounded her. Her own demons were haunting her and strangling her. She felt suffocated - pained by the abandonment by her own family members. She wanted to put all of them behind her and start a new life. How could she restore peace in her heart? She missed Ed.


    Her thoughts wandered to her family. They didn''t come to protect her, and rather they pushed her into danger - and a planned one at that. She smiled sadly at her rotten situation.


    She wiped her tears and exited only to find the healer waiting for her. He said, "Adrianna, have faith in yourself. All these things are too small when compared to what you will be. There is a lot that you need to do. And most importantly, don''t do anything that you will regret later."


    Even though those words carried a deeper meaning, Adrianna thought that he was just trying to be nice and encouraging to her.


    She smiled, thanked him, and walked away.


    When she reached her room, she saw that Reinjie and her father were standing outside. They glared at her. She just passed them without giving them a second glance. Even though she had an urge to confront them, she didn''t, thinking "What good would it bring?" She was leaving all of them anyways. She went in and took a bath after packing her stuff. She was determined to take this leap forward, regardless of whether she could see the ground or not. Her heart had suffered so much an innumerable amount of times, and this was the last straw. Everyone out here had thrown knives at her and she had forgiven them. But now, no more.


    She lugged her suitcase and went out. No one noticed her as she left. The cottage was her home now�� She had to protect herself from more heartache.


    ---


    Reinjie informed his father about last night''s event. "Father, they both went to take a walk after dinner. I was hoping that Rufus would mark her, but it seems that she ran away."


    Kuro was extremely upset. The healer had informed him about Adrianna. However, he didn''t react because Rufus and Adrianna were the least of his concerns now. The supreme alpha had just sent a message saying that he would be coming today to meet him and see his daughter today.

 Chapter 44 - Don’t Wear It Again

    Kuro had asked Kayla to be dressed in her most beautiful dress and to be as charming as possible in order to appeal to the supreme alpha. Kayla had happily agreed and had been inside her room for more than an hour, along with her nanny, dressing up as pretty as possible.


    Sam saw Adrianna leaving but he didn''t stop her. He thought that it was better Adrianna never returned. He mentioned this to his father who was hardly bothered.??


    Kuro had given his servants instructions to prepare good food for dinner. After all, not all chiefs had the honor of receiving the presence of the supreme alpha. Kuro was proud of the fact that the supreme alpha had asked for his daughter''s hand in marriage.


    He had asked his sons to prepare a gala in honor of the supreme alpha.


    It was only the afternoon, but Kayla hadn''t yet decided on what to wear. She was hardly finding any dresses that looked good on her. She must have tried over fifty dresses. In a fit of anger, she went to Adrianna''s room to ask for her help, but she discovered that Adrianna had left. She scoured through Adrianna''s wardrobe and found a beautiful deep blue dress. It seemed new and Kayla took it with a huge smile. She had finally found the dress to wear in front of the supreme alpha.


    As the night came, everybody was over enthusiastic. Kayla was bustling with energy. She was wearing that deep blue dress and had put down her hair. She was looking lovely and every person looked at her with admiration. She was confident in herself.


    The supreme alpha arrived at 7PM along with ten more people who stationed themselves outside. Only his beta came with him inside in the house. He looked so handsome in a black shirt and black pants with his hair brushed back that Kuro was surprised. He was happy for Kayla.


    Kuro greeted him and guided him to the main hall where his sons were sitting. As soon as they saw him, they got up to greet him. It was indeed an honor to meet him. He was exuding an aristocratic and domineering king-like aura which made everybody around him accept his authority. With a steel expression, he sat down on the sofa.


    Everyone fell silent. Nate spoke, "Hello, this is the blue moon alpha, Dmitri Volkov, and I am his beta, Nate."


    They all bowed to him.


    There was an awkward silence again. Dmitri was dying to see Adrianna and find out whether she was fine or not, but she was nowhere to be seen. He glanced around quickly to check if she was hiding anywhere, but when he realized that she wasn''t there, his face fell.


    Kuro noticed and thought that Dmitri was looking for his daughter. He knew that Dmitri had never seen Adrianna, so presenting Kayla would be for the best. Dmitri would hardly know the difference.


    Wine was served to all the men. Then, Kuro asked the servants to lay out the dinner and call Kayla over. Kayla came out with a shy smile. When she saw Dmitri, her eyes became wide. She was thanking her stars that she had the opportunity to meet such a beautiful man in her life. She was even happier because it was him who had asked for her hand.


    She came and sat with her brothers opposite Dmitri and said hello.


    Dmitri greeted her back and anxiously looked around again. Where was she?


    Kuro introduced him to Kayla. "Dmitri, this is my daughter Kayla."


    Dmitri nodded. He noticed that she was wearing the dress Adrianna had worn at the creek. He stayed quiet and sipped his wine. "Okay Adrianna, two can play this game," he thought.


    Kayla noticed that Dmitri was sipping his wine. She said, "Would you like to ask me any questions?"


    Dmitri looked at her strangely and said with a shrug, "No."


    Kayla thought that he was accepting her without any terms. She couldn''t believe her luck. She smiled at him nervously.


    Reinjie interjected, "Why don''t you and Kayla take a walk outside? That way you can get to know each other better."


    Dmitri shot him a glance. "Why would I want to know Kayla?" There was some misunderstanding going on here. He looked at Nate who returned his gaze with a shrug.


    Reinjie was shocked at his curt answer, but he answered politely. "Well, you asked for her hand in marriage. It is only suitable that the two of you talk to each other in private and know more about each other."


    Kayla''s smile grew wider as she looked at him with anticipation.


    Dmitri understood Kuro''s game. He became annoyed. Keeping his wine glass on the table, he looked at Kuro and said, "It seems you don''t understand what I want. I want the hand in marriage of your daughter who had fought against our forces. As far as I remember, my people had clearly conveyed this to you. So get her here in front of me �C NOW!" He said ''now'' so loudly that Kuro jumped. Kayla''s face fell. She looked stupid and seemed to be on the verge of tears.


    Dmitri turned to look at Kayla and said, "That dress belongs to Adrianna. Don''t wear it again."

 Chapter 45 - Threat

    Kayla got up feeling so insulted that she ran inside. Her two brothers didn''t know what to do. Adrianna had left with her luggage in the afternoon and no one had stopped her. They were now regretting it. They looked at their father who was shocked.


    "B-but Dmitri, Adrianna is not willing to marry anyone. Kayla, on the other hand is older and more beautiful than Adrianna. I am willing to give her hand in marriage to you," said Kuro, trying to salvage the situation.??


    Dmitri clenched his fists and roared, "Where is your younger daughter? Where have you hidden her?"


    "No, no, we haven''t hidden her here. You misunderstand. As a matter of fact, she left home in the afternoon. She has been missing since yesterday and I had sent people to find her in the forests, but no one could find her. She came back home today, but you see, she is a loose character girl. She is not appropriate for you. She went out with Rufus," said Kuro without the least bit of shame. This was the best time to tarnish her image.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and felt like strangling Kuro. Known for his mercilessness and ruthless nature, Dmitri was exuding murderous aura. Kuro shrank in fear.


    Dmitri rose from his chair and picked up the wine glass. He gulped down the wine in one go and threw the glass onto the floor. "I will come here again next Saturday. If I don''t find her here, I will make sure that every wolf in the red moon pack is killed." Having finished saying that, Dmitri turned and left with Nate. He paused at the door, turned to Kuro, and added, "I don''t want to hear one bad word about Adrianna from you again," before walking out.


    Kuro and his two sons, along with the servants, were left behind shuddering in fear. This was the first time they had seen the supreme alpha, and they could understand why he was so feared.


    Shaking, Kuro tried to get up from his chair, but he lost his balance and sank back into it. He kept his hand on his head and realized that he shouldn''t have taken his chances. After all, how could he fool the supreme alpha? The bigger problem that was in front of him was to get Adrianna back and make her agree to the marriage. All of a sudden, everything became so complicated that he felt dizzy.


    ---


    Adrianna had left her father''s house, never to go back. She had returned to her cottage and had lugged her suitcase inside. She swore she would never go back home. She wanted to shout at her grandfather for putting her in this situation. If he hadn''t insisted that she go there, she wouldn''t have been in that situation. She was at least grateful that Rufus hadn''t raped her. But she kept wondering what had happened to have prevented him from marking her. Whatever it was, she was thankful.


    She didn''t want to think much about it. She went to the kitchen to eat, and to her delight, she found some sandwiches that Ed had made for her and had kept in a ziplock bag.


    She took them out and ate them. Feeling tired, she went to her bedroom and slept off the feeling.


    She woke up late at 6PM and prepared some coffee for herself. She held the cup in her hand and sipped it as she walked over to her study table. She had a lot to study for her internals. She didn''t notice the time, and the next time she checked, it was already 8PM. She thought of going to the kitchen to prepare another cup of coffee for herself when she again heard utensils clinking. "What is he doing here again?" she thought. She ran to the kitchen and found him trying to find something.


    "Dmitri, what are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered at his sudden entry.


    "Currently, I am trying to find a saucepan. Would you like to have some noodles?" he asked with an amused expression.


    Adrianna gaped at him.


    "Close your mouth or else a fly will enter," he said with a lopsided smile.


    Adrianna went and opened a cupboard to reach for the saucepan before handing it to him.


    "Thank you. Now sit there and watch me prepare dinner," he said, pointing to a chair.


    Adrianna sat down quietly. Although her wolf loved his presence and was actually drooling, she maintained a steel expression.


    "Dmitri, why are you here? You should explain yourself. Won''t Keisha complain? It is not appropriate for you to come to my house just like that," she said, not showing any signs of the pain she had just gone through.


    "Oh shush," he said. "How was your day at your father''s place yesterday?" he probed, wondering if she knew anything although it was highly unlikely.


    She lowered her head as fresh tears formed in her eyes. She would never show him how weak she was. She quickly gulped down her emotions and prevented the tears from rolling out. "It was fine��"


    Her sadness didn''t escape Dmitri''s eyes. His heart pained for her. He tossed the noodles in the fry pan and said, "Good! So when are you going back again?"


    Adrianna sulked. Never.


    "Not for a while. I have exams coming up," she answered.

 Chapter 46 - Wanted To Host A Party

    Dmitri stopped and waited for a moment. If she didn''t go, then what would happen to his proposal? He turned towards her and asked, "Exams will be over in a week''s time. Will you go after that?"


    Adrianna lifted her face and asked, "Why do you want to know?"??


    Dmitri turned around and said, "Just that... I wanted to invite you over for a party at my house next week. So if you won''t go to your father''s place, come over and join my party."


    Dmitri had no inclinations of hosting a party and he just came up with the idea. In the case where she doesn''t go home, he would have to host the party!


    Adrianna was happy to hear that she could go out somewhere, as she really needed a change of place and a change of atmosphere, so she readily agreed. "Okay, I can come over. I hope Keisha doesn''t feel bad��"


    "Why do you think that Keisha will feel bad?" he asked her with intrigue.


    "Well, b-because��" she stuttered and couldn''t find a good reply.


    Dmitri laughed and said, "There will be other girls also at my party. You are not the only one." He turned back to continue making noodles.


    Adrianna felt silly and comfortable at the same time. With a shy smile, she said, "Okay�� I look forward to it��"


    She felt comfortable because she didn''t want him to think that she was leading him on in any way. She chuckled. It caught his attention, and without looking at her, he asked, "What is your favorite dish?"


    "My favorite sweet dish is blueberry cake," she said with a smile and stretching her limbs. This entire day had made her exhausted. She was hungry and wanted to sleep - a feeling which Dmitri had noticed. He quickened his pace in making the dinner. Within five minutes, dinner was served.


    "My mother makes one of the best blueberry cakes in the world," he said while serving her some fried noodles.


    "Really? Then I am going to be her fan," she said with glee, remembering the truckloads of blueberry cakes she used to eat whenever she used to come to her grandfather''s place. His refrigerator was always stuffed with them.


    Dmitri smiled at her childish delight. They had dinner in silence, and Adrianna wished that Dmitri stayed with her. He would be such good caretaker! She chuckled inside.


    Adrianna cleared the dishes after they had dinner. While she was washing them Dmitri watched her before joining her. He helped wipe the dishes that she washed. "I can do that Dmitri," she said with a smile.


    "I know. But I want to stand here��" He gave her a side glance while wiping the plate, measuring her reaction.


    Adrianna stayed quiet and lowered her head further as though trying to hide her emotions from him.


    It was already 9PM by the time they had finished with dinner and cleaning the dishes. She had forgotten all about the day''s tension during the time she was with him and had relaxed. It was a welcome change in her otherwise mundane existence.


    "I think you should go home now," she said, wondering where he lived. She thought that he lived somewhere in the town and it would take him at least half an hour to reach his house.


    "Are you pushing me out of the house?" asked Dmitri with a very sad expression.


    "No! I mean, where do you live? My cottage is on the periphery of the jungle and it is not safe for you to travel alone back to town any later��" She tried to reason with him. She thought that she would have to drive him back if it got any later.


    Dmitri laughed at her and thought her to be adorable. She was concerned about his safety. "I don''t live too far from here Adrianna, so don''t worry. I will manage."


    Adrianna bit her lower lip and said, "Okay��" She wondered how long he would stay there.


    "I have to finish my studies��" she added sheepishly.


    "Ah! I guess I am being asked to leave," he said, getting up from his chair.


    Adrianna didn''t know where to look. She wanted him to go away. It wasn''t correct on his part to stay at her place. It was better that he go home and be with Keisha�� Adrianna''s mood plunged when she thought about her.


    Dmitri picked up his coat and went out after grabbing his car keys from the coffee table.


    Adrianna followed him. "See you tomorrow at college," she said softly from behind.

 Chapter 47 - You Are Thinking Too Much

    Dmitri didn''t reply. He headed down the cottage''s stairs to get to his car that was parked right in front of the door. When Adrianna saw the car, her jaw dropped. He had driven over in a silver convertible Rolls Royce.


    "That''s a beautiful car," she couldn''t help saying.??


    He nodded and asked, "Do you think I will be safe in it?"


    Arianna giggled and nodded.


    Just as he was three meters away from the car, an electric field jolted him. He was shocked. "Again?" he wondered.


    Adrianna was also shocked. She went near him and spread her hand out to feel it. Dmitri immediately jerked her hand away. "Are you mad? Can''t you see it is a strong electric field?" he reprimanded her.


    She looked at him with surprise and then looked again at the still air in front of them. "What is going on Dmitri? This had never been here before. How are we going to get out now? Are we trapped?" she asked, anxious at this new development.


    "I don''t think so, because it won''t be there in the morning," he replied.


    "So you weren''t lying��" said Adrianna looking at him.


    What was happening around her lately? She needed answers badly, and was anxiously waiting for her grandfather''s return.


    She wanted to know up until where the field existed, so she took a walk around the house with a wooden stick, which she had picked up from the ground, in her hand. She poked at the area where she believed the field was while walking within a safe distance. By the time she had circled the house, half of the stick had been burnt away. She was bewildered as to who would have done this and wondered if she had any sort of magic to remove it. She wanted to experiment with her magic, but she had to contain her emotions as Dmitri was still there.


    While she was walking around the house, Dmitri had followed her, worried that she might injure herself. He told her, "How can this probing help? It is dangerous and you shouldn''t do it."


    But she continued anyways.


    Finally, lowering her head, she said, "It seems you have to spend your night here." Her face turned a bright tomato red.


    Dmitri''s face broke into a lopsided grin. Without a word, he walked back inside the cottage. Adrianna was again surprised at his shamelessness, but she meekly followed him inside.


    While he was climbing the steps of the portico, she said from behind, "You should message your girlfriend to tell her that you are here because of this strange phenomenon��"


    Dmitri turned on the last step. With his hands in his pockets, he leaned forwards towards Adrianna who had to bring her hands onto his chest to prevent him from falling onto her as she was on a step below him.


    As she held him up, his face was just a few inches away. He asked, "Do you think Keisha will like it when she knows that I am at your place because of this strange phenomenon? Will she buy it?"


    Adrianna bit her lower lip again. She felt like a third wheel. She was using all her energy to save herself from this devil, but he was hell-bent on making her lose control. She tried to push him back, but he was as heavy as a log. She had to get onto the step he was standing on, and in the process, she came so close to him that she was almost touching his body. Her breathing quickened. He gazed at her and whispered, "You are thinking too much."


    Coming back to reality, Adrianna kicked his ankle, pushed him aside slightly, and ran inside.


    Dmitri laughed as he went in after her.


    Few minutes later, Adrianna emerged from the storeroom with a pillow and a comforter. She pointed to the sofa and said, "You will sleep there tonight." She went to place the items on the sofa.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and said, "Sure?"


    "What do you mean?" she asked before turning around, closing her door, and locking her bedroom door from the inside. Her heartbeat was already accelerating to the point that she could hear it. She felt as if her heart would jump out of her body and dance on the floor. She held her hand on her chest and panted as sweat beads formed on her forehead. Sleeping in the same house with Dmitri would be difficult for her wolf. But he wouldn''t understand even if she told him that. And why does he keep coming here anyways? She decided that she would tell him to stop coming to her cottage. She had to concentrate on her exams, and didn''t want to pick a fight with Keisha.


    Dmitri shouted from outside, "I am feeling cold."

 Chapter 48 - How Could He Be Cold?

    Adrianna opened the door immediately to check whether the living room windows were open or closed. She realized that the cottage windows were usually open because werewolves typically had a very high body temperature.


    But Dmitri was a werewolf, so how could he be cold???


    She quickly closed all the windows and turned the heater on.


    "Sorry, I forgot. Hope this will make you more comfortable," she said sweetly before leaving to lock herself in her bedroom again. Tonight was going to be very difficult for her.


    She switched off the lights and went to her bed. She laid down and kept looking in the direction where Dmitri was. Biting her lower lip again, she let out a sigh. She turned and looked outside the window. The waning moon was about to come and she remembered her father''s words. She would rather run away to an unknown location than be forced to mate with the supreme alpha.


    She couldn''t sleep for more than an hour as she kept tossing and turning. Her thoughts kept wandering to Dmitri and the idea of what it would be like to be with him. She didn''t want to hurt him though. Finally, when sleep touched her eyelids, she did sleep. It just wasn''t as good as it had been usually.


    Dmitri was waiting for her to sleep. Quietly, he had gone and sat near her door after switching off the heater and opening the windows. He smiled at himself for wanting to see her one way or the other, regardless it it was on some stupid pretext or not. When he sensed that it had become relatively quiet inside her room, he opened her door with the key he had stolen earlier and went to lay near her.


    The day she had gone to her father''s place, the thought that he wouldn''t be able to see her for the next two days made him so angry that he didn''t know what to do. He had run around in the jungles to loosen up his pent up emotions, but it hadn''t worked. He had snapped on his people and refused to see any of them. He had to be with her. That day when his trusted people had informed him that Adrianna was in danger, he had run to her. If it hadn''t been for Nate, he would have killed Rufus.


    He shuddered as he thought about what Rufus could have done to her, and dipped his face in her neck to smell her to calm down his anxieties. "Adri, I can''t be without you now�� How do I find more ways to be near you?" he said before slowly drifting off.


    Adrianna was already in her dreamland where they were running from summit to summit.


    The next day when Adrianna woke up, she found that Dmitri had already left. He had neatly folded the comforter and had arranged them on the sofa. She smiled and went to dress up for college. Her grandfather was expected to return the next day and she eagerly awaited his arrival. She had so much to talk about.


    She reached the college five minutes before her class started and ran there. Howard was watching her from his room as she ran across the garden and jumped over the bushes to reach the class.


    All of a sudden, Adrianna bumped into someone. She looked up and found that she had bumped into Howard. Not believing her luck, she apologized to him profusely and ran away. She wondered, "Where did Howard appear from?" As far as she had seen, the aisle had been empty since classes were about to start in two minutes.


    Howard grinned from behind.


    Shaking her head, she reached her class and walked in just in time. She saw that Niiya was sitting in the last row.


    Since class was about to begin, Adrianna found a chair nearby and sat over there.


    Niiya came over to her as soon as the class was over. He held her hand and took her out, much to her surprise. Once they were in the garden and in a secluded spot, he asked her, "Adrianna where were you this entire weekend? I must have called you so many times!"


    Adrianna lowered her head. How could she tell Niiya what had happened to her? Niiya had no clue that she was a wolf. She simply said, "I went to visit my relatives."


    "So? Was there no cell phone signal?" he asked, annoyed at her answer.


    "No, there wasn''t��" Which was the truth.


    Niiya thought that Adrianna was angry with him. He immediately softened his tone and said, "I am sorry about that day Adrianna. I didn''t know that wine would knock me out. I mean, I didn''t know that I had such a low tolerance. I woke up the next day feeling groggy and called you so many times, but the call wasn''t going through."


    "It''s okay Niiya. There''s always a next time." She smiled to pacify him.


    Niiya grinned thinking of the next opportunity he would grab.


    However, there was someone a little far behind whose brows had knitted as his face darkened upon seeing the two of them smiling at each other.

 Chapter 49 - When Is It Not Important?

    Keisha had been standing next to him and talking to Liam when she felt the temperature of the place drop to an arctic zero. She looked at Dmitri and found him staring at Adrianna and Niiya. She felt so jealous that she wanted to attack her right there and then. She held Dmitri''s hand and pulled him away. "She is always with that boy Niiya. Why do you have to look at them? Obviously she is not interested in you," said Keisha.


    Dmitri didn''t say a word as his attention was on Adrianna. He wanted to know what they had been talking about.??


    "Dmitri, she does not deserve you. Look at her ignoring you even though you had helped her get home after she was drunk. She doesn''t even have the courtesy to say thank you," she continued. "If she was even a wee bit interested in you, she would have given some hint��"


    Nate, who was listening to Keisha, wanted to speak, but he stopped because he didn''t want to hurt Keisha. Liam, on the other hand, was clueless.


    Adrianna turned to look around after talking to Niiya. She had been searching for Ookashi when her eyes met Dmitri''s. She noticed that he was standing with Keisha who was holding his hand and pulling him away. The scene made her so envious that she took a hold of Niiya''s hand and pulled him to the cafeteria.


    Keisha smiled inwardly, satisfied with Adrianna''s behavior. She wanted to create misunderstandings between them. She was not happy that Dmitri showed so much interest in Adrianna. After all, who was she? The amount of time she had spent with Dmitri was enough to know every habit and every emotion he had. She loved him deeply and the thought of any woman, other than her, with Dmitri enraged her. In one such rage, she had even killed a girl who had dared to flirt with Dmitri in front of her.


    In this case, Adrianna didn''t flirt, but it was Dmitri''s interest in her that was pushing Keisha to the edge. She had to kill Adrianna before it was too late, and Keisha was waiting for an opportunity to take her down.


    Dmitri was hers for life. Even if he didn''t marry her, she would stay beside him. Even if they didn''t have babies, it was fine with her. All she wanted was his attention and she was sure that with time, she would make him hers.


    But first, Adrianna had to be dealt with��


    Niiya was gladly being pulled along. He was even proud that he was being pulled!


    When they reached the cafeteria, Adrianna gruffly sat down on a table far in the corner and let go of his hand. Why was it that every time she saw him with Keisha, it affected her?


    "What would you like to have Adri?" Niiya interrupted her thoughts.


    "Anything��" she replied, dejected at the scene she had witnessed.


    Niiya left her to fetch snacks. While she was brooding over them again, she heard a familiar shrill voice. "Adrianna, how are you?"


    Pryce came and sat down on the chair right next to her. Adrianna looked up at her in surprise and wondered how she always seemed to know where to find them. Adrianna chuckled and said, "I am fine Pryce. How about you?"


    "I am good too! Where is Niiya?" she asked, although she had seen Niiya going to the food counter to buy snacks.


    "He went to get some snacks. We have an hour free before our next class," replied Adrianna.


    "Okay��" Pryce nodded and they fell silent.


    Niiya came within the next five minutes. He was surprised and very unhappy to see Pryce. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.


    "Haha. Niiya, I have an hour free before my next class," lied Pryce, inviting another shocked look from Adrianna.


    "I came to discuss something very urgent with you Niiya," she added.


    Niiya took a mouthful of lasagna and rolled his eyes. "When is it not important?"


    Pryce ignored his sarcasm and said, "We will be holding auditions for the play that we have been writing and in which you haven''t�� really helped much." Pryce emphasized on the word ''haven''t''. "And we are calling people to audition. So I was hoping that if you were interested, would you like to play the lead role with me?" Pryce looked at Niiya with such high expectations that even Adrianna felt that Niiya should agree to it.


    Once again, Niiya gave her a cold look and said, "I am sorry Pryce, but why would I commit such a mistake?" Then, he turned to Adrianna and asked, "Would you like to join me in auditioning for the lead role Adri?"

 Chapter 50 - Cora

    Pryce pursed her lips. She clenched her fists tightly around her skirt to avoid hitting Adrianna. Why was it that Adrianna always came between her plans even if they were only remotely concerned with her? At that point in time, she knew she wanted to get rid of Adrianna. But how?


    Adrianna looked at him in shock. Her eyes were as wide as the Pringle she was eating. "Hell. No. I can''t even think of playing a role, let alone the lead role."??


    Pryce was ecstatic to hear her decline Niiya''s offer. She jumped in the conversation. "See, she has stage fright. I used to have a similar situation but I can be a good lead actor now. Niiya, please. Let''s audition together," she pleaded.


    Niiya shook his head and got up from his chair again to get a Cola.


    Adrianna laughed at Niiya''s arrogant attitude. She had taken out her notebook and started looking over her notes, ignoring Pryce''s fallen face.


    Niiya brought Cola for the three of them. When Adrianna moved her hand to grab her Cola without looking at where she was grabbing, she found that it wasn''t there. Pryce had taken her glass. Adrianna shook her head and took the glass in front of Pryce. From the corner of her eye, she saw Keisha sitting with Liam and watching them. Adrianna immediately averted her gaze.


    When they had finished eating the snacks, Niiya and Adrianna packed their bags and left, leaving Pryce alone. On their way to their next class, Niiya walked next to her with his arms around her shoulders. They excitedly talked to each other about who would get higher marks on the organic chemistry exam this time. As they hadn''t been watching out for others around them, they bumped into someone who felt so hard that they had to stumble back as if they had hit a rock. Adrianna looked at the object in front of her angrily while rubbing her nose. "Don''t you know how to walk?" she shouted.


    But when she saw that it was Dmitri, she frowned. He was looking at Niiya with coldness in his eyes. He said in a slow menacing voice, "Don''t walk like that. There are people around and you should keep your head up while walking. This is not the way to walk in a public space."


    Before Niiya could say anything, Adrianna replied, "We will walk however we feel like! Please leave us and go. Your friends are all waiting eagerly for you inside." All of Adrianna''s envy came out as she hurled rude words at him.


    Niiya looked back at him with narrowed eyes and hatred written all over his face.


    In his rage, Dmitri walked away without answering her.


    Adrianna and Niiya walked to their class and then had their lab class. They were only free after four hours of exhaustive studies.


    Since they didn''t have any other class, Adrianna exited the building and went home without waiting for Niiya or Ookashi. These days, Ookashi wasn''t showing up much either. She was always being picked up and then dropped off by Nate.


    It was only 5PM in the evening when she reached home. Ed was supposed to come back the next day. She wanted to concentrate on her studies in the meanwhile, but also thought of practicing her magic, especially the skills that she still had yet to refine. Eventually, she decided to sit and study.


    ---


    At Dmitri''s place, his mother, Cora, was sitting in the living room when he returned. She was already angry with him for joining the college and neglecting his duties. She had sacrificed a lot to get Dmitri into his position. An acute and sharp woman, she had gone to all lengths to help her son become the supreme alpha. She knew he had the potential, and she wanted to take revenge of her husband''s death. Her ultimate goal was to find her husband''s murderers and slay them. Driven by hatred and extreme ambition, she had goaded Dmitri and often even played with his emotions in order to get things done. It was her idea to unite all the wolf packs. She had to use them to fight the unknown enemy, which she knew was too strong for her to fight alone.


    When Dmitri entered the living room, she shot an angry glance at him. She said, "You have been neglecting your duties a lot. What use will college be to people like us? You are an alpha and you need to run not only your pack but also several other packs. You have to pacify all the dissidents under you. I want to know what you plan to do with them!"


    "Mother, I am not in the mood for this right now," said Dmitri without waiting for her to say anymore.


    "Dmitri!" shouted Cora.


    Dmitri stopped in his tracks. His mother wasn''t the type who could be easily dismissed.


    He turned, crossed his arms across his chest, and said, "Mother I know what I am doing. Stop trying to force me to do anything right now. Give me a few days." With that, he turned and left.

 Chapter 51 - Council

    Cora was left feeling furious and helpless. She knew that she needed her son to seek vengeance, so sometimes, she would deal with his temper tantrums. However, these days, he was becoming like this a lot more often. She wanted to find out the real reason.


    ---??


    When night fell, Ed had slumbered off into a deep sleep. He didn''t realize it, but he had kept the window open. Late during the night, Ed woke up with a startle. Loud swishing sounds were coming from outside as though the wind was blowing at a high velocity. He got up from the grass bed and went to close the window when he saw that it wasn''t the wind that was making all the noise. Instead, it was the witches and wizards that were flying on their brooms in the direction of the forest that were making the noise. His mouth fell. It was the first time he had seen so many of them flying together.


    He watched them with wonder and awe. A knock at the door broke his gaze. "If I were you, I would have closed that window by now."


    The old werewolf''s statement frightened Ed and he closed the window. He opened the door to see that the old werewolf was standing in front of his room scratching his chin.


    "Why are there so many witches flying together? I have never seen this in my entire life!" he inquired with excitement.


    "It''s a long story Ed��" he said, turning back to his bedroom after having warned him.


    "Please, I want to hear it," said Ed. He was so curious. He was all the more curious as to how Grant came to know about it.


    Grant began, "The queen of the witches and wizards had gone to the west of the forest to suppress a revolt that had occurred between the wolf clans. Over there, after the rebels were suppressed and brought to justice, the queen found herself falling in love with a wolf. However, the wolf was driven with lust and instead of marrying her, he made her pregnant. The queen was ashamed of her act and never returned to her kingdom. The problem is that the witches and wizards will never get another king or queen unless they find the one that had left them. So they keep looking for her every now and then.


    "Last time, a few years back, they had heard that their queen had given birth to a baby. No one knows whether the baby was a boy or a girl. A few days back, a wizard reported that strange magic that only a few amongst them could use was seen from the west side of the forest where there''s a large lake that waters the forest soil. Since then, every night, large numbers of witches and wizards fly there to find the evidence of whether this is true or not."


    Ed was wide eyed by the time Grant ended his story. His fear about Adrianna''s safety increased ten times over. He longed to see her and decided to run as fast as possible back to his cottage once he had met the council members. Grant noticed his anxiety and said, "If you are hiding something, tell them now. Otherwise, they won''t spare you."


    Ed nodded and without another word, he went back to his room. "Adri, stay safe child��" he said slowly as he fell asleep again, weariness catching up with him.


    The next morning, he left to go further north and up the steep snowy slopes.


    It took him another day before he reached the gates of the council.


    The council was located on a small plateau and was surrounded by huge stone walls from all sides. The gate, which was made of gold, was guarded by witches that were flying high above in the sky. As he walked towards the gate, he could feel that he was being watched. Slowly, without making a fuss, Ed walked up to the gate. There was a huge golden bell hung on the side that had to be pulled to alert the guards about any arrivals.


    The guards opened the gate for him. One of them presented him a book, in which he was supposed to sign with his blood. His index finger was taken by the guard and poked by a sharp needle. Ed signed his name using that finger.


    He was given entry only after the guard was satisfied with his signature.


    Ed entered the large open space that was surrounded by various rooms. There was an eerie silence and no one could be seen. Ed walked to the main hall where the meeting was supposed to take place. As soon as he reached the door of the hall, the doors automatically opened, and he could see that the table in the center was already full of people. He was late and they were waiting for him. He went and sat down on the chair designated for him. At the head on the table was a human, a doctor.

 Chapter 52 - Auditions (1)

    A week later, auditions for the play were held, attracting numerous students. For the lead roles, some came in pairs while some came alone. The judging committee comprised of two teachers and three students.


    While all students were giving their best, the committee wasn''t able to find the spark between the lead pairs. They had already tried many different pairings.??


    Niiya had been trying to convince Adrianna to audition with him for the play for the entire week, but she kept refusing. In the end, Niiya had to threaten that he wouldn''t give her his notes in future whenever she needed them. Adrianna had gritted her teeth and said, "Okay! I will go, but if this doesn''t work out, I will not redo it!"


    "Done!" said an ecstatic Niiya.


    When they reached the main hall where the auditions were taking place, they found that some students were sitting on the ground waiting for their turn while some were up on the stage helping the auditioners perform their dialogues as the committee watched them from below.


    Niiya and Adrianna went and sat down near the students.


    A few minutes later, there was a flurry of movement. Niiya turned to look at the entrance and rolled his eyes. His sister Ookashi had entered the hall, and as usual, was the center of attraction. She was wearing a black mini-skirt with a blue blouse and her hair was neatly tied in a bun. She was walking with her hands coiled around Nate.


    The students present went gaga over the couple that had walked in. There was so much flair around them that it was hard not to notice.


    Ookashi and Nate went to the judging committee table where she said out loud, "Can you give us a chance next?"


    "There are many students waiting in line," replied one of the members.


    "Oh! They don''t have a chance against us. Let us audition first and then you can ask them all to go back, because we are the best," replied Ookashi. Nate was looking at her adorably. He wanted to make out with her there and then. The poor one was waiting for the right chance to declare that he was a wolf. His wolf was eating him inside. "How long must I wait?" his wolf cried


    "I am sorry Ookashi. Just wait for your chance."


    Ookashi made a silent harrumph and went to sit on one of the chairs behind them. When she saw Niiya and Adrianna, she exclaimed and excitedly left Nate to go near them, much to his disdain. Nate followed her.


    "Adriannaaaa, how are you? Girl, it''s been a long time since we last met!" she crooned and hugged Adrianna.


    Adrianna giggled and said, "Good you are here. Now Niiya can rest."


    Niiya pursed his lips in anger. A committee member soon called him over, so Niiya got up and left.


    Ookashi looked at the sullen Niiya. She knew that things were not working as they should have been between her brother and Adrianna.


    Nate sat beside her, waiting for her like a puppy, while she talked to Adrianna. It was not long before they saw that Keisha had walked into the main hall, along with Liam and Dmitri.


    All eyes were turned to Dmitri as he entered. With his broad shoulders and muscles that showed beneath his white t-shirt, he had everyone drooling upon seeing him. He was looking straight ahead in front of him and didn''t even spare a glance at Adrianna who had been watching him since the moment he had entered. He had his hands in his pockets while Keisha was hanging around his arms as usual. The two of them went to sit on the chairs behind the judges.


    Adrianna followed them with her eyes until they sat down before averting her gaze. She felt like running out of the hall. Ookashi was talking to her, but nothing was registering in her mind.


    Nate looked at Dmitri and shook his head. He mentally communicated to him, "Stop making it difficult."


    Since Keisha could listen to their thoughts, she barged in. "Difficult? What do you mean?"


    Nate became quiet and contained his thoughts as he turned to Ookashi and returned to ogling her with admiration in his eyes.


    Niiya came back to them, dejection written all over his face. "They are forcing me to be a part of the main committee." He looked at Adrianna with a sad face. Adrianna was happy so she chuckled.


    "So that means that I am free! See you Niiya," She started getting up and picked up her bag.


    "Wait Adrianna!" shouted Ookashi. "You must see us perform!"


    Adrianna couldn''t say no to her and sank back in her seat.

 Chapter 53 - Auditions (2)

    After three more pairs, Ookashi and Nate were called upon the stage. While Ookashi carried out the scene with elegance, Nate stuttered a little. He wasn''t used to this kind of thing and he was only doing it to please Ookashi. The committee was weary by now. They liked Ookashi a lot, but Nate was nowhere close.


    Other than Ookashi, they couldn''t decide on anyone else to play the lead roles. Because Dmitri and Keisha had come in last, they gave them a chance to audition. They both got up from their seats and walked to the stage. Keisha looked at Adrianna smugly. She held Dmitri''s hand and when she noticed that Adrianna had seen it, she squeezed his hand. Adrianna once again diverted her gaze. Since Ookashi had finished, she said, "Ookashi, I have to go. Let me know the results later."??


    Ookashi smiled and said, "Sure."


    Niiya had been busy with the committee people when Adrianna walked out without giving a look at Dmitri. He wasn''t hers�� She had to shield herself from more heartache��


    Just as she had reached the entrance, a voice boomed, "I want to audition with Adrianna."


    Adrianna looked back at him with shock in her eyes. He was staring at her intensely.


    Keisha''s mouth opened as she staggered back. She asked him, "Dmitri, what are you saying?"


    He didn''t hear her as he continued to look at Adrianna.


    Niiya jumped out of his place and scolded him, "Dmitri, it is not your place to force someone to do anything they don''t want."


    The entire hall fell silent.


    "I am sorry, but I am not cut out for this role��" said Adrianna as she once again turned to exit the hall.


    "Adrianna!" shouted Nate. He ran to catch her before she exited. "You must try it out. Dmitri thinks he can do it better with you instead of Keisha."


    One of the students of the committee agreed, "I think they will make a nice pair. Adrianna, you should give it a try."


    Before she knew it, Ookashi was dragging Adrianna to the stage.


    Keisha left the stage and walked out of the hall in a huff. Adrianna walked up onto it.


    She had to do something before Adrianna took her place��


    ---


    The scene involved lovers separating from each other. Although Adrianna was being given prompts from backstage, she couldn''t execute them perfectly. All of her attention was on Dmitri who was standing close to her and explaining that he had to leave as he had been called to fight a war for his country.


    Dmitri softly lined the contours of her face as he inched his face close to her. He leaned upon her and whispered, "Don''t cry when I am gone."


    Adrianna gulped. She was so captivated by his charm that she forgot to breathe. The attraction was driving her crazy.


    The scene was short and it ended within ten minutes, leaving all the judges and the students present in the hall totally mesmerized. Dmitri had become an instant hit. Adrianna, on the other hand, was flushed. She ran down the stage, picked up her bag, and exited the main hall. Dmitri''s gaze followed her actions as his lips curled up. All the girls in the hall were already swooning over him.


    When Adrianna exited, she hurriedly walked towards the chemistry wing. Her adrenaline rush wasn''t settling. She found a secluded bench in the gardens and sat there to settle her feelings.


    "Adrianna, I have an important message for you," called Pryce from behind.


    Adrianna was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she jumped. She looked at Pryce questioningly. Pryce took out an envelope from her bag, handed it to Adrianna, and left without saying another word.


    Adrianna opened the envelope. It was a message from Keisha.


    [I would like to meet you in the woods outside the college campus. I want to settle something with you. Meet me at 4PM after college ends.]


    Adrianna smirked. She knew what Keisha wanted to talk about, and thought that it would be better if she settled it once and for all.

 Chapter 54 - The Unexpected

    Niiya had been suddenly swarmed with a lot of work, so after classes finished, he ran to the entertainment committee even though he wanted to take Adrianna to the caf�� to talk more.


    When college ended, Adrianna went to the parking lot to get to her motorbike.??


    She placed her backpack in the motorcycle box and started the ignition. She had many back-to-back classes and was so tired that she wanted to just get into bed. She had forgotten about Keisha''s message.


    Just as she was leaving the campus on her motorbike, she saw Pryce standing by the main gate staring at her. Adrianna stared back at Pryce, wondering what was wrong with Pryce for Pryce to be looking so ferociously at her.


    ''Oh!'' Adrianna remembered Keisha''s message and turned the motorbike to park it again. ''Hah, so she wanted me to remind of her message.''


    Adrianna went through the periphery of the college and into the woods where Keisha had specified.


    She had walked quite a bit inside the forest, but she couldn''t find Keisha. She got irritated and started to walk back. This time, her walk broke into a jog as she badly wanted to go home. It had been a week since Ed had come back and he had been asking her to practice her magic. She had planned to practice it in the quiet of the night with him.


    She was jogging back, immersed in her thoughts, when she heard a nasty growl before all of a sudden, Keisha jumped in front of her.


    Adrianna stopped with a startle. She stood in her place, panting a little. Then, she crossed her arms as Keisha circled her while growling menacingly.


    "I told you to stay away from Dmitri and you haven''t paid heed to my words," said Keisha, seething with anger.


    "Keisha, I have no interest in Dmitri. I know he is with you," said Adrianna, becoming upset over her accusations. She had never lead Dmitri in any way, knowing full well that Keisha was with him. She had always tried her best to control her wolf.


    "Don''t give me that!" shouted Keisha. "I saw what happened at the auditions today."


    Adrianna looked down. How could the chemistry between Dmitri and herself escape anyone? She had been so flushed by the time the scene finished that she ran out of the hall with her heart palpitating as though it would jump out of its ribcage.


    When Keisha saw her standing quiet without an answer, she growled again. "I challenge you to a fight. We''ll see who is more deserving of Dmitri. I have been to so many wars with him that you couldn''t possibly imagine. My father had already given me to him unconditionally. We have always been together and now you show up. Do you think it is so easy to take him away from me? My affection for him runs like blood in my veins. I will even kill you for him," vented Keisha.


    "Are you done? Because I have to go. I already told you my stance on this matter. There is nothing more to do here," said Adrianna, desperate to leave the place. She didn''t want to discuss Dmitri or her feelings for him. They were inexplicable; they were hers and she would never share them with anyone. She wanted to suffer alone with her feelings.


    Keisha flared and, without warning, pushed Adrianna with such force that Adrianna fell a few feet away from where she had been standing. Adrianna looked at Keisha in anger. She stood up, dusted her clothes, and started to walk away, ignoring her.


    Keisha wouldn''t let her. She held her hand, pulled her back, and again, pushed her to the ground.


    Once Adrianna was down, Keisha attacked her again. This time, ferociously. But Adrianna had got up by then so the two of them leapt at each other, crashing into each other mid-air. Both of them were so forceful that they fell down and tumbled together, rolling on the forest floor.


    Adrianna kicked Keisha and swiftly sprang up before straddling Keisha. Keisha''s actions were so infuriating that Adrianna lost it. Not only had she pent up her emotions about Dmitri, but she was now dealing with someone who simply wasn''t listening. Her rage came out as uncontrolled wild magic and a white light passed through her hands, striking Keisha''s body.


    Before Adrianna realized, Keisha had passed out. Adrianna looked down at Keisha and then at her own hands. She was bewildered as to what had happened. It was crazy. Her anger turned into anxiety. She patted Keisha.


    "Keisha. Keisha." She patted her cheeks, hoping to get a response.


    But Keisha didn''t respond. Scared, Adrianna moved away from her.


    ---


    At the college, Dmitri and Nate walked to the garage and waited for Keisha to come. When she hadn''t come for a while, they tried to communicate with her mentally, but she wasn''t responding. Worried, both of them searched the places where she usually went.


    When they couldn''t find her, they met back at the parking area.


    Like a fleeting flash, Dmitri heard her growl. He looked at the forest and ran in the direction of the sound with Nate, who understood his alpha, following close behind. Since she wasn''t responding, they had to rely on their basic instincts.

 Chapter 55 - I Need Some Answers

    Adrianna sat beside Keisha and shook her shoulders. "Keisha, are you okay? Wake up!" She was getting panicky.


    A throaty voice made her turn her head. "What happened here?" asked Dmitri, walking fast towards them.??


    Adrianna didn''t know how to answer him. ''We were fighting over you��'' How ridiculous would that sound? She could never say that; her pride would get hurt, so she chose to remain silent.


    Dmitri came near them and saw that Keisha was unconscious. "How did this happen?" he asked Adrianna.


    She didn''t answer and pursed her lips. Her panic was growing fast, because her wild magic had come out uncontrollably. She wanted Keisha to wake as soon as possible, so she could know that Keisha was still doing well after being after hit by hermagic. It was killing her from inside.


    "You should take her to the hospital now," replied Adrianna.


    Dmitri looked at her with anger as she shrank. "Did you do something to her?" he asked, looking very angry.


    Adrianna lowered her head and stared at Keisha. She decided to never ever cross their path. She decided never ever to be in their vicinity. She just wanted this to be over and to go home to her grandfather. A tear rolled out from her eye. How did she even get embroiled in a thing so stupid as this? Why couldn''t she keep her emotions in control? And the way Dmitri was asking her questions was annoying her. She just wanted the day to be over.


    She ignored his question again. Dmitri didn''t bother her much and lifted Keisha. Together, they went back to the parking area where his car was parked. Nate opened the back door and Dmitri carefully placed her in the back seat. He turned to Nate and said, "Take her to the healer immediately."


    "What about you?" asked Nate.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna and said, "I need some answers."


    Adrianna stared at him and spat it out, "There is nothing to explain here. I don''t want to meet you guys again. I don''t want to see you again. Don''t even cross my path, because if you do, I will report it to the dean."


    After saying that, she ran to her motorbike, started the ignition and drove it off of the campus at a very high speed, leaving Dmitri to glare at her back.


    Adrianna - his cat, was getting feral and dangerous.


    With a dejected look, he sat in the passenger seat up front with Nate. On their way to the healer, he remembered that Kuro had asked him to give him another two or three days as he hadn''t been able to contact Adrianna. Dmitri knew that it was the truth because Adrianna had completely cut herself off from her family after the incident with Rufus. He could understand her fear of being thrown into an unknown relationship, but he had a plan charted out this time. He had informed Kuro that he would be coming to meet them in two days.


    They went straight to the healer of the blue moon pack.


    ---


    When Adrianna reached the cottage, her grandfather was waiting for her. He looked at her tired face and mentally tried to hear her thoughts. But Adrianna had shut herself completely. Ever since he had returned from his trip, he had become all the more protective over Adrianna. When he learned about her incident with Rufus, he was seething. How could a father do something like that to his child?


    Kuro had been asking him the entire week to convince Adrianna to accept the supreme alpha''s hand seeing as he had threatened to kill every blue moon pack wolf otherwise.


    But Ed thought that this was Kuro''s new pressure tactic. He wasn''t letting Adrianna get hurt again. Ed had, in fact, gone to the pack''s healer to find out more about what had happened, but the healer was tight lipped. All he said was that Adrianna had been found on the periphery of the pack''s territory.


    "What about Rufus? How come he can''t speak at all?"


    "It seems he was given a concoction of poisonous compounds extracted from Lily of the Valley and Foxglove. His vocal cords have been irrevocably damaged," the healer had replied.


    Ed was left wondering as to who would even do that. "Who did that to Rufus?" he asked.


    "I have no idea�� After the incident, Adrianna was found unconscious on the border of the red moon pack territory and Rufus was found far away, somewhere in the forest. It is possible that someone attacked them��" replied the healer.


    Ed had become apprehensive of the incident, and had left the healer in a huff. He had returned to the cottage, and had coaxed Adrianna to practice magic everyday. However, her schedule had been too tight. With her midterms approaching fast, she constantly had to study. She simply had no time to practice her magic.


    Ed''s main issue was that Kuro had communicated to him that the supreme alpha was coming within the next two days. Things were getting extremely complicated.

 Chapter 56 - The Greater Cause?

    Kuro had told Ed that the supreme alpha was coming for Adrianna within the next two days. Because Ed had been furious with Kuro and had refused to listen, Kuro decided to pay a visit to the cottage.


    Adrianna was very upset. When she got home, she saw that Ed was standing on the portico with one hand leaning on the rails and the other in his pocket.??


    "Adri, we need to talk," he said gravely.


    "What is it Grandfather?" she asked, removing her bag from her shoulders and walking inside.


    "When will your exams finish?" asked Ed, following her inside. He had to warm her up for the upcoming conversation.


    "In a week''s time," she replied drily.


    "You look upset. Care to tell me the reason?" he inquired trying to make her feel comfortable.


    But how could Adrianna even tell him about what had happened? It was the daftest moment of her life. Why did she even go to meet Keisha? All of that could have been avoided if she hadn''t gone. Why did she react on an impulse?


    "Nothing Grandfather�� Just the regular college stuff��." she said, shaking her head. "Let''s practice magic today," she added, looking at him with urgency in her eyes.


    She had never been as eager to learn magic as she was today, and this caught Ed''s attention. He had to deal with it gently in order not to offend her.


    "I am not well today. Can we do that tomorrow?" he asked.


    "Oh! Ok, Grandfather. What happened?" She became concerned.


    "Ah nothing�� Just a slight headache��" he lied.


    Adrianna went to her room and took a shower. When she came out, she found Ed knocking at her door. She opened it to find Ed holding two cups of coffee. She really needed that coffee. She smiled, took the cup from him, and together they went to the living room to watch TV.


    While Adrianna was surfing through channels, looking visibly relaxed, Ed said, "Adri, your father is coming here tonight."


    Adrianna stiffened. Her father was the last person she wanted to see. Even though it had been a week, she was not letting the memory fade. She didn''t look at Ed.


    "A very important development has taken place," he continued, in hopes that she would listen to him.


    "Grandfather, please don''t talk about them. They are not my family anymore. I just want to live peacefully now," she said with pained emotions.


    "Adri, listen to me. If Kuro is coming here, it means that he has something important. And my guess is that it has to do with you," he said gently so that she wouldn''t feel offended.


    Adrianna placed the cup on the table, got up, and shouted, "I will not meet him!" She left the room in anger.


    Ed could only sigh. He called her from behind, "Adrianna finish your coffee."


    Adrianna came back, picked up her cup, and stormed back into her room. She sat down to study, but it was difficult to concentrate. The incidents kept running in her mind.


    How dare he even show his face here? What does he want from me? All he had given her was bitterness. What father in the world would feed his daughter to a maniac?


    She started swiftly turning the pages of her book without even looking at the content. She sipped her coffee and went to her cupboard to fetch some butter cookies. Slowly, her anger settled and she started properly reading her notes.


    It was not long before she heard voices coming from the living room. Kuro had come and was talking with Ed. She checked her watch and saw that it was already 8PM. She clenched her jaw and closed her books. Getting up from her desk slowly, she packed her bag for college for the next day while listening in on their conversation.


    "Ed, you must ask her to come to the pack the day after. I am worried that the supreme alpha is going to create havoc if his demands are not met with. I have heard that he has been very merciless," pleaded Kuro.


    "Kuro, I haven''t seen a person as shallow as you are. Adrianna has suffered a lot and she refuses to even talk to you," replied Ed.


    "She doesn''t have to talk to me. But I am truly concerned about my people," he replied. Kuro knew that he had won the war against the supreme alpha only because of Adrianna. He didn''t know that the situation would escalate to this level. He had thought that after the war had ended, things would settle down for a long time. However, things had only becoame worse.


    "Adrianna should think of the greater cause," he added.

 Chapter 57 - No Way In A Million Years

    Adrianna came out of her bedroom seething with anger. She went and stood opposite her father, placing her hands on her waist.


    "I will not marry anyone you choose! You have pushed me way too far in order to comply with those wishes of yours. The day you sent me to Uncle Claus''s place without telling me of your evil intentions, that was the last day of our relationship as father and daughter."??


    Kuro watched her outburst, and not wanting to give up because of his ego, he lashed back at her, equally as hard, although in a low tone. "Look Adrianna, you uttering this nonsense won''t change anything. So why don''t you comply to what I say?"


    She lowered her tone and replied, "No way in a million years."


    "If you act so stubborn, I will send my people to rip you apart," said Kuro, threatening her to succumb.


    "Send them Kuro! I don''t care, as I am sure I can handle all of them, "She replied just as menacingly with narrowed eyes. "But I know you won''t, because right now, you need me." She laughed, mocking him, and started walking back to her bedroom.


    "Adrianna!" Kuro shouted. "Stop right there!"


    Adrianna turned to look at him. "I will not marry anyone in order to live!"


    It was Ed''s turn to look at her in surprise. Where was all this coming from? Did someone dump her?


    "What do you mean?" asked Kuro.


    "What I mean is that I will marry someone I am in love with. And currently, I am exploring a relationship��" she replied, still slightly angry but now slightly shy as her face became red.


    Kuro''s face fell. It would be more difficult for him to convince her to marry the supreme alpha now that she had someone else in her life. He might have to kill that person.


    "Who is it?" he asked.


    "My classmate from college, Niiya��" she replied, looking at her fingers and rubbing her nails softly.


    Shocked to the core, Ed covered his mouth with his hands. Niiya!


    Kuro looked at his father and frowned. Then he looked at Adrianna again, "Well, you better forget about that Niiya and do as I ask."


    "I am sorry, but I have stopped taking orders from you now," she replied, as adamant as ever.


    Kuro banged the table in front of him with his fist and snarled at Adrianna. "Don''t you fight it out with me Adrianna."


    "I am not," she replied with a smile. "It''s my life. Let me live it. I will go out with Niiya."


    As she said that, someone standing outside was dark with jealousy. He picked up a boulder in his rage and threw it afar. He ran towards the forest and shape shifted. The fury inside him was so blinding that he didn''t know which direction to take and what to do next.


    He had come to be with her for the evening on the pretext of convincing her to play the lead part in the drama and also to ask her about Keisha. Even more than Keisha''s situation, he was mostly interested in talking to her about the drama. He wanted to be near her, to calm down his nerves, and to soothe the storm that was going on in his mind. Every moment with her and every close encounter with her, made him want her even more.


    When he parked his car in front of her cottage, he had heard loud voices coming from inside. Kuro was there. But why?


    When he listened in to their conversation closely, he smiled. Kuro was trying his best, and he had to give him brownie points for that. Although he understood Adrianna''s reluctance in accepting Kuro''s demand, he became irritated when she spoke the name ''Niiya''. He had clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles had become white. He gritted his teeth in an effort to remain silent. He hunched slightly and his hunched form exuded an animosity like burning acid. It was dangerous. His face became red with suppressed rage and he mentally snapped.


    He walked towards his car, throwing a huge boulder on way, and revved the engine. Parking the car a kilometer away from her house, he ran inside the forest to vent his anger.


    Kuro lost his temper at Adrianna''s stubbornness. He moved closer to her and caught her by neck. Adrianna was quick to get herself out of his grasp. She was ready to fight him. The anger in her eyes showed the scared child within, the girl who was taught only to fight, and was starved of the love she craved.


    Ed could see the pain beneath those eyes. Her soul was drowning in a role that she had craved to fit into for so long and was only met with indifference. But she wasn''t crying. She was being resilient.


    Ed ran and stood in between the two of them.

 Chapter 58 - Kidnapped (1)

    He had to dissipate the situation soon. He shouted at Adrianna, "Go back to your room! Now!"


    Adrianna backed off a little and walked to her room. Ed watched her leave and close the door behind her. He turned to Kuro and said, "Do you know who Niiya is?"??


    ---


    The next morning, while Adrianna was preparing to go to college, she received a text from Ookashi.


    [Niiya has been kidnapped.]


    Adrianna was startled. Without eating her breakfast, she ran out of the house. Ed shouted behind her, "Adri! Stop! Have your breakfast! Why are you running so fast?"


    But Adrianna was in such a hurry that she jumped over the railings and dashed to her motorbike. While on her way to Ookashi''s home, she wondered if Kuro had kidnapped Niiya. Was he going to stoop to this level to force her into marrying the supreme alpha? She was so angry at him that she wanted to lash out her anger at him right there and then, but she was currently helpless. It wasn''t a certainty that he had been kidnapped. Even if he had been kidnapped, it could be anyone since Niiya''s father was a popular doctor and was very rich. It could be for ransom or it could be a grudge. All those thoughts were bouncing within her head, making her increase her.


    Ookashi''s place was swarmed with police. Ookashi''s father was answering question after question that was being hurled at him by the police, and her mother, who was sitting on the sofa in Ookashi''s embrace, was crying softly.


    When Ookashi saw Adrianna, she came right up to her and took her to her bedroom. The policemen watched Adrianna intently as she walked inside with Ookashi.


    "Ookashi! How did this happen?" she asked as soon as Ookashi had closed the door and only the two of them were within listening range.


    Ookashi shook her head and said, "I don''t know Adrianna��" She started sniffling. She wondered how her twin brother might be being treated right now. "He went out for his morning jog at 6AM, and after that he didn''t return."


    Adrianna opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped. She had to investigate this on her own. She was scared that if she asked questions, unnecessary suspicions would rise. She moved closer to Ookashi to calm her down.


    In between the sniffles, she said, "I have been trying to talk to Nate, but his phone is not connecting��"


    ---


    Niiya had gone for a jog at 6AM in the morning, precise as always. He would take the same route at the same time every day. Just before exiting the gate surrounding his house, he checked the mailbox. He saw that it was swarmed with letters for his father, so he closed it and went out. It hadn''t even been ten minutes when someone jumped behind him and pressed a cloth onto his face. Within a few seconds, he was unconscious.


    When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a wooden floor that looked dilapidated. The doors and windows of the room were tightly closed. He could smell the damp earth combined with old fallen leaves. Was he deep in the jungle? He pounded against the walls and cried out, but the only reply was the sound of his thumping against the wooden walls. No help came. His fate depended on the kidnapper. How did this happen? Was he kidnapped? Why would anyone kidnap him?


    He became angry at first, yelling at the unknown. "Get me out of here! What do you want?" He pounded on all the walls of the room but to no avail.


    Within a few hours, his anger converted into helplessness. He huddled and sat down in one corner, awaiting his fate.


    ---


    Adrianna left Ookashi after an hour, but instead of going to the college, she went back home. Her grandfather was surprised to see her come home so early.


    "Adri, no classes today?" he asked out of curiosity.


    "Grandfather, I need to talk about something very urgent with you," she said, holding his hand and pulling him to the living room.


    "What is it Adri? You are behaving strangely��" he remarked.


    "Do you remember the guy I was talking about yesterday? Niiya?" she asked.


    How could Ed ever forget that name? He was scared of that family. When he had heard that Adrianna was exploring a relationship with Niiya, he knew that there would be more trouble coming.


    "Yes, I remember," he said, becoming desperate to hear more.

 Chapter 59 - Kidnapped (2)

    "Grandfather, he''s been kidnapped," she said with anxiety etched on her face.


    Ed''s nervousness turned into fear �C fear for Adrianna''s safety.??


    Niiya was the son of the head of the council. If Niiya had been kidnapped, his father would have definitely asked for help from all of his resources, including the people at the council.


    Ed had to find him. Or else, Adrianna would be in immense danger. He asked, "How do you know that he was kidnapped?"


    "The police are suspecting that. He went for a jog in the morning and hasn''t returned. There are sniffer dogs in the house and around the area," she replied.


    "When did this happen?" he asked.


    "This morning Grandfather. I had rushed out of the house after Ookashi sent me a message about Niiya. I am worried about his safety. Moreover, the police are asking me to come to the police station and tell me about his interaction with me," she said.


    "Do they know about you and Niiya?" he prodded.


    "There was nothing between me and Niiya. He only asked me out once when you were not here, and after that, we''ve pretty much been too busy to hang out. I mean, we haven''t even started dating properly��


    "Grandfather, I am worried that the police will grill me�� Will they put me in jail?" she asked, almost on the verge of tears. "I am so worried about Niiya''s safety. He has been such a good friend. I hope he is still safe��" she added.


    "When have they asked you to report to the police station?" Ed asked her.


    "Today in the afternoon."


    "You don''t have to go," he said.


    "What? But won''t they arrest me for not going?"


    "They can come here to question you. Also, they won''t do anything for at least three days," he replied to her innocent question with a smile.


    Ed''s mind had started racing. He had to find Niiya before the police found him, only because he didn''t want Adrianna to get dragged into this situation and let it get out of hand. He wondered if Kuro had played a part in this.


    "Let''s go to Kuro''s place," he said before starting to exit the house.


    "I won''t go!" she said loudly from behind.


    He turned to chide her. "Adrianna, you better shed those sentiments if you want to look out for Niiya''s safety."


    "Do you think Kuro has kidnapped him?" she asked with wide eyes.


    "There is a possibility, but I am not sure. Come on, get up!" he replied and went out.


    Reluctantly, Adrianna went out, started her motorbike, and together, they went to Kuro''s house.


    She parked the motorbike outside, but instead of going in, she stood there. As Ed walked inside, he realized that she wasn''t coming in. He turned to look at her and gestured for her to follow him inside.


    With her head hung low, Adrianna walked inside.


    Kayla was sitting in the living room along with her usual friends when they saw the two of them enter the house. She narrowed her eyes at Adrianna and said, "We were happy that you had left. Have you no pride? Why have you come back?"


    Adrianna rolled her eyes and ignored her. How pathetic could one get? She thought about it, and followed Ed, who had already gone further inside.


    Kuro was sitting and having his lunch, when he saw Ed and Adrianna walking in. He smirked at them and said, "Thanks for coming over. I hope you have changed your decision by now."


    Ed sat opposite him. He crossed his hands, placed his elbows on the table, and rested his chin on his hands. He proceeded to say, "Niiya has been kidnapped."


    Kuro frowned a little and continued eating his lunch. "So? What can I do?" he said with a shrug.


    "Do you know about his whereabouts?" asked Ed without wasting time in circling around the topic.


    "No, I don''t," replied Kuro, biting the lamb piece in his hand. "But... now that Adrianna is here, she won''t be allowed to go anywhere until she accepts my demand," he added with confidence.


    All of a sudden, Adrianna''s brothers came out of their rooms and stood behind her.


    "She will not be allowed to step out of this house," he said.


    Adrianna was furious. "You know that it will take me two minutes to take down these lame brothers of mine!"


    Ed was angry, but then he realized that perhaps this was a safe haven for Adrianna; the police wouldn''t come here. Calmly, he said, "Adrianna can we discuss this situation in private?"


    Adrianna was more angry with Ed now than ever before. Because of him, she always had to put up with these situations.


    But before she could say anything, Ed turned to Kuro and said, "The police are investigating about Niiya. If the treaty is broken, even if Adrianna doesn''t marry the supreme alpha, all of us are doomed!"


    Kuro raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why?"


    "Because Niiya is the son of the council head."

 Chapter 60 - Trapped Again?

    While Kuro was taken aback, Adrianna wondered as to what council her grandfather was talking about. Both of her brothers were shocked. Kuro had apprised them of the situation after he had a talk with Adrianna previously. They all looked at Adrianna. The situation was muckier than they had thought. So it was either Dmitri or Niiya. Adrianna shrugged and said, "What are you all talking about?"


    All of them only had just one thought in their mind: �C if Adrianna didn''t marry Dmitri, he would destroy the pack. However, if she didn''t accept Niiya, would their pack also be destroyed? How could she attract both of their attentions? Kuro didn''t know whether to be happy or laugh at his fate.??


    "Adrianna needs to stay here until this matter is resolved," said Ed, breaking the silence.


    "Grandfather, no, I won''t stay here!" she lashed at him. She had enough of her family members.


    "Adrianna, just stay here for the next two days. Until then, I will try to find out where Niiya is," he tried to explain to her.


    "But why do you have to find Niiya? You don''t even know him. It is me who has to find him," she said with concern. She didn''t want her grandfather to get embroiled in this situation. He was someone who didn''t even know what was going on between Niiya and her. So why should he be so concerned? Why was he treating her like a child?


    "Adri, just listen to what I am saying for now!" H applied pressure to his words.


    "No, I will not!" She got up and started walking out. Reinjie and Sam blocked her instantly.


    "Get out of my way! I am warning you," she snarled at them. But they didn''t budge. She walked past them, but they again stood in her path. Without hesitation, she hit them so badly that they were on the floor in a minute. She became very angry and rushed out. But as soon as she was out, she saw that many other men from the wolf pack had surrounded the house. There were so many that Adrianna was surprised. What was happening?


    Kuro came out after her. He said, "Adrianna, tomorrow the supreme alpha is coming. You better stay here. All of these people are going to stay here and surround the house until tomorrow''s meeting is over. You are not allowed to exit the boundaries of this house."


    "Kuro!" she shouted.


    As soon as she raised her voice, she heard some of the werewolves around her snarling at her.


    "Call me ''Ffather,''" said Kuro slowly as he glared at her. "Do you want to fight so many just to run away from here?"


    She heard them snarling again. Kuro had conveyed to his pack instructions to guard Adrianna in a way that she would be unable to leave the premises.


    Ed, along with Reinjie and Sam, had also come out by then.


    She hated her grandfather for putting her in this hazardous situation. She looked at all of them. It was as though the whole world had turned against her. But would she take their lives for her own good?


    She was strong enough to destroy all of them and make her way out of that maze. She was simply too powerful for them. But was it wise?


    Couldn''t her father and her siblings love her enough? All she wanted was love from them. Love which could fix her soul, her brain, and cure her despair. She wished she had mastered the art of love, but it was hard when she was starved of it.


    She had a strong urge to fight them and run away, but she felt pain upon even thinking of killing her own people. She sat on the ground wondering if she had simply been born with an incomplete soul. She chose to be human and in pain rather than a zombie who had to bite others to feed.


    She howled loudly with so much pain that those around her could feel the pain inside her. Ed watched. Kuro watched. Ed moved closer to her and held her shoulders. Crying, she got up from her place. Lonely and desperate, she breathed in real slow. What were the consequences? Her shield had shattered and the pain had tumbled out.


    ''I have to sacrifice myself and my ambitions in order to keep them safe from my anger.''


    Kuro watched her, thinking that Adrianna had gone inside the house with Ed.


    Once inside, she went straight to her bedroom, wondering what would happen now. Ed assured her, "I am going to find Niiya. But, don''t let anyone know about it." Saying that, he left.

 Chapter 61 - The Search (1)

    Adrianna sat on her bed as the tears cleansed her cheeks. Some of them refused to leave her eyes and, consequently, blurred her vision as waves of sadness passed through her system. Some tears flowed into her mouth, allowing her to taste her own sorrow. Her body crashed under the extremities and she inwardly cried for help. The entire blue moon pack could hear her this time as she had lowered her mental communication shields, but none of them helped her. She was looking for a sign of someone - anyone - out there for her, but her whimper was slowly lost. She laid on the bed reminiscing and indulging in her past to calm her nerves and ignore her uncertain future.


    Kuro came to her room.??


    Without consoling her, he said, "Adrianna, tomorrow the supreme alpha will be here. I expect you to calm down before that. I don''t want you to come up with any more of your tricks. When he is here, present yourself properly. I have no idea as to why he wants to marry you, but if that is the only way to ward him off of our territory, I will willingly give you away."


    Adrianna turned to sit and looked at him. Kuro noticed that her eyes were red and teary. Her shirt was disheveled. His eyes traveled to her dark thick hair and was reminded of her mother. His insides sunk when he realized that he wanted to run his fingers through her hair to calm her down. He could see her mother''s beautiful face in front of his eyes whenever he looked at her and was only reminded about how crazily he had been attracted to her mother. He inhaled sharply, trying to focus on her and not her mother.


    "You look so depressing," he said. "Pretty yourself up. If you want, you can ask for Kayla''s help."


    Adrianna laughed through her tears, "I look depressing, huh?" she paused. "What time will he come tomorrow?" she asked wiping her tears.


    "In the evening��" he replied.


    "Ok�� please go��" she said before going back to laying on her bed.


    Kuro left. He went to Kayla''s room and asked her to help Adrianna dress up the next day. Kayla was already peeved at Adrianna for becoming the a center of attraction and taking away her limelight. Although she agreed to her father''s request, she had devious plans cooking in her mind.


    Adrianna''s mind went to Keisha. ''How is she? What could must be happening to her? Is she safe?'' she thought. Adrianna was upset about Keisha''s behavior. She had told Keisha multiple times that she wasn''t interested in Dmitri. So why was Keisha being jealous? Her mind wandered to Niiya, to Ookashi, and then their parents. In the end, she didn''t realize when she had fallen asleep.


    ---


    Ed had been scouring the forest ever since Kuro had said that he hadn''t kidnapped Niiya. If Kuro hadn''t kidnapped Niiya, it could be possible that an enemy of Niiya''s his father might have kidnapped him. In either case, he just wanted to find Niiya in order to lift any suspicion from Adrianna. He didn''t have much time.


    He had used various connections to ask about him, but everything was in vain. None of the packs had any information about him. The problem was that Ed couldn''t ask too many people since he didn''t want it to become a huge issue and get out of hand. He also knew that this would attract the unwanted attention of witches and wizards, so he maintained a low profile and only asked the people he trusted the most.


    Ed ran through a list of places where he thought Niiya might be being kept in his mind, and checking off the places that he had already searched, as he gazed around the jungle. He came across an abandoned wooden cabin where he thought he heard the sound of thumping against the walls. He became alerted and thought that perhaps Niiya was in that cabin. He went near it cautiously, expecting someone to come out of it, but no one came out. The thumping grew louder. He neared the cabin carefully and quietly. There was no one on the outside, so who was the one thumping on the inside?


    He opened the door, but couldn''t see anyone inside. Curious, he walked further inside. There was a small door inside the cabin. It creaked as it opened. The thump stopped as soon as the door opened.

 Chapter 62 - The Black Bear

    Ed entered the small room. There wasn''t no one inside it. He saw that the floor of the room had cracked in several places and that there were holes. Plants had grown all around it. As he walked over, the floor creaked beneath his weight. The thumping started again and this time he could tell it was coming from within the room itself. Ed neared the source of the sound and saw that it was coming from one of the cracked spaces within the floor. He crouched down over there and with his heart racing fast, he bent inside to see what was there. To his surprise, he saw a little black bear trying to make its way out.


    Ed smiled at his discovery and helped the baby bear escape. he started laughing at his trepidations before entering the cabin. Shaking his head, he broke the floor a little more for the baby bear to come out. As soon as the bear was freed, it rushed beneath him to cuddle, but it was so huge that it knocked Ed to the ground. Suddenly, the bear came on top of him and snuggled against him. Ed laughed and said, "Go to your mommy." He got up and left the cabin with the baby bear following after him.??


    It was late in the evening and Ed was very tired. Since he couldn''t find Niiya anywhere, he just started going back to his cottage. However, on his way back, he decided to instead go to Kuro''s place and be with Adrianna. He didn''t realize until he had reached Kuro''s place that the baby bear had followed him the entire way.


    Ed tried to take him back to the jungle, but it just wouldn''t go. Every time Ed headed towards the house, the bear would follow. Ed gave up in the end, as he was very tired. The bear entered the house, much to everyone''s surprise, along with Ed, and within minutes, became the center of everyone''s attention.


    He wanted to see how Adrianna was doing, so he went to her bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, she shouted, "I have already told you that I won''t eat. So get out and close the door!"


    As Ed opened the door and entered the room, the baby bear also entered. "Adrianna, not eating food won''t help," said Ed, making Adrianna sharply turn towards him.


    "Grandfather, I��" She stopped speaking mid-sentence once she saw the baby bear. It attracted her attention. For the first time that iday, she smiled. The bear went and sat down on the rug beside her and she started stroking its thick black fur.


    The maids came inside with Adrianna''s food upon Ed''s signal and laid the dinner for her on a table. As her anxiousness dissipated, she started eating food and giving some to her new friend. Unfortunately, it was not old enough to eat, so she asked the maids to get milk for him., The milk was guzzled down by him within minutes. After about having five liters of milk, it stretched its limbs and slept at her feet.


    Ed had sat down in a chair in front of her. When she finished eating and looked up, she asked, "Did you find Niiya?"


    "No, I couldn''t. It is possible that he has been abducted by his father''s foes," he replied.


    Adrianna lowered her head and stroked her new pet. She smiled and said, "Don''t worry Grandfather. I will be ready tomorrow." Inwardly,s she hoped that Niiya would be found soon.


    Ed left, satisfied that Adrianna was doing well. He went to the cottage and hoped that the bear would follow, but it seemed the bear had found its owner. It wouldn''t budge from its place.


    The next day, Adrianna woke up late only to find her new pet sleeping right beside her. She smiled at him. He was so dirty that she pushed him off of the bed, much to his chagrin. He immediately wanted to be cuddled and climbed into her lap. His weight was too much and Adrianna laughed at him as she pushed him off of her lap. She really had to give him a bath.


    It was an ordeal to give him a bath. At least two maids had to be employed to hold him. Adrianna had forgotten all about her worries.


    It was 11AM when Kuro received a new message from one of his sons. The supreme alpha would be coming to their house in the afternoon.

 Chapter 63 - I Should Name You

    Kuro panicked. The supreme alpha was supposed to come in the evening. How come he had decided to come so early? Thank god Adrianna was at home. He ordered all the servants to clean up the place and prepare lunch for the guest. He asked the servants to inform Adrianna about it, and then asked Kayla to help her sister.


    When Kayla got her father''s instructions, she took out the dress that she had worn that day when the supreme alpha had last come. Deftly, she did her handiwork before taking the dress to Adrianna, who practically didn''t have anything to wear other than her jeans and shirt that she had come in wearing yesterday.??


    When Kayla entered her room, she whooshed past Adrianna, as if to tell her that this was her house instead of hers, and perched on Adrianna''s bed. She threw the dress on the bed and said, "Here wear this one."


    Adrianna was surprised. This was the dress she had worn on her first date with Niiya. Her lips curled upwards when she remembered how the date had been ruined because Niiya had fallen asleep. She must have left the dress here��


    "Thanks," replied Adrianna. She waited for Kayla to say something, but she didn''t. Instead, Kayla merely flicked her blonde hair to the left. Adrianna knew that Kayla was flaunting her beauty. She was at a loss for words. She eyes fell on Kayla''s earlobes which were adorned by diamonds set in white gold. The shimmer of those earrings were sparkling onto her neck, making it all the more attractive. Adrianna realized that she had held her gaze for too long and that was what Kayla had wanted.


    "What is it that you have Adrianna?" asked Kayla. "The council head''s son, the supreme alpha �C they all want you."


    Adrianna didn''t reply. She lowered her head, and sighed as she picked up the dress Kayla had thrown on the bed.


    "Do you want anything else?" asked Kayla, measuring her up and down as though telling her that she needed as much help as she could get to look better.


    "No�� I am fine��" she replied.


    Kayla took off her necklace and said, "Here wear this. You''ll look better."


    It was a simple necklace with blue beads. Adrianna shook her head. Irritated by Kayla''s behavior she said, "Thanks Kayla, but I am fine. You can take this back."


    Adrianna was in no mood to look good for a man who was forcing her into a union she detested.


    Kayla shrugged and left the room as she could care less.


    Adrianna went to take a shower. By the time she finished, it was already 12PM. She put on the dress Kayla had given her, and left her hair down. Her pet had been sitting outside her room and scratching the door, urging her to let him in. When Adrianna opened the door after she had gotten dressed, he ran inside the room and snuggled at in her feet, making a comfortable motor-like hum. Adrianna laughed at him.


    "I should name you," she mused. "How about Dmitri?" She laughed more at her own joke. "Done. You are Dmitri now!" Adrianna silently laughed at her wit. "Come on Dmitri, let''s go get you some food."


    She went outside to ask the servants to feed the cub as she headed out to the backyard, from which the forest became deeper. To her surprise, as soon as she went out, a couple of werewolves came out from their hiding places and glared at her. She glared back. She understood that her father wasn''t taking any chances for her to escape. Shaking her head, she went back inside, headed back to her room, and laid down on her bed. Her thoughts went to Niiya and Ookashi. She wanted to know whether Keisha was doing well or not. She wondered how Ookashi must be thinking of her as a friend. She covered her face with her hands and felt miserable for not being able to help her friends in a time of need.


    It was not long before Kayla announced that the supreme alpha had arrived.


    ---


    When Dmitri had heard Adrianna''s outburst that night, he was so furious that he had wandered around the forest like a madman the entire night. He couldn''t go inside and talk to any of them because Kuro was there. He couldn''t show Kuro his helplessness and his crazy attraction to his daughter or else Kuro could have taken advantage of the situation. Instead, he left mad as hell.

 Chapter 64 - When They Met

    The next day Dmitri sent the information to Kuro that he would be arriving within the next two days. But when his people had informed him that Adrianna was already at her father''s place, he decided to go earlier. He couldn''t wait to be with her. He missed her more every moment they were apart. Although he had said that he would be there by the evening, he couldn''t resist getting ready sooner. He had already been ready by 8AM, and had been waiting for his betas, Nate and Liam, who arrived at 10AM, much to his anger. They were both laughing at his impatience, which he ignored. All his men gathered within another hour and they started for Kuro''s house.


    Dmitri looked at Nate and they mentally communicated about the urgent situation they were in. Liam reassured them that everything was under control.??


    They reached Kuro''s house at 12:30PM. Kuro was extremely surprised. He didn''t know what was going on, but he was beginning to become uncomfortable. Why was the supreme alpha so eager to take Adrianna as his mate? He pondered whether he could negotiate a few terms with him before giving Adrianna away.


    As usual, Dmitri entered the house with a cold aura emitting from him even though his insides were burning with anxiety. He looked around coldly, but there were no signs of her. ''What were you thinking Dmitri? That she would run into your arms?'' He thought that and sulked a little. Kuro and his sons welcomed him into the house as though Dmitri owned it. All the servants stood in a line.


    He sat down and there was an awkward silence. He knew that Adrianna was inside;, he could feel her presence, which made him all the more jittery. Would she accept him?


    ---


    When Kayla announced that the supreme alpha had arrived, Adrianna heaved a sigh. She paced around for help and all she found was her pet that was sleeping on the rug. She rose and put on her sandals. Her movement disturbed the cub and as soon as she opened the door, he ran out in front of her.


    "Dmitri, Dmitri!" she shouted and ran after him. But the cub had run into the main living room. Adrianna entered after the cub, shouting his name, but as soon as she entered, she froze. Her eyes dilated, a heated breath escaping from her lips. Blood drained from her face as unattended strands of hair fell in front of her eyes. Rendered speechless by the scene in front of her, she didn''t know how to react. Her pet was standing besides her snuggling in her feet. Several moments passed, yet she didn''t budge an inch as her eyes locked onto him with shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but she only managed to look like a fish out of water, hopelessly attempting to breathe.


    When Dmitri saw her running inside shouting his name, his insides twisted. He wanted to get up right then and hug her. But he refrained himself from getting up, and instead waited for her to see him. His lips curled when he saw her standing a few meters away from him, gazing at him with shock.


    "Wh- what are you doing here?" she asked, stuttering a little.


    Kuro looked at the two of them, baffled at her expressions and at the smile on Dmitri''s face. And why was she shouting ''Dmitri''? He was afraid that Dmitri would become angry, so he said, "This is my daughter Adrianna?"


    "Adrianna, this is supreme alpha," said Kuro, pointing at Dmitri. "But how do you know his name?"


    Adrianna broke her gaze to look at her father and said, "I was calling my pet�� Dmitri��" she paused and then said, "He is the supreme alpha?" Sshe was all the more flabbergasted. The supreme alpha that she had been avoiding at all costs was Dmitri Volkov? Her head became dizzy, as she staggered her way to the nearest chair. Her eyes again set themselves on him. She was surprised beyond words! Her face was stuck in an incredulous expression as she stared at him unblinkingly. She shook her head in disbelief.


    Kuro didn''t know whom to look at. Dmitri''s face broke into a face- splitting grin.


    "You named your pet Dmitri?" he asked, his smile not leaving him.


    Nate and Liam, on the other hand was enjoying the moment. They were laughing away silently.


    Adrianna blushed till her ears were red. She lowered her head, wishing that the earth would break and that she would vanish.


    "Do you two know each other?" asked Kuro.


    Adrianna couldn''t say anything, so Dmitri replied without breaking his gaze from her, "Yes, we go to the same college."

 Chapter 65 - A Moment To Behold

    Dmitri was feeling much better as all his anxieties calmed down. "Hi Adrianna," he said, looking fondly at her.


    Adrianna was still dazed. She moved her lips., "Hi��" Sshe found herself speaking in a whisper. She had been resisting her emotions for Dmitri this entire time, but here he was, sitting right in front of her. She had run away from the house just because she didn''t want to marry the supreme alpha, and here he was as the supreme alpha. She was so happy all of a sudden that she wanted to get up and dance. A smile broke on her face as she lowered her head so that he wouldn''t notice. The person whom she crazily wanted to be with was right in front of her asking for her hand in marriage. All her nervousness about her uncertain future melted in seconds.??


    Unbeknownst to her, she started shining. Her inner aura became brighter as she shined. To Dmitri, she appeared angelic. He was mesmerized by her even more. Why was she radiating so much energy? She appeared like an angel who had just descended onto the earth. Immediately, he was washed with an urge to cover his precious gem. How could the world see a person like her? They would destroy her.


    Kuro knew of her inner ; he knew that she shined when she was happy. He had to put in some terms before giving Adrianna away.


    Everyone else present in the room was looking at Adrianna. It was a moment to behold.


    All of a sudden, Adrianna''s aura stopped. Her mood sulked and the smile that was on her face disappeared.


    Feeling dejected, Dmitri wanted to run to her and sit next to her to comfort her


    Adrianna remembered Keisha. Everything that had happened between them played over and over like a movie scene in front of her eyes. What an irony it was. Keisha had asked Adrianna to stop thinking about Dmitri. They had just had a huge fight over him, in which she had been injured. And yet, Dmitri was here. Was this her destiny? To be a third wheel for her entire life? To look at the person she was enchanted with, from near, and never truly become his? Her mood dipped and her soul cried. She looked up at him and said, "Can I talk to you in private?"


    Dmitri nodded. Adrianna got up from her chair and walked out of the living room. She walked out of the house and went towards the forest in the backyard. Dmitri followed her. The baby bear followed them too. He would snarl at every squirrel that came in his owner''s way, and kept running around wildly like a baby, climbing trees, and killing small rodents for fun.


    Dmitri was walking behind Adrianna. He was itching to touch her. It had been so many days since he had last slept in her bed since he had last held her close.


    When they had walked far enough to be out of the vision of all the guards her father had put in place for her, Adrianna suddenly turned around to look at Dmitri. She asked, "How is Keisha?"


    Dmitri was expecting that question. He said, "She is fine. She has partial amnesia. She doesn''t remember what happened to her."


    Adrianna bit her lower lip. She didn''t want to reveal what had happened in the forest. How could she say that they had fought over him?


    "Okay��" she nodded. "I don''t want to marry you Dmitri��" she added.


    Dmitri was taken aback. He didn''t want to hear her say "No". He clenched his fists as he became furious. His voice became cold as he asked, "Why?"


    "Because Keisha loves you��" she replied, lowering her head and biting her lips again.


    Dmitri couldn''t hold himself back any longer. He brought his hands to her chin and said, "Stop biting."


    Adrianna loved the feeling of his hand on her. She couldn''t deny that her attraction towards him was for real, and if he continued to touch her even once more, she would easily give in.


    She removed her face from his hand, and turned around sharply. But the gods weren''t with her. Her dress tore from a seam on the right side, right from the sleeve to the middle of the waist. She was aghast! How did that happen? It was a fairly new dress. Did Kayla do something?


    Dmitri watched her dress tear and saw the white skin beneath it that was now exposed. In a split second, impulsively, he held her back and wrapped her in his arms, sliding his hands through the torn dress. He lifted her chin with his hands again. Brushing his hands along her bare back, he inched closer to her.

 Chapter 66 - Turned On

    Dmitri''s face was so close to her that she blushed a deep red. Her heart skipped a beat and she froze. It was as if they were meant to be. He brushed his lips against hers and said, "Do you know that your heart''s intentions show on your face?"


    She was turned on for the first time in her life.??


    Slowly, he glided his hand down her neck, her breasts and her stomach. He wanted to press her mounds, devour her lips, and take her down then and there. He looked her in the eyes, seeking her permission. She squinted a little when his eyes met hers. Her deep black eyes stole his breath away and seemed as though they were looking through his soul. Her hair was like an obsidian waterfall that tumbled down her back in thick locks. Her hands were strong but they held him gently. And her mouth�� oh, how Dmitri wanted to kiss that mouth.


    And so he did. It started as a light kiss before converting into a sensuous one. He kissed her as if there were no tomorrow - as if his life depended on her. She relented as he played with hair and held her tighter and tighter. He pulled her hair back as his kiss deepened. His hands worked around her body, feeling every crevice and each line of her perfect body. All the surroundings around him evaporated as he poured his lust, his want, his love, and his passion into her. He was having an adrenaline rush, and it was impossible to stop his emotions. He wondered if she felt the same attraction as he did - he couldn''t resist.


    "Marry me Adrianna," he said in between his kisses. He let go of her lips and opened her mouth to explore inside. Dear god., He couldn''t fight against the thoughts that were raging through his body. Her smell was flooding his senses and he was losing control over himself by the minute.


    His hands reached her buttocks and he pressed her against his growing erection. It was exhilarating. She was intoxicating him. "Ahh��" he cried. His wolf growled and went out of control. With one hand, he pressed her closer to him, and ran his fingers down her spine with the other.


    As Adrianna kissed him, her world fell away. She felt comforted. All she could feel was the beating of his heart against her chest. The next thing she knew, he had slammed his lips onto hers and knocked the wind out of her lungs. She didn''t have time to stop him from delving inside her mouth. Her arms automatically reached up his and tangled themselves around his strong, muscular, and thick neck. Her wolf was allowing this man to intermingle their spirits. Was he her mate?


    "Keisha��" she heard a whisper from the forests. O or was it her mind? Her trance broke. What was she doing?


    All of a sudden, Adrianna pulled herself away. She panted heavily, as Dmitri stood there, wanting for more. He looked at her intensely. Why did she part from him?


    Adrianna pushed his chest and tried to free herself from his grasp. "Dmitri, stop��" she said loudly.


    Getting out of his embrace, she turned around to walk back to the house. There was Keisha, who had fought for his love, still standing between them. How could she have forgotten that? She became so depressed thinking about Keisha that she started walking faster. She wanted to get as far away from him as soon as possible. But her wolf protested. It took a lot of will power to disengage from him. She felt helpless. She was hopeless �C hopeless for loving a man who wasn''t hers.


    However, if that was the case, how come he had fitted so well with her. How come his touch comforted her? How come he had kissed her? Everything became unclear at the same time. Tears built in her eyes, making her vision and her mind blurry. She stopped them from falling down with difficulty as her throat choked.


    He went behind her and stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. "Wait."


    She stopped, embarrassingly trying to cover herself up from where her dress had torn. Dmitri took off his shirt and gave it to her to wear. Keeping her head low, she put on his shirt and said, "Thank you. I will ask Reinjie to give you a fresh one." She started walking back to her house.


    Dmitri couldn''t let her go. He followed her back to the house. Just before they entered, he said, "Marry me Adrianna, and I will release Niiya."

 Chapter 67 - Marry Me

    Adrianna turned back sharply to face him. She stared into those black eyes that were now burning with anger as all her words left her. Her heart felt heavy.


    "Tell me your answer," he said menacingly. She felt as though she was stuck inside an iceberg, frozen, all life leaving her body. She stumbled back a little and pointed a shaky finger towards him.??


    "Don''t you have anything to say? I asked you to marry me. So tell me, what are you thinking?" he demanded.


    But her mind was blank. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him in horror. She thought, "What has he done? This is against the treaty."


    His eyes desperately searched hers, waiting��


    She said, "I have to tell Grandfather!"


    He narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "Sure, then I will just have to finish him off."


    The moment she realized that Niiya was in a vulnerable position and that she had to act according to Dmitri''s wishes, her demeanor changed. Her shoulders drooped and she searched for words as her expressions turned to helplessness. Her breathing increased and she lowered her head.


    "Okay. If that''s the cost of my freedom," she replied, tears rolling out of her eyes.


    Dmitri smiled. "Let''s go back to the living room and announce it to everyone," he said, not wanting to waste any time.


    Adrianna nodded. Her body felt so heavy that she didn''t know what else to do. She had never thought that she would be coerced into marrying him in such a way. But why would Dmitri go to such dangerous lengths to abduct Niiya only to force her into marrying him? Was he punishing her for harming Keisha in the war? She was unclear of his intentions. Perhaps he was going to kill her eventually as a punishment��


    She started to walk back to the living room. Her face was so pale that she looked deathly. Dmitri followed her.


    She saw Kayla coming out from the living room. Kayla looked at her paled expression and Dmitri''s shirt on her. Then, Kayla looked at shirtless Dmitri and gawked at his muscular and rippled body. Adrianna went up to her and slapped her right across the face. "This is what you get for sabotaging my dress."


    Kayla was shocked at Adrianna''s outburst. She held her burning cheek and was about to attack Adrianna when she heard a dangerous growl. She looked up and saw Dmitri towering behind Adrianna with murderous look in his eyes. He shook his head as if to warn her. Adrianna walked away, and Dmitri said to Kayla, "I would like to reward you with your life for sabotaging her dress today, but don''t even dare think of harming a hair on her head. If you do, you will invite my wrath and. I will make sure that you die a very painful death. So consider your not dying today as your reward."


    Dmitri left her with her hand still on her cheek which now bore the mark of Adrianna''s slap.


    Kayla shrank in her place. She had never received this kind of threat in her life.


    Back in the living room, when Kuro saw the two of them coming inside, he looked at Sam to get a shirt for Dmitri. Only in his jeans, Dmitri looked freakishly strong. Every ounce in his body was either dense bone or sinewy muscle. He looked as though he could crush two men at any moment as though it were nothing.


    Adrianna went and sat down in a corner under Ed''s watchful eyes. She was embarrassed at herself, and he didn''t miss her pale face and dejected expressions. He said softly, only for her to hear, "Adri, refuse him. We will find a way to negotiate."


    Adrianna looked at her grandfather. Did he know that Dmitri had kidnapped Niiya? That would be disastrous! "Negotiate what grandfather?" she asked like a scaredy-cat.


    "We will offer him half of the blue moon territory and ask him to leave you," he said.


    Adrianna sighed a relief. Before she could say anything, Kuro loudly said, "So what have you two decided?"


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna, as she looked back at him and said, "I will marry him�� But, I have terms and conditions, which I would like to discuss with him."


    While everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, Adrianna inwardly cried. Dmitri''s smile deepened.

 Chapter 68 - Her Secret

    Kuro mentally communicated to everyone in the pack about Adrianna''s decision, and the entire pack was jubilant. They asked him about the date they were to be married, but he had to mentally block them because there was a huge havoc regarding the date.


    Unable to wait any longer, Dmitri said, "I will come back during in the next waxing moon to take her with me."??


    "No, she can''t marry during the next waxing moon," Ed loudly said from across the room. Dmitri looked at him with a murderous glint in his eyes. He started walking towards him with clenched fists, but before he could get any closer, Adrianna stood in between them. She shielded Ed and faced Dmitri., "Don''t touch him." She paused and added, "Come to my room. I have to discuss my terms with you for marrying me."


    Dmitri nodded. Ed became nervous. Why was she entering this marriage? She was originally so against it. What had Dmitri told her that she was accepting him all of a sudden?


    Adrianna went to her room and closed the door to change out of the dress while Dmitri waited for her outside. When she opened the door after five minutes, she found him leaning against the wall beside the door. She called him inside.


    When they were seated, she said, "I want you to release Niiya now."


    "I will, but what is the guarantee that you will not just go back on your decision?" he asked.


    "No Dmitri, I promise that I will marry you. Just release Niiya," she pleaded.


    Dmitri grinned and mentally communicated to Nate and Liam to release Niiya safely.


    He crossed his arms across his chest and said, "I will come during the next waxing moon to get you."


    "I cannot marry you during that time," said Adrianna, looking down at in her lap.


    "Why not?" he asked, intrigued by her answer.


    "Because during full moons, I shape shift involuntarily and run amuck in the jungles. I don''t recognize anyone. It''s a curse I live with��" She had to tell him her secret.


    As expected, Dmitri was fairly surprised. "Okay�� so does this mean��"


    "It means that during the full moon, I will not recognize you and perhaps will even fight you if you try to stop me."


    Dmitri shook his head in amazement. He had to come to terms with the fact. Adrianna gazed at his perplexity and asked, "Do you still want to marry me?"


    "Yes, I do," he replied after a short pause. He doted on this girl to the extent that this small thing wasn''t as issue. "I would marry you right away if you wanted to, so don''t question my determination." He stopped and then added, "I will come to take you in a week''s time Adrianna. Be ready."


    Adrianna nodded. Then all of a sudden she said, "I will not stop going to college."


    "No, you won''t. We will both go to college together," he said with his trademark lopsided smile.


    Happy that he wasn''t stopping her from going to college, she became quiet. That was the only thing that cheered her up. She nodded.


    She suddenly remembered that her new pet baby bear Dmitri had run off and shrieked in fear with her hands on her face. "Where is my Dmitri?"


    Dmitri looked at her with a wide grin. But she hardly noticed him and ran outside towards the jungle to find him. She felt disgusted with the fact that in her mental tussle, she had left him on his own. Poor little guy! Was he even alive? She heard whispers.


    ''See she forgot about him.''


    ''Poor baby. He must have died by now.''


    ''I wanted to tell her, but she had already left.''


    ''I saw him running towards the lake.''


    Adrianna wondered where those voices were coming from as she continued to call out for her pet. She made her way towards the lake, but only to find him sprawled out beneath a bush sleeping like a baby before she even reached the lake. She chided him mentally and to her surprise, he started crying.


    "Okay, I am sorry. Come on. I was scared that I had lost you," she said before going to pick him up. He was heavy but he clung to Adrianna like a koala.


    Dmitri watched the two of them and smiled at their affection. The baby bear saw Dmitri and growled as he clung tighter to Adrianna, ignoring his presence all the way back home.


    "Adrianna, you have to give him a different name," said Dmitri from behind.

 Chapter 69 - Practice The Magic

    Together, they all went inside the house and announced their decision to everyone present. While Kuro heaved a sigh of relief, Ed was still paranoid. Why had Adrianna buckled under his pressure? What reason could there be for her to agree to marry him? He wasn''t convinced and wanted to ask Adrianna about her decision during the first opportunity he could get. He decided to wait for all of them to go so that he could take Adrianna back to the cottage and question her. For the moment, he chose to stay quiet and just watched her from a distance.


    Also, it was painful to realize that his granddaughter would soon leave him for good��


    They all sat down to have lunch at a large twelve-seat dining table, which was headed by Kuro. Dmitri sat next to Adrianna and away from Kuro while Kayla, Reinjie, and Sam sat next to Kuro. Ed was next to Nate and Liam. The siblings were watching the two of them with hatred. They wanted all of this to be over with as soon as possible.


    Kuro thought of negotiating some terms with Dmitri, so when the lunch was served, he said, "I know that you are so keen on marrying Adrianna, but there are a few things I have to discuss with you before that happens."


    Dmitri took a mouthful of beef and said, "What do you want to discuss?"


    "Well, I suggest that you give us the territory of the Lake Moon Pack," said Kuro, leaning forward with interest. He thought that Dmitri would yield in to his request.


    The lake moon pack''s territory was in one of the most crucial places; it was situated less than a mile away from the largest reservoir lake in the jungle, and it was under Dmitri''s control.


    Adrianna, who was sitting next to Dmitri, was shocked, when she heard her father. How could he even think of negotiating? Wasn''t he the one who had never wanted her in the first place? And now that she was getting married to the supreme alpha, he had the audacity to negotiate? She was ashamed of her family and especially , her father. She stopped eating and looked up at him in disbelief - an action, which did not go unnoticed by Dmitri.


    Dmitri looked at Kuro contemptuously, and grunted out a, "No" before going on to serve some bread to Adrianna who wasn''t eating properly. "You must eat properly Adri. I look forward to making noodles for you," added Dmitri seductively, making her blush faintly.


    Then he looked at Kuro. Dmitri was emitting such coldness that Kuro didn''t have the guts to say anything further. He just leaned back and focused on his plate of food.


    After lunch was over, Dmitri had to go back even though he didn''t want to. Adrianna and Ed left for the cottage with her pet following along.


    Back in the cottage, Ed asked Adrianna about her decision to marry Dmitri.


    "Why did you agree to him Adri? I told you to refuse him. Kuro would have been forced to give away his territory to Dmitri."


    Adrianna lowered her head and pursed her lips. How could she say that she did that to save her friend Niiya? "I didn''t want anymore bloodshed Grandfather�� I am tired of all this�� Let it be how it is��"


    Saying that, she went to her room, leaving a melancholy Ed. He felt as though a part of his heart was leaving him. He followed her inside and said, "We need to practice your magic skills Adri�� It is very important."


    She nodded and said, "Okay Grandfather, we can do that today in the evening��"


    Without speaking anymore Adrianna closed the door of her room and walked over to her bed as her pet followed her. She sat on her bed and started crying. It was more than crying. It was a kind of desolate sobbing that comes only when a person doesn''t have any hope left. She curled her arms around her knees as her tears ran down her cheeks. Her pain flowed down her cheeks as her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. An hour later, her crouched figure remained unmoved. She felt tired and fell asleep. Her pet was dozing off on the rug beside her bed.


    It was not long after when she heard someone knocking on her door softly. She got up with a startle and opened the door. Ed was standing there with her dinner. He said, "Eat it fast. We have to practice your magic today."


    She nodded and took the plate he had offered. After having dinner, they went outside.


    "What are the new things that you are experiencing Adri?" asked Ed.


    Adrianna didn''t say a word but she moved a little further away from him, closed her eyes, and drawing a thread of white light from her pool of energy, she brought it outside and threw it onto a tree that was standing tall within the dark of the night. Within seconds, it fell down as though it had been struck with lighting.

 Chapter 70 - Display Of Affection

    Ed was shaken. What sort of magic was this? He was scared that someone might have noticed it. He shouted, "Adri, keep it low. How many times have I told you that?"


    Adrianna chuckled at him and said, "This is a new Grandfather, but I think I can control it."


    "In that case, you better practice it now. I won''t let you go inside until you control that power," he said, both amused and frustrated.


    For the next two hours, under Ed''s watchful eyes and expert guidance, Adrianna kept practicing until she was drained.


    "I think we need to practice it a little more. Although you''ve been able to channelize the light within you on command, you haven''t been able to control its potency," said Ed.


    Adrianna sulked. "But Grandfather, I have done so well!"


    "You know that it can take months before you can even begin to think that you have refined one of your skills. So be patient Adri," he said before going inside.


    Once they were inside, Adrianna went back to her room. She still had college the next day. All of a sudden, she remembered to charge her cellphone. When it was charged and turned back on, she saw that there were over fifty messages from Ookashi and a few from Niiya. She smiled and started reading them one by one. She had missed them a lot and wanted to talk to them. So much had happened��


    The last text message was from Niiya.


    [Back home safely. Can''t wait to meet you.]


    She was satisfied that Dmitri had kept his promise. Even she couldn''t wait to see him. But her mood became sour in the next instant. Now, she could no longer think of going out with Niiya��


    She texted him,


    [Nice to know that you''re back. See you tomorrow at college.]


    She was too tired. Her pet came and snuggled at her feet. He was demanding for milk. She took him to Ed and said, "Grandfather, please help me with this guy today," before returning to her room. That night, she slept like a log.


    In the morning, she woke up only when Ed pounded at her door heavily. Realizing that she was already late for class, she ran to take a shower. Even though she was ready within the next fifteen minutes, she knew that she had already missed her first class. Without having breakfast, she drove off to college and reached the campus just in time for her next class.


    She saw Niiya there and her face broke into a beatific smile. She was happy to see that he was safe and alive. She went and sat next to him. Throughout the class, the two of them chatted non-stop in whispers. Niiya was excited to share his experience. When the class was over, he continued his story. "The wood cabin I was locked in exists god knows where. The police couldn''t even find it. I was dropped off at the same location where I was taken from. It has become a mystery and no one is able to find out about my abductors."


    Adrianna inwardly sighed in relief. While she was still listening to Niiya''s tale, they heard Ookashi''s voice from somewhere. "Adrianna, girl, where have you been?" Ookashi jumped over the bushes and ran over to Adrianna to give her a bear hug. Niiya laughed at his sister. Both of them had missed Adrianna a lot.


    "I am very angry with Adrianna," complained Ookashi.


    "Sorry Ookashi, I was very busy. We had a lot of relatives at our place, so just couldn''t contact you," said Adrianna, hiding the fact about Dmitri.


    All of sudden, Niiya reached for Adrianna''s hand and lifted it to his heart. "I missed you like crazy. I waited for those moments to pass in order to meet you," he said while Ookashi watched the two of them fondly. Adrianna blushed as she tried to free her hand from his grip.


    However, before he could say another word, they heard someone coughing loudly behind Adrianna. Ookashi and Niiya looked behind her to see that Dmitri was walking towards them, looking mad as hell.


    He came and stood right next to Adrianna, circled her shoulders with his long arm, and removed her hand from Niiya''s grip. Adrianna''s head reeled as she became scared of him and her gaze moved from Niiya to him.


    Niiya and Ookashi gaped at the display of affection in front of them. The world came to a standstill as there were more than just two onlookers during that display. The hunk of the college, the most handsome man who had a large female following in just a few weeks of his college admission, was now holding a simple girl like Adrianna in his arms. People ogled at them. The girls grew envious.


    Holding her hand, he kissed her forehead for a long time before saying, "Haven''t you told them anything, love?"

 Chapter 71 - Lost Her Freedom

    Adrianna bit her lip and fell silent. She did not move out of his embrace because she now knew what Dmitri was capable of if she contradicted him. Niiya and Ookashi glared at Dmitri and then looked at Adrianna. What had happened in the past two days? Niiya''s world was spinning in front of his eyes and he felt dizzy. Feeling angry, he shouted at Dmitri, "Stop crossing your lines Dmitri! Leave her alone."


    Dmitri frowned and said, "My lines are already defined Niiya. You''re the one who needs to know his lines." Once again, he kissed Adrianna in front of Niiya just to calm himself down as he was strongly contemplating killing Niiya.


    "We are getting married in a week''s time. I will send you all personal invitations. Don''t worry.


    "Oh! On a second thought, it is possible that I won''t invite either of you. You see, our clan weddings are tightly wrapped in our culture," added Dmitri.


    Niiya asked Adrianna, "Is it true Adri?"


    Adrianna nodded as she pursed her lips again. She looked at Dmitri with eyes that pleaded for him to not take this any further and to let it go.


    Niiya watched the two of them as he felt a sharp pain in his throat. He had loved this girl for such a long time and had finally gathered enough courage to tell her about his feelings. And now he had to suffer this humiliation?


    "Adrianna, what kind of cruelty is this? Does it fill you with some cold malice? Don''t answer me because your cruelty will not be all right with some twisted logic of yours. I loved you and you abused it. Honestly, I don''t think I am angry right now. Rather, I am bitter, but that is worse. Anger can pass over fast, but bitterness�� bitterness will last."


    Dmitri smiled at him with contempt as though he was looking at someone who had bitterly lost a battle.


    As Adrianna''s eyes became misty, she said, "I am sorry�� but I never loved you Niiya��" Which was the truth; she had only begun to respond to his advancement.


    Not wanting to see her sad anymore, Dmitri took her away from there, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders, as Niiya glowered at them from behind. Had he not been kidnapped, this situation wouldn''t have arrived. He had to find the person who was behind his abduction. He promised to himself that the moment he would find him or her, he would destroy them so badly that they would beg to die.


    Ookashi watched them as a mute spectator. She pitied her brother. She held his hand and took him back home. He couldn''t have continued to be at school any longer in his condition.


    Dmitri took Adrianna to the area where Nate and Liam were standing and waiting for him. They had noticed his merciless behavior, but didn''t utter a word for he was known to be merciless and cold. It took exactly a minute for him to break off the friendship between Adrianna and Niiya. He had brutally announced to the world that Adrianna was his and that no one should dare approach her.


    Nate knew that Adrianna was his mate, so he was all the more careful not to speak a word, but Nate was worried about Ookashi. How would he face her? He had been badly missing her every day since they had abducted Niiya and had decided not to meet anyone.


    Dmitri wouldn''t let go of Adrianna. Touching her was a drug for his anxieties. He continued holding her hand as they went to the cafeteria.


    Adrianna was feeling as though the seed of sadness had planted itself in her heart and it had found the right conditions to nurture there. How could she tell Niiya that to save him, she had chosen to fall into a lifetime of captivity? Was she falling into a trough? She shuddered as she thought of everything that had happened in the past. How will things take shape now?


    The food was ordered. Adrianna hadn''t eaten anything since morning and had been really hungry during class, but somehow, now, she couldn''t find her appetite. She had sat near Dmitri because she didn''t know what else to do. When the food arrived, Dmitri saw that she wasn''t eating anything. He took a spoonful from the plate and made her eat. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and tightly hug her. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ears, he said, "Adri, eat��"

 Chapter 72 - Don’t Stop Me Adri

    Adrianna ate a little. She had a heavy heart and wanted to go back home. She didn''t realize that Dmitri was playing with her hair.


    "I want to go home��" she said before starting to grab her things.


    "Fine. But eat first. Please Adri�� I''ll drop you off at home after you eat," he said tenderly.


    "No, I have my motorbike," she replied, rejecting his offer.


    "That''s ok. Liam will bring it over later," he insisted.


    Suddenly, she remembered that she had a very important lab class today, so she decided to go and attend that instead. "I am going to go to lab."


    Although Dmitri was surprised at her change in plans, he didn''t say anything. He nodded and force-fed her another spoonful. After popping a handful of chips in his mouth, Dmitri went with Adrianna to drop her off at her class.


    In the class, Adrianna was alone since her partner had gone home. She missed having Niiya as her partner and blamed herself for his situation. Almost the entire class was gossiping about her latest development; it was the hottest topic of the day.


    Adrianna could feel the other students stealing glances at her. After an hour, she couldn''t tolerate it any further and decided to leave in the middle of her experiment. She excused herself from the class and headed to her motorbike in the parking lot. However, to her surprise, she found Dmitri standing over there, waiting for her.


    "I said, I''ll take my motorbike," she told him.


    "And I said, I will drop you off," he answered.


    Without waiting for her to say anything else, he just took her hand and pulled her over to his car. Opening the door, he nudged her to sit inside and strapped her in.


    "I can buckle myself," she said, annoyed at him.


    But he ignored her. When she was seated safely, he went to the driver''s seat and started up the car. The entire way, the two of them stayed quiet. Once he watched her safely enter the house, he left.


    Since Ed wasn''t at home, Adrianna just went to her room and spent the rest of the day quietly with her books. When Ed came back in the evening, he found Adrianna, which was a little strange, but he overlooked the matter and proceeded to do his chores. In the evening, he asked Adrianna if she would practice her magic tonight, but she refused; she wasn''t in the mood. All the events that had been happening the last two days had drained her a lot. Her pet bear moved closer to her and snuggled in between her feet the entire time she had been studying. She would smile and often stroke its fur, inviting a sloppy lick on her feet.


    After dinner, she couldn''t sleep and kept tossing and turning in her bed. She thought of taking a walk when all of a sudden, someone draped her in his arms. Surprised, she turned around to look at the person who had dared to do so, and found Dmitri smiling at her.


    "How did you get in?" she asked.


    "Your window is wide open," he replied.


    He turned her around so that she would face him fully and then grabbed her by her waist, pulling her close to his broad chest. Gently, he glided his hands through her hair and stared into her eyes. In the dim light of the bedside lamp, her eyes looked beautiful. They squinted a little as she looked at him. She could feel his passion his desire for her.


    Dmitri''s heartbeat accelerated and his body reacted. He dipped his head towards her neck and softly kissed her. To her surprise, her wolf purred and allowed him to caress her neck with his lips. His hands went to her breasts, and squeezed them softly. He unbuttoned her shirt slowly, his eyes on her chest, unhurriedly trying to take in her beauty. Although she didn''t want to, she stopped his hand. Peeved at her, he jumped over her and straddled her. Holding her hands down, he squeezed them.


    "Don''t stop me Adri," he said as he leaned forward to kiss her on her lips. His lips brushed on hers, teasing her. That was hot, fiery and passionate. She wanted to pull away before she would lose herself in the moment, but she couldn''t. He was seducing her and she was allowing it. "Adrianna" he whispered slowly, prolonging each and every letter making it ever more sensuous. Her wolf jumped with excitement. Her heart fluttered and she found herself clasping his face. He leaned in her and opened her mouth with his tongue delving inside to explore every nook and corner. It was the most passionate kiss. His kiss was so comforting that she gave him way. Her fingers ran down his spine, pulling him closer so that there was no space left between them.


    His hand went under her panties, as he cupped his hands on her buttocks and pressed them to his growing bulge.

 Chapter 73 - Your First Pleasure Is Also Mine

    For Adrianna, these feelings were new. All of her blood rushed in between her thighs and she felt as though her body had come alive. Their bodies were clashing together to create an unpredictable reaction. He let go of her lips and slowly went down to nibble and suck on her neck. She tried to move his face away with her hands as she was getting confused by her emotions, but he caught her hands and pinned them over her head. As their bodies entwined, there was a subtle squeak of the bed. The only sound s that could be heard were their deep breaths and their heartbeats.


    She moaned softly and turned her head to the other side, giving Dmitri more access. He sucked at the base of her neck, creating a hickey, and then gently caressed it with his tongue. He was so turned on by seeing the hickey he had made on her neck that he ran his hand over her bare stomach and ripped away her shirt. Adrianna''s stomach contracted as he touched it, making her gasp for air as he continued to abuse her neck. She was squirming for more. She was, naked beneath him, with only her panties standing in the way.


    His tongue traveled down to her chest, stopping at her taut nipple. He pressed it down and sucked it so hard that Adrianna winced in pain, while he continued to knead the other mound. She lifted her chest from the bed as her breathing accelerated from the pleasure she was getting from the pain. He released her breast and latched on to the other, continuing his actions.


    She was so desperate by now that she her body exploded into an orgasm, and she rewarded him with a soft moan. But Dmitri wanted to suck up her pleasure, so he sealed her lips with his, absorbing her groans.


    "Your first pleasure is also mine," he said in between his kisses. Adrianna was unable to focus on his actions as she continued to give in to them. He pressed his bulge against her and grinded it hard enough to let her feel the effect she had on him.


    Dmitri wanted to go further down and explore in between her thighs when he was disturbed by Nate who was mentally communicating with him.


    His wolf growled at him fiercely and asked him to back off, but Nate insisted.


    Liam was in great danger. He was surrounded by over twenty neotides.


    Dmitri had to stop himself reluctantly. He hated the bad timing.


    He placed his forehead against hers and said, "Adrianna, I have to go."


    Adrianna dejectedly looked at him. She bit her lower lip. "Don''t��" she heard herself saying as her face heated up in embarrassment.


    He smiled and, kissed her lightly on the lips. He released her and covered her with her blanket. "Something urgent has come up��. Sleep well and miss me��"


    Adrianna felt frustrated. How could he leave her like that? But she was afraid to show her emotions any more than that, so she stayed quiet and turned her head away so that he wouldn''t see her dejection. Dmitri got up from the bed and dressed as he stared at her.


    While she was looking in the other direction, the room became silent. She turned to look at him, but there was no one. Annoyed, she flipped onto her stomach and pressed her face against her hands. What had transpired between them was unfathomable. She kept thinking about him as she stroked her neck where he had formed a hickey. Her wolf missed him. She missed him, and she wanted to be near him all the more. She couldn''t wait for the night to end. She wondered why it had been just a day and he already had so much influence in her. She wanted to analyze her illogical actions, but failed to do so. In the end, she smiled and slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


    ---


    Liam had been surrounded by neotides. Even though he fought them, it was difficult when all of them attacked together from all sides. He had gotten badly wounded. They were attacking with so much force that he couldn''t find the time to mentally communicate with any of his pack members. Somehow, he managed to communicate with Nate because he was, fortunately, in close vicinity.


    As he was fighting with them, Nate and Dmitri arrived with the other pack members and, together, they warded off the neotides. But Liam was badly injured. None of the neotides were caught as they had all escaped.


    Liam was taken to the healer. Once his wounds were attended to, Dmitri asked him, "Why did they attack you?"


    Liam shook his head and said, "I don''t know, but one of them demanded that I tell them who is the wolf that practices magic."


    Dmitri frowned. "No wolves know magic. That is ridiculous."

 Chapter 74 - Make Room For Her

    Liam shrugged and said, "I don''t know what is going on Dmitri, but it is strange that they would even ask this kind of question. It makes me curious as to whether or not this information is real�� I mean, neotides are not intelligent enough to have asked that kind of question, so they must have asked under someone else''s order.


    "There are too many questions that need an answer��" Liam was very tired, so he closed his eyes.


    Dmitri and Nate exited, leaving Liam alone so that he could get some rest. They had warded off the neotides just in time to save Liam.


    Cora was waiting for them when they got home. She was furious about Liam''s attack.


    "Dmitri, why was Liam attacked?" was the first thing she said to her son as soon as he entered the house.


    "I don''t know Mother��" he answered. Then, he turned to Nate and said, "If the neotides are acting on someone''s orders, then we have to find out who they are."


    Nate nodded. He started heading out to gather more information, but Dmitri stopped him and warned, "Nate, you cannot go to that side of the jungle. I hear that there is a huge army of neotides over there."


    "Reese is the commander of the neotide army," said Cora, divulging the information she had gathered over the past few days.


    Dmitri was used to his mother''s style of working so he didn''t inquire further.


    "But why would they even talk about magic? Only wizards can do magic. It is impossible for anyone else other than a wizards to do magic...


    "If the neotides are asking around about magic, then either they are heavily mistaken or there is something amongst the wolf clans that we are not aware of," said Cora.


    Dmitri nodded and said, "I will tell all the chiefs of the packs here to keep their eyes open about anything untoward that may be happening around them."


    "But what about the packs that you haven''t conquered yet?" asked Cora.


    Dmitri lowered his head as he was instantly reminded of Adrianna and had an urge to be with her. It was 4AM in the morning, and as much as he wanted to be with her, he had to restrain his wolf.


    When Cora saw that Dmitri had become quiet, she asked, "Dmitri, what is it that you are thinking?" She could never read her son''s mind after he had become the supreme alpha. He allowed people to read his mind when he wanted them to. Otherwise, no one could know what was behind that sharp brain of his. There were too many schemes, which he could never divulge.


    Dmitri looked at his mother and announced, "Next mid-week, I am going to marry Adrianna, the daughter of Kuro of the blue moon pack. I want the servants here to make room for her in this house."


    Cora knew about it already, but she had not spoken up about it. Dmitri knew that his mother was well aware of his marriage plans. The fact that she wasn''t talking to him about it meant that she had something else on her mind. Whatever it was, he would not yield.


    "Do you realize how long Keisha has been with you Dmitri?" she asked.


    For Cora, Keisha was perhaps the best wife Dmitri could get. She remembered that her husband had promised Dmitri to someone, but she didn''t know who that was, because before he could reveal her name, he had been called to fight a deadly war against Vikra.


    Had she known whom her husband had promised, she would have scoured through Heaven and Earth to find them. But for now, it was the biggest mystery of her life, and Keisha was the next best option.


    Dmitri refused to answer.


    "The fact that her father had given her to you unconditionally makes her an important person. She has fought so many battles with you. Do not underestimate her," said Cora in a strict manner.


    How could her son, the supreme alpha, marry a random girl from a wolf pack that he hadn''t even conquered? Plus, that girl was studying at a human college! Rarely any wolves went to study at human colleges. The humans had provided a special education to the wolves at reserve colleges.


    "Mother, I am not underestimating her. She has been my commander in many battles. I agree, but I am sorry. I simply don''t love her. I am not attracted to her, and it would be cruel to her if I marry her while loving someone else," replied Dmitri in one breath. He was getting tired of the topic.


    Cora couldn''t say much as she knew that her son was very adamant, and if he had decided on something, he wouldn''t budge. That kind of domineering personality was needed to rule the wolf world.


    "Dmitri, I want you to make a wise decision. You should know that there are people who look up to their ruler. You have to show them that your wife is equally as strong, if not more. So whatever you do, you have to set an example in front of them," said Cora.

 Chapter 75 - You Can Change In Front Of Me

    Dmitri didn''t want to talk about anything regarding Adrianna with his mom. He didn''t want Adrianna to be criticized, so he did not answer his mom.


    "How is Keisha doing? And do you know how she ended up with partial amnesia? It is not easy to put a werewolf in that condition. You must find out Dmitri," said Cora, getting angry at Dmitri for neglecting Keisha.


    Dmitri remembered how he had found Keisha with Adrianna. Adrianna was trying to revive Keisha and he knew that they must have had some fierce combat amongst them to have reached that state. He had asked Adrianna about it, but she didn''t say a word and she was too precious to him for him to show his anger in front of her. In either case, he wasn''t concerned about Keisha''s situation if Adrianna had been involved.


    "Okay��" he said before getting up.


    He headed to his room. Too tired to think about anything else, he went to sleep. But he felt restless all over again. He couldn''t wait to be with Adrianna, so he went to her place early in the morning at 6AM and slid in underneath the blanket he had covered her with earlier. Adrianna stirred and opened her dreamy eyes. She turned towards him and snuggled into his chest. He found that she hadn''t changed into anything. Curling his arm around her, he pulled her closer to him. He gently stroked her naked back and lightly kissed her shoulder before falling asleep peacefully.


    When Adrianna woke up, she found her face in someone''s chest. Becoming conscious of her nakedness, her cheeks flushed as she separated from him, pulling up the blanket to cover herself and leaping out of bed embarrassed. Dmitri smiled in his sleep as he turned his back to her. She nudged him to go away in case Ed found them, but he wouldn''t budge. Annoyed at him, she went to take a shower, hoping her grandfather wouldn''t come pounding at the door.


    But while she was in the shower, Ed came and pounded the door loudly, saying, "What is going on with this girl? Why is she waking up so late?


    "Adri, you have a college to attend!. Do you plan to quit after marrying that Dmitri?"


    A few seconds later, the door opened and a shirtless Dmitri stood there, looking at Ed with sleepy eyes. He had one hand on the door and the other resting on his head.


    Adrianna had heard her grandfather pounding at the door so she had hurried up, wrapped a towel around her, and had gotten out of the bathroom, thinking that she would tell Ed to wait a bit while she asked Dmitri to make an escape. But when she came out wrapped in a towel, she found that Dmitri had opened the door and , her grandfather was looking at him with confusion as his gaze traveled to her. Adrianna was so embarrassed all over again that she shrieked and ran inside the bathroom while Dmitri just gave them a casual look.


    Hurriedly, Ed turned away and went to the kitchen, his ears becoming red. When did this happen? Adrianna had never liked Dmitri. And here he was, emerging out of her bedroom as though nothing had happened.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna and without speaking a word he closed the door. He walked to the bed with the intention to go back to sleep. When Adrianna heard the door close, she peeped outside. When she saw that her grandfather had left, she walked up to Dmitri and said, "Why did you open the door?"


    Dmitri was fully awake by then. He kept his hands behind his head and said with a smile, "Because he was pounding on it so loudly. But after today, he should have learned his lesson, and I can have my quiet time with you."


    Adrianna''s mouth fell. How could he be so shameless? She shook her head and went to collect some clothes from her dresser to change into in the bathroom.


    "Where are you going?" he asked.


    "To change," she replied while walking towards the bathroom.


    All of a sudden, Dmitri blocked her way. "But I have seen all of you. You can change in front of me," he said, tugging at her towel.


    Adrianna held her towel tightly. "Dmitri, stop it!" she shouted, jerking his hand away. She ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and shouted, "I will keep my pet Dmitri in my room from now on. Don''t you dare come in!" How lewd was this man!


    Dmitri leaned against the door of the bathroom and laughed. "Then I will just have to toss him out of your bedroom," he said.


    Adrianna peeked out a little and growled at him., "Don''t you dare."


    "Oh Baby, you don''t know me," he said. "You don''t get to tease me."


    "Was thisit a warning?" she wondered. But she would never part with her pet. She was determined about that.


    "Dmitri, you don''t know me!" she retorted.


    Dmitri pursed his lips and became quiet. He wouldn''t dare to piss off his queen.


    Fifteen minutes later, they came out to have breakfast. Ed had already served breakfast, and was unable to look at Adrianna. Adrianna was also avoiding his gaze. Amongst them, Dmitri felt very comfortable. He hardly looked as if he was the new guy in the family. He behaved as though he had been there for a long time and it was his home rather than Ed''s. He devoured his breakfast. Adrianna had only a little, catching Dmitri''s attention, so he started feeding her.


    Adrianna moved his hand and said, "I can eat by myself," while giving a side glance at her grandfather.

 Chapter 76 - Felt Right In His Arms

    After finishing breakfast, Adrianna picked up her motorbike keys from the side table and walked out. Dmitri followed her. As soon as she was about to place her bag in the motorbike box, Dmitri grabbed her things and said, "You are coming with me to college."


    Adrianna shook her head and didn''t argue. Ed was standing there onin the portico, watching the two of them. She went back to place her keys on the table when Ed asked, "Adri, what happened between the two of you? How did such drastic development come about?"


    Adrianna was too embarrassed to say anything so she just ran away. Dmitri had already started the car''s engine by then and drove off once Adrianna got in the car. Once they parked, Dmitri stepped out first to open Adrianna''s door and walked into the college with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.


    "Dmitri, what are you doing? Everybody is looking at us," said Adrianna, hoping he would remove his arm. But at the same time, she loved it and inwardly smiled.


    "I am taking my girl to class. What''s wrong with that? I have not sinned," he said with nonchalance.


    With a slight blush and a smug feeling, Adrianna smiled and let him hold her. She arrived at her class to find that Niiya still hadn''t come to school. Her mood fell and she became sad. She thought to visit him after school ended. She had three classes back-to-back and was exhausted. When she exited the chemistry wing, she saw Pryce speaking with someone from her class. Adrianna avoided her and even though she had planned to sit on the lawn, she turned to go to the cafeteria. But luck was against her.


    "Adrianna!" Pryce shouted from behind.


    Adrianna ignored her and increased her pace a little, but Pryce again shouted, "Adrianna!"


    This time, she had to acknowledge Pryce, because there were people who had started looking at her. "Hello Pryce," said Adrianna, determined to keep it short.


    Adrianna saw that Pryce was in a very bad mood. Pryce was seething in anger. "Adrianna, what have you done to Niiya? He has become so melancholy these days. He is hardly even coming out of his room. You are so cruel. First you lead him into thinking that you love him and then you secretly go and get engaged to Dmitri. You are a piece of art Adrianna! I have yet to see a bitch bigger than you. You have managed to fool so many people. I must give you a standing ovation," said Pryce, starting to clap dramatically. Other onlookers watched the two of them as Pryce lashed out at Adrianna.


    Adrianna was taken aback by Pryce''s outbreak. She felt tears in her eyes. There was no way she could say anything. A tear rolled out as she silently suffered. She turned back to leave. But as soon as she turned around, she bumped into someone whose arms embraced her tightly as she buried her head into his chest on reflex as if it was the most natural thing to do. She curled her arms across her chest and her tears started flowing out, wetting his shirt. She felt so safe there.


    She was conflicted between herself and her wolf. Her wolf dragged her to him while she thought that Dmitri was wrong. If he was so wrong, why was she attracted to him? And if he was right, why did he abduct Niiya? Was there no other way for them to be together?


    As she was struggling with her emotions, she heard a menacing growl and a threat. "Back off," he warned Pryce.


    Adrianna looked at his face. He looked so dangerous , but she found it natural when her hand went up to his face to cup his cheek. She brushed her fingers across his cheek as though to calm him. Dmitri leaned his face onto her hand and closed his eyes. The two of them looked like two perfectly fitted puzzle pieces.


    What was she doing, comforting the man who wanted to snatch away her freedom for a lifetime? Her thoughts stopped as her heart took over when she saw him leaning his face ontoin her hands. For Dmitri, this was the first time she had shown her affection for him and he was savoring every second. He squeezed her tighter just to check that she was really there, body and soul. She felt right in his arms and he wanted the world around them to melt forever.


    Freeing herself from Dmitri''s embrace, Adrianna turned to Pryce who was bewildered at the scene in front of her. Dmitri''s warning was enough for her to become frightened. Adrianna wiped her tears and said, "Pryce, I am not the type to fall for your crocodile words. Niiya and Ookashi are good friends of mine and I don''t need your help or your criticism. So stay away from me." Having said that, Adrianna turned and headed to the cafeteria with Dmitri.

 Chapter 77 - Don’t Go Today

    Pryce was left scared and frustrated. She had wished that Keisha would have injured Adrianna when they had met in the forest. However, she had noticed that instead of injuring Adrianna, Keisha had passed out. She was dejected and felt like lashing out her anger at Adrianna. But the way the events had turned out was even stranger. After a few days, Dmitri had announced that him and Adrianna would be getting married.


    Pryce had become even more envious about the fact that a simple girl who hardly wore makeup and wore very casual clothes had become the center of attention for the two most handsome dudes at the college. She waited for a moment to put her down after that.


    She walked out fretting and fuming, but she promised to herself that she would get back at Adrianna and get her revenge. For that to happen, she had to know more about Adrianna.


    In the cafeteria, Dmitri got lunch for both of them and sat down at a table in the corner. As usual, Adrianna wasn''t eating properly, so he had to feed her.


    "What time do your classes end today?" he asked.


    "My classes end at 4PM, but I want to visit Niiya and Ookashi today after classes end. I want to talk to them," she replied.


    "Don''t go today," he said.


    "Why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    He traced his finger over her eyebrow affectionately, and said, "Because it is too early. He won''t take it lightly."


    Even though Dmitri had a point, she wanted to talk to her friends. She could have messaged them, but she wanted to meet them personally.


    "I want to meet them��" she said, choked with emotions.


    "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, agreeing to her wish.


    "No, I have to talk to them alone," she said, looking away to hide her pained look.


    Dmitri held her chin and turned her face to him. "Whatever you want love��" He lightly kissed her lips.


    She smiled and they continued eating their lunch silently. Adrianna took out her notes from class and read over them while Dmitri watched her, sometimes stroking her hair, and sometimes playing with her hands, intertwining her fingers with his. Her fingers were small compared to his large hands. He brought them up to his lips and kissed each finger. This display of affection invited several giggles from the tables around them, but he didn''t care. He could finally do what he had wanted to do for so long.


    After classes were over, Dmitri drove Adrianna to Niiya''s place and parked the car at a distance. "I will wait for you over here," he said.


    Even though he had allowed her to go and meet Niiya, he wasn''t comfortable with it. Actually, he was jealous. Adrianna had asked him not to accompany her into the house, but he was dying of curiosity and his insides were burning.


    "You can go Dmitri. I will ask Ookashi to bring me back home," she said, completely oblivious of his emotions.


    "Of course not!" he retorted. "I will take you back," he said with an angry pout. He looked so adorable that Adrianna laughed at him.


    She turned to go into the house. When she rang the bell, Niiya''s father opened the door. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her.


    "Good evening Uncle," she said politely. "I have come to see Ookashi and Niiya."


    Niiya''s father, Dr. Saito, frowned at her and curtly said, "They don''t want to see you."


    Adrianna felt so bad at his curtness that she lowered her head, her hopes crashing down into thousands of pieces. She bit her lower lip and softly said, "Could you tell them that I came to see them?"


    "I will," said Dr. Saito before closing the door in her face.


    This was the second time in a day that she had cried. What was this fate? She had lost her friends and had gained Dmitri? Had she even gained him? With a sad look and tears in her eyes, she went back to the car. Dmitri was angry when he saw her crying. He took out his handkerchief and wiped her tears. "I hate when you cry. It hurts me inside. I told you not to go and that you were rushing it," he said, getting angry with her.


    She didn''t say anything and cried a bit more. Dmitri turned on the car engine and drove it fast back to the cottage. Ed was there, but both of them ignored his presence and went straight to her room. Adrianna threw her bag on the floor before throwing herself onto the bed with her face down. Dmitri sat next to her, gently stroking her hair.


    "Adri, it is nothing. In a few days, everything will be fine, okay? They will come back to you. Trust me." He tried to calm her.


    Adrianna got up after some time, and picked up her phone to text Ookashi. Dmitri said, "Adri, don''t text them now. They will not answer. Give all this some time to settle down. It is only natural for him to distance himself from you."

 Chapter 78 - What About Me Adri?

    Adrianna was too emotional to listen to him and texted Ookashi regardless.


    [Ookashi, can we meet? Please?]


    Adrianna waited for Ookashi to answer, but there was no answer��


    Adrianna wondered how to solve this problem. Her friends were precious to her, but she was in a tricky situation.


    Dmitri had gone to take a shower. Adrianna''s place had now become his second home and he had even brought some clothes over. Without her permission, he had made space for himself in her cupboard and in the process, had also thrown out some of her unused clothes. Adrianna had never protested. She knew that this was only temporary and that in a few days, she would have to go and stay at his home.


    When he came out wrapped in a towel, he saw that she was still brooding. "Adri, what are you thinking about?" he asked, sitting near her.


    "Niiya used to always stick up for me in front of others. The best part was that even if I was wrong, he would still support me. Then, privately, he would let me know that I should have taken a different decision, behaved differently, or should have apologized. He would tell me how to avoid repeating mistakes and I would listen to him. He would lose his temper sometimes and I would sulk, but we would always bounce back. Often, I would also give him advice. We were friends no matter what," said Adrianna, becoming gloomier with each word.


    Dmitri brought his hand to her face. He stroked her cheeks with his thumb and said, "What about me Adri?"


    Adrianna''s reverie broke when she realized he was sitting next to her with only a towel covering his body. He looked freakishly seductive. Adrianna sucked in a sharp breath as she took in his shirtless body. She gawked at him, totally mesmerized by his strong physique. Such a well-toned and muscular body..., she had never seen anything like it before. His chiseled chest was drool worthy. His abs was perfectly sculpted, making him look like a fashion model walking out of an Armani photoshoot. She extended her hands to touch his chest, her wolf growing impatient by the second. Before she could comprehend what she had done, Dmitri had pulled her onto his lap and was holding her face in his strong hands. She couldn''t move an inch ands her eyes squinted a little when she looked into his eyes.


    Dmitri didn''t even seek her permission to kiss her. He kissed her warm lips gently and then held her head in his hands and pulled her in forto a fiery and passionate kiss. Hise hands worked around her body, as he felt each and every curve of her body. It was a headstrong feeling. Suddenly, Dmitri rolled on top of her. He caged her between his thighs as he pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He started kissing her again. He pried her lips open and slid his tongue in to explore her mouth. She wanted to break away for air, but he wasn''t letting her. She pushed him away and gasped for air. Dmitri pulled off her jeans and panties in one swift movement and she was left naked. Instinctively, her thighs spread and he rested himself comfortably between them. Tossing aside his towel, he kissed her on her neck, leaving purple bruises.


    He began kissing her stomach before moving further down. But she closed herself, feeling ashamed. Dmitri forced her thighs open and teased her.


    "So wet already?"


    Adrianna bit her lower lip in embarrassment. She shifted her gaze from him. He looked down at her core and placed his warm hands in between her thighs, running them up and down.


    Slowly, he started kissing the insides of her thighs, making her whimper. He moved his tongue upwards in between her thighs and licked there. She felt him pushing his tongue to a spot that made her feel as though all her blood would rush down there. Her muscles contracted and she groaned uncontrollably. Dmitri moved his tongue to her clit and flicked her bud. Her hand moved down to grip his hair as he slowly sucked and swirled his tongue around the sensitive area.


    "Dmitri�� ah," she moaned again. As he continued his actions, it brought her closer and closer to the edge and her back arched.


    Going down, he brought his tongue to her entrance and flicked it. She started moaning louder as she mixed his name in between moans. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain and she gasped. Immediately, Dmitri came up and pressed against her body with his.


    "Don''t worry, don''t worry," he said as he continued to push his finger inside and out.


    Adrianna had become extra sensitive. She could feel his growing erection but she wasn''t ready. Dmitri finally stopped and rolled off and onto his side to face her. Gently, he tucked her hair out of her face and behind her ears.


    "How do you feel now?" he asked with a lopsided smile.


    With a red face, she returned the smile and nuzzled her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

 Chapter 79 - Unknown Fear

    He held her hand in his and brought it to his erection. Together, they stroked it to release him. It was not possible for Dmitri to stop. They continued their love journey for some more time until both of them felt blissful. They slept for some time and woke up just in time for dinner.


    Ed wasn''t there, but their dinner was ready and on the table. Adrianna was feeling so ecstatic that she danced all the way to the kitchen and back to her room. Dmitri laughed at her excitement.


    While she went to study more, he was only interested in sleeping more. Adrianna studied for an hour and then told him, "Dmitri, two days later is the night of the full moon..."


    Dmitri turned to his side and replied, "So?"


    "So I will have no control over myself. I will shape shift into a wolf and I won''t even recognize you," she said with a pain stabbing at her heart. "Don''t stay here. Just go back to your home��"


    Dmitri stared at her with his black eyes and said, "Adrianna, I told you earlier, but this doesn''t affect me at all. I won''t go." He sounded determined.


    Adrianna lowered her head and said, "I don''t want you to see me like that��"


    "Why? It isn''t your fault," he replied.


    "Just go��"


    "No," he shook his head and turned to the other side, ending the conversation.


    Adrianna was scared that she might hurt him and old fears ran through her head. She had injured wolves in the past and a rumor had even started that there was a rogue wolf that had to be caught and killed. She had to tell Dmitri.


    "Dmitri, have you heard the rumor about a rogue wolf?" she asked him.


    "Yes, I have," said Dmitri. "We have been looking for it through the forest but haven''t been able to find it. We-" Dmitri stopped mid-sentence and turned himself towards her. His eyes were wide. "Is that you?"


    Adrianna nodded as she looked away. "I don''t think I''m the right person for you. I have too many secrets that you wouldn''t want to know��" She went and stood by the window with her hands crossed across her chest.


    Her eyes filled with tears as she thought that he would now leave her. Her throat choked with the unknown fear that gripped her heart. Her secrets now killed her, one slice at a time. ''It is better if he leaves me�� he would have a better life��'' As she procrastinated, the tears started flowing out of her eyes.


    Dmitri didn''t know how to react. The rogue wolf that they had been trying to catch for the longest time was Adrianna! His surprise had no boundaries. He had even offered a bounty on the head of the rogue wolf, which was still valid. He felt as if his world was slowly disappearing in front of him. His heart hit his chest so hard that he thought that it would break his ribs and rip apart his skin. There was a black hole in his head. There were so many things going in his mind. He had to protect Adrianna from himself. He had to either revoke the bounty offer in a way that no fingers would be pointed at him or devise a way to divert the attention of every wolf from her.


    Most importantly, he had to calm Adrianna down at the moment. He couldn''t tell her anything further. He got up from the bed and walked over to her. Giving her a back hug and resting his head over hers, he said, "Adri, let''s face this together, okay��" Then he turned her towards him and wiped her tears.


    "Why are you crying?" he asked.


    Adrianna shook her head and said, "Nothing��"


    He lifted her face with his hands and repeated his question, "Tell me. Why are you crying?" His wolf gnawed at his insides whenever she cried.


    "I think you should stay away from me. Leave me�� We shouldn''t marry�� Keisha is the girl for you��" she said, becoming miserable inside.


    Dmitri rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and said, "Adri, the only girl for me is you. I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you. I gravitated towards you. I don''t know what happened, but every part of my body pulled me towards you as if you were a magnet. I don''t know whether I have imprinted on you�� But I can''t imagine my life without you. Only when you become mine can I rest. So don''t even think of leaving me. I won''t leave you, and you are not allowed to leave me, okay?"


    Then, he pulled her to his chest. He felt complete with her. She curled her hands around the man who had held her captive ever since he had declared that she was his. She smiled as she nuzzled into his chest, knowing that he wasn''t going to leave her. There was no one who had given her so much protection ever since her childhood years. Ed had always been there for her and looked after her, but this was something else.


    Slowly, she was melting in his embrace and didn''t even think about Niiya or Ookashi. She forgot about everyone who had been bitter with her. She turned to look out the window.


    Both of them looked at the moon that was growing by the minute. Although Dmitri was gripped with unknown fear, Adrianna was relaxed in his arms.

 Chapter 80 - So Humble...

    It was a Saturday the next day and there were no classes, so Adrianna didn''t go to college. Instead, she stayed at home and studied while helping Ed with odd jobs. Since she didn''t go to college, Dmitri also didn''t go. The center of his universe was next to him. Why would he go anywhere else?


    He continued sleeping until the afternoon and only woke up to have lunch. Ed fumed at his princely behavior. While Ed was running around the cottage to clean it and Adrianna was either helping him or studying, Dmitri was only sleeping. When he came out of Adrianna''s room just to have his meal, Ed lost it.


    "Dmitri, you should help Adrianna clean the house. She has been working since morning till now," he retorted.


    Adrianna looked at her grandfather and wondered how much she had done. She saw that Ed was really angry with Dmitri, so she didn''t say a word. As for Dmitri, he silently listened to Ed while he ate his food. If he wanted to, he could have brought a battery of servants to work around in the house, but that would have meant that he would have to restrict himself from doing what he pleased with Adrianna, anytime and anywhere, an idea he detested.


    Dmitri looked at Ed and said, "Umm�� what would you like me to do? It seems almost everything is already done." He continued to munch on his bacon.


    Ed looked at him angrily. He really was a shameless man. "You need to do the laundry," said Ed, now very angry. Ed thought that if that man had to live with them, he had better work a little.


    Dmitri shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay."


    Adrianna laughed at the way Ed scolded Dmitri. "Yes Dmitri, you better do the laundry at least."


    So after eating food, Dmitri set on his task. But the problem was that he didn''t even know how to start a washing machine. He threw the clothes in it and added twice the amount of washing powder. Then he turned it on and went to the bedroom to be with Adrianna. However, Adrianna was studying so she hardly paid any attention to him. So he picked up a magazine to read and became engrossed in that. All of a sudden, he remembered about the washing machine. He tossed the magazine onto the bed and ran to the laundry room. To his bewilderment, the washing machine had become one huge ball of foam. It wasn''t visible, as the foam had spread all around it and the water was draining out of it.


    Feeling extremely nervous, he cleared all the foam only to find that he was now also covered in foam. He forgot to switch off the power and because of that, the machine continued to churn out more foam to add to his chagrin. Seeing that there was no solution, he went to Adrianna. Thankfully, Ed was sleeping. Otherwise, Ed would have scolded him again.


    Adrianna was shocked to see Dmitri covered in foam. She laughed at him.


    "Adri, please help me."


    "No, I won''t," she replied mischievously.


    "Please Adri. I will give you whatever you want," he pleaded.


    "Really?"


    "Yes!"


    "Okay, remember this," she said cutely before getting up to help him. First, she went to clear the foam and then cleaned the area. She set the machine to auto and gave Dmitri a clean towel to clean himself with. But the shameless man stood with his arms outstretched, demanding her to clean him.


    When Ed woke up in the evening, he saw that the clothes were neatly folded and placed on the sofa in the living room. He was highly impressed by the fact that even though Dmitri was the supreme alpha, he could do something as menial as laundry. With a huge smile on his face, he went to the kitchen and prepared a nice dinner for him.


    Over dinner, he made sure that Dmitri''s plate was always full. He even praised him. Adrianna was looking at Dmitri with narrowed eyes as he accepted all the praise without a speck of guilt.


    "Son, I am happy that even though you have so many servants around you all the time, you can do small household jobs. These days, it is difficult to find people like you. So humble��" said Ed with eyes full of admiration for him.


    "Thank you Ed.," Dmitri nodded in agreement.


    "But I have a question for you." Ed became serious.


    "What is it?" asked Dmitri, leaning forward.


    "You must introduce Adrianna to your clan before you marry her. Don''t you think you should host a small party for her?"


    Dmitri hadn''t even thought of it. "Yes, I should." He looked at Adrianna, wondering how he could have forgotten such an important thing.


    "Are you free next Tuesday?" he asked.


    Adrianna nodded. But she had to survive the night of the full moon first��

 Chapter 81 - The Full Moon Night

    While Dmitri slept peacefully, Adrianna was worried about the next night she would be spending in the forest. She had tried numerous ways to remember the events that occurred during the full moon, but everything had failed. She slept beside him after a long time. Dmitri knew about her anxieties. He curled his arms around her and said, "Don''t worry, I am here."


    He had made a plan for her.


    In the morning when they got up, Dmitri told her that he wanted to take her out to in the forest. He wanted to know her wolf more and perhaps this would be the best time. Adrianna agreed and together, they headed to the forest. They shape shifted and walked together to in many places. He took her to his favorite cave where he used to play during his childhood. They went to a temple that was old and in a dilapidated state. There were plants growing all around it and ivy had spread on its walls. It was considered to be very sacred for the wolves, as there was a myth that the ancestor wolf spirits passed by it every now and then.


    They shape shifted into human forms and entered the temple. Adrianna walked up to the huge stone wolf sculptures that adorned the center of the temple. She was mesmerized by the aura within the temple. Dmitri followed her and said, "I am glad we have come here. Let us ask for the blessings of our ancestors before we start our life together."


    Adrianna nodded and they both bent down on their kneels. They prayed for some time before leaving. It was evening by the time they left.


    Adrianna had started feeling restless. She had become irritated. It was as if her whole body was getting heated up and revolting against her sanity. She wanted to run wildly. She caught Dmitri''s arms with a lot of force in an attempt to control herself. Dmitri embraced her immediately. He asked, "Adri, are you okay?"


    She shook her head and said, "No., I feel as if my body is going to explode. Dmitri, stay with me. Don''t leave me, no matter what. For the first time in my life, I am scared of this transition."


    "Why?" he asked her, stroking her back.


    "Because I don''t want to lose you. I want to have a future with you," she replied with difficulty.


    Dmitri felt pained at her situation.


    She had similar symptoms during other full moon nights, but she would immediately run away into the forest in order to avoid anyone seeing them. However, this time Dmitri was there with her. She was becoming ashamed of her issue; her body was heating up. She looked at Dmitri with her blurred vision to see how he was reacting to her change. He looked in control, which calmed her a little. She had been through this phase all alone and it pained her every single time. But this time she was pleased that Dmitri was beside her.


    He repeatedly told her one thing, "Adri, when you shape shift, don''t howl. Okay?"


    Adrianna could hardly listen to him as she found herself dealing with immense pain inside. Her vision became blurry.


    He held her for a long time, trying to calm her nerves, but everything was only becoming dizzier. She was slowly losing control.


    As the full moon came out, Adrianna lost complete control. She threw him down, ran away from his embrace, and shape shifted into a wolf. She looked at the moon and howled loudly - loud , enough for the hunters to know that the rogue wolf was on the prowl.


    Dmitri knew that the hunters must have heard her. He also shape shifted. That day, he had planned to stay with Adrianna no matter what. He had to distract her so that she wouldn''t fall into the hands of the hunters.


    He ran after her, but Adrianna was beyond his reach. She was running at a speed no ordinary wolf could match. She had become wild, like a mad wolf. Dmitri tried his best to keep up with her.


    Adrianna ran into the open and hunted for deer and other wild animals. She must have killed at least a dozen deer before stopping to eat one. It really looked as though a rogue wolf had really been let loose. She would kill anything and everything that got in her way.


    Dmitri watched her from a distance. Suddenly. he saw a pack of wolves running towards the place where she was preying on her hunt. They were far away. He knew that it was possible that either she would kill them all or that they would severely injure her. Before they could get to her spot, Dmitri ran to her and tried to divert her attention. He gave a low howl, catching her attention and gaining a growl in response. She left her meat and slowly walked towards him.


    He was prepared for her. As soon as she pounced on him, he ran in the opposite direction so that she would chase him. His plan worked. However, it was not long before she caught up with him and pounced on him, bringing him down easily.

 Chapter 82 - Dmitri, Get Up! Please...

    Dmitri was easily pinned down by Adrianna onto the ground. She looked at him with bestial eyes. He realized that she was in a frenzy and wouldn''t recognize him. He thought of calling out her name, but that wasn''t possible since they were wolves right now. He stayed under her peacefully for some time as she continued to growl at him. However, suddenly she attacked him on his neck. With a lot of force, Dmitri disengaged himself from her jaw as he started bleeding profusely from the neck. But she was not an easy force to reckon with.


    She continued to maul him brutally. She pounded her front legs on him. At one point, she pounded on him so heavily while he was trying to stand up that he was thrown back a short distance. He yelped and was winded. He felt as though his head had become dizzy. He thought he would die.


    He had never seen a wolf as powerful as Adrianna. This was the hidden side of the girl he was in love with. He had to protect himself from her so that he could train her power and help her channelize it better.


    Adrianna came over to him and looked at him in a way that expressed her desire to kill him. Dmitri had been fighting with her, dodging her, and trying to maintain his own sanity for a long time now. He waited for the dawn to break so that her madness would get over.


    In the end, with whatever energy he was left with, he pushed her away from him, resulting in her being thrown into the air and onto a huge boulder. As soon as she hit the boulder, she became unconscious.


    Breathing heavily, Dmitri saw her lying near the boulder, unconscious, as he also passed out.


    Once dawn broke, both of them shape shifted back into humans, but both of them were lying unconscious in the deep forest with no one around them.


    It was not long before Adrianna woke up. Looking at herself, she was thankful that she had survived another full moon night, but she was worried as to what she might have killed in her frenzy. She saw that her body was wounded. There was blood on her hands and legs, and she was having trouble standing up. She was surprised at her condition as this had never happened before. So what had happened last night? She wanted to find Dmitri, whom she remembered clinging to just before she had shape shifted involuntarily. She looked around to find out where she was, but she found Dmitri lying unconscious in a pool of blood a few meters away.


    Adrianna screamed, "Dmitri!" She garnered enough energy to stand up, and limped towards Dmitri. She saw that his neck was bleeding profusely. There were deep gashes on his limbs and his stomach.


    Adrianna started crying. Did she do this to him? "Dmitri, get up," She patted his face. She started sobbing loudly. How could she help her love? She took off the shirt she was wearing and wrapped it around his neck.


    Then she placed him on her back and slowly managed to carry him back in the direction of her cottage. But she knew that she would soon wear out. Dmitri needed immediate attention. As she was nearing the cottage, she tried to communicate with her grandfather mentally, but she couldn''t. She went further. She was limping so badly that she wanted to sit and rest, but then she would feel the cold body of Dmitri and carry herself forward. Every step ahead was an endeavor. She kept communicating to her grandfather, but she couldn''t get through to him.


    After about half an hour of traveling through the dense forest, she heard the rustle of leaves. She became alert and turned sideways to see who it was. A group of wolves from heard had heard her pleas of help and had located her.


    Her mind was currently weak and so she hadn''t blocked it from anyone; that was why they could hear her. When Adrianna saw them, she sat down on the ground. They came and helped her with Dmitri. But before she could comprehend anything, she became unconscious again.


    A group of the red moon pack, consisting of five wolves, had gone hunting for the rogue wolf. Since the bounty was huge for catching it, almost all of the packs would send their hunters to catch it. The problem was that the rogue wolf had killed many animals and also some wolves in the past, so although they would set out to hunt for the rogue wolf, they would often spend the night in protecting themselves and hiding from the rogue wolf.


    This pack of five wolves from the red moon pack had hidden themselves in a cave. When the dawn broke and the daylight shone, they had come out of their hiding spot. They had been heading back to the pack when they heard Adrianna. They were surprised to see why Adrianna was looking for help.

 Chapter 83 - The Greediness

    In order to find out why she had been desperately calling for help, they had turned to look in her direction. When they found that she was carrying the supreme alpha on her back, their surprise knew no boundaries. They ran to her and helped her place him on the ground. Although they had numerous questions, they knew that she wouldn''t be able to answer anything. They both needed the immediate attention of a healer.


    One of them shape shifted into a wolf and carried Dmitri on his back while another one took Adrianna on his back. They sped through the jungle to reach the pack healer. The healer cleared his place and made them lie on two beds next to each other. The first thing he did was to get lotion to apply onto their gashes. For Dmitri, he had to clot the wound on his neck with another cloth. Thankfully, the wound was on the back side and not very deep, otherwise he could have been killed.


    Kuro was informed. He rushed to the healer''s house. When Kuro arrived at the healer''s house, he looked at the two of them and wondered what could have happened. Then he looked at the men who had carried them in.


    "Where did you find them?" he asked.


    "We found them in this condition a few miles away from the wizards'' habitat," said one of them.


    "But we don''t know how they become so seriously injured?" said another one. "We are speculating that the rogue wolf must have attacked both of them. If that is the case, there is a chance that they know about the rogue wolf," he continued.


    "If they know about it, then we can use this information to catch it during the next full moon night," said the one who had carried in Adrianna.


    They sounded very excited.


    Kuro listened to them carefully. "There is definitely a chance that the two of them had met the rogue wolf. Otherwise, how could they have gotten injured so much. The rumor is true that the rogue wolf is deadly. He has so much power that he can take down two strong people like Adrianna and Dmitri. That is why the bounty on it is so high," said Kuro while appearing deep in thought.


    "What is the bounty chief?" asked the healer.


    "The lake moon pack''s territory," replied Kuro with a smile. He couldn''t believe the fact that the rogue wolf had attacked Dmitri, the supreme alpha. But it was good because according to Kuro, Adrianna was a witness to its savagery. Now he could easily send his team of wolves and Adrianna to hunt and catch the rogue. It would be Dmitri''s choice if he wanted to go or not. Kuro smiled further and looked at the healer. "Do your best to heal them as fast as possible."


    The healer nodded.


    He addressed the rest of them and ordered them, "Do not tell anyone about this incident. If it is leaked, you are all dead.


    Kuro was only thinking of one thing when he left the infirmary - the Lake Moon Pack''s territory. He was sure that he could get his hands on it. He had asked Dmitri for it when he had come for Adrianna, but he had refused. Now, Kuro wouldn''t let this chance go.


    The five wolves who had rescued them were asked to stay there until they healed.


    When Ed noticed their absence the next day, he went to search for them. His search eventually led him to the healer''s place. He was aghast to see both of them. Although he understood as to how they might have ended up like that, he stayed quiet and waited for them to heal properly. He hated Kuro for not informing him about their situation.


    Adrianna was the first one to recover completely. Although she looked a little pale, she was moving about easily. Dmitri hadn''t recovered completely. Adrianna had become conscious within twenty-four hours, but Dmitri was still coming in and out of consciousness. Adrianna would often go and sleep next to him. She would curl her arms around him and cry quietly, often wetting his shirt. She wanted him to talk to him and apologize, but he wasn''t giving her a chance. Her worries increased as he still didn''t wake the next day.


    She saw that Ed had arrived. She went to him and said, "Grandfather, I think Dmitri might have come after me when I turned rogue and I must have mauled him."


    Ed patted her head and said, "Adri, I think so too. I hope he recovers fast. Also, don''t speak about it to anyone. Don''t even think of this thing. Otherwise, someone may read your mind, okay?"


    "Yes Grandfather��" she replied gloomily.


    Then she went back and laid next to him. She was waiting for him to talk to her. He had put his life at risk for her. But why? She had so many questions to ask. She realized how crazily she wanted him back. There was no denial of the fact now. Her heart ached as the realization dawned upon her. She had almost killed the man she loved so much. Once again, she started crying. "Dmitri, come back soon. I miss you so much��" she whispered in his ears.


    Dmitri stirred a little��

 Chapter 84 - Barrage Of Questions

    Adrianna raised her head to look at him. His hand moved over his chest feebly as if he was trying to find something. When his hand found hers, he held it weakly and became motionless again. Adrianna tightened her hold around him and spoke softly, "I am right here beside you��"


    While she spent every minute of the day waiting for him to wake up, she came to realize how much of her life was missing without him. She had never felt these kinds of emotions before and now, Dmitri was filling that void. His touch, his closeness, was filled with passion which provided a soft cushion for the emotional scars she had in the past. Perhaps that wasis why they said that love was a gift from the universe it was magic. She found herself addicted, within only a few days, to the man whom she had been born to find. She thought about how fast all of this had progressed. Had she not been forced to stay at home by her father, she would have never agreed to marry Dmitri.


    But now, she and her wolf were burning in the same flame. She was happy to be beside him, but and oblivious to the darkness that surrounded them.


    That day, Nate came over to find Dmitri. Although he didn''t ask any questions, he was still curious, as well as angry with Dmitri for not telling him anything. After all, he was Dmitri''s beta and the beta was supposed to know everything about his alpha.


    When he arrived at the healer''s hut, he found Ed sitting with the other wolves outside. He asked, "Ed, can we talk for a moment?"


    Ed had an inkling as to what Nate wanted to know. He said, "Sure," and they headed out. They walked until the periphery of the red moon pack''s territory before they started talking.


    Nate asked him, "How did Dmitri get into such a serious situation?"


    "I don''t know Nate," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. He hadn''t even divulged this information to Kuro, so how could he tell anything to Nate?


    "But getting the supreme alpha in a condition as serious as this means something. This is unacceptable. As soon as Dmitri recovers, I will find the person responsible and make sure that they are dead," Nate spat, seething in anger. "Adrianna was also found with him. This only means one thing �C there is someone who wants to kill both the supreme alpha and the woman he wants to marry. I smell a deep plot here Ed. Dmitri has too many enemies, and now Adrianna has also become their target." Nate''s anger was mixed with worry.


    Ed cringed. He had to divert Nate''s attention to other details. He said, "You see, both of them were found a mile away from the wizards'' territory��"


    "So�� you mean that the wizards are involved in this accident?" Nate asked, looking at Ed suspiciously.


    "No!" said Ed, shocked at his accusation. "We cannot jump to any conclusions for now Nate. Let''s just wait for them to recover as soon as possible." With that, Ed tried to put a stop to the conversation and started walking back. Nate wanted to talk more, but seeing Ed''s reluctance, he followed Ed in, thinking that he would talk to Dmitri about it later.


    But just before he entered the hut, Nate asked, "Have you told anyone about Dmitri''s condition?"


    "No, we''ve been asked to keep it a secret," replied Ed as he entered the hut.


    He saw that both Adrianna and Dmitri were lying on the same bed and sleeping while holding onto each other. He was filled with such a warm feeling that he smiled and walked out of the hut, closing the door behind them. The two of them would heal each other. He was confident.


    It was on the second day that Dmitri finally came to his senses. It was night and he could see Adrianna sleeping, curled like ivy around him. He smiled at her and turned to face her, waking her up in the process. She looked up to find him staring at her and immediately, she retracted her hands and legs. She sprang up and touched his forehead. "Are you okay? Do you want to eat something? Is your head aching? Can you see properly? Should I call the healer? Do you want water?"


    Dmitri laughed at her and closed her lips with his fingers. "So many questions! I am fine Adri," he said before pulling her closer to hug her.


    For Adrianna, seeing him talking and laughing was like medicine. After two long days of being alone, her pain ebbed. She had felt knives in her heart - sharp blades cutting through her flesh. It was her will power alone that she kept her sane. She had taken a giant leap forward and wanted to feel the ground now.


    Adrianna nodded happily.

 Chapter 85 - Coras Plans (1)

    Being wolves, their recovery process was fast. It only took two days for them to heal completely. Dmitri and Adrianna were now at the peak of their health. Everyone around them was very pleased. Nate was especially happy to see his alpha alive and well.


    Since he had been away for a long time, Nate filled him in with all the information he had missed, and said that he was urgently needed back.


    Dmitri had to leave Adrianna. He said, "Don''t talk about this to anyone. I will come back in the evening to Ed''s cottage and we will discuss things then."


    ---


    Cora was boiling when she saw that Dmitri had finally returned after so many days. She wanted to talk to him about several matters, including Keisha, but he hadn''t been able to give her any time.


    Dmitri had been meeting with the chiefs all day and had been exhausted by the end of it. However, what he wasn''t ready for was his mother''s backlash.


    Cora was frustrated because she was getting furious over the fact that he had been spending so much time with Adrianna, neglecting his duties and his pack. She had found out from her informers as to where he had been spending his days, and it made her mad. When she was finally able to meet with him over dinner, she noticed that he was avoiding her. She clenched her jaw and looked at him. Then she shouted, "Keisha."


    Keisha, who had recovered a day earlier, had come to meet Dmitri. Instead of Dmitri, she only found Cora in the house. Feeling dejected, she talked to Cora about general stuff. Cora had always been fond of Keisha and so she had invited her over for dinner the next day.


    To Dmitri''s surprise, Keisha came running out of Cora''s room when she heard Cora call for her. Keisha came over to Dmitri and the first thing she did was hug Dmitri. Dmitri narrowed his eyes at Cora.


    Cora looked at Keisha and said, "How are you feeling today Keisha?"


    "I am fine," she replied with a huge smile while sitting down next to Dmitri to have dinner. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it.


    Dmitri removed his hand from hers. It just didn''t feel right. He started having his dinner. Suddenly, he found Keisha''s feet on his leg beneath the table. He had to remove her feet from there somehow. In order to divert her attention, he asked her, "Are you still taking the medicines that the healer gave you?"


    "Yes I am Dmitri. Thanks for asking. You are so good to me Dmitri. You always take care of me and ask about my well being. You and Cora are the only family I have," she said getting emotional.


    Dmitri nodded. He wanted to know how much she remembered so he asked, "So do you remember anything? What happened to you that day?"


    She shook her head and said, "All I remember is that I went in the forest because Adrianna had called me there��" she paused and took a piece out of the lamb chop in front of her. She then continued to say, "But I don''t know why she called me out to the woods�� She could have just talked to me about it on campus��"


    Dmitri stayed silent. He had found Adrianna patting her face that day, trying to wake Keisha up.


    Cora picked from there. "Why would Adrianna call her out to the woods, Dmitri? You must find out. Did she try to harm Keisha? Why was Keisha found in that situation? I want to know all the details!"


    "Cora, don''t worry. I am sure it was nothing. It is possible that Adrianna just wanted to show me something in the forest," said Keisha, putting on an innocent face.


    "Well I don''t believe her intentions Keisha!" said Cora, accusing Adrianna of doing wrong without any proof.


    "I am not worried Cora. See, I am fine now," said Keisha with a smile.


    Cora smiled back at Keisha. She thought about how nice this girl was compared to Adrianna, about whom she had heard only negative stuff.


    Then she announced at the table, "Dmitri, I want you to marry Keisha. She is the best match for you. As for Adrianna, we can arrange a meeting with various chiefs for her. She can marry anyone she chooses."


    Keisha started giggling. She looked at Dmitri affectionately. "Dmitri, I think it is best that we marry. Cora loves me even more than you," she said, turning her gaze to Cora. She put her hand on his thighs and squeezed it.


    Dmitri clenched his jaw in anger. He contained his anger and said aloud, "Tomorrow evening, I will be calling all the chieftains for a large gathering. Mother, please make sure that all the arrangements for their stay and food is taken care of nicely. There will be over eighty chieftains and some will even come with their wives."


    Cora was surprised at this new development. "Why are you calling them all of a sudden?"


    Dmitri didn''t reply. He just got up from the table and walked to his room.

 Chapter 86 - Coras Plans (2)

    But Cora had already started forming plans in her mind. A large gathering would be the best time to introduce Keisha as Dmitri''s wife. She told Keisha to dress up appropriately for the occasion the next day.


    "I will introduce you to all the chieftains Keisha. You will make an excellent wife for my son," said Cora, looking warmly at Keisha. "But do you really not remember why Adrianna called you?"


    "No Cora�� she sent me a message through someone�� I don''t remember who gave that message to me��" she replied, trying hard to remember.


    "Don''t worry. That girl will have nothing to do with Dmitri from tomorrow onwards," said Cora determinedly.


    Keisha smiled innocently.


    That night, even though he wanted to go and be with Adrianna, he didn''t. He had to discuss things with Nate. He called Nate and Liam to his room. Liam had recovered within a day and, along with Nate, he had been extremely busy with the administrative jobs of the pack. They were planning to form a special army of wolves who would keep a watch on the neotides. They had called several chiefs to discuss their plans and had asked them to send some of their people to partake in this new army. When Dmitri had discussed the plans before, it had been decided that the army would work from their own territory rather than working from one place.


    Nate was worried about Dmitri''s safety. When he arrived at Dmitri, the first thing that he said without even taking a seat was, "Dmitri, do you know you were found injured near the wizards'' territory? It seems that our enemies have multiplied in numbers and now they have attacked Adrianna too!"


    Dmitri pursed his lips. He had to tell Nate and Liam the truth. "I know who the rogue wolf is," he said anxiously.


    Nate and Liam were shaken. "Who is it?" asked Liam.


    "Adrianna��" replied Dmitri in a very soft tone so that no one could hear them.


    Nate was so surprised that he actually stumbled onto the chair he was standing in front of while Liam gaped.


    "But- but-��" Nate couldn''t find the words to say.


    Dmitri exhaled hot air. "You won''t tell anyone," he said sternly. "Withdraw the orders regarding catching the rogue wolf. We will find a way to deal with this situation."


    "So did you fight with Adrianna and get injured or did she attack you?" asked Nate.


    "Yes, I had to distract her attention because otherwise, she would have been killed by hunters on the prowl." Dmitri went on to narrate the night''s incident to them.


    "She is extremely powerful!" exclaimed Liam. "As a matter of fact, she is the most powerful wolf we have ever seen!"


    "Yes, I think so too. We have to protect her at all costs because she, herself, is not aware of her power. I think I know how to tame her rogue behavior though," said Dmitri with hope in his eyes.


    Nate and Liam became excited. Adrianna was the rogue wolf! They were finding it hard to digest the fact. That demure girl who was always so low key was the rogue! The ROGUE!


    "I am going to her house right now. She needs to be protected," said Liam, getting up from his place, inviting jealous looks from Dmitri.


    "No!" shouted Dmitri. "You will not go there! You will arrange for the party we are having tomorrow."


    "Yes Liam, you arrange for the party, I will go instead," teased Nate. Dmitri looked at his beta as if he would kill him there and then, which made Nate laugh at his friend heartily.


    "None of us will go there tonight. She needs to catch up with her health," said Dmitri seriously.


    "I am worried about one thing though��" said Nate. "Since both of you were found near the wizards'' territory, it is possible that they may have noticed you��"


    ---


    Adrianna waited for Dmitri for a long time, but when he didn''t come, she went to sleep. She woke up pretty late the next day. From her bedroom, she could hear Ed talking merrily with some people. They were laughing about a joke perhaps. Curious, she brushed her teeth and without taking a shower, she went out. Her face broke into a huge grin when she found Nate, Liam and her love, Dmitri. She was filled with so much warmth upon seeing him that she shone. It was at once noticed by all of them and once again, Nate and Liam were stunned. Dmitri smiled at her.


    Ed coughed loudly to break her reverie. Adrianna''s trance was interrupted and she controlled herself. Shyly, she walked towards them and sat beside Dmitri. Ed went out on the pretext that he had to run an errand.


    Not able to resist her, Dmitri pulled her onto his lap and kissed her passionately. "Did you miss me?" he asked.


    "Yes," she nodded bashfully.


    "Ahem! Hi Adrianna," greeted Nate and Liam, who were being ignored by the lovebirds.


    Adrianna laughed softly and said hello. She tried to get down from Dmitri''s lap, but he had locked her in. He rested his head on her arm and said, "Today, you have to come to attend a gathering at my place. It will be a huge gathering."


    Adrianna remembered that Ed had asked Dmitri to introduce her as his wife to the chiefs and his people. She nodded and placed a kiss on the crown of his head.


    "But I don''t have anything to dress for the occasion," she lamented.


    "Doesn''t matter. You can even come wearing jeans and a t-shirt"


    "No! I will go to the town to buy a dress for myself."

 Chapter 87 - Shopping

    Dmitri chuckled and said, "Okay, I''ll go with you."


    Cora''s informer had already informed her that Dmitri was at Adrianna''s home. Cora sent him away without even reacting to the news and simply contacted Keisha. Even though Keisha had gone to meet the chief of The Silent Moon pack, she terminated the meeting and came over to meet Cora as soon as possible.


    She saw that Cora was preparing to go somewhere. "Cora, you called me?" said Keisha.


    "Yes, I want you to hurry up. We are going to the town. I want to gift you a dress for tonight''s occasion," replied Cora with a smile.


    "Oh! Thank you Cora," said Keisha bashfully. Even though she didn''t need a dress as she had way too many in her possession, she agreed to go with Cora only to please her. The fact that Cora was on her side regarding Dmitri''s marriage was a huge win for Keisha.


    They both headed to the town together. When they entered the only shop in town that sold ball gowns, the shop owner recognized them immediately and personally greeted them. She took them to the private lounge which she had reserved only for those customers who didn''t even bother looking at the cost when buying anything. All they saw was the quality and the feel of the material. And Cora was one such person.


    "Please make sure that Keisha gets the best dress available in your store," said Cora to the owner.


    "Yes, of course," the shop owner replied, signaling for Keisha to follow her. Keisha was taken to the area where all of the latest collections were displayed. She picked a few dresses from there and went to the private lounge''s fitting room. One by one, she started trying them on and showing Cora.


    Since Adrianna had demanded a new dress, Dmitri took her to the town. Instead of going to the exclusive showroom, she first went to look at the ones that were affordable. However, Dmitri didn''t like anything from there - well, he didn''t like anything on purpose. How could his bride wear something so plain? Adrianna was dejected by the end of it and on Dmitri''s insistence, they went to the town''s exclusive shop.


    As the owner was busy with Cora and Keisha, one of the store''s salesgirls met them. "I want your best dress for my girl here," said Dmitri to the salesgirl who looked at him with admiration. Adrianna narrowed her eyes and stood in front of Dmitri. "Do you have something really exclusive for me?"


    The sales girl bit her lip for being caught ogling at Dmitri. Ashamed at her act, she hurriedly took them to the counter where the latest collections were being displayed.


    Adrianna picked out a few dresses and went to the trying room as Dmitri watched her excitement. He went and sat down on the sofa in front of the room where she was changing. She would come out and twirl around to flaunt her dress and he would make faces showing his displeasure.


    Finally, he approved of a silk blue dress with a huge tulle rose donning the side of the waist. They bought matching sandals and then went to the counter to pay the bill. Unfortunately, at the counter were Cora and Keisha with a large number of bags.


    When Cora finished paying and turned around, her gaze met Dmitri''s. He was glaring at her and Keisha. Adrianna was standing by his side. She was surprised to see Keisha, but was also happy at the same time because Keisha looked fine.


    Keisha smiled at Adrianna and said, "How are you Adrianna? After that incident in the forest, I am fine."


    Adrianna flinched and looked at Keisha with guilt in her eyes. She then noticed Cora standing beside Keisha, giving Adrianna a cold stare.


    Dmitri stood in front of Adrianna.


    Cora said, "Dmitri I came here to buy Keisha a dress for tonight''s occasion." Then, she smiled coldly at Adrianna and said, "You should also come."


    Adrianna didn''t know who the woman could be to be inviting her to Dmitri''s gathering, but she politely nodded.


    Keisha chuckled as the both of them headed out.


    "Who was that lady with Keisha?" asked Adrianna.


    "She is my mother," he replied before going to pay for the dress. Adrianna was shocked. "You should have introduced me to her properly," she chided him before starting to run after Cora in order to greet her. Dmitri caught her hand and stopped her, "You will meet her in the evening. What''s the hurry?"


    Once they were out of the shop, he said, "Let''s go home."


    It was decided that they would pick up Adrianna''s essentials from her cottage before heading to Dmitri''s house. At home, Adrianna packed her bag, filling her bag with as many books as possible for her to read over there. She wanted to go later, but Dmitri had insisted that they go as soon as possible after buying the dress as he had a lot of work to do.


    Dmitri had also asked Ed, Kuro, and Adrianna''s siblings to be present at the gathering.

 Chapter 88 - Let’s Just Get Married Today Itself

    And thus, Adrianna arrived at Dmitri''s house for the first time. She was expecting that it would be like her father''s place, but it was even more grandiose than she could have ever imagined. It was palatial with unparalleled elegance. It had a gated entrance and as soon as she entered, she could see that it was surrounded by gardens and limestone walkways on all sides. The gardens led into a magnificent home and the architecture was timeless. As she started walking in with Dmitri, all the servants lined up and welcomed her. She was the first woman Dmitri had ever brought to the house, causing many murmurs. Keisha practically lived there so the servants were always of the opinion that Keisha would marry Dmitri. But when they saw a new girl with him, they were excited for their young supreme alpha who had been rejecting proposals of the highest caliber for the longest time.


    They opened the door for a girl whose mouth was wide open. The interiors of the elegant rooms were all beautifully finished.


    Dmitri took Adrianna to his room. She had never seen something as luxurious and beautiful as his room. There was a huge bed, which could fit over five people easily, and a large chandelier in the corner of the room that reached the ground. The room was surrounded by glass walls on two sides, from which she could see flat lawns with flower beds on one side and an eighty-foot pool with a jacuzzi on the other side. Her mouth opened wide at the extravagance.


    "Would you like to take a look at the house?" asked Dmitri, closing her mouth. He had a lopsided grin on his face.


    Adrianna blushed at being caught with her stupid wide gaze. She laughed. "No, it''s okay." Then she said, "You have a beautiful house Dmitri."


    "Thanks. But now it is complete with you here," he said, snuggling into her and circling her waist.


    "I would love it if you could take a walk with me around the house," he said.


    "Is it okay if I do that after we marry?" she requested. "Today I would like to stay in the room. I really have to catch up on a lot," she said, looking up at him.


    "Anything you want darling," he replied, kissing her lips. "I have to attend a meeting. We will meet for lunch after, okay?"


    "Yes," she replied with a smile. She was finding it difficult to control her shine.


    Dmitri went to attend the meeting while Adrianna unpacked her bag. She brought all of her books onto his table, leaving them scattered in a messy way. Then, she took out her clothes and placed them in a cupboard above his because she couldn''t find space for hers. ''It''s okay. I will ask the servants to make space for me later,'' she thought, going back to study with her bag on the side of the table.


    When Dmitri came back after the meeting, he noticed that his mother and Keisha were waiting for him to have lunch with them. Cora had already been informed that Adrianna was in the house.


    She asked, "Why have you brought that girl home?" Dmitri didn''t answer. He had already told his mother that he would be marrying Adrianna, but she was still going against his wishes.


    Keisha looked at Cora and said, "It is okay Cora. She is a guest here and will be leaving tomorrow."


    Dmitri clenched his fists and shouted at the servants. "Why are the things in the living room out of order?"


    The servants were so scared of him that some of them ran to the living room to see if things were in order. Then he ordered them, "Bring up some lunch for me and Adrianna in the master suite." He then left, leaving Cora and Keisha speechless.


    He went to his bedroom with such a foul mood that he banged the door closed. Adrianna was surprised and looked up at him from the table where she had scattered her books. She tilted her head and said, "Dmitri, I am starving."


    One look at her and Dmitri softened. "Yes, I know. The servants are bringing lunch here." He then moved closer to her and hugged her from behind. "I can''t wait for the evening. Let''s just get married today."


    Adrianna laughed and patted his head.


    There was a slight knock on the door. "Who is it?" roared Dmitri.


    "Sir, the lunch is here."


    "Bring it in," said Dmitri, leaving Adrianna to open the door for the servant.


    Although Adrianna wanted to eat it outside with his mother, she thought that perhaps his mother wasn''t at home.


    "Isn''t your mother at home? We can call her to eat lunch with us��" she said.


    "You will meet her in the evening," he replied, not wanting to show her his mother''s wickedness. He had to protect Adrianna from all the malice in the world.

 Chapter 89 - You Will Walk Naked

    Cora clenched her jaw in anger when Dmitri left them to have lunch with Adrianna. Keisha held her hand and said, "Cora, please. It''s okay. Don''t worry about Adrianna. She will leave after today and never come back."


    Cora''s anger subsided a little when she heard Keisha''s words. They had lunch quietly while thinking of their plans for the evening.


    While having lunch, Adrianna asked Dmitri, "How big is your house?"


    "It is spread over two acres��"


    "Two acres!" Her fork stopped midway.


    "Yes�� Right now you are in the master suite. By the way, there is a separate heated pool on the rear grounds only for me. I would like to take my luna there." He spoke in a seductive way, making Adrianna blush.


    "I will go there on one condition," she said.


    "And what is that one condition?" he asked.


    "You will walk naked from here to that pool," she answered unabashedly, trying to put him at unease.


    "Done. I will carry my naked luna to the pool with me as well," he answered, gulping the red wine down his throat.


    So instead of making him uncomfortable, she became embarrassed, inviting his throaty laughter.


    Although she wanted to study after lunch, he didn''t let her. "I want you to look fresh and beautiful in the evening, not with eye bags." His good intentions soon turned bad and he ended up ripping her clothes open in no time. Adrianna laughed and tried to jump out of bed but he had pinned her down.


    "My alpha is up to no good!" she complained.


    "Yes, I swear that I am up to no good with you," he replied shamelessly before sealing her lips with his.


    After a steamy session, they fell asleep.


    As the evening fell, Dmitri went to take a shower and get dressed for the gathering. He was wearing a black suit paired with a white shirt that made him look so handsome that angels would fight for him.


    Adrianna, on the other hand, had worn her blue silk dress. She had tied her hair in a bun. but Dmitri had come and undone her bun. "Keep your hair down Adri. You look beautiful like that and I want to flaunt you," he said, adoring her every movement.


    Adrianna smiled. She brushed her long black hair, applied a little lipstick, and was ready to go out with him.


    When they entered the party together, almost everyone had already gathered. Arianna was walking with him, her arms curled around his. Both of them looked so gorgeous that they immediately became the center of attention.


    While she was walking with Dmitri, from the corner of her eyes, she saw that Keisha was looking dazzling, standing in a gorgeous green evening gown. But what caught Adrianna''s attention was that Pryce was also with her. The brightness of her face paled as soon as she saw Pryce and Keisha together. She became nervous and tightened her hold on Dmitri.


    Then, she saw Kuro with her brothers and sisters, standing and talking to others. Kayla noticed her sister and raised her glass. Adrianna nodded slightly.


    Dmitri led her to the center of the lawn where there were several chieftains standing. Just as he was about to introduce her to them, he heard Cora''s booming voice.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the future luna of my son Dmitri �C Miss Keisha!"


    Everyone in the room was beyond surprised. Dmitri was beyond furious. His hands clenched into a fist.


    Adrianna''s family was stunned at this announcement.


    "Mother!" shouted Dmitri.


    "Before you say anything to Cora, you should know who the person was who had called me to the forest," shouted Keisha from behind.


    Dmitri frowned and looked at her questioningly, "Who did that to you?"


    Adrianna cringed. She knew that something terrible was about to happen. She held Dmitri''s arm tightly. "Was there no respite to her miseries?" she thought.


    "Do you remember how you found me unconscious in the forest?" asked Keisha.


    "Yes," replied Dmitri, removing Adrianna''s hand from his.


    "The person responsible for it was Adrianna!" shouted Keisha, pointing her finger at Adrianna who shrank in fear. She looked around for Ed, but he wasn''t there.


    "She sent a message through Pryce to meet me," accused Keisha. "You can ask Pryce. I had invited Pryce today as witness only so that this matter would be made clear, once and for all, in front of everyone."


    Dmitri didn''t speak a word.


    "Pryce speak the truth," said Keisha.


    "Yes, it was Adrianna who gave the message to me. She wanted to fight with Keisha over you Dmitri. She had been secretly planning to sabotage your relationship with Keisha. She had confessed this to me many times," said Pryce without a hint of shame. "She had even hooked Niiya with her innocent looks and when Niiya fell for her, she had ditched him. Dmitri you should be aware of her villainous nature," added Pryce.


    While everyone became absolutely quiet as they watched this showdown, Kayla started laughing. She raised her glass again and said, "Way to go sister!"

 Chapter 90 - Web Of Lies

    "Adrianna met me at the lawn in front of the chemistry wing and handed me the note," said Pryce.


    "What kind of note?" asked Dmitri.


    "It was a handwritten note," answered Pryce.


    "Keisha, do you have that note with you?" asked Dmitri, turning to Keisha.


    "No�� I don''t�� I just read it and threw it away�� and then went to the forest to find Adrianna. When I reached the meeting place, she attacked me from behind. I tried to keep up the fight, but she wouldn''t back off. All she kept saying was that I should stay away from you. I told her that Niiya was already so interested in her - why should she go after you? But she kept hitting me badly and saying that it was none of my business. Ultimately, she hit me so much that I became unconscious," said Keisha with a sad look on her face.


    "But Dmitri, don''t worry. She cannot come between us because my love for you is far greater than her hatred for me," she continued as she went to hold Dmitri''s hand.


    Everyone in the gathering started gossiping. They were throwing murderous glares at Adrianna.


    "She is such a devil."


    "There is so much villainy behind that innocent face."


    "What an uncultured girl."


    "So desperate! If the supreme alpha doesn''t want her, she shouldn''t dream about him."


    As the murmurs grew, Keisha looked proudly at Cora as though trying to express how well she had turned the tables. Cora nodded and smiled at Keisha.


    Adrianna was feeling miserable. In front of so many strangers, there was no way she could prove her innocence. Her eyes became misty as she wondered how she could have forgotten about Keisha''s gargantuan presence within Dmitri''s clan. Keisha was not a simple person to deal with. But why would Dmitri''s mother behave like that? She looked at her father and her siblings. None of them would come to her rescue.


    She lowered her head and started leaving. She missed Ed so much. Why wasn''t he with her in this time of need?


    Keisha looked at Pryce and smiled at her while Pryce glared at Adrianna. She had taken her revenge. Not only had Adrianna been thrown out of Dmitri''s life, she was not a part of Niiya''s life anymore either. She was satisfied seeing Adrianna in that condition �C miserable and gloomy.


    As Adrianna started walking out, Dmitri stopped her, "Adrianna where are you going?"


    Adrianna stopped and turned to say, "Sorry Dmitri, I didn''t know that things would turn out this way. I don''t have any explanation."


    "Don''t you want to prove your innocence?" he asked.


    Adrianna became gloomy. "I didn''t do anything wrong. I have too much pride to get involved in this catfight Dmitri," she said with pride before starting to head out again. Perhaps this was the end of it all. She enjoyed the feeling of being with Dmitri so much that she had become addicted to it. But the truth was something else. Dmitri belonged to Keisha and she had come in between them. She tried to be objective about it, but why was her heart aching so much. Every step became heavy.


    "Stop!" shouted Dmitri.


    "Let her go," said Cora.


    Piqued at his mother, Dmitri raised his finger to warn his mother to stay quiet. Cora became quiet.


    "Adrianna, stop right there!" he shouted boiling with rage. Adrianna stopped in her tracks.


    Then he looked at Pryce and said, "What did she write on that note? Can you tell me by writing it on a piece of paper?"


    "Sure," Pryce replied. She borrowed a pen from someone and wrote the message down on a piece of paper. She brought the paper for Dmitri to see.


    Dmitri frowned and then asked Keisha, "Can you also write the message that Adrianna wrote?"


    Keisha thought that Dmitri was testing her memory, so she wrote exactly what she had written on the note and handed it to him.


    Dmitri put the two notes together and then said, "Thank you ladies." Then he dug his hands into his coat pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper. He held it high in air for everyone to see it.


    When Keisha saw it, her face became pale.


    Dmitri looked at Keisha and said with a grimace on his face, "I hope you remember this note. This is the one that bears the same message that you have written here Keisha."


    Keisha wanted to dig her grave as her white lie was being uncovered slowly.


    Then, he looked at Pryce and said menacingly, "I asked you to write the notes in order to match the handwriting. The original one is in my hand, and I have it here for anyone to see what the truth was."


    No one came forward as everyone was now becoming scared of the unknown wrath of Dmitri. The chiefs and others at the gathering were well acquainted with Dmitri''s fierce nature. It was like a timed bomb that could explode at any moment. There was no way anyone could reverse it or slow it down. His demeanor even shook Cora. She could feel the beating of her own heart as it pounded futility against her ribcage.

 Chapter 91 - Moment Of Truth

    Keisha''s dread was visible. It was like a demon sitting heavily upon her shoulders and only she could hear it sharpening its knives. She started sweating and her hands started to tremble. He head became giddy and she felt nauseous. She clutched the chair that was near her and sat down. She knew that if she couldn''t handle this situation, Dmitri might throw her out of the clan.


    She started crying. "Dmitri, you think that I lied?" she said in between her sobs. She had to somehow save herself and make Pryce the scapegoat.


    Dmitri was enraged. He yelled at Keisha, "You have the guts to mess with my woman?"


    Keisha became so scared of him that she thought he would attack her. So she tried to malign Pryce. "It was Pryce who suggested that I confront Adrianna."


    Pryce looked at Keisha and shouted, "Keisha, you liar! Why would I ask you to confront Adrianna and that too in the forest? I didn''t even know why you had called her in the forest. You could have talked to her in the college."


    "You wanted a revenge Pryce because Niiya had dumped you because of Adrianna!" she shouted back.


    "Stop!" Dmitri became all the more ferocious as he said, "Keisha, this is the original note that you had written to Adrianna, and this note states that you wanted to meet her in the forest. This is clearly your handwriting! Do you think I am such a fool to not even know what lengths you would go to pull Adrianna down? The moment you came home and said that you remembered Adrianna calling you out to the forest, it was a red signal for me. I had picked up this note from the college parking lot and had shoved it in my bag."


    "When I noticed that you were going back and forth between your so-called partial amnesia, I started suspecting you. So I sent Nate to the healer to know about your situation. He said that you had recovered fully, but he suspected that you had lost some memory. However, that was only a temporary phase. You have completely recovered.


    "How dare you even connive with Pryce against Adrianna? And what is Pryce even doing at our gathering?" Dmitri was so angry that he was shouting at her so loudly that everyone in the gathering could hear. He turned to Nate and ordered, "Send Pryce back to her home. She is not invited to the party!"


    He looked at Pryce who was shivering with fear. "If I see you crossing paths with Adrianna ever again, I will make sure that you live no more! Now get out!"


    Hurriedly, Pryce left the party before Dmitri could change his decision.


    He looked at his mother. "Mother, this is your last warning. Do not go against Adrianna," he said with such authority that Cora broke into a cold sweat. It was a known fact that the werewolves often killed their own fathers if they wanted to grab their father''s position as the chief of the tribe. They were fierce by nature. And right now, that madness was clearly shown in Dmitri''s eyes.


    Dmitri ignored all of them and went to Adrianna. She had knelt down on the floor, looking at her alpha, as he protected her from the evil. Tears were streaming down her eyes, and all she could feel at the time was gratitude. Other than Ed, there was no one who had shown so much faith in her.


    When he neared her, he extended his hand to her, and as soon as she placed her hand in his, he pulled her up. He hugged her and said, "Did you think that I would fall for their tricks and leave you?"


    Adrianna nodded through her tears as she snuggled into his chest, the only place where she felt most secure.


    He hugged her tightly as though trying to merge her into his body frame. He said, "Silly, I will never leave you. Only death shall do us apart. I knew about their connivance and was only waiting for the right moment to bring both of them down together."


    He held Adrianna''s chin, lifted her face up, and planted a kiss on her lips that were a little puffy now. Then, he wiped her tears and said, "Come, walk with me over there." He pointed to a small canopy that was covered with flowers.


    He held her waist as she rested her head on his arms, and together they walked to the canopy. Nate and Liam were standing right outside the canopy, smiling at their chief. Once Adrianna and Dmitri reached the canopy, they turned to the guests.


    Dmitri announced, "Wolves, meet my luna, Adrianna. I will marry her tomorrow. You all are welcome to stay back and enjoy your day here."


    As soon as he made the announcement, the entire audience broke into a clap. The werewolves shouted their "congratulations" from all sides.


    Adrianna was blushing as her face split into a huge grin while Dmitri nodded as he received the congratulatory messages.


    Adrianna missed Ed. She wanted him to be there on her special occasion. Where''d he go after agreeing that he would attend the gathering? She looked at her father and siblings. Kuro and her brothers were standing tall as others came and congratulated him. Kayla''s face had darkened. Adrianna couldn''t bother anymore. She turned to look at her alpha who was already staring at his luna as though he was bewitched by her charms. She couldn''t help herself and let her aura shine. There was a soft glow all around her, which all the wolves at the gathering noticed.


    They were mesmerized �C the supreme alpha and his luna together was a picture to behold.


    Insulted and admonished, Keisha got up and walked out of the garden. People smirked at her as she left. As for Cora, she stayed till Dmitri made the announcement and then retired to her bedroom.


    ---


    As soon as Ed had gotten ready to leave, Howard had come to meet him. Ed had been summoned by the wizards.


    He resisted. "I have to attend Adri''s celebration tonight. Dmitri will declare her as his luna."


    "Sorry Ed, but when the great wizard calls, you don''t say no to him," said Howard, taking a hold of Ed''s hand. Suddenly, Ed found himself being sucked into a vortex. He had been through the vortex before, and he knew what it was.

 Chapter 92 - Isidoros

    Howard had taken Ed with him through the vortex to his territory of wizards and witches that was in the north of the forest. It would have taken a day any werewolf to reach there. However, with Howard, Ed reached there within seconds of being sucked in a vortex and then thrown out of it. It was a magic that only the wizards knew. When Ed had been sucked into the vortex for the first time, he had suffered major dizziness. It was because he had to attend his friend Howard''s two hundredth birthday celebrations, which was much before Adrianna was born. Ed hated the feeling.


    During his first visit to the kingdom of wizards, he was captivated by their world. Secluded in the jungles where no one ever dared to come, it was the most beautiful architecture he had ever seen. Even the humans couldn''t create something so beautiful.


    There were three levels of houses �C third level that was erected on plain earth, second level that was on the hills and first level that floated in the air. All houses in the third level were neatly built and arranged in grids. They housed the witches and wizards that worked on salaries in royal palace like the guards and the servants.


    The second level houses were extremely luxurious mansions that were surrounded by huge lawns and waterfalls that flowed from the hills. These housed the business class witches and wizards who often went out to the other worlds. They were very powerful as they also had complete control over all the elixirs that existed in the world.


    It was the first level houses, which floated in the air that housed the royals. There were only four palaces in that level. One of them belonged to the Great Wizard, Isidoros, who was the oldest amongst them. He was twelve hundred years old. Other two belonged to the military general and the prime minister. The biggest and the most beautiful palace belonged to their queen who disappeared long back.


    There were many who were eying the throne of the queen once she had disappeared but Isidoros had protected it all those years. He had ruled the kingdom with an iron fist. Wise, loyal and very powerful, no one dared to cross paths with Isidoros. He had been waiting for his queen to return. Ever since he had heard of magical occurrences in the human and wolves'' territories, he had been regularly sending his people to find out about it but they returned empty handed.


    It was only the last time when one of the wizards had seen a tree falling with a lighting jolt from afar near Ed''s cottage that Isidoros became interested. He had also come to know about Liam''s fight with the neotides and the reason they had attacked him.


    Howard lived in the second level. He had been mostly away as he was the dean of the college and wizards'' spy in the human world but his family stayed there.


    Isidoros had asked Howard to get Ed in their world. Isidoros knew Ed very well because he was the only werewolf who was allowed to get in their kingdom. It was a huge surprise when his informer told him about the magic he saw around Ed''s cottage.


    Howard had taken Ed to meet Isidoros. When Ed got out of the vortex, he found himself surrounded by five wizards and two witches with their wands pointed towards him. Ed looked at Howard to speak something, as Howard hadn''t given him a chance to ask anything but Howard signaled him to stay quiet. Confused, Ed just walked with all of them until they reached huge wooden doors of a hall.


    "Anixe Porta," said one of the wizards waving his wand and the large doors opened on their own. As they walked inside the hall, Ed couldn''t help noticing the opulence. There were grand chandeliers hanging from the roof and the floor was made of glass. It was as if they were walking in the air. He looked right ahead and saw an old wizard sitting on an oversized chair on a raised platform. Another wizard was standing on the floor near him.


    Ed looked at the old wizard and nodded while all other wizards and witches around him bowed to him. All of a sudden Ed found himself forcibly bending forwards. He understood that it was Isidoros who was forcing him using his magic.


    Without wasting time Isidoros commanded, "I heard that there was magic around your cottage Ed. Explain."


    Ed became scared. He knew that wizards didn''t take it kindly if they saw magic in other worlds especially if they didn''t know how that happened. They had killed several people in the past even if they suspected that they practiced magic. It was only Vikra who had eluded them from a long time, but then he was a force to reckon with.


    Ed shook his head and replied innocently, "There was no magic that I know of." He had to shield Adrianna otherwise he was afraid that the next moment they would send wizards to kill her. Poor girl she was about to get married.

 Chapter 93 - More Danger

    Isidoros roared, "Ed! Do not speak lies!" Then he brought his hand forward and said, "Ponos en Aera". The next second Ed found himself suspended in the air as his body experienced sharp pain as though there were thousands of knives slicing his flesh. He shouted painfully. He had to bear that pain, that misery for five minutes until he thought that he would die. Tears rolled out of his eyes. But Adrianna was far too valuable to him. He imagined his granddaughter''s beautiful, smiling face and bore that torture.


    After five minutes, Isidoros put him down and he stumbled onto the floor, sweating profusely.


    "Now, tell us about the magic," said Isidoros again.


    Ed looked at Howard who was as expressionless as he could be. Ed understood that he was on his own. Even though Howard would never rat it out, Ed had to deal with this situation on his own.


    "Before you torture me like this, you have to tell me how did you hear about the magic," asked Ed.


    The wizard who was standing near Isidoros spoke, "I saw it occurring around your house while flying through the forest."


    "What did you see?" Ed probed.


    "A tree had fallen because of lighting," came the prompt reply.


    "That is nothing! Many trees fall around my house due to lighting and thunder. Does it mean that there is magic in it? It is mostly during rains!" retorted Ed.


    "Quiet!" roared Isidoros. "If you do not speak the truth, we will capture you and never leave you. We will torture you until you die the most excruciating way."


    Ed lowered his head and said, "I don''t know anything about it."


    Isidoros narrowed his eyes. "We are looking for our queen who had disappeared many years back. She was last heard of being in the wolves'' territory. We also know that she had given birth to a baby and we have been looking for that child ever since. So tell me Ed, do you know anything about it?"


    Ed was beyond surprised and now he was all the more scared for Adrianna. He had an urge to tell them about Shira and Adrianna, but he kept quiet. There were so many wizards in the room that it was possible that before he knew they would kill her. Or was it Isidoros who had vested interests? Until he had his answers, he would never tell them anything. He controlled his emotions.


    Ed shook his head and replied, "No, I don''t."


    Isidoros was a clever wizard. He smirked at Ed. He didn''t speak another word and said, "You can all go."


    Ed had to be monitored.


    Once they were out of the royal palace, Howard breathed a sigh of relief. "Ed you are a lucky person. Usually no one ever comes out alive from Isidoros''s interrogation. Either they die or become prisoners and then die after becoming lunatics."


    Howard took Ed to his house in the second level. His family greeted him enthusiastically. Ed was so exhausted that even though Howard asked him to have dinner, he declined and went to the guest room to sleep.


    One of the wizards who had surrounded Ed was the military general, Cy. Cy had been one of the main contenders of the throne. Isidoros had been withholding a lot of information from him and he was shocked when Ed was presented before him. Cy had to find the baby before anyone would. He called his trusted men and asked them to stay around Ed''s house.


    Isidoros had his suspicions. If even there was a speck of truth in what his informant had reported, then Adrianna could be that child. Isidoros was highly impressed by Ed for protecting that baby even at the cost of his life. It proved the Ed was fiercely loyal to Adrianna.


    He also knew that Cy would now be on alert once the news reached him. He would try to get hold of the child and eliminate it.


    The point was that he had to keep Cy off the trail and under his watch. So he ordered him to surround Ed as soon as he was there. As anticipated, Cy had asked his men to keep a watch on Ed while Isidoros asked his men to keep a watch on Adrianna as well as on Cy''s men.


    Isidoros had knowingly sent Cy on a wild goose chase since Adrianna wasn''t there in Ed''s cottage anymore. She was with Dmitri �C safe and secure for the time.


    If it was for him to decide, he would have executed Cy long back, but orders like that had to come from the king or the queen.


    ---


    As soon as Dmitri announced about his marriage with Adrianna, all the people started celebrating. Chiefs communicated it to their packs that the supreme alpha was getting married. Many wanted to come to attend the wedding, as it was the biggest event they would ever witness in their lives. The red moon pack was a hub of activity overnight. Almost each and every member became busy with the preparations of the wedding. Nate and Liam were at the helm of all the affairs while Dmitri acted like a prince. All he had to do was take care of Adrianna.


    Adrianna was extremely tired by the end of the evening. Kuro and her siblings wanted to come near and talk to her but she didn''t pay any heed.


    As soon as the celebrations of the night got over, Adrianna picked her and carried her all the way to the master suite. He bolted the door from inside put her on the bed. After covering her with the blanket, he drew the curtains so that she would sleep peacefully and not get disturbed by the morning sun a few hours later. He changed and lied down besides her, spooning her. She had already slept by the time he came.


    He dipped his face in her neck and smelled it. Kissing on her neck lightly, he closed his eyes. However, it was impossible for him to sleep. His blood rushed between his thighs and he pressed himself against her body. Gently he turned Adrianna towards him waking her. He kissed her lips softly and then licked them forcing her to open them. Adrianna opened them and he delved his tongue deeper. He took her hand to his erection and together they stroked it making him tip over soon.


    "Thank you Adri, for being with me��" he said and hugged her tightly.


    Tomorrow was a big day.

 Chapter 94 - My Revenge!

    The only way Ed could get out of the wizards'' land was through the vortex. When he woke up the next day, he asked Howard to teleport him back to his cottage.


    "Howard, I want to go and see Adrianna. Yesterday, she had a huge celebration and I wasn''t there. I want to spend time with her. I would like to go back," said Ed, getting slightly annoyed at Howard for not telling him anything about Isidore.


    Howard understood his friend''s predicament, but he had to wait for Isidoros''s permission to take Ed out of the city. Now Howard had been ordered by Isidoros to head the team that would keep a watch on Adrianna, Ed, and Cy. Without letting Ed know, he had to form a team and he was waiting for Isidores to call him in for a meeting.


    "Ed, why don''t you take a look around the wizards'' land? I am sure you will find a lot of interesting things here," replied Howard in order to divert his attention. Then, he turned to his son and said, "Take your uncle to see the waterfall that defies gravity."


    Although Ed became interested and wanted to see that phenomenon, he was more eager to get out of the city. "Howard, when will you teleport me back?"


    "Not until Isidoros gives me the green flag," Howard straightforwardly answered.


    Ed exhaled a breath of hot air and nodded.


    It was not long before the afternoon that the two of them went back to the wolves'' territory. As soon as they left, a group of ten wizards followed them.


    ---


    Adrianna woke up late in the morning. When she woke up, she saw that Dmitri had already woken up and was leaning on the headboard, stroking and playing with her hair. She smiled and sat up only to be pushed back onto the mattress beneath Dmitri. "Get off of me," she said while caressing his cheeks.


    "No��" he replied, further pressing against her.


    "I will just have to throw you off me then," said Adrianna with a chuckle.


    "Oh really? Try it Adri!"


    "Don''t feel fad if you get hurt!"


    "Try it Adri."


    With one swift move, Adrianna pushed him. If he were a human, he would have crashed into the window and landed outside. But Dmitri didn''t move an inch. He teased her, "Well?..."


    Adrinna was surprised at his power. She grinned and he relaxed seeing her beautiful smile. However, in the next moment he was thrown out of the bed and landed near the periphery of the bed. Shocked, Dmitri looked at Adrianna who was now laughing. She shrugged, giving him a smug look. Then, she flipped back her hair and removed the blanket to get up while saying, "You lowered your defense."


    Not accepting defeat, Dmitri pounced back on her, again pinning her onto the mattress. Adrianna couldn''t help but laugh. "I have to shower," she said.


    "I have to make love," he replied, biting her cheek.


    "I have to discuss the terms and conditions of our marriage," she said seriously.


    "What terms and conditions? You should be happy that I am marrying you," he replied, biting her other cheek.


    "Ah! But I am not happy," she teased him.


    "You get to discuss the terms only after you have satisfied your alpha. I will have to see how your performance in bed is." He didn''t take the bait.


    "I refuse!" She tried to push him away, but he had roughly pinned down her hands and legs.


    "Fine, then stay like this the whole day."


    Adrianna fluttered her eyelashes and said, "Dmitri it will take a second for me to throw you again. Do you want to go through that all over again?"


    "Oh baby, try it!" This was a challenge.


    And in the next second, he was sent flying out of the bed all over again. He crashed near the table, shaking the table and amongst other things a glass lamp fell on his head as the table moved.


    Adrianna panicked and ran to him. She removed the glass pieces off of his head. Although there was no injury, Dmitri looked furious. He narrowed his eyes, making Adrianna feel guilty. However, in the next moment, Adrianna was grabbed, pulled onto his lap, and her lips were fiercely slammed against by his, knocking the wind out of her chest. Before she could react, he had pressed his tongue against the seam of her lips and had forced them open in order to explore her mouth. Adrianna wanted to push herself away, but she couldn''t. She could no longer resist him. She knew it was futile to resist him because her wolf wouldn''t let her.


    When it was over, Dmitri looked at her red face and took her off of his lap. She was gasping for breath as her adrenaline kicked in, but he simply got up and left to take a shower. She saw how cold he went immediately after kissing her. What was that?


    As if he had heard her, he peeped from the bathroom door and said, "My revenge!"

 Chapter 95 - Because You Tricked Me

    Adrianna threw a pen at him, but he had closed the door by then. "Dmitri, just you wait and watch!"


    When Dmitri finished taking his shower, he saw that Adrianna had entered the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her to cover herself. His jaw dropped. He had already combed his hair and had been about to exit when she came inside. He had been staring at her through the mirror and had forgotten to apply the lotion that he had just squeezed onto his hand.


    Adrianna swayed her body a little and went to the bathtub to fill it up with warm water. She sat on the side of the tub, crossing her legs and waiting for the water to fill. She hummed softly as she caressed her neck with her hand. Her hair was tied up in a bun, exposing her long, slender neck. She bent down a little to check the temperature of the water, exposing her cleavage. Then, she heaved a sigh and sat up straight again The towel on her legs slid to the side, exposing her white thighs.


    Dmitri lost control as he watched her through the mirror. She was looking everywhere but at him. He scratched his forehead and shook his head. And now he regretted his revenge. He stared at her for some time until he could bear it no longer.


    He had to take her down. But how?


    He turned to her and went close to her only to be ignored. "Adrianna�� baby��" he said seductively.


    She didn''t answer. The bathtub had filled, and, removing her towel, she stepped in. Dmitri eyes fell out of their sockets. This tease!


    Adrianna slid into the bathtub that was now filled with bubbles which hid her body.


    "No!" he shouted, wanting to see her body which was below the water.


    She looked at him questioningly and then brought her leg out of the water to wash it.


    "What are you doing Adri?" he asked in a very foul mood.


    "Taking a bath��"


    Dmitri undid his towel, exposing his gorged member, and jumped into the tub, splashing a lot of water outside. Adrianna silently snickered. She was enjoying teasing him. He crawled over to her.


    "Adri, come here," he said, pulling her in front of him.


    She smiled as he positioned her in between his legs. "I have some terms," she said.


    "What are they?" he asked, biting her ears from behind.


    She tilted her face away and said, "I want my pet bear cub to stay here."


    "Done," he said. She gave him access to her ears. He started going down.


    "His name will be Dmitri," she continued.


    "Done," he said, squeezing her breasts while sucking on her neck.


    "I will continue going to college."


    "Done." He slid his hands down to her navel as he started making purple bruises on her shoulders.


    "I want Keisha to live separately and not in this mansion," she said, catching his hands which were on her navel.


    "Done."


    She let go of his hand and they traveled further down and between her thighs. He circled her clit with his thumb, making her moan with pleasure, while he stroked himself. As soon as she came, he inserted his fingers in her and stroked himself harder until he came onto her back.


    "Adri��" he said, hugging her from behind. "I love you crazily�� Don''t deny me��"


    Adrianna kissed his lips and smiled.


    Satisfied, he climbed out of the bathtub, leaving Adrianna behind to take a bath. As he was headed out, he turned back to look at her and said, "What were saying about your pet?"


    Adrianna was angry. She splashed water on him, but he dashed out of the bathroom while giving her a naughty wink.


    She came out soon after, only to find that breakfast had been served and that Dmitri had been waiting for her to eat it with him.


    She changed into casual clothes and sat down to eat with him.


    "In the evening, a few servants will come to dress you up," said Dmitri, reminding her that this was their wedding day.


    "Okay," she replied. She was excited about it, but she missed her grandfather.


    "Adri, you need to change your pet''s name," he said pensively.


    "No! He will be called Dmitri."


    "Why?"


    "Because you tricked me," she said angrily.


    "Tricked you into what?" he asked naively.


    "Into- Into- Dmitri!" she cried out loud, inviting Dmitri''s laughter.


    Meanwhile, Kuro was staying in one of the guest houses located adjacent to the palace. Kayla, Reinjie, and Sam were eating some grapes that had been served by the servants. The servants were catering them very well since they were the bride''s immediate family. Kayla couldn''t help remarking, "Adrianna sure has some luck! To be married to the supreme alpha is something. But I don''t understand what he sees in her. I am definitely more beautiful than her. Everything about her is so�� so�� simple! I mean, her hair is black and she isn''t that good a match for any werewolf."


    Then, she looked at her father and asked, "Father, how come she has black hair while the rest of us have golden hair?"

 Chapter 96 - You Won’t Rat Me Out?

    Kuro didn''t answer and narrowed his eyes, warning her not to go there. Kayla understood and became quiet.


    "Go and help her out with her evening dress," said Reinjie. "We should look like a family there."


    "Oh please, Reinjie! Everyone knows how much we disliked Adrianna. It is not like it wasn''t an open secret," she retorted.


    Kuro grunted. "Do as Reinjie says. Even if everyone knows, you have to go in order to make people think that we have changed."


    Kayla was envious of Adrianna - envious that a simple girl like her who only ever studied could become the supreme alpha, Dmitri''s, wife. Kayla didn''t even want to see her face, let alone help her dress up. But because Kuro wanted her to go, she went to the palace. Captivated by its inner architecture and the furnishings, she walked, looking around mesmerized, until she bumped into someone.


    "Oh, sorry," she apologized. When she looked up, she saw that it was Cora.


    "Good morning," greeted Kayla. From the previous night''s incident, she knew that Cora didn''t like Adrianna.


    Cora asked sternly, "Where are you going?"


    "I was going to assist Adrianna," she replied meekly.


    "Sit down with me Kayla. Let us talk," ordered Cora.


    They sat down on the nearest sofa. "I believe that you wanted to be Dmitri''s wife," asked Cora.


    Kayla was stunned at her question. She nodded and said, "Yes��"


    "Do you like him?" asked Cora.


    "Yes��" came the prompt reply.


    "Will you help me in eliminating Adrianna?" asked Cora blatantly.


    Kayla gulped. She looked at Cora with wide eyes. "But how can we do that?"


    Cora went to the kitchen and came back with a pill. "Can you slip this into Adrianna''s tea or water?"


    Kayla was still flustered. Killing Adrianna was one thing, but on her wedding day too?


    "I am sorry, but I can''t do this. Dmitri will kill me if he finds out." She was too afraid to think of the outcome of this action.


    "No, he won''t find out, because the pill''s effect will only take place two hours after being ingested. And when this happens, I will propose your name in order to keep our family''s honor," said Cora very coldly.


    However, her real plan was something else. She would make Kayla poison Adrianna and then reveal Kayla''s face to the public, eventually putting her head on the guillotine. Later, she would have Dmitri take Keisha as his wife.


    Kayla said, "What is the guarantee that you won''t rat me out?"


    Cora narrowed her eyes and replied, "What is the guarantee that you won''t rat me out?"


    Kayla understood that both of them were together in this plan and that they had to work in tandem. She was surprised to find herself coming to assist Adrianna but instead being embroiled in a dangerous plan. Despite that, there was a glint in her eyes. She looked around the palace. It would be all hers. She nodded and said, "So how does this pill work?"


    "Once you have given her the pill, you have to make sure that she doesn''t drink water. It will take two hours for it to kill her if she does," replied Cora with coldness in her eyes. She had ordered the execution of many werewolves using that pill.


    Kayla became nervous. Killing Adrianna was a huge thing. But she looked at the bright side: with Adrianna gone, she would become a queen overnight.


    She took the pill from Cora and hid it in her bra. "Would be better if we give her the pill in the evening?" she asked her.


    "Yes, give it to her around 4PM so that by 6PM, she will be no more. Then Dmitri won''t have enough time left to cancel the wedding, and I will push you in her place," replied Cora, smelling the scent of success in the air. Cora couldn''t believe her luck when she saw Kayla coming inside the palace. She had planned on meeting Kayla to propose this plan anyways, so when she saw Kayla, she immediately threw the opportunity at her. As she had expected, Kayla had jumped at the opportunity.


    Nervous and excited, Kayla bit her lower lip so hard that it bled a little. She got up and decided to go and meet Adrianna for a while so that Adrianna wouldn''t be confused in the afternoon when she came to help her dress for the wedding.


    As soon as Kayla left, Keisha came out from her hiding place and stood beside Cora. She placed her hands on Cora''s shoulder and they both smiled, looking at each other.


    "She is indeed an idiot," sniggered Keisha.


    Kayla went to Adrianna''s room and knocked on the door. Adrianna had just finished her breakfast. Dmitri allowed her to enter, thinking that a servant had come to clear the table.


    Kayla opened the door and walked in. Both Dmitri and Adrianna were surprised. As she walked in, she saw how opulent the bedroom was. "Is this the master suite?" she asked Adrianna.

 Chapter 97 - The Sweet Poison

    Adrianna was embarrassed at her sister''s question that reeked of greediness. She didn''t answer.


    Kayla came to her senses and said, "Sorry sister. This is a beautiful room. That''s what I meant to say."


    "What do want?" asked Dmitri straight away.


    "I have come to meet Adrianna," she answered sweetly.


    Dmitri frowned as he glared at her. He remembered the way Kayla had sabotaged Adrianna''s dress.


    "Speak," he spat out.


    Kayla flinched, but she gathered up her courage and spoke softly, "Adrianna, I am sorry about what I did to you in the past. Please, will you forgive your sister?"


    Adrianna gaped at her sister as Dmitri scorned.


    "I know I have made a lot of mistakes, but I want to correct them now. As a token of my love, would you let me help you dress you in the evening?" she asked, lowering her head and making a sad face so that she would look genuine.


    Adrianna was about to say yes when Dmitri interjected. "No thanks. We have plenty of servants who will help her out. You may go and only come back in the evening for dinner."


    Adrianna felt guilty for the way Dmitri treated Kayla so rudely. "Oh hush Dmitri!" she scolded.


    Then, she turned to Kayla and said with a smile, "Of course you can. I look forward to you putting the bridal feather of the Phoenix in my crown Kayla."


    Kayla returned a sweet smile and said, "Thank you Adrianna," and left.


    As soon as Kayla closed the door behind her, she put her hand on her chest and sighed a breath of relief. "That was close," she thought, hurriedly walking away.


    On her way back, she met Cora and nodded. A smile spread on Cora''s face. She went to Keisha and said, "Be ready. Our plan starts today."


    ---


    Adrianna chided Dmitri, "Why were you so rude to Kayla?"


    "Stay away from her. She is bad company," he warned her.


    "But she came to rectify her mistakes. I should give her a chance," she replied with an angry pout.


    "Why did she come today? She had never offered to help to you in the past."


    "I don''t want to argue about Kayla," snapped Adrianna, taking out her books from her bag.


    Dmitri laughed and said, "Adri, instead of books, you should check out your wedding dress for the night."


    She didn''t respond.


    "Okay, I am sorry! You can call Kuro, Kayla, and those jerk brothers of yours and ask them all to dress you up! But talk to me."


    Adrianna bit her lower lip. She smiled and said, "Sorry, I didn''t want to be rude to you."


    Adrianna got up and held his hand. "Show me the dress," she said with a grin.


    Dmitri took her to the cupboard where the dress was hanging. Adrianna gasped. It was beautiful. "I can''t wait to wear it," she said, touching it.


    All of a sudden, activity could be heard outside the palace gates. Dmitri looked through the bedroom''s glass window and saw that Ed had come demanding entrance. He held a baby bear in his lap and was surrounded by five men, one of them being Howard.


    Dmitri called Adrianna over to the window and pointed at the entrance. Adrianna squealed and ran out of the room, down the stairs, and to the gate. She jumped over the gate with such agility that it seemed as though it was just a small boulder. She ran so fast that she was there within three seconds, much to the surprise of the other werewolves. No werewolf was this fast.


    "Grandfather!" shouted Adrianna, hugging Ed tightly. In her excitement, she squashed her pet bear, who then screamed.


    Ed broke into a loud laughter. He patted Adrianna and said, "My child. How have you been?"


    The gates were immediately opened. Ed entered along with Howard and the others. Adrianna noticed Howard and was startled. She greeted him like a good obedient student. "Good afternoon sir."


    Howard greeted her back. "Adrianna, many congratulations! How will you study after this? Also, you never invited me to your wedding, so Ed had to invite me. These five were there when he did and wanted to tag along."


    Adrianna laughed. "Sorry sir. Please come in."


    By the time they reached the limestone walkway, Dmitri had come downstairs. He greeted the entire group and took them inside. Cora and Keisha were sitting inside the main hall. They didn''t even get up to greet the visitors. Although Adrianna felt awkward, she didn''t say anything. She just looked at Dmitri who remained quiet.


    Howard''s eyes met Cora and he could feel the danger. He wanted to delve into her mind to scan her, but he decided against it. It was a happy occasion and he could do it later.


    "Grandfather, why didn''t you come yesterday? I missed you!" complained Adrianna, picking up her pet who started licking her with his rough tongue. Dmitri watched it with murderous glint.

 Chapter 98 - There, You Are Done!

    Ed looked at Howard and said, "I had an urgent errand to run. Sorry about that. But here I am, and I heard that you are getting married today?" He looked at Dmitri and continued, "This is all too fast. What''s the hurry?"


    "It was necessary," replied Dmitri shamelessly.


    Ed and Howard broke into laughter.


    "Dmitri, how are you baby?" said Adrianna as she petted her pet''s head who snuggled into her as if complaining about her leaving him.


    "Adrianna, you cannot call him Dmitri," protested Dmitri.


    "Dmitri, my baby," Adrianna hugged her bear tightly, giving a side-glance to her alpha.


    Dmitri gritted his teeth. Her pet was about to become a huge issue in the future - he just knew it.


    They all chatted for a while until the servants took them to the guesthouse. Howard and Ed were accompanied by five wizards who had been sent by Isidoros to monitor and protect Adrianna. They had rarely visited outside their kingdom and were surprised to see the sorts of things the lower regions of the forest had.


    When they saw Adrianna, they were a little surprised to see her dash out to meet her grandfather. She was fast! They were asked to keep a low profile and they were introduced to Dmitri as Ed''s guests on an important mission. Even though they were all asked to rest, they were always on high alert.


    When they had gone, Adrianna got up and carried her pet upstairs. But not before Cora commented, "You better change his name."


    Adrianna frowned and left feeling sad. She loved both of her Dmitris.


    While Adrianna went to the bedroom, Dmitri went out to check in with Nate and Liam. When they met, both of them shouted at him for having neglected everything. "I can''t help it. I have to be with Adrianna, otherwise she will feel lonely," came Dmitri''s smug response.


    They stared at him, but Dmitri just shrugged. "You guys will understand once you guys get married. Plus, I can''t afford to make her mad now." Having said that, he returned to his room, leaving the two of them cursing. He cursed them back mentally in a way that they could hear him. However, the problem was that everybody in the pack could hear him!


    As the evening fell, Adrianna woke up to get dressed.


    Kayla came around 3:30PM. As soon as she entered the palace, she saw a strange man standing in front of her. He stared at her breasts that were hidden by her hair. She thought he was attracted to her, so she flipped her hair back to reveal them more. Before she could take another step, she blacked out.


    Moments later, when she woke up, the man was nowhere to be seen and she found herself being hauled by some servants.


    Confused, she said that she was fine and went to Adrianna''s room. She saw that Adrianna''s door was slightly open. She pushed it open to see that the servants were all surrounding Adrianna. They were getting her ready for the evening.


    Adrianna was taken inside and the servants helped her take a bath. When she came out, she saw that Dmitri was staring at her. "Go and get dressed Dmitri. I won''t marry someone who doesn''t show in his wedding attire."


    Dmitri sighed and got up from his chair. Nate and Liam had been mentally harassing him to go to the adjacent room where his wedding attire was being kept. He left the room after blowing a kiss to Adrianna. While exiting the room, he passed by Kayla. He glared hard at her with a warning in his eyes. Kayla flinched. She was already nervous about the deed she was going to do and Dmitri''s glare made her rethink about it. However, now was not the time to back out of it.


    If she wanted to be the queen of this palace, she had to eliminate Adrianna, and this thought strengthened her determination. She thought that after marrying Dmitri, she could use all of her charm and love to make him fall for her.


    She adorned a sweet smile and headed in to greet Adrianna who was happy to see Kayla. Adrianna was happy to see Kayla''s change of heart �C something she had longed for forever. Being accepted by Kayla was like a dream come true. Perhaps after Kayla, her father and brothers would also start liking her. She extended her arms and hugged Kayla.


    Adrianna''s wedding dress was a typical dress that any werewolf bride would wear. It consisted of a long skirt with a side slit open till the middle of the thigh, and a bustier that was strapped across her chest, both made from rare leather. She wore ornaments made from beads of different colors.


    Kayla was so mesmerized by Adrianna''s beauty that she stared at her for a long time. Adrianna smiled when she saw Kayla looking at her. She coughed a little to break Kayla''s reverie. Kayla''s trance broke and she remembered what she had to do. "Adrianna, would you like to have some tea?"


    Adrianna said, "Sure," and looked at a servant to fetch it for them. But Kayla stopped the servant and said with a smile, "I will go and get it for you."


    Adrianna grinned and said, "Okay."


    In the kitchen, she poured two cups of tea and discreetly took out the pill from her bra. She opened it and mixed the powder into Adrianna''s cup. Kayla came back with tea in a few minutes. She offered it to Adrianna. It was the first time her sister had ever made tea for her willingly and Adrianna was feeling extremely happy. She placed the tea on the table and picked up her headgear. She asked Kayla, "Would you like the honor of putting it on my head?"


    Kayla placed her teacup on the side and went to put the headgear in place. Consisting of numerous rare feathers, it was a beautiful crown-like headgear. After adjusting it properly on her head, Adrianna handed Kayla the phoenix feather. Carefully, Kayla inserted it into the crown. That feather could only adorn the crown of the luna of a pack.


    "There, you are done," said Kayla.


    Adrianna hugged her sister tightly and they giggled. The servants were asked to leave. Adrianna sat down and picked her teacup. As Adrianna was about to have a sip, Dmitri entered in his wedding outfit that consisted of a skirt till mid thigh, lots of beads across his chest, and a crown with various large and beautifully hued feathers.


    He looked at his bride and was filled with warmth. He took her into his arms and kissed her. "You will be mine from today on," he whispered in her ear.


    Kayla coughed. She giggled and said, "Adri, have your tea."


    Adrianna was all smiles. So many things were going right. She picked up her tea and took a sip, but before she could finish it, Dmitri took it from her and drank the second half of it.Kayla watched Adrianna with interest and madness in eyes. However, as soon as Dmitri had the rest of it, she broke into a cold sweat. She had never anticipated that. She clenched her dress and her mind went blank, thinking about the possible outcomes of this fiasco. Feeling very nervous and scared, she said, "I have to go and change for the evening. I will leave you two lovebirds to be together."

 Chapter 99 - The Wedding Rituals

    She hurried out of the room, and as she closed the door, her heartbeat raced. She started to exit when she saw Cora waiting for her in the main hall. Kayla didn''t know what to say so she just walked out with her head lowered. As soon as she was out of the palace, she ran towards the guesthouse they were staying at.


    Her brothers and Kuro were there. They asked her how it went, but she ran into her room without answering them. She crashed onto her bed.


    "What will happen now? They will find out about me," she thought. She had to run away or else she would be lynched. Without thinking too much, she got up and snuck out of the house through the rear backyard and started walking hurriedly towards the jungle. She was so anxious that she didn''t even see which direction she was headed in. As soon as she entered the thick forest, she shape shifted into a wolf and speedily ran. She must have only gotten a few miles away when she suddenly felt as though her limbs were being trapped in a whip made from lightning. She stumbled and rolled head first, falling several yards away. When she tried to get up, she saw the same man who she had seen in the hall before passing out.


    She growled at him and tried to threaten him, but she found that the lighting whip became tighter around her. She whelped in pain as she tried to get out of the trap. She shape shifted. "Who are you?" she asked with a pained look.


    ---


    Back in the bedroom, Adrianna and Dmitri were feeling as though their body temperatures had gone up. Dmitri shouted at his servants to bring water. Both of them wanted to go and immerse themselves in a cold shower, but the time for the wedding was approaching. So they drank some water �C lots of it. Dmitri asked Nate to keep lots of water beside them during the ceremony. After lunch, they were not supposed to eat anything because they had been asked to fast.


    They soon left the room and went to the venue where the shaman was waiting. It was the same canopy where Dmitri had announced that Adrianna would be his luna. The canopy had become all the more beautiful after being decorated with flowers that hung from the ceiling. A circle, nine feet in radius, was created only for the bride and the groom to be in.


    Cora and Keisha were watching the two of them, waiting for Adrianna to fall. They couldn''t contact Kayla as she was nowhere to be seen. But Keisha was happy inside because of Kayla''s absence. This way, Keisha thought that once Adrianna died, she could immediately take Adrianna''s place in order to save their pack''s honor.


    Dmitri and Adrianna entered a circle where a wooden fire had been kindled in the center. The wood that was selected for the fire was black poplar. The shaman invoked the spirits to bestow him the power to wed them and then knelt within the circle. He prayed and then started incanting. As soon as the incantation finished, he kissed the ground three times.


    Dmitri and Adrianna were feeling very hot, but both of them were controlling their discomfort in front of others. Cora noticed Adrianna''s discomfort and came to her rescue.


    She stopped the shaman and said, "Can''t you see that Adrianna is unwell?" Then, she went to Adrianna and placed her hand on her forehead. "Her temperature is high. Dmitri, we need to show her to the healer now." She thought that Dmitri would take the bait as he was constantly concerned about Adrianna all the time.


    But Dmitri looked at his mother and said, "Adrianna can tolerate this much, Mother. Don''t interfere with the ceremony now."


    Cora gritted her teeth and stepped back.


    For the first ritual, the shaman lifted a chalice that let out smoke from the blue calamus root, which both of them had to inhale. This ceremony was for purification, which ended in an exchange of secrets that both of them needed to share with each other through whispers.


    For the second ritual, the hands of the newlyweds were tied with a flower ribbon. Then, they held a white candle while saying their wedding vows.


    The last ritual was left and there were no signs of the poison working on Adrianna. Cora was becoming more impatient by the minute. She couldn''t let the ceremony conclude. If the last ritual took place, it would seal Adrianna and Dmitri as mates. Then he would never accept Keisha. She shouted, "Wait!"


    Everyone in the pack started glaring at her. Ed became especially irritated and said, "Cora, I am warning you now. Do not interfere with the ceremony."


    "There is a ceremony where the bride''s sister has to place the sacred beads around the bride''s neck," said Cora, taking off a beaded necklace that she was wearing. "Where is Kayla?"


    It was at that time when everyone became aware of Kayla''s absence. The shaman narrowed his eyes at Cora and said, "There is no such ritual." He was peeved that someone would actually challenge his knowledge on this ceremony. It was time for the unification ritual.


    Ignoring Cora, he asked Adrianna to extend her hand. He took a knife to make a slash in her palm and her blood started flowing. Then, he made a gash in Dmitri''s palm. He took their bloodied hands to join them in union, when Cora again shouted, "Wait!"


    But it was too late. The shaman had placed Adrianna''s hand on Dmitri''s for the ultimate blood vow.


    As if by magic, there was a glow around Adrianna which engulfed Dmitri also. It was so bright that the people present were blinded by the aura around them. It was unique because none of them had ever witnessed this kind of a mystical phenomenon before.


    Adrianna and Dmitri were unified as the hearts of both of the alphas became identical. From now on, they shared one heart. For them to become mates for life, Dmitri had to mark his wife.


    As soon as the ceremony ended, Adrianna knelt down, her insides not able to withhold it any longer. The healer was called and both of them were taken to the nearest room.

 Chapter 100 - Something Precious To Us

    When Cora mentioned Kayla''s name, although the ceremony continued, her absence was noticed. Kuro became extremely flustered. He asked Sam to go and find her as soon as the ceremony was over. Reinjie, on the other hand, went to the same place as Dmitri and Adrianna and waited outside their room in anxiety. Nobody knew what was happening and why had Adrianna and Dmitri become unwell.


    ---


    "I am someone who has come to protect someone," he said as he lifted his wand and said, "Avaonte Aero". The spell worked and Kayla was lifted in the air in the same condition. The man started walking out of the forest with Kayla floating behind him. Kayla was confused, scared and anxious. She couldn''t move. Her entire body was gripped in that lighting leash. All the branches, twigs and leaves moved out of their way as the duo moved forward. Nervous as hell, Kayla started crying. She called him out, "Please leave me. If Dmitri will come to know what I did, he will kill me."


    He stayed quiet for some time and replied, "Justice has to prevail. You dared to touch something precious to us. If your supreme commander will spare you, we will kill you."


    Kayla cursed herself for getting into this situation. She cursed Cora for putting her into this situation. Her greed had led her to something she could never imagine. "Who are you?" she asked again.


    "I am Ein, a wizard," he answered leaving Kayla perplexed. This was her first encounter with a wizard. She didn''t know that they were so powerful.


    Ein walked with her to the periphery of the red moon pack territory where they met Sam. Sam had been finding Kayla for almost two hours now. It was dark in the night and he had given all the hopes of finding her. Just as he was about to return, he saw a man walking with a woman floating in air behind him. Baffled at the scene in front of him, Sam rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn''t dreaming. But the man walked to him and stopped.


    "Your sister tried to run away after poisoning Adrianna and Dmitri," he said coldly.


    Sam''s mouth fell open not only at the way Kayla was hanging in the air, but also at the revelation of the man in front of him.


    He ran to Kayla and touched her only to be jolted by the electricity around her. "What is this magic? Who are you? And how dare you keep my sister like that? What kind of baseless allegations are you charging her with?"


    Ein didn''t reply and walked ahead with Kayla.


    "Stop, I say!" shouted Sam with menacing growl. He ran to Ein to attack him but was thrown far away. Ein looked at him coldly and said, "If you do that again, I will tie to in the similar way as I have tied Kayla."


    Afraid, Sam said, "Where are you taking her?"


    "I am taking her back to the supreme commander," he replied. "She has to reveal what she did."


    Sam was frightened. "Please let her walk. If you will take her like this, it will be a great dishonor for my family."


    Ein kept walking, however, five minutes later he allowed her to get on the ground. Sam and Kayla walked together behind him.


    They reached the palace soon. Most of the people had left and only the close ones were left. As soon as Howard saw Ein, he nodded. Kayla and Sam entered the hall outside the room where Dmitri and Adrianna were being treated. Kuro was baffled at kayla''s situation. He looked at Sam and mentally asked him about it. Sam explained whatever he saw. Reinjie was furious at Kayla. But outside they were maintaining a very cold demeanor.


    Cora and Keisha were standing right there tense about what would happen now.


    Ed went inside the room and informed Dmitri about the situation. "Kayla has been found. You must come and take a look at this situation," Ed said to Dmitri not wanting to disturb Adrianna.


    Adrianna was lying down but when she heard about it, she wanted to go out to meet Kayla. She got up and opened the door and stepped outside. She wasn''t so well, but she spotted Kayla. When she saw that Kayla was tied in a lighting whip, Adrianna went to her and untied her as if she was removing a simple rope from her. The wizards present over there were stunned. Was she really their queen? No one could touch that lighting while Adrianna did it so effortlessly.


    "Kayla, who did that to you?" demanded Adrianna.


    Kayla started crying and she pointed to Ein. Ein narrowed his eyes and said, "Speak the truth."


    Cora and Keisha started shaking. If Kayla would speak the truth, both of them would be hanged immediately. Keisha held Cora''s hand.

 Chapter 101 - She Was Their Queen!

    Kayla couldn''t say what she had done, so she thought up a story that someone in the party had drugged her. She had found herself wandering through the jungle when Ein caught her and accused her of poisoning Dmitri and Adrianna.


    To her surprise, when she opened her mouth to tell her story, she found herself saying, "I mixed the poison pill in Adrianna''s tea, but Dmitri also drank it."


    Kayla was shocked as to what she had just blurted even though she had thought of something else. No matter how hard she tried, her mind was forced to speak the truth.


    Adrianna was shocked by what she heard.


    "No, this is not correct. I mean- I mean- I mixed the poison in Adrianna''s tea which Dmitri also drank," repeated Kayla. Her mind couldn''t say what she wanted to say. She looked at the man who had brought her back. He was watching her without blinking his eyes.


    Ein was forcing Kayla to tell the truth by delving into her mind and not letting her tell her lies. The only limitation to the magic was that the person who was affected could only talk about himself or herself. They couldn''t speak about anyone else, and so Kayla couldn''t blurt out a word about Cora or Keisha.


    All of a sudden, Ein felt someone block his magic. He looked at Howard. Howard knew that Ein had been casting his magic on her and so he hadn''t interfered. Ein asked Howard in their own language whether or not Howard was the one stopping the magic. Howard shook his head, so Ein asked him to join in on casting the truth spell on Kayla. However, both of them were again blocked.


    And only now could Kayla find herself saying what she had made up. "I don''t know what happened to me Adrianna. I think someone drugged me."


    This was unacceptable. All of the wizards had joined Howard and Ein in casting their magic to force Kayla to speak the truth, but they were all blocked simultaneously. It was as if their magic couldn''t reach Kayla. Who was so powerful that he or she could block the combined magic of six wizards? They all looked at Adrianna who was in a state of shock and staring at her sister.


    Adrianna had blocked all the magic when she had accidentally delved into the deepest corners of Kayla''s mind to uncover the truth. Even though the wolves could listen to each other, they couldn''t see each other''s memories and it was these memories that only Adrianna could uncover.


    Adrianna felt weak in her knees when Kayla spoke her lies.


    "By the time I woke up, I was in the forest. This man here has wrongly accused me," said Kayla.


    "This is not the truth," roared Ein. "Kayla, you had a pill hidden in your dress when I accidently saw you in the hall. I had to make you unconscious to replace that pill with only a mild drug so that your devious plan could be exposed later on. Where did you get the pill from?"


    Howard, in the meanwhile, had realized that it was Adrianna who had blocked their magic.


    She was their queen!


    No one else had the power to do things like that in this world.


    His eyes were wide open as he watched her doing magic effortlessly. It was as if it was in her nature. The way she was able to pry open the lighting whip was also extraordinary.


    "Cora gave me those pills!" replied Kayla, breaking Howard''s thoughts.


    Cora came forward and slapped Kayla across the cheek. "You moron! How dare you accuse me? Just because I do not approve of Adrianna doesn''t mean I would do something so ghastly!" she spat.


    Kayla hid her face. She understood that she was alone in this matter and that she would never be able to prove herself.


    But Howard wondered as to why was Adrianna blocking them. Why was Adrianna letting Kayla tell such lies?


    When Adrianna came to know the truth, she let out a soft laugh. She had allowed Kayla to tell her lies only because she didn''t want to hear the truth.


    Even though Kayla had managed to tell her lie, Adrianna knew what had actually happened. She knew that Cora and Keisha were involved in this scheme. Her heart ached, and as that happened, Dmitri also felt a pang of pain. He came and hugged her from behind.


    "Don''t torture yourself," he said softly into her ear.


    Adrianna turned to bury her head in his chest and said, "Let''s go��"


    Together they turned to leave.


    Ein shouted from behind, "Dmitri, can I take this girl as a prisoner?"


    "Yes��" Dmitri nodded and went away with his bride. He wanted to save his Adri from all the heartache.


    Cora left with Keisha, giving glares to Kuro and his sons, while Ed continued to stand there with Howard and the others. Kuro was ashamed of his daughter to the extent that he simply left her with the men out there and went away with his sons. He didn''t wait for the morning and returned to their pack during the night.


    Ein held Kayla''s hand and pulled her outside where she found herself being sucked into a vortex.


    Howard, on the other hand, asked all the wizards to stay on guard at all times as Adrianna was now very precious to them. Since Cy was lurking around Ed''s house, Howard was all the more worried that news of Adrianna and Dmitri''s wedding would soon reach him. He had to meet Isidoros to tell him about the recent developments.


    He was surprised that out of all the people, the demure, quiet Adrianna was their queen. He was very excited. He looked at Ed with gratitude for protecting their queen so loyally. He wanted to know everything about Adrianna and so he took Ed to their guesthouse. It was going to be a long night.


    ---


    When Dmitri noticed tears flowing out of her eyes, he picked her up and held her close. The fact that Kayla had tried to poison them shook him. He wanted to kill her then and there, but that would have hurt Adrianna even more. That was the only reason why he had let Kayla go. He had to be with his wife. He took her to their bedroom and placed her on the bed''s soft mattress. He sat down beside her and wiped her tears. "Don''t cry Adri��" he said softly.


    "I thought she had genuinely accepted me��"


    "Mmm��" he stroked her cheeks. "Can you forget the incident? Please, Adri? We were just married."


    Adrianna laughed in between her tears and nodded. She said, "What must I do for them to accept me?"


    "I don''t care whether they accept you or not, but if my luna cries because of them, I will kill them," replied Dmitri, making her laugh all the more. Although he had said that in a teasing manner, he was very serious about it.


    He wiped her tears away. He took her hands and opened her palms. Her palm had healed but there was a red colored mark right in the center of it which resembled a wolf. "That''s our blood vow," he said, opening his hand and revealing his seal.


    He pulled her up gently to remove the beaded necklaces from her neck and kissed her bare skin. "Adri, I want to mark you and make you mine��" he whispered. "Can I do that today?"

 Chapter 102 - Mating And Marking

    When Dmitri said those words, Adrianna nodded shyly. Her new life was about to begin with her mate and she wanted to forget all the bad memories. Holding her chin in his hands, Dmitri lifted her face. He kissed her on her cheeks and then licked her lips. Adrianna''s wolf started burning with desire. She was not shy anymore; she wanted him.


    They kissed lightly until it became more urgent as his tongue entered her mouth. Softly, he pushed her down onto the bed and Adrianna reached for him, putting her warm hand on the back of his neck. Dmitri moved his hand to her back and undid her bustier. He removed the article of clothing, pressing her naked chest against his. Breathless, he stopped kissing and looked down at Adrianna who was in his arms - her lush curves, her soft skin, her long silky hair, and her neck that was waiting to be scarred by him. He reached for her skirt and ripped it open.


    Adrianna pushed him up to a sitting position and then removed the beaded necklaces from him. She moved down and removed his shirt. After brushing against the length of his erection with her palm, she took it in her mouth. He sighed, as his eyes shut. It felt unbelievably good. What was she doing? His wolf was getting impatient. Giving a throaty moan, she rolled her mouth from the base to the tip of his erection and then softly said, "Look at me Dmitri!"


    He looked at her with his eyes half-closed as though he was in a heady trance. Adrianna continued to suck it for some time before he removed her mouth from his erection and pulled her up so that they were face-to-face. He slid his hands between her legs and his fingers figured out how to pleasure his luna. Nuzzling against her with his lips on her neck, he nibbled, kissed, and licked over the area where he had to mark her. It was so tempting.


    He moved all the way up to her earlobes. "Ahh," she moaned. That was where she was most sensitive.


    "Aah! Oh." She breathed heavily as his fingers moved in and out of her sweet spot. Adrianna was lost in her pleasure as Dmitri watched her squeeze her eyes shut. She clamped her thighs around his wrist and moved her hips up and down twice before all the muscles in her thighs and her insides became tense. She quivered and he could feel her contract around his fingers.


    Before Adrianna could recover from her orgasm, Dmitri rolled her on her back and positioned himself to enter her. He slipped inside her and after the first thrust, he held himself steady because he knew he would release if he continued.


    But it was impossible to hold himself back when he saw her slowly opening her eyes. He thrust again and she shut her eyes again, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other one stroking his back. She didn''t realize it, but her nails were digging into his flesh.


    "Dmitri" she whispered. He couldn''t hold back any longer. He plunged deep inside her, into his mate, and he brought his teeth to her neck. Adrianna moaned as her hands clasped around him. She was urging him to mark her.


    "Adri," he gasped as she put her lips against his ears.


    "Dmitri, mark me," she said. And in one strong heat of the movement, he sank his teeth into her neck. He injected his blood into her veins as he came inside her. It was euphoric. Adrianna felt a sharp pain in her neck and she yelped even though her body was convulsing in pleasure.


    She was his for the rest of her life. Now it was impossible to be apart from him, no matter what.


    Dmitri retracted his teeth and licked the place where he had marked her. The bond had been sealed.


    "Adri, welcome to my world," he softly said, licking the mark again. Seeing his mark on her was perhaps the best feeling he could ever experience.


    Adrianna opened her eyes and smiled at him. He rolled to the side. Adrianna moved into his arms, curling herself against his chest. "I love you," she said.


    Stroking his chest, she said, "I feel like..."


    "What do you feel like?" asked Dmitri when she paused.


    "I feel as though I am home..."


    Dmitri tightened his hold on her and said, "This is your home. You are not allowed to leave until you die." It sounded more like a threat than an order.


    She looked at him seductively and then replied, "I want you more."


    It couldn''t get any better for Dmitri. He decided to take her out of the territory of blue moon pack to be alone with her.


    ---


    Howard was listening to Ed attentively. He didn''t want to miss out on a single detail. Ed had told him everything regarding Adrianna''s unskilled magic and how he had been trying to help her to refine it.


    Intrigued, Howard asked, "But where did you know how to refine magic Ed?" He thought that he was the only wizard friend Ed had ever had.


    Ed gave him a mystic smile and said, "Well, I have my contacts."


    With a flick of his finger Howard opened a portal and got up.

 Chapter 103 - Mine... Sleep Adri…

    It was morning and Dmitri and Adrianna couldn''t sleep. Ever since Dmitri had marked Adrianna, he couldn''t get enough of her. He wanted to merge himself with her. He would not let go of her. Adrianna was exhausted by the break of dawn. She pushed him away lightly.


    "I want to sleep Dmitri��"


    "Yes darling�� sleep��" He let her out of his grasp after saying that, but within the next moment, he was laying beside her saying, "You sleep. Let me do all the work." He picked up her legs and put them on his thighs as his mouth moved to her breast and gently sucked her already abused nipples.


    She frowned and pushed him away. She slid as far away from him as possible - until her legs were straddling his chest instead of his thighs because he refused to leave - until he could see her entrance. How could he not do it? It was impossible to resist her. He placed himself between her thighs and kissed her, inhaling her musk. She tightened her thighs around his face but that didn''t stop him. He licked her sweet spot, making her gasp. That was all the confirmation he needed. He sucked her lips unforgivingly, making her moan again and again. His erection grew painfully hard. He bit the insides of her thighs, adding to the innumerable amount of purple marks he had already made there. Her grip around him became loose and taking advantage of her condition, he pulled her up in a way that she was on top of him.


    "Take me in baby," he said.


    She used her hand to slip him inside her and once he was deep inside, she moved her hips in a slow rotation, enjoying his erection against her insides. Dmitri cupped her breasts as she moved. Her insides felt warm. It was as though he was being drawn inside and pressed at the same time. His erection grew harder and he squeezed her nipple. Within the next second, she clenched around him. The feeling was so exquisite that he burst open.


    Without disengaging, she slumped on him, dead tired. She just wanted to sleep. With a smile on her face, she nuzzled into his chest and drifted off to sleep. Her hair was cascading down onto her cheeks and her neck. Dmitri moved her hair to expose his mark. He brushed it lightly and whispered, "Sleep Adri��" Minutes later, he also drifted off.


    ---


    Ever since Howard had listened to Ed''s narration, he wanted to immediately meet with Isidorus and tell him everything. They had found their queen and the first thing that was on his mind was her security. The queen needed to be guarded every minute of the day. Even though being the luna of the supreme alpha meant that she was being guarded twenty-four seven, it wasn''t enough since wizards were far more lethal than werewolves. If Cy ever came to know about Adrianna, he would do his best to eliminate her, even if that meant joining hands with the enemy.


    Currently, only seven people knew about Adrianna. Howard had instructed his men not to leak anything about Adrianna. He asked Ed to stay tight-lipped about it until he either brought Isidorus to the or Adrianna was taken to the wizards'' kingdom. Protecting his queen had become his prime concern. Just thinking that she had finally been found after twenty long years made his skin line up with goosebumps. He wanted to tell everyone that the queen had been found. His joy knew no bounds, but he had to refrain himself. Without waiting anymore, he flicked his finger to create a portal.


    The portal created by Howard was like a water bubble that expanded and contracted. It looked delicate - as if it would easily break if anyone touched it. Wizards could create a portal, which was unique to them, and Howard could generate a water bubble.


    As soon as Howard went through the portal, it collapsed, splashing a lot of water, drenching Ed in the process. Ed pursed his lips as he had gotten soaked while sitting on his chair. He shook his head. Howard''s portal was pretty annoying for Ed.


    When Howard left, it was already morning. Ed stood up and went to the window to look outside toward the palace. He realized that this was just the beginning of a new life for Adrianna. Not only was she the luna of the supreme alpha, but she was also the queen of the wizards and witches.


    He smiled at the thought of his granddaughter. His heart grew fonder as he reminiscenced over memories of her starting from her childhood days. She had come a long way since then. He had always been afraid of her magical powers. He was scared that she might take undue advantage of them, but she had proven to be gentle and sweet child who became a wise adult. He had been afraid that if her magical powers were to be noticed, she would be killed or captured, and that is why he had always kept control of her and taught her how to control her magic.


    He didn''t know that the child he was so fond of, the child he had saved from Kuro, the child who had always been neglected by her family would carry a fate as huge as this. All of a sudden, he felt extremely proud of her - proud of the fact that she did not go astray - and he inwardly thanked the wolf spirits for being so kind to her. He had to protect her all the more now.


    Howard entered the wizards'' kingdom and the first thing he did was to meet his family. He took his eldest daughter, Fleur, with him, and flew to the first level to meet Isidorus. He requested for an audience with Isidorus. The guards asked him to wait since Isidorus was currently busy in a meeting. Howard was getting more anxious by the second. His daughter wondered what could be so important that had made her father so restless and so eager to meet Isidorus. After all, it wasn''t easy to meet Isidorus. But she stayed quiet.

 Chapter 104 - Go And Get Her Here

    The twenty-five year old Fleur was a beautiful witch who had charmed many wizards. Her problem was that she was not only very intelligent, she was mischievous too. She thought that no one in the entire kingdom could match her skills and intellect. For this reason she would ridicule every wizard who tried to act smart with her only to challenge their sharpness and see how they could come out of the situations she created. It was as though she was trying to find someone who was much smarter than her. However, so far no one was able to match her. While most were piqued by her, some liked her a lot.


    An hour later the guards opened the gates and allowed them to enter the palace of Isidorus. For Fleur, it was the first time that she had entered any palace. Her eyes became wide as she glanced at the magnificence around her. They walked down the halls and reached the entrance of the main hall where Isidorus sat to meet other wizards and witches.


    As soon as he saw Howard and Fleur, he said, "Hello Fleur, nice to see you."


    Fleur was pleasantly surprised that a man like Isidorus would even know her. With his long white hair that flowed until his shoulders and a beard as long, he looked like a kind old man who could be passed as harmless. But she had heard about him. He was the most powerful wizard of his time.


    She knelt down and said, "Ttwpi" with a bow.


    Isidorus smiled at the girl''s manners and then turned to Howard. "I hope you bring me good news Howard."


    He could sense that Howard was excited. "We have found our queen. Our doubts are confirmed. Adrianna is our queen," he said in one breath.


    "Quiet!" Isidorus''s voice boomed in the hall.


    Howard shrank. What did he do to invite Isidorus''s wrath?


    Suddenly he found that the three of them were surrounded by mist. "Now you can speak," said Isidorus staring at him with equal excitement.


    Howard understood that Isidorus had created an impenetrable wall around them so that no one could hear them talking. Then sowly he narrated everything about Adrianna and in the last he told him about his marriage to Dmitri.


    Isidorus went deep in his thoughts. After a pause he asked, "Has he marked her?"


    Howard said, "I don''t know�� I came here without waiting for the dawn to break and know what they had done��"


    "I hope he hasn''t marked her��" said Isidorus worried etched over his face.


    "Why so Isidorus? We have found our queen and it is only right that we crown her as soon as possible. Don''t you know the danger that is lurking around her?" said Howard little agitated now. They had found their leader after so long and all Isidorus was concerned was whether Dmitri had marked her or not. "What has marking her got to do with crowning her?" he asked outraged at Isidorus now.


    Isidorus looked at Howard and smiled. "I can understand your concern Howard. However, if she has been marked, there is a ninety percent chance that the crown will reject her."


    Howard was shocked.


    The fact was that the crown chose its king or queen. That''s how Shira was chosen. The crown had accepted her. Ever since Shira had disappeared, the crown had rejected every witch or wizard that was thought to become the next leader.


    Once the crown was placed on their head, it gripped the head and injected its metal inside forming a permanent seal on the forehead of the leader. It was a golden seal that consisted of five leaves twirling upwards. The process was excruciating for all those who were rejected by the crown.


    Howard bit his lower lip. "But we have to take a chance," he said worried.


    "Yes. And for that you have to go and get her here. Also take an army of guards with you and keep a watch at all times. You cannot let her go out of your sight even for a minute. I know why you have brought Fleur here with you. She needs to stay as her guard and protect her from all the potential danger even if that means that she gives her life," said Isidorus looking at Fleur.


    "Come here Fleur," he called her.


    When she went near him, he took her hand in his hand and then fisted her palm. "Aahhh!" shouted Fleur in pain. She looked at her palm. It had turned red. In a few seconds, a small seal that looked like tree with lots of leaves was formed beneath her thumb. "This seal will keep me updated about your whereabouts Fleur," said Isidorus calmly looking at her with steely eyes.


    A leaf over there glowed.


    ---


    Back in the bedroom, Adrianna woke up very late. It was already afternoon. When she woke up, she found that Dmitri had already showered and dressed. He was sitting by his table and reading a book. She sat on the bed and stretched her limbs as she yawned. Dmitri saw her naked body and said, "Adri, go take a shower before I pounce on you again."


    Like a good girl, Adrianna jumped out of her bed and ran to the bathroom. When she came out, he said, "We are going out for a week."


    "Where?"


    "To the deep forest and mountains where no one can find us."

 Chapter 105 - Flaunting The Mark

    Since Dmitri had marked Adrianna, the ultimate sealing of their soul bond had occurred. They could not only hear each other''s thoughts, but they could also never live without each other. In case one of them died, the other one would never be able to find a different mate and would live a life of misery. If one of them felt pain, the other would automatically feel it too. And if one felt happy, the other would be joyous. It was a bond that would never let them part. Marking also meant that now she was an integral part of her alpha''s pack and she could mentally listen to all the pack members.


    Adrianna grinned. She became excited about the new plans. "When do we go?" she asked enthusiastically.


    "For now, we go and have our lunch," said Dmitri with a smile. He pulled her out of the bedroom. Adrianna giggled as he pulled her.


    Adrianna was wearing a blue silk shirt paired with a pair of white trousers while Dmitri was in his usual white shirt and jeans. As they went downstairs, Adrianna''s pet, the baby bear, came running towards her. He started rolling in between her legs.


    "Dmitri," she said and lifted the cub. He started licking her sloppily.


    "Adri, we need to change his name," said a peeved Dmitri from behind.


    The baby bear started crying. He complained, "Adrianna, this man is not good."


    Adrianna was shocked to hear his voice. She stared at him and then heard him saying again, "Adri, why are you staring at me? I said that your husband is no good."


    Adrianna was stunned. She could actually hear her pet''s voice. She gulped and, just to test whether she was dreaming or not, she asked, "Why?"


    "You should change your husband''s name. That''s it," he said, clinging on her chest. "Because I love my name."


    Adrianna shook her head in surprise. She was not dreaming. She laughed out loud at her discovery and also at the way her pet was complaining.


    She patted his back and conveyed, "I won''t change your name." She felt Dmitri''s anger at her and her pet. She looked at her alpha and started laughing.


    She said, "He is just a baby, Dmitri. Plus, love me, love my pet." Having said that, she walked down with the, now ecstatic, baby bear clinging to her.


    "I think we are in for a major fight Adri��" spoke Dmitri softly from behind. But he couldn''t imagine fighting with her because he was scared of what would happen to him if she distanced herself.


    But it was too late - Adrianna had heard him. She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "I am in." She flicked her hair and started going down the stairs faster.


    Dmitri was petrified. "Baby, no! I am sorry. I won''t fight. It was just a joke. I am truly sorry!"


    There was an audience who had witnessed the couple''s first fight and who were smiling at the friendly banter. Nate had to mentally convey for them to stay quiet.


    When they got downstairs, they saw that there were quite a few people who had gathered for lunch with them. While most of them were chiefs of the packs that Dmitri controlled, there were three chiefs who were still independent. Dmitri narrowed his eyes when he looked at them.


    "Why are they here?" he communicated with Nate.


    "I think they want an alliance," Nate responded.


    Dmitri became quiet. Then, he saw Cora and Keisha who were standing together. He had to make separate arrangements for Keisha as asked by Adrianna. He knew that he would meet resistance from Cora, but it was necessary.


    Cora had invited several chiefs, who had not left after the wedding, for lunch. She wanted to take this opportunity to strengthen the alliances with chiefs who were not conforming to the supreme alpha. And so, she had called those three dissident chiefs.


    They all sat down for lunch. Adrianna sat next to Dmitri. She sternly looked at Keisha who stared back at her. Slowly, Adrianna placed her hand to her neck and casually turned to the right for Keisha to see her mark, which was on the left side. Keisha burned with jealousy when she saw those red bites on her.


    Keisha had hoped Dmitri wouldn''t mark Adrianna so soon so that she would have the chance to separate them. But the mark on Adrianna hit her as though a thousand knives stabbed her heart.


    Adrianna was flaunting her mark. While Dmitri was busy talking, Adrianna took this opportunity for everyone to see her mark. She had a smile playing on her lips. And almost all of them noticed it, including Cora.


    Cora was sitting next to Keisha. She could feel Keisha''s anger. Almost everyone in the pack could feel Keisha''s anger. Nate and Dmitri looked at Keisha who was glaring at Adrianna. They warned her to contain herself. Keisha clasped Cora''s hand so hard that Cora was in pain. But Cora patted Keisha''s hand to reassure her.


    "We will deal with it, calm down," she said while serving Keisha some dishes.


    When lunch was over, Dmitri had to go into a meeting with the three dissidents and other chiefs, leaving Adrianna on her own. Adrianna went to sit in the main hall where the wives of the chiefs, who had come to express their happiness and loyalty, had gathered. Adrianna talked with all of them with the grace and ��lan of a luna.


    "We heard that your father and your siblings never liked you Adrianna," said Keisha loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear.


    Adrianna was shocked when she heard that. She looked at Keisha who was sitting on a sofa with her back rested against it. She knew that Cora and Keisha had been involved in poisoning her.


    "Is it true?" asked Keisha as all the women started looking at Adrianna strangely.


    This was Adrianna''s soft point. Embarrassed, she lowered her head.


    Keisha took the chance to further her insult. "Was Kayla really involved in poisoning you?"


    One of the women. who was Keisha''s friend, said, "Isn''t Kayla your sister?" She sniggered and made it sound disgraceful.


    Adrianna started looking around as tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to forget the incident. She wanted to expose the two of them. but she couldn''t do anything to Cora. And Keisha was Cora''s weakness. Her lips felt dry so she licked them.


    "What did you do to Kayla for her to have disliked you so much Adrianna?" Keisha further pressed. "Everyone wants to know. Tell us."

 Chapter 106 - The Tussle Of Power

    All other wives looked at Adrianna. They knew that Adrianna and Dmitri became ill after the wedding rituals were over but they didn''t know that the reason. The fact that their Luna''s own sister wanted to poison her was even more disappointing.


    "What kind of family is she from?" said of the women who knew that Keisha was supposed to be Dmitri''s wife and he denied her. That lady only wanted to add fuel to the fire; not because she was Keisha''s friend, but because her husband was forced to submit to the supreme alpha.


    The gossip started.


    "Poor Dmitri, I hope her family stays away from him."


    "Did she force Dmitri to be her mate?"


    "That is one disgraceful family. How could Dmitri even go in for this union?"


    "We have to talk to our husbands about the kind of Luna we will accept as the supreme alpha''s wife."


    Adrianna''s tear rolled out of her eye much to the satisfaction of Cora and Keisha. Cora smiled and looked at Keisha as if encouraging her to go further.


    "Adrianna your silence speaks a lot. It seems that you are trying to cover your sister. But the truth is that we all know that she was involved in poisoning you and Dmitri. We feel that Dmitri is not safe in your presence. You should leave him at the first opportunity," said Keisha as though trying to claim her title from Adrianna.


    In the meeting, Dmitri could feel the pang of despair in his heart. "Adri…" he whispered. He wanted to go and be with her. He looked miserable and looked at Nate. But Nate gave him a strict glare. There was no way Dmitri could leave the meeting and go to Adrianna. Three chiefs had come to form an alliance and it was a very crucial talk. He admonished Dmitri mentally, "You better stay here."


    "So this is my fate," thought Dmitri. He could not be with his wife whenever she felt sad. He had to endure this sadness. Her pain affected him emotionally to the point he got depressed. The blood vow in his hand burned and he fisted his hand to cool the stinging. He reached for Adrianna. "Adri..." he called her.


    Just as the tear rolled out of her eyes, she heard him. "Dmitri..."


    "Be strong..."


    Adrianna smiled and nodded, "Yes..."


    "What happened, tell me..." he asked.


    "Nothing, don''t worry," she replied. That was all the support she needed. Her alpha was with her. He trusted her.


    "I hate when you cry..." he said. "I can''t concentrate on my meeting."


    Adrianna wiped her tear and replied, "Trust me darling. It''s nothing. I will manage."


    "Okay..." he communicated and resumed talking to the chiefs who had posed a question at him. He looked at them blankly.


    One of them repeated the question. "If we form an alliance with you, we need benefits."


    "What benefits?" asked Dmitri.


    "We would want full control over the Lake Moon Pack," said one of them.


    Dmitri scoffed. He said, "Let''s put it this way. If you don''t form an alliance with us, we will have a war with you. Your pack will be raided and werewolves will be killed for no reason. So you have to choose whether you want war or an alliance. To be honest I want to declare a war against you all because that ways I will have complete control over you, which I may have to compromise when we sign a treaty."


    The chiefs got scared. They knew what Dmitri spoke was the truth. He was known to be a merciless killer.


    "Give us some time to think Dmitri. But you are really arrogant. We didn''t expect this kind of a threat from the supreme alpha," said the one who was talking about benefits.


    Dmitri shrugged. "Take it or leave it!"


    Back in the main hall where Adrianna was sitting and listening to Keisha spouting nonsense, the atmosphere had changed drastically. From a cordial meeting, it became unfriendly. Everyone looked at Adrianna as though doubting her ability to be their Luna. Most of the women were politically motivated. They tried to show how superior they were and how pathetic Adrianna was.


    "Yes. Cora, if her family was involved in poisoning Dmitri, then you should not allow her to stay here. Even if you allow her to stay here you have make sure that all food that Dmitri eats should be first tasted by Adrianna," said one of the older women.


    "In my opinion, you should annul the wedding now!" said the other infuriated to the point that she could have slapped Adrianna.


    Cora''s smile widened. The best time to hit the iron was when it was hot. "Adrianna, you must explain to all the women present here. After all you are the Luna of the supreme alpha. We cannot have someone as tainted as you are."

 Chapter 107 - The Luna Strikes Back

    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She realized that this was a power gathering of sorts. Every single one of them in front of her were the wives of pack chiefs, and she had to take on the authority as the luna of the pack. If she failed this time, then she would send the wrong signal to all of them. As for Keisha, she was an ex lover who still dreamed of being Dmitri''s wife. "Well, you will never get there Keisha. Not until I am alive!"


    Adrianna looked up straight at Keisha. The first thing she did was to tie her hair in a bun so that her slender neck was visible. The mark that Dmitri had left on her was still red and very visible. She did that on purpose for all to see her mark. She had noticed how Keisha had become angry when she saw that mark.


    Keisha again became angry when she saw that mark.


    Before she could say anything acerbic, Adrianna said aloud, "Yes, Kayla was involved in poisoning the supreme alpha and his Luna. She was taken to the guillotine and her limbs will be ripped apart. This will be a lesson to all those who are close that no matter what your closeness to the supreme alpha and his wife is, you will face death if we smell treachery.


    "According to our information, there were two more women who were involved in poisoning us," said Adrianna looking straight at Keisha and Cora. "Once we find them, they will not be spared."


    Both Cora and Keisha''s faces paled.


    Adrianna continued, "I believe that you had even begged Dmitri to mark you Keisha. Is that true?"


    This was a secret and the way Adrianna casually spoke of it made it look as though Keisha had been desperate enough to be Dmitri''s wife not out of love, but out of the fact that she had wanted to be the luna of the supreme alpha. Keisha became nervous when Adrianna exposed her secret to all of the women present.


    Adrianna furthered, "Do you know that if the one you mark isn''t your soulmate, the mark tends to disappear soon? So does this mean that you had asked him to mark you just to get to my position? Or does this mean that you wanted to climb his bed?"


    "Adrianna!" shouted Keisha.


    "Keisha!" Adrianna shouted back. "Lower your tone. I am the wife of your supreme alpha and you had better talk to me nicely. If I see you accusing me again, I will make sure that you are sentenced to death. Trust me, I will gladly be the one who rips your limbs apart. I hope you remember my powers from the last battle where we met�� Or do you want me to remind you?"


    "Adrianna, you cannot speak to Keisha like this!" retorted Cora. "She has been to more battles with Dmitri than you can even imagine! Her father has already given her to Dmitri unconditionally."


    Adrianna wouldn''t back down. She retorted, "Yes, I know that her father has given her to Dmitri. But I am sure everyone knows that she was the bastard child of her father and his fifth mistress. Even though her father has a mate, he has quite a few mistresses. It seems her father never found his soulmate."


    All the women in the hall started looking at Keisha. No one had known that Keisha was an illegitimate child. The way her story had been projected, it had seemed as though it was a great sacrifice that had been done by her father. However, in reality, she was just one of the many off-springs he had - giving her to Dmitri was nothing for him. If she hadn''t gone, he would have just given another of his daughters to Dmitri. But Keisha was intelligent. She knew that her life with Dmitri would be far better compared to what it would have been under her father''s care.


    When she arrived at Dmitri''s place, the first thing she had done was to flatter Cora at all times. Once she was in Cora''s good books, she started sending signals to Dmitri. She had been doing so well until Adrianna arrived and came in between them. Dmitri had even imprinted her!


    Keisha regretted the day she met Adrianna. She should have killed her.


    "Adrianna you are crossing your limits!" roared Keisha.


    "No, you are crossing your limits! You are forgetting your place! With you talking back to me like this, should I assume that you are challenging the words of your luna?" Adrianna said in a low but menacing voice.


    Then, Adrianna mocked her, "It seems that you are still hoping to climb into Dmitri''s bed. Otherwise, why would you accuse me so foolishly?"


    Keisha shrunk in her place, a cold shiver running down her spine.


    Cora got up from her seat. She walked over to Adrianna and lifted her hand to slap her when someone caught it from behind. Cora turned to see who had the guts to grab her hand. To her utter surprise, it was Dmitri!


    "Careful, Mother," he growled. All the women in the hall immediately stood up from their seats.


    Cora retracted and left the place in a huff.


    Adrianna got up and buried her face in Dmitri''s chest. He circled her with his arms and kissed the crown of her head. "That''s my luna," he said.

 Chapter 108 - Justice?

    Dmitri looked up at those present in the room. His gaze fell on Keisha who looked pale. He left Adrianna and said, "Keisha, you will leave the palace. I will not give you another chance to intimidate Adrianna with your words. If this happens again, I will personally kill you if you so much as hurt a strand of hair on her."


    Keisha was dumbfounded. "Dmitri, please�� you can''t do that�� Where will I go?"


    "I am sorry Keisha, but I have made up my mind," said Dmitri as he started to leave.


    Everyone else in the hall started to leave one by one as this had become an extremely awkward situation. No one wanted to be embroiled in a controversy in which Keisha was involved. As soon as Keisha''s truth had been revealed, it had been established that it would be better to stay away from her.


    Keisha had to think quickly about what she could do to stay in the palace. It was all she had ever dreamt of. She had to take her chances and shed her pride to ask for Dmitri''s forgiveness. No, she had to ask for Adrianna''s forgiveness for now. All that she had planned with Cora had backfired. "That old woman is of no use!" thought Keisha and rushed to stop Dmitri and Adrianna who were going back to their bedroom.


    In front of everyone, she knelt in front of Adrianna and started begging for forgiveness. "Sorry Adrianna! I didn''t think that the talk would get so out of control. Please forgive me. I will make sure that I never ever talk to you again like this. I will stay away from you. But please don''t throw me out of this house. I wouldn''t know where to go. This has been my home ever since I was sixteen. Please, Adrianna, I beg of you." Having said all that, Keisha started crying. She cried so loudly that all of those who were still present looked at her miserable condition and pitied her.


    One of the wives murmured, "How can Dmitri be so heartless? Adrianna should not banish her�� She is asking for forgiveness after all��"


    In front of all of the important people there, Dmitri and Adrianna had to project an image. Although he was known to rule with an iron fist, he was also known to be loyal. They all waited in anticipation for his decision.


    Adrianna was amazed at Keisha''s change in behavior. What kind of message would she send to others if she denied or agreed to Keisha''s request? The first thing that she did was to delve into Keisha''s mind. Keisha''s thoughts were crystal clear. It was as though she could see Keisha''s connivance through a clear glass. Who did Keisha think she was fooling?


    Dmitri glared and warned Keisha, "Stay away from Adrianna!"


    Adrianna scowled at her and said, "Keisha, you want to stay in this palace?"


    Keisha nodded heavily. Kneeling in front of Adrianna was indeed the wise choice for the moment.


    "Okay, then you will stay in here. But on a condition," replied Adrianna with a strict demeanor.


    "I agree to all your conditions Adrianna," said Keisha like a puppy.


    "Since you love this palace so much, you will not leave the walls of this palace nor go outside, not even to the gardens," ordered Adrianna. Then, she turned to look at Dmitri and said, "Dmitri, in the meanwhile, I would like you to build a mini palace for Keisha just outside the territory of the red moon pack. When it is built she will be shifted there."


    Dmitri was surprised, "Mini palace?"


    "Yes, something with two or three rooms, but has all the luxury of the palace. After all, she has selflessly served you for so many years, or... at least that''s what she claims. So the least we can do is reward her with an abode where she can spend the rest of her life," said Adrianna with a smile. Then she embraced Dmitri and kissed his chest to show Keisha her place. Dmitri smiled. He knew what she was doing. Together, they looked at Keisha.


    "Adrianna, what kind of cruelty is this? How can you put me on house arrest?" cried Keisha.


    "That''s what you deserve Keisha. Now, go before I change my mind," growled Adrianna.


    "Dmitri, this is what I get? We are good friends who have been through each other''s thick and thin," pleaded Keisha.


    "If my wife has ordered it, you have to accept it Keisha. She is not just my wife, but she is also your luna," said Dmitri without a trace of sympathy in his voice.


    Keisha looked at the two of them, stupefied by the ruling they had just passed.


    Both of them were holding hands and had started retreating to the bedroom when Keisha called from behind, "So this is justice? This is how you treat your subjects?" She was trying to make it sound as though her ruling was unjustified in hopes that people would join her to rebel.


    Adrianna was really angered now. She turned and pointed a finger at Keisha. Within the next moment, Keisha suddenly lost her ability to speak. She couldn''t remember how to formulate words. She was befuddled as she stared at the power couple finally leaving the hall. What had happened to her? Why was she mute? She tried to speak, but the voice that came out was no more than "aaaaa..."


    Adrianna didn''t even know what magic she had casted on Keisha. All she knew was that she didn''t want Keisha to speak for the next few hours and that she had just pointed her finger towards Keisha with that intention. The magic had just happened. A lot of things were happening to her these days. She wanted answers and she urgently wanted to talk to Ed. Where was he?


    When they left the hall, all those who were present also slowly filed out. Some pitied Keisha while some just thought this was just. The supreme alpha cannot show any bias towards his friends nor his family. A wrong deed had to be dealt with reasonably, and challenging the authority of the luna of the supreme alpha wasn''t right. A message had been sent across.


    A teary-eyed Keisha was left alone in the hall.


    When they returned to the master suite, Dmitri said, "Adri, I am happy with the way you conducted yourself out there. But do you think it is right for us to banish Keisha?"


    Adrianna nodded. "Yes�� I don''t want to see her��"


    Dmitri lowered his head. Then, to change the topic, he asked, "Are you tired?"


    "No��"


    "Let''s go!"


    "Where?"


    "Where no one can find us!"

 Chapter 109 - Destined To Protect

    The seal on Fleur''s hand had taken on the colors of a tree. There were a total of thirty leaves that adorned the tree. The glowing leaf on her hand was somewhere around the middle of the tree. Whenever it glowed, that part of her hand throbbed.


    Howard and Fleur left the palace and returned home.


    Isidorus had asked her to take some forces with her to protect Adrianna. However, she didn''t know anyone. She thought she would ask her friends, but Howard said, "Fleur, the army is already ready. They are waiting for you to depart. Isidorus has always been reserving that army for this day. The fact that I took you over there to meet Isidorus was to indicate to Isidorus that the queen has been found."


    "Father, do you mean that you have always known that I would be chosen to protect the queen?" she asked, amused at the turn of events.


    "Yes, you are destined to protect her with your life," said Howard. He loved his daughter a lot and had always lived in fear that the task that had been assigned to her may cost her life. But those were the ways of the wizard kingdom. He had dreaded the day when Isidorus would summon her. With a brave face, he had taken her to see Isidorus. From this moment on, Fleur''s life was about to change.


    He knew that it was a dangerous task, but Isidorus had marked Fleur for this mission the day she was born. He looked at Fleur and said with affection, "Fleur, Isidorus chose you for this mission the day you were born. This is your destiny."


    Fleur''s eyes widened with excitement. Howard smiled, and continued, "If you need my help, just summon me. Okay?" He didn''t want to frighten her too much about the kind of mission she was about to embark on.


    "Father, I am eagerly awaiting to go," she said enthusiastically.


    Howard laughed at his na?ve daughter and said, "Let''s have lunch together. You can leave after that."


    After lunch, Fleur bade goodbye to all of her family members and left for the third level. The army had already gathered there and were waiting for Fleur to lead them to the outside world. Fleur had never left the wizard kingdom before and the fact that she had to lead these witches and wizards outside the kingdom filled her with anxiety, fear and exhilaration. While some of the witches and wizards in this army seemed to be younger than her, most of them were older then her and this is what she found to be the most confusing. Was she capable of leading them? They were her seniors and they were more experienced than her. What was Isidorus thinking when he assigned her to lead them?


    Suddenly, she felt a pain in her hand. The leaf glowed. She heard a whisper in her head, "That leaf is you Fleur. I have my always had my eye on you. Don''t doubt yourself. Take them out of this place and guard the queen."


    Fleur gasped. That was Isidorus speaking. Without waiting for a minute, she flew into the air on her broom with her army following her. They must have flown for a few miles when Fleur flicked her fingers and created a portal. She entered it and all the others followed her. They traveled to the west side of the forest and reached the Blue Moon Pack territory within the next two hours. She communicated to all of them that they were to hide themselves under the cloak of invisibility as they neared the territory; it was already evening and she didn''t want to draw attention.


    By the time she hit the ground, she was alone. As she walked, she packed her broom in a bag and quickly swished her hands over her body from head to waist to change her appearance. Instead of her cloak, she was now wearing a mini-skirt and a tight blouse with hair tied in a pony. She looked like a rebellious teenager. She didn''t realize that this had all been done in only a few seconds. Suddenly, she bumped into someone and fell down on the grass over him.


    She got up, brushing her clothes with her hands. Then, she looked at the man she had bumped into. He looked irritated, but the moment he saw Fleur, he felt as though he had gone weak in the knees. Liam was dumbfounded. He blinked a few times to see the golden haired girl staring his face. "Hi!"


    "Hmph!" She made a face. "Don''t you know how to walk," she accused.


    "No, I don''t. I am sorry. I will be more careful now," said Liam mesmerized by the girl in front of him. She looked like an angel.


    "I am Liam," he said, softly getting up from the grass.


    "So?" She shrugged and started to leave.


    "I haven''t seen you around. Are you new?" he asked.


    "It is none of your concern," she replied.


    "This is Blue Moon Pack''s territory. You cannot just enter this territory without permission," he said in order to stop her. He felt as though he was being chained to her. What was this attraction?


    She narrowed her eyes. She didn''t want to draw attention. "I am Fleur, and I am here to meet Ed."


    "Oh! I know where he stays. Let me take you there," Liam offered. He was supposed to be meeting with the architect to talk about Keisha''s mini-palace as ordered by his queen, when this beautiful accident happened.


    She didn''t know how, but she had stopped right in front of Ed''s house - the house she was supposed to report at. She knew Uncle Ed from a long time ago.


    She mentally berated the man in front of her, but sweetly said, "Sure." It was barely 50 meters from where she had met Liam, but Liam was only too happy to accompany her.


    They walked quietly. Fleur knocked on the door when they arrived. When Ed opened the door, he couldn''t stop laughing. Fleur looked ridiculous. But Liam growled at him. His expressions were that of a wolf who had imprinted. Ed was stunned. Could it be possible? This would be the most absurd combination. He could have never imagined Liam and Fleur together. Fleur was so intelligent and Liam was no match for her. Did she even know that he had imprinted on her?


    "Where is Adrianna?" asked Fleur without wasting time.

 Chapter 110 - They Had Gone Missing

    Ed opened the door wide open and asked them to come in. "Why are you dressed like this?" asked Ed.


    Fleur looked at Liam who was gazing at her with interest. More than her, he was only looking at her dress and the all the contours. She felt like casting a stupefy spell on him, but she restrained herself.


    "How do you know Adrianna?" asked Liam with curiosity. The girl in front of her hardly looked like she would be Adrianna''s friend; she looked no more than sixteen. "Are you from Blue Moon Pack?" he questioned her again after a pause.


    "That''s it!" thought Fleur. She pointed her finger at him and said, "Anobakwvaw". Immediately, Liam was flummoxed. He couldn''t remember why he was standing there, and just turned to go to his destination. All he remembered was that he had to go to the architect.


    Ed looked at Fleur angrily, but she just shrugged and said, "Ah! Don''t worry Uncle Ed, he will be fine in an hour." She stepped into the house.


    "Where is Adrianna?" she repeated her question while sitting down on a nearby chair.


    "Why are you asking about her? And how come you came here instead of your father?" Ed asked. He was suspicious of the fact that Fleur had never left the wizard kingdom before but was making a sudden appearance in the werewolves'' territory.


    She flashed her palm in front of Ed and enthusiastically said, "The Great Wizard has asked me to protect the queen."


    Ed smiled. His Adrianna would be safe now. He said, "She must be in her palace, Fleur."


    "Let''s go there!" said Fleur and jumped up from her place.


    "You better change your dress," he said.


    "What do humans generally wear? A friend had brought back a book from the human realm and this is what the girl was wearing, so I had assumed that human girls wear this," said Fleur, not able to understand what to change into.


    Ed threw a fashion magazine in front of her. She flipped through the pages with so much interest that she forgot what she had come there for. Ed coughed in the background. Fleur turned to look at him and then once again swished her hand from head to waist. She changed into a bright one sleeved yellow dress with a golden belt around the waist just as it was shown in the magazine. Those clothes in the magazine were so much better than what they wore in the wizard kingdom.


    Ed sighed and shook his head.


    They went to the palace to meet the supreme alpha and his luna.


    When they reached the palace, the servants received them very nicely. They were taken to the main hall and served exquisite dishes. They must have waited for more than fifteen minutes, when Cora came. She looked furious. She looked at the girl who was accompanying Ed and asked, "Who is she? And how come she has entered the palace premises without my permission?"


    Fleur was peeved and blurted, "I am Fleur and have come here to protect-"


    Ed interrupted her statement and said, "She is Adrianna''s cousin and is here to meet her to congratulate her on the wedding."


    Cora looked at her from top to bottom. She snickered, and remarked, "Another of the tainted ones!"


    Fleur''s patience was on the verge of exploding. "What?" she scowled.


    Ed interrupted again, "Fleur, this is Dmitri''s mother, Cora."


    Cora glowered at Fleur and called the servants. "Go tell your master and mistress that her cousin is here to see her."


    Fleur waited patiently to meet her queen. She was excited all over again. It would be her first time meeting her queen and she had already prepared a speech for when she meets her queen for the first time.


    The servant came down and informed, "The master and his mistress are not in the room!"


    "Where have they gone?" she asked the servant. But how would he know? He shook his head and started shaking from fear.


    Cora mentally communicated with Nate and Liam, but none of them knew where he was. After half an hour of frantically searching around, it was established that no one knew where they had gone.


    They had gone missing!


    ---


    Dmitri had taken Adrianna out of the palace. They had shape shifted and ran into the deep forest together - to a place where no one could find them. He had already communicated to Nate about it and had asked him to stay quiet. His beta had to know of his whereabouts.


    They continued running until Adrianna could see a huge waterfall. From a distance, it looked like a silent cascading white stream over the rocky outcrops. But as they drew closer, Adrianna shape shifted back into her human form while Dmitri stayed in his wolf form by her side. The noise of the falling water increased steadily until they were only a few hundred meters away from it. The deafening roar of the water made it impossible for them to hear anything else.


    They went closer until they could feel the water vapor from the waterfall on their skin. Within a few minutes, both of them were as wet as though they had been in a rainstorm. Dmitri shook water from his fur, drenching Adrianna further. She laughed and pushed him in the water. Dmitri did not come out after a few minutes and Adrianna became scared.


    She was about to dive inside the water when she saw her handsome alpha, drenched to the skin, emerging out of the water. His hair clung around his face. Mesmerized by his charm, she stood frozen on the spot. Her wolf went out of control and her attraction to him intensified. Her fingers itched to touch him - to feel his skin next to hers. And her alpha knew it. He walked across the rocky floor to reach her and as soon as he reached her, he grabbed her waist and picked her up to his face.


    Slowly, he walked towards the waterfall and entered it with Adrianna in his grasp. They had entered a cave that was hidden behind the waterfall. It was one of his hidden safe havens.


    He kissed Adrianna passionately on her lips. She looked crazily seductive in the wet clothes that were now clinging to her curvaceous body. He slid her down, placed her on the soft grass, and slowly started peeling her clothes.

 Chapter 111 - Dmitri Won’t Let Her Shout

    Once she was naked lying beneath him, he crawled on top of her to view her naked body from above. She looked at him with anticipation. "Shall I make you come like this?" he asked without taking off his clothes.


    Adrianna gasped. He looked so alluring that she could feel all the blood rush in between her thighs. She could barely answer. Her full lips were parted speculatively. She arched her back, getting impatient by the second. Dmitri watched as her nipples became taut as soon as his eyes glanced over them.


    Adrianna felt a soft, groping, and desirous hand touching her face. He felt her soft and wet face and stroked it softly. His touch was soothing and assuring. He traced her lips and put his finger inside for her to suck it. She sucked it and, in her excitement, bit him, making his member gorge in his pants. "Adri��" he moaned and kissed her on her cheek.


    She became desperate. "I want you��" she said, urging him - tempting him to take her.


    She quivered as his hands groped her breasts. Dmitri took them in his mouth as she started quivering with exquisite pleasure. He kissed and sucked them as his strong and gentle hands stroked her clit. She felt her nipples rise painfully. "Ahhh��"


    "Shhh," Dmitri whispered. "Shhh, it''s all right. Just relax and listen to your body." She closed her eyes and felt his hands touch her everywhere. His mouth passed to the other breast as he began to abuse it by sucking it hard until it was purple. His hand slid in between her thighs and softly pressed her insides. She shouted in pleasure as she came again and again. But Dmitri wouldn''t let her shout. He pressed his lips against hers and delved his tongue in her mouth as her screams became muffled and the body convulsed. When the pleasure had passed and she had settled, he moved downwards to kiss her neck, her shoulders, her nipples, and then, with a wolf-like sharpness, he sank his teeth into her fleshiest parts, making her welp in pain.


    He removed his shirt and his jeans. Naked now, he lay his full length over her. She loved being crushed under his body. Her breasts seemed to rise and swell and strain themselves against his chest. While his fingers were still inside her, in one swift move, he rolled over, bringing her on top of him. "I want to come in your mouth," he said.


    Adrianna smiled and slid down to cover his nipple with her mouth as she moved her hand down to slowly massage his member. The muscles of his body tightened up as if his whole body had been imprisoned. He closed his eyes shut. He was about to explode, but waited for her to put him in her mouth. Instead, she took it and slid it inside her. Surprised, he opened his eyes. "Adri, not done!"


    But she had started moving. She took a hold of his hands and brought them to her breasts. It was irresistible. Dmitri exploded inside of her. By the time it was over, Adrianna was sweating profusely. She moved her legs with great care. Her thighs were wet due to his ministrations. She laid beside him and circled her hand around him as he lay in the aftermath of the incredible sex he had just had with his luna.


    The night slowly fell and they both slept - tired of the day and tired of the exercise.


    It was their first day alone together and Dmitri wasn''t going to let anyone disturb their alone time. He had taken her to the deep forest to be away from the world. He knew that as soon as they returned home, she would insist on going to college.


    As far as he was concerned, he had started college only for her. He couldn''t stay away from her. He had to know what she was doing at all times. He wanted to feel her presence around him to calm his nerves. Now that she was his forever, he didn''t waste any time to mark her. Only after was he satisfied.


    ---


    "Missing?! What do you mean missing?" shouted Cora. Nate was at the palace, listening to Cora hurl abuses at all of the servants. She had scolded Nate and Liam for not knowing of Dmitri and Adrianna''s whereabouts. The last thing she wanted at this point in time was a baby. She was primarily interested in first gathering all of the twolf clans together to defeat Vikra.


    "I do not believe you Nate! I am certain that he would have spoken about it to you!" she yelled.


    Nate stayed quiet. He blocked his mind from anyone reading his thoughts. Although what Liam was interested in was Fleur, when he heard Cora shouting and creating havoc, he blocked his thoughts too.

 Chapter 112 - Did You Even Listen To Me, Moron?

    The people who panicked the most were Fleur and Ed. Fleur didn''t know what to do now. If the queen went missing, then she might be exposed to danger from all over. The leaf in her hand throbbed. "Ah!" she said and bent down as the pain was excruciating.


    "Find her now," whispered Isidorus.


    "Yes��" she whispered back.


    Everyone looked at Fleur as she knelt down in pain holding her hand. It took some time before the pain left her. Liam rushed to her side and holding her shoulders, said, "Are you okay?"


    She looked at him. He was looking so foolish with that expression on his face that she wanted to smack him. But she sweetly answered, "Yes, I am fine. You can leave my shoulders."


    Liam removed his hand from her reluctantly. His expressions became sad when he left her. In order to calm down his anxiety, he kept standing right next to her despite her radiating hate for him.


    Obviously, Nate noticed Liam and rolled his eyes. "Another one gone," he thought. Suddenly his thoughts ran to Ookashi, and he became anxious. He wanted to run to her now except that Cora was creating an issue.


    Cora was upset because of the order that Dmitri had passed about Keisha. She was in house arrest and ever since the order was passed, she hadn''t met him else she would have fought with him and his wife to take the order back.


    "Go find him and get him and his nasty wife back within twenty-four hours," said Cora to Nate and Liam.


    "But I can''t go," replied Nate.


    "What do you mean? Are you disobeying my orders?" yelled Cora.


    "I am bound to obey the orders of my alpha and his queen," replied Nate. And he was right. Cora couldn''t refute that.


    She turned to Liam and said, "Liam, you go and find her and don''t return unless he is back! I want the two of them over here by the next moon." Saying that she turned and went to Keisha''s room who had regained her speech.


    Fleur looked at Ed in panic. Slowly they took leave and went back to the guesthouse where Ed was staying.


    "Uncle Ed, what do I do? Isidorus is very angry! I never expected that Adrianna would run away without telling anything to anyone!" she said in a nervous tone.


    Ed sat down on the sofa. He understood that as a newly wedded couple, they must have gone to explore each other and it was an essential part of the werewolves bonding. Even though he wanted to find them for Isidorus, he didn''t want to disturb them. But the danger was lurking as more and more wizards and the witches were coming to know about Adrianna.


    Ed shook his head. He wasn''t able to decide which path to choose. Finally he spoke, "Fleur, I think Adrianna is capable of taking care of herself and Dmitri. Maybe you should leave them for a few days on their own."


    Fleur was surprised. "What? Never! Why do they want to be alone? I am sorry but the queen can never be left alone," she said as though it was an abomination to even think like that.


    There was a knock on the door, as they were discussing. Ed opened the door and saw Liam. "What do want Liam," asked Ed narrowing his eyes even though he knew what Liam wanted.


    "Hello, Ed!" said Liam, his eyes fleeting past Ed to search the inside.


    "Hello," replied Ed.


    "Can I come inside?" asked Liam.


    "No, you can''t," replied Ed.


    "Thanks," said Liam with a huge smile, as he removed Ed''s hand from the door that was blocking his way and stepped inside.


    As soon as he reached inside, he beamed when he saw Fleur. "Fleur! I didn''t expect to see you here! What a coincidence!" he exclaimed.


    Fleur raised an eyebrow. She nodded and mocked, "Really?"


    "Yes!" Liam was too excited. He had forgotten all about Ed. Fleur was the new center of attraction.


    "I will be leaving tomorrow morning to search for Adrianna and Dmitri. So I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me?" he asked extremely eager to know her answer.


    "No, thanks," she replied. "I am very busy and have to talk to Uncle Ed since I am also leaving tomorrow."


    "Okay thanks Fleur! I will wait for you at my place," said Liam and stood from his place. He danced his way out with a face splitting grin.


    Fleur shouted from behind with anger, "Did you even listen to me, moron?"


    He shouted back, "I will wait for you, love!"


    "Love? How dare you? I am not your love! Go jump in a well!" she shouted back. Then she looked at Ed, her face scrunched in disbelief.


    "Are werewolves so stupid?" she asked Ed.


    "Do you know how Dmitri or Adrianna look like?" asked Ed.


    "No!" this would be my first time meeting them, she replied.

 Chapter 113 - Consider Taking Him With You

    "Werewolves can easily communicate with their packs mentally, which means that Liam can actually be of great use to you in order to find Dmitri and Adrianna," informed Ed, interlocking his hands behind his back. "You should consider taking him with you."


    Fleur looked at Ed without blinking her eyes. It was already 8PM. As soon as she realized what she had to do, she shouted after Liam and ran out of the house to find him. She must have gone only a few meters when she came running back, huffing and panting. "Brooms were so much better," she realized. "Where does he stay?" she asked.


    Ed shrugged and replied, "I don''t know��"


    Fleur gritted her teeth. "Who would know?"


    "Go back to the palace and find out��" he said before returning to his room.


    Fleur was beginning to hate this world. She walked all the way to the palace and somehow managed to get the information she needed from the guards who wouldn''t allow her to go inside.


    When she reached Liam''s house, she saw that he was waiting for her outside his house while pacing up and down. As soon as he saw her, he rushed over to her, held her hand, and said, "I knew you would come."


    She wanted to remove his hand, but she added sweetly, yet again, "How could I not when you had called me over with so much love."


    And Liam melted. He stood on the ground, his knees shaking. No one had ever been this cute with him. He fluttered his eyelashes like a girl in love after seeing her long-lost love.


    "Please- please come in," he said when he found his voice. Without waiting for her to walk on her own, he pulled her in. He couldn''t believe his luck and she couldn''t believe what she was getting herself into.


    Liam''s house was very primitive. Only the most basic furniture was kept there. Fleur couldn''t help comparing her house with his. It looked as though she had visited the last house in Level One of the wizard kingdom. And even that last house was far more luxurious than his.


    There was a small dining table and only two chairs around it. She looked at the dishes that were being served and her face wrinkled. There was something that had been burnt as well as a couple slices of bread. She felt like crying. She was so tempted to use her magic to convert those dishes into exotic dinner but��


    Liam pulled her to the table and said, "Please sit, Fleur. This is the first time I have prepared dinner for anyone. Usually I have it at the palace."


    Fleur looked down at the dinner with a gloomy expression.


    "Please eat," said Liam who started serving her.


    Her first experience of food in a different world was bad.


    But she had to keep the act on. Over dinner, she asked him, "Where will you go to look for them?"


    "In the forest only. I think they have gone to the center of the forest," he replied while eating the meat.


    "When will you come back?" she asked. This was the time to seduce him and go with him.


    Liam''s face broke into a smile. "As soon as possible��"


    "Can I come with you?" she asked fluttering her eyes.


    Liam stopped eating, a small piece of meat hanging outside his mouth. Somehow, he found his voice and said, "But I don''t want to put you in danger."


    "I won''t be in danger with you around. Plus, I have never been to the center of the jungle. You can show me around," she said seductively, resulting in Liam continuously nodding.


    "Yes, you can come with me, love," he said. He couldn''t waste his precious time with her. He would protect her at all costs.


    Fleur cringed when she heard the word love, but he endured it.


    "I will be leaving early morning Fleur. Will you be ready by 5AM?" he asked.


    "Of course!" she said, jumping out of her seat.


    "Where are you going?" he asked, surprised at her readiness to leave.


    "I need to go and prepare," she said before hurriedly leaving. She had to tell her army of witches and wizards.


    Since Liam was a werewolf, he would be running on land with his search team whereas Fleur would be flying and leading her own search team. She decided to keep them a secret.


    She went to the place where they were all hiding and summoned them. She informed them about the latest developments and then told them about the plan. "You will all only follow the werewolves for now without making an appearance. I will stay with Liam. It''s his responsibility to take me with him."


    ---


    Adrianna woke up hungry at midnight. She found herself being wrapped around by Dmitri like ivy. She kissed his nose and removed his arms and legs, but the moment she removed them, he pulled her closer and tightened his embrace. "Eat me," he said.


    "No, I want to lick you forever and devour you slowly. Until then, feed me," she said.


    "Then lick me," he replied.


    She pushed him on his chest. "Go!"

 Chapter 114 - Adri, What Are You Doing?

    Grudgingly, Dmitri got up and left. Within half an hour, he was back with a dead deer, which he roasted.


    "How do you know so much Dmitri?" asked Adrianna, marveling at his skills. She was just wearing a shirt and had squatted down on the ground while eating.


    "Been through a lot of hardships since a young age Adri��" he replied.


    He talked to her about his life - how both he and his mother went into hiding when his father was killed. "We were given shelter for some time by one of my father''s friends. I don''t even remember his face�� He had a very cute granddaughter," he chuckled.


    Adrianna became angry. "Really? You should have found her and gotten married to her!"


    "I know�� I wanted to do that. I even asked my mother about it. But she said that she didn''t remember any of that�� So I gave up��" he said. He looked pensive but he was teasing her.


    Adrianna exhaled hot air. She narrowed her eyes. He had to be punished even though her wolf protested. She bit the meat and curled one of her legs up to expose her buttocks.


    "Damn! This girl!" Dmitri''s rate of chewing became slow as all he could do was stare at her legs and wait for them to open up and reveal her sweet spot. He waited for a while but Adrianna wasn''t shifting an inch.


    She was quietly eating when she extended her legs and spread them in front of her while balancing her body on one hand and holding the meat in the other. Dmitri stopped eating altogether. "Adri, what are you doing?" he asked as his teasing had backfired.


    She shook her feet and said, "I am full. Gonna go back to sleep."


    Finishing her food, she stretched her body, making her boobs lift and distending them against her shirt. Dmitri lost control. He got up from his place to move towards her, but Adrianna had quickly run away. In a split second, she was sitting perched on a stony outcrop just above the grass where they had been laying down on earlier. He ran to her to catch her, but it only ended in vain; she was already at the far end of the cave. She smiled at him and looked at him seductively. Her wolf was growling at her for behaving so foolishly.


    Once again, Dmitri ran towards her, and she ran away. But in the next instant, he stopped and she fell right into his arms as she was already running in his direction, thinking that he would stop where she had been standing. As soon as she was in his arms, he picked her up and carried her on his shoulders. He spanked her naked buttocks and said, "You are not capable of teasing me!"


    She bit his naked back and he growled. He spanked her again, this time harshly. Instead of experiencing pain, she became wet. While walking, he slid her down and held her in his arms. She circled her legs around his waist. "I''ll just starve you of sex," she said.


    "Mhmm��" he replied and grabbed her lips with his mouth.


    She realized she couldn''t do what she had just stated. It was impossible to deny anything to her alpha. If he wanted her, he would have her. She felt as though she was becoming a slave to his demands voluntarily. In such a short period of time, her life had changed completely.


    Dmitri took her to the small grass bed and once again made love to her. This time, he sucked on her sweet spot before entering her.


    "Next time, I''ll come in your mouth Adri," he said while thrusting hard in her.


    ---


    The next day, Liam gathered his people to find Dmitri and Adrianna. While he did that, he wanted to speak to Nate and tried to mentally communicate with him, but Nate wasn''t listening. "Where could Nate have gone so early in the morning," wondered Liam?


    Fleur arrived at Liam''s house at 5AM. He smiled at her. "She''s so eager to be with me," he thought.


    Liam told her to sit on his back while he shape shifted. "Hold me tightly because I am going to run fast. In case you feel sleepy, just brush my fur and I''ll understand. We will stop and you can take a rest."


    She nodded excitedly. She had only ever ridden on her broom. Riding a wolf would be a great experience. After all, how many witches or wizards could get a chance to do that?


    Liam shape shifted into a black wolf. Fleur was mesmerized at his sheer size. His height as a wolf nearly reached her shoulders. He sat down for her to mound him and then twitched his ears, prompting her to hold onto them. At first he walked slowly, carrying her carefully, and then when she had adjusted, he started to run.


    His fur was so thick and soft that she wanted to snuggle in it. But she kept her desires under control and only concentrated on the forest ahead. Her team was following them from behind.

 Chapter 115 - Cys Plans

    For two days, Cy and his people had been lurking around Ed''s cottage to get a hold of Adrianna. However, there was no activity. There was no noise and no people coming in and out. It was very quiet. He was beginning to get frustrated. He couldn''t go anywhere, because Isidorus had also put a seal on his palm, allowing Isidorus to know about his exact location at all times.


    Cy sent his men in other directions to find out about Adrianna''s whereabouts. It was only on the third day that one of them came back with the news that she had been married to Dmitri and is now the luna of the werewolves.


    Annoyed at how he was played, the first thing Cy did was to destroy Ed''s cottage out of frustration and defeat. The entire cottage was brought down with one lighting strike and the once small and cozy cottage looked as though a typhoon had passed through it.


    Cy thought he had formulated his plans carefully. He thought that it would be extremely easy to take down a girl who was only a half witch. She wouldn''t even know how to use her magic skills properly. Ever since Isidorus had asked him to get their queen back to the wizard kingdom, he had been looking forward to meeting her and eliminating her. What he had never expected was the fact that Isidorus would send him on a wild goose chase. He cursed himself as soon he realized that Isidorus must have done this on purpose.


    Along with his men, he left for the Blue Moon Pack territory.


    ---


    It was all a new experience for Fleur. Ever since she had come to this world, she had never had a dull moment. Right before she had come to meet up with Liam for the quest, she had taken a look at what the girls wore when travelling and had changed into a pair of shorts, a white shirt, a hat, and gumboots. Liam was impressed by the way she looked. He hoped that he would be comfortable enough for her.


    They must have travelled for a long time when Liam became worried that Fleur may be tired. He would occasionally slow down just to check whether she had to rest or not, but she didn''t show any signs of tiredness. Finally, they all stopped to take a break near a creek in the afternoon. Fleur got down from Liam''s back and went to wash her face with fresh water. The wolves were hungry and decided to hunt for food. Five of them went to hunt, but they quickly returned.


    One of them excitedly said, "There''s a beautiful village only five minutes from here. We can all just go there and have our lunch."


    Liam frowned. He had never heard of any village there.


    Fleur knew that her team had arranged the setting. Liam looked at Fleur and said, "Would you like to go there?" If she had declined, he wouldn''t have gone there.


    "Yeah sure, let''s go!" she replied. And so they all went to the village. Liam was pleasantly surprised as it seemed as though everyone in the village had been waiting for them. As soon as they entered the village, they were greeted by the people and were even ushered into a huge dining area where a large number of dishes were being served. It was amazing and suspicious at the same time. Fleur went to pick a plate and eat food before Liam could even react. Liam followed her and said, "This is very strange. Who are these people?"


    "I think they are gypsies," she replied.


    "There are no gypsies in this area!" he replied, bewildered.


    All of a sudden, a man brushed by him and said, "Yes, we are gypsies!"


    "Just eat the food for now and then let''s go!" said Fleur, shaking her head in irritation because her team had ''overdone'' everything.


    Dazed, Liam picked up a plate. It was just too good to be true; it was exotic.


    Others in Liam''s team were having the best time of their life.


    As soon as they finished eating, Fleur urged Liam to resume with the journey. She was the last one to leave and with her hand gestured the ''gypsies'' to wind up soon by making a round sign with her hand up in the air.


    ---


    In the morning the next day, Adrianna woke up to find that Dmitri wasn''t there. She rubbed her eyes and went out of the cave, getting soaked by the waterfall. She found Dmitri catching fish in the pool with the help of a pointed stick. She smiled and walked over to him.


    "Teach me," she said. The next hour was spent teaching her all the techniques for catching fish. When they had caught quite a few, Dmitri took them inside the cave, leaving Adrianna outside.


    When he came out, she was nowhere to be seen. Panicked, he tried to communicate with her mentally, but she didn''t pick up his signal. He searched for her around and then, exasperated, he looked up. She was standing right at the edge of the cliff, ready to dive in. She smiled as he looked up at her. She signaled for him to come up and he was there within a few seconds.


    As soon as he was there, Adrianna dived into the pool. Dmitri followed her. There was a huge splash as both of them entered the water. Dmitri caught Adrianna''s waist inside the water and turned her to face him.

 Chapter 116 - You Want To Stay Here Forever?

    When Cy and his team reached the Blue Moon Pack territory, he asked all of them to stay on the outskirts while he disguised as one of them and went in. He needed to enter the palace to get near his target. The palace was heavily guarded, but for Cy, getting inside wasn''t an issue. The issue was how to identify who Adrianna was.


    In the back of his mind, he knew that Isidorus was keeping track of his movements, but Isidorus couldn''t say anything about what he was doing. Since Cy had been tasked with the task of finding Adrianna and getting her back, whatever he was doing right now was very much according to Isidorus'' plan. Cy saw how the servants were dressed and swished his hand to dress in the same way. Disguised, Cy went inside the palace. He followed a servant to the kitchen where he found that many of them were talking while only a few were cooking. They were cracking jokes about some girl called Keisha.


    "Oliver, what are you doing here?" asked one of the servants who saw Cy standing in a corner and looking around. "I asked you to go and clean the leaves of the plants in the main hall!"


    Cy didn''t know that he was being addressed, so he didn''t turn around to acknowledge the voice. Seeing this, the servant raised his voice and repeated the question. Everybody stared at Cy as he stared back at them.


    The servant was now agitated. He got up from his seat and walked over to Cy. He poked his finger at Cy and said, "Oliver, are you mocking me?"


    Cy immediately realized that he was being addressed as Oliver, the servant he had disguised himself as. Without creating a fuss, Cy lowered his head and rushed outside. By the time he was in the main hall, he was under the disguise of the servant who had poked him. Upon reaching the main hall, he went to Oliver who was actually cleaning plants. He asked, "Oliver, where is the alpha and his queen?"


    Oliver looked at the head butler, shocked at the question. "James, are you accusing me of being involved?"


    Cy looked at the frightened servant and said, "Involved in what?"


    Oliver was all the more frightened. He was now shaking. "Involved in their dis- disappearance��"


    Before Oliver could comprehend, a spell was casted upon him and Cy came to know about every detail within five minutes.


    "I saw Liam is leading the team to find the alpha and his queen," said Oliver.


    "Is anyone else with them?" asked Cy. He had seen a leaf grow on the tree seal that he had in his hand and he had his suspicions.


    Oliver was all the more baffled as to why was the head butler was even asking these questions, but he was already under the truth spell. Even though he was conflicted inside, he had to speak the truth. "I heard that the queen''s cousin, Fleur, is with him," he replied.


    "Fleur!" Cy sniggered. "So that is Isidorus'' plan? That sneaky old wizard!" Casting the stupefy spell on Oliver, Cy sneaked out of the palace. He had to find Liam and Fleur.


    ---


    Dmitri pulled her up towards him and, together, they came out of the lake. They swam for some time before getting lost in throngs of pleasure in the lake. Naked, they were laying side by side on the grass when Dmitri turned his face to her and said, "I want to take you to a special place. Get ready."


    "Where Dmitri? I don''t want to go. This is beautiful and I don''t ever want to leave this place," she whined. Her wolf couldn''t agree more. She just wanted to be Dmitri and spend the rest of her life here.


    Dmitri smiled and turned towards her. "You want to stay here forever?" he asked, playing with her breasts which were glistening in the sunlight because the water on them hadn''t dried.


    "Mhmm hmmm��"


    He leaned over and kissed her on her lips. "You will love that place Adri�� Get ready, we are going to go��"


    She was reluctant, so she turned to the other side. Standing up, Dmitri picked up his bride and they went inside the cave. After an hour, they had shape shifted and were running to a different destination.


    They entered deeper inside the forest where the vast canopy of leaves didn''t allow the sunlight to penetrate. They could hear the sounds of insects, birds, and animals. The leaves brushed up against them as they ran further. The air tasted sweet and fresh. They were moving against the dense vegetation when Adrianna realized that she knew the path. Just before reaching her favorite spot, she shape shifted back into a human and laughed loudly. Dmitri came over and stood right next to her, snuggling into her hand as she brushed his fur.


    They looked at the vast expanse of the lake that was right in the center of the jungle which no one could ever find. The water was blue and it shimmered as the sunlight hit its surface. Against the noise of the birds who welcomed Adrianna, they could only hear the gentle murmur of water. For all its serenity, was there any danger lurking in the depths of the trees behind?


    "How did you know about this lake? This is my favorite spot in the world when I need to calm my nerves," she mentally communicated with him.

 Chapter 117 - He Knew

    Dmitri didn''t answer her. Instead, he ran towards the lake, and leaping high into the air, he plunged into it. Adrianna laughed at her husband who was getting more and more dramatic with each and every day. Instead of following him, she sat on the stony outcrop where she often laid.


    Dmitri swum to the floor of the lake and after searching for a while, picked something up that he had dropped inside the lake on that day as he had promised himself that he would only get it when she accepted him.


    Dmitri emerged from water after a long time - long enough to make Adrianna nervous. When he came out, he was holding a beaded necklace in his hand, much to her surprise.


    "Where did you find that Dmitri?" she asked.


    Dmitri came near her and put it around her neck. He kissed her forehead, embraced her, and said, "I have been wearing this necklace ever since my childhood - ever since I could remember. I threw it in the lake that night when you came out here to vent out your frustration."


    Astonished at his words, Adrianna released herself from his embrace and said, "Which night Dmitri?"


    He smiled. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he said, "When the light that came out of your body was thrown onto the surface of the lake and it glistened."


    Adrianna gasped. "You know about my- my-," she stuttered.


    "I know about your magic," he completed her sentence.


    Shocked, Adrianna stepped back a little as her hand covered her mouth. When she found her voice, she asked, "Since when?"


    "That day when you had run to this place in the night, I followed you. I didn''t know why you ran here, but I could feel your anger Adri. So I just followed you. Ever since I met you, I have never been able to stay away from you. I followed you everywhere��


    "Sorry, if I sound like a stalker, but that''s what happened to me when I imprinted on you�� Not having you around me made me mad, and I had no choice but to be with you.


    "That day when you came here, I was afraid that you would put yourself in danger - being alone and coming to an unknown spot - but I had never expected for you to know magic. It was a surprise for me. You became so exhausted afterwards and fell asleep on this stony outcrop. I laid beside you��"


    Adrianna was finding it all very hard to believe. "Then why did you hide all this from me?" she asked. This was such a huge secret that she had been keeping to herself, and Dmitri already knew about it.


    "I can ask you the same thing Adri��" he replied. "But I was hiding because I wanted to protect you. If people had come to know about this, they would have done anything to abduct you and abuse your power. Also, because of the fact that I had imprinted on you, I would have been in the most vulnerable situation. I hid it from you because by doing so, I wouldn''t have to dwell upon it and I just never talked about it. That was the best way to protect you��" he continued.


    "Moreover, I had promised myself that I would bring you here and gift you this necklace��"


    Adrianna''s breath paced. This was a lot of information at once. She touched the necklace he had given her as tears rolled out of her eyes. She didn''t know what she was crying for. Was it because he had hid so much from her or was it because he had thrown that precious necklace in the lake and had promised himself to gift it to her when she became his bride?


    "Don''t cry Adri�� you know I hate to see you like that. Please- please... Adri��" he said as he moved closer to her, pulled her in, and pressed her against his body.


    Adrianna gulped and replied, "I had been keeping this a secret because I thought you might find me creepy and distance yourself. Ed had asked me not to show my magic to anyone. He is scared that it will only attract harm."


    "Shhh�� I know��" he said.


    She looked up at him and, through her tears, she realized that Dmitri had loved her so deeply that even though he knew everything about her, he was only quiet about it to protect her. He was so tight-lipped about it that he hadn''t even mentioned anything about it to the people around him. All he wanted was her safety.


    She brought her hands to his face and cupped it. "Thank you Dmitri��" she said, feeling blissful that they were the destined ones. She hid her face in his chest as he stroked her hair.


    It felt nice to have finally told her his secret, and she felt comfortable knowing that he knew everything about her.


    Dmitri picked her up and they kissed passionately. They had become even closer to each other. This time, she kissed him urgently. She wanted to be one with him.


    ---


    Liam resumed his journey. He picked up on Nate''s remnant scent, which was not very sharp now, and moved ahead. It had been almost a day, but they were still not able to locate Dmitri and Adrianna.


    As the night fell, they had to stop as most of the pack members were tired. They found a cave and entered to take a rest.


    Fleur asked, "Are we not going to travel any further?"

 Chapter 118 - Mystified

    Liam was already very tired. "No, we will be resting here," he said as he started to make a bed for her.


    "Resting? But we cannot waste time!" she exclaimed.


    Liam looked at her with a frown. "Waste time? I don''t get you Fleur�� We can''t possibly run all day and all night long."


    Fleur pursed her lips as she had almost told him why she had accompanied him. For her, it was extremely important that she found Adrianna before Cy did. Howard had told her that Cy had been stationed outside of Ed''s cottage just to mislead him. However, the moment he finds out the truth, he will rush to capture Adrianna before anyone else does.


    Howard had warned Fleur that Cy was a very powerful wizard and that he was capable of destroying the entire wizard realm. That had been the only reason why he had been chosen to protect the wizard kingdom. By protecting it, his energy would be channelized. However, sometime during his tenure as the military general, he had forgotten that he was just the military general and had deluded himself into believing he was the rightful ruler. He wanted to usurp the queen''s throne and had been plotting behind her back. It was Isidorus who had been keeping him at bay all this time.


    Fleur was beginning to wonder whether Cy had come to find out the truth about Adrianna or not. She was worried that he would leave no stone unturned in order to find Adrianna.


    She looked at Liam and said, "I understand. Let''s rest. However, I am keen to start early tomorrow morning. Is that okay?"


    Liam smiled at her and said, "Of course. As you say."


    During the night, all of his team members shape shifted into werewolves and slept on the cave floor.


    It had started to become chilly. As the night fell, it became misty and the forest mist entered the cave. Fleur tried to stay warm by curling up her body, but she started shivering. While she was being subjected to the chill of the night, she envied her team members who must have been resting in luxury and warmth after having casted some magic. Unfortunately, she couldn''t cast her magic in front of the werewolves, or else they might decide not to cooperate with her.


    Her teeth chattered and she couldn''t sleep. Suddenly, she felt warmth surround her. A paw had softly pulled her near his furry body and she found herself snuggling into the warmth of a fur so soft that she fell asleep whilst curling herself into his body. Liam smiled at her and rested his head over hers.


    Fleur become so comfortable throughout the night that she would relax and stretch her limbs. But then the cold would pick up and she would again curl up into him. During the process, she kicked Liam several times - all of which he endured patiently.


    In the morning, almost everybody woke up on time except for Fleur who finally woke up when the sun was quite high in the sky. When she woke up, she found that Liam was staring at her while the rest of the pack had gone.


    "Where''s everyone?" she asked, startled.


    "They''ve left," he responded with affection in his eyes.


    "Left? Now how will we find them?" She started to panic.


    Liam laughed and said, "I have given them a set course to follow, so don''t worry. We will catch up once Miss Fleur is ready."


    Fleur sprang up, and within no time, she was ready to leave. Once again, Liam and Fleur set course to find Dmitri and Adrianna. Fleur reprimanded herself for wasting so much time, but she was curious as to how she could have fallen into such a deep sleep. And what was that furry thing that had surrounded her all night? Was that Liam? The more she pondered over it, the redder her cheeks became.


    ---


    The lake formed a beautiful sheet of water as Adrianna and Dmitri walked hand in hand around it while viewing the beautiful autumn scenery. The hills surrounding the lake were lush green with maple, pine, and fir trees. They walked towards the hills'' interior to find the lake''s origin. While the water of the lake merged with the sky in the lower regions of the lake, it merged with the woods in the upper regions of the lake. Adrianna was intrigued as she had never been to that part of the lake. She went further inside the woods with Dmitri and heard someone whisper as though they were talking to her. She smiled as the voices became louder and clearer.


    "Who has invaded our territory?"


    "This is the first time we have been disturbed."


    "Let us attack the invaders before they destroy us."


    Adrianna turned to Dmitri and said, "Should I tell you one more thing about myself?"


    Dmitri nodded, eager to listen to her.


    "I can hear animals speak," she said as she turned around to communicate with the animals.


    Before Dmitri could react, a brown bear came out of the woods to confront them. Adrianna became alert and halted the bear as she talked with him and convinced him that they weren''t there to attack them. The bear left soon after as Adrianna had easily persuaded him, much to Dmitri''s surprise. Dmitri had been shocked when he had seen the huge brown bear, but had been even more surprised when the bear didn''t attack them and instead left quietly.


    "What just happened?" he asked.


    Adrianna chuckled and said, "I convinced him not to attack us."


    "What else are you hiding from me Adrianna?" he asked, mystified by his wife''s revelation.

 Chapter 119 - We Will Go Back Tomorrow

    She laughed, held his hand, and dragged him outside of the woods. It was already evening and the color of the water was being affected by the hues of the sky. Deep tints of blue, green, and red prevailed over the surface of the lake as the sun set behind the hills. The lake was even more gorgeous as the night fell.


    They slept on the soft grass under the blue canopy of the bright starry night. When it became chilly, Dmitri shape shifted and Adrianna nuzzled into him. With the waves rippling at their feet, the scenery was beautiful beyond expression.


    In the morning, Dmitri could not resist the temptation to bathe in the lake and so he stripped himself of his clothing and just waded in. As soon as he dipped his body in, the first dip took his breath away. The water was freezing cold even for a werewolf. He stopped breathing as Adrianna laughed at his stunt. He had to come back to the shore to breathe. When he found his breath, Adrianna discovered that his skin had become red.


    "That lake is inhospitable," he complained to Adrianna who embraced him to pass her heat to his body.


    They stayed there for the next two days and explored the mountains and the lush green forest. There was no one to watch them. One day after teasing Dmitri, Adrianna had run over to the top of the nearby hill with Dmitri following her. He wanted to catch her and pin her to the ground. But she was swift. Finally, when he caught her, he said, "Adri, just wait till I haul you up that rock and throw you down from there."


    Adrianna laughed. They ran together and arrived at a high elevation on the mountain that was quite remote. Along with her, he moved closer to the rocky edge and took a glimpse of the vertical scree below. Not waiting any longer, he jumped down and landed in the space in between the two peaks and descended to a point where they narrowed enough for him to support his back on one peak his outstretched leg on the other. He looked up at her with inviting eyes. He was calling for her and it was hard to resist. She jumped towards him and he caught her. He pressed her against the hard rock of the summit.


    It was an ecstatic moment as their heart beat together. She closed her eyes and felt his hands wandering all over her and touching her everywhere. His mouth was passing over her with a wolf like sharpness as his teeth started sinking into her fleshy parts. He held her tightly around the waist with his muscular arms and jumped down from there to softly land on the meadows beneath.


    He removed her clothes and she lay naked beneath him, his full length covering her body. In his human form, his arms instantly cradled his mate as they held her face close to his before he plunged his tongue into her mouth, making her moan. He had waited for her, his mate, for so long that it all appeared surreal now.


    He caressed her body as she flushed and panted before he flipped her over him, making him on bottom. Not removing his mouth from hers, they rolled on the grass until she was beneath him again. His wolf growled lustfully as her nails dug into his flesh. She wrapped her long legs around his waist, pressing him close to her.


    "Adri, don''t ever leave me..." he said as he left her lips and saw the dark emotions in her eyes.


    "Never..."


    He brushed some of her hair back away from her face. He saw her neck and his mark which had completely healed, leaving only two signs of his teeth there. He licked his mark and sucked at the skin. Slowly, he kissed her as he moved further down. He reached for her breasts and dug his teeth in. She pulled at his hair, drawing a throaty moan from him. She was giving her mind, her body, and her soul to him.


    ---


    They had been wandering around a little when the sky became overcast with clouds. It started thundering and they could see threatening lightning flash across the sky. Soon, it started raining and they ran to find cover for themselves. They entered a small cave drenched to the skin. Their last experience had been exhilarating.


    "We will go back to the pack tomorrow Adrianna," said Dmitri in a serious tone.


    Adrianna was sitting on the floor and plucking some grass. "Why?" she whined. "Let us stay longer..."


    He came over, sat next to her, and pulled her onto his lap. "I wish we could…" he said as he rested his face on her shoulder and looked out to watch as the rain poured.


    It didn''t take a long time for the clouds to become darker and for the thunder to become louder. It was unusual. A strong lighting escaped from the clouds and struck in the center of the lake. Adrianna and Dmitri were both finding it strange.


    "There is someone invading our territory!"


    "I knew it. We shouldn''t have let them stay. See they have brought nuisances."


    Suddenly Adrianna heard the animals speak. When she heard them, she said with suspicipus tone, "There is someone else here Dmitri - someone other than us."


    "It can''t be! No one knows about this place Adri," he was shocked.

 Chapter 120 - She Was Just An Untrained Half-witch

    Adrinna shushed Dmitri and said, "Let me go find out about it."


    "No you better stay inside," ordered Dmitri. "I will go and see."


    Without waiting for her answer, Dmitri went out. As soon as he was out of the cave, he became drenched in a torrential rain that was falling so hard that it seemed as though the gods had become angry. The visibility was very poor and he couldn''t make out anything. Just as he was about to go back inside, a bolt of lightning fell a few meters away from him, making him jump behind a boulder to take refuge. It was really strange.


    The noise was so loud that it made Adrianna nervous. "Come back inside!" she reached out to him with urgency.


    He communicated back to Adrianna, "I am fine. Don''t come out. I will be there in a minute."


    Somehow, Dmitri managed to get back inside the cave. He held Adrianna and said, "Let''s wait for this downpour to slow down before we go out. She nodded and sat on the floor. She started looking outside. All of a sudden, the lightning came down again. A brilliant shock of white flashed across the grey sky as it forked with a bang on the unsuspecting ground accompanied by a thunderous boom right in front of their cave.


    Adrianna covered her ears and ran further inside the cave with Dmitri.


    Shocked, she looked outside once the lightning had passed. Why were the gods so angry with them? While she was thinking to herself, a loud menacing voice came from outside. "Adrianna, come out. Otherwise, I will burn you alive!"


    Both Dmitri and Adrianna were stunned. They looked at each other. Outside the cave, it was so dark that she couldn''t see anything except for the pouring rain. The night was falling fast. Adrianna had just adjusted her eyes to the darkening landscape when the steel grey clouds melted yet again to throw another brilliant flash of light fell onto the ground and charred the nearby trees.


    "Who is there?" she shouted back. There was thick smoke outside of the cave. They couldn''t see anything through it. "Reveal yourself."


    From within the smoke, they saw a shadow. As it came near, Dmitri moved forwards and hid Adrianna behind him.


    "I am Cy," he said as he emerged from the smoke. Dressed in metallic armor, Cy looked threatening. He moved forward and stood only a couple meters away from the couple. He looked at the two of them and laughed. "So young!" he snickered. "Adrianna!" he shouted, making his voice boomed throughout the cave. "Come out!"


    Both of them were finding it strange. How did this man know about their secret place? And even more confusing was how he knew their names! Nothing added up!


    Annoyed at his rude behavior, Dmitri shouted back, "How dare you talk to my luna like that? I will kill you."


    Cy started laughing like a madman. He looked at the two who were standing in front of him. "Adrianna, I have nothing against Dmitri. I only want you. Come out," he said. Without warning, he threw a chain of lighting around Dmitri.


    While Dmitri found himself helplessly gripped in the lightning, Adrianna emerged from behind him and looked at Cy, still shocked at the fact that this unknown man had somehow discovered where they had been hiding and was now demanding for her to come out.


    "Who are you?" she asked.


    "I am Cy, military general of the wizard kingdom," he answered as he threw another bolt of lighting at Adrianna. Adrianna deflected that with her hand easily. Then, she turned to Dmitri and untied him.


    As soon as Dmitri was untied, he ran towards Cy in anger and shape shifted. He leapt as high he could and attacked Cy, pinning him to the ground. In the next moment, Dmitri was thrown back to the far end of the cave where he hit the wall and stumbled onto the ground.


    Cy got up again and threw a bolt of blue light around Adrianna, which had enough energy to burn down the entire forest. The light that engulfed her was so hot that she shouted painfully. Dmitri couldn''t come anywhere near her, so he communicated to her, "Adri, what should I do? I can''t lose you. If we die, let us die together."


    Adrianna closed her eyes and instead of letting the blue light burn her, she garnered its energy within her body. She threw her hands up towards the roof of the cave and in the next moment, the stones of the roof shattered as the light passed through her and out of the cave.


    Cy stopped immediately as he looked at her with interest. "So you are the queen after all," he sniggered. "Who taught you your magic?" he asked her.


    But Adrianna was in no mood to answer. She mentally communicated to Dmitri to stay in the cave and then ran towards Cy, throwing at him a huge bundle of lightning that could have ripped the ground into a thousand pieces. Cy deflected it with his quick defense skills as he ran out of the cave to protect himself.


    This is what he had wanted. He wanted to lure her out of the cave so that his team could easily take her down. After all, there were ten of them while she was just an untrained half-witch who had the audacity to believe she could be their queen.

 Chapter 121 - Mesh Of Various Hued Lights

    Dmitri didn''t even have the time to respond to Adrianna when he found himself stuck inside the cave and the entrance blocked by a boulder. "What have you done Adri!" He scolded her, but he didn''t get any answer.


    As soon as she went outside, she saw that Cy had run a few meters away and had teamed up with his men. She glared at them as her wolf growled. In the next minute, the entire landscape was converted into a mesh of various hued lights which were being thrown towards Adrianna, all of them potent enough to burn anything within seconds.


    At first Adrianna tried to dodge them, but when she accidentally deflected a light with her hand in an attempt to find a path to go forward, she realized that she didn''t have to dodge the light beams at all; she could simply deflect it with her hand. Confidently, she walked forward, deflecting all the rays of lights while looking closely at each one of her opponents one by one. Who were they?


    ---


    Liam was becoming more and more irritated by the fact that his quest to find Adrianna and Dmitri was not bringing any results. All that he could do was rest and eat each day, all the while finding more and more gypsies in the jungle. He should have been able to sniff his alpha''s scent by now, but he still hadn''t been able to catch Dmitri''s scent after so many days.


    Fleur, on the other hand, was also getting impatient. She was being reprimanded by Isidorus every day and being told that she should hurry up and catch up to Adrianna. He had informed her that Cy was already on the move. She had been assured of the fact that since Cy had started his search later than her, she would be the first one to reach Adrianna.


    But it was on the third day that Isidorus informed her of Cy''s location. His location was strange because it was at a place which was much further ahead of their current location. She was surprised as to how Cy had reached that place faster than her.


    She told Liam, "I think we should go to the center of the jungle. I have heard from others that it is really beautiful."


    "We came here to find Dmitri and Adrianna, not to go around visiting beautiful places," snapped Liam.


    "It is possible that they have gone there," she replied, getting equally as irritated. She held in her anger and said, "If you think about it, why would a newly married couple not go to a beautiful place?" She paused to check his reaction. When he didn''t say a word, she continued, "There is no harm in checking out that location." There was no other way to convince Liam and also keep her secret at the same time.


    Liam considered her request and set course for the center of the forest.


    ---


    Cy and his men were finding it difficult to hold her back. She was just too strong for them. Cy had assured them that she would be an easy witch to catch as she wasn''t even trained. He had promised all of them posts in the ministry once she was eliminated. When they were not able to hold her back, they started doubting Cy''s words; all they saw in her eyes was fire and a determination to kill them.


    She was casting so many spells as though they were a child''s play that they were surprised. Although they had started by attacking her with various lethal spells, all they could do now was try to save themselves from her attacks.


    In her rage, she struck one of the wizards so lethally that he burned to the ground. Seeing how easily she was taking them down, Cy sneaked away, taking advantage of her concentration in bringing them down, and went to the cave''s entrance.


    Adrianna had casted a spell around it to cage Dmitri. Cy removed that spell and entered the cave. When Dmitri saw Cy, he charged at Cy with so much rage that he shape shifted and jumped on him again, only to find that Cy had disappeared. In his frenzy, he came out of the cave to find Cy, but what he saw in front of him instead was absolutely shocking. His luna was alone and fighting so many of those wretched wizards. He ran to help her, but all of a sudden, he whelped in pain.


    "Ponos," came the words out of Cy''s mouth as he pointed his finger towards Dmitri. Dmitri stumbled and rolled on the ground as he cried in pain.


    Adrianna''s concentration wavered. She looked back at Dmitri and ran to him to block the spell, but by that time, all the wizards had thrown a combi threw "Nuyyn" spell on her, arresting her movements. She also tumbled and landed just a few meters away from Dmitri.

 Chapter 122 - The Wilderness

    Adrianna could feel Dmitri''s excruciating pain in her heart. She could see that Dmitri was in so much pain that his complexion had become ashen. His natural healthy and shiny skin had sunken into something so lifeless that it scared her. Adrianna cried as she stretched her hand forward to reach out to him. She saw that he had closed his eyes and had sucked himself into a mental space where he could cope up, somewhere deep within so that he could shut himself out from the world.


    "Stop!" she cried. "Don''t do that to him!" She screamed, as she lay tied on the ground. Her gaze was fixed on his face so that whenever he opened his eyes, the first thing he would see was her. Because they were bonded, she was also visiting his dark place and she felt more pain than she knew any werewolf ever could endure. It was breaking her willpower and hurting her immensely.


    "Please let him go," she urged Cy with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    Then she looked at Dmitri and shouted, "Dmitri, I am here!" But she knew that he couldn''t hear her.


    With so much pain in her heart, Adrianna''s energy had completely depleted. She found herself helpless.


    Finally, she gave up and said, "Leave him alone. You can take me."


    Cy smiled. "Well, since you''re willingly handing yourself over, I will gladly leave him alone. With your powers, I can rule the world."


    His original plan was to kill Adrianna but after seeing that magic was so natural to her, he had changed his plan. With her by his side, he could conquer the world and rule over all the species.


    She nodded as tears stained her cheeks.


    He released Dmitri from the spell and Dmitri collapsed onto the ground. Somehow, Adrianna gathered whatever strength she still had left, crawled to him, and held his hand.


    "Sorry," she whispered to him. "I am a terrible wife. Even though you came to protect me, I put you in this situation. Please wake up Dmitri. I won''t be able to live without you��


    Even if she was held captive, she knew that she would be able to sustain life knowing he was there. "Wake up... I will be able to live as long as I know that you are alive."


    Feeling weak, Adrianna collapsed on the ground next to him while being tied up in all the lightning that the wizards had thrown around her. The rain hadn''t stopped and all she wanted was to curl up with her alpha. All of a sudden, she felt her body being pulled by something. Her weak body was being dragged along the ground by one of the wizards and she was being separated from her alpha.


    She became more and more restless as she watched him get further and further away. Her emotions became jagged and her insides tightened.


    She cried and shouted to Dmitri, "Dmitri, I love you. Be strong and don''t come after me. If you are listening to me, you will never ever come after me. Don''t ever connect with me." Even though she had said those words, she still waited for him to open his eyes. She remembered the last days she had spent with him - all the thrill they had, his touch, and his unfathomable love. She whispered, "Dmitri, I will come back. When I do, I will sit with you and forever hold your hand." Her emotional pain seeped into her soul and the parting hurt even more.


    The rains were pouring down so harshly that she could see his unconscious body being washed by the torrential rain. As she watched him get dragged away by the rain, she suddenly remembered that she could communicate with animals. Her hopes raised a bit and she mentally called for help. She found that there were a few onlookers who had hid behind the trees watching them silently. The communication spread like wildfire amongst the beasts and within a few minutes, she heard loud roars, growls and howls getting closer. Cy and his men looked around surprised, but they didn''t have much time to comprehend what was happening when the source of the noises stopped right in front of them. They could all see that a large number of wild bears, foxes, and other animals, had surrounded them from all sides.


    Adrianna smiled before her smile turned into laughter. She looked at Cy menacingly and shouted, "Attack!"


    Cy could feel goose bumps line his skin. The wilderness started attacking him and his men.


    Within the next few minutes, the entire landscape was converted into a strange battlefield with Cy and his men fighting wild animals. There were many spells being throwing around, but the animals were akin to a hydra; whenever one died, ten more would attack with greater force out of revenge for their fallen comrade.


    Adrianna seeked out the bear she had met in the woods and said, "Thank you for helping me."


    The bear was attacking a wizard, but he replied, "Adrianna, we are all doing this because these men had tried to destroy our peace. So don''t worry; I was simply waiting for your signal."


    Adrianna was feeling confident. She closed her eyes and broke out of the ropes that were constraining her by exerting a lot of force.

 Chapter 123 - Each Other’s Angels And Warriors

    The lighting around her became loose and vanished into thin air. The first thing she did was to run towards Dmitri. Sitting next to him, she softly picked up his head and placed it on her lap. Then, she created a bubble around them to protect his body from the harsh rain that was falling on them.


    She stroked his hair and said, "I asked you not to come out." Even though she was anxious, she assured him, "It will be alright. I am right beside you."


    Cy and his men were being pushed far away. They were doing their best to put up a good fight against the beasts, but they became more and more weak as more of Cy''s team got taken down.


    While this was happening, Cy noticed a large army of wizards and witches flying towards them. They surrounded him and his remaining men. Following them were wolves who immediately surrounded their alpha and queen.


    Fleur had arrived by then and the moment she tracked down Cy, she directed her team to follow him. But Cy wasn''t an easy person to take down; he was the strongest military general in the wizard kingdom. Cy managed to run away with three of his men while the rest of his men were captured.


    As soon as the battle ended, Fleur went to meet her queen. It was the first time she had met Adrianna. She had prepared so much to introduce herself to her queen, but at that point in time, all she saw was a young girl sitting next to her lover - her mate - with dejection and misery etched on her face. Fleur couldn''t bring herself to say a word. Slowly, Adrianna lifted herself up off the ground as she lifted Dmitri up into the air. She walked out of the cave and all the wild beasts surrounded her. She held back the tears in her eyes and walked with her head held high, followed by all the wolves, the wizards, and the witches.


    ---


    It had been two days, but Dmitri still hadn''t woken up. The healers of various packs had been called in to treat Dmitri but they couldn''t wake him up. Adrianna continued to watch over him as she sat next to him on the bed. She wouldn''t even eat her food. She held his hand all the time as she stared at his pale face.


    Cora was panicky. Even though she was worried, she wouldn''t let go of any opportunity to berate and insult Adrianna. Adrianna would only listen to her quietly. She was nothing without her alpha; she thought she would go insane without him.


    On the second day, when Dmitri didn''t wake up, Cora once again came into their room and shouted, "Adrianna, you pathetic woman. Because of you, my son has to bear so much pain. Why can''t you just leave him be? You should have just died in that battle! Do you even know how to do what is best for those who care for you? Just leave us so that we can return to our normal lives. Life was so much better without you Adrianna. My son was only ever interested in uniting all the wolf clans. Ever since you came, all he is interested in is running around you. Have you used one of your witch charm spells to trap my son? He was never like this before."


    Sometimes, Keisha would accompany Cora in her visits to Dmitri''s room and Keisha would sit next to Dmitri. She would hold his hand or stroke his hair and say, "Come back dear Dmitri. It is lonely without you."


    Cora would then go to Keisha and pat her or soothe her. "Keisha, don''t worry. He will be back with us soon enough... And then we will make sure that this witch leaves us forever!"


    Adrianna would cry even more, but she was getting tired of Cora''s sudden outbursts whenever she came to see Dmitri.


    One day, when Cora was, as usual, hurling her insults at her, she broke and lashed back. "If you want to hurt me Cora, you should show some empathy. Just yelling and shouting your frustrations will never help your cause. I will stand firm in my resolution to be with Dmitri forever and I will not give in to your tempestuous voice. Only one thing can break me, and that is Dmitri. I was there to save him, and he was there for me. We are each other''s angels and warriors. Dmitri gives me strength. Remember that anyone who abuses me is no friend of mine, and I owe them nothing."


    Then, Adrianna glared at Cora and said, "Now that you know that I am half witch, you should fear me."


    Keisha was standing right next to Cora. Slowly, she sneaked out of the room, fearing that Adrianna might harm her again.


    Cora became all the more furious. She yelled, "You dare threaten me Adrianna? Wait until Dmitri wakes up. I will tell him about your audacity to speak to me like that. Remember that I am Dmitri''s mother!"

 Chapter 124 - Ice-like Darkness

    "Yes, I am waiting for him to wake up. You can complain all you want when he does," she replied with melancholy. Adrianna knew that Cora wouldn''t stop so easily and that Cora would continue to taunt her as much as possible. However, by this time, all she wanted was for Dmitri to be happy and awake by her side.


    ---


    Fleur had informed Isidorus of Cy''s escape. Although he knew that Fleur wouldn''t have been able to stop Cy, as he was too powerful for her, he was still furious at her for letting him go. He was also not impressed by the fact that she had arrived late to save Adrianna. He punished her by making the pain from the seal on her hand sting a lot more than necessary. The pain was so bad that Fleur couldn''t lift her hand for a day. She couldn''t do anything to make the pain go away; that was her punishment for arriving late to the scene.


    ---


    Ever since they had reached the Blue Moon Pack, all the wizards and witches had been put on a twenty-four hour watch. When Cora saw them, she was scared first. She was confused as to how come she had visitors from the wizard kingdom. When she came to know about Adrianna, she was all the more surprised. She became worried that because of Adrianna, Dmitri had gotten himself involved in too much trouble and wanted Adrianna to leave his side to ensure his safety.


    Seeing as Dmitri was still not awake, she had asked Adrianna several times to leave the palace and return to where she belonged.


    "I will tell him that you have died, and you can just leave," she had suggested at one point.


    Cora''s encouragement of her leaving only made Adrianna more determined to stay with her alpha. Without him, she would be in the most miserable state, so she ignored Cora''s words.


    After Cora had demanded an explanation, Fleur had told Cora about Adrianna''s secret. Even though Cora was genuinely surprised, her hatred for Adrianna surpassed her fear of Adrianna as the possible queen of the wizards.


    Isidorus was becoming more and more impatient to meet Adrianna. He was beginning to wonder what plans Cy could be brewing. Now that Cy was no more a part of the wizard kingdom, he had become even more dangerous. Somehow, he couldn''t even trace Cy''s movements anymore which made him wonder whether Cy had amputated his hand in order to get rid of the seal. He had asked Fleur to convey a message to Adrianna that she should come to the kingdom as soon as possible to claim her title. He had been waiting for a long time now. However, Adrianna wouldn''t move from her room. Dmitri was her priority.


    If the "Ponos" spell had been cast on a human, they would have died, but Dmitri had sustained it and had merely fell unconscious. No one in the wizard kingdom had the ability to help a victim of the spell and hence, Isidorus was unable to help. Since Adrianna was unwilling to go to the wizard kingdom until Dmitri woke up, Isidorus could only hope for Dmitri to recover quickly. Until then, Isidorus had to wait.


    For two days, Dmitri struggled to come out of the darkness he had been engulfed in. At first, the darkness around him was like ice; it was so dark that he could only see a very small slimmer of white light. He had called for Adrianna a number of times from within the darkness, but she was nowhere to be seen. He moved closer to the white light only to find that it was only the light from a candle that was being winded. Afraid that the light would die quickly if he stayed near it, he retracted. The darkness melted slowly around him and he escaped only to find himself in quicksand. He was suffocated. It was on the third day that Dmitri was able to break out of the darkness completely.


    He weakly opened his eyes and found a warm hand around his. He turned his head to take in his surroundings and figure out where he was. He quickly realized that he was in his bedroom. Only a dim light on the bedside was on and the entire room was dark. It was probably nighttime. He turned his head and saw Adrianna curled up against him. He smiled at her and lifted his hand to stroke her head.


    Adrianna immediately woke up as soon as she felt a flurry of movement beside her. She excitedly sprang up and exclaimed "Dmitri" when she saw him looking at her. She hurled her body at him and held him tightly.


    "You are awake!" she cried cheerfully. Her joy knew no bounds. It was as though she had been given a second life.


    "Ah!" Dmitri protested a little when she pressed him hard against the mattress.


    "Sorry," she replied between her excitement as she started laughing. He was back!

 Chapter 125 - Complaints

    She was so happy that her happiness was infectious. When she saw him smile, her happiness spread throughout her body and she could feel her fingers and her toes tingle. The feeling was the same as the feeling she had when she was anxious about his being unconscious, but this time, instead of a worried feeling, it was a warm feeling. She could felt it passing through her like a warm ocean wave, washing away her anxiety that had accumulated over the last two days. She felt refreshed inside and invigorated outside. As her waves of happiness calmed down, she felt blissful with his presence around her. She loved being with him. As she hugged him gently once again, she closed her eyes and savored in the pleasure that was fizzling in her heart.


    "I love you," she blurted as soon as she hugged him again. "Without you, it was too cold and lonely." She had missed the way his muscular arms would wrap around her as much as she had missed his warmth.


    Dmitri smiled and said, "I don''t think I can leave you ever Adrianna. I wouldn''t be able to bear to see you with anyone other than me. Only for that reason do I have to be with you." He started laughing.


    "How are you feeling?" she asked lovingly.


    "Very weak�� You have to take care of your husband properly now. You have to see that all his demands are met with."


    "And what are they?"


    "Right now, I want lots of food!"


    She chuckled. He couldn''t stop teasing her even though he wasn''t well. "I''ll be right back," she said as she leapt out of bed to inform the healers, who were all sitting outside and discussing various medicines to bring the alpha back to consciousness, about his condition. When they heard about him, they rushed into his room.


    Meanwhile, Adrianna also informed Fleur, Nate, and Liam, about Dmitri''s awakening. She also told Nate to inform Cora of the good news. Then, she left and ordered the servants to prepare a five-course meal. Afterwards, she went out to the garden, picked some flowers, and ordered some servants to adorn her room with all the flowers that she had just picked. By the time she returned to the room, the healers had already left the room after having given Dmitri a check-up. They were satisfied after knowing that the supreme alpha seemed to be doing well and decided to stay back for a day to observe him.


    When they left, the servants came into the room and filled all the vases with flowers. After finishing their duties, they left the room, leaving the couple alone. Filled with flowers, the room looked beautiful. The flowers were an enchanting array of teal, emerald, pink, red, yellow, and pearl colors, all depicting her inner emotions. She had missed him so much these past few days that her world had become grey. Now that he was back, she wanted to forget every single depressing memory. All those feelings that she had suffered through were replaced with love, passion, and lust. She grinned whenever she looked at him as he watched her bounce around the room trying to put things in order. It was only a matter of a few minutes, but she couldn''t hold herself back and ran towards him as he grinned and wrapped his arms around her. She let her head rest upon his chest as he stroked her cheeks. "Adri��"


    There was a knock on the door, breaking their trance, and they looked up.


    Cora entered with Keisha following behind her. When they saw them sitting so warmly together, they both fumed. Cora ignored Adrianna and looked at Dmitri. "Son, how are you feeling now?" Her voice was filled with concern.


    Adrianna moved away from Dmitri and sat at the edge of the bed, giving some space for Cora to sit near Dmitri. Keisha also moved closer and sat near him on the other side.


    "I am much better now Mother," he replied with pursed lips. His relations with his mother were becoming more and more strained with each and every day because of her stubborn reluctance to accept Adrianna.


    Cora took his hand and stroked his hair. "Dmitri, you haven''t recovered fully, so I was hoping you could move into the room next to mine." Then, she looked around the room and, in an appalled manner, said, "Why do you have so many flowers in your room? The pollen will make you allergic. They also look absolutely ridiculous. Since when did you become such a sissy to even have flowers around you? Aren''t you the ruthless supreme alpha?" she tried to provoke him.


    "I quite like these flowers." He knew that his mother would take every opportunity to insult Adrianna.


    "Cora, I think these flowers are lovely," said Keisha, trying to lessen Cora''s anxiousness. Cora looked at her as though she was convinced and smiled.


    Then, Keisha stood up and went up to a flower vase. From there, she took the stem of a red rose and returned to her original spot. She held the rose next to his cheeks and lightly touched them. She handed the rose to him while saying, "My hope is that you soon become as glowy and healthy as this red rose."


    Adrianna flared up! She wanted to throw Keisha out of the room then and there. She started getting up when she saw that Cora was looking at her with animosity. Adrianna restrained herself and continued sitting at the edge of the bed.


    "Do you know what we had to endure while you were unconscious Dmitri?" complained Cora.

 Chapter 126 - This Food Contains Poison

    Dmitri frowned. He was not happy with the way Keisha was conducting herself. He accepted the rose from her hand only to place it to the side. "What happened?" he asked, slightly agitated and slightly concerned.


    "Adrianna threatened that she would kill us every time we tried to come near you. You know all I want is for you to be healthy Dmitri. But she is threatening to snatch this kingdom from us. She kept saying that we should be afraid of her now that we know she is a half-witch." Cora started crying.


    Adrianna glowered at Cora for misinterpreting her words. She stayed quiet and let her mother-in-law continue to speak.


    "Because of her, my son had been in so much danger, but all she is interested in taking what is yours Dmitri! It wouldn''t be far-fetched to believe that it was always her plan to kill you. Dmitri, you should be careful. In my opinion, she has been planted here by the wizard kingdom to take over the werewolves. You must banish her!" Cora continued to spit venom.


    Mother!" Dmitri shouted, angered at her accusations.


    But there was no stopping Cora. "Do you even realize that as a part of her plan, she seduced you at the college? Keisha had told you time and again not to go near her, but you never listened. I had even sent Keisha with you to college only to keep you away from the likes of her. But what happened in the end? You fell for a woman as trashy as Adrianna? Because of her, you are in this condition. I am scared to think what could have happened if her plan had succeeded!"


    "Enough Mother! Don''t overstep your boundaries!"


    Keisha started crying as she gave Adrianna a side glance. "Adrianna had been continuously threatening us Dmitri. I am very scared of her. You had promised my father that you would protect me from all untoward situations. What about that promise? You must protect me from Adrianna! I fear she will cast her magic and kill me. After all, she thinks that I am her rival. She feels threatened by my presence."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at the drama that was unfolding in front of her. Instead of being happy for Dmitri who had come back from the jaws of death, these women were only interested in fueling him against her. She was tempted to cast her magic on them, but that would have only proved their point that she was trying to harm them. She glared at Dmitri for listening to the nonsense that these women were spewing. Why doesn''t he react and shut them up?


    There was a knock on the door and Adrianna went to open it. The servants had come with the five course meal for Dmitri. Adrianna silently took the food trolley and sent the servants away. Then, she quietly placed it near Dmitri and served him the first course. When Cora saw what was happening, she shouted, "How could you eat that Dmitri? It is possible it is poisoned!" Then, she looked at Adrianna, whose face had turned pale at this blatant accusation, and said, "Adrianna, you taste everything first before giving it to Dmitri."


    Adrianna''s patience was wearing out. She turned her head away. Seeing her reaction, Cora shrieked, "I knew she would not eat it! This food contains poison!"


    "Adrianna, eat the food," ordered Dmitri, much to Cora''s satisfaction. Keisha was also very happy when Dmitri ordered Adrianna. Keisha went to the food trolley and served a dish for Adrianna, handed it to her, and said, "Eat."


    Adrianna had never felt more insulted in her life, but since Dmitri had told her to, she tasted a spoonful from the dish that had been served to her. Then, Keisha took that dish back and served another one to her. All the dishes were forcibly taste-tested by Adrianna in that manner. When the tasting finished, Keisha said, "I think you can have them Dmitri." She then served a fresh plate for him. Cora was smiling at Keisha for being so thoughtful.


    As Keisha held the plate in front of him, he pushed it away. He asked Cora, "Mother, please move."


    Cora stood up from the bed and went to stand next to Keisha.


    Dmitri shifted himself from the bed to the table and started eating from all the portions that had been served to Adrianna earlier. He smiled at Adrianna and said, "Sit here. Let''s eat together. Or do you want to go to the dining area and eat?"


    Cora and Keisha''s faces darkened.


    Dmitri said, "You are right Keisha, I have to protect you. I will ask the architect to hurry up and make that house for you. You will be safest away from the main palace."


    Angrily, Keisha slammed down the plate that she was holding in her hand on a nearby table with a loud clank and left the room.


    Adrianna''s face brightened up. She sat near Dmitri and started feeding him.


    "Dmitri, this woman threatened us so much and yet you are taking this lightly? Is this the way you will treat poor Keisha? She so thoughtfully brought you the food and you push it away? Where are your manners?" Cora yelled at him.


    Dmitri stopped eating and said, "Mother, why are you fuming? Didn''t Adri taste all the food? From now on, I will only eat the food which has been tasted by Adrianna. Basically, this means that I should only be eating the food from her plate as that food is already guaranteed to be safe. I thought this was what you wanted �C for me to eat food that had been taste-tasted by Adrianna. Am I right?" Dmitri looked at her questioningly.


    Cora looked as though she had eaten a box of sour lemons.


    Dmitri turned to Adrianna who was on the verge of laughing and pointed to his mouth with his finger while saying, "I am very hungry." Adrianna gave him a spoonful from the bowl of soup in her hands.

 Chapter 127 - His Exercise Plan

    Adrianna fed him and then looked at the remaining food, She said, "Dmitri, your body is still weak. You need to eat all of it."


    "Of course. What kind of an alpha do you take me for? I will eat this and more!"


    Adrianna chuckled and served him another dish. They looked adorable together. Even though Cora was furious at the way Dmitri was trying to dismiss her, she couldn''t help but notice how comfortable they were with each other.


    "Once you have finished with your meal, we have to discuss some administrative things that need your immediate attention, Dmitri. We will wait for you in the main hall. Also, I didn''t expect that you would be so reckless as to leave this place and go missing for so many days. Don''t you have any duty towards your kingdom? We had to put in so much effort just for you to have some fun?" Cora was extremely bitter with him. It was not possible for her to digest that her son had become so engrossed in Adrianna''s love that he would even forget all his duties.


    "Mother, I haven''t forgotten anything. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to take a bath. Not exactly feeling fresh."


    Cora clenched her teeth at the way he asked her to go away so indirectly. "I have called several chiefs and several important men from different wolf packs for a council meeting. I am not happy with the way there are so many witches flying around our territory. The people are disturbed." She glared at Adrianna. "You better show up for that meeting in an hour."


    "Mother, you should have told me the meeting agenda before calling everyone. Are you trying to turn people against me or Adrianna?" Dmitri was angry with his mother.


    "I am only concerned about our people Dmitri!" Then, she looked at Adrianna and said, "I am not concerned, and I don''t care about anyone else!" After saying that, she left the room, not forgetting to bang the door so harshly that it ricocheted and opened itself again after having closed.


    Adrianna lowered her head and sighed. She had married Dmitri with so many dreams in her eyes. Her family was hell for her and now she had just entered another hell. Why was there such a scarcity of people who liked her? Was it because of the way she was? Or was there something wrong with her behavior? As she was pondering on those things, Dmitri placed his hands on her shoulders and made her turn towards him. Then, he started stroking her long black hair and said, "Adri, it doesn''t matter who likes you and who doesn''t. I love you and that is the only thing that matters. Are you happy with that?" Adrianna had forgotten that Dmitri could hear her thoughts.


    "As long as I am here, you will never be alone, okay?"


    He lifted her head in his hands and kissed her on her cheeks. "I am so hungry baby. Won''t you feed me?"


    Adrianna smiled. She pushed away her thoughts and they had their meal together. Dmitri was really hungry after having been asleep for days. Even after having eaten the entire meal, he still wanted more. For the first time, Adrianna was able to see the true representation of someone eating like an elephant. She even commented, "Dmitri, if you''ll eat so much, you will become fat! You would look ugly then!"


    "No... I won''t become fat, because I will be exercising," he said mischievously.


    "Exercise? You don''t even have time to eat and sleep properly. How will you exercise?"


    He looked at Adrianna with a huge smile and said, "Well, my exercise will be to keep you happy."


    "Keeping me happy would keep you thin? What kind of entertainment would be present for me?" she asked, bemused at his solution.


    Dmitri pulled her towards him and made her sit on his lap. In a moment, his member gorged up and started poking at her. "See that little thing? I shall put that to good use and pleasure you whenever I need to shed those extra calories. Basically, you will stay happy and I will stay thin," he said shamelessly.


    Adrianna turned tomato red. She slapped his arms and tried to run away but she was being held tightly and she didn''t want to leave his side anyways. "Dmitri, you are shameless!"


    "I am, but now I want that exercise and you owe me. After all, you were the one who pointed out that I would become fat after eating so much food."


    "��"


    "Go away!"


    "Nah!" He said as he started unbuttoning her shirt. Dmitri removed her shirt to suck on the soft skin beneath it. He couldn''t resist and bit her shoulder, leaving a bright red mark. He removed her hair from her neck to see his mark on her. It was beautiful. He licked it and sucked at it, leaving more red marks.


    She swatted his hand, "You have to attend the meeting. You also have to take a bath before that. Otherwise, those people would run away after seeing you. You smell so bad. Do you know that?"


    "In that case, would my wife help give me a nice bath?" he asked, looking at her seductively.

 Chapter 128 - The Seed Of Hatred

    Adrianna giggled and got down to prepare a hot bath for him. He followed her into the bathroom a while later and soaked himself in the hot water. It was so refreshing that he closed his eyes and rested against the back of the tub as Adrianna applied bath gel on her hands. Then, she moved to the side where he was resting his head and lifted it to place it on her lap. Gently, she made circular motions on his chest and his neck to lather up the soap. "Adri��"


    "Hmm?"


    "I want to rest��"


    "Rest Dmitri��"


    She knew that he was too weak to go anywhere, let alone attend the council meeting. So she had to make sure that he was able to rest as much as possible. Dmitri looked up at her while she was massaging his scalp and said, "Who was that man who attacked us? I want to know all the details about it."


    "Fleur told me that he was Cy, a military general of the wizard kingdom."


    "But why did he attack you?" he asked, bewildered as to why anyone would come from the wizard kingdom just to attack Adrianna.


    Adrianna sighed. There were a lot of things that she had to discuss with him. "Dmitri, for now, you should focus on the council meeting."


    He looked deep into her eyes. She started rinsing his hair and said, "Once you are free, I will have a long talk with you to explain everything."


    Dmitri didn''t pester her.


    When he was ready, he went downstairs for the meeting. He saw that there were already several chiefs and other important men waiting for him. Cora was also present.


    As soon as Dmitri sat at the head chair, one of the chiefs started speaking. "Supreme alpha, ever since you married, we have been seeing bad omens. There was a huge fire in the center of the forest and many wild animals were affected. We think that it is a bad sign and we wish to call the shaman to resolve this."


    "Yes, the nature and our ancestors'' spirits demand a sacrifice. Only then will these bad omens leave us," chimed in another chief.


    "There was also torrential rain three day back, making it extremely difficult to hunt."


    Two of the chiefs, who had been very quiet earlier, looked at Cora. She nodded slightly and one of them said, "We went to consult a shaman and he had given us a solution which he says is the best solution anyone can think of. But... Supreme Alpha..."


    "What is it?" asked Cora strictly.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes at them as he doubted their reply. "Be careful of what you say."


    "Speak!" shouted Cora from across the room.


    "The shaman says that if your luna is sacrificed during the next full moon, we will be saved from all the miseries in the future." After saying that, the chief shifted in his chair.


    How dare you?" roared Dmitri as he stood up from his place. He marched towards that chief, held him by his neck, and forced him to stand up.


    "That is my wife you are talking about! If I hear you speak another word about her, I will pull that tongue out of your mouth." Dmitri''s face was red with anger. With a huge force, he lifted the chief into the air and threw him onto the ground. Dmitri placed his foot on the chief''s chest and said, "Don''t even show your face in my pack''s territory. Otherwise, I will murder you."


    Cora got up from her place and ordered Dmitri to leave the chief alone. "Dmitri, he is only concerned about the safety of all of us. It was just a suggestion to be considered. You must not treat him like this. Leave him alone."


    He glared at his mother and kicked the chief to the side. As far as Cora was concerned, she had sowed the seed of hatred against Adrianna within all of the chiefs present.


    Dmitri went and sat down on his chair again while the affected chief left the main hall in a huff. The chief looked at Cora as if trying to say that he would take revenge against her, but Cora knew that if she wanted, she could have him killed at any moment. Her main purpose was simply to put Adrianna in the bad books of as many chiefs as possible. It was only for this reason that she had called a council meeting which was to be attended by such a large number of chiefs. She had roped in an insignificant chief for the purpose of bringing up false information after promising him more territory.


    Cora was very satisfied with the outcome.


    For the next two hours, Dmitri busied himself with the other concerns of the chiefs. He was exhausted by the end of the meeting. He returned to his room where Adrianna was arranging her books. He smiled at her and said, "Adrianna, do you still want to go back to college?"

 Chapter 129 - I Will Not Allow You

    "Of course, I want to go back to college! That was never a question," said Adrianna with determination. "However, there are some important things that I have to tell you first."


    Dmitri tilted his head. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you planning to go back to the cottage with Ed just because you have to attend college? Because I won''t allow you."


    Adrianna chuckled. "No, but right now, I have to go somewhere else Dmitri."


    "Where?" he was intrigued, but was ready to say no to anywhere she had to go. He was too selfish to let her go anywhere.


    "Fleur has been asking me to visit the wizard kingdom��"


    "What? Why? What am I missing? That is a very dangerous place Adrianna! I will not allow you!" Dmitri was furious, anxious, and nervous altogether.


    Adrianna pursed her lips. How was she going to explain what had happened in the last few days?


    "Dmitri, you have to relax right now. I have called Fleur, Ed and Howard for a meeting over here in our room. It is very vital that you hear everything out before you freak out, okay?" Adrianna tried to reassure him. She could sense his apprehensiveness.


    "Who is Fleur?" he asked. Ever since he had woken up, no one had been straightforward with him. Adrianna had been waiting for the right time to tell him about Fleur and how Liam had come to save them.


    Dmitri became impatient. When he saw that Adrianna still wasn''t answering him, he growled and asked again. "Who is Fleur and what does she have to do with you going anywhere? Adrianna, answer my question."


    Adrianna didn''t know where to start. Everything had happened so fast that even her mind was boggled. She breathed in and then exhaled. She looked at him and said, "Dmitri, the wizard kingdom thinks that I am their long lost queen. I don''t know why�� I have to talk to Fleur about it��"


    Dmitri''s face was washed blank with confusion. His eyes widened and it looked as though his brain was unable to process the information. Every cell in his body froze before shock crept on his face. Words left him as he stared into her black eyes. He looked as if she had spoken a language he couldn''t understand. The moment she stopped talking, he latched onto the chair that was right next to him and sat down, trying to comprehend everything.


    His wife? The queen of the wizard kingdom?


    If that was true, then they would be separated again. He wasn''t ready to send her anywhere. That realization stabbed at his heart.


    "Adri, are you joking with me?" Then his voice turned menacing. "I won''t let you go anywhere!"


    She said, "Ever since they found out, they have been watching me and protecting me at all hours in the day��"


    Adrianna shook her head. "I don''t want to go anywhere Dmitri. I don''t think I can leave you anyways. So I have thought of a plan."


    She was about to spill her plan when there was a knock on the door. Dmitri shouted, "Whoever is there, come back later." He sounded so angry that even Adrianna was frightened.


    There was a slight coughing outside. Adrianna immediately knew who it was. She tried to pacify Dmitri by circling her arms around him. "That might be Fleur, Ed, and Howard�� Please don''t get agitated darling. Let''s think through this together to find the best solution."


    Adrianna stood up to open the door and Fleur came in, along with Ed and Howard. They all looked serious. When Dmitri saw the expressions on their faces, the first thing he did was to stand up in front of Adrianna as though warning them to stay away from her. His expression was that of a wounded alpha who would kill at the snap of a finger.


    Howard and Ed knew that Dmitri had to be dealt with very carefully.


    Adrianna peaked out from behind him and gave them a sheepish smile. "Please sit," she said as she pointed to the sofas near the glass windows. Then, she held Dmitri''s hand and led him to sit comfortably on the bed. She sat right next to him so that he wouldn''t get volatile. Even though she knew that Fleur and Howard could take on Dmitri if he turned violent, she wouldn''t let anyone touch him. It was better for her to calm his nerves first. Wolves had the tendency to quickly turn violent out of anger and Dmitri even more so as the supreme alpha.


    Fleur spoke first. "Isidorus has commanded me to take you to the wizard kingdom as soon as possible. You have declined it until now because Dmitri wasn''t well. Now that he is well, you must accompany me back as soon as possible."


    Dmitri glowered at Fleur. "You have the guts to talk to my luna like that? Stay within your lines!"

 Chapter 130 - Adriannas Past

    Fleur looked at Dmitri strangely. She understood the situation immediately. How could Dmitri know anything about her? Very patiently, she answered, "Dmitri, I am Fleur. I have been sent by the wizard kingdom to protect our queen until she wears her crown. Ever since we came to know that Adrianna is our queen, there has not been a day where the people of the kingdom have not wanted to see her. There is a lot of danger lurking here and it is extremely unsafe to say here. We have to take her back. She is one of ours."


    Dmitri started to get up from his place. "Shut up!"


    Adrianna stopped him. "Dmitri, wait!"


    Howard knew that it was a very sensitive matter and that it had to be handled with care. Fleur was too young and inexperienced to deal with it. He looked towards Ed for help.


    Ed nodded and said politely, "Dmitri, first hear us out before you make a decision, okay?"


    Dmitri settled down a bit and looked at Ed with a thousand questions in his eyes.


    Ed started narrating. "Adrianna is the daughter of Shira and Kuro. Shira was the queen of the wizard kingdom. She had come to the wolves'' territory to suppress a rebellion. Over here, she met Kuro. Kuro''s first wife had died after giving birth to their third child and he was, at that time, at a loss of a mate. When he met Shira, it was more of an attraction than love. Although for Shira, it was pure love, she didn''t know that Kuro was not interested in her until, one day, she found herself pregnant with his baby. Upon knowing that she was pregnant, Kuro abandoned her because he didn''t want illegitimate children. Shira could never go back to her kingdom because of the shame she had brought upon them. So she stayed in the wolves'' territory insignificantly until she gave birth to her child. She had informed me about her pregnancy because she trusted me. I was the one who had been informing her and helping her suppress the rebellion.


    "Shira continued with her pregnancy because she could not abort the child of her love. When Kuro came to know about it, he threatened to kill her, but he had forgotten that Shira was the queen; he couldn''t even touch her. Shira had planned to give birth to her baby and leave the child with me to return to her kingdom. However, nature had its ways. Unfortunately, Shira died after giving birth to the child. She had given me the responsibility of taking care of the baby. However, I was not capable of taking care of a baby since I was very unsettled during that time. So, I had only one option. I had handed the child to Kuro to take care of. Kuro was reluctant because he did not want to be reminded of Shira, but I had threatened him with dire consequences if he didn''t take her under his custody. What I threatened him with is another story for another day...


    "Kuro was thus forced to take you under his guardianship and rear you as his legitimate child.


    "The reason why Adrianna shines so much when she is happy and turns into a wolf involuntarily during the full moon is because the moon goddess, Selene, had been present during her birth to bless her.


    "For many years, the wizard kingdom had been sending teams to find Shira. Finally, they came to know that Shira had died after giving birth to a baby. So they started searching for her baby, who was now, by birth, the rightful ruler of their world."


    Ed stopped at this juncture and looked at Howard.


    Both Dmitri and Adrianna were listening to Ed with rapt attention. Even Adrianna hadn''t known so much about her past. "So I am not entirely blood related to my siblings?... This is the reason why Kuro dislikes me so much? Grandfather, why didn''t you tell me all this earlier? I had to undergo so much heartache... I had always wondered why I looked so different compared to my siblings..."


    Dmitri enveloped her in his embrace. "Shh��"


    Howards looked at Adrianna and Dmitri. "Adrianna, even I didn''t know that you were our queen. Ed had been extremely tight-lipped about it because he was also uncertain of whether or not you were the future ruler of the wizard kingdom. Kuro hated you a lot and hence, when you were younger, Ed had to settle down and bring you to his cottage to take care of you. Kuro had always been afraid that you would usurp his title anytime because you were far more powerful than any of his sons. By hating you, he kept you at bay. Emotionally torturing you was the best way he could keep you away from himself, as well as his sons. The only thing he didn''t expect was that while fighting against Dmitri, Dmitri would imprint on you. He tried his best to bring Kayla into the picture, but he had failed miserably. This only proves one thing �C Kuro is undoubtedly scared of you."


    "I only wanted them to love me�� I had been so starved of their love�� I didn''t know that there were so many vicious plans going on��" Adrianna started becoming gripped by a feeling of despair.

 Chapter 131 - I Can’t Leave Dmitri

    Howard exhaled hot air and continued. "Adrianna, your magic is too powerful. No one in the wizard kingdom had expected that someone in the wolves'' territory could use magic. At first, we dismissed it as just a rumor, but when one of our people spotted strong magic around Ed''s cottage, Isidorus sent us to check on it. Isidorus is the guardian of the crown of the wizard kingdom. Because of him, every attempt at a coup had been put down.


    "Cy, the wizard you met in the center of the forest, was the highest military general of the wizard kingdom. He is a very powerful wizard and because of that, he had mistakenly believed that the crown should belong to him. He wanted to kill you to take your place. However, the fact that he didn''t kill you immediately and instead wanted to abduct you means that he has dangerous intentions."


    Howard looked down as goose bumps lined his skin. He couldn''t even begin to imagine what Cy had planned to do if he had been able to capture Adrianna.


    Then, he looked up at Dmitri and said, "Fleur is my daughter. She has been assigned to keep a watch on Adrianna at all times. Our team of witches and wizards are also patrolling this area, but you won''t be able to see them; they are in invisible mode. You must send Adrianna to the wizard kingdom as soon as possible for her to claim her crown. Please be assured that we will keep her safe."


    Dmitri became flustered as he listened to everything that was being unraveled before him. His hold on Adrianna tightened. What would happen if she went away? Would they be separated? He wouldn''t be able to have a moment''s peace without her. However, if he stopped her, wouldn''t he be denying her the real place she belonged to? The ache in his heart grew.


    Adrianna closed her eyes and mentally communicated to him, "Dmitri, don''t worry. Stay calm."


    Before she could say anything, Howard said, "If you like, we can take Dmitri with us."


    "Uncle Howard, I would like to renounce the throne."


    All three of them looked at her, totally shocked!


    When Ed found his voice, he shouted, "Are you insane? They had waited on you for so many years and you choose to waste their efforts by saying that one sentence? Are you such a coward that just because of Dmitri you will renounce your claim?"


    "Don''t shout at Adrianna," warned Dmitri.


    Howard stopped Ed. Then, he turned to Adrianna. "Adrianna, the crown doesn''t accept a ruler easily. There were several who had tried to wear it. The crown clutches itself to a ruler in a way that it becomes their extended brain. It injects its metal into the ruler''s brain and becomes one with the ruler. Those who try to wear it out of greed can''t bear the pain and even before it clutches them, they experience such excruciating pain that they have to spend a long time recovering.


    "I firmly believe that the crown will accept you. In case it doesn''t, you are free to go."


    Howard stopped at looked up at her expectantly.


    "What happens if the crown accepts me?" she asked.


    "You have to stay there as our queen," he answered with a glint in his eyes.


    "I don''t want to stay away from Dmitri and I still want to attend my college, so I am sorry, but I will not go," said Adrianna with determination.


    There was a smile on Dmitri''s lips. He said, "Adrianna will be well protected here too. So all of you may leave."


    Howard couldn''t believe his ears. People had died for that throne! Cy had gone missing and Isidorus had been protecting that throne for the real leader for so long. And what was all that for? For their real leader to give it up! "Perhaps you think that we were joking when we said that have been looking for our queen for the past twenty years. Perhaps you think that Cy, the most powerful wizard in the wizard kingdom, fought with you just because he felt like having fun with you!


    "Adrianna how can you treat us with such boorishness? Amongst all the realms on this earth, we are the most powerful, and yet, you choose to be so impudent?" Howard was roaring out of anger by the time he finished.


    Adrianna and Dmitri looked at him wide-eyed. He was right, but they were bound to each other. It was impossible to comprehend which was the best decision in this situation.


    "You need to come with us Adrianna��" added Fleur.


    Adrianna lowered her head. She said, "I am sorry�� I can''t leave Dmitri��"


    Unable to convince her, Howard and Fleur got up angrily and left the room while Ed stayed back.


    "I need you to think this through carefully Adri�� You just can''t just choose to anger Isidorus. The wizard kingdom is way too powerful for any of us to bear its wrath. I''ll leave you alone for now, but I want your answer by tomorrow morning. In case you chose not to go, you must give a solution as to how you will protect the wolves'' from the wrath of Isidorus. Remember, if you do not go, Dmitri''s problems would only increase."

 Chapter 132 - The Shaman

    Ed left the couple''s room and Adrianna and Dmitri were left to themselves. While Adrianna was very clear with her stand, Dmitri was having doubts. How could he not let his wife claim her rightful title? Was he so selfish? He looked at her as she sat, looking outside in a pensive mood.


    "Adri, there are so many things on your mind��"


    She looked outside into the garden and saw that her pet was giving a hard time to all the servants. It had become chilly and he refused to take a bath. He was currently running around while they all chased him. She started laughing.


    "Dmitri, you should love our pet. This little guy was presented to me by Ed and ever since, we''ve been together. It has been only a few weeks that I have had him and I love him so much... How could my father not love me? I have been with him ever since I was born. Was there not even a shred of love from his side? His lust for power even surpassed any emotions he may have had for me. I have no idea how to look at him now�� He abandoned my mother and left her to take care of herself�� Dmitri, how can I ever show my mother just how much I am indebted to her�� Just to bring me into this world, she gave up her life��"


    Adrianna stopped speaking as the words got choked up her throat. Dmitri stroked her hair lovingly.


    When she found her voice again, her expression was serious as she said, "I will take revenge on Kuro. Not because he never took a liking for me, but because he left my mother to die."


    Dmitri kissed her hair and said, "Do you want me to kill him?"


    "No, that would be too easy on him��" She started forming her plans.


    She looked outside again to see that her cub had finally been caught. The servants were currently giving him a bath. Strangely, he was enjoying it. She applauded him for being a good boy, but he smirked and communicated, "This is warm water. Otherwise I would have given them a tough time." Adrianna laughed again.


    It was already late in the night. After having dinner, they went to bed, but Dmitri couldn''t sleep well. He kept tossing and turning. How could he restrict his wife only because he didn''t want to be separated from her? He was also concerned that if she didn''t go, the wizard kingdom may take it as an insult and attack the wolves'' territory. What kind of a supreme alpha would he be if he only thought of his wife and not his people?


    It was in the middle of the night while he was still thinking about the situation when he heard noises outside the palace gates.


    He went to peek from the balcony and found that his mother and Keisha were downstairs with a few guards near the palace entrance. Without waking up Adrianna, he went downstairs to inspect. When he got closer to them, he saw that they had called a shaman inside the gates and that the shaman had started a large fire. He was chanting spells to invoke the spirits. Angered at his mother, he stopped the shaman.


    "What are you doing?" he roared. "Get out of here right now!"


    "No. hHe is here because he thinks that there is great danger surrounding our kingdom," Cora shouted back. "He will finish performing this ritual before he goes!"


    "Mother, it is the middle pf the night. Go back to sleep. We don''t need foolish rituals here," yelled Dmitri back at her.


    The shaman cringed. He started leaving when Cora stopped him. "No, you can''t-"


    She stopped mid-sentence when she saw that Adrianna had come out to see the chaos.


    The shaman looked at Adrianna and slowly moved closer to her. "This is the danger that is lurking around this place. The spirits demand her sacrifice." Then, the shaman turned to Cora and said, "You must sacrifice this girl or give her to me; I will sacrifice her in my cave."


    Adrianna rolled her eyes. This duo just wouldn''t stop with their foolish antics. She pointed a finger at the shaman and asked, "Who are you?" A truth spell was released from her finger.


    "I am the mighty sham-" All of a sudden, the shaman felt as though he was being forced to speak the truth. "I am a peasant that was paid to act like a shaman."


    Cora''s face puffed up as though bees had stung her. "Shut up!"


    The shaman looked at her and became quiet. But Adrianna continued, "What was your motive?"


    "I was asked to sacrifice you," said the peasant, slapping his cheek as if to wake up from a dream.


    Adrianna started laughing. She looked at Cora and Keisha and then asked, "Cora, did you ask him to tell Dmitri to sacrifice me?"


    "What nonsense! Dmitri, you must control your wife. She is going astray!" Cora shouted. "I am sure this shaman was sent on popular demand after today''s council meeting incident."


    Before Cora could say anything else, she found her mind completely fuddled. It was as though she had forgotten how to speak. Keisha looked at her and remembered her own predicament that day in front of the wives of the chiefs. Cora was unable to speak a word. "Aaa��" was all that came out from her mouth.


    Then, Adrianna looked at the shaman and said, "Since you are an imposter, what kind of punishment do you choose for yourself?"


    "You can send me to the guillotines," replied the shaman, once again slapping his cheek as though trying to stop his mouth from speaking. He was puzzled as to why was he telling the truth.


    Keisha quietly took Cora away from there. Dmitri was left wondering as to who could have done this nonsense, but he was ninety percent sure that it was on his mother''s behest.


    Adrianna turned to Dmitri and held his hand. She pulled him back to the bedroom. "Let us sleep baby. Don''t think too much��"


    He looked at Adrianna and asked, "Was that magic?"


    She nodded.


    "Is it as easy as it seems for you to do magic?"


    She nodded again.


    "Then you should go and claim the throne Adrianna."

 Chapter 133 - Purpose Needs To Be Fulfilled

    They had reached the bedroom by the time Dmitri spoke those words. Adrianna let go of his hand and froze on the spot. "You want me to leave you and go away?" she asked, afraid that he had became weary of the fact that she had used magic on his mother.


    Dmitri shook his head, "No Adrianna, it''s not that. You are the rightful owner of that throne. You must claim it. I don''t want my wife to be reduced to a housewife just because of my greediness. Yes, I am very greedy when it comes to you, but I have no right to hold you back from your destiny. What happened just now was just a sample of just how much you are deserving of that crown. Your mother died to give birth to you. You owe this to her. You came into this world with a purpose... and that purpose needs to be fulfilled."


    Adrianna shook her head as she retracted her steps. She ran away while shouting, "No Dmitri! I will not leave you. You promised me that you will stay with me forever."


    Dmitri watched her run and then followed her. It was already early in the morning and the birds had started chirping. He came outside to find her sitting by a brook that flowed at the rear end of the palace. Stars were still up in the sky and he caught her gazing at them absent-mindedly. It was very chilly so she had wrapped her arms around her to keep herself warm. Dmitri walked up to her and hugged her from behind. Then, he opened his fur coat and wrapped her inside, enveloping her in his body heat as well as the warmth of the coat.


    "Adri..." he said tenderly.


    "I don''t want to go. We just found each other Dmitri. Can''t we just spend some time with each other?" she asked, hiding her face in his chest.


    He exhaled hot air and said, "I would hate to leave you baby, but let''s just do this and get it over with. It is possible that the crown rejects you and then no one will have a reason to interfere anymore��"


    Adrianna looked up at his beautiful face and smiled. "Yes, that could be possible."


    "Then don''t wait. Go there today and get it done with," he communicated mentally. She chuckled.


    Together, they stood at the edge of the brook for a long time before going back to the bedroom while holding hands. They slept for some time and Dmitri held Adrianna tightly all the while as though she was leaving forever and this was his last chance to be with her. His insides were all knotted and the idea of staying away from her gnawed at him. For the first time in his life, he felt as though a part of his soul was going to leave him... and it hurt - it hurt so badly. "What will I do without you Adri��" he whispered.


    He had a very disturbed sleep. When he woke up, he found that Adrianna wasn''t in the room. "Has she gone? Has she left me?" With those thoughts, he ran out of the room to find her. When he came downstairs, he found that the servants were all talking in hushed tones. He looked at them and demanded to know what was going on.


    The servants jumped in fright at the sound of his booming voice. One of them came forward and said, "Master there is a large army of witches and wizards surrounding the palace. Your luna is outside with them. Everybody is scared. Master, you must go and take a look."


    Dmitri rushed out. His apprehensions were becoming true by the minute. She would leave him soon. When he went outside, he saw that there was indeed a large number of witches and wizards standing around. The palace garden had been converted into a human bastion. Adrianna was standing at the entrance of the main door talking with Fleur and Howard. Dmitri walked over and stood next to her.


    "What is your decision Adrianna?" asked Howard.


    Fleur looked at her with anxiety. She waited for her answer with baited breath. Isidorus had asked them to bring Adrianna, even if she disagreed to come, and that meant they had to use a lot of force.


    "Why are there more witches and wizards flying around this area? You are disturbing the peace of the werewolves that live here! Remove them at once!" she shouted at them.


    "I am sorry Adrianna, but this is just a precaution in case you don''t agree to come with us," replied Fleur softly.


    "If I disagree, then no amount of force can take me anywhere against my will. Always remember that," said Adrianna gently but strictly.


    Howard and Fleur flinched. They were well aware of the fact that she was extremely powerful and that the only reason she wasn''t going was because of Dmitri. They looked at Dmitri who was standing right next to her.


    He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Adrianna, we already decided this in the morning."


    She sighed. "I will go with you guys��"


    Howard and Fleur became so excited that they Fleur even clapped her hands. All their trepidations had come to an end with her simple agreement.


    "But I have a condition," Adrianna interrupted their excitement.


    "What is it?" asked Howard, becoming worried.


    "I want Dmitri to come with me."

 Chapter 134 - Vikras Attack (1)

    The neotides had been extremely vigilant lately. As soon as they came to know that Adrianna was the queen the wizard kingdom had been looking for, they informed Vikra. Vikra had been feeding on the souls of the humans which had been gathered for him to feed upon when this news was given to him. He started laughing and, soon, his laughter became more like that of a madman. Reese had been standing in the same chambers as Vikra and when she heard the news, she also smiled.


    "Find out where they are headed," he ordered Reese as he continued to feed on a soul as it shouted in agony and misery.


    All the men whose souls Vikra fed upon would become lifeless. And if their bodies were able to sustain the pain, they would become zombies who had no direction in life. His army included those zombies and over the past few years, they had been growing in numbers.


    Two very highly trained neotides were dispatched to find out the information. Having been trained, they could control their innate desires to relentlessly attack humans and werewolves. When they reached the blue moon pack territory, they sneaked into the palace gates with several others when the wizards and witches made a large commotion to bring Adrianna back to their kingdom.


    They reported back to Vikra with the information.


    ---


    When Adrianna suggested that Dmitri was to also go with her, Dmitri was shocked. "I can''t go Adrianna. I have been away from the werewolves'' territory for a long time now. There are way too many important matters out here that have to be dealt with."


    Nate intervened, "Sorry Adrianna, but he needs to be here. There are five chiefs who have already gathered forces to attack us according to our reports."


    "Why?" asked Adrianna, shocked.


    "It seems that two that were insulted by Dmitri have joined forces with three dissidents and now they are planning an attack."


    She looked sadly at Dmitri and said, "Then let us wait until you fight with them. I will join your side in the battle��"


    "We don''t have that kind of time Adrianna," said Howard, feeling very irritated by her stubbornness. Why was she clinging to Dmitri so much? He could never understand the ways of the werewolf world. Why were mates so crazy about each other? Why were they so in love with each other? Was it the soul bond or the marking?


    "You have to come now! And if you want, we can leave some of our people behind to help Dmitri," said Howard, offering a solution.


    As soon as he said that, Dmitri felt as though Adrianna was leaving him forever. At that point in time, his guard was down and Nate could easily hear his thoughts. Although Dmitri didn''t say a word, Adrianna caught his hand and squeezed it hard.


    Nate shook his head and smiled at the two of them. "Let''s go and talk inside," he said to Adrianna and Dmitri.


    They walked inside. When they were alone, Nate suggested, "Dmitri, in my opinion, you should go with Adrianna and I will look after this rebellion."


    "I can''t leave you all alone Nate," replied Dmitri.


    "Howard has offered us an excellent solution. If we get the help of the wizards and witches, the dissidents will be scared for a long time and, who knows, maybe they''ll just quickly surrender," replied Nate.


    Dmitri shook his head. Nate continued, "If you stay here, then Howard won''t leave any of his people here. Currently, with the situation we are in, it seems that Howard is not going to take a negative answer. I think the situation with them is very urgent. Otherwise. why would they send such a huge army to protect Adrianna?


    "Let us not brood over this anymore. You should go with Adrianna. However, you must ensure that Howard leaves at least five of his people behind."


    Then, Nate looked at Adrianna and said with a smile, "It would have been fun to fight the battle with you on our side Adrianna."


    Adrianna smiled and lowered her head. She looked at Dmitri.


    It was thus decided that Dmitri would accompany Adrianna to the wizard kingdom. and that five of Howard''s wizards were supposed to stay back until the war with the dissidents concluded.


    As soon as it was decided, without wasting any time, Dmitri to his mother who was still recuperating from the magic spell cast on her by Adrianna. He stroked her head with affection and said, "Don''t meddle with Adrianna. She is too powerful to be stopped by our kind��" But Cora was not in a state to understand anything. He turned to look at Keisha and glared at her. She flinched under his glance. Without speaking to her, he left.


    Even though it was not required, Nate forms a group of ten werewolves who would accompany Dmitri and Adrianna. He knew that Dmitri often blocked him out and so with ten of them around him, he would be able to get some information about his alpha and luna.


    An hour later, all of the departed from the blue moon pack''s territory.

 Chapter 135 - Vikras Attack (2)

    Vikra knew that once Adrianna stepped foot in the wizard kingdom, he wouldn''t be able to touch her. So his only chance to abduct her was to catch her before she got to the wizard kingdom. Hence, it was important for him to know which route was she taking.


    The neotides informed him that the entire group was going to fly back to the wizard kingdom. This was the loophole he had been waiting for.


    ---


    Before leaving, Fleur wanted to meet Liam as not meeting him was making her sad. She wanted to see him and was unable to understand as to why she missed him so. Her logical brain wasn''t functioning well whenever it came to Liam. She thought of sneaking around and finding Liam, but was caught by Ed.


    "Where are you going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.


    She was taken aback by his question and said, "I was going to meet Father."


    "But your father is standing right here," replied Ed, even more bemused. "You should prepare to leave."


    "Yes Uncle," she replied as she left to return to her team, inwardly cursing him. Her eyes kept darting around to find Liam.


    Adrianna had requested for Fleur to fly with her so that she could experience the feeling of flying. Dmitri and Ed decided to shape shift and run the distance.


    Howard was extremely restless about this decision. He wanted to create a portal and immediately take them all through. However, just because of Adrianna''s insistence, they had to fly. He wanted to just get it over with, but the youngsters were always looking for new adventures. That aspect was what made him furious. He tried to put his logic out there, but they insisted on wanting to fly on their brooms. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed.


    ---


    Vikra knew that he had only a matter of a few hours for him to attack the convoy and take the girl. However, he didn''t know which route they were taking. Wizards and witches were clever people - who would know their personality better than him. It was possible that they would never take the route that was publically announced. The forest was huge and it would be extremely difficult for him to scan through it.


    He was expecting his people to find Cy as soon as possible. He had already heard about Cy''s defeat at the hands of the queen. He had never imagined just how powerful this child could be, and now that he knew, the sheer thought of holding her in the palm of his hands sent thrills throughout his body. With her on his side, he would be the most powerful man of the three realms.


    The neotides found Cy in an abandoned cave. He had amputated his arm was lying unconscious. The three wizards whom he had escaped with were trying to bring him back to consciousness. The neotides offered their help and tactfully lured them back to Vikra''s place. Once they reached Vikra''s place, Cy was taken to the special hall for healing purposes.


    Vikra was informed of the situation so he went to see Cy. The three wizards who were with Cy were frightened as soon as they saw Vikra approaching them. Vikra looked so cold and devoid of life that even one look at him would make it feel as though your life had been sucked out. Vikra had no eyes and only hollow holes, yet it seemed as though he was staring at all of them. He floated in the air with his tattered robe flying behind him.


    The three wizards immediately stood up to guard themselves and Cy. But Vikra just moved closer and coldly inspected them by moving around them as they found themselves rooted to the ground and unable to move a muscle.


    "Who are they?" he asked in his trademark whisper tone.


    "They were with Cy," replied Reese.


    Vikra moved closer to Cy and brushed his bony finger against Cy''s arm. The arm was miraculously healed within a few minutes but instead of a hand, there was now a metal rod that extended out of the joint. The three wizards were dumbfounded.


    Cy regained consciousness almost immediately. He got up from his place, shocked to see an unfamiliar surrounding before his gaze fell on Vikra who was staring at Cy with interest.


    Cy was appalled by Vikra and tried to raise his hand to cast magic, but was met with the same treatment as his accomplices.


    Vikra started speaking to Cy. His voice was so low that Cy had to focus to hear it.


    "Cy�� I know you want the crown of the wizard kingdom��"


    Vikra released the magic spell that he had cast on Cy.


    "Who are you?" asked Cy as soon as he was released.


    "I am Vikra�� I can get that kingdom for you�� but I need something in exchange��"


    Cy had never felt so strange in his life. Although he was shocked to see Vikra, he felt an assurance in his words.


    "What do you want?"


    "I need Adrianna��"

 Chapter 136 - Vikras Attack (3)

    A coalition with Cy would be extremely fruitful because Cy had insider information on the wizard kingdom, especially on the wizard kingdom''s strategies. The only problem was that Vikra had to make Cy believe that he was the right person for Cy to place his trust in considering the current situation.


    Even though Cy was tempted to ask why Vikra needed Adrianna, he didn''t ask; all he was interested in was the wizard kingdom.


    He asked, "How can I be assured that you only want Adrianna? Because I want her dead and if want Adrianna, then you might protect her."


    Vikra smirked and whispered, "I will not protect her, but I will keep her alive as my captive. You see, she is the only person in this world whose soul can fuel me for my entire life. She has so much energy that I can come back to life. So you can have the kingdom, but I will have Adrianna."


    Cy started laughing. He looked at Vikra and thought that if he had known Vikra beforehand, he would have easily gotten the kingdom already. "Where have you been all this time?" he asked Vikra as he started laughing in a most sinister way. His three companions joined in with his laughter.


    "Fine. I will help you Vikra," said Cy, amused at his luck. He waved his iron hand in the air and inspected whether it was properly fixed or not. After fiddling with it a bit, he found that it felt just like having an actual arm. It seemed as though his arm had actually regrown itself naturally "What do you want to know?"


    "What route will Howard and Fleur take to go back to the wizard kingdom?"


    ---


    Adrianna insisted that Dmitri also flew with her. She wanted him to experience everything that she would experience. So while Adrianna was flying with Fleur, Dmitri flew with Howard. Ed was in no mood to fly on those brooms as he found them too uncomfortable, but on Adrianna''s insistence, even he flew with one of the wizards whom he kept shouting at for not flying smoothly ever since they had taken off. Rather than enjoying it, Ed was scared that he would fall. How can a thin stick possibly fly with the weight of two people!


    Eventually, after constant bickering with the wizard whom he was flying with, he decided to shape shift and run. He even shouted at Howard and asked for Howard to create the portal and let him go directly to the wizard kingdom, but Adrianna kept on laughing at her grandfather and teasing him. "Grandfather, you old man!"


    "Adrianna, I want to go back to the cottage!" he shouted at her, provoked by her sentence.


    Adrianna laughed again. She was really enjoying the flight. "I won''t let you go anywhere Grandfather!"


    Dmitri, on the other hand, also disliked the new method of commuting. He agreed with Ed and they decided to shape shift and run instead of flying.


    It was not long after that Adrianna wished to join him. She asked Fleur to take her to her alpha. Fleur smiled and dived her broom in Dmitri''s direction. How she wished that Liam was there with her. She felt stupid for even thinking about it, but she couldn''t shirk off the longing feeling no matter how hard she tried - a realization which only made her sadder inside.


    As they neared the werewolves'' pack, she noticed a familiar looking wolf. Instead of flying towards Dmitri, she stopped her broom right in front of that wolf, making him suddenly stop in his tracks, resulting in him tumbling a few meters away while she watched him with shock and pleasant surprise.


    Fleur dismounted her broom and ran towards that wolf, leaving Adrianna to herself on her broom. The broom only recognized its master and started behaving wildly like a mad horse, making Adrianna fall down onto the ground with a loud thud.


    "Ouch!" she shouted, making her alpha turn in her direction as soon as he heard her cry.


    As soon as Fleur dismounted her broom, she ran to meet Liam and hurled herself over him with such force that he winced in pain. "Liam!" she exclaimed. "I thought I wouldn''t see you again!"


    Liam growled as he got up and then nuzzled into her tummy. Then he sat down for her to mount him. Without thinking twice, Fleur jumped on Liam and they took off. Her broom rushed behind her owner. All of sudden, Fleur remembered Adrianna and she became panicky for having left the queen alone in her excitement. She asked Liam to turn back, only to see that an angry Adrianna was coming towards them while riding her alpha. Dmitri stopped in front of them and growled angrily.


    "I am very sorry!" said Fleur as Liam wondered what had happened.


    He mentally communicated to Liam, "Ask your girlfriend to be careful with my mate!"


    "She is not my girlfriend anymore, we will marry soon!"

 Chapter 137 - Vikras Attack (4)

    Using his hand that was still intact, Cy chalked out the route that they were supposed to take to get back if they were flying back. Fine white lines appeared in front of him. He named every part of the forest that they go through. Although Vikra knew the forest like the back of his hand, Reese didn''t know and so the route that Cy had created in the air was extremely important for her. As Reese studied the route, Cy addressed his concerns to Vikra. "I know a lot about the wizard kingdom, and I know that you are already aware of it, but the point is that I will only give enough information as needed from time to time. You will have to take care of me. When the time comes, I will also have my family here."


    "I agree��" said Vikra as he floated out of the hall, leaving Reese behind to study the route in detail. As soon as she had read through it properly, she left the hall and went to find Vikra.


    "We don''t have much time," she said in an urgent tone.


    "Gather five thousand neotides and take them to the place from which the wizards will enter the kingdom. You will stay on the ground and lead the neotides. I will take them in the air." After saying that, Vikra started laughing. It had been a long time since he had fought a battle with his kind.


    ---


    As the werewolves'' pack ran on the ground, the wizards and witches flew above them at the werewolves'' speed even though they could fly faster in order to shield them from any untoward situations. At one point of time, Ed became restless and communicated to Adrianna that they should go the kingdom through a portal. Both Ed and Howard were eager to see Adrianna''s coronation.


    But Adrianna was reluctant. She disagreed with him and continued to ride her alpha. She could also shape shift and run with him, but riding Dmitri was better. She snuggled herself into his fur as he ran with her sitting atop him.


    "How am I going to see you if the crown accepts you?" he asked.


    "Let us cheat and make the crown believe that I am not the queen," she replied as she hugged him tighter.


    "Can we do that?"


    "Hmm�� let''s think of a plan."


    "Why don''t we just turn around go back?"


    "I would love to Dmitri��"


    As they were talking, they heard loud growls from afar as though thousands of wolves had gathered at a place.


    Fleur told Liam to communicate to Dmitri that they would reach the periphery of the wizard kingdom in about ten minutes. As Liam communicated this to him, Fleur''s attention was diverted by the rumbling of the ground a far distance away.


    ---


    They were less than ten minutes away from the wizard kingdom when the wizards and witches saw a ghostly figure standing in front of them. Howard raised his hand to halt their movements.


    "Vikra!" Howard shouted. "Go away or we will make sure to take you with us back to the wizard kingdom and imprison you."


    Vikra laughed a hollow laugh and pointed to the neotide army below. Howard looked down below and was shocked to see that thousands of neotides were running towards the werewolf pack that was still running on the ground. Howard''s skin was lined with goosebumps.


    "Give me Adrianna!" Vikra whispered. His whisper was audible to everyone.


    Howard was quick to realize that Vikra was trying to entangle them and detain them with conversation. He threw a large bundle of blue light at Vikra to make the air hazy. He turned to his team and asked them to deal with Vikra as he tilted his broom towards the ground. He signaled for ten wizards to follow him. Although he was approaching the ground at a very high speed, the neotides were also quickly nearing the werewolves.


    Adrianna and Dmitri could sense that something was wrong. All the werewolves surrounded their queen and alpha as they kept running forward while Fleur followed just above them. She released her broom into the air and it started flying parallel to the ground. Then, she stood on Liam''s back and hopped from his back to mount her broom.


    She created a mist around them so that no one could see them. She wasn''t able to comprehend as to where was this noise coming from. They must have been only five minutes away from the territory when suddenly she saw Howard flying towards them, followed by ten wizards.


    Before she could question him, all the werewolves stopped. She looked in front of her and her eyes became wide. There were thousands of neotides in front of them and they were slowly closing in on them from all sides.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes as she dismounted Dmitri who came and stood by her side. How dare they? Her attention was then brought to the skies where she saw bolts of blue, red, and white lights being thrown around, making the skies gray.

 Chapter 138 - Vikras Attack (5)

    Confused about the events that were taking place in front of her, Adrianna asked Fleur, "What is happening? Why are there so many neotides here?"


    Fleur was confused herself. "What are neotides?" she asked Adrianna.


    Adrianna was at too much of a loss of words to explain anything to Fleur right now. Her first priority was to defend herself and everyone with her.


    Adrianna and Dmitri were both shocked at the presence of such a large number of neotides. Why would they attack them all of a sudden? What had instigated them? They saw that Howard was flying towards them at a very high speed. As soon as Howard reached them, he looked at Ed and said, "Vikra is attacking."


    Ed was so angry that he shape shifted back into a human. His face scrunched as he looked towards the neotides who were growling at them and readying for an attack. Most of them had shape shifted into wolves while a few of them were still in their human forms.


    "How did he know?" asked Ed.


    "He is demanding Adrianna."


    "Who is Vikra?" asked Adrianna, puzzled at how serious Howard and her grandfather''s tones were.


    "Adri, I will tell you later, but for now, you have to keep yourself safe as we take care of these neotides," said Ed, preparing to run into the pack of neotides. Ed wanted to throw himself at the neotides in order to divert their attention. "The moment I distract them, Howard, you should create a portal and take them all out of here. Vikra is not going to be easy to deal with, especially with so little backup."


    Ed was prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of Adrianna, but Howard was against it. "No Ed! Stay here. I will take on the neotides."


    "There is no time to argue," Ed shouted back. The neotides were getting dangerously close.


    Adrianna looked up at the sky. The situation looked terrifying. There were death-defying spells being cast all over. She saw that Ed had already started running towards the neotides.


    Ed leapt into the air to attack the neotides, but instead of going forward, he found himself being thrown back by a huge thrust of wind. It was as if he had been struck by a typhoon. Startled, he stood up, only to see that Adrianna was kneeling on one knee in the center with one hand in the air and the other on the ground. She had garnered enough energy to create a typhoon surrounding all of them. She was looking down but when she lifted her face, Ed could see that her eyes had turned yellow like that of a wolf and she was growling menacingly. The neotides that tried to come near the circle of wind were being thrown out.


    Ed smiled. His grandchild��


    Howard, Fleur, and the other wizards, witches and werewolves were all amazed by her. Dmitri felt proud and admired her quick thinking. He had seen her create this circle the first time he saw her. As all of them were standing in awe when Ed shouted at them, "Her energy will not last forever. You have to quickly create the portal."


    High up in the air, Vikra could easily defeat the wizards and witches that had surrounded him from all sides. He shouted, "Which one of you is Adrianna?"


    A witch shouted back, "We all are Adrianna."


    Vikra was so furious at her that he threw a death spell on her. It was very potent, killing her instantly Immediately, he was surrounded by a large amount of lights, each carrying a lethal spell. The problem was that none of those spells worked on him. Although they stopped him for some time, they could never kill him. All the lethal light and energy just passed through him; there was no way to kill something that had already died years ago.


    While fighting off their spells, Vikra looked down towards the neotides that he had sent to kill the werewolves. He was in for a surprise when he saw that there was a huge typhoon-like energy being created which was throwing out every neotide that tried to enter it. Baffled and intrigued at the same time, he managed to escape from the battlefield in the sky and headed down.


    Adrianna''s energy was depleting fast because the force she had created around her was too large. Every time a neotide was thrown away, she could feel her energy being depleted. Howard quickly created a portal and, one by one, they all started going through it.


    When Vikra got closer to the ground, he noticed that the wind''s intensity was dying down. However, he refrained from going in it for the fear that his body, which was only bones right now, would rip apart.


    "Attack! All of you!" he ordered the neotides.


    As soon as he gave his command, the neotides started throwing themselves at the circle. Vikra noticed that the intensity of the wind continued to lessen further. He smiled viciously and asked his force to continue to go inside the circle.


    The wizards and witches that had been fighting him in the sky came after him. They started creating havoc amongst the neotides. They targeted all those who tried to pierce the circle because they knew that the circle had their queen inside. Although they didn''t know how it had been created, they defended it with their lives.

 Chapter 139 - Vikras Attack (6)

    Through the portal Howard had created, Ed, along with some werewolves and witches, were able to safely leave. In the end, only Dmitri, Adrianna, Liam, Fleur, Howard, and three other werewolves were left.


    Adrianna growled at Dmitri, "Go through that portal while I am still able to hold this down."


    He refused, "No Adri, I will stay with you."


    She looked at the others but none of them agreed to go.


    Howard understood that her energy was depleting. He realized that they would be able to go only until while Adrianna is inside the circle, but for how long would she be able to maintain it? Moreover, the moment the circle breaks, the neotides would attack them. It was a very strange situation �C they could not leave Adrianna but they were also aware that Adrianna could never enter the portal under this situation.


    "Adrianna, stop!" shouted Howard. "It''s of no use now. We have to fight the neotides."


    In a split second, she understood the meaning of his request and brought herself to stop the flow of energy within her. The circle started fading and the neotides immediately started entering. Adrianna was feeling extremely tired. She staggered a little and Dmitri ran to hold her. He held her in his arms tightly as like how someone would hold their most precious thing. She fainted and a feeling of despair enveloped him. He looked at Howard. They needed to create that portal now, but they were afraid that the neotides might enter the portal as well.


    Fleur created the mist around them again. She pointed to Dmitri, telling him to run into the forest. Along with Liam and Fleur, Dmitri ran to the forest whilst carrying Adrianna in his arms. The neotides followed them in hordes, but with Fleur''s spells, most of them collapsed even before they could touch them and the ones that deflected the spell were caught by Liam who would rip them apart. They must have run for only five minutes, when Fleur saw an opportunity to create a portal. She looked at Dmitri and shouted "Now!"


    A round portal with thousands of flowers around it was created and Dmitri jumped into it with Adrianna in his arms, followed by Liam and Fleur. A neotide tried to enter it, but the portal closed on half of his body. He was cut into pieces automatically. Other neotides could only see the half of his body that hadn''t entered the portal.


    In the meanwhile, Vikra entered the fading circle as its intensity became weaker. He could only see one wizard and three werewolves fighting off the neotides.


    Howad was finding it more and more difficult to hold back the sea of neotides that was never ending. The werewolves with him were also badly injured. When he saw Vikra nearing him, he was genuinely afraid. He sent a signal to all the wizards, who still hadn''t left, to disappear immediately. In a moment, all of them were sucked into a vortex, leaving the neotides, who were fighting with them, baffled. It was as though one moment they were fighting them and the next moment there was nothing but thin air.


    Vikra got closer to Howard and threw a "Napanuw!" spell at him to paralyze his muscles. Vikra wanted to capture Howard. Howard deflected the spell as he jumped over the werewolf right next to him. In the next second, Vikra saw that the wizard and the werewolf were sucked into a vortex. His anger had no bounds. He was so furious that he killed the two werewolves that were still left. All his plans had been foiled just like that.


    He ordered the neotides to retreat. He had a lot of punishments to give out. He looked at Reese.


    When Fleur closed the portal, she saw that half of the body of the neotide who had followed them had been thrown inside the wizard kingdom. Appalled by the sight, she threw a spell to burn it and, within minutes, it was charred beyond recognition.


    Dmitri and Liam found themselves atop a hill that was lush green with vegetation all around it. There was a light breeze blowing around them. Liam circled Fleur''s shoulders as Dmitri tightened his hold on Adrianna. They had arrived at the second realm.


    Fleur understood that Adrianna needed immediate care. On an impulse, she pressed the leaf in her hand and, within minutes, ten witches came and surrounded them.


    "Where is the queen?" one of them asked.


    Fleur pointed her chin to Adrianna who was still unconscious and within Dmitri''s arms. The witches circled the two of them. They got down from their brooms and knelt on the ground to show their regards for the queen.


    Moments later, a carriage appeared in the air with two huge blue colored parrots reined to it. Dmitri and Liam looked around with surprise in their eyes as the witches asked them to enter the carriage with their queen. As soon as the three of them entered, the parrots flew away, pulling the carriage behind them. Liam noticed from outside of the carriage''s window that Fleur was flying next to them with the witches.

 Chapter 140 - The Queens Palace

    Dmitri was extremely worried about Adrianna. When she had fainted for the first time after fighting the battle with his pack, she had been abandoned by her family. He had gone to pick her up at that time because he couldn''t bear to leave her. When he had found her up from the forest, her body was cold. His heart had ached and he couldn''t understand the feelings he had at the time. He had placed her on the portico of Ed''s cottage and left, but not before ensuring that Ed saw her. However, today, it was different. The pain he felt for her was despair.


    The carriage entered the royal palace and was immediately flanked by numerous servants who lined up to service the queen. Dmitri got out of the carriage with Adrianna in his arms, and Liam followed them out afterwards. They walked in between the path created by the servants which lead to the palace''s main hall. From the outside, the palace had gold-topped towers which looked stately and stunning as the bright daylight fell upon them. There were several sculptures made by masters of the craft that had been set atop pedestals located in the midst of water fountains and perfectly manicured hedges.


    As soon as Dmitri entered, right in front of him, he saw a large life-size painting of a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Adrianna. "That must be Shira��" he thought.


    A servant gestured Dmitri to follow him to the right wing of the palace while Liam was taken to the left wing. As Dmitri walked, he could see how magnificent the palace was. All the floors were made of marble. The rails and pillars were made from ornate mahogany which had been intricately carved. They were polished so well that they shined. There were numerous portraits of the past kings and queens hung in gold frames. All the furniture was handmade by master craftsmen. Every and each item that was present in the palace was so spotless that it looked as though dust didn''t exist in the palace. The ceiling of the palace was high and displayed oil paintings that depicted various war stories and maidens.


    The air was scented. Although Dmitri couldn''t see the gardens surrounding the palace, the scent of fresh flowers floated through the air. It seemed as though everything was straight out of a fairytale.


    The servant guided them to a chamber which seemed to be their bedroom. The room was three times bigger than Dmitri''s room in his palace. The bed was right in the middle of the room and was covered by a flower canopy. There were white, blue, pink, and lavender flowers that emitted fresh scents. Dmitri carefully laid Adrianna down on the bed as the servants opened the door for the healer to enter. The healer was an old wizard who looked as though he was over a thousand years old. Dressed in a white robe, he had a long white beard. As soon as he neared Adrianna, he put his hand on her forehead. A red light emerged where his hand touched her forehead. Adrianna stirred a little and then fell back to unconsciousness.


    "Don''t worry, she will be fine," he said to Dmitri as he examined her feet Once again, he pressed his hands against her feet and the red light glowed again. When he finished, he looked up at Dmitri who was staring at him with questions.


    "Even though we are wizards, there is no magic that we know of that heals bodies. Magic can treat small illness, but Adrianna is not ill. Her energy is just extremely depleted and I am assuming that this was the first time. So you have to be patient." The healer explained this to Dmitri in a very gentle tone and then left.


    Dmitri felt reassured.


    The servants surrounded their queen and started cleaning her. Dmitri left to clean up himself and, when he came back, he saw that Adrianna was immaculately clean and lying on the bed in a light blue muslin robe. He could see her fair body beneath that robe. As she lay there, flower petals from the canopy would fall here and there around her and the whole scene looked ethereal. Dmitri was spellbound and moved closer to lie next to his wife. "Wake up darling��" he said as he curled his hand around hers.


    He deeply inhaled the perfumed air that had a heavy smell of flowers because of the canopy above them. He looked at those pearly flowers against the backdrop of the ceiling; it was simply beautiful. A flower fell on his face and he smiled. He picked it off of his face and caressed Adrianna''s cheeks. He placed a light peck on her cheek and slowly drifted off into a deep slumber.


    A white light enveloped the two of them and the flower canopy formed a wall around them. They were wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and love - just the kind of energy that they needed to heal both their bodies and their souls - and secluded from the world outside.

 Chapter 141 - Bear My Kids And Stay In The House

    Dmitri woke up the next day to see Adrianna staring at him with a smile. The morning sunlight fell in the room, lighting it up beautifully. As soon as he saw her, he chuckled and sprang up to hold her. He stationed himself on top of her and kissed her tenderly on her lips. "How are you Adri?" he asked, dipping his face into her neck.


    "I feel great!" she said, laughing at his excitement as her hand stroked his naked back. She saw the flower canopy above them and a blue flower dropped on him. "Where are we Dmitri?" she asked as she looked around the bedroom while still under him.


    "This is the heavenly abode of my wife," replied Dmitri as he pressed her further into the mattress.


    She giggled. "No dear. It is only assumed to be mine. It is not yet proved to be mine."


    Dmitri lifted his head up and said, "But this woman is mine."


    "True."


    "I am craving to see my woman awake and fondle her."


    "Your woman was very ill, so she might have you refrain from fondling her."


    "But my woman''s man has been desperate for a long time."


    "Dmitri, the way you want to have your woman, we might end up having babies soon!"


    "The sooner the better," he said and bit cheeks.


    "What? No way! What about college?"


    Dmitri went down to her breasts and fondled his face between them. "You don''t have to go to college. Woman, you can bear my kids and stay in the house!"


    "Dmitri!" she protested. However, by then, he had bit her nipples through the robe. "This is your punishment for refusing me."


    The wall of flowers around them started forming a barrier, enveloping them in their own world.


    "Ah!" she winced in pain as she tried to move his face away. Despite her protests, he moved to her other breast and bit the other nipple, inviting another moan.


    Her nipples puckered under him. He brushed his face against them and then rose above her to straddle her. He was too excited now. He ripped apart her robe. Dmitri saw vulnerability in her eyes that he couldn''t resist. His eyes traveled from her face to her collarbone, and then to her breasts. They looked perfect, molded to her form. He held them in his hands and grabbed her nipples with his hungry mouth.


    Before she could comprehend what was happening, they were both fully naked and their bodies were softly moving together. Every time he sucked on her, her body electrified. She arched her back and he entered his fingers inside her. He left her breasts and started kissing and sucking the area just beneath them. Every kiss had a raw intensity. Adrianna felt his hand enter from below and move fast. Their tongues entwined into a kiss. His mouth was worshipping every inch of her body. He teased her nipples again until they glistened with his saliva and were standing for attention. His tongue trailed down her belly and around her navel, loving her. He moved down, through her pubic hair, and reached her sweet spot. He exposed her clitoris that was begging for the touch of his tongue. He swirled his tongue around and he could feel her tremble beneath him. He started pressing her insides with his fingers and, as soon as her muscles tightened, he pressed her stomach, making her come loudly.


    "Ah, ah��"


    Dmitri let go of her clitoris and moved to her lips to make her taste her honey. He grinded his gorged member against her thighs. Before she could protest, he straddled her again and forced his member into her mouth. "Adri�� help me."


    Adrianna responded by taking his full erection inside her mouth and licking it from top to bottom. She pressed her tongue on the tip of his member hard enough to make him go wild. He could feel himself enlarging and hardening inside her mouth. Her tongue wrapped around him softly. It was simply irresistible and Dmitri came inside her mouth. He held the bed''s headboard to support himself as he groaned in pleasure.


    Once he emptied himself inside her, he slumped to her side, but after a few minutes, he wanted her again. This time, he thrust himself inside her at a sweet and gentle pace, absorbing all her groans and moans of pleasure with his mouth.


    They rested next to each other for a long time. Dmitri took Adrianna''s hand in his and intertwined his fingers around hers. Her hand was so small compared to his.


    The flowers above them bloomed and fell over them and onto the bed. While making love, they had squashed numerous flowers under them. Their bodies were now stained with the various colors of the squashed petals that had gotten stuck to their skin.


    "Adri, I have to go back to my pack," Dmitri suddenly said.


    Adrianna turned to him and held wrapped her hands and legs around him as though trying to cage him. "No!"


    He caressed her cheek and said, "You know I have to��" He removed her hand.


    "But you said that you would wait until the crowning and, in case the crown rejects me, we will go back together," she reminded him.


    "What happens if it accepts you?"

 Chapter 142 - Why Did The Flower Canopy Surround Us?

    Adrianna didn''t answer him and just curled into him. She didn''t know what her future held. She circled his navel with her finger and said, "Let''s take it one day at a time��"


    Isidorus was becoming more and more impatient to meet Adrianna. He had come to the royal palace early in the morning and had waited for Adrianna to come out of her room. However, it was way past 10AM and she still hadn''t shown up. He knew that her body was still healing, but for how long would he have to wait? He started pacing up and down the main hall before pausing in front of a huge portrait that adorned the wall right in front of the main entrance.


    "Shira, I have been living for this day for a long time. I hope to give this kingdom to your daughter and want to retire to my native place��" he whispered to the painting. He had always admired Shira for being one of the most sensible queens of the wizard kingdom. Not only was she beautiful, but she was very intelligent. At one point in time, Isidorus had wanted her to marry his grandson, but fate had taken a different route. She ended up getting pregnant with a werewolf''s child and died while giving birth. While Isidorus was looking up at her, he heard footsteps coming from the right wing of the palace. He turned to see who it was.


    His eyes became wide with surprise when he saw a girl bearing a strong resemblance to Shira walking towards him. A man who towered her was walking right next to her and their hands were intertwined. As soon as Adrianna reached Isidorus, she halted in her tracks. He was the first person Adrianna and Dmitri had seen after waking up. The whole palace looked otherwise deserted.


    Adrianna bowed her head slightly upon seeing Isidorus and asked, "We were looking for the dining room. Could you please tell us the way?"


    A smile played on Isidorus''s lips. He snapped his fingers and several dishes appeared on the table that was a few meters away from them. "Breakfast, my queen," said Isidorus, pointing toward the table and guiding the two of them over.


    "Oh! So because the wizards and witches can snap their fingers and make the food appear, they don''t have dining room?" asked Adrianna, thoroughly impressed.


    Isidorus laughed. "You should eat first."


    They sat down at the table and began eating. Dmitri''s appetite was huge. He hadn''t had anything since the day before. "May I know your name?" Dmitri asked the kind old man in front of him.


    Isidorus introduced himself, "I am Isidorus."


    Both of them stopped eating and looked up in surprise. Adrianna got up from her seat as Dmitri watched him with awe.


    "The great wizard?" asked Adrianna. "I have heard so much about you!"


    Isidorus laughed again. "I hope all in good faith."


    "Of course!" she exclaimed.


    "Adrianna, please sit and finish your food," he urged.


    With a smile, Adrianna sat down and started eating again. "Please join us Isidorus," she requested him.


    "No, thank you. It is almost 10:30AM and I had my breakfast early in the morning," he replied. "What took you so long?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as if accusing her of being lazy.


    Adrianna''s face became red. She didn''t know how to answer, so she looked at Dmitri who was busy eating. He looked at Adrianna and said, "I wonder why the flower canopy completely surrounded us..." before resuming his feast.


    Isidorus started coughing. He shook his head and said, "Adrianna, we would like to-"


    "Can you tell us why the flower canopy completely surrounded us? It was as though we were in a cocoon of flowers for a long time until we decided to get out of bed," asked Dmitri again with a lamb chop in his hand.


    Isidorus tried to avoid Dmitri''s question and faced Adrianna. "We would like to call-"


    "The flowers kept blossoming and falling on us. Was it the part of healing therapy?" interrupted Dmitri again.


    Isidorus pursed his lips and snapped his fingers. This time, a servant appeared and without any questions asked, he explained, "The flowers will blossom around the queen and her partner whenever they make love. It is a part of the charm spell." Having accomplished what he had been asked to do, the servant disappeared.


    Adrianna was so embarrassed that she stopped eating. She kicked Dmitri below the table, signaling him to stay quiet.


    "Oh! That is interesting!" exclaimed Dmitri without showing a trace of shame. "Adri, please finish the breakfast soon. There are a lot of flowers squashed on the bed and we need to clean up and make a fresh bed. Plus, the flower canopy must be lonely now." Then, he turned to Isidorus and said, "Why did you call a servant to explain that? You could have explained it better."

 Chapter 143 - The Council Meeting

    Isidorus looked away from them. He rested his head on knee and caught his chin with his hand as he looked outside to the gardens. He knew that he would have to endure Dmitri in the future. After a short pause of awkwardness, he once again spoke. "Adrianna, we have to meet the ministers of the wizard kingdom. They are all eager to meet you. Once they have all met you and have spoken to you, we can proceed with the coronation."


    Adrianna was flustered. She became nervous. She felt so puny in front of all the events that were taking place in front of her. Seeing her nervousness, Isidorus asked her, "What do know about spells?"


    She shook her head, "Nothing��"


    "You don''t know a single spell?" he asked bemused.


    "No��"


    "Then how do you do magic?"


    "I just think of something, point my finger towards whatever or whoever I want it cast on, and the magic happens��"


    "Don''t you know the names of any spells?"


    "No��"


    All his life, Isidorus had never come across a person who could perform magic by just thinking about it. All the wizards and witches had to speak the spell name and use their wands to create magic. They had to undergo a lot of training at the wizard academy to refine their skills. However, this girl was playing by different rules altogether. He looked at her with interest.


    "Hmm��" he wondered how she could have sustained herself against a military general for so long. Indeed, she was so powerful that even she didn''t know of her true abilities. "How did you defeat Cy?" he probed.


    "I had called for help from the wilderness. I can speak with animals��"


    Isidorus was so shocked his mouth fell open. This was something really unique. "Who else knows about this strength of yours?" he asked. He shuddered when he realized that if this girl wanted to go astray, she could easily destroy the world.


    "Only Dmitri, Ed and Howard��"


    Isidorus shook his head. "Do not mention this to anyone else��"


    He looked at the fire he was dealing with - fire that didn''t even know that it could burn the world. "Well, the ministers are waiting for us. If you have had your meal, can we go to meet them?"


    "Of course," she replied as she stood up. Dmitri also stood up and followed them outside. Isidorus turned around to look at him and very sternly said, "You cannot join the meeting of the ministers of the wizard kingdom. I am sorry, but since you are the king of the werewolves, we cannot entertain you in that aspect."


    Dmitri remembered that a treaty had been signed between the wolves and the wizards that neither party would interfere in the other''s administrative work. "Well, you should know that Adrianna is half werewolf," said Dmitri.


    "Yes, but she is half witch too," replied Isidorus as he snapped his fingers in the air. Suddenly, a golden carriage appeared with blue parrots on the reins.


    Isidorus motioned for her to get in. She looked at Dmitri who smiled at her and nodded to reassure her. He held her hands in his and said, "I am sure you will do great Adri. Be confident."


    She and Isidorus got in the carriage. As soon the carriage started flying in the air, a battery of wizards and witches appeared from thin air and started flying next to it. They reached their destination within ten minutes. Adrianna noticed that it was another palatial building, but also that it was not nearly as grand as the one where she was living in. The guards opened the door. "Welcome to my humble abode," Isidorus said.


    Adrianna smiled as she got down from the carriage. The wizards and witches that were flying alongside the carriage disappeared as soon as the carriage entered the grounds of Isidorus''s home.


    They walked along the garden path that was right in front of the entrance and then entered the main hall. The heavy wooden doors opened when Isidorus said, "Anoi Porta" whilst waving his wand and they entered.


    Adrianna was wearing blue jeans and a pink shirt when she entered the main hall. She saw a huge table in front of them which seated about twenty wizards and wizards. All of them wore long black robes and appeared very formal. She followed Isidorus to the chair that had been designated for her.


    Isidorus introduced her to all the members of the council one by one. They all looked at her with amusement and interest. She sat on the right side of Isidorus while Isidorus sat on the head chair.


    Isidorus opened his speech. "Members of the council, we have finally found our queen. Let us not wait any further and crown her by sunrise tomorrow."


    There was a silence in the room for a while before a witch spoke. "Isidorus, how much does Adrianna know about magic?"


    "Not much," he answered truthfully.


    "Our kids have been studying magic right from a very young age. We heard that she is only nineteen. Do you think she will hold a candle in front of our children who have also just started learning?"


    As soon as she said that, another wizard supported her. "How can we have her as the queen of our world when she can''t even perform basic magic?"


    "We heard that she is half werewolf and that her mate has imprinted on her," said another one.


    "Yes, that is true," replied Isidorus.


    "Then what about the treaty between us and the werewolves clan? We are not supposed to interfere in each other''s administrative purposes."


    "She is also a half witch. Don''t forget that," replied Isidorus.


    "That doesn''t suit the purpose, Isidorus. For someone to be our queen, she needs to be a pure blood and you are presenting us with a half blood," boomed a voice from far corner.


    Isidorus looked at him and scowled. That man was Cy''s friend Mihr. Isidorus became angry and roared, "How come I am hearing all these concerns only after we have found Shira''s child? Where were all of these concerns before?"

 Chapter 144 - The Council Meeting (2)

    "We have always had these concerns Isidorus; that is why we have put forth so many pure bloods for the crown," said Mihr. "If you ask me, I don''t think the crown will accept a half blood. Her mother was a wayward one. Otherwise, we would have gotten a pure bloodline."


    Adrianna had been listening in on the entire conversation. Even though she had never met her mother, she became furious when she heard the man slander her mother''s name. "Before you all say anything, remember I have the best of both bloodlines running through my veins - making me twice as powerful! Do not speak ill of my mother!"


    "Oh really! This twit dares to challenge me now?" mocked Mihr.


    Adrianna looked at Mihr and found him extremely strange. Was he filled with jealousy or was he simply angry? "I have no interest in challenging anyone."


    "Of course you can''t challenge wizards as experienced as us!" replied Mihr.


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus and then sighed.


    "Isidorus, if you want to crown Adrianna as our queen, she needs to first prove to us that she is capable of being our queen. Does she know any spells? Our children have been taught spells starting from their first day at school. By the time they reach her current age, they are already extremely powerful. Do you think she can stand a chance against them?" spoke another witch who was sitting right next to Mihr.


    "I may not know the spells, but-" Adrianna was about to say that she could do whatever she liked by just thinking about it, but she was cut off by Isidorus.


    "So are you all suggesting that she should join the wizard academy and learn spells?" asked Isidorus. He knew that if didn''t propose this plan, the jealous council members would try to oust her. While some simply did not want her, there were some who genuinely simply wanted to see her skill and were concerned about the fact that she didn''t know any spells. By throwing this idea towards the council members, he would be able to buy time for Adrianna.


    If she were to stay in the wizard academy, she would be able to understand the ways of the wizard world and form friends.


    The witch who had been acerbic about Adrianna''s accession to the throne was satisfied with this idea. She was Lia, Shira''s older sister. When Shira had been crowned, Lia hadn''t even been asked about it. Her jealousy had only grown multifold over the years. Ever since Shira''s disappearance, Lia had tried to stake her claim to the throne; however, Isidorus had not allowed her. Lia''s husband wasn''t a council member, but he was an extremely influential businessman living on the second level. They had a son and a daughter. Lia''s son was a young boy at the age of twenty-one and Lia had been aggressively campaigning for him to be the next king of the wizard kingdom. Because he was an intelligent boy, Isidorus could only keep quiet about Lia''s efforts because he was in favor of finding the right heir of the crown, which was Shira''s child. Lia''s daughter was in her last year of the wizard academy and was a year younger than Adrianna.


    "Yes, I think it would be best if Adrianna joins the wizard academy," said Lia, resting back against her chair. Although she had never liked Mihr who was Cy''s loyal, she knew that he didn''t want Adrianna to be the queen and that shared purpose brought them closer. They had a deal that in the case where Lia''s son does become the king, Mihr would be given the position of the military general.


    "Even if Adrianna joins the wizard academy, do you think she will be able to learn spells that fast? There is a lot more than just spells. There are other subjects that she should know about. It takes a lot of time! For how long will she stay in the academy?" spoke another wizard, furious at Isidorus''s suggestion.


    Isidorus glared at him and said, "Let Adrianna join the academy for a month. She will be taught only what she needs. I will personally chart out a course for her. During that one month, she will be given vigorous training as a witch. After one month, you can all test her as much as you like before we proceed with the crowing."


    Lia started laughing. "Just a month? Isidorus, a month is nothing! She should be there for at least a year. Do you think that we have spent so many years in that academy just to be beaten by some half-witch? Is this some sort of joke that you are playing on us?"


    Isidorus looked at Lia with knitted brows. He gave her a cold stare and the temperature of the hall suddenly dropped. The entire hall was engulfed in mist. The council could sense how cold Isidorus was being towards Lia. They all became quiet and Lia shivered a bit; she was afraid of Isidorus.


    "Do I look like I am joking Lia?" asked Isidorus looking straight into her eyes.


    She gasped and shook her head slightly.


    Isidorus banged his fist on the table and shouted, "So, it is decided that Adrianna will join the academy for a month. After that month, the crowing will take place."


    Adrianna bit her lower lip. Softly, she asked Isidorus, "What about college? I have already missed a lot of classes..."


    Isidorus gave her a warning look to shut down and dismissed the meeting.

 Chapter 145 - Thanks For That Update Lia Auntie

    Once the meeting was dismissed, the council members went away one by one. While some of them came and personally greeted Adrianna to give their blessings, most of them did not even give her a second look. Mihr left immediately after the meeting was dismissed. He was in no mood to talk to any of the members. It was Lia who was left last.


    Adrianna was very courteous to all those who came to her as she had mentally made a note to do so. Those who came up to her were the people who wanted her to be on throne, which meant that they would be loyal to her.


    When she heard that she had to be in the wizard academy for a month, she had wanted to rebel. She had never intended to stay at the wizard kingdom and had been hoping to get out as soon as the crown rejected her. However, the events took a different turn altogether and now, she found herself stuck in the wizard kingdom for a month. Her mind was swimming with worries. How would things work out between herself and Dmitri? Would Dmitri leave her? Would he stay with her or would he go back?


    When everyone had left, only three people remained in the council hall: Isidorus, Adrianna, and Lia.


    Isidorus looked at Lia and then turned to Adrianna. "Adrianna, meet your aunt, Lia. She is your mother''s older sister."


    Adrianna looked at Lia with wide eyes. Lia had been the one who was most vociferous about her protest. Adrianna didn''t know how to react. She sat there frozen on the spot. To think of the fact that she had relatives in the wizard kingdom was weird; their first interactions had also been horrible.


    Adrianna bowed slightly and then looked away.


    "Is that the curtsey your family taught you?" Lia was once again being acerbic towards Adrianna.


    Adrianna was taken aback. "You are also my family. I guess it must run in the genes."


    Isidorus smirked while Lia became furious.


    "Adrianna, be aware of how you talk to me! I will not tolerate your insolent behavior. If you think that you can take me on so easily, then remember that you are dealing with a witch that was your mother''s sister. I was more powerful than your mother; she was just another twit who got lucky because the crown accepted her."


    Adrianna tilted her head, and then said, "I don''t even know you enough to make any judgements about you as far as strength is concerned. As for the crown, I am appalled that you make it sound like such a whimsical entity. You should have faith in the crown even if you do not have faith in the witches or wizards around you, because the crown is where the kingdom''s heart."


    Lia looked at Adrianna as though she had grown two heads. "Do you think you will be able to learn anything in a month''s time? Why don''t you go back to the werewolves'' kingdom and just be the luna of your alpha? That suits you, you werewolf!"


    Adrianna laughed, "Thanks for the update Lia auntie." She emphasized on the word auntie. "I will do exactly what I want to do. Right now, I want you to kneel in front of me."


    "What? Are you out of your mind?" retorted Lia. "How dare you even command me?" Lia took out her wand, but before she could even wave it in the air, she found herself being forced to kneel on the ground as Adrianna watched her with cold eyes. Lia was shocked as to what was happening to her.


    She thought Isidorus was doing that, so she shouted, "Isidorus, give up your antics you old man!" Isidorus smiled and crossed his hands across his chest.


    Lia started to wave her wand in the air, but, in the next moment, her wand flew out of her hand and landed on the ground. It was not easy for anyone to take away the wand of a wizard or a witch; even Isidorus couldn''t do that. Lia was beyond surprised as to how her wand had been thrown out of her hand. She was forced to kneel and stay on the ground while she tried to grab her wand that was lying far away from her. She felt empty without her wand. How could she even throw a spell or deflect one without it? What was happening?


    "You may get up," said Adrianna. Lia felt as though she was being freed of some heavy force. Lia got up and went to pick her wand but the wand slid another meter across the ground. She went to pick it up again, but the wand went near Adrianna''s feet.


    Adrianna picked up Lia''s wand and said, "Here, take it Lia." She offered it to Lia as though she was offering a bone to a dog.


    Lia took it from her while giving her an odd stare. Was Adrianna responsible for the magic that had just been cast? No! That couldn''t be possible. It had to be Isidorus; but how could the wand fall out of her hand and travel so far away?


    Lia took the wand from Adrianna and said, "To even think of the fact that you are half werewolf, makes me puke. Shira really disgraced us all! I am ashamed to have a relative like you �C a half blood in our family of pure bloods. Leave us!" Having said that, Lia left the meeting venue in a huff.


    However, when she got home, she became ill; she kept on puking the entire day.

 Chapter 146 - Join Wizard Academy

    Isidorus smiled at Adrianna when Lia left and asked, "How did you manage to do that?"


    "I don''t know. I just thought of how rude she was and wanted her to kneel in front of me to show her what I can do��" she answered meekly.


    Isidorus nodded. He was satisfied that he hadn''t made the wrong choice. Given a period of time, Adrianna would be able to prove her worth. He had full faith in her, but he had to gain the trust of the other council members too. He knew that half of the members were with him even though they had voiced their concerns regarding her lack of knowledge, but the other half were not with him; they all had their own vested interests.


    He looked at Adrianna and said, "We need to be very careful Adrianna. Every step that you take in the future has to be well thought out."


    Adrianna gazed at him and her first question was, "What about Dmitri?"


    "That, you need to sort out yourself," he replied nonchalantly. "From tomorrow on, you have to start going to the wizard academy."


    "I feel I am being forced into this. All I wanted was a simple life one I got married, but now, with each and every passing day, my life is becoming more and more complicated��"


    "Adrianna, think of it like this �C your life was never meant to be yours. It was and will always be governed by various factors. Go back to the royal palace and talk to Dmitri. I am sure you will find out a way," said Isidorus as though she didn''t have any other option.


    "Are you sure that the crown will accept me? I mean it is possible that the crown outright rejects me even after I attend the wizard academy. So why go through all that trouble to learn these spells when we can just use the crown to check?"


    "Then, what happens if the crown accepts you? You will become aqueen who doesn''t even know a single spell. The wizards are very proud of the fact that they know spells which make them powerful. Imagine their queen not knowing even one."


    Adrianna lowered her head.


    "I think it is a nice idea for you to join the wizard academy. It won''t do you any harm."


    "I want to finish college. There are still three whole years till graduation."


    "We will figure something out later Adrianna. For now, focus on the academy."


    Both of them walked out of the council hall and walked towards the entrance. "I will take my leave now. The carriage is waiting for you outside. It will take you to the royal palace," said Isidorus before walking back inside.


    Adrianna walked out of Isidorus''s house and into the garden. She saw that almost all the guards present were looking at her with curiosity. They would bow as she walked by them. Feeling a little awkward, she picked up her pace. As soon as the carriage was airborne, she looked out of the window to see a large group of wizards flying next to the carriage. She rested back on the plush seat and waited for the journey to end; she had so much to talk to Dmitri about.


    When she reached the palace, she immediately searched for him. She wanted to ask about his whereabouts, but there was no one in the palace. She wished that there were people in the palace; it was so deserted. However, as soon as she wished that, a line of servants appeared in front of her. They all bowed to her and one of them said, "Your royal highness, the king is walking in the garden. Shall I take you there?"


    Adrianna chuckled when she heard ''royal highness''. She nodded and, in an instant, a path was created in front of her. It was lit with beautiful white lights and flowers all along the path. She followed the path and reached Dmitri within five minutes. On the way, she couldn''t help but admire the lush green beautiful garden that was scented with fresh blooms. There were numerous birds chirping and flying around. As soon as Adrianna saw Dmitri, she jumped towards him and held onto him like a koala.


    "Did you miss me already?" he asked her, holding her steady as he stumbled backwards a little from her force.


    "Mhmm.." she replied as she kissed him. Then, she dipped her head into his neck.


    He could sense her anxiousness. "What happened darling?" he asked, stroking her hair.


    "They want me to join the wizard academy for a month��" she said sadly as she hid her face in his neck. "The council members are not allowing the coronation to happen until I join the academy and learn wizardry.


    Dmitri sighed. He felt as though his life would be sucked away without her by his side. He clung to her tightly.


    "Adri�� now what will happen?"


    He walked inside the palace with her. Adrianna didn''t speak a word. They both wondered if they would be able to see each other again soon.

 Chapter 147 - The Charm Spell

    Dmitri carried her to the bedroom. He placed her on the bed and said, "If the council members are asking for it, then you must follow it."


    Adrianna looked away. She crawled inwards and laid on the bed. She said, "Dmitri, can you not stay here longer?"


    "You know I can''t. It is very important for me to go back."


    "When will you go back?"


    "Tomorrow Adri��"


    Something ached inside and a tear rolled out of her eye. The only person whom she had come to love more than anything was Dmitri; he was her strength. How would things turn out? He climbed up behind her and spooned her. Then, to alleviate the atmosphere, he said, "The servants here have offered to take me around to tour the wizard kingdom. Would you like to come with me?"


    Adrianna nodded and said, "Yes, sure." She turned towards him and he saw the tear in her eye. He wiped it with his finger and said, "Don''t worry. We will find a way to meet, okay? We are destined for a lifetime now. No one can snatch you away from me."


    Adrianna giggled. She felt better. After half an hour, they were walking around the second level of the wizard kingdom with a tour guide. There were ten wizards and witches who surrounded the couple at all times. Even though the people were intrigued by the fact that Adrianna was their potential queen, it was Dmitri who brought more stares and glances, especially from the opposite sex. The witches of the kingdom had gone crazy over his hot looks.


    Adrianna was often detained from getting out of the carriage that they were in because of security purposes, but Dmitri would often walk out and look around with the tour guide. It was not long before that the entire wizard kingdom was abuzz with news about the most handsome man present in the wizard kingdom. Wherever he went, the witches would try to throw charm spells at him. The tour guide was starting to have problems deflecting all their spells. He wanted to put a placard on Dmitri''s chest saying, "I am married to the queen."


    At one point of time, a charm spell hit Dmitri. As soon as he was under the effect of the spell, he looked woozy and started walking towards the witch who had cast the spell on him. The tour guide was having a difficult time restraining him and had to gather the help of two more wizards in the security team to get Dmitri back into the carriage. When Adrianna saw Dmitri in that condition, she got annoyed at him.


    "Dmitri, how could you forget me?" she asked.


    Dmitri looked foolishly at her, and replied, "Who are you young lady? You are very beautiful."


    The tour guide explained that the effects would wear off in another fifteen minutes. Adrianna moved closer to Dmitri, hugged him, and said, "Come back to me, you moron." The spell broke immediately.


    Dmitri was wide eyed. "How could you call me a moron?"


    Adrianna started laughing. She encased Dmitri in a faint sheath of white light. "You can go anywhere now, this sheath with protect you from charm spells."


    The tour guide was surprised to see this kind of a protective layer. No spell in the wizard kingdom could do that. He looked at Adrianna with wonder and awe but all he saw was a pretty young girl who was smiling and trying to protect her husband.


    The tour was more efficiently completed after that.


    It was evening when they returned to the royal palace.


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the second realm where all the werewolves were staying, Liam had recovered quickly, but Fleur was still recuperating. He wanted to go and see her. The servants had informed him that they were staying very close to Howard''s house. Without thinking twice, Liam rushed to meet Fleur. He was greeted by a servant and then taken to Fleur''s room. When he got there, he saw that she was sleeping. He felt better upon seeing her. He held her hand and waited for her to wake up.


    It hadn''t been more than ten minutes when, to his surprise, he saw Ed entering Fleur''s room.


    "Don''t look at me like that." Ed narrowed his eyes once he noticed Liam holding Fleur''s hand. "I am Howard''s guest. What are you doing sitting here?"


    "I am not sitting. I am standing," he answered, getting up but not letting go of her hand.


    "You can go. She will be fine," said Ed.


    "Thank you Ed," he replied as he sat down.


    "You don''t have to touch Fleur, Liam."


    "I won''t," he said as he clasped her hand tightly.


    "Liam, Fleur is a witch," Ed said, hoping that the news would make Liam back off. "You are no good for her."


    "Oh, I have known that she is a witch for a long time."


    Ed was surprised. "Since when?"


    "For the last three days."


    As soon as she woke up, the first thing she saw was Liam. She was very happy to see him. Although she had already fully recuperated, she acted weak in front of him.

 Chapter 148 - How Exactly Am I Responsible?

    Fleur tried to get up from the bed, but wavered a little. Liam jumped from his place to support her up. He propped the pillows up for her so that she could sit up on the bed. Ed watched the two of them with narrowed eyes as though trying to gauge what was going on between them. While he was watching them, Howard entered the room. He was surprised to find Liam there and was even more surprised at how much he was doting on Fleur since Howard knew fully well that Fleur must have completely recuperated. He became angry about Liam''s presence. Without even greeting Liam, he said, "Fleur, you must go and attend to the queen now. You need to be around her on a twenty-four seven basis."


    Fleur wrinkled her nose and replied, "Father, I am still too weak. I don''t think I can even walk properly."


    Howards looked at her totally shocked, and then looked at Ed who was equally as baffled. "How can that be possible? You are a witch and should have completely healed by now."


    "I am a werewolf and even I take time to recuperate. Healing is not some magic that it will happen immediately. Fleur is weak and needs some time to rest. I think you both should try to understand her condition," said Liam angrily as though they were disturbing something of his.


    Fleur smiled at Liam and said, "Liam, I want to go to the bathroom. Could you help me over?"


    "Of course!" he said before picking her up in one swift, strong move.


    Fleur let out an excited shriek as she felt his strong, rippled muscles and became love-struck.


    Howard and Ed realized that they were standing in front of two hopeless people and left. Howard sent three servants to Fleur''s room to take care of her. However, the servants merely stood there without working as they couldn''t bear to disturb the two''s intimacy.


    In the bathroom, Fleur wanted to take a bath with hot water - a choice which Liam was more than happy to help her with. Even though he was having a hard time with his member, he patiently gave her a bath. He helped her dry off and get dressed without any complaints. Finally, when they were done, Fleur demanded to be picked up by him and carried to the bed. After that, whatever she demanded, Liam would do for her with the utmost patience. Fleur couldn''t believe her luck. Having a werewolf, who had fallen in love with her, was like having a pet around. She was already starting to think of ways to keep him captive.


    The two continued this charade the entire day before Howard became furious and ordered Fleur to go to the royal palace. Obviously, Liam accompanied her.


    ---


    After they reached the royal palace, both Dmitri and Adrianna were so tired that they wanted to go to bed, but they found that Liam and Fleur were waiting for them. Dmitri was very happy to see Liam and asked him, "Liam, how are the other werewolves of our pack? I want to meet them as I am planning to leave tomorrow morning."


    Liam said, "They are all fine Dmitri, but we lost two of our wolves in the fight against Vikra. They were left behind�� According to our informants, they were instantly killed by Vikra."


    Dmitri became furious, "How could this have happened? I had left them behind to lend Howard a helping hand in the battle. Howard was responsible for getting them back here safely. How could he have just left the two of them to fend for themselves? This is not acceptable!"


    Fleur couldn''t stand Dmitri talking rudely about her father so she interrupted the conversation. "By the time it was only my father and the three werewolves, there was already a huge number of neotides attacking them. Father could take only one parson with him through the vortex. There was not enough time to wait for those who were further away. If he had waited for those two, all of them would have died.


    "Also, if Adrianna would have agreed to come to the kingdom via portal instead of flying, we wouldn''t have gotten into this situation; we would have all been saved from the wrath of Vikra."


    Even though Fleur spoke all this very subtly, Adrianna became very angry. She roared at Fleur, "What do you mean by that?"


    Fleur flinched. She immediately kneeled and said, "I am sorry Adrianna, but this is the truth."


    Adrianna become all the more angry and asked, "You are placing this blame on me, but who even is this Vikra? I demand to know now!"


    Adrianna summoned Isidorus.


    Fleur, who was kneeling on the ground, became extremely nervous as soon as Isidorus appeared. Furious at Fleur, Adrianna said, "Tell me everything about Vikra! This girl has accused me of being responsible for the battle that took place before we entered the wizard kingdom. So tell me. How exactly am I responsible? And if I am, why was I kept in the dark?" Adrianna looked so furious that even Isidorus became a little afraid.

 Chapter 149 - I Have A Concern

    Fleur became uneasy as soon as Adrianna summoned the great wizard. She became apologetic and said, "I am very sorry for blurting out words without thinking, but I got riled when you mentioned my father''s name. After all, he was responsible for your safe return. It was due to his quick thinking that all of us were able to come here safely."


    Isidorus was angry with Fleur. He roared, "Quiet! You insolent girl! You dare talk back to the queen?" Having scolded her, he snapped his fingers and called Howard. As soon as Howard appeared, he also knelt in front of Adrianna.


    "Adrianna, my queen. I am sorry for Fleur''s behavior. She is still young. Please forgive her." Howard spoke seriously.


    Adrianna scowled at him and said, "Tell me everything about Vikra."


    "Vikra is a very old wizard. His actual body died many years ago and he now relies on his energy to live. He feeds on the souls of people in the hopes of reviving his body. However, after so many years, he still hasn''t been able to achieve this feat. When you were born, he had come to kidnap you, but the moon goddess and the wizards warded him off. He couldn''t find you for a long time as your identity was well-hidden by Ed. However, he appears to have found out about you right before we were able to transport you to the wizard kingdom," said Howard, all in one breath.


    "Why does he want to capture me?"


    Howard sighed and replied, "We haven''t come to fully understand the reason. But my guess is that since he feeds on souls, he would like to feed on the souls of the powerful people. That way, he would have access to an infinite amount of energy. Since you are very powerful, with all the inborn talent and energy you have, it is possible that after feeding on your soul, he would be revived - not only revived, but revived as the strongest wizard ever alive on the face of the earth."


    When Adrianna heard Howard, she inwardly flinched. Although she didn''t show it, Dmitri could feel it and came to her side immediately, comforting her by circling his arm around her shoulders. It was at that time when Isidorus realized that the two of them were soulmates. They were bonded to each other in a way that was inexplicable; it was beyond comprehension.


    Adrianna took a deep breath when she stabilized. Then, she looked at Howard and said angrily, "Why didn''t you inform me of this situation earlier? So many things could have been prevented. What was all the secrecy about?"


    "We didn''t know that Vikra would attack us out of nowhere. He hasn''t shown his face ever since the wizards chased him out after your birth. We could have never imagined that this kind of a situation would occur. It''s no secret Adrianna. We would have told you about it, given time, but even we were shocked when we saw that Vikra himself spearheaded the attack against you. It''s very rare because usually just sends his neotides. It''s rare to see Reese, his right-hand commander, let alone Vikra himself. The fact that both of them were there makes one thing very clear �C he really wants to capture you. He will be continuously making an effort to keep an eye on your whereabouts from now o. You are safe in the wizard kingdom, but the moment you step out, he will attack you again," Said Howard gravely.


    Then, he turned to Fleur and scolded her. "Had it not been for the wind energy circle Adrianna had created, our chances of escaping would have been next to nil. Do you remember the number of neotides who were attacking us? It was through the combined effort of all of us that we are back safely."


    Fleur realized her mistake immediately and lowered her head. "I am sorry Father��"


    "What do you mean I am safest here? I can take care of myself anywhere!" Adrianna became agitated. Once again, Dmitri squeezed her hand to calm her.


    Dmitri looked at Howard and said, "It is unfortunate that you left two of my men to be killed by Vikra. If you would have given it some thought, you could have helped them with magic instead of leaving them."


    "Sometimes, you don''t have the time to think��" said Howard.


    Dmitri is only more annoyed. "I don''t want to hear about it Howard. You may leave!"


    Howard got up from his kneeling position, stepped back a little, and disappeared. Fleur became upset by the way they were treating her father.


    Isidorus looked at her and forced her to rise. "Fleur, Howard did commit a mistake. If he would have thought a little, perhaps those two werewolves could have been saved."


    Fleur nodded and Isidorus released her from his magic.


    Adrianna turned to Isidorus and said, "I have a concern."

 Chapter 150 - Extracted The Memory?

    Isidorus was confused. "What is it Adrianna?"


    "If Vikra has come to know about me and was able to lie in wait to attack us, then how did he know that we would be taking this route to enter the wizard kingdom? Is this the only route by which you can enter the kingdom?"


    Isidorus was elated by the way she was asking questions. She sounded like Shira and it was satisfying in many ways. He ran his hand through his beard and said, "There is more than one entrance, but this is the entrance we use for our kings and queens because this has been considered the safest. However, it is now compromised, so we will have to look for a different route."


    "If this was the safest, then this also means that not many people know about it?" she asked.


    "No. Only a handful, like Howard and Fleur, even know of its existence. The team accompanying Fleur also doesn''t know about this entrance. We have extracted the memory of this entrance from their minds."


    "Extracted the memory?" asked Adrianna. She was wide-eyed.


    "Yes. The military general''s office does the memory extraction procedure on teams which have accompanied the king and queen. This is for the safety of the royal family." Isidorus replied to her as though it was a completely normal occurrence.


    Adrianna blew air and a nervous smile appeared on her face. Then, she frowned again. "This means that some insider had to have given him this information. Cy?"


    Isidorus nodded. "Cy disappeared after he was defeated by you. There is a very high chance that Cy is now with Vikra."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri and said, "Dmitri, do you know what this means? You are in grave danger! I will not let you leave this place."


    "No Adrianna. It doesn''t work that way. I am the supreme alpha of my kingdom and I have to be there with my people. All the wolf clans that I have united under my rule look up to me. Do you even understand what that means? I am responsible for all of them. If you become the queen, how would you feel about this kingdom?" said Dmitri with seriousness in his eyes.


    "But Dmitri��"


    Dmitri shook his head to warn her not to say another word. He said with determination, "I will leave tomorrow morning." Then, he looked at Liam and Fleur and said, "I will leave Liam with you and take the rest of the werewolves with me."


    Adrianna shook her head, "No! Liam is extremely important for you. You have to take him with you. I am well protected over here."


    However, Dmitri had made up his mind. Adrianna could sense it even though he didn''t communicate it. It made sense for Liam to be left near Adrianna as Dmitri knew that he also had a craving for Fleur. If Fleur was to be on the queen''s special protection team, then Liam would be the most ideal choice �C he would be able to stay with Fleur and also protect his queen with his life.


    Adrianna wasn''t satisfied. She turned to Isidorus and said, "In that case, you will have some wizards and witches deployed around the blue moon pack territory. Even if the werewolves can ward off the neotides, they won''t be able to protect Dmitri from Vikra or Cy."


    Isidorus agreed. "Yes, of course. That goes without saying. The king and the queen''s protection is our responsibility." He paused and then continued, "Dmitri, be careful because now Vikra knows Adrianna''s soft spot. There is no spell in this world that Vikra can''t break. Whenever you feel that Vikra may be nearby, let me know immediately and I will send more forces."


    Dmitri nodded.


    Having settled the situation, Isidorus also took a step back and disappeared.


    "Liam, you will guard Adrianna twenty-four seven, even when she joins the wizard academy," commanded Dmitri.


    "Yes!" Liam accepted his king''s orders without a complaint.


    Dmitri became quiet after that, which was the signal for Liam and Fleur to leave.


    Then, he turned to Adrianna and picked her up into his arms. "Come, let''s finish what we started in the morning." He kissed her lips and carried her to the bedroom where he placed her on the mattress. As soon as he had removed both of their clothes, he pressed her down onto the bed and the flower canopy quickly surrounded them.


    After an hour of making love, they lay side by side. Dmitri started playing with her hair. He would lift the silky strands with his hand, but they would slip away, just like his wife.


    "Don''t think nonsense Dmitri!" Adrianna chided him. He laughed and kissed her shoulder.


    "Do you want to know what happened in the council meeting today?" asked Adrianna.


    Dmitri was curious. "Yes, tell me."


    Adrianna told him everything about the council meeting, including Lia.


    "Be careful in the academy Adri�� Make sure to steer clear of Lia and her children. They may try to harm you in some way," warned Dmitri. "If I hear that they have harmed even a single strand of hair on your head, I will hunt them down!"

 Chapter 151 - The Wizard Academy (1)

    Adrianna''s eyes twinkled when she saw how ferocious her alpha was being about her safety. She wanted to curl into him like a damsel in distress and so she did. For the rest of the night, she acted like a delicate being who needed her alpha''s attention all the time and not even once did her alpha deny her requests. As a matter of fact, his eyes flashed with joy every time she demanded things from her, even if it was as small as covering her with a blanket. It was not long before dawn came and Dmitri started preparing to leave.


    He called his teammates to the royal palace where Fleur created a portal for them to leave and directly enter the blue moon pack territory.


    "Adri, be careful. Don''t think twice if you need to leave this place for your own safety, okay? When I am gone, keep sending news about yourself or else I will get worried," said Dmitri while caressing her hair.


    "The only person you can always trust is Ed. So, if possible, keep him close by. Liam will be here with you as well." Dmitri stopped speaking and embraced her tightly.


    "Dmitri, don''t worry about me. Just take care of yourself," she said as she buried her face into his chest. His scent enveloped her and tears welled in her eyes as she tightly shut her eyes. "I love you."


    "Me too��"


    All the werewolves had already gone through the portal. Fleur was waiting for Dmitri to cross over before she could close the portal. Dmitri stepped in and took one last look at his beloved before the portal closed. A shiver immediately ran through Adrianna''s body as though everything around her had become dark and cold. She crossed her arms tightly around herself and walked back to her bedroom which still smelled of him. She didn''t allow the servants to clean the bed because it still held the wrinkles he had created. She wrapped herself up in the blanket filled with his scents and cried.


    Two hours later, the servants reminded her that she still had to go to the wizards'' academy. She got dressed in jeans and a green checkered shirt. With her hair tied in a ponytail, she looked like a next-door girl neighbor trope. The carriage had already come by to pick her up. As soon as the carriage was airborne, a battalion of wizards headed by Fleur appeared out of nowhere and flew with it. Adrianna was slowly beginning to get used to this routine.


    The carriage stopped in front of the wizard academy after half an hour. When Adrianna saw the academy, she was amazed by its sheer aura. It looked like a castle with its huge walls that were covered with ivy all around. The academy''s iron entrance was also huge. There were just two guards made of iron who were seated next to the gate entrance. As soon as Adrianna approached the entrance, they looked at her and stood up with their javelins pointing at her. As they stood up, they clanked a little. Fleur walked in front of Adrianna and took out a token from her pocket to hand it over to Adrianna. "This is your gate pass. You have to show it to them."


    Adrianna took the gate pass from Fleur. It was a thin slate of gold with her picture etched onto it. She showed the gate pass to iron guards and one of them opened a slit next to his heart for Adrianna to put in her slate. As soon as Adrianna slid in her slate, the slit closed. Within seconds, the slit opened again and the slate came back out. Adrianna picked it up and the guards kneeled as they removed their javelins. Adrianna was astounded by the way the gates were to be opened.


    "Now you will never have to show your gate pass. They know who you are. All other students have to show their gate pass to the guards everyday before entering the academy," said Fleur with a smile.


    Adrianna nodded and entered the grounds of the academy. It was much larger than the college she was currently attending. As she walked through the grounds, all the wizards who had been flying with her started walking behind with her. Adrianna felt extremely awkward but didn''t say a word, thinking that perhaps they would leave once she entered her classroom.


    However, she was taken to the headmaster''s room. To Adrianna''s surprise, the headmaster was a woman. She sat at the end of a huge table which was empty. The room was adorned with a variety of plants that Adrianna had never seen in her life. The floor was made from red oak which was rare around this region.


    As soon as she entered the headmaster''s office with Fleur, Adrianna bowed to the headmaster and greeted her. "Good morning Madam."


    Ilsa, the headmistress, was in her late fifties. Her forehead creased when she saw Adrianna. "I have been waiting for you. Isidorus has mentioned that you need to be in this academy to learn all about spells within a month''s period."

 Chapter 152 - The Wizard Academy (2)

    Ilsa sized up Adrianna, creating a line between her brows as she did so.


    She said, "You are the most unique case I have ever come across."


    Then, she looked at Fleur and said, "You may not enter the gates of this academy from now on. You are to leave Adrianna here and go away. None of the queen''s guards are allowed to enter."


    "But the guards of the royals are allowed Madam," replied Fleur.


    Ilsa narrowed her eyes. "That rule was changed a few days back!"


    Fleur was shocked. Adrianna didn''t know anything about magic. "What about her safety?" enquired Fleur. She had to mention this to Isidorus.


    Ilsa said, "Are you accusing us of wishing to harm a royal on the academy''s grounds?"


    "I am not saying that-"


    Ilsa cut Fleur off mid-sentence and said, "This has been approved by all of the council members if you are thinking of reporting this to Isidorus."


    Fleur was surprised at the way Ilsa was acting, but she remained quiet.


    Adrianna said, "That''s fine. I don''t need guards, but I want Liam to always be with me."


    Ilsa said, "We are sorry, but no werewolves allowed. I don''t know why have they allowed a person like you to enter the academy, but you are the daughter of the infamous Shira so we can''t help it. Plus, it''s the council''s decision so we have to go with it."


    Adrianna was very angry. She looked at Ilsa and said, "Kneel."


    "What? How dare you!" Ilsa protested, but found herself kneeling. She wanted to get up but found that all her muscles were frozen.


    "Liam will stay with me during my time at the wizard academy. If this is against the rules, make an amendment," ordered Adrianna in a chilly voice.


    Ilsa wanted to protest vociferously, but she found herself complying. She got up, took out a paper from her drawer, and started writing a permission slip for Liam to enter the grounds and be with Adrianna as her guard at all the times. She handed the paper to Fleur. Even though Ilsa was aware that she was writing it, and she hated it, she felt as though her body was not under her own control.


    As soon as the paper was given to Fleur, she was released from the force. Being a powerful witch, she had never been subjected to this kind of energy. It was nothing that she knew of. Ilsa looked at Adrianna with wide eyes and said, "Did you just used a spell on me?"


    Adrianna shrugged her shoulders and said, "What spell? I came to this academy to learn about them��"


    Ilsa cast a spell on Fleur to give the paper back, but nothing was working on Fleur. It was as though Fleur were standing inside an impenetrable field. Ilsa was shocked. Within the academy, she was the queen. Was this Isidorus'' doing? She had to talk to the council members. When nothing worked, Ilsa walked over to Fleur to snatch the paper from her hand, but before she could grab it, she slipped on the wooden floor and fell badly.


    "This is not allowed! You cannot have Liam here!" she shouted exasperatedly.


    Fleur smiled and left the room. Adrianna asked Ilsa, "Where''s my class?"


    "Your class is in the left wing," instructed Ilsa.


    As Adrianna walked to her class, her dress magically changed while walking. She was now wearing a white shirt with a black skirt under a black robe that hung to the middle of her calves. Adrianna chuckled when she saw the way she was dressed. She so wished that Dmitri could see her in her preppy wizard academy uniform. It would have been hilarious to hear all of his remarks.


    Ilsa was Lia''s best friend. As soon as they had heard of Adrianna''s return, the two of them had planned on admitting her to the academy. Lia had actually planted this idea in the heads of the council members. She was extremely certain that most would agree as they were all greedily eyeing the crown. Along with Ilsa, she had planned something even more sinister.


    Adrianna walked through the hallways that led to her class. Although she didn''t know which room was her class, the hallways guided her; the only route she could go through led to her class. It was a new experience and she was beginning to like it. Some students who passed by her greeted her. It seemed as though they all knew about her. She was slightly embarrassed by the fact that her reputation was so widespread.


    She reached her class within a few minutes. She thought that she was on time because the professor hadn''t arrived. The class was full and as soon as she entered, all of them looked at her. Adrianna found herself being silently scrutinized by everyone present. The class consisted of boys and girls younger than her by a year or two. None of them greeted her. Adrianna lowered her head and went to sit on a vacant chair in the right corner of the lecture hall.

 Chapter 153 - The Wizard Academy (3)

    There was a slight murmur spreading throughout the class with people giving her side glances and some even pointing at her. The awkwardness was high as the atmosphere around her became stifling. Adrianna became anxious. She took a deep breath and exhaled to exhale some of the anxiety out of her system. The place where she had chosen to sit had a vacant chair beside her. She looked at it while knowing that it wouldn''t be possible for her to gain a single friend. All of a sudden, she remembered Niiya and Ookashi. Her heart longed to see them. She lowered her head and looked at her lap as she clasped her hands.


    The professor entered the class and all the students rose to greet him. He looked at all of them and his eyes fell upon Adrianna. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Come and sit in the front."


    Adrianna walked to the front and a student got up from her place and vacated the chair for her. The professor watched her as she walked up. When she reached the vacant seat, he said in a serious tone, "From today onwards, you will be learning everything these students learned in eleven years within one month. You will need to focus a lot. You will be taught the most important spells that may be life-threatening. So be aware and keep alert. Don''t think that this is going to be a child''s play."


    The professor looked at her as though measuring her up. "Today, I will only test your capabilities. From tomorrow on, you will be transferred to a special class with a rigorous routine. From time to time, I will put your skills to the test by making you compete against the students of this class. You won''t get second chances to learn those spells." The way he said, it sounded more like a threat than encouragement.


    Adrianna nodded, feeling nervous again. She said, "Thanks Professor Ziu."


    Professor Ziu was a man in his thirties who had been one of the topmost and brilliant students of the academy. He had been offered a job at the ministry, and various jobs in the second level, including several bank jobs, but he had declined all of them to teach at the academy. There were only three more as brilliant as he was and one of them was Cy. Ziu had also decided not to marry, not because he didn''t have a choice, but because he found it difficult to find a woman who was as compatible. Foolishness appalled him and most women who he tried to date would start demanding for foolish things after only a few days, so he had decided to just focus on teaching. These days, he rarely went out on dates.


    Ziu had been given the responsibility of teaching and helping Adrianna with her magic. His problem was that he would insult his students a lot if they didn''t perform well. According to him, all those who couldn''t perform well should be eliminated from society. He was the perfect choice to put Adrianna''s down spirit. Ilsa and Lia had planned it carefully.


    "How do you know my name?" He asked with a furrow forming between his brows. He had never introduced himself to her.


    Even Adrianna didn''t know that. She didn''t answer and pursed her lips.


    Perhaps Ilsa has already told her...


    "You all may sit down," he said to the class when she didn''t answer. "Today, I will be teaching you the ''Iceba'' spell in which you can turn anything into ice and then shatter it into thousands of pieces."


    The class became excited. Professor Ziu took out his wand and pointed towards the chandelier on the ceiling which was hanging right above Adrianna and the students around her. They became scared. One of them said, "Professor, kindly choose something else."


    He ignored that student and instructed the class, "Make a circle with your wand and then make an infinity sign. While making that sign, say ''Iceba'' and then make an anti-clock circle immediately."


    Everyone in the class, other than Adrianna, took their wands out.


    Ziu knew that she didn''t have a wand. He sniggered and was ready to give her the first scare of her life. He started with the demonstration. He circled the wand and then said ''Iceba'' while making that infinity loop. The chandelier turned into ice. There was a huge exclaim of excitement from the students who were completely impressed. Ziu made an anti clock circle immediately after that, but instead of breaking into many pieces, the ice melted and the chandelier regained its original material. Ziu was taken aback. He repeated the spell, but it didn''t work again. Confused and not wanting to acknowledge his failure, he said aloud to the class, "Repeat what I did just now!" He was baffled beyond words. How could his magic fail?


    All the students'' wands pointed at the chandelier. Adrianna looked at all of them. It was as though all of them had a murderous glint in their eyes. She was shocked. As she watched them, she got lost in the world they all were in - a world filled with derision, apathy and rebellion. What was it that they were after?


    "Iceba!" came a loud noise as all of them said it at the same time. The chandelier turned into ice and exploded into a thousand pieces with a loud ear piercing bang, but all the pieces became fine shiny dust particles as they fell down upon Adrianna and those who were around her.


    Ziu had been prepared to use his magic and put the chandelier back in its place, but he couldn''t do anything when it turned into shiny dust.


    He roared, "Who turned it into dust particles? Who asked you to act as you wish? You dare defy my instructions?" The class flinched.


    None of them spoke a word word as they started looking at each other. The only person who wasn''t looking at anyone was Adrianna; she had delved into Ziu''s mind.

 Chapter 154 - The Wizard Academy (5)

    She had entered Ziu''s mind and he didn''t even know about it, which was very unusual for a wizard because it wasn''t easy to enter their minds. It took exactly five minutes for Adrianna to understand Ziu. She realized that he wasn''t her enemy - all he wanted was to prove that he was the best. She smiled faintly while Ziu became more and more agitated at the other students. All of them shook their heads and the more intelligent ones understood that there was something weird about the whole thing. Lia''s daughter, Zola, had been watching Adrianna from a distance. There was a lot to report to her mother.


    When none of the students committed to the deed, Ziu said, "I know how to get the truth out of all of you. I hope you realize that." Even though Ziu could enter the minds of the students, he wanted them to suffer.


    Although a truth spell was very easy to cast and usually never caused harm, when a professor casts it upon students, it was usually painful because it was always a sort of punishment for the students. All the students got angry and one of them spoke, "If anyone of you has done it, please let professor Ziu know about it. Why are you making all of us suffer?"


    Adrianna still kept quiet and Ziu cast truth spells on the students one by one. She wanted to stop it, but if she did that she would have exposed her secret as to what she had done to the chandelier. All the students shouted in pain. It would last for not more than a few seconds before all of them came clear. Ziu didn''t ask Adrianna because she didn''t even have a wand to practice that kind of magic. However, he was baffled. In the end, he just ended the lesson. Once class was over, he went to Adrianna and said, "Where is your wand?"


    "I don''t have one," she answered politely.


    "How could you come to the wizard academy without a wand?"


    "Where do I get one from?" she asked, ignoring his rudeness.


    "You have to go to the forest and find one for yourself."


    "The forest is huge. How am I supposed to find one?" she asked, amazed at the stupidity of his statement.


    "You have to find it yourself in the forest. That is all I can say," he replied with a shrug. "Come for class in ten minutes." Having said that, he left the room and went away.


    As soon as he left, Zola came over. "So you are Adrianna?"


    "Hello Zola," smiled Adrianna.


    Zola was surprised that Adrianna knew her name, but she didn''t show it. "I don''t want you to call me sister or come to me for any help during your time in the academy. Okay? I cannot have a half-witch as my sister!"


    "Okay. Remember what you said Zola." Adrianna got up and headed out of the lecture hall.


    Behind Adrianna''s back, Zola waved her wand to cast a spell for Adrianna to fall on the ground, but instead, the spell bounced back and she found herself crashing onto the ground, much to her embarrassment. Immediately, her friends came to her rescue.


    Adrianna understood that she was alone in an academy full of wizards and witches. She went to find Professor Ziu. The walkways of the academy were beautiful. There were delicately crafted pillars and intricately crafted arches in the ceiling and the walls were adorned with motifs and paintings. The floor was made from pure white marble that reflected the sunlight which fell upon it. Adrianna could see her reflection as she walked on it. The entire fa?ade of the academy was made from white marble and it looked just as beautiful from the outside. Adrianna became sad knowing that she would only be there for a month. The academy building was so beautiful and ethereal that she regretted not being able to spend her formative years there.


    As she walked, the alleys automatically directed her to Ziu''s next class. Upon reaching the classroom, she saw that Liam was already present. She chuckled as soon as she saw him and became excited as she hugged him.


    Liam smiled and said, "I will stay by your side always, my queen."


    Adrianna smiled and they started talking. "I have to go to the forest to find my wand."


    "Huh? But the forest is too huge?" said Liam, shocked at the idea.


    "I will ask Isidorus about it," she replied. "See if he can provide a temporary wand..."


    "There are no temporary wands," came Ziu''s voice from behind. Adrianna and Liam turned to look at him. "Once you find your wand, it will emotionally attach itself to you forever."


    Adrianna was wide-eyed. "Finding a wand in the forest is like finding a needle in a haystack. Once can spend a lifetime there."


    "That is the only way," replied Ziu with a stern face.


    He then turned to Liam and said, "Liam, I recommend that you sit outside the class because the spells that I will teach Adrianna might harm you."

 Chapter 155 - The Blast Of Spells!

    Liam heard him, but instead of exiting the classroom, he went to the far corner of the room where he sat down on a chair in an upright posture with his arms crossed across his chest. Ziu shrugged his shoulders as if saying he tried to warn Liam.


    Ziu started with simple spells that were given verbally or with the snap of a finger. According to Ziu, all of the spells he was teaching her needed at least a year''s worth of training and were taught to children during their first year of school. When Adrianna started with them, it was as if she didn''t need to be taught; it was all very natural to her. Her main mistake was that she would fumble with the names of spells, so instead of saying "Maka" to mute someone, she would say "Basaka" and make whoever it was casted on speak utter nonsense. Once, instead of turning a rat into a plant, her spell landed on Liam and the poor guy ended up becoming a mouse. Ziu was most pleased with the Liam who was in the form of a mouse.


    Adrianna requested, "Please change him back."


    Ziu started laughing and said, "No! You do it Adrianna. I already asked him to leave and sit outside."


    Adrianna clenched her jaw and snapped her fingers while saying "Vlast". To her despair, Liam became a plant!


    "Kazaka" she said as she snapped her fingers again. This time, Liam turned into a cockroach.


    "Xenom", "Hajie,""Diust". Adrianna tried so many spells, but Liam kept converting into every undesirable shape other than a werewolf. Adrianna became angry and, in the end, instead of snapping her finger and saying a spell, she just thought about what had to be done. She closed her eyes, focused on Liam''s image, and snapped her fingers. Liam was back to his human form with his hands crossed across his chest. He looked confused and anxious, but when his gaze fell on Adrianna, he was very angry. Quietly, he got up from the chair and walked out of the room. Adrianna lowered her head, but as soon as he left, she burst out laughing.


    Ziu was surprised and asked her, "What spell did you cast on him to get him back to his human form?"


    "I focused on what I wanted and snapped my finger," she replied truthfully.


    Ziu was shocked. "You thought it and it happened?"


    "Yes..."


    "Are you fooling me?" He shouted at her angrily and then cast the truth spell on her. "Tell me truthfully what you did."


    Adrianna shrugged and repeated, "I focused on what I wanted and snapped my finger."


    There was no sign of pain in her voice nor her demeanor. Ziu was surprised beyond words. Before he could say anything, she added, "I also blocked the spell that you were trying to cast on me."


    He was wide-eyed because he hadn''t even told her about it. All he did was just point a finger at her. What kind of magic does this girl possess? Immediately, he tried to delve into her mind, but he was blocked. He was blocked so forcefully that he got a severe headache for two seconds and he felt as though he would die. He looked at Adrianna.


    "Never, ever, enter in my mind again. That jolt I gave you was very small. Next time, it will be worse," she said menacingly.


    Ziu had never ever seen a witch like her in his life. Magic was natural to her. He couldn''t imagine the possibilities of her magic. For the first time in his life, he had met a woman who was much more powerful and more intelligent than he was. But he had never seen a witch that was so powerful, yet so humble. Her low profile was intriguing. Perhaps�� even she, herself, didn''t know what she was capable of. He realized that all she needed was to remember the names of the spells and perhaps some refinement.


    He smiled at the new mission of his life: Adrianna. This was the only girl who had ever managed to even captivate his attention. He stared at her with so much interest that even he couldn''t believe it.


    Adrianna looked at him strangely.


    Ziu snapped his fingers and a blue sparkle came out of it. He took his wand out, captured the sparkle with it, and directed it towards him. Adrianna saw that his entire body was being enveloped in the sparkle; the sparkle had formed a whirlwind around him.


    Just then, all the doors and the windows in the room shut down in a way that no light was allowed to enter. The two of them stood alone in the middle of the room.


    To Adrianna''s surprise, from an average-looking short man, Professor Ziu turned into a devilishly handsome man who was over six feet tall and who had the looks of a Greek God with his blond hair. His light blue eyes completed the set. He stared at Adrianna and said, "This is the first time I have ever shown my real face to anyone in a long time."

 Chapter 156 - Finding Wand (1)

    Adrianna stared at him. She had delved into his mind, but this secret had not been there. How could she have missed this? It seemed to be that Professor Ziu was extremely handsome and brilliant.


    "I am really honored that you have considered to reveal your true self to me, But why have you kept this a secret?" she asked.


    Ziu had been expecting for Adrianna to be instantly smitten by his drop-dead gorgeous looks. This was the first time he had ever revealed himself, but it appeared to be that she wasn''t impressed... or was she? He really wanted to impress her and was certain that he could influence her, but nothing happened. He couldn''t sense anything from her side.


    "My mother wants me to stay this way because she thinks I am too handsome and that girls will hit me with charm spells all the time," he replied whilst flinging his hair back.


    Adrianna stared at him stupidly. She nodded and then said, "Okay��" She was shocked speechless at his level of narcissism.


    "So what do we do now?" she asked him again.


    Feeling dejected, Ziu said, "Let us continue with the spells. You should write down the names of the spells since you can''t seem to remember them."


    "Okay, I will."


    All the windows and doors flew back open as Ziu disguised himself again. Liam stood by the door with questions in his eyes. Adrianna mentally communicated to him that everything was okay.


    The rest of the time was spent on teaching her. She now knew the names of the magic spells that she was able to do naturally.


    As the evening fell, and school concluded for the day, Adrianna and Liam headed back to the royal palace. Adrianna was extremely tired. When she entered her bedroom, it felt so lonely that she immediately exited the room right after. She wanted to be with Dmitri. She walked around the gardens in order to divert her attention. She wondered how she could even last a month without him.


    All of a sudden, she remembered that she had to find her wand in the forest. Yes!


    She summoned Fleur.


    "Create a portal for me. I have to go to the forest to find the wand."


    "Okay. Me and your protection team will come with you."


    "I will first go to Dmitri and from there, I will go to the forest."


    Fleur knew that finding a wand was an extremely important task for a wizard, so she didn''t ask any questions.


    "Notify Liam about it," said Adrianna.


    Within the next half an hour, a portal was created for her and she entered her bedroom, excited to meet Dmitri. She chuckled as she stepped in. This was a great plan. She thought of taking her time to find a wand so that she could meet Dmitri every night and spend time with him.


    Fleur, Liam, and the rest of the protection team stepped in through a different portal, created by another wizard, which led to the outside gardens of the supreme alpha''s palace.


    As soon as Adrianna entered her and Dmitri''s bedroom, to her surprise, she found her cub, Dmitri, who was stretched out on the rug. He was sleeping, but as soon as he saw Adrianna, he ran over to her and hugged her legs, making her laugh. She patted him and stroked him for a long time. Her alpha wasn''t there, so she reached out to him, but there was no reply. She asked her cub, "Where is your master?"


    "He left for the forest. It seems a beast has entered the pack and killed some hens, so they have gone to hunt down the beast," he replied.


    "Why didn''t you help them hunt the beast? You are big enough!" she chided him.


    "I am but a small baby," he replied with a frown. He looked so adorable that Adrianna laughed.


    She left her cub alone and went inside the bathroom to take a bath. When she came out, she found Dmitri playing with her cub. She was wrapped in a towel. As soon as Dmitri saw her, he rushed to her and embraced her tightly. "Adri��"


    She circled her arms around him and hugged him.


    "I don''t think it is a good idea to stay away from you," he said, leaving her and dragging her to the bed. "I just entered the house and ran back to meet you."


    "Mhmm��" she nodded.


    He opened the balcony door for her cub to leave. The baby bear looked at Adrianna and said, "I will go with you to the forest."


    Adrianna was shocked as to how he knew that she had to go to the forest, but her attention was diverted by Dmitri who had already unraveled her towel. He lifted her up and placed her onto the mattress. He dipped his face into her neck and inhaled her scent. Then, he kissed her passionately on the lips. Once he was satisfied, he left her lips. Placing his forehead on hers, he said, "Adri, I am open to the idea of staying with you forever. Staying away from you is not good." Having said that, he removed his clothes and grabbed her nipples with his hungry mouth. But that wasn''t satisfying enough, so he went further down and sucked on her private parts to his heart''s content. Once she was wet and her juices were flowing in between her thighs, he thrust inside her and came over and over again.


    When he finished, he slumped over her.


    She tenderly touched his cheek and asked, "Have you had dinner?"


    "No��"


    "Let''s have dinner. I have to go to the forest to find my wand."


    "What?"


    She chuckled. "Yes. Apparently. you have to find your own wand in that vast forest."


    "That is crazy!" he exclaimed as he got off of her. "How are you supposed to do that?"


    "I don''t know," she said while getting up. She got out of bed, put on a dress, and brought clothes for Dmitri to wear. She made him put on his boxers and his jeans. He didn''t bother to put on a shirt. .


    To Adrianna''s disgust, when they arrived at the dining hall, she saw both Keisha and Cora. She ignored the two of them and sat next to Dmitri for dinner.


    "They allowed the queen to come out of the wizard kingdom?" asked Cora with a raised eyebrow.


    "Apparently," replied Adrianna with a shrug.


    Adrianna glared at Keisha who was eyeing Dmitri''s shirtless body.

 Chapter 157 - Finding Wand (2)

    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at Keisha and softly started stroking Dmitri''s back with her fingers after she served him.


    "Dmitri, you need to eat," she said sweetly with a honeyed voice. Dmitri dug his fork into the dish and started eating.


    In order to make Keisha even more envious, Adrianna lightly kissed his shoulder. Dmitri looked at her, smiled, grabbed her face and kissed her on her lips, almost biting them. "Ah!" she winced. Dmitri looked at her seductively and then resumed eating. He mentally communicated to her, "So jealous!"


    "I am not!" she replied, turning red.


    But Dmitri didn''t pay heed to her. He simply continued eating.


    Keisha, on the other hand, started coughing and Cora patted her back. Keisha had been so happy recently with Adrianna gone; she would be able to ogle at Dmitri and also talk with him, but she had never anticipated that Adrianna would follow him back to the werewolves'' territory the next day. Keisha lowered her head and started having her dinner.


    While she was eating, Adrianna asked, "When will Keisha''s house be ready?"


    Dmitri mentally communicated, "I am planning to let her stay here."


    "What?" Adrianna started coughing.


    "Well... since you are okay with her and not jealous at all��"


    "You better get it ready as soon as possible," Adrianna blurted out loud. Everyone looked at her. Dmitri''s expressions were strange.


    "Okay," he said quietly.


    Both Keisha and Cora tensed up. Neither spoke a word after that and quietly finished their dinner.


    When Adrianna reached the bedroom, instead of getting ready to sleep, she started getting dressed up.


    "Will you go be going to seek for your wand tonight?" asked Dmitri.


    "Yes�� this is the only time I am going to get because the entire day I am at the academy��" she replied as she placed a small knife in her pocket.


    "Why are you carrying that knife?" he asked amused.


    "Dmitri, duh? Why are you asking me that lame question? A wand is made from wood and obviously I would need to chisel it into shape when I find mine. Haven''t you see the wands of other wizards and witches?" she said, shaking her head.


    "I thought that you would just pick up a twig from the forest and come back," he replied. "After all, those wands are nothing but twigs."


    "Even if it is a twig, I will have to craft it into some shape," she said as she started leaving.


    "I won''t let you go alone at this time of the hour," he stopped her.


    "Don''t worry. Fleur and others in her team are going to be with me," she said as she summoned Fleur.


    There was a knock on the balcony door and Adrianna opened it to see Fleur was standing outside. "Let''s go to find that wand," said Adrianna and started to leave.


    Fleur didn''t follow her. Adrianna turned to look back at her with confusion written on her face.


    "I am sorry my queen, but the wand needs to be found alone. No witch nor wizard can accompany you on your quest to find your wand," said Fleur with her face scrunched up with tension.


    Adrianna was puzzled. "Why is that?"


    "The energy that a new wand generates is so huge that it can break all other wands in its vicinity. That is why we will even leave small children alone to find their own wands in the forest."


    "That is strange! How would I know where to find the wand? The more you talk about finding it, the more mysterious it becomes. I don''t know what to do."


    "Don''t worry my queen. Once you will step into the jungle, your destined path will shine brilliantly and lead you to your wand. Remember that since the path will shine brilliantly, you will be vulnerable to enemy attacks because they will know that a witch or wizard is in the forest to find his or her wand."


    The contents of Fleur''s words confused Adrianna. Dmitri came out onto the balcony upon sensing Adrianna''s confusion. When Fleur saw him with only his pants on, she gasped. How can someone be so handsome? She lowered her head immediately so that Adrianna wouldn''t notice the change of expression and the faint blush that flushed her face.


    "If witches and wizards can''t go, can werewolves go?" he asked her.


    Fleur hadn''t thought of that possibility. "Yes, they can go. Although I am not sure if they will be able to bear that kind of energy."


    "What is the intensity of the energy that you are talking about Fleur? The more you speak about it, the more afraid I am of sending Adrianna out there alone," said Dmitri while holding onto Adrianna''s waist from behind.


    "When a wizard or a witch finds his or her wand, an emotional connection is made and that connection is very potent. The energy generated during this time is so intense that any life present nearby can be burnt. No one has been able to break that connection except��" Fleur lowered her head again. She didn''t want to scare Adrianna.


    "Except who?" asked Adrianna, giving Fleur a hard stare.


    "Expect four wizards who have been considered to be the most powerful of all," she replied.

 Chapter 158 - Finding Wand (3)

    Dmitri''s face became pale when he heard that. "Which four wizards?" he asked.


    "Professor Ziu and��" Fleur was again hesitant to speak.


    "Speak up!" roared Dmitri.


    "Cy��" she said getting scared of Dmitri''s demeanor. "You''ve met him before Adrianna��"


    Dmitri tightened his hold around Adrianna''s waist.


    "Who are the other two wizards?" asked Adrianna.


    "I don''t know��"


    "You are not going anywhere Adri!" declared Dmitri. He picked her up and carried her inside. "You may go back Fleur," he said as he bolted the door from inside.


    Once they were inside, he said, "I will not let you go anywhere that puts your life at stake."


    Adrianna knew that it would be difficult to convince Dmitri so she brought up a suggestion. "Dmitri, I have to find my wand... but would you accompany me in my quest to find it? Do you trust that I will be able to protect you?"


    "Adri!" Dmitri was shocked to hear her suggestion.


    "I am confident that you can protect me, but this is more of a death quest than a quest for a wand. You have way too many enemies out there who want to kill you or capture you. Even if I come with you, can you guarantee that you will be safe? I will give my life for you, but I want you to promise me one thing; I want you to promise me that you will live." Dmitri spoke in a tone that allowed for no discussion.


    Adrianna moved closer to him and stroked his cheek right below his ears. "Trust me. If we live, we will live together, and if we die, we will die together. This is just a wand quest - nothing much. No one in the entire wizard kingdom knows that I am in this realm with you, so who would come after me? They would think I am just any other wizard child who has come for the quest."


    Dmitri''s anxiety lowered a bit. He leaned his face into her hand and said, "Okay, I will go with you. I will take another fifty werewolves with me."


    "That''s a large number... we will attract unwanted attention. Let''s not take anyone with us Dmitri�� The two of us should be more than enough."


    "No! I will take ten others with us."


    Adrianna sighed and smiled at him.


    They were out of the werewolves'' territory and headed into the deep jungles within the next half an hour. True to what Fleur had said, the path shone on its own to lead Adrianna to her destination.


    Adrianna and Dmitri shape-shifted into werewolves and ran through the shining path. All the other werewolves followed them. The jungle lit up as though it had become heaven on the earth. There were bright white lights sprinkled in the air that would dim and then glow up again. The leaves on the trees looked greener than usual and the ground was covered with soft, cushioned grass. The fresh breeze blowing scented the air with a floral smell. Adrianna found it strange that she wasn''t able to hear a single animal''s voice the entire time she had been running. Perhaps they were all sleeping.


    They must have run for more than an hour, but the path still continued to shine and lead them even further ahead. Dmitri stopped all of them and mentally communicated, "Adrianna, are we going in circles?"


    "No Dmitri, I think we have come very far inside the jungle��"


    Suddenly, there was a flutter as some birds flew out of their nests. Adrianna shape shifted and looked around. This was the first time they had heard any animal noises since the beginning of their quest.


    She looked towards the source of the noise, but to her surprise, she found that there were two neotides hanging upside down on a tree. As soon as she saw them, they let go of the branch they were hanging on and jumped in front of her.


    Dmitri, along with the rest of the werewolves, shape shifted. His worst fears had come true. Out of anger, he killed the two of them cruelly by attacking them from the front and ripping apart their limbs. However, his actions were in vain as they soon found themselves surrounded by a large number of neotides who slowly started forming a circle around them. Even more surprising was the fact that a wizard was riding atop a neotide in the forefront of the group. Both Dmitri and Adrianna were confounded as to which wizard it could be. Their eyes grew wide when the neotide with his master came closer. It was Cy. Adrianna gritted her teeth.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. "How did you know I was here?" asked Adrianna immediately, not wasting any time.


    Cy laughed. "I didn''t know. But when you see this activity in the forest, you know that a witch or a wizard has come for their wand, so I naturally came to capture whoever it was. I can''t thank my stars enough that the lucky witch was you!"


    "It seems you have forgotten how you ended up last time Cy. Otherwise, you would have retreated the moment you saw me," shouted Adrianna. Dmitri and other werewolves moved closer to her and formed a circle.

 Chapter 159 - Finding Wand (4)

    Cy laughed like a maniac. "Last time you were lucky, but this time, you won''t be able to call for help from the animals in the forest."


    Adrianna growled at him.


    "When a wizard goes out to find his her wand, all the animals hide. They will never ever come near you, and that puts you at a major disadvantage Adrianna," said Cy condescendingly.


    Adrianna was shocked at his statement, but she knew he was telling the truth because she hadn''t heard a single animal''s voice ever since she entered the forest. With just Dmitri and ten other werewolves with her, they were too small of an army to fight Cy and his army of neotides who were growing larger and larger in numbers.


    The first thing that Adrianna thought to do was to protect the werewolves she was with. She looked at Dmitri who stared at her and growled at her, giving her a fair warning not to even think of fighting them alone. She shook her head and snapped her fingers. Swords made from the finest iron appeared in their hands, each with an edge sharp enough to slice through flesh as though it were butter.


    "Don''t shape shift," she instructed them mentally.


    "Adrianna, I don''t think you want to fight with us. If you do, I can''t guarantee that Dmitri will live to see another day.


    "You should just surrender to me." Cy was threatening her with the dire consequences she was in.


    "We will see who lives to see another day," growled Dmitri.


    Suddenly, cyan colored light came out of Cy''s wand and was thrown in the direction of Dmitri. Adrianna deflected that with the white light that she managed to get out of her system. She became furious at Cy and her anger rose to a point where she became out of control. Her eye color changed to a silvery blazing white and before Cy could even think of sending another spell towards Dmitri, he was knocked down by another streak of light that Adrianna had thrown at him.


    Cy gave the attack command and the neotides started attacking the werewolves from all sides. The swords clanked as they ripped apart the neotides and the dismembered limbs or heads of the neotides fell and littered the beautiful green grass beneath them. The beautiful nature within the forest was quickly marred with red pools of blood. Adrianna pushed Cy further away in order to lengthen the distance between him and Dmitri by taking as much energy as she could gather and throwing it at Cy.


    Although Cy was affected and ran further back, he recovered quickly. He pointed his wand towards the sky and an enormous lightning storm was created. A thread of lightning escaped the clouds and was captured by his wand. In the next instant, he threw all that intense electricity towards Adrianna. Adrianna leapt in the air as she shape shifted to dodge the lightning beam. She landed some twenty feet away from her original spot. A loud ''boom'' was heard and when Adrianna turned to see, she witnessed disaster. A large area in the ground had cracked and sunk. A huge pit appeared where there used to be lush grass and flowers.


    Cy laughed at her. "Adrianna, that was the silliest thing you could do." He cast a "Ponos" spell and once again threw a lethal red light at her.


    Adrianna leapt in the air again and shape shifted back to her human form in less than a fraction of a second. She kicked him while airborne. She hadn''t realized, but she was still airborne; she had never touched the ground. Her eye color had changed from that silvery blaze into a rich golden yellow.


    "Cy!" she shouted at him. "It is impossible to harm me!"


    However, Cy was not an easy man to take down. He knew spells which she didn''t even know existed and had yet to be taught. The spells which Cy knew were spells which were taught only to the most advanced and brilliant students.


    When he saw the white light in the forest, he knew that a young witch or wizard must be on their wand quest. Immediately, he called for an army of neotides to attack and capture that young wizard. However, when he saw that it was Adrianna, his first thought was to capture her, but the way she was resisting made him angrier than ever. Because of her, he had already suffered a lot. He wanted the kingdom, but Isidoris had been protecting the crown for her with his life. She had defeated him in the last battle and he was cast out of his kingdom to become a fugitive. All of his suffering was because of her! More than capturing her, he wished for her death, even if it defied Vikra''s orders.


    He lifted his wand at her and out came the words, "Vrakhas Azadea". His wand emitted a large amount of lethal energy which was all pointed at Adrianna. The energy was so immense that the entire area shone as though the sun had shone a large ray of sunlight onto the ground; it was blinding.

 Chapter 160 - Finding Wand (5)

    Adrianna was sure this would be the end of her. As the bright light blinded everyone, Adrianna saw her pet baby bear running towards them. She was wide eyed with wonder and the first thing she thought to do was to protect him. Dmitri leapt in the air as soon as he got close enough to her and she opened her arms.


    "Adrianna, use me!" said Dmitri. Instead of jumping into her arms, he converted into a wand that flipped through the air and landed into her hand. The moment she caught the wand, it emitted a large amount of energy equivalent against the amount Cy had thrown at them. The two energies clashed in the air.


    Adrianna was unable to process what had just happened; the wand was acting on its own. Through her tear-stained eyes, she could see that Cy was being pushed further and further away as his energy became enveloped by Adrianna''s energy. His force was nothing against Adrianna''s wand.


    A few moments later, Cy snapped his fingers and was sucked into a vortex. Adrianna turned to look back. The scene was absolutely gorey. There were pools of blood all around them. Dmitri was wounded and the werewolves who had accompanied the couple had been bitten by the neotides in various places. There were still more neotides coming towards them. This time, Adrianna was pissed off to such an extent that, without thinking, she pointed her wand towards the neotides and emitted a bright lethal light that immediately killed each and every neotide in sight. It was a mass murder.


    Adrianna was emotionally spent. She fell on her knees onto the ground. She lowered her head and started crying. Her cries soon converted into uncontrollable sobs. Dmitri moved closer to her. He picked her up into his arms and, along with the rest of the wolves, they followed the path that had been created for Adrianna to find her wand to return to the palace.


    They had only walked for a little while when they found that a portal had been opened for them by Fleur who had come to find them once she noticed that they were taking longer than usual to return. The werewolf group entered the portal to find themselves teleported to their pack healer''s hut. The healer, along with his group of assistants, attended to their wounds.


    The portal then took Adrianna and Dmitri to their bedroom where Dmitri placed Adrianna on the bed and went to take a shower. Apart from a gash on his biceps, he was fine. He knew that the wound would be healed within an hour''s time.


    Adrianna had tightly clasped the wand in her hand. She had held it close to her heart as she cried. So this is what they meant when they said the wand has an emotional attachment to you. The baby bear who had been her pet for so long had become her wand. The cuddly, cute, and warm bundle of love was now lying in her hand as a piece of wood.


    The wand was light brown in color, exactly the color of her pet bear''s fur. It looked like a piece of roughly chiseled wood but it was smooth. Adrianna would look at it and constantly remember her pet bear Dmitri. Her mind went to the time when she had first met him and how she ran after him when Dmitri had come to propose.


    Remembering the way her pet bear would jump into her arms whenever he saw her made her feel even gloomier. Then, she remembered what he had conveyed to her just before she had left to find her wand. "I will follow you to the jungle��" Did he already know about it? Had he foreseen what would happen? He had been found by Ed, all alone and trapped in a deserted cabin in the forest. Was this destiny? Had he been abandoned by his mother for Adrianna?


    What was the price of being crowned the queen of the wizard kingdom? How many more lives would be taken in order for her to succeed the throne? All those questions were making her restless. In the end, when she had cried enough and only dry sobs were left, she found herself wrapped up within Dmitri''s warm embrace. He had cradled her, encompassing her entire body within his embrace. "Shh... Don''t cry." Adrianna didn''t know when she fell asleep. Dmitri didn''t move her, afraid that she would wake up. Later, when he laid down, Adrianna curled up on top of him.


    Dawn broke in a few hours and the soft morning light fell into their bedroom. Dmitri woke up to see Adrianna''s delicate face which was sheathed in the morning''s soft light. Tenderly, he started stroking her hair and noticed that she was still holding the wand close to her chest.


    Gently, he removed it and carefully placed it nearby. The ways of the wizard world confounded him. Things were already so complicated in his world, but they were even more complex in the wizard kingdom.


    He smiled as he looked at Adrianna. What would the future hold for them?

 Chapter 161 - His Imaptience

    Adrianna opened her eyes a little later only to find Dmitri watching her affectionately. She lifted her head and looked at him. Remnants of tears were still in her eyes and she was dirty from her quest last night.


    Dmitri kissed her head. "How is my queen feeling?" he asked as he wiped her eyes dry with his finger.


    Adrianna gave a faint smile and got up. Her gaze fell on the wand that had been placed beside them on the bed. She lifted it and caressed it. "Not justified��" she murmured as she held it close to her heart. She sighed. Then, she looked at Dmitri and said, "I have to go back."


    Dmitri nodded and smiled back. "Take everything one day at a time Adrianna��"


    Adrianna placed the wand back on bed and held Dmitri tightly. "I am fed up of everything I love leaving me. Dmitri, let''s make babies; we can make lots of babies! Then I will have so many of you around me that you will never be able to leave me!"


    Dmitri started laughing. He kissed her. "We will make as many as you want darling, but now is not the right time. And... right now, it is time for you to go back to your academy."


    Adrianna looked at the clock in the bedroom and saw that it had just struck 8:30AM. "Gah!" She gritted her teeth and ran to the bathroom to get dressed. Exactly at 9AM, Adrianna reached the front of the wizard academy through the portal Fleur created. The iron guards at the entrance didn''t ask again for her gate pass before kneeling down and opening the gates. As soon as Liam started entering, they pointed their javelins at him. Liam dug through his pockets to find his pass, but was at a loss of words when he couldn''t find it. He became panicky as to where he could have possibly lost it.


    Fleur laughed at him when she saw him frantically searching for it. She handed it to him and said, "You moron, you left it at my house yesterday evening."


    Liam shook her head, kissed Fleur, and then showed his pass to the guards.


    Adrianna headed to the class she had been assigned to that day. Once again, it was one of Professor Ziu''s classes. When Adrianna reached the classroom door, she noticed a large commotion. It seemed as though all the girls of the academy had gathered in the classroom. They were shouting with excitement. Adrianna tapped on the shoulder of one of the girls and asked, "Why is everyone here?"


    "Oh! You don''t know? Professor Ziu has finally shown his true self! Everyone suspected that he was hiding his true self and we all thought he was ugly, but can you believe it? He is the most handsome wizard of the kingdom!" she replied without even looking at Adrianna.


    It was impossible for her to make her way into the class amongst the crowd. Adrianna snapped her fingers and teleported herself to the far corner of the classroom where no one would notice her sudden appearance. She felt around the inside pocket of her robe where her wand was kept. She clutched it and sat down on a vacant chair after walking a little further.


    She could see that Professor Ziu was indeed being fawned over by all of the girls in the class. Even the boys were standing and admiring him. Adrianna noticed that Zola was standing right at the forefront of the crowd. She was perhaps trying to really impress Professor Ziu with the way she talked and fluttered her eyes.


    Professor Ziu was sitting in his chair and smiling at all of the students who had surrounded him. He knew that once he showed his true self, he would get this kind of attention. It was as though he had craved for this attention all those years, but he realized that what he really wanted was this kind of attention from that one person - the person who he had been teaching yesterday and the person for whom he had revealed his true self.


    Professor Ziu had arrived at the academy an hour earlier than usual and had immediately headed to lie in wait in the classroom where Adrianna was to be taught. He had waited for her, but as the class started filling, everyone poured in except for her�� He was beginning to become exasperated by the girls who were surrounded him.


    "When will she come?" he said aloud out of exasperation.


    Zola was shocked when she heard his sudden question, but she still politely asked, "Who, Professor Ziu?"


    "Adrianna!" he replied. "We can''t start the class unless she is here.


    "Well, it is possible that she won''t even come. We can start the class in her absence," she said while suppressing her jealousy.


    "The headmistress had clearly ordered that Adrianna has to learn all the spells. However, it seems that she has forgotten all about it," said professor Ziu pounding a fist onthe table in anger. "Go back to your seats!" he shouted.


    All the students became afraid and became silent. Zola smiled inwards, satisfied that the professor was angry with Adrianna. The students who didn''t have class in this classroom also started leaving. Nobody wanted to anger a professors, especially this professor who was well known for his short temper and horrible punishments.


    Professor Ziu irritation was increasing by the minute. He had come so early and had waited for so long, thinking that she might come early, allowing him to spend more time with her, but she had decided not to even come to the academy. He was on the verge of fury.


    As the crowd started thinning, he noticed that Adrianna was sitting in the fourth row with her head low as she appeared to be writing something in a notebook. His anger dissipated as soon as he saw her. Slowly, he walked towards her and stood in front of her desk with his arms crossed across his chest. All the students held their breath as they thought that he would explode on Adrianna at any moment.


    Adrianna lifted her head when she felt someone''s presence near her. She got up from her chair and said, "Good morning professor Ziu."

 Chapter 162 - Are You Free In The Evening?

    Even though Ziu felt better after seeing Adrianna, he was still a little irritated. "Where were you? Why did you come so late? Can''t you see that you''re wasting everyone''s time?" he chided her mildly.


    "Professor Ziu, I was already here for a while - I came in just before the class was supposed to start, but you were surrounded by so many students��" she replied, wondering why he would not start the class without her.


    Ziu looked at her while inwardly cursing himself for not noticing her earlier. He didn''t say anything and walked back towards the front of the classroom. For the next hour, he taught more complicated spells to the students. While most of the class was able to follow his instructions, some girls were doing it all wrong, including Zola who couldn''t do anything right. All of her concentration was on Ziu. When the class ended, she ran straight for him.


    Professor Ziu was in a hurry to leave and go after Adrianna who had already packed up her notebook and exited out of the class with Liam following her. Ziu collected all of his stuff hurriedly and was about to go when he heard Zola calling for him.


    "Professor Ziu, are you free in the evening?"


    Ziu became irritated because he had to stay back, even for a second, to answer her. "I am not!"


    He started to leave, but Zola stopped him again. "I am free and my mom wanted to meet you tonight. Could you please come over to our house?"


    Ziu was slightly curious as to why Lia would want him to come over. "Tell your mother that I will come when I find time. Give her my regards." Having said that, he rushed out while shouting Adrianna''s name.


    Zola became green with envy. She stomped her foot and walked out after him. She saw how he followed Adrianna to her next class. It was unbearable.


    For the whole day, Ziu didn''t go anywhere and just focused on teaching Adrianna. He taught her some basic spells and then a few advanced ones. As lunch time approached, instead of going and eating with the staff as usual, he ate with Adrianna and Liam. How he wished that Liam would go away.


    "Liam, I think Adrianna is capable of taking care of herself. You don''t have to accompany her to the academy all the time," said Ziu, hinting that he should leave.


    Liam took a bite of a chicken leg and replied, "Adrianna is my alpha''s queen. I will stay by her side as long as she is alive if that is what my alpha wants."


    Adrianna smiled at Liam.


    Ziu cringed when he heard ''alpha''. "She''s more of a witch..." he murmured.


    When her evening class concluded, Adrianna returned to the royal palace, while Liam headed straight for Fleur''s place. By this point, he had basically started living in Fleur''s house, much to Ed and Howard''s chagrin.


    In the evening, Professor Ziu was summoned by Lia and he had no choice but to answer to the summons. When he reached their house, he noticed that Lia wasn''t there. Instead, Zola greeted him.


    "Where is your mother?" he asked.


    "She has gone for some urgent ministry work. She will be back quickly. Please sit Professor Ziu," replied Zola as she fluttered her eyelashes and made herself look almost like a kitten. She was absolutely mesmerized by his good looks.


    Ziu sat down and a servant was summoned to serve him wine.


    While he sipped on his wine, Zola said, "Professor Ziu, you are so handsome. No one in the kingdom measures up to your brilliance and looks. Why have you been hiding all this while? And why did you decide to come out of hiding?"


    Ziu smiled as dimples showed on his cheeks. "For someone..."


    It took two minutes for Zola to understand who that someone was. "That someone is married?"


    Ziu didn''t answer.


    Zola boiled in anger inside. She would have killed Adrianna then and there if Adrianna were in front of her. She was about to say something when Lia entered.


    Lia was also stunned by Ziu''s appearance. "Oh my my! Who do we have here!"


    She sat down opposite him. "What a beautiful man your professor is Zola."


    Ziu smiled and said, "Thank you Lia. How can I help you?"


    "Oh! I was just talking to Ilsa. We brought up the idea that we should hold a competition in the academy for all students," she said with a glint in her eyes.


    "What for?" asked Ziu.


    "Just to have a healthy competition amongst kids. The ministry also wanted to know who are capable ones amongst the kids."


    Suddenly, Zola interrupted, "Great idea Mother!"


    Both Lia and Ziu turned to look at Zola.


    "Mother, you have always said that only the most capable should be the queen or king of the wizard kingdom. Why don''t we have a competition that will prove the capability of all those in the school?"


    Lia smiled at her daughter''s thought process. It was a perfect chance to eliminate Adrianna because Adrianna hardly knew any spells. "I love that spirit Zola! I will talk to Ilsa and the ministry about it!"


    Burning with jealousy, Zola had been looking for a chance to pull Adrianna down. "Half sister! My foot!" she murmured.


    Ziu frowned. "But Adrianna still doesn''t know all of the spells..."

 Chapter 163 - Disguise Yourself!

    Lia scrunched up her nose and said, "Well, the ministry wants the competition as soon as possible. We have to hurry up with the competition. We are hosting it for the last year students who will soon graduate out of the academy. Just because Adrianna doesn''t know that many spells doesn''t mean we can delay it for just one student. The competition will be held in a timely way so that all other students are benefited. I am sorry Professor Ziu, but we can''t withhold the competition for one person."


    "Madam Lia, I don''t know what to say, but we cannot rush Adrianna into something she isn''t even prepared for. The competition is going to be held amongst witches and wizards who are considered to be the most powerful people in the world. This is not something that can be taken lightly and we certainly cannot push an inexperienced person into it," said Ziu. trying to drill sense into Lia.


    However, it didn''t work. "Professor Ziu, I sense that you are being partial to one witch. Would it be far-fetched for me to say that you are being partial to her because she is going to be the queen of the wizard kingdom?"


    Professor Ziu narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "Madam Lia, whether I am being partial towards Adrianna is not the question. The question is, why are you trying to put Adrianna, who happens to be of your blood, in this kind of trouble? She is, after all, the daughter of your sister Shira."


    Lia became angry at his sentence. "Professor Ziu!" she shouted. "Do not overstep your boundaries! It is none of your concern as to what my relationships with people are. The ministry has already decided, and we will go forward with the competition."


    Zola, who was witnessing this argument, didn''t know how to stop her mother from becoming even more agitated. She had wanted to create a good impression on her professor, but her mother was doing just the opposite. And the root cause of her dilemma was her cousin sister Adrianna. Immediately, she interrupted the conversation and stopped her mother from saying any more untoward things.


    "Mother, Professor Ziu is right. After all, Adrianna is an inexperienced witch. However, since your ministry is in a hurry, an easy competition can be placed for her, like how they make one for the small children, and a difficult one can be hosted for the rest of the eligible students." Then, she turned to professor Ziu and, with a glint in her eyes, she asked, "What do you think Prrofessor?"


    She knew that by suggesting an easy competition for Adrianna, it would suggest that Professor Ziu wasn''t a good teacher and this was one thing Ziu could never tolerate.


    Ziu looked at Lia with blazing eyes and said, "Madam Lia, you prepare the competition and I will ensure Adrianna is ready." After saying that, Ziu snapped his fingers and disappeared.


    Zola smiled while Lia went to her study. They both had a lot to prepare.


    Meanwhile, when Adrianna returned to her palace, she summoned Fleur again. "I want to meet Dmitri."


    "But Adrianna, it is not safe. Don''t you know that the moment Vikra senses that you have left the wizard kingdom, he will come after you?" Fleur pleaded.


    "Nothing will happen. Disguise me as someone else," Adrianna insisted.


    Fleur was becoming more and more nervous about Adrianna''s safety. She decided to talk to Isidorus about it later. "Adrianna, your safety is my concern. Can you please listen to me for once?"


    "Fleur, do as you are told! Just disguise me as someone else and I will go!" Adrianna shouted.


    Fleur retorted back, "You can disguise yourself! After all, you are a witch!"


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at Fleur. "Hmph! Fine!" Adrianna snapped her fingers. However, instead of becoming someone else, only her clothes changed into those of a peasant; she still looked like her original self. She snapped her fingers again, but no matter what she did, only her clothes changed. Her face would remain the same.


    Fleur had crossed her arms across her chest and had been watching Adrianna''s futile antics. Finally, she burst out laughing and offered to teach Adrianna how to disguise herself


    Adrianna looked at Fleur exasperatedly and nodded, almost as if asking Fleur to hurry on with it.


    "In order to disguise yourself, you first have to think of a person who you want to look like. That person needs to be someone you have seen within the past few minutes or someone whose face you remember clearly. Then, you should keep his or clothes in mind. Once the image of the person who you want to look like is clear, you want to move your hand across your body from top to bottom and say, "Haazio." The spell needs to be spoken in a certain way and only then will you change your guise."


    "In what way?" asked Adrianna.


    "Ha - a- z �C i �C o"


    "You have to whisper it and not speak it loudly." Fleur knew that it took weeks for people to even speak the spell correctly, so she was sure that she had put Adrianna in a difficult situation. She inwardly smiled because she really didn''t want Adrianna to exit the kingdom, especially because she had just defeated Cy again yesterday and it was possible that he would come back for revenge.


    Adrianna remembered the face of a girl in her class. She closed her eyes and cast the spell. In the next minute, she looked exactly like that girl wearing a peasant dress.

 Chapter 164 - You Can’t Hide From Me

    To Fleur''s utter surprise, Adrianna had successfully disguised herself. It had taken Fleur a whole week to be able to even say the spell correctly and, here, Adrianna was able to disguise herself within minutes. Fleur was baffled. Now she really had to create the portal and accompany her queen and her team to the werewolves'' territory. For the past few nights, this had become the trend and she could barely sleep.


    The portal was created and Adrianna went through, stepping right into her bedroom. She was so happy that she chuckled at herself when she saw herself in the mirror. Dmitri wasn''t there so she thought she would wait for him. It was only 5PM in the evening and she was in no rush. In order to play a prank on her husband, she decided not to change back. She wanted to test him and tease him at the same time. She waited a bit longer, but he still hadn''t returned. She became worried.


    Slowly, she crept out of the room so that no one would notice her and went downstairs. When the servants saw her, they thought that she was a village girl who had snuck inside the palace so they took her out through the main entrance and asked the guards to throw her out.


    The guards showed no sympathy."How did you enter the palace? Don''t show your face again or we will kill you!" they shouted at her.


    Adrianna felt like slapping them, but she kept her cool. She didn''t realize that her prank would go this far. As soon as she was thrown out, Fleur appeared next to her. She was angry on behalf of her queen. "My dear queen, do you want me to teach those guards a lesson?"


    "No!" she chided Fleur. "Just disguise yourself. We are going to find Dmitri."


    "What? No! I will create a portal and you should just go back to the bedroom! It is too dangerous outside of the palace," Fleur pleaded. Adrianna walked past Fleur while signaling for her to follow. Fleur also disguised herself as a village belle and the rest of her team also followed their queen under the cloak of invisibility.


    Adrianna walked to the local market which was busy as usual. She looked around at the shops which had various eye-catching objects for girls. She entered one that was selling dream catchers and pretty accessories. While browsing through the shop, she noticed Nate who was buying something. Adrianna hadn''t seen Nate for a long time. Her eyes glinted upon seeing him and she moved closer to him, but as she neared them, she noticed that Dmitri was standing next to Nate. The two store girls were so happy that they were jumping with joy. "We are so happy that the alpha has come to our shop. What would you like chief?" asked one of them whilst clasping her hands in excitement.


    Dmitri didn''t look at her and instead, picked up a beautiful clip that had rubies on it and was in the form of a phoenix.


    "Oh that is a good choice!" the girl said as she tried to take it from his hand in order to put it on her hair and show off how it looked. Dmitri glared at her and she became quiet. Then, Dmitri looked at the two peasant girls who had entered the shop. He signaled for them to come closer. He gave the clip to Fleur and said, "Put it on your hair. I would like to see how it looks."


    Fleur gulped. She was sure to become mincemeat between the husband and wife. "Err�� Sir, this is Ad-" Before she could complete her sentence, Adrianna caught her hand and, with a pursed smile, she said, "Please, you must put this clip on your hair. Our alpha wants that."


    "Why me?" asked Fleur who was almost about to cry.


    Dmitri handed the clip to over Fleur. Then, he said, "On second thought, let me put this clip on you."


    Fleur was about to faint. "Spare me you moron! Your wife is standing right here! She will kill either you or me! And there are high chances that it''ll be me!" she thought. However, Dmitri had already moved closer to her.


    Adrianna was burning with fury. She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was glaring at the two of them as Nate stood on the side and watched the scene. He looked at Dmitri and said, "If your wife comes to know that you touched another woman, she might kill you."


    Dmitri chuckled. "If she comes to know." He emphasized the ''if''. "You wouldn''t tell her, would you?" he enquired.


    Nate put his hands up in the air. "I am not an idiot Dmitri. My lips are sealed." He laughed as he looked at Fleur.


    "Who are you buying that clip for?" asked Dmitri, stopping in his tracks, much to Fleur''s relief.


    "For Ookashi�� It has been a few days since I have met her. I am planning to meet her tomorrow," said Nate while caressing the clip he had bought for Ookashi.


    "Will she even meet you Nate? From what I heard, they detest all of us," asked Dmitri, becoming concerned for Nate.


    When Adrianna heard Ookashi''s name, her face became tender. She longed to see her friends��


    Her reverie was soon broken.


    "An alpha can have as many girls as he wants. Most other chiefs have harems, so why can''t our alpha have one," the store girl scolded Nate as she fluttered her lashes at Dmitri.


    Adrianna noticed from the corner of her eye that the store girl was gawking at Dmitri''s taut neck muscles. Her jealousy level went up a notch.


    Dmitri, in the meanwhile, had moved a little closer to Fleur and was about to put the clip on her when Adrianna pushed Fleur away with so much force that Fleur fell on some items with a loud thud. Fleur was only too happy to be thrown away from there.


    Dmitri caught Adrianna, lifted her up, and hauled her onto his shoulders. "Put me down," she shouted. "How can you do that? You have a wife!"


    Dmitri carried her outside the store, spanked her hard and said, "Adrianna, you can''t hide from me! Remember, I have marked you!"


    By that time, a portal had been created, through which they entered their bedroom.

 Chapter 165 - I Am Going To Tie You To The Bed

    "Ouch!" Adrianna cried and chuckled as he spanked her. "Where is my clip?" she demanded as he brought her down his body. By the time she was facing him, she had already removed her disguise, but was still in the peasant dress.


    "You will get it, but first, you have to please your lord," he replied as he kissed her on the lips.


    She kissed him back and said, "I have no intentions of pleasing you. You have to please me first to make up for all that flirting."


    Dmitri frowned. "When was I flirting?"


    "You tried to make me jealous and those two shop girls were looking at your neck. Why are you wearing a shirt with your buttons open until the chest?" she asked as she circled around his neck with her arms.


    "Why were hiding? You denied me something that is mine; that was the only way to get it back - my undisguised wife!" He placed her down on the mattress.


    "Then what about those girls?"


    He opened her dress as Adrianna rested under him.


    "What about them?"


    "Since they flirted with you, I have to punish you," she replied with an angered look.


    He removed her long skirt and caressed her thighs. "It''s not my fault if they flirt with me!"


    "It is your fault!"


    "Okay, I am sorry. How would you like to punish me?" he asked as he circled her pubic region and moved his mouth down there. Gently, he blew at the hair there and exposed her clit. He flicked it and then sucked on it.


    "Ah! Dmitri, I have to�� think�� of your punishment�� ah�� with a clear�� ah�� mind!"


    He moved to her pink folds and sucked on them. Her blood rushed to her thighs and she couldn''t help but hold his hair tightly. He opened her pink folds with his tongue and licked in between them. Then, he went further down to her sweet spot and licked there. He opened it with his fingers and tried to stick in his tongue, but she had clenched herself so tight that he couldn''t so he sucked there instead. He wasn''t getting enough of his wife. He flipped her onto her stomach and bit her buttocks.


    Her nipples hardened thinking just about his mouth on them and the heat between her thighs increased. She was already so soaking wet that she wanted him inside. Dmitri continued to suck on her sweet spot until her whole body convulsed and she came. He flipped her back and then moved to her lips. He kissed her possessively, not wasting any time. He flexed his jaw so that she could slip her tongue inside his mouth. A moan formed in her throat and quickly escaped. Her fingers dug into his buttocks and she pressed him firmly against her.


    Dmitri broke the kiss and worked his way down her neck. He kissed her nipples, bit them, and then tugged on them. His erection was troubling him. He pulled her up into a sitting position on his lap. He placed her carefully on his erection and started to move her up and down. It was difficult to hold back and he tipped over as his body jerked.


    It wasn''t enough for him. He made Adrianna lie on the bed again and raided her nipples. When they were abused to the point of having a purplish blue color, he moved to her ears and said, "Adri, I am going to tie you to the bed."


    Adrianna looked at him and gasped.


    Without giving her another moment to think, Dmitri grabbed a piece of cloth lying nearby and tied her hands to the bedpost. "Adri, you can always break free, but I want you to just stay tied to the bed while I take in the pleasures of your body. Okay?"


    Adrianna nodded as she licked her lips.


    Dmitri started kissing her all over again before putting his fingers inside her. He started moving them around her insides while he sucked on her navel. Adrianna moaned loudly. It was mind blowing. She wanted to hold him, but all she could do was absorb the pleasure he was giving her. She cried out loud, "Dmitri, get in me."


    But Dmitri was not in the mood. He sealed her lips as he continued to rub his erection against her pubic region, making her want it like mad. "Dmitri!" she said in muffled voice.


    As if he were taking pity on her, he positioned himself and thrust inside her. He increased his pace, and within a few seconds, he came.


    Adrianna clenched her fists around the cloth she was being tied with as Dmitri slumped against her. "Adri, you peasant. Next time, don''t disguise yourself or I will fuck you senseless and make sure that you can''t walk for the next few days."


    Adrianna laughed. "Really? We will see who won''t be able to walk."


    "Don''t challenge me Adri," replied Dmitri with his trademark lopsided smile.

 Chapter 166 - Announced The Competition

    The next morning, Adrianna arrived at the wizard academy much earlier than the start of class. She didn''t want Professor Ziu to say anything again. It had been very insulting the previous day. However, to her surprise, Professor Ziu was already present when she walked into her classroom.


    "Good- good morning Professor," she said. She was the only student in the classroom. Quietly, she went to sit on a chair a little further away.


    Ziu called her, "Adrianna, come over here! I came early especially for you. We need to increase the pace in which you have to learn the spells.


    "Why is that so?" asked Adrianna. The pace at which they were going was already hectic. She didn''t want to increase her workload any more.


    "The ministry will be holding a competition soon for final year students. They want to see who is the best student since they will be inducting new people soon.


    "Well, I have no interest in joining the ministry so I think I can be excused."


    "It''s not that simple Adrianna," Ziu said sternly. "If you are to be the future queen, you have to show them that you are the best. Plus, the ministry functions under the queen or the king. This means that you will have to show then your caliber. I am not interested in whether you end up first in the competition or not, but you need to show them your grit. You can''t back out!"


    Adrianna looked at the determination on his face but couldn''t figure out why he was so determined to convince her. "The competition is clearly for wizards and witches who have been a part of this academy since the beginning. I have only been here for a few days. How can I even be compared to them? This is not justified."


    Ziu didn''t know how to convince Adrianna. However, what she said was true. "Adrianna, what you are saying is true, however, sometimes, life is not just about taking calculated risks. You need to plunge yourself into that unknown future to test it out. Unless you take the risk, you can never go forward," he urged. "You need to be enterprising, take risks, and learn from your experiences in order to not repeat those mistakes. A competition will be a chance to see people''s true personalities," he said while thinking about Lia and Zola. He was appalled by their attitude towards Adrianna.


    Adrianna hadn''t chosen her parents, so why were behaving like that? Ziu didn''t want Adrianna to know about her family so he became quiet after that; he didn''t want Adrianna to feel hurt.


    Adrianna was surprised with the way Professor Ziu was talking to her. He was behaving like her best friend... just like Niiya. She looked at him and smiled as she remembered Niiya. How was he these days��


    "Why are you smiling?" asked Ziu.


    Her smile broadened. "You remind me of my best friend Niiya�� He was also like this��"


    The way she spoke made Ziu extremely happy; he melted in front of her. All his anxieties and apprehensions regarding her joining the competition suddenly vanished as he saw her smiling face.


    "Who is Niiya?" he asked enthusiastically.


    "He was my friend in college��" replied Adrianna while looking into the distance.


    Ziu nodded with a smile. The class started filling slowly and the next hour was spent on teaching them about toxic plants. Another professor, a lady, joined the class to help the students.


    After class was over, the headmistress, Ilsa, announced the competition on the loudspeaker.


    "Dear Students, the ministry will be holding a competition for final year students next week in which you will all have to participate. The competition will be held in three stages. In each stage, the weaker ones will be eliminated and the winners will pass to the next stage. Your homeroom teacher will give you all the details. Please note that you cannot get any help from your homeroom teacher in any way. If you do, you will be expelled from the academy."


    When the students heard about the competition, they were all excited. It was a trend for the top ten students to be selected for ministry jobs. It was considered to be the most prestigious if one were to be selected for a ministerial job directly upon graduation from the academy.


    Ziu looked at Adrianna and she looked back at him. All had to take part... she was aghast.


    She shook her head and exited the class amidst all the excitement. Everyone was talking about the different components of the competition; it was as though all of them had been prepared for this competition, and she was the only one who was not ready to even face it.


    Liam followed Adrianna to her next class. She walked confidently as the alleys guided her to her classroom. However, both Liam and Adrianna found themselves in a different class than the previous day. The classroom was dimly lit and all they could see was a silhouette.


    "Professor Ziu?" called Adrianna from the doorway.


    "That is not Professor Ziu," came a voice from behind.


    Adrianna and Liam turned around to see Professor Ziu standing behind them. "That is professor Gregory. Along with me, he will teach you how to deflect a death spell and... how to cast it."


    Professor Gregory stood up from his place and looked at Adrianna. He was an old man with a white beard who appeared as old as Isidorus. He smiled at Adrianna, exposing his yellow and missing teeth, and said, "I have been waiting to meet you even before you were born Adrianna."


    Adrianna was shocked.

 Chapter 167 - I Am Ready

    Adrianna was motivated with the way Professor Ziu was encouraging her. She smiled at Professor Ziu and said, "Okay, I will participate. Teach me all that you can for the competition."


    Even more than Professor Ziu, it was Professor Gregory who was jumping for joy. "Ho ho, my dear child. I will teach you the most intricate skills and spells of the wizard world." Having said that, he went back to the desk and opened a thick book.


    Professor Ziu grinned at Professor Gregory and then looked at Adrianna with appreciation in his deep blue eyes.


    Liam was asked to remain outside of the classroom as usual.


    The class started and Professor Gregory started teaching Adrianna some of the most powerful magic spells that were not normally taught to the students.


    "Adrianna, the death spell is not normally taught to students for obvious reasons," said Professor Gregory. "Not just anyone can be trusted with this spell; even many in the ministry don''t know about this spell''s existence.


    "But how will you teach me then?" she asked again. "I mean, it has to be cast on someone... right?"


    "Yes." Professor Ziu snapped his fingers and pots and pots of plants appeared in front of them. "You will be practicing on these first."


    Adrianna looked at the green lush plants and her heart became soft.


    "Where is your wand?" asked Professor Gregory.


    She dug inside her pockets and took her wand out with a lot of care. Her face became tender as she took it out. Ziu noticed her face and said, "Every wizard and witches'' wand is the most dear pet animal they have ever been connected with. That is why, right from the beginning, wizards and witches are encouraged to keep pets. It is very important that you have an emotional connection with your wand in order to maximize the effect of your magic. Don''t ever let your wand break. Think of it as your extended arm; that way, whatever magic you cast will then have best results."


    Adrianna nodded. She looked at her wand, exhaled, and said, "I am ready."


    Professor Gregory smiled and said, "I will start with a less dangerous spell for now. It will make the plants dry completely."


    He moved his wand in the air, making a cross sign in the air, as he spoke, "Menzaphlis!" As soon as those words left his mouth, a greyish black light emitted from the wand and surrounded the plants. When the light cleared, the plants were all dried up. Adrianna was shocked. She felt so bad that she pointed at all of them and they all became green again. "Professor Gregory, that spell is cruel!" she said.


    Instead of listening to her, Professor Gregory was wondering how she could bring something back to life after it had already died. He had never seen this kind of magic. He turned from Adrianna to look at Ziu who seemed equally as stunned.


    "How did you do that?" Professor Gregory asked.


    "What?" she asked.


    "Bring them back to life."


    "I just thought about it and pointed my finger..."


    Professor Gregory was enthusiastic; he couldn''t wait to teach her all of the spells he knew. She was truly gifted and it was important that no one should find out about her capabilities before she was crowned.


    For the next hour, she was taught various variations of the same spell and practiced them. Adrianna would revive everything back to life whenever something died, much to Professor Gregory and Professor Ziu''s amazement. Professor Gregory would applaud her every time she brought them back to life. He was eagerly waiting for her to learn the death spell and see whether she could revive a dead man.


    By the end of the day, they were all exhausted and were packing up their things when Professor Ziu turned to professor Gregory and said, "Quick!"


    To Adrianna''s disbelief, professor Gregory disappeared, instantly leaving no trace of the man and all the things that he had piled in the classroom. Before she could ask what was happening, Ilsa entered the room with Liam following her.


    "Professor Ziu, what are you doing in this room? Don''t you know that this room has long since been locked after that incident?" Ilsa shouted.


    Professor Ziu very calmly said, "I know ma''am, but I wanted to bring Adrianna here because I wanted to teach her spells without any disturbances. In the class below, I am regularly disturbed with so many students repeatedly peeping in the classroom."


    Ilsa looked at him and pursed her lips. "Who asked you to show your true self?" Having said that, she turned around and headed out, "You have to find another room; this won''t work. Professor Gregory is dead and we wouldn''t want to disturb his soul. This room shall remain closed."

 Chapter 168 - A Dead Professor

    Adrianna eyes became wide with horror when she came to know that Professor Gregory was dead. Goosebumps lined her skin when she heard the news. She looked at Professor Ziu for explanation, but he was as cold as stone. She didn''t know how to even react. When Ilsa left, Adrianna stuttered, "D- dead? A dead professor was here teaching me death spells? Professor Ziu, what is going on?"


    Adrianna was spooked. In her entire life, she had never ever interacted with the dead.


    Ziu inhaled deeply. "Adrianna, Professor Gregory was the best wizard in the kingdom. He was very learned and a wise professor. He invented many types of deadly spells as well as protection spells. Unfortunately, while inventing one of his spells, it backfired and he died. With so much knowledge, he was able to keep his spirit attached to this world. He died long before you were born, but when he died, he heard a prophecy that only one person in this world could ever revive him."


    "So you brought me here, not to learn about those deadly spells, but because you want me to revive Professor Gregory? All of this was for your own personal agenda and not because you wanted to help me to prepare for the competition?" asked Adrianna, becoming furious at his selfish reasons.


    ''''Adrianna, the competition is not easy. Learning how to cast and deflect death spells is essential because you never know which student or adversary may throw something similar towards you! And no one would know better than Professor Gregory how to teach you these skills."


    Ziu stopped, took a deep breath again, and, with an exasperated face, said, "Why is it that I have to explain everything to you? Can you just trust me for once?"


    Adrianna sighed. The days ahead were only becoming more and more complicated. "Adrianna��" she heard Professor Gregory''s voice. She turned around sharply to face him and found him sitting on his table.


    "Ho ho. Don''t be scared of me. For now, I just want to teach you all those spells. Only after I do so will I get my salvation."


    "Salvation?" she asked. Now what?


    "Your mother, Shira, is my granddaughter�� and the best disciple I have ever had the honor of teaching��"


    "What?" This came as another shock to Adrianna, making her head reel.


    Professor Gregory smiled as he got down from the desk. "Yes, dear child�� she knew all of the spells... I will let you know all the details some other time." He moved closer to Adrianna and stroked her hair, but all she could feel was coldness above her head. She couldn''t feel his hand. "You are very precious. All I want is for you to take care of yourself. I don''t want to stay all that long in this world. My only wish was to see you. Once I impart all of my knowledge to you, I will leave."


    Adrianna looked at her great-grandfather. "What a strange day," she thought. She had finally found one blood relative, only to find that he was also dead. If she could, she wanted to bring him back to life. The sudden rush of emotions made her eyes well up. What rotten luck she had when it came to who her blood relatives were.


    She looked up at him, but he had faded into the air. She looked at Professor Ziu who was watching her intently.


    "Let''s do it Professor Ziu," she said, holding her head high with determination.


    Ziu smiled and they exited the room.


    "How are we going to come back to this place if Ilsa has ordered for it to remain shut?" she asked Ziu.


    "I wish we could do this at the royal palace, but that would only attract attention��"


    "I know of a place," said Liam.


    Both of them turned to look at him with bewilderment. How could Liam know of things in this world?


    "Fleur and I meet there sometimes... It is very secluded place in the academy," he said proudly.


    "You have time to meet Fleur? I thought you were supposed to guard me exclusively!" said Adrianna with a smirk.


    "It''s not my fault! Fleur just... holds my hand, and we get sucked into some vortex. We always end up in a room where... where��"


    "Where, what?" asked Adrianna with a raised eyebrow even though she knew the answer fully well.


    Liam turned red. Ziu laughed at him as Adrianna shook her head.


    "I think I have imprinted on her," said Liam while scratching the back of his head like a small child who had been caught stealing.


    "Where is this place?" asked Ziu. He knew each and every nook and corner of the academy. What could this place be?


    "I will have to ask Fleur, but it is a room with black floors and lots of enigmatic woodwork. It is beautiful, like a modern hotel room in the human realm."


    "Oh!" Professor Ziu exclaimed. "That is the guest house for royal children. Only royals can enter that place... How did you two enter?" asked Ziu suspiciously.


    Liam became nervous upon realizing that he had given away Fleur''s secret. "Please don''t say anything to Fleur. Please��" he pleaded Ziu, almost begging him.


    "Then tell me how you guys enter."


    "She uses the royal seal that she took from the royal palace..." he replied with guilt in his voice.

 Chapter 169 - Fathers Memoirs

    Ziu and Adrianna burst out laughing at Liam upon seeing how red his face was.


    "I am sorry, but I think I may need to ask the guards to arrest the two of you for misusing the royal seal," said Adrianna, still giggling at him.


    The three of them left the academy. Adrianna returned to the royal palace where she immediately started pestering Fleur to open a portal for her to see Dmitri; it was becoming a regular feature. So before Adrianna could even get out the words, "Fleur, can you-", the portal was quickly opened with Fleur giving Adrianna a look with a raised eyebrow. Fleur gestured with her hand for Adrianna to go already.


    "Thank you Fleur." Adrianna smiled at Fleur before leaving.


    That day, Dmitri was sitting on the bed with his head propped up while he read some papers. She walked up to him and laid beside him as he wrapped his arms around her. He didn''t say a word for over an hour, so Adrianna just slept beside him. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that he was still reading. She climbed onto his lap and, while rubbing her eyes, asked, ''What are these files about Dmitri?"


    Dmitri spoke after a small silence, "I was looking through the attic today and found these files that my mother had supposedly hidden."


    "What are they about?"


    "These are my father''s memoirs."


    Adrianna smiled. "Wow! Can I read them?"


    "Sure, but first, let me read them," he said as he returned to reading while Adrianna rested her face on his chest and stroked his bare skin. She would kiss his chest from time to time.


    "Adri, there is a part that I am very intrigued about."


    "What?" she asked, yawning again.


    "This part mentions someone called Ed who was my father''s best friend. Is this the same Ed as your grandfather?"


    "How would I know Dmitri? There are way too many Eds out there��"


    "Hmm��"


    "My father wrote:


    I saved a young girl who I found in a cave full of bats who seems to have been abandoned by her family. The child was just standing in the cave; not afraid, but tired. It appeared as though she was waiting for someone. The girl was only three years old and as soon as I recognized her, I took her to her grandfather, Ed."


    Adrianna, who had been yawning preparing to sleep on his chest, was now wide awake. "Dmitri, this sounds like quite an adventure for the poor girl. Your father was a gentle soul."


    "He further writes:


    The small girl was bruised all over because of the bats in the cave, but I hope that she heals fast. Being a wolf child, she should heal fast�� I found her in Alex''s cave and I am glad that she was found without harm. Otherwise, if Alex had found her, he would have killed her."


    Adrianna was feeling depressed by now. "Dmitri, it is so sad�� Can you read it when I am not here?"


    "Of course Darling," he said as he placed the memoirs down on the bedside table. Then, he circled his arms around her and rested his head over hers. "How was your day?" he asked in order to make her feel comfortable.


    "Not that good��"


    "Why?" he asked as he kissed her head.


    She told him about Professor Gregory and the competition that was supposed to be held. When Dmitri heard about it, he just shook his head. "Adri, pay my respects to Professor Gregory, but I don''t like this Ziu. Since he is your professor, I am not going to say anything. However, the moment I see him making a move towards you, I will kill him, okay?"


    Adrianna started laughing. "Are you jealous Dmitri? He is my professor and is keen on teaching me magic skills only because Ilsa has asked him to do so."


    Dmitri tightened his hold around her and said, "You know I am the jealous type!"


    Adrianna buried her head in his chest and lazily said, "I know��"


    "I am worried about the fact that they are teaching you death spells. I hope you don''t have to use them. Also, I am not happy with the competition. You should steer clear of it."


    "I wanted to, but the ministry is adamant that everyone participates in it. It is meant to show the caliber of the students and whether or not they are ready for the real world."


    "Then you better be careful and beat them all! If my wife is going to be joining the competition, I want my wife to be the victor! Okay?


    His statement made Adrianna laugh again. "I''ll try," she said before yawning again. He held her for a long time until she went off to sleep.


    Dmitri placed her on the bed beside him when she dozed off. He picked up his father''s memoirs again and started reading them.


    "Ed''s little girl is so pretty; I know she is a special one. Ed told me about what had happened when she was delivered. I have pledged Ed that I will give my son''s hand to his granddaughter."

 Chapter 170 - Will Find That Girl

    Dmitri was shocked. His father had promised his hand to that little girl! Who was she? And why did his mother hide his father''s memoirs in the attic of the palace? No one was allowed to go up there. His mother had laid extremely strict roles for entering the attic; she had barred anyone from going there. Only she would enter the attic, and even that was rare.


    In the morning, Dmitri had been strolling around the palace after Adrianna had left and had wandered up to the rooftop to see the landscape from above. He missed Adrianna''s presence more and more with every passing second and his willpower was playing with his rationality. It was getting increasingly difficult being away from her; she was the only person in the world who understood him inside and out.


    With a sigh, he had turned back and was about to head downstairs when his steps turned towards the attic. He creaked open the door. Unlike what his mother had painted it out to be, the attic was a very neat, clean, and brightly lit place. It was arranged as though it was ready for someone to enter and relax. There was a large amount of books and documents sprawled across a desk.


    He wondered if his mother had often come into the attic without anyone''s knowledge. Intrigued, he looked around and found a hand painted wooden box on the topmost shelf of the bookshelf. It was the only item on that shelf. Curious, he took it down and opened it. Inside, he found many papers and leather-bound journals. Not wanting to warrant unwanted suspicion, he quietly exited the attic and brought the box back to his bedroom.


    For the rest of the day, Dmitri read through the journals inside the box. Most of them belonged to people whom he hardly knew, but the one that caught his attention was a sapphire-blue journal that was labeled, "Pierre". It was his father''s diary. He pondered over whether or not he should read it. Why did his mother hide his father''s journal? Upon taking out the first journal marked with his father''s name, he noticed that there were several more sapphire-blue journals marked "Pierre" inside the box. Dmitri couldn''t resist the temptation. This was perhaps the only way he would ever know about his father, whom he had lost when he was just seven years old. His mother never talked about his father and instead, was only interested in making Dmitri a ruthless warrior.


    He stared at the first diary, and exhaled as he turned the first page. Throughout the day, he continued to read the diaries one after the other in between doing his usual chores. When Adrianna arrived in the evening, only two diaries were left to read.


    As he read the diaries, events unfolded in front of his eyes; many mysteries were cleared up, and one thing was clear: his father was scared of a very strong enemy. But who was the girl whom his father had promised to give his hand to? He decided to find the girl and, to respect his father''s memories, he would apologize and perhaps heavily gift her. Then, he looked at Adrianna and smiled. He stroked her hair out of love and said, "I will find who that girl is Adri��"


    He continued to read the diary and decided to first look around for Alex''s cave. His father had written that the cave was not too far from Ed''s house.


    Too tired to read any further, he woke Adrianna up to have dinner.


    When they came downstairs, much to Adrianna''s surprise, they found themselves to be alone for dinner. "Where is Keisha and Cora?" she asked.


    "Mother has gone to see Keisha''s new house. They say it is coming out beautifully, so mother has been contemplating on moving in with Keisha for a few days till Keisha has been settled in."


    "Oh! It seems she will really miss Keisha..." said Adrianna.


    "Yes... Keisha had been with her from a long time and she looks at Keisha like her own daughter... The main reason for this was that when I left home for long times to attend to various issues across the packs, Keisha would give her company."


    "Are you feeling sad about Keisha?" asked Adrianna getting a pang of jealousy.


    "All I know is that I wasnt my wife to be happy," he replied with a grin immediately.


    Adrianna didn''t say anything, but was elated. She smiled, and they had dinner in peace.


    When Adrianna left for the wizard kingdom the next day, Dmitri set out to search for the cave that had been mentioned in his father''s diary.


    ---


    At the wizard''s academy, when Adrianna arrived, she saw many students surrounding the notice board. She went over to see what all the fervor was about. The notice board was encased in a glass sheath and a notice was appearing before the students in the form of moving words. Only a student who was currently reading the notice would see the movement of the words. The words would move from right to left and then settle on the lowest part of the board every time the student finished reading it. .


    The notice was about the details of the competition. The competition comprised of three stages, as previously announced, and each stage was a quest. Only the details of the first stage were announced. When Adrianna read the details, her eyes became wide with shock. Angrily, she headed to her class where she saw Professor Ziu being flanked by all the girls and a few boys as usual. When she went inside, Ziu saw her and asked all the students to return to their desks so that class could start.


    It was only after an hour that Ziu had the chance to talk to her. "Why are you so angry Adrianna?"


    "I read the details of the first stage of the competition. They are ridiculous! What do they mean by having to trap a werewolf in a cage and bring them here, regardless of whether they are dead or alive? Is the ministry so disgusting? What in the world do they mean by this! I will talk to Isidorus about this," Adrianna angrily spat.

 Chapter 171 - Trap A Werewolf?

    Ziu was shocked when he heard her. "Trap a werewolf? That wasn''t there at all! It was to trap a neotide! An explanation about what a neotide is was given beneath the notice!"


    "I don''t know Professor Ziu, but as a professor, you should know better!" said Adrianna, extremely furious at him because he was the one currently representing all the teacher''s.


    "Okay, calm down Adrianna. I will look into this matter. For now, you should go to your next class," he said. Instead of accompanying her, went somewhere else.


    Liam was shocked when he heard about the competition details; it was just too repulsive. "Should we inform the packs?" he asked Adrianna.


    "No. Not now," she answered.


    Adrianna didn''t know how to deal with the situation. How could these people be so heartless? If they were going to be so ruthless, she would not let them go! She gritted her teeth and followed the alleys to her next class. Although it was a different room, she was pleasantly surprised to see Professor Gregory.


    "Good morning Professor!" she greeted with a huge smile.


    "Call me Grandfather!" he replied rather seriously.


    "Haha. Then I have to call you great-grandfather!" she replied, breaking into laughter.


    "I am not so aged!" gritted Gregory.


    "You are not only aged, but you are also dead!" Liam butted in.


    Professor Gregory was so annoyed that he swished his wand at Liam and converted him into a bunny rabbit.


    Adrianna burst out laughing. She picked up the bunny and patted him on the head. "So cute! Liam please stay as my bunny for some time."


    Liam flapped his ears in protest, but Adrianna only cuddled it more. Liam was thankful that Dmitri wasn''t there, or else Dmitri would have wrung his neck then and there and he would have died as a bunny instead of a werewolf. However, there was one thing he couldn''t deny: being patted and scratched on the lower side of his neck as a bunny was really comforting and he would even encourage it if Fleur were to do it.


    Adrianna was smiling when she placed her bunny on the ground and turned to Professor Gregory to ask, "I thought you wouldn''t be able to leave that room. How are you here? If Ilsa sees you, she might come up with another order to bind you. I think she has an inkling about your existence��"


    Gregory smiled and replied, "You do realize that I am a ghost and can come and go out of any place at my own will; it''s not as though I am trapped in that room. Also, if Ilsa does know about me, it doesn''t matter, because she won''t be able to find out anything. I am way smarter than her." Gregory started laughing in a sinister way, making Adrianna a little scared.


    "Some relatives I have..." thought Adrianna.


    Gregory changed the topic and gave her the first instruction regarding the death spell, thus starting the lesson. "Take out your wand."


    Adrianna took her wand out.


    "Point it towards the earth and close your eyes. Imagine the worst scenario of hell that you could ever think of and whisper, ''Orlcus��''"


    "It should sound like Aw- rl- cuss. Place an emphasis on the second half of the word."


    "What will that do?" asked Adrianna, scared that it was the actual death spell.


    "It will open up a window to the gates of death where you will be sending the chosen living creature to. Once you have cast the spell correctly, we will proceed to the next step."


    Adrianna exhaled and closed her eyes. She whispered, "Orcussss". She couldn''t feel nor hear anything happening. The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. She thought that she had opened the gates and perhaps passed through it. She opened her eyes and saw that nothing had happened. Embarrassed at her failed attempt, she turned around to see Professor Gregory''s reaction.


    Professor Gregory was sitting in the far corner of the room and feeding a carrot to the bunny which was perched on Gregory''s lap with his belly exposed.


    She pursed her lips and said, "Grandfather! Was the spell okay?"


    He replied without looking at her. "No, I have yet to see a worse attempt." He stroked the bunny''s belly and continued, "It should take at least a day for you to learn that spell. Continue your efforts��"


    Seeing how casually he was talking about it, she lowered her head. For the rest of the afternoon, she continued with her efforts.


    Ziu arrived after a long time and joined Professor Gregory. They started talking in whispers, which broke Adrianna''s concentration.


    Sensing the break in concentration, Ziu moved closer to Adrianna and asked, "Why can''t you do it?


    "I don''t know��"


    "Show me how you are doing it."


    Adrianna closed her eyes again, pointed her wand to the ground, and said, "Orcusss."


    "Stop!" shouted Ziu. "It is not ''''Orcuss'', it is ''Orlcuss''. There is a difference!"


    Adrianna''s mouth opened. She had wasted the afternoon in trying to learn the spell despite using the wrong name!

 Chapter 172 - I Want To Meet Lia

    Feeling tired and exasperated, Adrianna placed her wand back into her robe and asked Ziu, "Professor, I would like to talk to Isidorus."


    "Adrianna, you can talk to him after class is over. The competition will commence three days from now," he replied.


    "Professor Ziu, have you been able to talk to the headmistress about it?"


    "There was a meeting regarding the competition, and this topic was raised then, but she said that her hands are tied since the competition details come from the ministry," he replied with his eyes looking at ground. He seemed helpless.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and said, "Okay." She knew what she had to do.


    She continued to keep practicing the spell until class was over, however, she couldn''t reach anywhere near pronouncing it correctly. Ziu had instructed that it was important to entirely focus and say the spell properly. He said that unless you feel the intensity to kill someone, the gates wouldn''t open. It truly wasn''t an easy spell to learn��


    Adrianna left the academy having failed for the entire day. The death spell required a lot of negative energy from within her - a lot of hatred and despair - for the spell to work. All that negative energy drained her of most of her positive energy and she wanted to go Dmitri as soon as possible.


    However, when she reached the palace, she saw Isidorus waiting for her


    "You summoned me," he stated.


    Without wasting time, Adrianna said, "The competition''s first stage is not acceptable. You must change it."


    "I can''t change it because there was a consensus in the ministry on the clause," he replied.


    "Then what about the treaty? Are you going to break the treaty?" she asked, getting more and more furious.


    Isidorus pursed his lips and looked away.


    "Oh, does that mean that the wizard kingdom is trying to wage a war against the werewolves?" she asked, feeling a little apprehensive.


    "There are some people in the ministry who are behind all this. The main culprit is Lia. She has gathered support from various people. If you want to deal with one person, it would be Lia."


    "Does she know that it doesn''t work that way in my world? I like peace and harmony, and if anyone tries to steal that from me, I will make sure that the rebellion is subdued," spat Adrianna. She started pacing back and forth in the main hall, trying to figure out what her next plan was. After a while, she demanded, "I want to meet Lia."


    Isidorus nodded his head, "I''ll get her." He disappeared and was back within five minutes, but there was no one with him.


    "What happened?" she asked.


    "She refused Adrianna. Obviously she would never ever discuss it with you."


    "Then can you bring me to her?" she asked.


    "No! It is way too dangerous!"


    "Don''t worry Isidorus. With you by my side, nothing is dangerous."


    Isidorus held her hand and they got sucked into a vortex.


    Lia was sitting in her living room when they appeared. She was feeling very satisfied with herself for having denied Isidorus'' request on the pretext that this was the collective decision of all the members of the ministry.


    When she saw Adrianna and Isidoris again, she smiled, feeling completely satisfied with herself. She was ecstatic with how agitated they were. She lifted her wine glass and sipped on it.


    "Isidorus, I already told you that nothing can be changed," she said.


    "So you are planning to break the treaty between the werewolves and the wizards?" asked Adrianna.


    Lia didn''t answer and looked away.


    Suddenly, the glass in her hand broke, spilling the wine on her. "How dare you?" she shouted at Adrianna as she dug her hand into her pocket to take her wand out, but found herself frozen in place.


    "Unless I want you to, you can''t move Lia," said Adrianna very quietly.


    Isidorus went and sat opposite Lia.


    "Now tell me the truth," said Adrianna, pointing a finger at Lia.


    "You do know that I am a witch and know all the spells, right?" Lia smirked. "I can easily break any measly spell you put on me!


    "Try it!" dared Adrianna. "Now tell me who made the details of the competition."


    Lia wanted to say that it was a collective decision, but she found herself saying, "Me!"


    "How many people were in its favor?"


    "Three!" came the prompt reply.


    "Out of how many?"


    "Ten!"


    "Then why did you paste the notice? It seems to me that you are openly defying the ministry''s orders."


    "The ministry is not concerned about the stages. They assigned the duty to me; I can do what I want."


    "Don''t you need approval?"


    "Yes!"


    As soon as she said that, Adrianna released her from the spell. Adrianna smiled and looked at Isidorus who knew what to do. Because of Adrianna, a huge problem had been averted.


    "For the next two days, you will not be able to leave your house," said Adrianna


    "What nonsense! You bitch! Who do you think I am?"


    Despite her efforts, for the next two days, Lia couldn''t get out of the house no matter what she did. Regardless of whatever method she used, she would only end up in a different part of her house.


    On the third day, she received a notice that she had been suspended indefinitely from the ministry for irregularity at work.

 Chapter 173 - I Will Finish Her Off Myself!

    Over the next two days, Adrianna learnt more about the death spell and by the end of the third day, she could easily perform the spell. Both of her professors were very satisfied when she successfully used the spell on a pesky little mouse who would annoy Liam whenever Professor Gregory turned him into a bunny.


    When Lia got suspended from the ministry, anger boiled deep inside her system; it was as hot as lava. She wanted to destroy everything that she saw. During her raging sea of anger, she destroyed all the things in her room. Her husband and her children tried to calm her down, but nothing would pacify her rage. She had completely erupted in her furious state.


    "That bitch, that half-wolf who is claiming the throne to the wizard kingdom, is responsible for my suspension from the ministry. It seems she really wants to die." She spoke like a mad woman. Her eyes had sunken and her hair was unkempt from two days of ignorance. No one had been able to help her get out of the house. The magic that she had been bound with was something that no one had seen before. They didn''t know how to break the spell.


    "Mother, the competition is nearing and I am taking part in it. It has already been announced that we have to trap a werewolf and the ministry cannot go back on its words. Don''t worry. I will soon be successful in holding a werewolf captive and I am sure to win the first stage," said Zola, trying to reassure her mother.


    "No Zola. You won''t be able to deal with her yourself," replied Lia. She looked at her son Hirum who nodded and left.


    Her husband had been sipping wine while his wife had been talking to the children. He suddenly spoke up. "Lia, from what I know so far, Adrianna is not an easy witch to deal with. If you want results, we might as well get some help from other wizards."


    Lia sneered. "No! I will finish her off myself this time!"


    ---


    Happy that the ministry had suspended Lia, Adrianna and Isidorus celebrated in their own way. For Isidorus, it was a huge victory, because once Lia was suspended from the ministry, she would automatically be removed from the council of ministers. She was Adrianna''s strongest opponent after Mihr. Elated, Isidorus headed to the second realm to visit Howard. His longtime friend and foe, Professor Gregory, was also present.


    Isidorus noticed that Ed wasn''t there, so he asked, "Where has Ed gone? Don''t tell me that he has gone to walk around the wizard kingdom, because you have send him back soon."


    Howard was serving drinks when Isidorus asked that question. "He went back to his realm yesterday. I wanted him to go back to Dmitri''s territory, but he insisted on going to his cottage. Now I am afraid that he may be exposed to danger��" said Howard, feeling disappointed as though he missed Ed.


    "What about your term as the dean of the college? You have been missing for a long time now," asked Professor Gregory.


    "Yes�� I have to return as soon as possible - perhaps in the next two days - because the new admissions are coming up," replied Howard while swirling the wine in his glass.


    "Well at least we got rid of Lia!" exclaimed Isidorus with a huge smile as he gulped down his wine. All of them laughed.


    "Has Adrianna learned the death spell?"


    Professor Gregory looked at Isidorus and said with a smile, "My granddaughter is just too brilliant. I think she is gifted. No! I think she is the most talented child that could ever be produced on Earth. She learnt the death spell in three days! Not only that, but she even accidentally learnt how to make mirror images of herself. In my opinion, she is far more of a witch than a werewolf."


    Isidorus smiled. He was right to have asked Professor Gregory to teachto Adrianna all the dark spells . He had invoked Gregory out of his slumber for this purpose. Isidorus was sure that Adrianna would learn them fast and only Gregory could teach them as fast. Although he wasn''t happy that Ziu was given the charge for teaching her, he was surprised when he had heard that Ziu had finally revealed his true self. Even though he was aware that Ziu had been smitten by Arianna, he didn''t say it to anyone because he was now extremely interested in making Ziu Adrianna''s ally. Ziu was too powerful to just be ignored. "Let him get charmed by her�� it is for her benefit��" Isidorus had thought.


    Howard shook his head and said, "Professor Gregory, the full moon is approaching fast; just after the first stage of competition. Ed told me that she converts into a werewolf involuntarily��"


    Howard went on to explain the issue to them. Both Gregory and Isidorus were shocked beyond words. "We have to leave Adrianna in the woods during that time and no one can approach her or they will be instantly killed. Rumor is that she had even tried to kill Dmitri in her state because she cannot recognize anyone."

 Chapter 174 - First Stage Of The Competition (1)

    Lia had corroborated with Ilsa in changing the word "neotide" with "werewolf" before the notice had been pasted onto the board. The ministry conducted an enquiry on the complaints received by Isidorus. Based on the complaints, Ilsa was called in. They couldn''t understand as to why Lia wasn''t able to come and attend the enquiry despite repeated reminders.


    In order to save herself from the situation, Ilsa gave away Lia''s name. She said that it was Lia''s idea to replace the words to save herself. Since it was a grave mistake, which could lead to breaking the treaty, the ministry suspended Lia and left Ilsa with a warning. She returned to the school and changed the notice. However, she did it so quietly and at the last minute before the closing of the competition registrations that the students didn''t come to know about the change; the competition was supposed to start with the next day.


    Adrianna was very tired after her classes were over for the day and she called Fleur to create the portal for her. Upon reaching the bedroom, she found that Dmitri wasn''t there. Feeling sad, she laid on the bed and drifted off to sleep. It was sometime during the dark of the night when she found herself wrapped in his arms. She smiled in her sleep and didn''t bother to wake up.


    In the morning when she woke up, she told him that she was entering the completion.


    "The first stage of the competition starts today. Although I am not sure, it may last for a few days," she informed him.


    "Adrianna, I am worried. I want to stay with you," he replied anxiously.


    "I would love if you could come with me, but you don''t have to worry. The first task is to trap a neotide, for which the students have to come to the forest and hunt for one. It will be an easy task, so don''t worry," she said with a smile.


    He stroked her hair and asked, "Are you sure��"


    "Of course!" She chuckled.


    They had an early breakfast together and Adrianna went back to the wizard world afterwards. As soon as she arrived at the academy gates, the guards kneeled and opened the gates. However, they pointed their javelins as Liam entered. Liam stuck his tongue out at them and followed Adrianna.


    The entire school was abuzz with activity. The environment was really exciting. Adrianna smiled at all the students as she, herself, was excited about the competition. When she reached her class, she saw that Professor Ziu was there waiting for her nervously. All the students were standing in rows and the desks in the classroom had been cleared out.


    Some students who saw her sneered at her.


    "Why is she even participating in the competition?" asked one of them.


    "She won''t be able to match our skills."


    "Seriously, she has an attitude problem."


    "Zola, we know that you will win, hands down! Your brother won it the last time."


    Adrianna exhaled and went to stand with them.


    All of the students were directed by Professor Ziu to the gardens outside. Many senior professors were standing in the gardens and Ilsa was standing in the midst of them was. She gave a passing look to Adrianna and then addressed the students.


    "For this stage of the competition, you all will be teleported to the forest. You all already know the details. Be careful and, in case you feel as though you are in danger and cannot handle it, you can call for one of us by shooting this flare gun in the air." She looked at one of the professors who handed a flare gun to each and every one of the students.


    "Remember, this competition will only last for two days. No outside help can be given and you will be monitored the entire time. You are not permitted to go into the werewolves'' territory to find your target. The target needs to be trapped in the forest. If any one of you goes into the werewolf territory, you will be automatically disqualified."


    Then, she nodded at Professor Ziu who created a portal for them. One by one, each student entered the portal.


    For almost all of the students, the only time they had entered the forest was to find their wands, so entering the forest was an exhilarating change in environment. Excitedly, they dispersed throughout the forest in groups. Zola walked away with ten other students and Adrianna was left alone. Hunting a neotide wasn''t easy; this much, she knew from experience.


    After being left alone, she thought to shape shift and run into the forest. That way, she could find a neotide easily because neotides had a habit of attacking any sole werewolves. Adrianna walked inside the thick jungles towards an area where she knew that there were often lots of neotides, and shape shifted. She dashed inside at a great speed.


    A group of students followed her.

 Chapter 175 - First Stage Of The Competition (2) - Healer!

    Adrianna ran for a long time through the forest, but she couldn''t find any neotides. Exasperated, she trotted off and sat under a shady tree. She wondered how the others were doing. Was trapping a neotide the only criteria for the first stage, or there was more into it? She had to find one before tomorrow night.


    She must have rested for only a few minutes when, all of a sudden, she heard a rustle of leaves; it was as though someone was passing by. She became alert and wondered if she should shape shift, but the noise soon died down and she relaxed a bit. Apart from attacking werewolves in the forest, the neotides also had a tendency to attack people on the highway that stretched through the west periphery of the jungle. Although she was tempted to run a bit further in her werewolf form to find the neotides, she quickly realized that there was a paucity of time. She had to take her chances, so she turned towards the highway.


    Once again, there was a noise and she suspected that it was the nearby animals running away from her werewolf form. She made a low howling sound and walked away. When she reached the highway, she shape shifted back into her human form and started walking along it. She must have walked for more than an hour but she still had no luck.


    She noticed a few fellow students walking inside the forest, but she could only catch a quick glimpse of them. They had looked at her and started talking to each other while glancing at her before running away.


    Adrianna shook her head. These days, all the students around her behaved strangely.


    "They are unable to get out of the forest since there is a spell that defines the boundaries of the competition," Adrianna heard someone say.


    Shocked, she looked around to find the informer, but there was no one.


    "It is me, you moron. I don''t fly. Look at the ground!"


    Adrianna looked down and, to her surprise, she found a little hedgehog walking a few meters ahead of her. Despite its size, it spoke in such a patronizing tone that Adrianna couldn''t help but laugh at its attitude.


    "How do you know that?" she asked.


    "What do you mean? I have been living in this forest for so many years. This competition is usually held every year!" replied the hedgehog, feeling offended.


    "Oh, ok, ok," Adrianna replied with a grin.


    Night was falling fast. Suddenly, she saw a flare gun in the sky. When she saw it, her reflexes kicked in. One of the students might be in danger. She shape shifted and ran towards the direction of the signal, but as she neared it, she saw many other students crowded around the area as well. Quietly, she shape shifted back into a human again and joined them. She reached the small crowd that was gathered over there.


    When she reached the small crowd that had gathered, she found a student who was standing towards the back and asked, "What happened?"


    He pointed at the witch who was lying unconscious and said, "It seems she found the target, but was scared when it jumped on her. Instead of using her magic, she fainted. Her friend sent up the flare to save her. "


    Adrianna was taken aback. She wondered that it''s not just magic that was important in life.


    Suddenly, a portal was created in front of them, and a professor walked in. He picked up the fainted witch and left. All the other students dispersed.


    It was already night and the students had to find a place to sleep. Adrianna knew the ways of the forest. Soon, she found a suitable cave and went inside to sleep. She chuckled as she remembered her outing with Dmitri just after they married; what a beautiful time they had spent together. She found a rocky outcrop and stretched on it. A few minutes later, as the sleep was burdening her eyes, she heard some clatter. She saw that more students had come inside the cave. It seemed they had followed her. One of them lit a torch with their wand to find a comfortable spot to sleep.


    "This is so ridiculous. Why can''t we create a proper and luxurious room for ourselves to sleep in at night?" lamented one of them.


    "Then what is the point of having this adventure in forest?" stated another one.


    They continued to talk for some time before Adrianna interrupted. "You may want to turn off the torch otherwise it will attract wild animals."


    They paid heed to her words and extinguished it.


    ---


    In the morning when Adrianna woke up, she saw that none of the students were there. She rubbed her eyes, stretched her limbs, and came out of the cave. She screamed as she saw the scene outside. A wolf''s stomach was sliced open and it was hanging from a pole. Adrianna covered her eyes as a shiver ran down her spine. She opened them again, hoping that she was seeing a nightmare, but it was still there. She looked around frantically to see if any other students were around, but there was no one.


    Scared, she walked towards the wolf. It looked as though it had been freshly slayed as the blood was still oozing out. She moved closer to check whether it was a wolf or a neotide. She saw that the wolf was still alive. It looked at her with dull eyes.


    "Healer!"

 Chapter 176 - First Stage Of The Competition (3)

    Adrianna''s eyes were wide with shock and fear. It was the healer of the Blue Moon Pack. She moved closer to him and brought off the pole carefully, using her magic to place him softly onto the grass. The first thing she did was to attend to his wound. She felt helpless for not being able to call for help for the healer. Angry, anxious and nervous, she tried her best to fight her tears.


    "How did you get here?" she asked as she placed her hand on his gashed stomach. "And who did this to you?"


    The healer looked at her with sullen eyes. She knew that there was no way he would survive unless he got proper help. All of her magic wouldn''t be of use to help him as he had lost a lot of blood.


    The healer was unable to answer. He couldn''t even move his lips. Looking at his situation, Adrianna delved into his mind as she stroked his head. "Stay here for a while�� I won''t let you die��" she said before firing her flare gun. While she waited for the portal to open, she saw everything that was in his mind �C all the details of the incident.


    The portal opened in a few minutes and Professor Ziu stepped out. He looked at Adrianna who was looking at the wolf in front of her. He was shocked at the gory scene and asked, "How did this happen?"


    Adrianna kept her head low and said, "I know who did this, so I will see to it. Please take this wolf back to his pack. He is the healer of the Blue Moon Pack and a very important person."


    "You used your only flare gun for him, Adrianna? Now what will happen if you fall into danger?" asked Ziu, feeling helpless.


    "I had to use it, or else he would have died. Please hurry. You must help him now, or else me doing this really would have been for nothing. He has already lost a lot of blood!" Adrianna hurried Ziu.


    "Adrianna, you are now on you own. Do you realize that? So try not to fall into any danger. Okay?" shouted Ziu.


    She didn''t reply. She was only musing at the audacity of those who had done this. They had done it to scare her - to show how much more powerful they were and that they would stoop to this level to get their revenge.


    She exhaled and watched Ziu step inside the portal. He turned to look at her and said, "Adrianna, you should keep in mind that almost everyone around you is an enemy... Take care��" The portal closed.


    She had two missions that day: to find a neotide, and to find them!


    She mentally communicated to the animals that they should tell her if she was being followed.


    "Well, you were followed the entire day yesterday!" said one of them.


    Adrianna became angry at her foolishness. How could she not detect that she was being followed? The healer''s mind had revealed things that she thought would never happen, and the animals verified her suspicions��


    "What about today?" she asked as she walked.


    "They are not anywhere near for now."


    Adrianna walked for a bit before her walking turned to running as her rage built up in her. She headed to the highway again. This time, she ran towards the town, and as expected, she found a group of neotides wolfing down on a deer. As she neared the neotides, she counted that it was a group of eight neotides. All of them stopped feasting on their catch and looked back at her. They stared at her as she walked closer. Then one of them gave out a low howl.


    Adrianna turned and ran in the opposite direction. The neotides left their catch and ran after Adrianna in her werewolf form. Vikra had asked them to bring back any werewolf that they saw in the forest. They dashed after her as they shape shifted.


    Adrianna ran until she entered the forest in an area where she had prepared a trap. She screeched to a halt right in front of the trap, which was hidden under a sheath of green leaves and branches.


    The neotides came in front of her as they howled, not giving her any route to escape. Then without a warning, two of them leapt at her. Adrianna leapt at their heads. She left large gashes on their backs with her sharp claws. Two of them landed on the other side and were wounded so badly that they couldn''t move. As Adrianna landed, she shape shifted into a human again.


    Adrianna was now surrounded by the rest of the neotides who attacked her together without even giving her a moment to find her balance. The six of them ambushed her, all pouncing onto her at the same time. Immediately, she created a bubble around her to protect herself. None of them could enter it. They kept clawing and scratching the bubble to break it. Adrianna stood in her place and walked in her bubble towards the trap. They followed her, all while trying to pierce the bubble. One of them jumped onto the bubble, only to be bounced back as though he was an elastic band.


    All of a sudden, the bubble burst, much to her surprise. How could her bubble break?


    "There is someone watching you. We told you long time back," she heard a whisper from the onlookers.

 Chapter 177 - First Stage Of The Competition (4)

    The neotides saw that the bubble had broken, and they stormed towards her. She ran to the trap and fell inside the pit that she had dug in the ground. All the neotides followed her inside. The pit was about ten feet big, so they were really up and close. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the pit was closed with a huge boulder from above, and she was left alone with the neotides.


    Adrianna couldn''t understand as to who would be so cowardly as to dare to close the pit from above. She looked around her. The neotides looked ghastly in the darkness with their eyes flashing a dull yellow color. It was very dark and Adrianna had to rely on her instincts.


    They started circling her and giving out low howls. In the next instant, they all pounced on her. Sensing their attack, Adrianna pointed her finger upwards. A white light was emitted at lightning speed and the rock that had been covering the pit got blasted into thousands of pieces with such a loud bang that all the neotides covered their ears. Taking the advantage, Adrianna leapt above them and high into the air. While airborne, she looked down at them. They were all trying to jump out of the pit. She smiled and covered the pit with a huge boulder that was lying nearby and sealed it with her magic. It become impenetrable; the first stage of the competition was over.


    A portal was formed in front of her to return to the wizard kingdom.


    Adrianna didn''t enter the portal. Instead, she turned back and ran towards the opposite direction; it was time to hunt someone else. She knew that they must be close, watching her.


    "Where are they?" she asked the beasts nearby.


    One of them answered, "They are all behind you."


    "I might need your help."


    "Anytime."


    It wasn''t long before they came out of their hiding space.


    "I was hoping that you''d be killed by the neotides, but you came out unscathed," said Lia as she stopped right in front of Adrianna on her broom.


    "Sneaking your way into the competition arena that is organized by the ministry will attract penalties. Do you know that?" warned Adrianna. Adrianna saw that with her was a group of students from her class, headed by Zola.


    Lia laughed like a madwoman. "With my skills, it is not difficult to enter this arena," she said.


    "You mean with your sneaky skills? Who helped you to enter this place? Don''t you know that you are being watched?" Adrianna sniggered.


    Lia circled around Adrianna on her broom and then stopped in front of Adrianna again. "I am highly surprised at your claim for the throne even though you know absolutely nothing. There is something known as invisibility spell," Lia said sarcastically. No one up in the wizard kingdom can detect me."


    Adrianna''s lips curved into a smile and she asked the question that had been bugging her, "Why did you kill the healer?"


    "Simple! To force you to use up your only way to call for any help in case of danger. Now that you have no way to call the wizards for help, you are by yourself. It is only the afternoon, meaning that we have the entire day to hunt you, torture you, and kill you!" replied Lia as she took her wand out.


    "That is not going to happen," said Adrianna, narrowing her eyes as she started moving her hand to take out her own wand. But before she could reach inside her pocket, Zola, along with the other students, pointed their wands at her. Once again, Lia laughed and said, "Look at how many of us there are. You can''t fight so many wizards and witches. After all, you are nothing but a werewolf!"


    "Lia, I am warning you. Leave while you can, and don''t jeopardize these students for your own selfish goals."


    "The competition stated that a werewolf has to be trapped for the first stage to be complete, and who is a better werewolf than you," said Lia as she threw a lightning bolt at Adrianna that bound themselves around her like rope.


    All the other students followed Lia''s lead and used their wands to throw ropes around her, severely binding her. Adrianna knew that if she tried to force herself out of the ropes, they would only tighten more.


    Lia, Zola, and other students laughed at Adianna as they started lifting her into the air.


    Adrianna shouted, "Lia is misleading all of you! For the final stage, you had to trap a neotide, not a werewolf!"


    "Shut up! You bitch!" yelled Lia.


    The students looked at Adrianna. While some of them started doubting, some were determined to capture Adrianna.


    "She is saying nonsense to save herself," screamed Zola. "Don''t pay attention to her!"


    One of the students agreed. "Yes, we already trapped her. Let us take her back to the wizard kingdom. We have finished the first stage of the competition so let us head back and show our trophy to the school."


    All of them started laughing.


    However, Lia had other intentions. She looked at the ground and whispered, "Orlcusss��"

 Chapter 178 - First Stage Of The Competition (5)

    Adrianna closed her eyes and withdrew a light from her stomach. When she opened her eyes, they were golden yellow. She roared loudly, and all the ropes around her forcefully broke open. They fell around her like stars that had broken off from the sky and lay loosely on the ground as she stood mid-air, her body blazing with white fire-like energy.


    Lia looked up and directed her wand towards Adrianna. She looked scornfully at Adrianna and shouted, "Die you bitch! Your mother was a shame to our family. She gave birth to a pup and now that pup has come to claim the throne? What a joke! That throne is mine!" Upon saying that, she sent the death spell �C a red colored fierce ray �C in Adrianna''s direction. It was so potent that the surrounding air around it became heated up and all the students ducked down. They scrambled here and there to find shelter. Zola laughed along with her mother and excitedly flew to her mother''s side.


    However, the spell was deflected midway. much to Lia and Zola''s surprise. Adrianna''s eyes were blazing with anger as the white light that was flowing around her body became more intense.


    Sensing that it wouldn''t be easy to take her down, Lia sent Zola in the opposite direction and, together, they cast their respective spells. While Zola was to cast the pain spell along with the lightning spell that would bind her, Lia was to once again cast the death spell.


    The students were beginning to become afraid. This was not what they had wanted. They had been promised that Adrianna would be captured and taken to the wizard kingdom where they would present her to the headmistress and insult her more. However, they were now witnessing something even deadlier; they were witnessing a murder in broad daylight.


    Adrianna laughed out loud. She pointed her finger towards Zola, sending sparkles of green light, which threw Zola away with such a large amount of force that she flew towards the center of the jungle with a loud shrieking sound.


    Adrianna once again deflected the death spell.


    "Zolaaa!" shouted Lia. Shocked and furious, she threw a large amount of spells in Adrianna''s direction, but every spell hit the periphery of the white light around her and rebounded. Nothing worked on her.


    "Why aren''t you dying, you bitch?" Lia shouted at her as she flew dangerously close to Adrianna, this time, using her wand to throw down a spell that could explode the body into a thousand pieces. It was one of the most potent spells, which was never ever used by the any of the wizards or witches. It was only taught secretly to a select few as it was against the law of the wizard kingdom to use the spell.


    But Adrianna deflected that spell too and focused her golden yellow eyes on Lia. She picked up her wand for the last time and pointed it towards Lia. Lia''s wand was broken into pieces, inviting shrieks from her. Lia looked helpless and shocked without her wand. She felt as if her soul was being shattered along with the wand.


    "Nooooo!" she shouted as tears flowed out of her eyes.


    Lia experienced a mixture of sadness, depression, and pain. As she saw her wand breaking, she felt chaotic. Her state of mind became a mess. Something started hurting her and bothering her; she ached inside. Something was so wrong and invalid that she couldn''t even figure out what it was. She tried to focus on it and pinpoint the cause for this unexplained pain, but she failed. Everything felt so confusing, like a puzzle that she didn''t know how to solve. The madness engulfed her and she soon found herself shackled in ropes. She looked around her. She was being carried away in the air, and she saw Adrianna walk into a portal created by Professor Ziu who was the one pulling her along.


    The students had become extremely afraid when they saw what Lia was doing. One of them had shot his flare during the battle between the two witches. Professor Ziu walked out of the portal within a few seconds, but he walked out to witness the most shocking scene in front of him. When he saw Lia sending the death spell towards Adrianna, he became anxious, and wanted to save Adrianna, but his first priority was to save the student who had sent the flare up. Along with that student, he hurried all the other students to enter the portal because the spells that were being cast were too potent and could kill them.


    When the last of them entered the portal, he closed it and moved closer to Adrianna to help her. However, his help wasn''t needed, because, by then, Lia had already been captured and her wand had been split into pieces.


    Splitting a wand was the most difficult spell for wizards and witches, and Adrianna had never been taught that.

 Chapter 179 - How Did Lia Enter The Competition Arena?

    Adrianna entered the academy through the portal created by Professor Ziu. When she entered with Lia all tied up in ropes of white lightening, everyone in the academy gasped. Ilsa came over, almost running. When she looked closer at the state in which Lia was in, she was shocked and shouted at Adrianna in front of all the students and professors. "What is this nonsense? What have you done to Lia? Release her immediately! You cannot go around capturing ministry people like that!"


    Adrianna looked at Ilsa with cold expression. "Madam, no one other than the competitors were allowed to enter the competition, so how did Lia enter? Was there a lax in security?"


    Ilsa pursed her lips. She couldn''t answer Adrianna, so she deflected the question and instead asked, "Have you no shame Adrianna? She is your aunt! This is what you do to your blood relatives? You are indeed the most disgusting girl I have ever come across!" All Ilsa wanted was for Adrianna to release Lia. Ilsa was scared that their secret would come out and wanted to divert the attention of all those who were listening.


    "You haven''t answered my question, madam," said Adrianna, still maintaining a calm and cold expression. "How did Lia enter the competition arena?"


    "Lia is a senior colleague and a member of the academy''s administration. She can go in and out of the arena anytime she likes. Who are you to question her whereabouts?" shouted Ilsa on the top of her voice.


    "If that is true, then how come none other professors entered the arena? And how is it that no one had any clue she was even there? Or is it that you were the only person who knew that she had entered and you didn''t want to inform the ministry? As far as I know, I am quite certain that even the professors are supposed to receive permission from the ministry to enter the competition grounds," enquired Adrianna. "Or did I say something wrong?


    One of the professors answered, "None of the professors are allowed to enter the field. They are only allowed to create a portal for the student to return to the academy when he or she has completed the quest, or when in danger."


    "Shut up!" shouted Ilsa, sharply turning to look menacingly at the professor, "Or I will suspend you from the academy."


    The professor instantly became quiet.


    "Lia had been suspended from the ministry because of irregularity in her affairs after sending a wrong notice to the school. However, when I talked to the people from the ministry, they said that right notice had been sent to the school," said Professor Ziu, looking at Ilsa, clearly accusing her of misdeed.


    "Utter nonsense! I would never do that! What would I gain?" countered Ilsa.


    "Then how come the word ''neotide'' in the notice got replaced by the word ''werewolf''?" asked Adrianna.


    "Adrianna!" screamed Ilsa. "You are overstepping your boundaries as a student by wrongly accusing me. Remember, I am the headmistress here and I can easily suspend you from the academy! Now, release Lia or I will suspend you now on the basis of excess violation of the school''s code of conduct."


    "Isidorus!" shouted Adrianna, summoning him.


    Every person present stared at Adrianna as though she had grown two horns. How could this half-witch even think of summoning Isidorus? He was the most esteemed person in the wizard kingdom and it was impossible to even catch a glimpse of him! Who was she to summon the great wizard?


    To everyone''s shock, Isidorus appeared in front of Adrianna, along with two other people. Ilsa immediately recognized them. They were the ministry people who had been involved in the enquiries against Lia. Ilsa froze. She didn''t know what to do. She would have never imagined that Adrianna was capable of calling forth so many important and influential people. Her stance changed immediately. "Isidorus�� Sirs��" She bowed in front of them.


    One of the ministry people asked, "Ilsa, we warned you and left you alone only because we thought you had embraced the right path. However, looking at today''s scenario, we believe that things have drastically changed. Without the knowledge of ministry, no professor can enter the arena and harm the students. According to our reports, there was an attack on Adrianna which was started by Zola. However, we saw Adrianna deflecting a death spell, which Zola couldn''t have cast. Obviously, someone was colluding with her. And who could that have been?"


    Isidorus became impatient. He looked at all the professors and roared, "How did Lia enter the competition field?"


    None of them had an answer. Ilsa was now cornered. Isidoris looked at her.


    "I- I have no idea��" she replied.


    "The ministry monitored the movements of all the competitors, and we found Adrianna''s movements to be most suspicious when she fired her flare to save the healer of the Blue Moon Pack. When the healer was brought here, we took him into our custody and interrogated him. He revealed that he had been abducted from his house by a witch," said one of the ministry men.


    Ilsa started to panic.

 Chapter 180 - The Punishment

    Adrianna was not surprised when she heard what the person from the ministry revealed. After all, she had already found out who had abducted him when she had delved into the healer''s mind. She glared at Ilsa who looked extremely perturbed.


    "Who abducted the healer?" roared Adrianna.


    Suddenly, Ilsa created a vortex. Unfortunately for her, her actions didn''t escape Adrianna''s eyes. Adrianna snapped her fingers and everything in front of her started taking place in slow motion. Adrianna could see a frightened Ilsa being sucked into the vortex. Ilsa was halfway through the vortex when Adrianna forcefully closed the vortex. Half of Ilsa''s body was stuck in the vortex when Adrianna snapped her fingers again. The vortex froze and Ilsa was stuck in it. As soon as the vortex stopped, time resumed its normal speed and the people could see Ilsa''s body half suspended in the vortex. The other half must be suspended in the place she had wanted to teleport herself to. It was the first time a wizard had ever been stopped from being sucked into a vortex.


    It was extremely painful for Ilsa and she gave out an agonizing scream. All the students and the professors present shuddered and became extremely afraid.


    "Please let me go. What is this dark magic? No one is able to stop a vortex created by a wizard or witch Please let me go or let me come out!" cried Ilsa as she shouted in pain. "Have mercy! Who did this?" Ilsa''s hands were up in the air as she flailed about. "Let me go! Arghhhh!"


    Adrianna looked at her and then, very slowly, she first handed the rope that was tying Lia to Professor Ziu. Then, she moved closer to Ilsa, and with her hand, helped her out of the vortex. The effect of the vortex reversal was so strong that Adrianna had to drop Ilsa''s hand as Ilsa got thrown several feet away, or else Adrianna would have also been thrown with Ilsa.


    It was impossible for Ilsa to get up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Adrianna standing near her. She cowered in her position.


    The men from the ministry also surrounded Ilsa and announced, "You allowed Lia to enter the competition area and defied the ministry''s order. Under these conditions, we will have to arrest you."


    They proceeded to confiscate her wand before chaining her from top to bottom in ropes made of white light. "Because of you, chaos ensued and student even ended up dying. Henceforth, you are removed from your position and will be staying behind bars forever until further notice." A vortex was created and the two ministry-men took both Ilsa and Lia away.


    Almost everyone in the crowd now turned to look at Adrianna who seemed to be the root cause of all the recent developments.


    Adrianna turned to Professor Ziu and Isidorus and exclaimed, "Zola is dead�� I- I didn''t mean to harm anyone, but she was trying to bind me when her mother was sending a death spell my way. I just defended myself��" Adrianna''s emotions were at an all-time low. She wanted to cry due to how much negative energy her body had absorbed when the death spell had been thrown at her. Even though she had managed to successfully deflect it, some of its energy had hit her body and had filled her with despair.


    "Where can we find Zola?" asked Isidorus.


    "She can be found at the bottom of the lake in the center of the forest," replied Adrianna, lowering her head as her eyes welled up. The forest animals had informed her that the fish in the lake had surrounded Zola''s body, keeping it safe until it was fished out.


    "Adrianna, you should go and rest. We caught the neotides that you trapped in the pit. While most students couldn''t trap any neotides, some managed to trap at least one. Frankly speaking, I am not surprised that you captured eight of them," said Ziu, feeling proud of his student.


    Isidorus smiled. He declared to all present, "The winner of the competition will be announced soon. There will be a day''s holiday for all students tomorrow and your holiday starts right now. So, all of you, scram!" Almost immediately, there was a surge in excitement and a loud cheering amongst the students. The premise was empty within the next five minutes as the students created their own portals and quickly left. The professors all laughed to their hearts content and left soon after.


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus and said, "I want to go back to Dmitri and spend time with him��"


    Professor Ziu interjected immediately. "But Adrianna still have to learn so many spells. Plus, I was thinking of taking you to an important event this evening. There, you will meet all the people from the ministry."


    Adrianna looked at him. She wondered if she should attend the event or not, but the gloom in her heart was so great that she declined Ziu. "I am sorry Professor Ziu, but I can''t��"


    Isidorus understood that she wouldn''t be convinced otherwise. "Whatever my queen wants��"


    Adrianna nodded and Isidorus created a portal for her.


    Ziu wanted to stop her. He clenched his fists and tried one last time. He quickly argued, "Adrianna, this is very important for the future queen."


    "Maybe��" she replied and entered the portal and directly walked into the arms of Dmitri.

 Chapter 181 - She Felt Cathartic

    Dmitri could feel the despair and misery in Adrianna''s heart the entire day she had been participating in the competition. He could feel the fury in her and all the negativity that she had to deal with. He hadn''t left his house, wondering whether or not he would have to go and get her. At this rate, she won''t be able to cope. He felt like extracting her from the competition and bringing her back to his side. The feeling was writhing at his soul. By the end of the second day, when dusk fell, he could feel that she wanted to be with him - that she wanted to repair the dents that had marred her soul.


    He knew that she yearned to be with him, so when he saw the portal open, he stood in front of the portal and received Adrianna in his arms. As soon as she was in his arms, he picked her up and kissed her passionately on the lips.


    She responded and kissed him urgently. She wanted to vent out all of the pessimism and gloom that had surrounded her for the past two days. As she kissed him, she cried, her tears rolling out of her eyes. In her anxiousness, she kissed him fervently and bit his lips, making them bleed a little, but he didn''t complain; it was normal for werewolves to pour their feelings into each other.


    When she finished, she circled her hands around his neck and dipped her head in the crook of his neck. Her cries turned into sobbing.


    "I�� I killed Zola��" she spoke in between her cries.


    "Hush��" he stroked her hair as he sat down on the bed and positioned her to sit on his lap.


    "I warned her before and wanted her to leave the area, but she was too consumed in her hatred for me�� I could see it in her mind�� I knew that Lia already hated me to the point of no return, but Zola��


    "Lia had been feeding her own daughter with her poisonous thoughts��"


    Dmitri held her tightly and said, "You are not responsible for how others feel about you, but you can always take action if you feel your life is in danger. Don''t - even once - feel sad about it. You did what was right. Okay?"


    Adrianna didn''t answer. The path to claiming the throne was nothing like what she had expected it to be; it wasn''t a bed of roses, but rather a bed of thorns that continuously pricked at her feet, her body, and her soul.


    When her sobs subsided, he gently brought her to the bathroom to give her a long warm bath. It was the perfect antidote to all the stress she had been dealing with, and he intended to give her a long one. He had already arranged fragrant candles all around. Gently. he removed her clothing and asked her to step into the bathtub before stepping in after her. He picked up the luxurious scrub, and started softly cleaning her. Once done, he warmed up some of the body scrub between his palms, and then using gentle circular strokes, he massaged it onto her chest, her neck, her back, and her thighs. The essential oils in the hot water was helping her relieve her stress. He sat behind her and gave her a tension-relieving shoulder massage using his fingertips. He stimulated the points behind her ears and then moved slowly downwards towards her thighs.


    He worked his hands in between them and softly circled her sweet spot. Adrianna relaxed and put her head on his shoulder as he sat behind her; she let him do whatever he wanted. He took his hands to her breasts and kneaded them. She felt cathartic with his hands on her body.


    They finished taking a bath and Dmitri carried her right into the bedroom, placed her onto the bed, and brought clothes for her to wear. In the next few minutes, she was covered with a blanket and dozed off.


    ---


    Ziu was in charge of fishing out Zola''s body from the lake. When he arrived, he saw that the divers were having a lot of trouble extracting the body.


    "There are a lot of fish blocking our way. We think her body has already been eaten," they reported.


    "No, it can''t be," he replied.As if on an impulse, he, himself, dived into the depths of the lake. However, as he reached the location of the body, he watched as the fish surrounding the body cleared and made way for them. The divers were surprised, but were able to easily extract the body.


    The entire exercise took no more than an hour.


    "How come the fish cleared the way for you? We were sure that they would have eaten the body by now," said one of the divers.


    Even Ziu couldn''t answer. Understanding Adrianna''s world was difficult for him. He couldn''t understand as to why he had dove in; it would have been easy to believe what the divers had said about Zola''s body having been eaten, but he just had a feeling otherwise.


    In the evening, he attended a dinner with the people from the ministry.

 Chapter 182 - Steal A Man’s Love-Session

    Adrianna woke up late in the night feeling extremely hungry. She thought of going downstairs to eat food because she didn''t want to trouble Dmitri to ask for a maid to bring it up. However, when she got out from the bed and started to exit the room, Dmitri called for her and sleepily said, "Your food is on the table. You don''t have to go out��" before falling asleep again.


    Adrianna smiled at his thoughtfulness and sat down at the table to have a hearty meal. While having her late night dinner, she thought how wonderful it would be to go to the college and meet Ookashi and Niiya the next day since the wizard academy had declared a holiday the next day, meaning she would have the entire day free.


    Once again, Dmitri stirred and said, "Sure, let''s go to the college. And now will you please stop thinking about all these things? I am unable to sleep what with being able to hear all your thoughts."


    Adrianna chuckled, and after finishing her meal, she laid down beside him. In the next second, he wrapped his arms around her. Adrianna slept like a log that night. When she woke up in the morning, she saw a lazy Dmitri deep in his slumber. She shook him to wake him up, but he wouldn''t wake. Seeing how sleepy he was, she let him be so that she could take a bath. When she returned, she saw that he was still sleeping. She went near him and shook him by his shoulders. "Wake up sleepy head! It is 10AM and we need to go to college."


    Instead of waking up, Dmitri pulled Adrianna up in his embrace and on his body. he pinned her there and said, "Shh�� your husband is still dreaming."


    "Dreaming of what?" she asked, getting slightly jealous.


    "Of someone�� who was kissing me�� massaging me�� ah��" he replied as his member poked at her.


    Adrianna smacked him on his shoulder and said, "I will kill whoever enters your dreams!"


    "Ah!" he cried. "Don''t do that Adri�� Are you going to steal a man''s love-session in his dreams as well?"


    "Dmitri!" she shouted at him.


    However, as soon as she shouted, he pulled her up and kissed her lips passionately without even opening his eyes.


    "Please thy man, you woman," he said when he let go of her lips. "Or else your man will start dreaming of wild things."


    Adrianna flicked his forehead and struggled to escape his grasp, but he pinned her down with all his might. He rolled around with her on the bed until he was on top of her. He was naked and she was fully dressed. "This won''t work," he said as he started peeling off her clothes while straddling her.


    "I am not going to please you. Go and have sex with the woman of your dreams!" she shouted as she resisted him.


    "I can''t because I am no more dreaming. I have to suffice with you," he replied as he tore open her shirt and her skirt. Adrianna was both angry and jealous. She wanted to escape, but by then, he had unclasped her bra, swiftly taken off her panties, and was grabbing her breasts. He pinched her nipples, squeezing them, and twirling his fingers around the tips. He kneaded them roughly and her nipples puckered under his touch. He licked them and sucked on the side of a nipple and left a huge red mark. "That''s your punishment," he said.


    "For what?" she asked getting aroused.


    "For disturbing my dreams," he said as he licked the red mark. His member was getting provoked now.


    "Fine, I''ll go. I won''t disturb you anymore." She started to get up, but he pinned her down again.


    "Where are you going, my little mouse?" he asked in between sucking her breast. "I will hunt you wherever you go!"


    He left her breasts and moved to her navel which he sucked at, creating a lot of bruises. Adrianna''s anger and jealousy evaporated. Dmitri brought his hand over her pubic area and softly pressed at it before moving down further. He exposed her clit and stroked it with one hand while he stroked himself with the other.


    Adrianna''s body bucked and she came. "Ah!"


    He moved down to harshly suck at it, making her come all over again. He slipped his finger inside and started moving them in and out. Adrianna bit her lip to keep the sounds of pleasure from escaping her lips. When he couldn''t wait any longer, he plunged his erection inside her. Her nails dug into his back as he increased his pace. He was on the edge. Her hips and thighs clenched and he came. He didn''t exit her until he had poured himself completely inside her.


    Exhausted and excited after making love, they slumped to the side.


    "If you dare come in my dreams, I will tie you up and take you down. You will remain my captive for days until I am satisfied!" he declared.


    Adrianna laughed. "Get dressed!" she said.

 Chapter 183 - Back To The College (1)

    When Adrianna and Dmitri came down to have their breakfast, they found Nate waiting for them. Adrianna smiled at him.


    "I will join you," he declared.


    Adrianna frowned as she couldn''t understand what he meant. When she realized that he wanted to go to college with them, she laughed.


    "I mentioned it to him and he insisted on wanting to come," said Dmitri while glancing at his nosy friend.


    "Well, how is Ookashi?" asked Adrianna while adding marmalade to her toast.


    "She is fine�� doesn''t like to see me, but gets angry if I don''t show up often�� I don''t know what to do�� She makes me so confused��" replied Nate. His brows knitted as he said that. He looked miserable.


    Adrianna pursed her lips. She felt guilty for jeopardizing all of their relationships.


    "Don''t blame yourself," warned Dmitri as he listened to her thoughts.


    Nate waited for them as they finished breakfast. As soon as they were headed to college in Nate''s car,a huge battalion of wizards and witches appeared and followed them from all sides on their brooms. Nate looked out and stopped the car. "What is going on Adrianna?" he asked, becoming worried.


    "Don''t worry, it is the usual drill! They just have to follow me everywhere. After the competition, Isidorus has become very finicky about my security. I think, because Fleur couldn''t come this time, he added more guards than usual.


    "Adrianna, if humans see them flying around like this on their brooms, they will freak out!" replied Nate as Dmitri chuckled.


    "Nate, I know about the treaty. They will keep themselves invisible and only come forward if there is any danger. Currently, there is none, so nothing will happen. Okay? So drive without worry," assured Adrianna.


    "Okay�� if you say so��" he replied as he looked at the bumpy road ahead of them. He so wished to get it paved. To his surprise, as soon as he wished for it, the road ahead miraculously became plain and smooth. He stopped the car and scratched his head, "Did we take the right route?"


    Dmitri smacked Nate''s head and said, "Drive!"


    Adrianna laughed.


    On the way, Adrianna said, "I would also like to go and meet Ed, as well as get my bike back."


    "Sure, but Ed has moved into a new cottage in an undisclosed location," replied Nate.


    "What? When did this happen?" she asked, shocked for not knowing anything about it. She was angry with Dmitri for keeping it a secret. "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "It was necessary Adri. Very few know about his location because he is in perpetual danger now. Cy destroyed the cottage when he couldn''t find you there. Ed came to know about it later as everyone was busy with the marriage rituals. When Ed returned to this realm, the wizards had to shift him to a location unknown to all," explained Dmitri.


    Adrianna''s anger flared up. "Why did Cy destroy the cottage?"


    "Most likely because he was tricked by Isidorus into staying there while you were to be marrying me. He probably destroyed it out of vengeance."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and said, "I still want to visit."


    "It''s not safe Adri."


    "I really want to Dmitri."


    "Okay. We will visit on our way back."


    They reached the college in the next half an hour. After parking the car in the parking area, they got out to stroll over to Adrianna''s chemistry wing. She felt so happy to be there again that she left the two of them and excitedly jolted across, over the bushes, and into the garden.


    All the wizards and witches were circling the area in invisible mode. When they saw their queen running around and jumping up and down like a small child, they were shocked.


    She laughed like a small child and couldn''t contain the excitement. All the students who saw her were surprised to see her after so long. She headed to the notice board to see her class schedule. Her next class was about to begin in ten minutes. She mentally communicated to Dmitri and Nate and she would be attending her next class despite their protests.


    She went to the lecture hall and noticed that some students had already arrived. They all looked at her and greeted her curiously, as they saw her after a long time. She went to sit with them. One of them enquired, "Adrianna, where have you been all these days? It''s been over a month. How will you catch up?"


    Adrianna chuckled and said, "There is only one solution to this problem �C Niiya!" As soon as she said that, everyone started laughing. They all knew how close the two of them were.


    "I heard that you and Niiya are no longer friends," asked one of the jealous students, trying to provoke her.


    Adrianna lowered her head. She didn''t know how to answer the question so she ignored it.


    Suddenly, someone pointed out, "See, Niiya came with his girlfriend."

 Chapter 184 - Back To The College (2)

    Excited, Adrianna looked in that direction. She was eagerly looking in his direction when she noticed Pryce next to him. Her heart sank a little.


    They stopped at the entrance of the class and Niiya dipped his head a little to kiss Pryce on her lips. There was happiness written all over her face as she broke away from the kiss. Then, she looked up to see the other students in the class as Niiya started to walk in.


    Niiya stopped in his tracks when he saw Adrianna sitting amongst the students. On the other hand, when Pryce noticed Adrianna, her face fell. Adrianna''s appearance had been the least expected event of the day. Pryce felt nervous and agitated at the same time. Even though she had to leave for her class, she couldn''t move from her place. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw how Niiya stared at Adrianna. The bell rang and she forced herself to rush to her own class.


    Niiya was transfixed in his place when he saw Adrianna. He stared at her and started walking towards Adrianna. There was an awkward silence between the students. Adrianna was sitting on the side of the center section of the third row. Niiya stared at her, slowly walked up to her, and went to sit in a row behind her even though there were vacant seats near her. He looked shocked and angry.


    Adrianna noticed how muscular Niiya had become in a month''s time. He looked all the more handsome. He was wearing a black shirt and a black pants. Almost all the girls in the class became aware of his presence as the class started filling up. They started looking at him or passing flirtatious glances at him.


    A girl went and sat right next to Adrianna just to be in front of Niiya. She whispered to Adrianna, "Ever since you left, Niiya has become so much more handsome! He has become the most sought-after bachelor in the school. See how hot he is? Adrianna, please could you introduce me to Niiya? I''ve been in his classes for so long he has hardly ever noticed me. Adrianna, please? Please?" She clung onto Adrianna''s sleeve. Feeling awkward, Adrianna lowered her head. She was embarrassed, wondering if Niiya had heard that girl. Thankfully, the professor entered the class and she was spared from further embarrassment.


    When the class started, the professor looked at her and said, "Oh! So we have someone back with us today?" He remembered how she had answered his question last time in the class so smartly that he had been to stay quiet for the sake of not further embarrassing himself.


    However, this was his chance to insult her because she hadn''t come to class for so long.


    "Before I start the lecture, would Miss Adrianna be nice enough to answer my question?" he mocked.


    Adrianna looked at him with a surprise. Before she could speak, someone from behind her spoke. "Professor, how can she answer the question? She only joined after a month''s time."


    Adrianna faintly smiled at the way Niiya defended her.


    "Who asked for your opinion Niiya?" the professor scolded him. Then, he looked at Adrianna and said, "Solve the problem that I am going to write on the board, and then I will continue with the lecture."


    He went to the board and wrote a complicated atomic weight question. When he finished writing it, he gestured for Adrianna to come and solve it. "This topic was taught a month back. I am sure you know it, so come and solve it. Otherwise, you may get out of the class, because I don''t want to teach students like you who think college is for fun!"


    Adrianna stood up from her chair, but as she started to walk up to the board, Niiya stopped her. "Sir, Adrianna has only joined after a month, so it is highly unlikely that she would be able to remember it. Can I solve the problem instead?"


    "Niiya, do not meddle, otherwise I will report you!" shouted the professor.


    Adrianna looked at Niiya and found his face crushed with worry. It was as if he didn''t want her to leave.


    Some of the students started giggling while some waited in anticipation. "It seems we have a free period today! She will never be able to solve the equation. The professor asked us that question on the last quiz and failed all of us!"


    Adrianna went to the white board. She looked at the equation and picked the white board marker. It took her no more than three minutes to solve the problem. She placed the marker down and turned around to look at the professor who was now gaping.


    "Is the answer correct?" she asked innocently.


    Astounded at her caliber, the professor nodded. Adrianna smiled and walked back to her chair. She couldn''t help but chuckle softly. She had cheated a bit because she had delved into the professor''s mind to get the answer, but if she hadn''t done that, not only she would have been ridiculed, but the professor would have dismissed the entire class and blamed her for it. She quietly returned to her seat. Niiya covered his mouth to stop the smile that was spreading across his face against his wishes.


    The professor started teaching the class.


    As soon as the class was over, all of the students surrounded her and started praising her. "You are too brilliant Adrianna. Only you could solve the problem! None of us could. We all failed the last quiz where this question was asked. Only Niiya could answer it." Adrianna couldn''t help chuckling. The students started copying the answer into their books.


    Adrianna turned around to check on Niiya, but he was nowhere to be seen. Confused, she looked around, only to see him leaving the classroom. When he reached the entrance, she saw that Pryce was waiting for him.


    One of the students who noticed Adrianna looking at them said, "Don''t worry about Niiya and Pryce. These days, Niiya has many girls around, but Pryce loves to call herself his girlfriend. We all know that he is not serious about Pryce. She just loves to hang around him wherever he goes."


    Adrianna didn''t have all the time in the world. She just wanted to be able to talk to Niiya - just once. She ran out of the class after him. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side as soon as had exited the classroom.

 Chapter 185 - Back To The College (3)

    Adrianna was stunned when she was dragged away. She didn''t even have the chance to look at the person who had grabbed her hand. When she finally looked up, she noticed that it was Niiya who was dragging her out.


    "Niiya, stop dragging me," she said behind him but he wouldn''t stop. Finally, he took her to a secluded area and pinned her to a wall. She tried to escape, but he had blocked her way with both his arms.


    He stared at her and said, "Why did you marry Dmitri?"


    Adrianna looked at him and said, "Because I was supposed to marry him at that time. There was no other option."


    "Did he force you to marry him?" he asked.


    Adrianna didn''t answer him and turned her face away.


    "I said, did he force you to marry him?" Niiya asked again, getting furious.


    How could Adrianna say that she indeed had been forced at that time? How could she say that Dmitri had forced her to trade his freedom with her hand in marriage? How could she explain that Dmitri had imprinted on her? How could she say that she had irrevocably fallen in love with Dmitri?


    "Answer me!" roared Niiya as he punched the wall beside her.


    Suddenly, she saw Pryce coming in. She took a quick glance at Pryce and quietly said, "Niiya, Pryce is here. Let me go or she will misunderstand."


    "There is nothing wrong with what I am doing, so let her think whatever she wants to think.


    "Answer me now!" he roared, his eyes turning red with anger.


    "There is only one answer," she said.


    "What?"


    "Adrianna loves me," someone growled from behind. "Leave her alone, or I will not have mercy on you, regardless of who you are!"


    They both turned to see that Dmitri was standing right behind Pryce.


    "Has this moron been forcing you everyday?" asked Niiya, looking angrily at Dmitri.


    "No, it isn''t what you think Niiya," answered Adrianna. "Let me go. Please."


    "I won''t let you go Adri! All these days, it was torture to be without you. So now that you have returned, I am not going to let you go," he replied as he stood in front of her, blocking her from Dmitri''s view. He looked at Dmitri fiercely as though inviting him to a duel.


    Adrianna closed her eyes. What was Niiya thinking? Confronting Dmitri was an invitation to his own death. She had to diffuse the situation.


    "Niiya, stop it!" she shouted. She pushed him a little and moved to stand with Dmitri who was now burning with jealousy and ready for the kill. She circled her hands around his waist. "Please calm down Dmitri��" she communicated to him mentally. If a werewolf was angry, he could lose control in an instant.


    Dmitri calmed down a bit as Niiya watched the two of them. Pryce, who was standing there, ran over to Niiya and held his hand. Niiya shirked her off. "Stay away from me!" he snarled.


    Adrianna turned to look at Niiya and then said, "I love Dmitri, and that is why we married."


    "Wrong! You are lying!" he shouted back.


    "No, it would be a lie if I said that I had ever loved you. Dmitri is my soulmate."


    Niiya stumbled back. He had tried to remain away from her. He had been so bitter at one point of time that he had promised to destroy the life of every girl that tried to get in his pants. He regretted not wooing Adrianna back. She had just disappeared from college. He had gone to her cottage so many times, but had been surprised to see that it had been completely destroyed. He spent his time exercising, running, kickboxing, and everything humanly possible to release his pent up energy. Every day just became a long wait for her�� he had longed to see her��


    When he saw her today, his immediate thought was to snatch her back. However, Dmitri had come back with her. When she declared that she loved Dmitri and that Dmitri was her soulmate, the last thread of his patience for her broke. Dmitri had become his sworn enemy for life.


    Niiya laughed like a mad man. "Adri, you cannot imagine how much I waited for you."


    Adrianna lowered her head. "Niiya, when will you understand that I had never loved you?"


    "No Adri, you never gave us a chance," he said before turning around and leaving.


    Pryce ran after him but he shoved her away. She fell to the side. She got up and walked up to Adrianna. "He had been doing so well without you. Why did you come back? You are such a bitch for seducing everybody around you. Isn''t Dmitri enough for you? Now you have to come back and claim Niiya?"


    Adrianna was extremely irritated by all of the accusations that were thrown at her every time she met Pryce. In an instant of fury, Adrianna raised her hand and slapped Pryce. Pryce held her cheek as she felt blood trickling down her lips. Furious, she raised her hand to hit Adrianna back, but Dmitri caught Pryce''s hand and slowly shook his head to warn her.


    Adrianna glared at her and said, "This is the last time I am going to tell you. Don''t accuse me of things that never happened, and never cross my path again."

 Chapter 186 - Back To The College (4)

    The way Adrianna looked at Pryce made her frightened. She pressed her cheeks and ran away while shouting, "Niiya, look what she did to me!" However, Niiya had already left for home; he didn''t want to attend the rest of his classes.


    Dmitri held Adrianna''s hand as they headed to the garden in front of the chemistry wing.. Over there, they found Nate standing beneath the tree canopies; he looked as though he was waiting for someone. They moved closer to him and quietly sat down on a nearby bench.


    "Sorry to hear about what happened between you and Niiya," said Nate in order to break the awkward silence. He could hear Dmitri''s thoughts when Niiya had pinned Adrianna down and had been afraid that Dmitri may kill Niiya.


    Adrianna smiled with pursed lips and looked away. Her relationship with Niiya was over. There was no way she could go back to being his friend again. She had so looked forward to come back to college, thinking that things may have straightened themselves out, but everything had only gone south. Dmitri held her hand and said, "I don''t know why, but I, for one, am happy that Niiya is finally understanding us and won''t be interfering with us anymore." Adrianna nodded even though she felt as though a portion in heart had become empty.


    Suddenly, there was a buzz of activity and a scream. "Darling!" someone shouted from the distance. Adrianna looked at the source of noise and saw Ookashi leaping like a deer in her direction.


    Nate was so happy to see Ookashi and hearing her say "darling" made his heart miss a beat. He stretched out his arms to receive his love and smiled at her with all the love he had in his heart. He watched as she ran towards him and then completely ignore his open arms as she went to hug Adrianna. His eyes wavered as he stood frozen to the ground. "The darling was Adrianna," he grumbled as he sheepishly folded his arms across his chest, inviting a throaty laughter from Dmitri.


    "Adri, where have you been girl? I missed you sooooo much!" said Ookashi as she tightly hugged Adrianna.


    Any tension that they may have had evaporated in a second. Adrianna laughed along with her friend and hugged Ookashi back. She had missed Ookashi so much. The two girls cried for some time as the boys watched and rolled their eyes at the drama that was unfolding in front of them. Nate was extremely jealous and wanted to separate Ookashi from Adrianna so that he could hold Ookashi into his arms.


    Ookashi let go of Adrianna. "You were absent for more than a month. Do you even know how much you have missed? You better not be absent again or else you might have to repeat the year. That''s it! From now on, I will come to your house every day to pick you up and bring you to college! That''s it!"


    Adrianna giggled. She was enjoying Ookashi''s cute outburst. "I missed you Ookashi," she said as she hugged her again. "Let''s go to the cafeteria," Adrianna suggested before leading them all to the college cafeteria.


    Nate and Dmitri left the girls alone at a table and went to fetch some snacks.


    "I am angry with you Adrianna," complained Ookashi. "You married Dmitri but didn''t even treat your friends. At least you can give me a party!" The way Ookashi was talking was as if she had forgotten about what had happened in the past.


    "But- but Niiya is still very unhappy," said Adrianna.


    "Oh! Let him be! I have asked him to move on with his life a number of times, but he still wants to hold on to that thread and continuously stay in a foul mood, so what can I do? It''s not as if there''s only one girl on this earth!"


    Adrianna laughed.


    Ookashi rolled her eyes and continued, "I think he will come around. Just give him some more time." Then, she looked in Dmitri''s direction and asked, "How is he? What kind of a lover is he? You guys got into such a whirlwind marriage. There was no dating �C just marriage right off the bat! You better tell me everything about it!"


    Adrianna couldn''t stop laughing. It was great to be back with Ookashi. Ookashi was the same wild girl as she had been before. Adrianna started to say something when she was again cut short. "When will you treat me? I want to see your house. Nate tells me that you live in a lavish house and that he lives somewhere near your house."


    Adrianna looked at her friend and said, "You selfish brat! You just want to go to Nate''s house and not mine."


    "Noooo! I also want to go to your house," said Ookashi, blushing at the same time. "Nate has been pestering me for a long time, so I thought I should pay a visit to his place��"


    Dmitri and Nate had come back by that time and had placed the snacks on the table.


    "Ookashi wants to visit our place Dmitri," said Adrianna while picking up a cheese ball and popping it into her mouth.


    Nate glared at Ookashi. He had been asking her to come to his house for so long but she had been declining him. Now Adrianna hadn''t even asked her to and she wanted to visit on her own. Ookashi bit down on her lip.


    "She also wants to visit Nate''s house," continued Adrianna.

 Chapter 187 - Back To The College (5)

    "Let''s head over now!" said Adrianna, excited to be with her friend after such a long time. She wanted to catch up on a lot of things with her.


    Ookashi giggled and the four of them headed for the parking area. When they reached the parking lot, they found that their car was being surrounded by six men, who looked like gangsters, and Pryce who was standing behind them.


    Headed by Dmitri, they walked to their car as the group of gangsters watched them. All of them had either a baseball bat, iron chains, or iron rods in their hands. The leader was holding a baseball bat over his shoulder and was patting his shoulder with it as though he was eager to use it on them.


    Adrianna stared at Pryce. Her lips had swollen and she looked disheveled. Pryce pointed in Adrianna''s direction and shouted, "That girl over there. She slapped me!"


    The leader of the gang looked at Adrianna while tilting his head. "You look pretty right now, but no one will be able to recognize you after we''re done with you." He turned to Pryce who was looking very satisfied with herself. "Do you want me to kill her or just bash her up?"


    "Bash her! Turn her into a pulp!" she shouted in anger.


    Dmitri growled at them. "If anyone touches even a strand of hair on Adrianna''s head, I will rip their limbs apart."


    "Ohhh! We got a hero here," laughed the leader in a scornful way before gesturing for his boys to hold down Nate and Dmitri.


    Ookashi was shocked. "Are you mad Pryce? Niiya hates this kind of thing. If he finds out about it, he will never even look at you!"


    "Shut up you bitch!" yelled Pryce. "Your brother shoved me away and, now, it''s my turn. I will get my revenge on all of you! You can blame Niiya for mistreating me."


    The leader started laughing loudly as he licked his teeth.


    Dmitri said, "This is my last warning to you all. Let me tell you how this is going to work. First, I will take two of you down by lifting you in air and bashing in your heads. Then I will take that chain of yours and tie down the next two before crushing their rib cages and throwing them away. My friend here will dislocate the shoulders of the fifth, and lastly we will take you on." He pointed at the leader. "So you better leave now." He moved Adrianna behind him.


    Both Nate and Dmitri stood in front as the girls stood behind them.


    The wizards and witches on security detail became alerted. They asked their queen if they should attack, but Adrianna refused. They were bound by the treaty. Now that she was aware of the treaty, even she hesitated in taking any actions. Besides, she knew that Dmitri and Nate were capable of taking care of these buffoons.


    "Move back," snarled Dmitri as the first two boys started charging at him. Adrianna and Ookashi moved back further. While Ookashi gripped Adrianna''s hand tightly, Adrianna stood there unworried, waiting for the fight to end.


    The two goons charged at Dmitri with their iron rod and iron chain. However, in a flash, their chain and rod was broken and thrown away as Dmitri lifted them in the air and banged their heads together. The leader became slightly afraid, and charged at Dmitri with the rest of his group. This time, Nate joined in. The leader bashed his baseball bat against Dmitri''s shoulder, inviting Dmitir''s wrath. Dmitri caught the bat before the leader could strike again, and broke it by placing the bat on his thigh and smashing it into pieces.


    Meanwhile, Nate had taken one of them down and was twisting his shoulders. "Ahhhhh!" the boy squealed in pain, filling the air with his loud screams.


    Another boy charged at Dmitri with his iron rod, but before he could get anywhere near Dmitri, Dmitri had kicked his chest, kicking him so hard that he was thrown back several feet. Seeing his friend in that condition, another boy hit Dmitri''s stomach with his iron rod. Dmitri stumbled back. Not waiting for another chance, the boy hit Dmitri''s back with a lot of force. Dmitri fell in between the leader and the boy. The gang leader had picked up a rod that was lying nearby and had swung his arm to hit Dmitri''s head when he was kicked from behind in such a way that the rod fell out of his hand and hit his minion who was standing in front of him, causing him to become unconscious immediately.


    In the next second, Dmitri had smashed the leader''s legs so harshly that the leader''s bones broke.


    By the time the fight ended, Ookashi had fainted and Adrianna had to drag her into the car.


    After seeing the bloodbath, Pryce ran away.


    Dmitri sat in the driver''s seat as Nate sat in the back so that he could hold Ookashi while Adrianna sat in the passenger''s seat. They drove back to the Blue Moon Pack''s territory as fast as possible.


    "Dmitri, are you okay?" asked Adrianna.

 Chapter 188 - What’s Your Problem Nate?

    Adrianna looked at him with concern, but he didn''t say a word. He was still very angry and his anger wasn''t calming down. Adrianna didn''t say anything else.


    In the back seat, Ookashi was laying down with her head on Nate''s lap. She opened her eyes slowly, and when she looked up, she found him watching her with so much concern that it seemed as though he would burst out crying. She fluttered her eyes and extended her hand to touch his cheek. "I am fine. Don''t worry," she whispered. Nate stroked her cheeks, feeling relieved. Ookashi got up from his lap and sat down properly.


    "Are you okay?" asked Adrianna, turning back upon hearing her friend''s voice. Seeing Ookashi awake and safe and sound, some of Adrianna''s stress was dissipated. "I am so sorry that you had to see all this Ookashi. I don''t know what is wrong with Pryce."


    "What happened to the gangsters back there?" asked Ookashi. "I believe you guys hurt them badly." As she said that, she became excited. "Nate, I didn''t know you could single handedly take down people!" Ookashi was now all thrilled as she remembered how Nate had been punching and bashing them up.


    "Well, it''s nothing��" he answered with a shy smile.


    "Ahem!" Dmitri coughed. "Yes, he did that all by himself. I didn''t help him."


    "I know! Nate is really brave. Aside from bashing two goons, Dmitri, you didn''t do anything. Poor Nate," Ookashi said, sympathizing with Nate. She shifted towards Nate and stroked his muscular arms. She was in awe of him. Nate thoroughly enjoyed it and didn''t contradict what she said. Dmitri stared at the two of them in the rear view mirror and shook his head. Adrianna laughed until her stomach hurt. The tension was quickly evaporated. Dmitri chided Nate mentally for not telling the truth about what had happened, but Nate didn''t care; he was only looking at Ookashi like a fool.


    "Why did you faint?" asked Adrianna.


    "She is such a gentle soul. Any girl would have fainted if she saw that kind of fight. Poor one��" defended Nate, stroking Ookashi''s hands.


    Adrianna couldn''t stop herself from making faces at the two hopeless lovebirds.


    They reached Dmitri''s house and, as the car entered the house, Ookashi''s eyes became wide with surprise. "Oh. My. God! Adrianna you live in this house? Girl, did you win the lottery? Dmitri is so rich!" Ookashi held her hands on her head as she walked in.


    "Umm�� my house is nearby," said Nate sheepishly.


    Ookashi didn''t pay attention and ran to Adrianna to hold her hand. When she walked inside, she was just bewildered. The palace was the epitome of luxury and style. She looked around and then sat down on the sofa in the living room with a sigh. "Dmitri, what do you do for a living?" she asked.


    The atmosphere had become lively as none of them could give her definitive answers and she kept asking them one question after the other. It was almost evening by the time they all realized that Ookashi had to go back home.


    "Why don''t you stay over tonight? Adrianna asked Ookashi.


    "At your place?" asked Ookashi.


    Adrianna wasn''t sure where else Ookashi would be staying if not here. "What do you mean?"


    Ookashi bit her lips and looked at Nate. Nate smiled at her and said, "Let me drop you back home Ookashi." He wanted to spend time with her, but was afraid of doing anything beyond that. He was afraid that, being a werewolf, he might injure Ookashi in some way or another. Besides, he wanted to know whether any human had ever married a werewolf. He hadn''t even revealed his true identity to her.


    Ookashi''s face fell. She looked at Adrianna and then angrily said, "In that case, please drop me off now." Then, she looked at Adrianna and said, "Adri, see you tomorrow hun! Don''t you miss your classes anymore."


    Adrianna didn''t know how to answer that.


    "Adri will be visiting her father and siblings, so she won''t attending college for a while," Dmitri interjected.


    Ookashi was mad. "Are you insane Adri? Don''t go anywhere and attend college properly! You have missed way too many classes!"


    Adrianna went over and hugged Ookashi. "Stay over for the night and we can talk."


    Ookashi again looked at Nate who seemed determined with his decision. "I should go."


    They parted and Adrianna''s mood fell as Ookashi went back.


    Outside, Ookashi asked Nate, "What''s your problem Nate? Do you like me or not? Because if you don''t, why are you wasting my time?"


    "I- I- I love you Ookashi��" he replied.


    Ookashi moved closer to him and held his face. She stroked his cheeks and then tiptoed to reach his lips. She brushed them lightly and said, "If you love me, why don''t you take me to your home?"


    "I would love to," he said.


    As soon as he had said that, he saw a pack of werewolves coming towards them. They were messengers who had been sent to various places and were now coming back to report to him. "Some timing," he muttered, but before he could say anything else, one of them shape shifted.

 Chapter 189 - The Winner Of The First Stage (1)

    Nate tried to stop them mentally, but by then, another had shape shifted. Ookashi was stunned. What was happening? What was she seeing? This was perhaps the weirdest day of her life! Did she just see a wolf turn into a human? Her mouth was wide open and she couldn''t understand what was happening. Nate looked at her, feeling extremely worried that she might faint again. And she did!


    When Ookashi opened her eyes, she found herself in a different surrounding. She was on a bed and the room was well lit. It looked extremely luxurious. She wondered where she was and looked to her side. So much had happened that day. Whatever happened today �C was it just a dream? She saw that Nate was looking at her intently.


    As soon as he saw that she had opened the eyes, he was relieved. He bent down and hugged her.


    "Sorry Ookashi��" he mumbled. "I don''t know what to say."


    "Did those wolves become humans, or am I dreaming?" asked Ookashi pushing him away from her. "Where am I? Am I trapped in some magical world? I only see those kinds of things in movies." She was dazed.


    Nate became silent.


    "Nate, answer me." She demanded an explanation.


    "Ookashi, I am a werewolf��" he replied as softly as he could.


    Ookashi''s eyes widened as her whole face went blank. "Werewolf?" It took a while before she spoke again. "I want to go home."


    Nate''s world fell. He had known that she would reject him the moment she came to know about him, but the reality still hurt.


    "What about Dmitri and Adrianna? Does Adrianna know?" she asked him, feeling very worried about her friend''s safety.


    Nate nodded. "Both Dmitri and Adrianna are werewolves."


    For Ookashi, this was so much information at once that she didn''t know how to react. She didn''t know whether or not she should be scared. She felt lost and confused, like a ball of tangled yarn. Everything in front of her eyes was a mess, and the mess felt endless and unyielding.


    She controlled her emotions and decided something she should have done long back. She said, "I would like to hear all the details Nate. You wouldn''t have brought me here and expose your secret if you didn''t have feelings for me. So I am going to stay with you tonight and you have to tell me everything."


    Nate was surprised, but was ecstatic. It only meant one thing �C she wanted to take the step and further their relationship.


    "You''ve got one long night ahead of you mister," she declared as she crossed her arms across her chest. "By the way, whose house is this? This looks like a mini palace!" she asked, looking outside the window into the gardens.


    "It is my mansion," he replied.


    ---


    The next day, Adrianna woke up and rushed back to the academy. Dmitri had been extremely demanding the night before. She had to push him away several times as she was exhausted. She slept late and woke up late. Somehow, she managed to get dressed and walked through the portal just in time.


    She headed to her class and noticed that all of the students who met her in the hallways were looking at her with awe. She was slightly embarrassed. When she reached her class, some of the witches sniggered. They were Zola''s friends. They started chatting amongst each other, but they were loud enough for Adrianna to clearly hear their conversation.


    "She murdered Zola and the ministry has let her go scot-free. She should be punished," said one of them.


    "I asked my father to take action against her. He is in the law and order department of the ministry. I am sure she will be behind bars soon."


    "Do you know that she broke Lia''s wand? She''s scary."


    "Poor Lia. She is in jail because of this bitch!"


    "I miss Zola so much."


    Adrianna was again left with a sense of guilt. Kayla, Lia, Zola�� all of them landed in jail or died because of her.


    "By the way, Professor Ziu is the next headmaster of the academy!" said one of them, clasping their hands. "He is so cool. I totally love him!"


    "How do you know?"


    "Well, my father is in the ministry. He informed us yesterday. The notice will come out soon," she replied smugly.


    At that instant, Ziu arrived. All of them were shocked. He looked at all of them and said, "Even if I am your headmaster, I am still choosing to continue teaching all of you. Now, take out your notebooks and start studying the spells which I will be teaching today. Professor Lane will be joining us later to teach you all about potions."


    Learning about how to make potions was optional. Not many were interested in making potions or magical elixirs, but there were some who loved the chemistry involved in it. Professor Ziu looked at Adrianna and said, "It is mandatory for you to learn how to make them."


    Before he could finish saying all that he wanted to say, an announcement was made.


    "The winner for the first stage of the competition will be announced soon. All of you, gather in the academy gardens after an hour."

 Chapter 190 - The Winner Of The First Stage (2)

    Adrianna shook her head when she heard that she had to learn how to make potions. The syllabus was becoming more and more tedious for her with each passing week. She wanted to talk to Isidorus to see if she could escape potions classes. However, in her heart she knew that he would never let her escape since he wanted her to be a perfect queen.


    "The next class after this will be potions, in which all of you are required to take so that you know what it entails before you can decide whether or not you want to opt out of it or not. Let me tell you, though, Professor Lane is one of the most talented professors in his field. He has specially joined the academy this year for all of you," said Ziu even though he knew that Professor Lane had been specifically called in by Isidorus to teach Adrianna.


    Ziu taught them two magic spells: one on how to deflect the "Ponos" spell, and another on how to block the truth spell. Both of them were too difficult, resulting in only four students being able to do it successfully. Although Adrianna had cast the truth spell on others, she didn''t know how to deflect it.


    Bending the "Ponos" spell was easy because she had done that in the past, but she found dodging the truth spell slightly difficult. She knew how to block her mind as a werewolf, but deflecting it was a different ballgame. Often, it was possible for the wizards or witches to enter a blocked mind if the will of the opponent was low.


    The problem was that she had to practice deflecting the spell as soon as possible because if she didn''t, others may take advantage of the situation. She had become the target of too many enemies.


    Ziu had scolded her a lot for not being able to carry out the task. In the end, he asked her to stay back after class to practice it. Adrianna wanted to protest because that meant that she couldn''t visit Dmitri, but Ziu wouldn''t allow her to leave.


    Before the next class, the students gathered in the gardens of the academy. Professor Ziu came and addressed them for the first time as their headmaster. There were a few ministry people present as well.


    "During the first stage of the competition, the students witnessed an untoward incident in which one of our students died unfortunately. She was a good student and we all had great expectations from her. However, once the competition was announced, some things went in an unwanted direction. The ministry has investigated the entire issue and has found that Lia was given entry into the competition arena by none other than Professor Ilsa through a portal that Professor Ilsa created in one of the sealed rooms of the academy. This amounted to a gross violation of the rules. Both Professor Ilsa and Lia have been sent to prison.


    After explaining the situation, the winner of the first stage of the competition was to be announced.


    "The ministry has judged all of the students who participated in the competition on various scales, and the winner is��" Professor Ziu paused. He could see the anticipation on the faces of the students. "The winner is Adrianna Volkov �C the new student who joined us only a fortnight back."


    While there was a huge cheering sound from the juniors, her peers gave her weak congratulations. One of them sneered, "How come the ministry cleared her name? She should be behind bars by now!"


    Professor Ziu called Adrianna to the stage. "Adrianna, come receive your medal."


    Adrianna lowered her head and smiled. This was the first time she had ever received an award. She started walking towards the stage when she heard a student behind her saying "Murderer!" in a low voice as the rest of the students around her started laughing. Adrianna didn''t react. Quietly, she walked up to the stage and received her gold medal. The audience erupted into loud clapping and cheering and she bowed to pay her respects. The ministry people and the professors on the stage congratulated her.


    Adrianna looked up and for the first time she felt proud of herself. In the distance, she could see Isidorus watching her. He was air borne on his broom.


    In the end, Professor Ziu made another announcement. "The second stage of the competition will begin next week."


    The event ended quickly and all of the students headed to their classes. Adrianna had become kind of a celebrity in the academy. Almost all who saw her congratulated and greeted her. She was joyous! Liam even had to stop a few students from hugging her.


    The alleys guided Adrianna to the potions class. Students had already started pouring in. Some of the eager ones were already talking to Professor Lane. They wanted to know the curriculum. When Professor Lane saw Adrianna, he nodded in her direction. She bowed her head and went to sit on a chair in the first row.


    Professor Lane was a middle-aged man with glasses. He wasn''t very tall, but he was very immaculate in his looks.


    The class started and Adrianna became interested in the way Professor Lane demonstrated how potions were to be mixed to make elixirs; it was just like her chemistry labs in college. She smiled.


    After class, Professor Lane noted down the names of the students who were interested in joining the class. The entirety of Zola''s friend group registered for the class.

 Chapter 191 - Seize Professor Gregory

    "When will the potions class next be held?" asked Nefasky, Zola''s best friend whose father was also in the ministry. She had been looking forward to taking revenge on Adrianna ever since her father had told her that the case against Adrianna had been dropped because everything she had done had been an act of self protection.


    Nefasky had only one thing in mind: to destroy Adrianna. Secretly, Nefasky had wished to try her hand at the crowning. However, with Zola around, she was not a strong candidate. Now that Zola was gone, she would have the chance to try it. She would never come to terms with the fact that Adrianna �C a half witch �C could be stronger than any of the pure blood witches. Nefasky thought that Adrianna was merely lucky all the time.


    "The next class will be tomorrow. All those who have registered are asked to bring a root of Bulboa. It is grown in behind the academy where a gardener will hand them over to you. The rest of the ingredients will be provided for you," replied Professor Lane.


    Adrianna left with Liam. When Adrianna had gone a few meters away, Nefasky followed her; she wanted to know where exactly she went after classes. However, the alleys didn''t allow her to follow Adrianna; they would always direct her to her own class even if she tried to go a different way. Irritated, she gave up and headed to her class.


    Adrianna reached the room where Professor Gregory was sitting. Seeing Liam, Professor Gregory smiled and converted him into a bunny. Adrianna laughed when she saw a large number of carrots being kept on the table.


    "Adrianna, my child. You did very well! I am so happy. Tell me, how should I reward you?" Having said that, he picked up Liam and started feeding him.


    Adrianna moved closer to Gregory and, very affectionately, said, "Grandfather, I want you to come back to life."


    Gregory looked at her with a smile. He placed Liam down and walked over to her. "Adrianna, the dead shouldn''t come back to life. They are dead for a reason. All I seek is respect after death. I have contributed a lot in this world. I waited for you to show yourself for more than twenty years. My reason to stay behind was only to see you, even if just once. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I don''t want to go back to living, because after my journey ended, I longed to start a new journey in a new world.


    "When I was living, I was constantly altering my conduct, worrying, and putting myself through a lot of work for even a sliver of hope. I went through all sorts of emotions when I was alive. However, now I have had my share of the living, all I want is to leave this plane."


    Adrianna listed to him as tears rolled out of her eyes.


    "So, my child, would you do me the honor of sending me away?" asked Gregory while lovingly stroking her hair. "I was never certain whether or not I would even be able to see you, but I am glad that I got the chance to teach you." He paused and then continued, "Child, you know what to do��"


    Liam hopped over. He started tugging at her robe - his own way of protesting and telling her not to let the old man leave. Adrianna lifted him up and patted him.


    ---


    Professor Ziu was in his room when the bell rang for the next class. He got up from his chair, collected some papers, and started walking out when a messenger from the ministry came. "Professor, these papers are for you to read."


    Ziu frowned and then took the sealed envelope from the messenger. He was tempted to open the papers instantly, but he waited for the messenger to leave before he opened the envelope. The contents could only be described as unexpected.


    The ministry had come to know about Professor Gregory and were coming to seize him. Ziu was aghast. How did they know about Gregory? Did Ilsa say something?


    No one other than Adrianna, Liam, Isidorus, Howard, and himself knew about Professor Gregory. Ziu was certain that the ministry was only suspicious. He realized that the ministry people would be coming within the next ten minutes. Then why did they send a messenger? They could have come directly if they wanted to. Ziu ran out to find the messenger, but the messenger had already left. He went back inside to collect the papers only to find that the papers had burnt themselves on his table, turning to ash. He was bewildered. He realized that someone was giving him a warning ahead of time.


    He rushed out of his room and followed the alley to the class where Adrianna was. He knew that Professor Gregory would be there.


    He must have crossed only two alleys when the ministry people caught up to him. There were only two of them. "We have come to seize Professor Gregory as we have received reports about his ghost being seen lurking around in the compound."

 Chapter 192 - More Relatives?

    Ziu was worried that if they found Professor Gregory, the ministry would try to capture Professor Gregory''s ghost. After all, Professor Gregory was one of the only souls who knew how to teach the death spell. Ziu was also aware that the two ministry men in front of him were the best at catching ghosts. He had seen a room in the ministry where they kept ghosts captive. Ghosts were always bottled and kept in a room where the temperature was kept at sub-zero. Going inside that room gave him shivers. There were so many ghosts being kept in bottles on shelves in the room and most of them were shrieking to come out. It was disturbing.


    "Please take us to the room which he frequents," commanded one of them, looking directly in Ziu''s eyes.


    Ziu nodded because he couldn''t refuse them. However, he changed the alley that led to his room. He smirked at them silently and kept changing the alleys until one of them became irritated. "The academy hasn''t expanded so much, has it? Why does it seem as though we have been going in circles?"


    "No, but the way to his room is pretty complicated. We have sealed his room. However, pray tell, who informed you that Professor Gregory''s ghost is staying in the academy? He could be anywhere," Ziu asked, hoping to get answers.


    "Ilsa told us about it. She was very certain that Professor Gregory was here. If what she said is true, we will capture him. Ilsa has traded her freedom for this information," he replied nonchalantly.


    "Traded her freedom? What do you mean? Do you let all of your prisoners go scot-free so easily? This is ridiculous. Ilsa was part of a conspiracy that almost sabotaged the ministry sponsored competition and yet, for such trivial information, you guys allow her to walk freely amongst the streets of the wizard kingdom? She is a criminal!" exclaimed Ziu.


    "That is none of your concern Professor Ziu," he replied. Then he said, "If we don''t reach the room in the next ten minutes, I will inform the ministry and you will lose your job as the headmaster of the school for interfering in the matters of the ministry."


    Feeling very nervous, Ziu stopped changing the alleys but still took them via a longer route. After all, he had ten minutes.


    ---


    "Adrianna, look here child," said Professor Gregory. "It is very simple to send a soul to the realm it belongs to. Open a starry portal for me by pointing your wand towards the sky. I know you don''t need lessons for that."


    Adrianna looked at her grandfather through her tear-stained eyes. "Grandfather, you are my only blood relative. Please, can I bring you back to life?"


    Gregory shook his head and said, "If you don''t do it, I will ask either Ziu or Isidorus. They will definitely do it for me.


    "And Adri�� I am not your last blood relative�� there are more��" he said, looking at her kindly. Then, he went and stood in the center of the room.


    Adrianna''s throat ached and she swallowed her saliva. She took out her wand and created a loop with it. "Starlziessss��" she whispered. The ceiling opened up to expose the bright sky.


    Gregory was encased in a white light. The light was so bright that Liam hopped away and hid under Adrianna''s robe out of fear. Surrounded in sparkles of white light, Gregory seemed so happy to go. He looked as if he had never ever been so content in his life.


    She pointed her wand to her grandfather and whispered, "Starlzieee��." Gregory rose from the ground and disappeared as he ascended into the heavens. He continued to smile and watch Adrianna as he left. The ceiling closed as soon as he was gone.


    Liam came out from under her robe and she converted him back into a human.


    She looked at Liam and fell on her knees, her shoulders drooping. She started crying. "No one wants to stay with me," she mumbled in between her sobs.


    "That''s not true. We all are here for you Adri��" said Liam as he consoled her.


    Just then, the ministry people entered the room. When they saw Adrianna crying, they asked in a strict voice, "Where is Professor Gregory?"


    Liam looked at all of them and tapped Adrianna''s shoulder. She got up from her place.


    "Where is Professor Gregory?" the ministry man repeated.


    Adrianna saw how nervous Ziu was. "He is not here," she answered.


    "Where did he go?" the man repeated himself again, narrowing his eyes as he took out his wand.


    Adrianna wiped her tears and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about��"


    "Why did you taken your wand out?" Ziu asked.


    "We are here to catch Professor Gregory; we know that he is hiding here somewhere."


    Ziu looked at Adrianna who sadly smiled. "He has left forever��"

 Chapter 193 - Now You Can Hug Me

    The ministry people started conducting their raid on the room and the adjacent room. After an hour, when they couldn''t find anything, they left, shaking their heads.


    "It seems Ilsa sent us on a wild goose chase. I will transfer her to Malintosh Prison," said one of them, very angry with her.


    Adrianna, Ziu and Liam patiently waited for them to leave.


    When they left, Ziu asked, "Did he ask to go?"


    "Yes��"


    There were no words between them - only a mutual understanding. He had to leave��


    After a while, Ziu gave out a hollow laugh. "He had waited for so long just to see you Adrianna�� I am glad that you let him go.


    "Do you know that in the entire wizard world, you are the only one who can help ghosts go to the place they belong to?"


    Adrianna was shocked, "What do you mean?"


    "Well, there is no one else who can do it. There are hundreds of ghosts that are being kept in the ministry to do the ministry''s underworld tasks. Some of the ghosts have skills that the living don''t possess so they are held captive." Ziu scoffed. "Apparently, they are an integral part of the wizard kingdom."


    "But that is utter nonsense! They should be released!" shouted Adrianna.


    "Yes, they should be��" Ziu looked down and wondered when Adrianna would become the queen��


    "For now, you must continue to learn spells. Let''s continue class," he said.


    Adrianna nodded as she exhaled heavily. "Life must go on��" Her gaze turned towards the pile of carrots on the table and she chuckled.


    "I want to learn how to deflect the truth spell," she said with determined eyes.


    "Of course!" he replied. The entire rest of the class period was spent on learning how to deflect it. However, Adrianna was finding it difficult.


    By the end, she exasperatedly asked, "Why can''t I do it?"


    "Because truth comes out of your pure mind. When you are shielding the truth, you are shielding your pure mind. It isn''t easy for you to shield that transparency once a wizard has cast that spell. It''s like creating smoke in front of it, which is challenging. It comes with practice. Don''t worry��" replied Ziu even though he wanted her to learn it as soon as possible.


    "I can block people from entering my mind though," said Adrianna with a shrug.


    "Yes, I know��"


    By the time class was dismissed, it was already 7PM. She left the academy and returned to the royal palace. She wanted to go straight to Dmitri but found that Isidorus was waiting for her.


    Reluctantly, she greeted Isidorus. Isidorus snapped his fingers and five more people appeared. "They are from the ministry."


    Adrianna wasn''t surprised. They must have come to investigate about Professor Gregory.


    She sat down in front of them.


    One of them who looked the oldest said, "We are here to show our support for you."


    Adrianna was taken aback. She looked at them questioningly.


    "You must be well aware of the fact that there is a lot of opposition to your crowning. Because of this issue, there has been a divide in the ministry. People are trying to gather forces to oust you from the wizard kingdom. We want you to be very cautious of those around you. If you would prefer, you don''t have to go to the academy. The spells will be taught to you right here in the royal palace."


    Adrianna bit her lip. Her troubles just kept cropping up; they were like demons who just refused to die.


    "Thank you for warning me. However, I would like to go to the academy to learn. I want to get to know the people here and gauge them��"


    Isidorus looked at the ministry people. Adrianna had changed a lot over the past few days.


    They talked some more about the problems in the ministry with her. Although Adrianna didn''t offer any solutions, she did listen to all of them. By the time they left, it was already 9PM and she was too tired.


    Adrianna decided to spend the night in the royal palace and returned to her bedroom. To her surprise, the flower canopy above her bed was blossoming with beautiful red flowers and there was water flowing in the bathroom. Her face broke into a grin and she ran to open the door.


    "Hi love!" said Dmitri, looking at her from the shower. Adrianna chuckled and joined him in the shower fully dressed. She hugged him tightly.


    "When did you get here?"


    Dmitri smiled as he looked down. "A while back. Fleur created the portal for me."


    "Oh! How nice of her?"


    "She knows that Adri yearns to see Dmitri," said Dmitri as he unbuttoned her shirt.


    "Is that so?" she asked with her hands on her waist.


    "Of course!" He removed her skirt, bra, and panties.


    He looked at her from top to bottom and said, "Now you can hug me."


    Later, the flower canopy blossomed all around them.

 Chapter 194 - Memory Losing Potion

    The next day at the academy was as usual. After Professor Ziu''s class, Adrianna had to attend potions class. However, for that, they had to go to the academy''s backyard where roots of the bulboa plant were to be distributed by the gardener. Unfortunately, the gardener wasn''t anywhere to be seen. He had dug out a few which had all been l taken by the students who had come early. Adrianna didn''t even know what the bulboa plant looked like.


    Adrianna looked around the entire area. There were an uncountable amount of plants being grown in the garden. The grass was trimmed short between the rectangular and circular beds, and there were various herbs growing. The air was scented by the blossoms. The leaves of the plants - some tiny, some large - were gently swaying in the breeze. There were plants with dark red leaves and black stripes that were growing on woody stems. As Adrianna walked through the garden, she read the names of the plants that were displayed. A small cluster of plants was sprawled across a rectangular bed which was emitting pungent smell. She bent down to take a closer look and read the plant''s name when she heard a whisper, "Don''t pluck me or I will eat you up!" Adrianna was shocked to hear the plant speak and she steered clear of that flowerbed. As she walked further, she noticed that there were many cyan-colored plants with broad leaves that had been planted in clay pots. She bent down to look at the name and realized that it was the bulboa plant. Thankfully she didn''t have to scan the entire garden. It seemed that the gardener had placed the pots right at the entrance of the garden for the students.


    Adrianna searched for a spade to dig out the plant. As soon as she brought the spade near the plant, it curled its leaves in a way that it closed them tightly inwards. She started digging up the roots, but no matter how much she dug, the soil would become flat again, not letting the roots become exposed. Out of frustration, Adrianna pulled out the plant. She was surprised to see the cyan leaves open themselves and flatten as though they had become flaccid. She looked at the roots. They were of the same color as the leaves.


    Adrianna washed the roots, chopped them off the plant, and left for class. When she arrived, she was surprised to notice that the class contained almost fifty percent of the entire senior year. Professor Lane looked at all of them and was happy that there were so many students.


    "Today, we will be making a potion that can make you lose your memories for a certain amount of time. Remember this is a potent potion. If you don''t add the ingredients properly, you either won''t be able to make it, or you may cause an irreversible effect on memory of the person. Brewing is the most important part of making any potion," said the professor as he took a root from one of the students and crushed it with a hammer. Cyan juice flowed out of it, which he collected in a small bottle. Then, he started a fire in front of him which he used to heat up a small glass flask, in which he poured the juice. As the juice heated up, he went to get more ingredients. He laid them all out on his table and added them in, one by one. As he added them, he called out their names. "This is fermented spider eye, flower of Hibia, raven''s feather, and lastly, oil extracted from olive seeds."


    As the mixture boiled, a dark blue smoke started rising from it, soon filling up the glass flask. A few seconds later, the glass slightly cracked and Professor Lane immediately removed the flask from the burner. He filtered the blue liquid into a small glass bottle and showed it to the class. "Remember to remove the flask as soon as it cracks."


    The students repeated what the professor had demonstrated. Within a few minutes, one could hear sounds like "boom", "clank", "phat". Glass flasks were shattered and blue liquid was strewn across the tables, floors, faces, and robes of the students. None of the students could successfully make the potion. The only person who could successfully brew the potion was Nefasky.


    She looked smugly at the others and then went to show her bottle to Professor Lane. He approved of it and placed the bottle onto his table. "Don''t take the bottle. This is now the property of the academy," he warned her.


    Adrianna took four attempts to succeed, but it was fun. When she handed in her bottle to Professor Lane, he asked her to put it on the table. Within the next few minutes the class ended and all the students had to submit their work. They came and submitted their work before returning to their tables.


    Nefasky was sitting in her chair when she saw Adrianna submitting her potion. Noticing Adrianna was covered in cyan spots all over, Nefasky walked up to Adrianna and magically cleaned up Adrianna''s appearance.. Adrianna noticed what Nefasky had done and snapped her fingers. Every student in the class became spic and span.


    Professor Lane smiled and said, "Submit your reports about this potion tomorrow."


    As Nefasky left, she glanced at the potion bottles on the table.

 Chapter 195 - The Carriage Is Down!

    "Yes. Howard was just too unhappy with the two of us in his house��" said Liam, looking down at his lap with a slight blush. "So he asked us to get out of the house. We moved into a nearby house though."


    Adrianna laughed loudly.


    Professor Ziu came into the classroom and jokingly asked, "May I hear the joke?"


    Liam rushed outside, not giving them a chance to ridicule him.


    For the next two hours, Adrianna struggled to learn how to deflect the truth spell. She had already learnt about the "Ponos" spell in the class. Most other students couldn''t learn either of them so she was already ahead. Ziu had to leave for a meeting so he ended Adrianna''s class early for the day. Adrianna returned to her class to join the rest of the students for the rest of the day. While Adrianna was taking notes, Nefasky watched her from a distance and smirked at her. Adrianna was like an eyesore to her.


    Suddenly, Adrianna''s notebook started flying in the air. Adrianna looked up at her notebook which was being shredded into pieces in the air. All of the torn pieces dropped over her head, making others laugh at her. Adrianna got up from her place and looked at each of the students who were laughing. Then, she looked at their bags. A rustle could be heard and all the papers and notebooks from their bags flew out.


    All of them took out their wands out and pointed them at Adrianna. "Adrianna, don''t even dare to tear up our books, or else it is going to end really bad for you!" warned Nefasky.


    Adrianna crossed her hands across her chest. With a snap of her fingers, the papers and notebooks started shredding into hundreds of pieces and Adrianna froze all of the students who had taken out their wands. Adrianna took out a new notebook and took her time writing her notes. All of the students who had not been caught in the freeze spell watched Adrianna with fear. Only one of them, Lile, couldn''t hold her laughter and laughed so loud that her stomach hurt and she had to hold it.


    All those who had been frozen in their positions couldn''t do anything no matter how hard they tried. They were forced to stay in their positions for almost half an hour and it was very tiring.


    Once Adrianna had finished writing her notes, she looked at Lile and smiled. She headed out of the class and snapped her fingers. All of the frozen ones fell on the ground with a loud thud. Some of them ran out of the class to find Adrianna and get their revenge, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they only saw her carriage flying out of the academy and back to her palace.


    The day had not been stressful for Adrianna. With all her experiences, she learnt one thing �C she was alone in the wizard kingdom. Other than Isidorus, who had the power and means to do so, none of her supporters would nor could outwardly show their support for her. But Isidorus was a busy wizard. Everyone was watching her. Her other supporters would come out once she became the queen or proved herself worthy to be a queen. Hence she had to take care of herself and not depend on others; she was not allowed to show herself as weak in any form.


    As her carriage was flying in the air, she looked outside and smiled at Fleur who was flying on her broom alongside the carriage as usual. All of a sudden, her carriage jolted and both she and Liam fell forward.


    "What happened?" shouted Fleur.


    "A parrot is down!" replied one of the wizards in the front. "Someone shot an arrow at it!"


    The other parrot tried hard to stay in air with carriage, but it was difficult to carry both the burden of the carriage and the weight of the other injured parrot. The carriage started losing height and started going down at a rapid speed.


    Adrianna was dazed. Liam somehow held the seat and pulled himself up. He managed to hold on to the window and then succeeded in getting up a little. Then, he leapt out of the carriage to hold on to the reins of the parrots. He cut the injured parrot loose and it started falling towards the ground. The other parrot managed to balance the carriage a little and slow down the fall, but since the carriage was spiraling down, it was not able to achieve proper flight.


    However, the other witches and wizards now had a chance and they managed to throw ropes around the carriage and keep it air borne with them pulling the ropes.


    The carriage touched the palace ground in some time and more than ten servants ran out of the palace to be on their queen''s side.


    When Adrianna came out, she saw that, except Fleur, the entire security team had disappeared.


    Fleur rushed over to Adrianna''s side. She saw that Adrianna''s forehead had a sharp cut and was bleeding.


    Liam came forward. His face was etched with so much anger that his eyes were red. "Who had the audacity to attack the royal carriage? Is this how your wizard kingdom is? Absolutely no protection for the queen? What was the point of the ten of you flying around if none of you could see the arrow headed for the parrot? I want to know the culprit within the next hour!" he shouted, making all of the servants flinch.

 Chapter 196 - Cant Go To The Academy

    Fleur was shocked with the way Liam was behaving, but she couldn''t deny the fact that there was a loophole in the security. How could she have not received any information about the attack on Adrianna? Usually her informants would always give her the necessary information beforehand. She had her own network of spies spread across the three realms and she was always being constantly updated. All those in her team were specialized warriors and it wasn''t easy to break their protection.


    She asked for the servants to attend to Adrianna and left, ignoring Liam''s rage, to find those who were behind the attack. She also had to answer Isidorus as the leaf in her hand had started burning.


    Adrianna''s forehead was bleeding profusely. Anything the servants did was not helping and the blood wouldn''t stop. The healer of the wizard kingdom was called in, but even he couldn''t help.


    Finally, Liam asked one of the servants to create a portal. He left and came back within five minutes with the healer. Dmitri followed them, feeling agitated and perturbed. The healer had brought medicines and the first thing he did was to clean the wound with cotton that was soaked in a green liquid. He then applied a paste made from a mixture of herbs over the wound. The bleeding immediately stopped.


    The healer of the wizard kingdom understood that Adrianna was half wolf after all, and so it was probably because the medicines of the wizard world were not suitable for her that they didn''t have any effect. The wizard kingdom''s healer took his leave after taking a sample of medicine from the healer of the werewolves in order to replicate the mixture.


    The bleeding stopped and Adrianna felt better. The servants left the room with Liam following them soon after. Dmitri picked Adrianna up, carried her to the bedroom, and placed her on the bed.


    "How are you feeling Adri��? It must have been a frightening experience..." asked Dmitri, getting choked just thinking about what could have happened. He was more and more untrusting of the wizards and witches when it came to Adrianna''s protection. He thought of deploying more of his people.


    "Better, darling," she answered, looking at him with a smile. "Deploying more werewolves would only bring more trouble for those who you deploy. They wouldn''t know how to deal with spells."


    Dmitri didn''t ask her any more questions and simply laid down beside her. He knew that the wound would heal by the morning. He wrapped her in his arms and asked, "Who do you think is responsible for this?"


    "I have an idea, but I am not certain. I will wait for Fleur''s information."


    "Hmm�� tell me what happened today��" he asked tenderly.


    Adrianna narrated the incidents at the academy. Dmitri listened to them patiently and said, "I don''t think those students would be stupid enough to attack the royal convoy. This has deeper roots."


    "Yes��"


    They talked about it for some time until it was time for dinner. They didn''t have to go anywhere for dinner as it was served to them in the bedroom.


    It had been two hours since the incident and Fleur still hadn''t been able to return with anymore information.


    Dmitri tried to mentally communicate with Liam, but he couldn''t reach Liam. Dmitri decided to spend the night with Adrianna even though he had pressing matters back in the werewolf kingdom.


    After dinner, Adrianna rested as Dmitri waited impatiently to connect with Liam. Finally, after a while of no response, Dmitri went to sleep next to Adrianna and the flower canopy surrounded them with pink and white flowers. The red flowers didn''t bloom this time��


    When Adrianna woke up the next day, she found that Dmitri was still sleeping beside her. She smiled and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom and saw that her wound had completely healed. After taking a shower, she went to wake up Dmitri. He looked up at her as he rubbed his eyes. He sat up and the first thing he did was pull her onto his lap and remove her hair from her forehead to see the wound. It wasn''t there. He kissed her forehead where the wound used to be and held her tightly.


    "Adri�� take care of yourself. I will be going out for three days. There is a rebellion and the Lake Moon territory is being attacked by two factions at the same time. The chief has called for my help." He hid the fact that one of the enemy packs was that of her father Kuro. Kuro had allied with the Yellow Tree Pack and was even heading the rebellion.


    Adrianna read his mind and stroked his cheeks. "Don''t worry darling. Even if it is my father, I won''t stop you from protecting your people." She paused as he leaned into her hands. Then she asked, "Do you want me to help you?"


    He shook his head. "I can manage darling��"


    "I am going to the dining hall to have breakfast. Join me before leaving."


    He nodded and she left.


    When she reached the main hall, she found Fleur waiting for her.


    "Adrianna, you can''t go to the academy today," she said.

 Chapter 197 - Speaking Like His Luna

    Adrianna was shocked to hear Fleur speaking like that. "What do you mean I can''t go? Just because of an incident, you expect me to stay confined inside the royal palace with some royal protection? Am I so weak that I can be threatened by just one attack?" Adrianna spoke harshly.


    "Adrianna, you misunderstand me. The academy is closed for all students. It is not safe and Professor Ziu has declared a day''s holiday. We have been able to find the person who was behind the attack on royal carriage yesterday. He belongs to the third level of the wizard kingdom and was loyal to Cy. However, after Cy left the kingdom, he has been doing menial jobs since he was fired from his job because the ministry suspected that he might be a spy. We also know that he was working for Mihr. However, we have never been able to gather any solid evidence.


    "He was hiding in the third level when we found him. He disappeared after shooting the arrow. The problem is that as soon as we found him, he consumed poison and committed suicide, so our trail has gone cold. But the fact remains that he could have been associated with Mihr.


    "Yesterday, the student who shredded your book into pieces is Mihr''s daughter��" Fleur stated all the facts.


    Adrianna was stunned to know that Nefasky was Mihr''s daughter. No wonder Nefasky was constantly distasteful of her. Adrianna smiled inwards when she remembered how sweet revenge felt when she had shredded all of their notebooks.


    "The ministry has called Nefasky in for some questions. Obviously, we expect that Mihr will also be there. The ministry is trying to bait Mihr by calling in Nefasky. Perhaps they will be able to question him indirectly," informed Fleur. "I might also go there. I want to visit Ilsa and question her about a few things��"


    On an impulse, Adrianna said, "I would like to go and visit the prison with you. Is that possible?"


    That was the last thing Fleur wanted. Had Adrianna been crowned queen, Fleur couldn''t have declined her request, but until she was crowned, Fleur could decline such ridiculous requests. "I am sorry Adrianna, but that isn''t possible! I wouldn''t even think of taking you over there."


    "I will visit the prison with you since I have nothing to do during the day," said Adrianna before turning to go to the dining hall.


    Dmitri joined her ten minutes later. She looked at him eating in hurry and said, "What''s the hurry Dmitri? We will not see each other for the next three days."


    "Adri, I have a meeting with the chiefs scheduled at 11AM. I have to go now because I need to talk to Nate about it."


    Adrianna had a thought and said, "Dmitri, I am afraid that Vikra and Cy might attack in the midst of the battle. I want to join you."


    "No Adrianna, you are not going to join me at the moment. Even if Cy and Vikra were not originally going to attack me, they would immediately gain interest if you join me. Things can only go downhill with you beside me. Currently I am worried about the safety of the werewolves of the Lake Moon Pack. I don''t know why your father is so keen on that territory. Why can''t he just stay put with his pack?" said Dmitri in an agitated tone.


    Adrianna lowered her head. "I am sorry��"


    "Sorry for what? For your father?" asked Dmitri looking surprised.


    "Yes��"


    "I am sorry that you are thinking like that! I am glad that I pulled you out of that shithole. You are not worthy of being his daughter. He is a man of a selfish nature who doesn''t know how to stay satisfied with what he has. I am going to suppress this rebellion once and for all!" spat Dmitri. He was so agitated that his eyes became red.


    Adrianna became afraid of him for a moment. She stared at him. "Will you kill him?" she asked.


    "I will if I have to," came the reply.


    Adrianna didn''t know what to say. She just kept quiet as her heart sank a little. She sighed. Dmitri looked at her and said, "That man never gave you any happiness. Why are you worried about him?"


    Adrianna looked away because she really didn''t have an answer to that question��


    Then after a moment of silence she said, "Be safe Dmitri. I won''t accompany you because I understand that I might become a burden to you... And don''t hesitate to take down the enemy if the need arises. However, always keep your eyes open because I am not too sure about Vikra. He is a master of con."


    Dmitri got up from his chair and went to hug his wife. Now she was speaking like his luna!

 Chapter 198 - Malintosh Prison

    Dmitri hugged Adrianna tightly and said, "It''s not easy to take down your alpha. I have charted out my plan pretty well. Also, Cy and Vikra won''t dare to come out now. I have heard that there has been a decrease in neotide-related accidents. I believe that something is probably going on in their area of the forest and Vikra''s not in a good place right now, so don''t worry."


    Adrianna smiled and hugged him back. Dmitri surely knew about everything happening in the forest. She looked at him proudly. Then, she narrowed her eyes, "Which girl have you been looking for?"


    Dmitri smacked his head. Why did he suddenly think about that girl who he had been looking for? He laughed and said, "I''ll let you know when I find her."


    "You better let me know when you find her because I will personally kill her!"


    Her statement made him laugh all the more. "I love when you get jealous!"


    She escorted him to the portal, talking the entire time until they parted.


    Adrianna looked at Fleur and said, "Let''s go to the prison."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Of course!"


    "Okay, give me a moment. I need to report this to Isidorus."


    Fleur walked through the portal and came back in five minutes after receiving permission from Isidorus. When Fleur came back, she came out of the portal holding the leash of a tall, white colored horse with a tiny black spot on his forehead. Adrianna was mesmerized by the horse. He was so beautiful that she held her breath.


    "You will have to ride on me to the prison," she heard the horse say.


    "Adrianna, you will have to ride this horse to the prison," said Fleur.


    "That''s what I just said."


    Adrianna chuckled. She mentally communicated to him, "What''s your name?"


    "I am Nallbo."


    "It would be my honor to ride you Nallbo," said Adrianna aloud as she went and stroked his mane.


    Fleur was surprised, "How do you-". Then she lightly smacked her head. "I forgot you could hear them."


    Adrianna climbed onto Nallbo gracefully as though she already knew how to mount a horse. Nallbo turned entered the portal. The other side of the portal opened into the Malintosh Prison. It was a vast expanse of land which was guarded by lightning ropes all around. The sky above was grey and the clouds were roaring with thunder and there were occasional strikes of lightning, reminding everyone there how grim the place was. It had just rained so the ground was wet.


    "Remember not to let go of my reins at any point of time while you are in the prison," said Nallbo.


    Adrianna nodded.


    They entered the main building. Adrianna noticed that, along with Fleur, there was one more person who followed her. She looked at him closely and was shocked. It was Ein, the guard who had caught her sister Kayla. He nodded as soon as they locked eyes. Both Fleur and Ein were on their brooms.


    Adrianna saw that the cells of the prison weren''t made of the usual material consisting of bricks and steel, but rather, each cell was lined with tiny leaves that were growing over the lightening ropes. Adrianna was surprised that the tender looking leaves didn''t burn when touching the lightning ropes.


    "They are special leaves which don''t burn so easily. Otherwise, if the prisoners fall onto the lightning ropes, regardless of whether on purpose or by mistake, they may burn their skin. The leaves offer protection and, at the same time, don''t let the prisoners escape. All the prisoners here don''t have their wands. Their wands have been confiscated by the ministry," explained Fleur as they headed further into the prison.


    As Nallbo trotted forward, Adrianna could see the prisoners through the small gaps in between the leaves. She looked up and saw that there was no rooftop, only a mesh of white light.


    The prisoners who heard movement outside came to look at the visitors. Some of them started shouting and howling. "Let us out! Please! This place will suck our souls! Let us out!" It was frightening and Adrianna started feeling dejected.


    "Let''s head back," she said to Nallbo.


    "Don''t you want to see her?" asked Nallbo.


    "Who?" asked Adrianna.


    Nallbo didn''t say a word and quietly trotted a bit further. He stopped in front of a cell from where Adrianna could hear a woman crying. Adrianna''s miseries knew no bounds as she stared at the inmate being held in that cell. She was shocked beyond words as her eyes became wide. As soon as she saw Adrianna, Kayla rushed towards Adrianna and cried, "Take me out of here, please!" It seemed as though Kayla couldn''t recognize Adrianna.


    Adrianna looked at Ein with tears in her eyes. Ein lowered his head and said, "I am sorry my queen, but an attempt to kill the queen of the wizard kingdom results in the death penalty. I have kept her alive to suffer the consequences."


    Adrianna couldn''t fathom who was suffering more - she or Kayla - as she watched her stepsister beg her to get her out. "I want to meet her," Adrianna declared.


    "We are not allowed to open the prisoner''s cells," replied Ein.


    Adrianna''s tears rolled down her cheek.


    "Do you think that after meeting you she will be happy? She is in that prison because of you," said Nallbo as he turned back towards the entrance of the prison.


    "Stop Nallbo. I want to see her."


    But Nallbo didn''t stop. "It''s no use Adrianna. They will never let her out."


    Adrianna looked at Ein and said, "Then kill her. It would be better than having her suffer from so much torture."

 Chapter 199 - No Sympathy

    "There are many healing potions that require the blood of a close relative. We are keeping your sister safe in order to create those potions. The healer has already experimented on several potions with her blood. She can be used to create potions that can heal you or increase your power. Being your blood sister, she is going to be your medicine for the rest of her life," replied Ein without a sliver of sympathy.


    Adrianna shuddered. Kayla had become the guinea pig for the wizard kingdom. Feeling depressed, Adrianna didn''t wish to go any further.


    It was already evening when they returned to the royal palace. That night, she didn''t have any appetite to eat her food. She remembered how Kayla would never play with her. Kayla would never let her play with her toys. It pained her to remember how she had sabotaged her dress when Dmitri had come to meet her and how she had tried to kill her before her wedding. Adrianna wondered if she had any good memories associated with Kayla.


    All of a sudden, she had a memory that flashed across her mind �C bats flying all around her as she ducked to save herself from them. She sprang up from the bed feeling very perturbed. What was that? She went to pick up the glass of water that had been kept on the bedside table and drank it. She took a deep breath.


    Adrianna realized that she was getting into a habit of sulking and being depressed whenever she thought about her family. All of a sudden, she remembered her grandfather. She had an urge to see him, but it was already late at night and she was sure that he must be sleeping. She walked to the balcony and stared at the stars. She smiled as she looked at them; Gregory must be amongst them somewhere��


    She turned to the side, wondering where Ed could be. Once Dmitri was free, she would definitely take him to meet Ed.


    Fleur came back the next morning to bring her to the academy.


    ---


    "Dmitri, now that you have Adrianna, don''t you feel the slightest bit of emotion concerning the fact that I am her father? I feel very disrespected in front of all the chiefs when they say that I am hardly a speck in the werewolves'' territory. After all, I am the father of your wife, which means that you should give me a reasonable amount of land to rule over. It only goes with the status of being your father-in-law," said Kuro in a meeting that had been arranged by the Lake Moon Pack chief. The meeting was being held at the chief''s house.


    Dmitri had come to the boundary of the Lake Moon Pack with his army. He had gone inside the territory with Nate and few other members of his army to meet Kuro and the other chief who he was allying with. The meeting had been called to find a solution to end the rebellion.


    "Kuro, the Lake Moon Territory will never be yours. As a matter of fact, I am planning to take over your territory as well because I am fed up with your constant demand for this land. So why don''t I tell you what to do. You have two options: a, you gracefully retreat and perhaps I won''t come after you, or b, you wage war against me and I take the Red Moon Territory when I win."


    Dmitri leaned forward and rested his chin in his hand. "This is my final offer to you. I will wait a day before taking action."


    Kuro narrowed his eyes at Dmitri. "Adrianna is not going to like this!"


    "Don''t worry about Adrianna. She already told me to stay safe and eliminate my enemy if needed."


    "You are lying!" shouted Kuro. He knew that Adrianna was highly concerned about them even though she knew her place in the family.


    "Of course not. Why would I lie about anything related to my wife?" replied Dmitri very calmly. "She knows the entire truth about her birth. So there''s no point in harping over your relationship with her."


    Kuro clenched his jaw. Reinjie, who was sitting right next to his father, quickly understood the situation and said, "Father, let''s go. We will send our final reply to them later."


    Kuro and Reinjie got up from their chairs and left the room in anger while the other chief continued to sit. He looked at Dmitri and said, "Where is your mother? I would like to speak to her."


    "She hasn''t come with us."


    That chief spat, "It was your mother who called the shaman to throw your wife out. What makes you think that you will win from us if you cannot win against your own mother? Soon you will lose!"


    Dmitri rested back in his chair and said, "What makes you think I don''t know about that?"


    The chief left the meeting room in a huff.


    In the evening, war was announced.

 Chapter 200 - Who Switched The Specimen?

    Adrianna attended the academy the next day and became busy with her morning classes even though her mind was preoccupied with concerns over how Dmitri must be faring. Her worries increased when Liam couldn''t update her. He had been walking in and out of the portal all day to get updates for Adrianna. One of the most disturbing updates was that Cora wasn''t helping Dmitri at all this time. Adrianna was disturbed by Cora''s behavior. It was okay if she behaved that way with Adrianna, but why was she ignoring her son? She decided to confront Cora once she was back in the werewolf kingdom.


    At the academy, Adrianna saw that Nefasky was maintaining her distance from her. In fact, Nefasky had been unusually quiet. Adrianna thought that Nefasky may have been instructed by her father, Mihr, to stay away from Adrianna, which was completely fine by her.


    When the spells class ended, the students headed for their individual extracurriculars classes. The alleys guided Adrianna to her potions class. While she was heading over, she heard a cheery voice from behind. "Adrianna!"


    Adrianna looked back and saw that it was Lile who was rushing towards her. Lile ran up to Adrianna and excitedly said, "Hi! Can we walk together?" She was out of breath, but she was smiling.


    Adrianna also smiled and agreed to her request.


    "Adrianna, I am so happy with what you did to Nefasky the other day!" said Lile as she started laughing.


    Adrianna chuckled. "I couldn''t help it��"


    "That was so badass! I wish I could do that!" said Lile, feeling ecstatic just thinking about it.


    Adrianna laughed. Lile had such a sweet personality that Adrianna immediately felt comfortable around her.


    "How come you never talked to me earlier?" asked Adrianna.


    Lile lowered her head and said, "I was scared of Zola and Nefasky. They had told every student not to be your friends and boycott you. Even their friends are on the watch to see if anyone approaches you to be your friend. Trust me; most of the class wants to be your friend, but Nefasky and her friends are threatening the students with their connections at the ministry."


    "That''s rude��" said Adrianna.


    "However, after that incident, I don''t care anymore. Can we become friends? Please? Please?" asked Lile, clasping her hands together in excitement.


    Adrianna laughed at Lile and flicked her head. "Of course! I would love to have a friend like you!"


    Lile was joyous. "Yes!" She leaped into the air and walked in front of Adrianna. "Do you know that some students think that you are too proud and don''t want to talk to them?"


    "That''s not true!"


    Lile shrugged and the both of them walked to the class while cozily chatting with each other.


    By the time they reached the classroom where the potions class was to be held, Nefasky had already arrived with her group of friends. She stared at Lile as she walked in with Adrianna. Lile flinched a bit, but Adrianna glanced back at Nefasky as though warning her and Nefasky lowered her eyes.


    Professor Lane entered the class and started writing notes on the white board regarding a new potion.


    "Today, I will be teaching you all how to make a potion that can heavily drug a wizard or a witch and then how to extract their memories. This potion is often given to the people who work as spies for the ministry when they have completed their missions. For this reason, the spies are never able to recall what mission they had done," explained Professor Lane.


    "What happens when we want them to do another mission that requires their original memories? Sometimes spies may have to play a crucial role in the same or similar task all over again," asked a student.


    "We also have ways to retrieve and restore their memories as well," replied Professor Lane.


    "Now, all of you will extract blood out of this rabbit."


    Adrianna''s eyes darted at the rabbit. Then, she tried to mentally communicate with Liam.


    "Why did they cage me?" came the answer.


    Adrianna panicked. The students had already started going towards the rabbit. They were lining up with their syringes, ready to extract his blood.


    She leapt out of her chair and made her way through the students, but by the time she reached the front, a student had already pricked his his stomach. The rabbit gave out an excruciating shriek.


    Adrianna shouted, "Stop!"


    She removed the syringe from him, snatched the cage, and ran outside of the classroom. She opened the cage for the bunny to come out. The bunny hopped out and Adrianna snapped her fingers. Liam was converted back to his werewolf form but nude. He covered his stomach that was slightly bleeding. Adrianna snapped her fingers again to dress him.


    As Liam covered his stomach with his shirt, a professor appeared and brought him to the infirmary.


    Adrianna was very angry. When she returned to the class, she saw that Professor Lane was scolding everyone for switching the rabbit.


    "Who did it?" he asked.

 Chapter 201 - Dont Hate Your Enemy

    None of the students answered him. Adrianna was extremely furious. It took her less than five minutes to delve into the minds of each of the students around and find out who had done it and who was the mastermind behind the action. Some rowdy students in the class chuckled; switching specimens was a common prank that the students would do. For that reason, it wasn''t that great an offence in the students'' eyes.


    Professor Lane cast the truth spell on all students. He shouted, "No one in my class is allowed to mess around so easily! I will not tolerate any indiscipline. Tell me who did it."


    Then, he asked the students one by one and the truth came out. The student who owned up under the truth spell could only speak for himself; he couldn''t say on whose behest he had done it for so the main culprit was not caught. Professor Lane suspended the student from class for a week.


    However, Adrianna glared at the girl who was behind it.


    The class continued. A new specimen was brought in and they started extracting blood out of it. The problem was that Adrianna could hear it shrieking and crying in pain, but she toughened up and went to extract its blood when it was her turn.


    Because the students were to mix the potion together in a cauldron and there were only a few cauldrons, the class was separated into groups of five. Adrianna and Lile were put into a group with three other boys.


    As the students started adding ingredients into the cauldron and the mixtures heated up, there were "boom,""phut," and "blub" sounds all throughout the classroom.


    Most of the students could make the potion successfully, so Professor Lane collected the potion as soon as the students finished, just as he had done in the last class.


    When the class ended, Adrianna rushed to the infirmary to see Liam. Lile called after her. "Adrianna, where are you going?"


    "I am going to check on Liam."


    "Wait, I''ll come with you. I don''t have any classes for the next two hours," said Lile as she caught up to Adrianna, as chirpy as ever.


    Adrianna smiled and the two of them headed to see Liam. When they arrived at the infirmary, they found him lying unconscious. Adrianna was petrified. She went near him and looked to the professor who had brought Liam to the infirmary for an explanation.


    "What happened Professor?" she asked as her mind started searching for all possible reasons for this situation.


    "We don''t know why he is unconscious but we called the healer. He became unconscious fifteen minutes ago. The healer should have arrived by now��"


    Adrianna regretted not delving further into the mind of the boy who had pierced the syringe into Liam.


    A strange fear gripped her heart. She held Liam''s hand. All she could think of was how to revive him. She touched his heart to check his heartbeat. It was weak. His lips were turning blue and his skin was becoming paler.


    The healer arrived soon after and examined Liam. "It seems someone injected him with poison," he informed.


    Adrianna stared at the healer, her eyes wide with bewilderment. Her knees felt wobbly and she stumbled a few steps. Lile held Adrianna.


    "So that means that rather than drawing blood, that boy injected poison into him?" said Lile.


    Adrianna was so shocked that she didn''t know what to say.


    "How potent is the poison?" asked Lile.


    Rather than answering, the healer gathered a few medicine mixtures from the infirmary, mixed them together, and injected them into Liam. Suddenly, Liam''s mouth extracted a frothy white liquid.


    Adrianna started crying. "Is he dying? Why is that frothy liquid coming out of his mouth?" She became panicky. Her mind had gone numb.


    "I have cleaned his stomach. The frothy liquid is a sign that he has responded," replied the healer.


    "Thank you!" said Adrianna, clasping her hands as she smiled through her tears. For a moment, she felt that she had lost Liam. However, as soon as the healer had assured her that Liam had responded positively, she felt better.


    She looked at Lile and said, "Thanks Lile, but I have to do something alone now."


    Lile understood. She smiled and left.


    The healer said, "We have to take him to my house. I have better medicines at home. Although I have to say one thing Adrianna; it is the first time I have ever come across a poisoning incident in the academy. Frankly speaking, it''s quite shocking."


    Adrianna didn''t respond to him and she pursed her lips. The healer held Liam''s hand and sucked him into a vortex.


    Adrianna summoned Isidorus.


    "The boy has been caught Adrianna," Isidorus said as soon as he appeared.


    "I already know who is the one behind this. I will take them down" shouted Adrianna. She was so furious that her knuckles had turned white.


    Isidorus looked at her and very patiently said, "Don''t hate your enemy Adrianna�� It will affect your judgment��"

 Chapter 202 - Me, As A Weak Enemy?

    "I want to take her down now!" she yelled in rage.


    "We have to know who is behind her. Until then, you won''t touch her," said Isidorus firmly.


    "Do you want them to think of me as a weak enemy?" she asked condescendingly.


    "I want you to think about it clearly without being affected by their deed. Only then will you be able to come up with a better idea."


    "How can I not be affected? They tried to kill Liam, knowing fully well of the fact that he is here to protect me. Liam is like my brother and I will go after anyone who tries to harm him! How wretched they are to actually go and poison him! Wait till I show them my wrath! None of them will be spared!" she shouted, shaking with fury.


    "Adrianna, you will not do any such thing. We have to find the main culprit. The true enemy hasn''t shown his face as yet. That boy was just one of their minions - an attention seeker. He couldn''t have done this on his own and from what I gather, he didn''t even know what he was doing," said Isidorus with a very serious face.


    "Why do you say that?" asked Adrianna, surprised at Isidorus'' statement.


    "We have checked the history of the boy. He is a prankster and told us, after we interrogated him, that he didn''t even know that the rabbit was Liam. He thought it was just any other specimen in the lab and he was just pulling a prank on the other students by poisoning it because the potion needed blood from a live animal. If the rabbit were to be poisoned, the professor might have dismissed the class. He was shocked to know that the rabbit was Liam."


    "So that means he was just a pawn in the game. The mastermind of the game is elsewhere?"


    "Yes. For that matter, all the students in the academy are pawns. They wouldn''t even know if they killed a person."


    "Then what should I do Isidorus? I can''t lie low; I want to strike back!"


    "If you want to really strike, you have to work objectively. I have a plan."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at him and said, "I am listening."


    ---


    Back in the forest, Dmitri was fighting against Kuro and his ally. The battle was taking place a few miles outside the Lake Moon Territory. Dmitri had camped two miles away from the battlefield.


    Dmitri was sure that the battle would finish within a day, but he was surprised when it continued for longer. The army that they were fighting against wasn''t big but there was something that he wasn''t able to understand. There were only two factions that had gone against him and their army had been of a small size. According to Nate, they should have lost the battle within a few hours. Then why was it taking so long?


    Dmitri sent his messengers to find out. They returned with a shocking news: there were two other packs that had joined hands with Kuro and his ally and they were extremely sneaky. They hadn''t come to the forefront to face Dmitri, but they were secretly helping Kuro by sending a part of their army to fight against Dmitri. His informants further informed that a small part of Kuro''s army had started surrounding the west side of the Lake Moon area which was opposite to his camp.


    Once the informers had reported their findings, they started to leave, but were stopped by Dmitri who ordered, "Speak up! I want to listen." He could hear their thoughts very clearly and they were holding back information. "Your mother is financially helping the secret rebels�� It is possible, however, that she doesn''t know that they are fighting against you��"


    Dmitri clenched his jaw at the information and then changed his plan with an immediate effect. He sent Nate with a few men to capture the chiefs while he single handedly commanded his army against the rebels. The Lake Moon Packs'' inhabitants vacated the territory that night, allowing free movement for Dmitri. His army quietly entered the territory and first attacked the army that was surrounding it from the west. Under the veil of the night, they attacked Kuro''s sleeping army. Chaos ensued, but in the next hour, Dmitri had captured both Kuro and his ally. They returned to the Blue Moon Pack the following morning.


    They prisoned all their war captives, but Kuro''s sons were able to run away before they were captured. Following Kuro''s fall, the Red Moon Pack was merged with the Blue Moon Pack.


    The following day, two new chiefs were appointed and sent to the respective territories.


    ---


    "What is your plan Isidorus?" asked Adrianna.


    "I want you to show your full support to Mihr."


    "What? Never! He would never believe me."


    "You have to make him believe that you have your own personal interests in receiving the throne and that once you will get the throne, you will give him the most important position in the wizard kingdom; simply speaking, you will replace me with him."


    "This is ridiculous Isidorus. He would never believe me."

 Chapter 203 - He May Insult You

    Adrianna kept her hands on her waist and paced around the infirmary. She noticed that there was white mist all around them. "Why are we surrounded by mist?"


    "So that no one hears us," replied Isidorus.


    Adrianna nodded and then stared at Isidorus with narrowed eyes. "Mihr was Cy''s friend and we have already established the fact that the attack on the royal carriage was done by one of Mihr''s men. Don''t you think that if I go and tell him that I will support his endeavors, he will think that I am weak?"


    "Yes, I want him to think that. He may even insult you, but you have to bear it in order to win his confidence."


    Adrianna scoffed. She went to sit on the bed where Liam was.


    "Do as I say. If he tells you to show you his solidarity, promise him that you will kill me as soon as the crowning is done."


    "Isidorus, he is looking to crown his daughter. Nefasky has been looking for a way to pull me down and prove her supremacy as a candidate for the crown."


    "Yes I know, but remember that power makes you blind. If you promise him my position, there is a high chance that he will ignore Nefasky for you, for he knows that Nefasky isn''t as gifted as you. In the back of his mind, he knows that you have a good chance of being accepted by the crown."


    "Doesn''t he want the crown?"


    "Yes, but the crown doesn''t accept people so easily. He would like to experiment on you first. If you are successful, it works in his favor without any risk. If you are unsuccessful, he will drop you and try to claim his stake. With you by his side, he will become close to the royal palace, which is what he wants right now. Any information about the Royal Palace can then be easily passed to Cy. He would try to play loyal to Cy while being close to you."


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus and laughed. The old man was surely cunning. She had a lot of questions, but they were answered when she took her time to think over the plan.


    "When can I meet him?" she asked with a smile.


    "After the full moon next week." Isidorus gazed at her as the smile from her face disappeared. She lowered her head.


    "The full moon night will be coming in five days. You will have to go to the werewolf kingdom before that so that no one suspects it."


    "Yes��"


    "Adrianna, from now on, whatever you do, take precautions. Never. Ever. Underestimate your enemy. There are too many enemies lurking around the corner You have to be very careful. Never lower your guard.


    Adrianna nodded. Isidorus disappeared and she went to her next class. The alleys took her to Professor Ziu''s class where she found him waiting for her.


    "How is Liam now?" he asked, feeling very sorry about the incident.


    "The healer said that he will be saved and is out of danger."


    "We have suspended that boy for a week."


    Adrianna didn''t wear any expression. Isidorus had told her not to talk about her thoughts in front of anyone.


    Ziu noticed how stoic she was. He attributed it to her recent trauma and started teaching the spell they had left off last time: deflecting the truth spell.


    By the end of the day, she had become an expert in deflecting the truth spell. Ziu was happy that she had finally learnt it. He cast the truth spell on her a number of times and in many different ways, such as when she wasn''t looking at him or when she was engrossed in writing notes, but she would successfully deflect it all the time. Satisfied with her progress, he left.


    Adrianna went to visit Liam at the healer''s house. Liam was sitting on the bed when he saw her. He gave her a faint smile. Adrianna moved closer to him and stroked his hair. "I am sorry Liam. This got really out of control��"


    "Don''t be sorry Adrianna. I am just thankful that you can speak with animals. Otherwise, I would have ended up dead and no one would have even known that I died as a rabbit!"


    Adrianna laughed at his wit.


    "Is there a spell which can shield me from converting into an animal?" he asked, afraid that if he were to accompany her again, he might become a target for more hatred.


    Adrianna laughed again and said, "No there isn''t, but I can do one thing. If they cast that spell on you, you will become what you are: a werewolf. Is that okay?"


    "Absolutely okay! At least they will be scared to see me in my wolf form."


    Adrianna took out her wand threw a yellow light around him. Moments later, he started feeling weightless. He floated above the bed, much to his amazement. When Adrianna finished, Liam fell onto the mattress with a thud. "Ouch!" he cried as he rubbed his buttocks.


    Adrianna chuckled and said, "There you go!"


    "Thanks Adri��"


    "Anytime. You get better now. I am going to see Dmitri��"

 Chapter 204 - So Soon, My Darling?

    Adrianna walked through the portal created by Fleur. After three days of being away, when she arrived in the bedroom, she found that Dmitri wasn''t around. She became sad as she had been really hoping to meet him. She went to take a long bath. When she returned, she found him studying a few papers and standing by the glass window.


    "This is annoying. My husband ignores his one and only wife," she said as she went and hugged him from behind.


    Dmitri laughed softly and said, "Your husband is tired and needs a good bath. Either I ask my maidservants to give me a bath or my wife could do the honors?"


    "Do you mean to say that I am like one of your maidservants?" asked Adrianna, annoyed at him.


    "Of course not! When did I say that?"


    "You implied it!" she retorted, leaving him and heading to the bed.


    Dmitri laughed. "Now what can I do if you wish to think that way, but I have never implied it."


    "Then why did you say that either your maidservants do it or I? Am I equal to your maidservants?"


    "Adrianna, this is getting ridiculous." Dmitri laughed all the more. He was getting embroiled in the first fight they would have after getting married.


    "You find it hilarious? You insolent man!" yelled Adrianna as she threw a pillow at him.


    "Okay! Okay! I am sorry, but all I meant was that you should take care of your husband or I will have to ask the maidservants," he said. But as soon as he said that, he wanted to punch himself.


    "What?" shouted Adrianna before storming out of the room in her bathrobe. As soon as she reached the living room, she saw that there were servants cleaning up. When they saw her in a bathrobe, they were shocked.


    Adrianna marched towards the sofa to sit, but Dmitri had run out after her by then. He caught her from behind and picked her up to take her back to the room. Adrianna kicked and hit him wildly. Her bathrobe had come above her thighs. The servants became conscious and ran out of the living room, leaving the alpha and his luna to themselves.


    Dmitri laughed all the way as he carried her back to the bedroom. He bolted the door and threw her onto the bed.


    "Adri, listen to me! What I meant was that in your absence, I had to ask my servants to take care of me. However, when you are here, I want you to take care of me. That''s all!"


    "Dmitri Volkov, you mean to say that I am just your servant?"


    "Hmm... If you really want to think of it that way, then yes, you are my personal servant!" he said before roaring into another fit of laughter.


    Adrianna clenched her jaw and hit his arm as he pressed her into the mattress.


    "Now that you know your role, Adrianna, my dearest personal servant, serve thy master," provoked Dmitri.


    "I will kill you Dmitri Volkov!" she shouted.


    "And I will take you down Mrs. Volkov!" he replied before kissing her passionately on the lips. Seeing her react to his teasing provoked his member. He wanted to pin her down and tie her to the bed.


    He straddled her and opened her bathrobe as she continued to struggle beneath him. He tore a strip of cloth from the curtain that was surrounding the bed and tied her hands to the bedpost. She kicked him when he got near her, so he tore another strip from the curtain and tied her legs, tying each of them to a bedpost.


    He grinned and looked at her as she struggled. "Adri, you look so beautiful."


    "Dmitri, let me go or else I am going to break this bed!" she yelled.


    Dmitri kissed her again, but this time, he didn''t leave her. He moved down her nape and sucked at her skin. He licked his mark, making her squirm. He sucked onto it, making her blood rush to her groin. He then moved even further down to suck on her breasts. Adrianna was now aroused. She wanted him to enter her, but he was teasing her. He moved down to her toes. He started kissing them and slowly started making his way up her legs. Her toes curled in anticipation.


    He reached in between the thighs and kissed her. "Even though I said that you should serve me, it seems it is me who is serving you." Saying that, he exposed her clit and started sucking it, making her come in no time.


    Adrianna wanted to break free and curl around him and clench her thighs, but she her legs were tied. "Ah!" she moaned as she pressed her face into the pillow.


    "So soon, my darling?" he teased her.


    "Enter," she said as she squirmed again.


    But Dmitri was now sucking her pink folds, making her come again. She wanted to curl her legs around his neck and pull his hair. The fact that she couldn''t do that was just too much and she came again and again.

 Chapter 205 - Your Allegations Are Preposterous!

    Adrianna laid on the bed, curled beside him. She was feeling good after so much tension in the wizard kingdom. She wondered what would happen if the crown accepted her. She needed to talk to Dmitri about it. She looked at him and saw that he was sleeping without a care in the world. His body showed fresh signs of wounds that were healing fast.


    She got up, dressed, and went downstairs to eat.


    When she got downstairs, she noticed that the servants were behaving awkwardly. The maidservants were especially giving her side glances and passing smiles as though they were hiding something.


    When she saw that they couldn''t wipe the smiles off their faces, she asked, "What is wrong with all of you?"


    One of the maidservants burst out into laughter and said, "Ma''am, there is a huge hickey on your neck and a small one right on your nose."


    Adrianna gasped. "Dmitri, wait till I give them all back to you with interest!" she thought. Then, she narrowed her eyes at the maidservants and, remembering how Dmitri had compared her to these girls, she shouted, "Go and get me food!"


    All of them quickly scattered.


    When Dmitri came downstairs, he saw Adrianna eating food like a pig. He went behind her, picked her up, kissed her on her lips, placed her back in her chair, and sat down on the chair next to her while licking his lips. Adrianna was surprised at the way he was handling her. It was as if he had just picked up his toy and was just merely momentarily playing with it. She stared at him and said, "Huh? What was that?"


    "That, my darling, was the kiss of your life!" teased Dmitri again as he started eating the turkey in front of him. "I see that you are eating like a pig again Adri. You should take care of your figure. I don''t want you to look fat. You are only nineteen."


    Adrianna cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "So you mean to say that if I become fat, you will stop taking interest in me?"


    Dmitri stopped eating and stared at her with wide eyes. "When did I ever say that?"


    "You implied it!" she retorted.


    Dmitri started laughing at his wife again. Then, he took his fingers to his lips, and made a sign of zipping and locking them.


    "Talk to me! Will you form a harem like the other chiefs?"


    Dmitri choked on the food he was eating. He couldn''t stay quiet. "Harem? Are you insane? I can''t even handle one woman in my life and you think I can handle a harem? No, sorry, but I won''t form a harem," he exclaimed.


    "Oh! So you mean to say that I am a difficult person and if I become fat, you will stop liking me, and then you won''t be able to like other women because of how much I torture you?" she asked with a frown.


    Dmitri face-palmed. "Adrianna, I am sorry. Let''s just eat food. I am unable to handle you right now."


    Before Adrianna could say anything else, Cora entered the dining hall. Upon seeing Cora, Dmitri stiffened. His warm demeanor changed into a cold one. The temperature in the room dropped to the extent that Adrianna could feel chills in her heart. She looked at Cora who wasn''t even looking at them. What happened between the mother and son? Adrianna realized that although she was usually the topic of disagreement between the two, today seemed to be about something else.


    None of them talked after Cora sat down at the table.


    Suddenly, Dmitri said, "Mother, why are you financially supporting the rebels who are against me? You were the one who wanted me to suppress them, and now you are supporting them? What is going on? Are we supposed to have a war within our family? Between the two of us?" He was furious.


    Cora looked at him with knitted brows. She didn''t say anything for some time.


    Cora was greatly surprised when Dmitri accused her of supporting the rebels. She had never done that. However, she had given a large amount of money to Keisha last week as she had wanted to buy jewelry for herself. In that aspect, Adrianna was very simple; she hardly wore any jewelry.


    However, when Dmitri accused her, she was shocked as to how come her name was being dragged into it. Was it possible that Keisha had given that money to the rebels?


    She said, "Dmitri, you cannot dictate what I do! Why would I support the rebels? Your allegations are preposterous! Has your wife fed you with wrong information again?"


    Adrianna started to speak when Dmitri glared at her and warned her not to bother.


    "I have received information that you have supplied the rebels a large amount of money. Hence, from now on, you will not have access to the kingdom''s finances," said Dmitri with a threat in his voice.


    "Dmitri! Are you mad? Why are you supporting rebels?" shouted Cora when Dmitri gave that order. She looked accusingly at Adrianna and spat, "Did you give him that advice?"

 Chapter 206 - I Have To Meet Him Alone

    Adrianna placed her spoon down onto the plate and looked at Cora. "I am not interested in what problems you and Dmitri have, so don''t drag me into this. I have my own problems to solve."


    "Stop accusing Adri. It was my informants who gave me this news."


    "In that case, your informants are wrong." Cora threw her napkin down onto the table and stormed out of the dining room. Dmitri watched her as she left.


    Dmitri frowned as he saw his mother vehemently denying it. If she was telling the truth, then did his informants really receive the wrong message? Or there was something else going on that he didn''t know about?


    Adrianna left and Dmitri followed her. They went to the gardens to take a stroll.


    "Dmitri, I have to tell you something about Liam," said Adrianna, lowering her head and looking at the grass below.


    "What is it?" he asked, walking with his hands clasped behind him.


    Adrianna narrated the incident, sparing no details. She was worried that Dmitri would lash out at her.


    "Is he fine now?" he asked.


    "Yes��"


    "It''s okay Adri. He is there for your protection and he has to face these incidents. I am glad that he is alive��" He paused and then stopped. He looked at Adrianna and said, "If you feel that he is more of a burden than any help, you can send him back here. Liam''s presence is missed when we are fighting."


    Adrianna smiled. She was relieved that Dmitri took it positively. "He is not a burden Dmitri. I like having him around me. He reminds me of who I am �C a werewolf. However, having him there would only be dangerous for him because now all the wizards and witches know that he is an easy target. It may be best if he comes back."


    "Okay��" said Dmitri. He paused a little and added, "We have caught your father�� I warned him before fighting, but he didn''t agree�� Your brothers have run away and we haven''t been able to find them so far. Unfortunately, the moment I find them, I will have to send them to the guillotines."


    Adrianna felt a pang of heartache. Her skin lined up with goosebumps. She looked at Dmitri. He could see the emotional pain that seeped out from her eyes. She was suffering from painful memories, angst, and bitterness. He could sense what it was inside her that troubled her so much. He held her close to his heart as she was no longer able to hold in her tears. "Adri, fight on. There is a bright horizon that awaits you. One day, we both will be free of all this. One day, the two of us will have the choice to be free from all this��"


    Adrianna knew in her heart that Dmitri wouldn''t spare them and even she agreed with his actions. Her father had been revolting for too long; he wasn''t able to concede to anyone ruling above him. Kuro had never learned to see further than his own selfish purposes. His thoughts were only filled with his own desires and he was drunk on the power he held over his own pack. Even knowing that his end was nearing, she couldn''t come to hate him. With him, she felt shattered every single day and was constantly consumed with bitterness, but today, she wanted to see him again �C perhaps for the last time.


    "Do you really think seeing him would be right?" he asked.


    Adrianna couldn''t help pondering over her fate. In the wizard kingdom, she had seen Kayla who was hardly living, and here, her father was about to be sentenced to death��


    "I want to meet him just once. I want to ask him questions about my mother. There are too many unanswered questions and I want answers. He can''t die without talking to me," she said, looking up at him.


    Dmitri looked down at her beautiful face. He wiped her tears and kissed her cheeks. "Okay. Let''s go now."


    "I have to meet him alone."


    "Okay�� we will be taking him to the guillotines at dawn tomorrow. You can meet him tonight."


    Adrianna closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. "Let''s go..." she whispered.


    Dmitri took her to the prison where Kuro was being held. He waited outside while she went inside.


    Adrianna walked inside while being escorted by a guard. The guard left her in front of her father''s cell. The air inside the prison was stale and the lighting was as gloomy as the dusk. Through the iron bars, she could see that he had been chained and drugged. The prison cell was barely six feet by five feet. The walls were made of damp white and grey stones. It was very quiet at that time of night.


    "Father��" she called out to him.


    Kuro opened his eyes. He was heavily drugged. He saw her through his half closed eyes. He looked so disheveled and pitiful that Adrianna closed her mouth.


    "Oh, there you are Adri," he said with a smirk as though mocking her.

 Chapter 207 - You Ruthless Bastard!

    Adrianna looked at her father and held onto the prison''s iron bars. There were tears in her eyes. "Father�� I am sorry��"


    "Sorry? Really?" he scoffed. "If that is the case, why don''t you free me from this hell?"


    Adrianna shook her head. He was the same as ever, even on his deathbed. "Father, why do you hate me so much?" she asked, wiping away her tears.


    "You remind me of a woman whom I should have never been with. I only loved one woman in my life and that my first wife whom I had marked. Your mother had fallen in love with me and I had made it clear to her that I could never be her man, yet she still came after me. She was disgusting in a way." Kuro started laughing sloppily.


    "You didn''t respect her even once?"


    "No! She was a joke! The queen of the wizard kingdom? Falling in love with an ordinary werewolf?" Kuro started laughing again. "But when I look back at it, perhaps the spirits wanted you to be born, or else Dmitri wouldn''t have found his soul mate," he mused.


    "Adrianna, it is true that I never liked you. If I had killed you as I had wished, my children would still be alive. All I wanted was more land for my sons. I just wanted my daughter, Kayla, to live happily, but you had come into our lives and ruin everything. I hate you Adrianna. Now go away and let me die in peace. Go away!" he said with all the might he could muster in his drugged state.


    Adrianna stepped back a little and then turned towards the exit. She ran outside the prison. She kept running until she reached the forest and shape shifted. She had so much anger in her that she wanted to vent it out. Dmitri ran after her to stop her. He communicated with her mentally, but she blocked him. All he could do was to keep up with her pace.


    There was so much pain in her heart. It wasn''t sharp like a knife, but it burned throughout her body. It was as if someone had poured boiling water over her. She was in more pain than she could have ever imagined was possible. She ran up a steep hill for an hour and then came down. Finally, she threw herself onto the ground before she shape shifted, clutching her arms and rolling down the hill in agony. The pain was deep. It was stinging her and burning her. Dmitri had to stop her. He ran after her and then stopped right in front of her, stopping her downhill fall. However, the force with which she was rolling down was so strong that he tumbled down with her and they rolled downhill together for some distance.


    "Ah! Ah!" cried Adrianna as her throat choked and she stopped the tears that were coming out of her eyes.


    Dmitri saw that was beginning to lose control and get into a state of misery. He slapped her hard across the face. She looked at him, stunned, and then started crying loudly. She had to cry to release all her backed up angst - the anger and the pain which Kuro had given her every time they had met.


    The sky above roared and sounds of thunder could be heard. It started pouring and the both of them became drenched. Adrianna''s cries turned to desolate sobbing. She was on her knees, her face resting on Dmitri''s shoulders, not caring about the damp mud that dirtied them. Her tears mingled with the rain and her gasping wails echoed throughout the hills. Dmitri struggled to keep his own tears contained. He looked above at the rainy skies and then slowly helped her to stand.


    The next day, Kuro was executed as the dawn broke.


    Adrianna was down with a very high fever and couldn''t attend the academy. The healer from the academy was sent to take care of her, but he couldn''t do much. As a matter of fact, none of the healers could do anything. It was a pain she had to overcome herself. Her body ached and she became delirious with her high temperature. She started babbling in her sleep.


    The maidservants had to keep placing a wet cloth on her forehead for the temperature to come down.


    It was evening when Adrianna recovered. She woke up to find Dmitri sitting next to her and reading his father''s diary.


    "How are you, my darling?" he asked as soon he sensed her movement.


    "Is Kuro dead?" she asked.


    "Yes," he answered stoically.


    "What about my brothers?"


    "They have been found."


    "Dmitri, my eldest brother has found his soulmate. Please spare him��"


    Dmitri looked away. "That''s not a reason for me to spare him."


    "What will happen to her when he is gone?" Adrianna asked as she got up to sit.


    Dmitri up propped the pillows for her and said, "Adri, stay away from all this. There are thousands of eyes on you right now. The day they decided to wage war against me was the day they had invited their doom. Now, if you don''t want to make yourself a joke in front of the werewolf kingdom, lay low."


    "When are you going to kill them?" she asked,unable to understand how cruel he was being.


    He looked at her and then replied with anger. "Tomorrow at dawn." He stood and started walking towards the door.


    "You ruthless bastard!"

 Chapter 208 - Adri, We Are Making A Big Mistake!

    Dmitri turned back to glare at Adrianna. "Adri, you are not going to interfere in the matters of kingdom, especially on this matter. Your brothers have been found. I already gave them ample chances to concede to my demands. I have even overlooked them all this time even though there were only a few factions that I had yet to take over as the supreme alpha. Don''t you think I could have easily won them over with my army? But I didn''t. Because of you.


    "Despite me being so tolerant, they still waged a war, which is not acceptable. You become emotional every time we talk about your family. If they loved you so much, how come they never came to rescue you when you fought in the battle against me? It was me who brought you back to Ed''s cottage. Why was it that they tried to ruin your marriage to me and push Kayla forward? These are the very people who have always taken advantage of you for their own selfish wishes, and yet you become blind to the facts whenever we talk about them.


    "I am beginning to get fed up with your attitude. If you think that I am ruthless, then so be it!" said Dmitri as he left the room.


    Adrianna gritted her teeth. She was reminded of Ed and had an urge to see him. She hadn''t met him for a long time. She also wanted to get away from Dmitri for the moment. Why couldn''t he be a kind ruler? Why couldn''t he think of the families? Was politics always such a dirty game? Then she remembered how Isidorus was asking her to show her support to Mihr. She shook her head.


    Adrianna summoned Fleur. "I want to visit my grandfather."


    "You are unwell Adrianna and I don''t know where he is."


    "Who knows about his location?"


    "Only Isidorus and my father."


    "Then find out. I want to visit him and that''s final!"


    Fleur clenched her jaw. Sometimes Adrianna would be extremely unreasonable with her demands.


    Howard had returned to the college a few days back. Since it was early morning, Fleur knew that Howard would be at home, so she created a portal and walked into it, but when she walked out of the portal, she bumped into a nanny who was holding a tray with tea and toast for her master. The nanny couldn''t believe her eyes as the tray she held was now on the ground. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Am I seeing a dream? You are so beautiful. Are you a fairy?" Saying that she ran inside to call her master.


    On hearing the sound of something crashing, Howard came outside his room and witnessed the scenario. The nanny bumped into him. "Master, look, we got a fairy!"


    "I don''t see anything. What are you talking about Esmeralda?" asked Howard, angry at his daughter.


    "Master can''t you see that girl?"


    "No! Which girl are you talking about?"


    Fleur rolled her eyes. "Dullerp". She cast a spell on the nanny and her gaze turned blank. She looked blank, confused, and dull. Howard led her by the hand and had her sit down on a chair.


    "Father, please tell me where Ed is. Adrianna is insisting on meeting him," said Fleur angrily.


    "What happened? How come she is here and not in the wizard kingdom?"


    "I don''t know about that, but her father, Kuro, has been executed by Dmitri. Tomorrow, her brothers will be executed. Perhaps she is very emotional and just wants to meet Ed." She replied as though she was in a hurry to leave.


    Howard told her about Ed''s location and how to enter, but he also warned her. "Vikra is keeping a sharp eye on that place. He is looking for any opportunity to penetrate the wizard kingdom and if he sees Adrianna over there, he may instantly attack her. Ed''s home is invisible to outsiders.".


    "Why is Ed living outside of the wizard kingdom? Why are there so many complications? Why can''t everything just be simple?" said Fleur before disappearing.


    Howard smiled after his daughter. "Youngsters."


    Fleur returned to Adrianna and informed her that she was ready to take her to Ed. Dmitri was sitting at his table reading important documents related to treasury when she returned. He had started conducting an enquiry into the gross misappropriations in the treasury.


    Adrianna asked Fleur to wait outside for her to change. When Fleur went outside, Dmitri glowered at Adrianna and said, "You are not well. It is not right for you go anywhere for now. Take a rest. You can meet Ed when you are better."


    "I don''t want nor need your permission to meet my family," she retorted. "Especially since he is the only family I have left now. Before you snatch him away from me, I will go to meet him."


    "Adri, you are being so ridiculous that I don''t even know what to say!" said Dmitri, exasperated at her unreasonable behavior and storming out of the room.


    Adrianna didn''t pay heed to him and went to take a bath. When she was ready, she called Fleur. "I am ready to go. Let''s go."


    Fleur created the portal and entered. While Adrianna was entering the portal, Dmitri entered the room. As soon as he saw her entering the portal, he ran over and followed her inside on an impulse. They walked out of the portal to enter an area which Fleur identified as the foothills of the Northern Jungle.


    Dmitri immediately stopped them. "Let''s go back. This is just too dangerous. Have you forgotten that Vikra is keeping eyes all over these areas to look for a chance to enter the wizard kingdom? If he came to know about an opening here, he would send his neotides or perhaps even come personally. Adri, you are making a big mistake!"


    "Dmitri, stop it! Why did you follow me? You were always so scared that you don''t even let me live peacefully. Yes, there are dangers all around, but do I want to live like a scaredy-cat?" Then she looked at Fleur and commanded, "Let''s go!"

 Chapter 209 - Meeting Ed (1)

    Fleur agreed with Dmitri. "You are right Dmitri. I already mentioned it to Adrianna. Vikra has actually been looking for a loophole in our defenses. The moment he finds one, he will strike," she complained while looking around the jungle. The jungle was extremely thick in the particular area they were in. The dense jungle was chilling with a cold breeze blowing through the thick trees. The breeze made them shiver.


    "No one knows that we are here Fleur! It''s not like that we announced to the world that I am going to meet Ed. It is a very private meeting and we will be back before anyone even knows it!" retorted Adrianna as she started moving forward, unwilling to listen to anyone. "Bring me to Ed. I want to see for myself whether it is safe or not."


    Fleur removed the green branches in front of her and walked in front of Adrianna to show them the way. As they moved forward, they noticed that the trees sheltered the ground with their dense canopies that spread out in a way in which the sunlight couldn''t penetrate. They walked over numerous lifeless woods before it started raining and they had to run to find shelter. The large leaves from the plants on the ground started lashing against their skin as they moved swiftly with the wind.


    When they reached the foothill of a small hillock, Fleur stopped them. She held out her wand and a white light emitted out of it. The light illuminated the path and slowly started heading in a direction; it looked as though the light was being sucked in by something. The streak of light touched a small insignificant opening in front of them a few meters away. Adrianna noticed a very small hole in the hill which was covered with tiny green leaves all around. Intrigued, she moved forward and Dmitri followed her closely.


    The green leaves that were guarding the entrance slowly opened up and started receding, making the hole wider. Fleur was the first one to enter. Adrianna and Dmitri followed her inside. As soon as they were inside, the opening closed again and they found themselves on a narrow and damp underground path, which was hardly even two feet wide.


    "Illuminabante," said Fleur as she flicked her wand to create a light. Adrianna could clearly see the red rocks surrounding them. She walked along the uneven pathway, being careful enough to avoid the pits.


    Dmitri was very annoyed at Adrianna and now that they seemed to be alone, he exploded. "You are becoming more and more impulsive with each passing day Adri! What was the point of risking yourself to come here and meet Ed? Couldn''t you meet him the next time he''s in the wizard kingdom? Or has he retired forever and has chosen not to meet meet you?"


    "Dmitri, I am in no mood to argue with you. Fleur, please just create a portal and have him leave!" Adrianna replied.


    Before Dmitri could react, Fleur said, "I have an inkling that aportal can''t be created here because if it was possible, then we wouldn''t have been forced to go through the jungle. Perhaps this place is under some kind of spell��"


    Adrianna pursed her lips and walked forward. They must have walked only a few hundred meters when they heard the sound of running water. They moved in the direction of the water and saw a rocky spiral staircase that was going straight up for as far as they could see. There was a small waterfall just a few feet away from the staircase. They started climbing the staircase since the path had come to an end.


    As they climbed, droplets of water from the waterfall showered them. Under the dim light from the wand, Adrianna could see moss growing all around the waterfall. The three of them climbed it carefully with Fleur in the lead as there was no railing and the staircase was slippery due to the water from the waterfall.


    Adrianna was beginning to feel tired and exhausted so she stopped for a while. Dmitri walked up next to her. "What happened?" he asked, feeling helpless in the new environment. Fleur also stopped and looked back at Adrianna. She could see that Adrianna had started sweating as the sweat beads were trickling down her forehead.


    "Nothing. I am just a bit breathless��" She looked up and noticed that after a few more stairs, there was an opening which was being covered by some rock.


    Dmitri brushed aside some hair which was sticking to her forehead and wiped away the sweat on her forehead and lips with his hands. He stared into her eyes and said, "Is it your hobby to worry me?"


    Adrianna smiled at her husband who wouldn''t leave her side in a dangerous situation even though they were fighting. That was the reason why she couldn''t tell him about the task Isidorus had given her. "Lets go. We are about to reach the opening," she said gently.


    They continued their climb upwards, but when they reached the top, Fleur couldn''t move the rock. She used a spell to remove it, but she couldn''t. "This rock need to be removed manually," she said, looking at Dmitri.


    Dmitri moved past them and removed the rock with all his might. The three of them went through the opening and the rock returned to its original spot by itself.


    Once through, the three of them looked around to gage their location. There was a vast expanse of snow-covered mountains and pine trees all around them


    In the midst of it all was a small dimly lit hut that looked like inn.

 Chapter 210 - Meeting Ed (2)

    As she looked around at the scenery, Adrianna was stunned. It looked like a land lost somewhere off the face of the earth. It was beautiful yet eerie. Cold wind was blowing at them at a high velocity, making them shiver each time the wind passed by. Dmitri wrapped Adrianna in his arms when he saw her teeth chattering. Together, the three of them went to the inn and knocked on its door. Moments later the door opened and trio looked at him with surprise.


    "Grandfather!" shouted Adrianna with thrill in her voice. She leapt at him to hug him tightly.


    Ed was equally surprised to find them outside as he embraced his granddaughter. He gave out a loud laugh as the tears gathered in his eyes. "You found me!"


    "What do you mean? You sound as if you were lost in this winter wonderland," she complained.


    Ed laughed again. He was so happy that he felt words would just fall short. He hugged his granddaughter tightly forgetting the other two standing on the door. Suddenly a gush of chilly wind lashed around them. It slammed the doors and windows somewhere inside the inn as if they were chaotic drum beat. "Come in all of you or you will freeze!" said Ed as he ushered all of them inside and closed the door.


    As they walked inside, they saw a small fire burning inside in a corner and the place was unusually warm inside despite the freezing cold outside. The walls were made from red shiny rock as they underground when they were climbing the stairs. There was a small bed of dried grass in the corner and a faint smell of freshly roasted meat. Adrianna saw in the background. There were burnt embers of charcoal in a barbeque, which were still glowing red.


    "Have you come to spend the day with your old grandfather?" asked Ed as he lead them to the area where the dried grass was.


    Adrianna sat down and wondered about the place. Why was her grandfather there? She had thousands of questions in her mind. She was about to ask him when all of them heard a low grunt from somewhere. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a beast with a deer body and a bird''s face coming towards them. Shocked, Adrianna and Fleur became alert and were ready to cast a spell on it when Ed stopped them. "Don''t worry, he is my pet Mun��" he said as Mun came and leaned his face in Ed''s hands as if showing gratitude to him.


    Ed remembered how Howard had asked him to stay in the inn to take care of it since Grant had died. He had gone to the forest to gather wood for the inn one day and never returned. Mun was abandoned and would cry for his master everyday. His cries were heard one day when a herd of wizards flew over the area after attending the council meeting. This was the same inn Ed had come to stay while on his way to the council meeting a few months back. He shook his head when he remembered Grant��


    "Mun is also my guard. Unfortunately, he couldn''t go out much these days due to the weather��" said Ed as he patted it.


    Adrianna was finding everything strange. "Grandfather, why are you here in this strange place? Please come back to the wizard kingdom."


    "Adri, sometimes one has to make decisions in life and I have made mine. I want to spend the rest of my life in this place. I like it."


    "There is nothing here Grandfather except vast expanse of snow. Who would come here to ever meet you? Coming here is such a huge problem," said Adrianna feeling terrible for her grandfather as to why did he want to spend his life in a desolate place like that.


    Ed laughed, "Adri, this inn does get its share of visitors. Witches, wizards, humans, werewolves, vampires�� everyone come here��"


    "Why would anyone come here grandfather?" she asked feeling all the more weird. There was nothing around and it wouldn''t exactly be called a holiday destination.


    "When the time comes you will know, child��" he said with a smile on his old, creased face. "Now tell me why have you come here risking your life. Who allowed you to come here?"


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri in a reproaching way. He was looking towards the ground. Then he looked up and answered bravely, "Ed, I have ordered execution of Kuro and his sons for rebellion. They had waged a war against the Blue Moon Pack showing their dissidence in open. Had they not openly shown their rebellion, I would have considered but now being the supreme alpha, I had to take a tough decision."


    Ed looked up at Dmitri with wide eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. His entire race was being wiped out in a matter of minutes. Slowly, he stood up and walked outside the inn. Adrianna rushed after him, but Dmitri stopped her, "This is not small news�� let him vent it out��"


    Ed gave a loud howl and shape shifted. He ran towards the snow-covered mountain. He had always known that a time would come when Kuro would be executed, but he hadn''t expected for his grandsons to also be involved. He had done so much on his journey to save Adrianna that he hadn''t spared any time for his immediate family. Even though his grandsons had never really cared about him, they were still his blood and he would be happy even watching over them from afar. His emotions were in turmoil.


    Back in the inn, Adrianna cried as she tried to mentally communicate with Ed, but there wasn''t any answer. As they continued to wait for Ed''s return, it began to get late into the evening. Adrianna became worried.


    "Adrianna, we need to go back," said Fleur. "It is getting dark and returning to the portal is going to be a problem if we don''t go now."


    Adrianna nodded and they started to exit the inn. Dmitri removed the rock. Just as they were about to go back, Ed howled from behind. They turned around sharply. Adrianna was so happy that she ran towards her grandfather. Ed shape shifted and embraced his granddaughter. "Take care my child. And don''t come back here unless things have settled, okay?"


    Adrianna nodded.

 Chapter 211 - Meeting Ed (3)

    Adrianna asked Ed, "Grandfather, will you ever come back?"


    "No child�� This is my where I belong. I won''t go anywhere else." Ed paused and let go of Adrianna. "I am too old and don''t want any more adventures in my life. This place is peaceful and I would like to spend the rest of my life here in this wilderness��"


    Ed looked at Adrianna''s sad face and smiled. "However, you can visit your grandfather whenever you like."


    Ed looked at Dmitri and his yearning to meet his son and grandsons returned. As he looked at Dmitri, he found himself to be so helpless that he couldn''t fathom it. He knew that Adrianna was in good hands, but the price he had to pay to keep her safe was not justified. Even though Kuro and his sons had never liked him, they were still his progeny. He loved them all regardless�� Ed looked away with a sigh.


    Adrianna saw the pained look on her grandfather''s face and knew exactly what he was thinking about. Her heart ached for him. She raised her hand to caress his cheek and said, "Grandfather, I wouldn''t be standing here if it weren''t for you. Without you, my survival would be absolutely out of the question. If it hadn''t been for you, I wouldn''t have the opportunity to receive human education, nor would I have been able to interact with the outside world.


    "All my experiences in life are attributed to you. I would have lived a life filled with complexities and would have never been able to live a normal life if you hadn''t taken me under your wing. You have taken so many risks for me that I can''t even imagine and perhaps will never be able to repay. Had you not encouraged me, I wouldn''t have come so far. You taught me how to control my magic, life, and the anxieties that came with it.


    "Although your decision to stay here forever is something I won''t challenge, please reconsider it��"


    Ed smiled at her granddaughter. He noticed how mature she had become over the last few months. He hugged her again and said, "Don''t worry child, I will be fine here. You know I was always a loner, so this environment suits me well. I am well protected here and Howard comes here from time to time, so I have enough company. Plus, Mun is here all the time to keep me company as well."


    His refusal broke her heart and she was crestfallen inside, but she didn''t let it show on her face. Dmitri could feel her every emotion and his despair increased.


    "Now, you go ahead child. It is getting late and I don''t want you to fall into the hands of danger all over again just because you came to meet me." Ed urged for them to leave as dusk was falling and the sun was half below the horizon. Its rays were falling upon the white snow, reflecting a soft orange color. The winds had settled and the mountains were white for as far as they could see.


    Adrianna nodded.


    She turned to Fleur and asked, "Fleur, can you create a portal here? If you can, we would be able to avoid the stairs and the jungle."


    Before Fleur could create a portal, Ed stopped her. "You cannot create a portal here. This place is visited by many important people from various realms. If everyone could create a portal, then almost anyone, including rogues, could easily walk through and cause destruction. The fact is that many don''t even know that it exists. You have to travel either by foot or on your brooms to reach here." Ed remembered how he had to run for two days to reach here through the charmed forest.


    "There exists only one building behind this inn and that is the meeting chambers of the council. You cannot go unless invited."


    The three of them listened to Ed with awe. Fleur blinked several times before asking, "Father has come here?"


    Ed started laughing. "Of course! He is my friend! He comes here to spend quality time with me and we go on a hunting spree in addition to spending time talking."


    Fleur smiled at Ed.


    "Children, you should get back now. It is getting darker by the minute," said Ed as he insisted on them going back.


    "Goodbye Grandfather," said Adrianna as she hugged him for the last time.


    "Goodbye child. By the way, there''s a surprise waiting for you when you reach the royal palace."


    Hearing that there was a surprise, Adrianna perked up. "What is it Grandfather?" she asked excitedly.


    "You don''t ask what a surprise is about! It won''t be a surprise that way!" Ed flicked her forehead.


    "Ah!" she rubbed her forehead, inviting a throaty laughter from all.


    Ed looked at Dmitri again and nodded, as though approving what Dmitri had done. Dmitri gave a faint smile and headed for the stairs, followed by Adrianna and Fleur.


    Just before Dmitri covered the staircase with the rock, Ed called out to Adrianna. "Adri, in a few days, there will be a full moon.

 Chapter 212 - The Escape

    Adrianna had completely forgotten about that. She looked at Dmitri who became immediately concerned while Fleur was confused.


    "What about the full moon night? Fleur asked, looking questionably at Ed.


    Ed remained silent and ignored Fleur''s question. Then, he said, "If you like, you can come here during that time. In my opinion, you should be safe here��"


    Adrianna nodded and the trio left. Dmitri covered the entrance with the rock. Fleur once again lit up her wand and used it to lead the way while they headed down the stairs. The opening was inconspicuous and Fleur had to once again use her magic to open it. The tiny green leaves surrounding the opening moved again, exposing the small entrance. The trio walked out of the opening one by one and walked until they crossed through the charmed territory and back towards the place where they had arrived at through the portal.


    They must have only walked a few feet when the skies above turned grey and thunder and lightning proceeded. Black clouds sprawled across the sky, billowing in from the south. Their grey colored glare drained the color of the jungle beneath and blemished the glistening leaves that were becoming drenched in the rain. The scent of rain was strong. The trees were loudly rustling due to the heavy gusts of wind. A streak of silver light split the sky in half and touched the ground with a deafening boom. In the next second, the lightning cut zig zags through the dark clouds above. Just when Adrianna''s eyes became adjusted to the darkness around her, she saw a brilliant flash in front of her, revealing a shadow of a man.


    "Hide behind that tree!" shouted Fleur at the two of them before jumping behind it herself.


    "What is happening?" asked Dmitri.


    "It seems someone has found out about the movement in the charmed jungle and in the foothills of the mountains. It seems to be that someone has come to hunt us," said Fleur.


    "Yes, I saw his shadow in the lightning," added Adrianna. "How far do we have to go until you can create a portal?" she asked Fleur.


    "I can create a portal here, but if I do, it will attract attention," she replied, wondering if they were completely in a bind.


    They waited a little more in order to see who the mystery person was, but the rain was coming down so hard that the visibility was low. Fleur felt that this was not the time to procrastinate.


    "I want to see who it is Adrianna," said Fleur, becoming curious.


    "No!" said Adrianna sharply. They could have easily gone out to attack the person who was there, but that would attract the attention of others. Who knows how many of them are lurking around?


    "Then do we keep hiding here and wait for our own doom?" asked Fleur, becoming both impatient and agitated.


    Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves and some movement. All of them become quiet and stood still without breathing. Only the sound of the rain could be heard. Another flash burned through the sky and the area was lit up for a few seconds.


    From her hiding space, Fleur could see a wizard on his broom through a bunch of leaves. He was frantically looking around to search for the movement that his informant had reported. Fleur remembered that he was one of Cy''s men who had defected to be on Cy''s side. Fleur held her breath as she watched him because he had come very close to them.


    He scanned the jungle in front of him and started to move amongst the dense bushes, cutting them with the knife he had in his hand. His knife was sharp and was cutting through thick stems like butter. When he had cut through a good amount in one direction, he turned around and started cutting through the plants in the other direction.


    When he turned around, the first thing Adrianna did was to cast an invisibility spell around the three of them. "Invidespectus," she whispered as the spell immediately took effect. Then, she closed her eyes and focused on the coppery light inside her stomach. She brought a thin thread outside and opened her eyes. Her eyes had become golden yellow. The change in atmosphere around Adrianna frightened Fleur. She had never been up close enough to see Adrianna''s change in eye color before.


    In a low voice, Adrianna ordered, "When I say so, open the portal."


    "Okay," she agreed.


    Adrianna closed her eyes and slowly lifted her hand in front of her. She curled it into a fist and then brought it close to her heart. She quietly kept it there for a second before suddenly throwing her fist out towards the west. There was a loud boom in that direction as a bolt of lightning escaped from the clouds and hit the ground below.

 Chapter 213 - Why Are You So Nice Always?

    Adrianna continued to create more lightning in the same direction. It caught the attention of the wizard and he looked up. He narrowed his eyes and then looked at his broom that rushed to his side. He mounted it and the broom dashed in the direction of the lightning.


    Adrianna waited for another two minutes as she continued to cast spells from her hiding space before whispering, "Now!"


    Fleur instantly created a portal and all of them quickly entered it. All of them entered Dmitri''s bedroom, thoroughly drenched. Fleur exited the room, leaving the couple alone. Dmitri moved closer to Adrianna to help her get her clothes off as she had a fever the day before and he wanted her to take a rest, but she turned away and went to the bathroom. Dmitri curled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. She was too arrogant at times. Angrily, he took off his clothes and threw them onto the floor.


    He entered the bathroom to find her almost asleep in the bathtub after filling it up with warm water. Dmitri looked at her tired face and slowly entered the tub with as little noise as possible. Since the tub was large enough for five people to comfortably bath together, Adrianna couldn''t feel the movement and continued to doze off. Dmitri moved closer to her and sat down. Gently, he lifted her up onto his lap, and she opened her eyes. She started to move away out of protest, but he tightly held her waist. "Don''t," he said. She sighed and sat back in his lap.


    He looked at her tired face and started to stroke her hair. "Let me give you a nice bath. You must be tired��"


    Adrianna lowered her head. He lifted her chin and said, "Are you that angry with me?"


    She turned away.


    "Okay. In that case, stay quiet while I give you a bath."


    Dmitri started giving her a nice shoulder massage. Despite her wishes, Adrianna bucked under his ministrations and relaxed. She left her body loose as she slid into the water. Dmitri turned her around to massage her back. Adrianna blocked out every other sound that surrounded them. Dmitri was so gentle with her that it was like a treat. She remembered her childhood days when her nanny would give her a nice bath during hot summer days. All the tension that she had built up during the day melted into the water. "Why are you always so nice?" she asked.


    Dmitri stopped and pulled her back against his chest. "I am just doing what I want to for you��" He chewed on her ears.


    "Ah! I am too tired," she said, thinking he wanted to have sex with her.


    "I know that darling�� I am also tired�� Let''s call it a day."


    Adrianna nodded. They both got out of the bathtub and dried themselves off. Dinner had been served to them in the room while they were in the bath. They had it in silence.


    Adrianna didn''t have the energy to wear anything, so she just went to bed after removing the towel she was wearing. Sleep came like the falling of an axe. She didn''t try to fight it. In fact, she couldn''t fight it anymore. All she wanted was to lay down and be enveloped by the warmth of silence. Dmitri covered her with the blanket and then joined her under the blanket as he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him. He surrounded her with his warmth as he wrapped his legs around hers. His weight was welcoming and Adrianna slumbered off.


    During the night, when she would shudder, he would tighten his hold on her. Finally, he just pulled her on top of him and they slept like that until morning.


    Adrianna woke up early in the morning with a start. It was raining outside and the rain was lashing against the windows. There must have been a lightning storm somewhere in the surrounding forest, from which the noise had startled her awake. She noticed that she was lying on top of Dmitri. He was wearing a white shirt and pajamas while she was naked. She looked at his face and slowly rolled off of him. Dmitri stirred a little and turned to the side, going back to sleep.


    Adrianna got out of the blanket and got herself ready. She left early for the wizard kingdom before Dmitri woke up.


    When Dmitri woke up, he moved his hands to his side and searched for Adrianna in his sleep, but there was no one. He opened his eyes and removed the blanket to get out of the bed. He looked for her in the bathroom and went downstairs, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Has she left?" he muttered. He became angry with her for being so impulsive. He had gone back to the bedroom and had crashed onto the bed with puffy cheeks when his gaze fell on a note. It was from Adrianna, addressed, "Dmitri, my love."


    He hurriedly opened it.

 Chapter 214 - The Surprise

    He read through the note slowly, absorbing each word:


    "Dmitri, I know what you are doing is in the interest of the kingdom. Today my brothers will be executed. Reinjie has a soul mate and I would be grateful to you, if you could spare him. When I come to think of it, I feel how would I take if anything would happen to my soul mate. Staying away from you is such a huge problem for me, imagine staying without you and that too for the life�� It is unimaginable. When Reinjie won''t be executed, his soul mate Meina will live in peace knowing that he exists somewhere and perhaps be content with that. Having your Luna''s elder brother as a prisoner of war is definitely conflicting. I am sure that this will become a huge gossip amongst the werewolves'' kingdom. You will have to take everything into consideration and then make a decision��


    Lots of Love,


    Adri"


    Dmitri smiled. What Adrianna couldn''t explain in words, she explained in her note. He admired the fact that she tried to reason with him. His Luna had wished for something so genuinely that she wrote a note for him. This was the first note he had ever received in his life from her. He folded it neatly, kissed it and kept it in his table''s drawer safely.


    That day Dmitri ordered execution of Sam while Reinjie is spared. He became the prisoner of war and is held captive for the life.


    ---


    When Adrianna walked into the Royal Palace, a servant came to her and gave her a parcel. She frowned as she looked at it. "What is it?" she asked.


    "My queen, I don''t know�� it is addressed to you and so I cannot open the seal. However, the security has already scanned it and did not find anything wrong with it." The servant disappeared after handing her the parcel.


    It was a long box that was wrapped in an old gift paper. The gift paper looked as though it had been made from the bark of trees.


    Adrianna opened the parcel with curiosity. Her eyes became wide with amazement when she saw a broom in it. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she threw the box and the paper on the floor and took the broom in both her hands.


    A letter was tied in a ribbon in the middle of the broom. Adrianna untied the ribbon and read the letter.


    "To my dear Adrianna, the only child who loved me more than anything else. This is a small gift from your granddad. I hope you will use it wisely.


    Blessings,


    Ed"


    Adrianna jumped with joy and kept the letter aside. She looked at the broom appreciating every part about it as she ran her hand along its thick handle. The wood of the handle was exotic as she could see each grain clearly. It was a very light brown color and polished to the extent that one could see their image.


    Adrianna didn''t have a broomstick of her own because a broomstick was supposed to be gifted by a blood relative �C someone who loved you a lot. It''s handle had to contain a drop of blood of that relative while it was manufactured. Except Ed no one was close to her, and Ed came to know about it much later. As soon as he came to know about it, he went to get the broomstick crafted for Adrianna.


    Adrianna''s joy knew now bound as she ran with her broom outside and tried to mount it. But no matter what she did, every time she mounted it, it would fall down on the ground. It wasn''t even holding up in the air. It was irritating Adrianna. She thought that it was easy to ride on a broom. She had done that with Fleur while coming to the wizard kingdom. She didn''t know that getting the broomstick in the air and hold up over there was such an issue.


    Just then Isidorus entered the Royal Palace premise and saw Adrianna trying to mount the broom. He laughed at her silently and went near her. She was so focused on mounting the broomstick that she didn''t even see him.


    "This is not the way you hold it," he said giving her a startle.


    She bit her lip, as she stood there embarrassed of her stupid efforts.


    "The broomstick has its own mind. In order for it to recognize you, you have to first make it taste your blood. Once it matches it with its components inside, it will accept you and a bond for life will be forged," said Isidorus. He waved his hand in the air and sharp knife appeared in his hands. He lifted Adrianna''s hand and took a finger. Piercing it sharply, he pressed the finger to squeeze blood out it. The broom was kept right beneath her finger. As soon as the blood dropped on it, the broom absorbed it and the surface became dry as it was. After a few minutes, the broom moved and it sort of jumped in air much to Adrianna''s surprise.

 Chapter 215 - Please Ask Your Broom To Behave!

    Adrianna caught the broomstick in her hand and held it in a firm grasp.


    Isidorus went on to explain, "The broomstick has formed a connection with you Adrianna. Now it will listen to you. When you mount it, think you are mounting a horse. Your mind is its leash by which you are going to control it. The broom is going to absorb your plan and fly accordingly. In case you have changed your plan, don''t worry, it will read that too. Whatever you do, you need to give a clear picture of what you want from it.


    "No one will be able to ride your broom other than you unless you allow them. This is why each wizard or witch has his or her own broom. Otherwise an entire family could use one broom for their various purposes. A broom is like your car."


    "How do I mount it? The wooden handle is so thin that I will fall from it," wondered Adrianna. The broom moved slight left and right in Adrianna''s hand as though it felt insulted for having doubt it''s capabilities.


    Isidorus said, "Just sit on it whichever way you feel like without doubting it��"


    Adrianna pursed her lips, took a deep breath and then mounted it with both legs on one side. To her surprise, the broom balanced her beautifully as though she was sitting in her car seat. Adrianna laughed. The broom slowly lifted in the air and as though it had read Adrianna''s mind, leisurely it circled Isidorus.


    "This is so interesting!" Adrianna squealed like a child. "How do I stop it if I want to?"


    Isidorus tilted his head. "You got to tell it. How do you stop your car? In a similar fashion apply brakes to your broom."


    Adrianna was thrilled. She flew around the Royal Palace like a child going zig zag atop the broom. The peace of the Royal Palace was shattered by a childlike Adrianna who was speeding, screaming with delight on her broom. She would whoop into the air, her robe flying behind her. Heads turned, the servants saw and laughed at her. Adrianna touched a pond below with her feet while flying above it making the ducks skitter further into the pond. In this place of tranquil the noise of Adrianna was such a welcome change that the atmosphere lifted and the lifeless palace became lively.


    Adrianna''s thrill came and end when Isidorus asked her to come down. He had come to talk to her about Mihr.


    While walking inside the palace, Adrianna held her broomstick in her hand. A servant appeared to take it from her. Adrianna gave it to him but was shocked when she saw that it misbehaved and hit the servant on its own. "My queen, please ask your broom to behave!" cried the servant, as every time he tried to hold it, it would hit him. Adrianna chuckled and instructed the broom to be good. In the next second, the broom became cordial and offered itself to the servant.


    "I would like you to get close to Mihr, and so we have kept a gathering in the evening with the council of ministers. Apart from them, there will be some eminent professors and their wives. It will start at 8PM so be there. If possible ask Dmitri to come with you," instructed Isidorus.


    Adrianna lowered her head. She was sure that Dmitri wouldn''t join her. She remembered the note she had written to him and wondered whether he had read it or not. Also, she wasn''t exactly in a mood to talk to him after he would have ordered the execution of her brothers. She nodded lightly, "Okay��"


    Isidorus left. It was time to go to the academy.


    After the first class, Lile joined Adrianna for the potion class. "Adrianna! Hi there!"


    Adrianna smiled at her newfound friend. "Hello Lile."


    "Why didn''t you come yesterday?" asked Lile.


    "I was unwell and had fever."


    "Oh God!" Lile stopped in her tracks. Adrianna also halted. Lile took her hand to Adrianna''s forehead and said, "Are you fine now? No fever? You should have rested and not come to the academy!" said Lile fretting over her.


    "Lile, I am half-werewolf," Adrianna chuckled as though she was informing her.


    "So?"


    "So, the werewolves have a tendency to heal very fast. Our wounds heal within minutes of being formed." Adrianna started walking.


    Lile''s eyes became wide. "Really?" She started walking backwards as she face Adrianna. "Oh my god! This is so interesting! What was the fastest you''ve got healed?"


    "What do you mean?"


    The two friends walked to the potion class discussing about werewolves excitedly.


    "You don''t need to learn anything from the potion class Adrianna. I mean you heal automatically," Lile laughed.


    "Well, I am here to learn how to make the potions for others like you," Adrianna teased her. "Now can you tell me what happened yesterday when I was absent?"


    "Nothing much. Professor Lane asked us to continue with what we were doing last time," came a bored answer from Lile.


    Adrianna frowned as she looked at Lile. "You sound so bored Lile."


    "I was very bored yesterday. The entire class was unusually quiet," answered Lile. "Oh, by the way, did you know that the boy who had tried to pull blood out of Liam has been suspended from school for a long time now. Perhaps he would lose a year and sit with the junior class to clear the final exam."


    Adrianna exhaled heavily and said, "Yes, I know��"


    "How is Liam now?" asked Lile.


    "He should be fine. I hope to meet him after the academy."


    They had reached the class and sat down with their group. The three boys who were assigned to be in their group were excited to be with Adrianna. All of them greeted her with a smile. Before the class started, one of them, a boy with light brown hair gave her a small pink flower that he might have picked from his garden, inviting everyone''s awkward laughter.


    "Thank you." Adrianna accepted it royally and kept the flower on the side.


    Professor Lane entered the class. He looked at Adrianna and then at the rest of the class. "Today we will learn how to make an antidote for poison."

 Chapter 216 - The Red Potion

    As soon as Adrianna heard that they would be creating an antidote for poison, she became interested. The professor asked them to follow him into a room where there were large cauldrons. Each group had a separate cauldron for them. The ingredients were kept on the shelves in the far corner of the room. This time Professor Lane asked one representative of the group to collect the ingredients. After the poison incident, the staff had become extremely alert. They were handling the ingredients to the representatives rather than letting the students take it themselves.


    While walking down the alleys, Adrianna had noticed that there were some wizards and witches who were flying across the alleys. She had asked Lile about it and she said that the security has been tightened around the academy. There are reports that some things have been stolen from the grounds.


    Lile was sent as the representative of the group. The staff handed her four ingredients, gunpowder, newt legs, powdered basil leaves and crushed white ants. When Lile came back with those ingredients, all others felt so disgusted. Lile picked a newt leg and started teasing a boy with red hair.


    There was general fun around the table when Professor Lane interrupted. "The main ingredient of this potion is the poison that we use from the viper snake," he said while tapping a covered glass jar near him, which had the green viper snake raising its head and occasionally taking out its tongue.


    "But that''s a live snake!" cried a student. "What if it bites us?"


    Professor Lane looked at her and chided, "I will teach you how to catch the snake and extract poison. You have to learn how to catch a snake in order to draw the poison out of it. In the wild when your near and dear one will get poisoned, how will you help them? Think of the most dire situation that you can get into and get motivated."


    A hush fell over the class as each one of them started thinking of a situation. Professor Lane continued, "The most ingredient of this potion is the viper poison. Only two drops would be needed. If you take more than two drops, it will become lethal and less than that won''t be effective." Saying that the professor opened the lid of the glass jar. He lifted the viper with a fork and then placed it on a table. The viper once again raised it head. Suddenly, Professor Lane pinned its head, using fork to the table and then held the head. The viper''s body convulsed to free itself but it had been pinned. The professor took his hand to its head and held it forcing it to open its jaw. As soon as the jaw opened, its fangs were exposed and the professor placed a small glass bottle there pressing its poison glands. The poison from them flowed out as clear white liquid.


    Professor Lane kept the snake back in the glass jar and covered it. The snake was very agitated and was lashing its tail inside the jar much to the amusement of the students.


    As soon as the professor finished showing how to extract the poison, there assistants came near the students each holding a glass jar with a viper inside.


    The cauldrons were kept on the fire and the base liquid was poured into it. It was boiled for five minutes and the ingredients were added. There were lots of different sounds one could hear as the class progressed. They all were working hard to attain a red colored potion. Once the red color was obtained they had to add the viper''s poison in raw form. Most of the students found it very difficult to catch hold of the snake''s body, let alone the head. However, Adrianna held it easily and extracted the poison much to her group''s surprise. The staff took the snake back when the poison was extracted in the bottle.


    When the liquid in the cauldron reduced to less than half a pint, they added two drops while it was boiling. The liquid stopped boiling and the frothing stopped. The cauldron was taken off the fire and the red potion was taken out in a bottle.


    At the end, only Adrianna''s group succeeded in making the potion while rest other groups submitted green or yellow liquids. Professor Lance announced, "Tomorrow all the groups who haven''t been able to make this potion will repeat the experiment while the successful group can take a break."


    Lile jumped in excitement. "Wow! Let''s all go to out of the academy to have lunch tomorrow." She suggested.


    "Are we even allowed?" asked the brown haired boy.


    "We rarely get breaks from the professors and yes we are allowed," she informed.


    All of them were thrilled when they heard that they could actually go out. While they started talking where all they could go, an announcement was made over the speaker by the headmaster.


    "Tomorrow, a notice for the second stage of the competition will be revealed. All the senior students are requested to line up in the gardens tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 217 - Create Portal (1)

    "The second stage of the competition?" Adrianna was shocked. If the second stage was going to start soon, she will definitely lose it because the full moon was coming next week. She didn''t know how to react. She bit her lower lip in order to hide her nervousness.


    Lile was deflated the moment she heard the announcement. "There goes out break time tomorrow," she said feeling dejected.


    "We have to assemble in the garden in the morning and this class commences at 11:30AM, so we can still go," said the red-haired boy not wanting to miss the opportunity. He was thankful to Adrianna for her potion-making skills and giving them this rare chance.


    Adrianna smiled as Lile once again looked lively. She started making plans with the rest of the group. "Adrianna, do you think you can go out with us? Because you are always traveling around with a large number of royal guards around you?"


    "We can go in my carriage," she offered.


    "Of course not! There will be no fun if we take the royal carriage," said Lile. "It would be better if we go disguised as adults because most places won''t admit academy students during school time."


    Adrianna was impressed by the wizard kingdom''s rules and regulations.


    "Which places will accommodate?" she asked.


    "Only about five and that too they are too expensive for students like us. So you can practically say that no place would let us in. Rather they would report us to the headmaster."


    "Isn''t this allowed?" asked Adrianna. "You sound as if we are doing something illegal."


    "It is allowed, but imagine Professor Ziu receiving hundreds of notifications of seeing five academy students during school hours!"


    "What we can do is disguise ourselves and wear casual clothes," suggested Lile. All the boys agreed. Then she looked at Adrianna and said, "Adrianna, I think you should just drop out of the outing."


    "Why?" Adrianna was angry. Even she wanted to have fun.


    "Because with you, our fun become next to zero! There would be so many restrictions that we would end up sitting in your carriage for the two hours we will have," replied Lile with a chuckle.


    "We will see," said Adrianna and pouted her lips. Lile laughed and continued making her program with others. At the end of it, Adrianna was seen sulking.


    When the potion class was over, Adrianna went to the magic class where Professor Ziu was waiting for her. There was another Professor along with him.


    "This is Professor Coral. She will be teaching you the spells when I am not around," said Ziu as he introduced Adrianna to Coral.


    Coral was a short, petite witch, in her early thirties and was Ziu''s classmate in the academy. She was a pleasant woman and one of Ziu''s favorites because she was too difficult to annoy. She could put up with Ziu''s temperament easily. A very upbeat person, Coral shook Adrianna''s hands excitedly. "I have heard a lot about you Adrianna and I look forward to teaching you."


    Adrianna smiled and thought, what a pleasant change from the usual serious character like Ziu?


    "She will be teaching you today, since I have worked at the ministry," informed Ziu and went away from there.


    Professor Coral was one of the sweetest people Adrianna had ever come across.


    "Do you know how to make a portal?" asked Coral.


    "No, I don''t," said excited Adrianna. She had been too dependent on Fleur for walking in and out of portals. If she could learn how to make one, it would be so much better.


    Coral looked at how excited Adrianna was. She laughed at her and said, "You see making a portal is easy, but making one with a destination in your mind is difficult. So when you have made a portal don''t think that you have succeeded because it is highly possible that you may end up going to an undesired location."


    Adrianna''s thrill dimmed.


    "Every wizard or witch has a different portal. The fact that you are half-werewolf makes me wonder whether you would be able to even create a portal�� Creating it is unique to people of this realm��" mused Coral. "In either case, we will try��"


    "You need to cast a spell and make a ten foot diameter circle in the air. Concentrate on a location you want to go and close your eyes. When you will open your eyes, you will see that along the periphery of the circle, some sigils have appeared. Pick those sigils with your wand and arrange them in a way that the location name becomes clear. As soon as the sigils are arranged properly, you put them at the top of the circle you have created. A portal will open according to your persona within the circle you have drawn in air."


    Adrianna gawked at Professor Coral. She had explained things so nicely that Adrianna didn''t have a single doubt. She was eager to create her portal. She took out the wand from her robe.

 Chapter 218 - Create Portal (2)

    As Adrianna took out her wand, Coral noticed that it was light brown in color. She smiled and asked, "How come you have a light brown wand? Most other wizards or witches have a dark colored wand."


    Adrianna remembered her pet cub, Dmitri and her eyes became moist. "My pet was a baby bear��" she replied as she choked on her words. Coral knew how emotional one was regarding their wands, so she didn''t pursue the topic.


    "Are you ready?" Coral asked.


    Adrianna came back to the present and once again looked excited. "Yes, I am!"


    "Speak ''Circula Plenia'' and make a circle in the air. Remember to think of a destination, which is in this room. Don''t think of any other destination."


    Adrianna followed the instructions but nothing happened. Once again she flicked the wand in air and said, "Circula Plenia" but nothing happened. Coral had gone to sit down in the chair where Professor Gregory used to sit and watched her from there. Adrianna glanced at her and was reminded of her great grandfather. There was a faint smile on her lips.


    After a few unsuccessful attempts at it, Adrianna''s shoulders dropped. She looked at Professor Coral with pouty lips. "Why can''t I make a simple circle?" she ranted.


    "Well, it is not a simple circle. It is a portal to a different location. There is a lot of energy needed for creating it. After all, it allows you to teleport from one place to another in a matter of seconds. Why do you say that it is simple?" chided Coral. "Try it again," she said and got up from her chair.


    This time, she demonstrated in front of Adrianna how to cast the spell and create the circle. Adrianna noticed how the spell was cast.


    Adrianna thought of a destination, held her wand out and created the circle while speaking out the spell softly and finished speaking with completion of circle. "Circuuuular Pleniaaaaa," she spelled it as she created the entire circle. As soon as she finished speaking, a circle was formed which had thin fire like glow all around. Adrianna was mesmerized. Sigils appeared on the left side of the circle. Adrianna picked those sigils with her wand and arranged them in order. As soon as she did that, the yellow glowing light changed in a thick golden yellow light as strong as fire. It started burning furiously as though it will engulf all those around it. Coral rushed to Adrianna''s side to protect her and douse it with water. Just as she was about to cast the spell for pouring water, the yellow fire decreased slowly until a thick gold-like metal was seen. It has ancient wolf scripture crafted on it.


    Coral was stunned �C a thick gold portal! Only one person could ever create it and that person was now banished from the wizard kingdom. Vikra! Coral had never seen him in person but she had heard numerous stories about how he was the only one who could create a gold portal. The rumor was that Vikra had become extremely greedy and he somehow he started freezing those portal in order to sell them in the realm of humans. In the end his greed drained every bit of energy he had in his body and all that remained was just his spirit.


    Coral turned her attention to Adrianna. Creating a gold portal was like draining out your body''s maximum energy. Coral looked at Adrianna in shock, as Adrianna looked at the portal she had created with amazement in her eyes. Adrianna''s portal had wolf scripture too �C that was new!


    Adrianna jumped in glee. "Look, I have created my portal. How is it?" she asked Professor Coral who was standing there with eyes wide open.


    Coral went near the circle and touched it but the circle emitted a huge fire in that area as though discouraging her to touch it. Coral got scared and she backed off.


    "En- Enter it��" she said to Adrianna.


    Adrianna entered it only to emerge at the far end of the room where the chair was kept, and the portal closed.


    "How was it? How was it?" asked Adrianna unable to hide her excitement.


    "It was the most beautiful portal I had ever seen in my life��" answered Professor Coral still feeling dazed. "Can you touch the metal?"


    "Of course I can touch it!" she replied ecstatically. She could finally create her own portal and wouldn''t have to depend on others to walk in and out to her house, into her bedroom, to Dmitri.


    Coral summoned Ziu. When Professor Ziu came, he looked irritated. "Why have you summoned me Professor Coral, I am in an important meeting with the ministry people."


    "I thought this needed your urgent attention Professor Ziu," said Coral seriously.


    Ziu frowned and looked at her. "What is it?"


    "Adrianna has created her portal successfully," she informed.


    Professor Ziu was impressed. "That very nice Adrianna," he said turning his gaze at her.


    "Her portal is of pure gold��"

 Chapter 219 - We Will Meet Dmitri In Fashion

    "Pure gold?" Ziu was shocked when he heard that. He looked at Adrianna with amazement. She was looking like a young child who had just been given a lollipop in her hands. He looked at how chirpy and happy she was, completely oblivious of what she had done. Words left him as he stared into those shiny black eyes that were glinting at thinking about something.


    "Can you show me how you created the portal?" he asked her.


    "Yes, of course!" answered Adrianna. She went a little further away and chanting the spell, she created the circle. Moments later a gold portal was created. Ziu was dumbfounded at the beautiful portal that had wolf scripture inscriptions on it. He looked at Coral with wide eyes and his fell open. Coral was equally surprised.


    Adrianna walked into it and disappeared only to emerge behind Professor Ziu. She tapped his shoulder and said, "Professor Ziu."


    Ziu turned around sharply to look at her. "Adrianna, you are the only person who could create a portal like that! Do you know?"


    Adrianna nodded. "Yes, Fleur told me that each wizard and witch create their own specific portals."


    "What I mean is that no one in the wizard kingdom has been able to create a gold portal other than��" Ziu stopped himself from taking his name.


    "Other than whom?" she demanded an answer.


    "Other than Vikra��"


    Adrianna raised her eyebrows as she tilted her head. "Could you explain the significance of it because obviously each wizard and witch can create their unique portals? How come I could create one that is same as Vikra?"


    Ziu inhaled and said, "Most of us create portals that are not of any value. That''s why what you have done is unique. For now you won''t be using your energy to create the portal for yourself. You will use Fleur''s help at all times."


    "B- but- I know how to make it now. Why should I use Fleur''s service all the time?" said Adrianna getting agitated and unhappy. She had thought so much about it and suddenly her bubble burst. "I will make my own portal!" she declared.


    "No!" shouted Ziu. "You will not and that''s it!" Saying that Ziu stormed out of the room.


    Like a grumpy child Adrianna went and sat on the chair in the far corner. She had learnt the art so eagerly only not to use it? This was unjustified.


    Coral shook her head. She just didn''t have anything to say. Ziu had warned her not to speak about it to anyone. She picked her stuff from there and went to Adrianna, "Professor Ziu doesn''t mean harm. He is doing this for your safety. I think you have plenty of enemies and you shouldn''t do anything that will make you a more lucrative target than what you are already."


    Adrianna looked at Professor Coral. She nodded slightly and then got up to go.


    The academy got over and Adrianna went to the Royal Palace. She went to her bedroom and remembered about her broom. As soon as she remembered about it, she smiled. To her surprise, the broomstick had found its way to its master and was tickling her on her calves urging her to mount it.


    "Wait, we will meet Dmitri in fashion," she said and summoned Fleur.


    "I have to meet Dmitri," she said and mounted her broom. Fleur chuckled and created the portal. Adrianna entered in it sitting on her broom.


    Dmitri was sitting on the bed when he saw her entering flying on a broom. She flew right in front of him and stopped. Dmitri was in for a shock. "Adri, oh my god! You look like a real witch now!" he commented and broke into uncontrollable laughter. "Should I buy that witch''s hat for you? That will perfect the looks," he added and rolled on the bed in laughter as Adrianna watched him still in the air over the bed.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and dismounted the broom. The broom went and stood in a corner. "Mr. Dmitri, what was so funny about me on the broom?" she asked as she sat right across his thighs and stopped him from rolling around. "I came on my broom to show you my skills. Do you know how skillful your wife is now?"


    Dmitri stopped laughing. He grinned and looked at his wife as his eyes were in tears because of excessive laughter. He extended his arms and said, "Come here first." She threw herself in his arms and he wrapped her tightly. He kissed her on her head and said, "Ah! I missed you so much." He inhaled her scent and relaxed.


    "I read your note��"


    "And��?"


    "I haven''t executed Reinjie��"


    Adrianna snuggled in the crook of his neck. She kissed him over there and whispered, "Thank you."


    "You are welcome. However, you are not allowed to meet him, okay?"


    "Okay��" she nodded in his neck.


    They kept on lying in that state for a long time, each refusing to give up their position. Then Adrianna said, "You have to come with me for dinner tonight."


    "Is my wife going to take me on a date?" he smiled and asked.


    "Not a bad idea," she answered. "Let''s go on a date tomorrow. I will treat you," said Adrianna rolling off him.


    He propped his head on his raised hand on the side and said, "I would love to." He paused to trace her lips. He missed her so much. He opened her lip and placed a kiss inside it. "All mine��"


    "What dinner are we talking about?" he asked as he read her thoughts.


    "I don''t know. Isidorus wants me to attend it with you. There will be a council of ministers and their wives." Adrianna hid the fact that she had to get close to Mihr.


    "Fine, we will go but before that I need my wife to please me," said Dmitri once again in a mischievous tone. Adrianna tried to get out of the bed but Dmitri pounced on her and pinned her to the bed. "Won''t let you go now, my enchantress."


    He started peeling her clothes as she giggled. He took one of her breasts in his mouth and said, "I missed you two so much."


    "I thought you missed me," whined Adrianna.


    "Hush Adri. I am talking to my babies here." He started sucking one of them roughly and when its nipple puckered, he said, "See they respond to me." Once again he grabbed them and kept sucking them.

 Chapter 220 - They Are A Part For Me!

    Adrianna smacked his shoulders as she laughed at him. "They are a part of me." She reminded him.


    "Of course not! They are a part for me!" he replied as he grabbed the other one with his mouth.


    Adrianna laughed at the way he had juggled with the words. "I am sorry but I don''t agree with you.''


    "Who is asking for your opinion? As long my babies are friendly to me, I am happy," he replied and slid his hand to her sweet spot. As he rubbed there, her juices started flowing out. "Adri, you simply can''t resist me," he teased her. Adrianna clenched her thighs. She was angry at how arrogant Dmitri was and at the same time she was nearing her orgasm. He bit her on her nipples as he pressed inside her vagina and she came uncontrollably. "Ah!" she jerked.


    When the orgasm settled, she said, "Of course I can resist you but you cannot resist me."


    "I don''t intend to resist you, my darling," he said as he went below to expose her clit. He blew air over there and her body responded again. "See, you can resist," he claimed proudly and started sucking there.


    Adrianna''s pride was hurt and she thought, "Let me show him that I can resist his ministrations."


    As Dmitri sucked at her clit, she clenched her thighs more and more. She began to think of other things in order to divert her attention but her body was going against her. "I created- Ah- a portal- Ahhhh!"


    "Let us create babies darling," said Dmitri as he left her clit and went to her sweet spot.


    Adrianna''s mind came back to what he was doing. She started imagining what he was doing there as he used his tongue all over there. He separated her legs further. She could feel that the insides of her body were again tightening. She wanted to come, when all of a sudden Dmitri raised his head from there and asked, "What were you saying darling? You can resist me?"


    Adrianna gritted her teeth and shouted, "Dmitri, make me come now!"


    He smiled and sucked her making her instantly. Adrianna''s body jerked again and again. He got up from there and thrust his engorged inside her. He slammed it harder and harder until he came in her. Once he finished, he chuckled. "Adri, never say that again else I will make you come fifty times that day only as your punishment."


    Adrianna looked at him with half closed eyes that were drunk in his attraction and lust.


    They took a shower together where they again made love.


    When they came out, it was late in the evening. Both of them dressed. Adrianna wore a maroon gown that had slit until the thigh and her hair was tied in a bun. Dmitri was wearing his black tuxedo. When he looked at Adrianna, he was stunned. "You look beautiful, my wife. Is it the glow of my love?"


    Adrianna shook her head and replied, "Dmitri, stop bragging about your love-making skills. I look good because I am good." She laughed at her fantastic answer.


    "Hmm�� love making skills? Well, that was really kinky but I am good at them. I can make you come even in that gown of yours," he claimed as he saw that slit and thought of his way inside her.


    Adrianna read his thoughts and shouted, "Don''t even think about it!"


    Dmitri raised his hands up, "I am being challenged! I will do everything in my capacity to face that challenge."


    Adrianna looked at him. "I am sorry I told you that."


    "If you are sorry, I will punish you."


    Adrianna rolled her eyes and called Fleur to create the portal. The couple walked in the Royal Palace. Adrianna thought that they would go directly to the venue so she asked Fleur, "Why haven''t we gone to the meeting venue?"


    "You will have to take the carriage there," she answered and left.


    Dmitri was bemused. "Isn''t one of the parrots injured?"


    "They have replaced it with another one��"


    They went out where the carriage was waiting. It was important for them to show that they had come in the royal carriage to the ministry people, according to Isidorus and so he had instructed Fleur to get them in it.


    The carriage was airborne as soon as the couple sat inside and the security started flying beside it. This time they were keeping a close watch from all sides, as there was an extra layer of wizards that were flying beneath the carriage.


    They reached the venue within fifteen minutes.


    As they stepped out, they saw a beautiful dome shaped building in front of them. It was lit with various hued lights and there were stars floating all around it. It looked like heaven.


    "Where are we?" asked Dmitri fascinated by the decoration.


    "We are at Isidorus'' palace," said Fleur.


    A red carpet rolled out in front of them as they walked and rose petals started showering on them from the sky. "It''s a part of the welcome," chuckled Fleur when she found Dmitri gaping at it.

 Chapter 221 - This Is Dmitri, My Husband

    Dmitri and Adrianna walked to the venue on the red carpet. As they walked, the carpet would roll out making way for them. It ended just before the main entrance. When they reached the hall they found many people inside who were talking, drinking wine and socializing with each other. The atmosphere was that of merry-making as though some celebrations were going on. Both Adrianna and Dmitri were fascinated by the d��cor of the hall.


    The front door was wrapped in white light that looked as though a lightning bolt had been picked from the clouds and were tied to the door. At the feet lied several stars that were glowing and flickering. The ceiling of the hall was covered in chandeliers. There were so many chandeliers that not a single part of the ceiling was seen. There were bright yellow bulbs that lit the entire space up brightly as if the sun was up and about. The air was filled with fragrance from flowers that were freshly picked from the garden. The walls were bedecked with flowers. There was music playing somewhere in the background. It was so melodious that Dmitri felt elated and relaxed.


    While Dmitri and Adrianna were looking around with wondrous eyes, Professor Ziu approached them. "Good evening Adrianna," he said captivated by her beauty. She looked so gorgeous that he couldn''t keep his eyes off from her the moment she entered.


    "Good evening professor," said Adrianna with a smile. "This is Dmitri, my husband," she introduced Dmitri.


    Ziu pursed his lips and said a reserved "hello" to Dmitri. Dmitri smiled faintly at him as he mentally communicated Adrianna, "You better stay away from this guy. He is no good."


    Adrianna chided him mentally, "He is my professor. Please have some respect. Moreover, There is only one guy I can handle for now!"


    "Oh you mean there is only one guy whom you can''t resist," replied Dmitri shameless as he looked into her eyes with a raised eyebrow and his lopsided smile.


    Adrianna rolled her eyes.


    Ziu''s wonderful mood upon seeing Adrianna was marred the moment he met Dmitri. He was filled with sourness. Somehow he hid his bitterness and said, "Come in. Why are you standing here?" He guided the two of them inside to where some council of ministers was standing. As she noticed them, she nodded at all of them and in return got polite nods. Isidorus joined them almost immediately. He was happy to see that Adrianna was along with Dmitri. His purpose of calling Dmitri was to show them as a power couple to the rest of the ministers. After all Dmitri was the supreme alpha of the werewolf kingdom and Adrianna was not only his luna but a strong contender to the throne of the wizard kingdom.


    The young couple looked stately and people around couldn''t help being awe-struck by them. The servants came and served them with wine.


    Isidorus introduced them to all the ministers and their wives. Adrianna noticed that two of them were the ones who had also come to meet her to show their support. Adrianna nodded at them but she didn''t show that she knew them. The wives of the ministers were cordial yet distant. They were all wearing expensive jewelry and gowns while all the jewelry that Adrianna was wearing was the necklace Dmitri had gifted her and a pair of earrings Ookashi had given her long back. When Dmitri noticed that he felt bad and made a mental note of buying jewelry for her the first they are in the werewolf kingdom. He planned on taking her out to the best jewelry showroom available in the market.


    All the women out there them maintained a certain distance from Adrianna. Although Adrianna couldn''t pinpoint the reason, she thought that it was because she was a half werewolf and they were all pure bloods. None of them wanted to interact with a half werewolf.


    "Let them think what they have to," communicated Dmitri mentally. "It''s not your fault. You be comfortable with what you are and they have to deal with their problems."


    Adrianna sighed and sipped her wine ignoring them, but under Dmitri''s sharp scrutiny.


    "That''s the only glass of wine you are getting Adri," he warned her mentally.


    "Dmitri, please don''t kill my enjoyment. I can easily handle wine."


    "If you want enjoyment, why have wine, have me instead. I can intoxicate you better than wine," he replied shamelessly.


    "Dmitri! You shameless character," she shouted mentally at him. Others could see that Dmitri was rubbing his ears.


    "Only one glass," he repeated. He had seen her getting out of control when Niiya had taken her for a date and he had sabotaged that date. He smiled when he remembered that day. It was just too good.


    Adrianna wanted to retort but Isidorus broke their mental communication. "Come let me introduce you to Mihr."

 Chapter 222 - Requesting Private Audience

    "But I already know him Isidorus," said Adrianna.


    "I know," he said and walked to where Mihr was standing forcing Adrianna to follow him.


    Ziu and Isidorus, both went along with Adrianna and Dmitri to Mihr. Mihr was standing in a corner surrounded with other men.


    When they saw Isidorus and Adrianna approaching towards them, a heavy silence settled over all the people in that group. The silence was thicker than the tension in the atmosphere. Unsettled glances passed around as each of them tried to avoid catching Adrianna''s glance. Some shifted in their place and others grasped their nervous hands. Mihr looked at them with narrow eyes as he tightened his fist. There was so much ice in the atmosphere that Adrianna felt like fleeing away.


    "Why are we here?" asked Dmitri mentally, as the silence was also agitating him.


    "To meet Mihr," she replied as she stood there nervously holding the side of her gown with one hand. She waited for Isidorus to break the ice.


    "What is going on?" demanded Dmitri.


    "Nothing that carries any significance darling, don''t worry," she soothed him mentally even though she was appearing slightly nervous on the outside.


    "Oh! There you are!" said Isidorus as soon as he reached there as though meeting an old friend. "There was something very urgent I had to talk to you."


    "Hello Isidorus," said Mihr. Then he looked at Adrianna and Dmitri and nodded courteously.


    "Mihr, I heard that you have given orders to some wizards and witches to go to the human realm. Is that true?" asked Isidorus.


    Mihr looked as though he had been caught red handed. "They are there for an important mission."


    "Well, you must tell me what important mission have you sent them for? What''s so important that we have to send our people to the human realm? Are we not breaking the treaty by sending them there without purpose? You should understand that," chided Isidorus in front of his group of people.


    Mihr gulped for he knew that sending wizards to the human realm without letting the authorities know was illegal. It was gross violation of the treaty. He had sent them to collect data on their mineral reserves, especially gold, but his main purpose was something else.


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus. She raised her wine glass and said, "Isidorus, you do have a valid point, but if it is an important mission like spying on the humans, and if it will yield beneficial results to us, then why not? These are very minor things that wouldn''t harm the treaty in a large way."


    "Adrianna, this isn''t right. How can you say like that? After all when you will become the queen you will have to take every single matter very seriously," Isidorus reasoned with her.


    Ziu was taken aback at the way Adrianna was talking. He knitted his eyebrows. Even Dmitri looked displeased.


    Adrianna turned to Mihr and remarked, "I hope those people know what they are doing because we don''t want untoward attention."


    Mihr breathed a sigh of relief. If Adrianna would be by his side, then he didn''t have to bother about Isidorus'' accusations.


    Mihr chuckled and said, "Adrianna, I must say that you have a very mature and shrewd thinking."


    "Thanks Mihr," she replied and the ice was broken. Others also chimed in as both Isidorus and Ziu went somewhere else after talking a little more with them.


    Adrianna and Dmitri were left amongst Mihr and his men. Adrianna had gulped the entire glass of wine and picked another one.


    "It seems you are very nervous," said Dmitri provoking her mentally.


    "I am not nervous!" she retaliated.


    "Then why did you pick another glass? Should I show who is the man here by taking that glass out of your hand?" he warned her for the second time.


    "Okay! This is my last glass," she said with anger.


    She turned her gaze to Mihr and fluttered her eyes. "I would like to talk to you about something," she asked as though she was requesting private audience.


    Dmitri was shocked. "What is going on? Do you want me to kill this guy? How dare you flirt with him? He is your father''s age!"


    "Damn! I am not flirting! I need to talk to him about administrative matters. And if you will keep interfering my thoughts mentally, I will get very angry." Adrianna looked at Dmitri with clenched jaws and half smile. "Plus you can hear what I speak when I go inside. Just don''t come in between, okay?"


    Dmitri didn''t answer and glanced away.


    "Please don''t follow me inside. You will be able to hear what I have in mind from here also," she urged Dmitri asking him not to ruin her plans.


    "Sure Adrianna, what is it?" asked Mihr surprised at Adrianna''s request.

 Chapter 223 - You Are Betraying Isidorus

    Even though he didn''t feel like hearing her, her request for audience with him in private was something he was curious about. He guided her to a small room on the side of the hall. As they walked together, they attracted a lot of strange glances.


    When they went inside, Mihr closed the door behind him. It was a small room with green carpet, which looked like grass. There was only one small table flanked by four comfortable sofas on all sides. It looked like a tearoom.


    Adrianna didn''t sit. She walked to a sofa and stood behind it. She was the first to talk. "I know that you are opposed to me being the queen," she said and sipped her wine looking nonchalant.


    Mihr pursed his lips. He went to sit on the sofa opposite her.


    "However, I have a small proposition that I think may interest you."


    Mihr looked at her and scoffed, "Adrianna, don''t think that I am going to get into any trap of yours. I know very well that you are close to Isidorus. He had found you only to make you the queen. Everyone over here knows that I am opposed to you being the queen of the wizard kingdom. My daughter Nefasky stands a better chance and I will prove that she is going to be the queen and not you!"


    Adrianna ignored his outburst. When she heard Nefasky''s name, she remembered how she was involved in Liam''s poisoning and wanted to punish her. She seethed from inside. However, this wasn''t the time to show her emotions. "Don''t let others know what you are thinking." She reminded herself.


    She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Do you want to hear my proposition or not because as far as I know you will gain heavily from it. If you don''t want to hear, I will go��" Adrianna started walking out.


    She had to take chances with him and the age-old trick of not revealing anything until the other person''s interest peaked worked almost always. As soon as she turned the knob, he said, "Okay, tell me about it."


    Adrianna smiled. She turned back, kept the glass on the only table inside and sat down on the sofa opposite him. She crossed her legs, rested her back behind and said, "I am fed up of Isidorus ways. He is too nagging and I am getting irritated. I want to get that throne as soon as possible. The problem is that you people have put this one-moth-going-to-the-academy condition on me on a mandatory basis. It is ridiculous! I mean if I am the queen, just crown me. Why bother training me? Damn it!"


    Mihr looked at her as though he was looking at some silly person. Only a dumb person could say that. In his heart he knew that Isidorus had agreed to send Adrianna to the academy to learn various skills because it was for her betterment. Although his intentions were to buy more time.


    "So what do you want?" he asked with his hand on his chin.


    "Look, I want to be the queen as soon as possible. So why don''t the two of us collude? You show your support to me and push the other ministers to hurry up the process. When I will get the throne, I will give you the position of isidorus and you can practically run the wizard kingdom the way you like��" Adrianna picked her wine glass and sipped again. She looked at him with question in her eyes, "What do you think?"


    "Why, are you in a hurry to get the throne?" he asked.


    "Come on! Who wouldn''t want to be? Just cut the chase Mihr and let me know. I am getting very impatient now."


    Mihr snickered. This girl never wanted the throne initially. She was very quiet and demure. He was afraid of her because she never revealed her plans and had the backup of Isidorus. However, his fears were baseless. She turned out to be just any other teenage girl who lusted after power. She had become too arrogant in such short time.


    "Why would I listen to a girl who has hideous plans? You are betraying Isidorus, what are the chances you will not betray me?" he narrowed her eyes ate her.


    "Well, that is why I am offering you Isidorus'' position �C to show that I won''t betray you." She paused before continuing, "You can whatever you like. I will mostly be with Dmitri anyways."


    Mihr smiled inside. "I need time to think."


    "Okay," she shrugged and then got up to walk out. Just before she opened the room, she said, "I need an answer within a day''s time. Also if you tell anything about our meeting to Isidorus, remember Nefasky is in my class."


    Adrianna exited the room and Mihr sipped the wine from his glass.

 Chapter 224 - Where Is Rest Of The Women?

    When Adrianna stepped out, she saw Isidorus looking at her from far. She looked back at him with confidence and sipped her wine. Isidorus looked away and started talking to people around.


    Dmitri was standing flanked by a few of the female audience. Adrianna walked over to him and coughed, "It seems you have already got some nice company."


    "Yes, these are lovely women here. Let me introduce them to you," said Dmitri as he smiled at all of them. His lopsided smile was enough to flutter the hearts of those women. Instead of shaking hands with Adrianna as he introduced them to her one by one, they kept staring at him. One of them even shook hands with Dmitri when he said, "This is Candice."


    Adrianna gritted her teeth and circled her arms around his hand to show them all whose possession he was. "I feel so good when you are jealous Adri��" he mentally communicated with a grin on his face.


    "Should I show you how I feel and what I am capable of when I am jealous?"


    Dmitri sucked in air, "Ah! My fiery wife. What is it that you can do darling? Show me."


    Adrianna pulled Dmitri down with the collar and kissed him passionately on his lips smudging her lipstick on his lips. The display of affection was just too much to bear for the women.


    Dmitri thoroughly enjoyed his wife''s attention. "Thank you my darling," he said as he looked at her affectionately.


    The audience couldn''t bear the dog food and they left the couple sheepishly one by one. "See you soon Dmitri," they said and left giving glares to Adrianna who raised her glass to bid them bye bye.


    Dmitri looked around as though he was finding something.


    "What are you looking for?" she asked.


    He walked forward a little with one hand in his pocket and the other one being held by Adrianna. "Where is rest of the women?"


    Adrianna clenched her jaw. "You insolent man!"


    Dmitri had a hearty laughter.


    Watching from just a few meters away, Ziu hated Dmitro already. He looked way beyond handsome in that tuxedo. He looked refined. Against his perfect smooth fair skin, his black hair were neatly gelled and combed back. Although Ziu was one of the most handsome men on the wizard kingdom, that day he felt he paled in comparison to Dmitri and the only reason was that Adrianna looked fabulous next to him. Ziu wondered that id she was next to him, perhaps they would be the most beautiful couple on the face of the earth. He sipped his wine as he looked at him, jealousy simmering in his system. Oh, what he could do to wipe that smile off Dmitri''s face after Adrianna kissed him.


    Isidorus came back to them and took them around to meet more people before the dinner was announced. It was very late in the night when the party was over. Throughout that time, Ziu kept away from Adrianna. Dmitri''s popularity increased manifold.


    They thanked Isidorus and left the venue. When they reached the Royal Palace, both of them were tired. Adrianna wanted to sleep but Dmitri poured another glass of wine for himself. He didn''t change and went to the balcony of the bedroom. He sipped his wine as he was looked at the stars. It looked beautiful from there when he saw that the lights in the second realm were still burning. It was like a necklace of light, far away, among the dark hills.


    Adrianna had changed and she came from behind to back hug him. "What are you thinking Dmitri?"


    He smiled and said, "Nothing, love�� looking at those shimmering lights in the second realm." Adrianna went to his side and he circled her shoulders. They stood there in silence, enjoying each other''s company.


    Then on an afterthought he asked her, "I didn''t like what you were talking to with Mihr in the closed chambers. It is not like the woman I am married to. You were talking everything that is not in your nature. It appalled me for a moment but then I wonder if there is a deeper meaning to that��"


    "Dmitri, I don''t want to discuss it with you, but please do trust me��"


    "Are you so power hungry Adrianna?" he wasn''t satisfied with her answer.


    Adrianna became silent. "Just trust me please," she said. Then she mentally communicated, "It''s a part of a plan."


    Dmitri nodded and didn''t ask her anything after that. Adrianna wasn''t taking any chances of talking about it even in her bedroom, so it must be really important.


    Soon they retired to bed and the bed was surrounded with thousands of pink, white and red flowers. That night Dmitri couldn''t have enough of his wife''s love. His appetite for her was increasing with each passing day.

 Chapter 225 - Disguised As Nefasky

    Next day, Dmitri kept sleeping late while Adrianna dressed and went to the academy. She kissed him before leaving and chuckled seeing so many flowers that were crushed under them that night. Dmitri smiled faintly in his sleep. He looked exhausted.


    Professor Ziu was waiting for her when they reached the academy. Adrianna was late by a minute to his class. The class had settled. He was already very angry since yesterday night after seeing her with Dmitri and this was the breaking point of his patience. He was blinded by the rage that was building up in him and tasted bitter.


    "Is this the way you take academy? Do we look like morons to you that we will wait for you before the class starts? Have you started thinking yourself as the queen even before the crowing?" When he opened his mouth, he blurted those words without thinking. The bitterness in him came out in a way that he felt satisfied insulting her in front of the class.


    Adrianna was shocked. She looked down and said, "I am only late by a minute Professor Ziu."


    "Well, in that case you better understand that over here everyone''s time is precious and every minute counts. So better respect it."


    Adrianna said "Sorry Professor," and went to sit in her chair. Feeling insulted, she sat there quietly. Some of the students sitting around Nefasky started giggling in a stifled way. They had never seen Professor Ziu getting mad at Adrianna. It was definitely a moment to remember.


    Adrianna didn''t know why was Professor Ziu behaving in such a terrible manner, however, she accepted her mistake as she was a minute late to the class and stayed quiet. The class started and everyone became busy with new spells Ziu was teaching. Since they were new, many students were making errors but Ziu only pointed errors that Adrianna made. Adrianna was beginning to get irritated. She knew from her experience that if a professor was irritated by you, he or she could make your life hell.


    The potion class was a big relief to her because her group was free and she was sure that Lile must have thought of something.


    Lile rushed to Adrianna along with three boys in her group and said, "We have decided to take you with us Adrianna. I mean I couldn''t leave the only person who I like the most here." Lile laughed flicking her hair behind.


    Adrianna was immediately reminded of Ookashi. She laughed aloud.


    "What do we do now?" she asked.


    "Simple!" Lile said as she dragged Adrianna in the nearby toilet. She asked the boys stand guard over there and instructed them to reach a location on her sign.


    "Disguise," commanded Lile.


    "What?" Adrianna was shocked.


    "Disguise as a person you have seen lately," Lile insisted.


    Adrianna couldn''t think of anyone other than Nefasky, and so she disguised as her. Lile laughed, "Adrianna you are wicked. Nefasky will be caught for bunking the classes outside the academy." Lile couldn''t control her laughter as Adrianna shrugged her shoulders. "Who''s bothered?"


    Lile peeped out and signaled the boys. All of them created a vortex and reached outside the school premise into a beer bar.


    While the boys and Lile laughed, Adrianna warned them not to have beer there since they had to return to the academy anyway. "Are you mad? Who will go back to the academy now?"


    "What do you mean?" asked Adrianna wide eyed, as she felt the thrill in that activity. She had never been so mischievous. She laughed nervously.


    The five of them had some draft beer, which they were allowed and then headed out to a nearby shopping arcade. Over there they stopped at a shooting stall where they had to shoot arrows at the heart of a strange red colored tree. All of them won something or the other. They went to the train station to take the train across the kingdom. The train was made from glass on all sides and the floor was green grass turf. It looked so beautiful as the train ran through the kingdom through all three realms. Adrianna kept looking outside. It was a new and a fascinating experience for her.


    When they reached back the station, and came out of it, a few men came and surrounded them. Adrianna saw Mihr walking towards her, his face red with anger.


    He came to her and spoke in a nasty tone, "What did I ask you to do when you were there in the academy?"


    Adrianna remembered that she had disguised as Nefasky. She thought of revealing the truth. Before she could do that, Mihr grabbed her hand and pulled her to a side, away form others. He spoke with clenched jaws, "Didn''t I ask you to keep a watch on Adrianna?"


    Adrianna''s eyes were wide with shock. She stared at him.

 Chapter 226 - Danger Lurking Around

    Adrianna was shocked beyond words when she heard Mihr''s disclosure. There were some obstacles at every step, some danger always lurking around her. Even Nefasky�� Then what was she even thinking? She should have known about it long back when she came to know that Nefasky was Mihr''s daughter.


    Mihr was staring right into her eyes as though he would bore a hole in her head. "Can''t you do a small thing sincerely? I am here trying to give you a chance to become the queen, and you are spending time with these fools?"


    He called his man and asked, "What time is it?"


    "It is 4PM," he replied.


    He pushed Adrianna ahead and said, "It is time to go back home. Come with me to home in the carriage." Then he looked at her friends and added, "These fools can find their way back."


    Adrianna panicked. "But- but I can''t go with you," she protested.


    "What do you mean you can''t go back with me? You stupid girl, go and sit in the carriage!" she shouted at her.


    Lile and other boys looked at Adrianna as their mouth fell open. They started walking towards Adrianna but Mihr''s men immediately blocked them. Angry at his daughter''s resistance, Mihr held her hand and dragged her to the carriage as Lile and boys kept looking at her helplessly.


    Mihr shoved in the carriage. Adrianna sat in Mihr''s carriage quietly. Goose bumps lined her skin as to what would happen if he would know her secret. She started biting her nails. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes as her anxieties increased.


    "If it had been any other day, I would have just grounded you for two days, but this is important, so I won''t ground you but my men are going to stay outside the academy everyday to report about you. They will be present everywhere in the wizard kingdom, so don''t mess it!" he lashed at her and warned her.


    Adrianna nodded.


    "I had asked you to keep a tab on Adrianna. She is our target right now. Don''t you remember what Cy told you?" he continued.


    "Cy!" Adrianna blurted sounding shocked. She closed her mouth with her hands immediately.


    Mihr narrowed his eyes as though she was hiding something from him. "What is it?" he demanded to know.


    Adrianna shook her head, "Nothing- nothing- I am- I am- sorry father," she said.


    Mihr looked at her with blazing eyes and then slowly his frown cleared much to Adrianna''s relief. He relaxed and sat back in the seat. "It''s okay Nefasky. But from now on you should be careful. Adrianna is way too intelligent and smart. She has a lot of experience as compared to you. She has interacted with humans, she is half werewolf and a half witch. I mean what else would you want from your ruler? The fact that she is so poised always gives me shudders. I want to know what is going on inside that sharp brain of hers and that is why I have asked to keep a watch on her."


    Adrianna nodded. "I will be more careful from now on."


    Mihr looked away and then remained silent throughout the journey.


    It was extremely easy for wizard or witch to be disguised as someone else. Although it was difficult for the eyes of humans and werewolves to detect the disguise, it was very easy for the wizards or witches. They could tell in a minute who that was. Lile and the boys were extremely worried about it when Adrianna was caught as Nefasky. However, they were even more shocked when a wizard like Mihr couldn''t detect the disguise. Was Adrianna''s magic so powerful that her disguise was undetectable? When they were coming to her rescue, although Mihr''s men stopped them, even Adrianna glanced at them and warned them not to do anything. They decided to keep their lips sealed.


    The carriage stopped in front of Mihr''s house in the second realm. It was a palatial house and Adrianna couldn''t help but appreciate the luxurious surroundings she had stepped in. She followed Mihr. Mihr started going to his bedroom, and she followed him up the stairs to his room. Mihr stopped midway and looked down at her, "What do you want?"


    "Nothing��"


    "Then why are you following me? Go to your room!" he barked.


    Adrianna turned immediately back and started going down the stairs. Her eyes darted around to find Nefasky''s room. She had to be there as soon as possible and then disappear. All of a sudden a lady called her, "Nefasky, what are you doing here? I just saw you at the pool." She looked extremely well dressed and bore a strong resemblance to Nefasky.


    "I- I forgot something��" she replied and then rushed inside.


    "Tell me what do you want Nefasky," shouted Nefasky''s mother behind her.


    "Nothing," she said and ran away.


    Nefasky''s mother frowned and left shaking her head.


    Adrianna ran inside a room that she thought was empty. She closed the doors behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She could now create the vortex. Just as she was about to do that, a boy walked out of a closet.

 Chapter 227 - A Single Chance To Kill Her

    He was wearing a towel and looked no more than ten years old. "Nefasky! You stupid girl," he shouted at her and threw a stick from his collection at her. "I have just come from taking bath. Why have you entered in my room? Didn''t I tell you to stay away yesterday?"


    That was Nefasky''s ten year old brother. His parents had given him a puppy as a pet that they had brought from the human realm who was lying on his bed with his tummy upwards. The child was under the impression that a wand is made out of the finest wood and so he collected lots of them.


    Adrianna ducked in order to save herself, but the wooden stick had hit her cheek. The stick was sharp and it hit Adrianna''s cheek, which started bleeding a little. In panic, Adrianna lifted the stick and ran out of the room, closing the door behind her. She was cursing herself for unwanted in this useless situation. Why the hell did she even disguise as Nefasky? She frantically started looking for another room or an exit. She found an alley and dashed towards it.


    The alley was dark and thankfully it was quiet. It led into a dimly lit room that looked like a study room. Adrianna walked inside and she was about to create the vortex, when she heard a man speaking from behind the wall. "It has been so many days Mihr. We have had enough time to eliminate Adrianna. However, you''ve slacked so much. What is wrong with your plan?"


    Adrianna was surprised as to where were the voices coming from. The room was small and other than a table, a chair and a bookshelf, there was nothing else.


    "It''s not easy to take down a person like Adrianna when all the time she is surrounded by so much security and Isidorus is himself watching her like a hawk," answered Mihr.


    "Do you mean to say that you are failing?"


    Adrianna walked towards the bookshelf from where the voices seemed to come.


    "Don''t tell me that you didn''t get a single chance to kill her?"


    Adrianna went and stood near the bookshelf with bated breath. Perhaps there was another room behind the bookshelf.


    "Tell Cy that I am trying and if he will keep sending his messengers every now and then, I will not like it," replied Mihr very angrily.


    "It is not easy for us to come to the wizard kingdom, Mihr! Had you been doing your job properly, we wouldn''t have shown our face!" shouted the other wizard.


    Adrianna''s mind raced to the conversation she had with Mihr a day before. She wondered if he would speak about it.


    "In that case, don''t come and disturb me every time. I am getting fed up. I have already sent some wizards to the human realm for the purpose of extracting information about Adrianna. If there is any development here, I will send information to Cy via those wizards. No need to show your face here as it puts me in danger. These days Isidorus has tightened his security everywhere," replied Cy.


    The fact that he didn''t reveal his conversation with her meant that he was considering the option. Perhaps he was in a dilemma. Adrianna came to the conclusion that Mihr had been contemplating a lot of things for now. Perhaps he would weigh his options and act accordingly. But for today she had got a lot of information about him and even though she had been in this situation by chance, it was worth it.


    The blood from her cheek had dropped on her robe. It was a slightly deep cut and she felt pain and burning sensation. She sighed.


    "Who''s there?" came a voice from inside.


    Adrianna closed her mouth with her hands. She had committed a grave mistake.


    All of a sudden the bookshelf started moving to the left. There was a movement as she heard footsteps in her direction. This was the time. She closed her eyes and created the vortex. The bookshelf opened and Mihr emerged from behind it. He picked up the stick from there and gritted his teeth. He had to perform spells on his son in order for him to forget past one hour''s incidents.


    Adrianna walked into the Royal Palace. She was shaking from the recent string of incidents that she had experienced. Thankfully, she escaped just in time.


    There was so much information. She sat on her bed with her head in her hands. Should she tell about it to Isidorus? She wanted to tell about it to Dmitri, but then what purpose would it serve? She went to take a bath. By the time she was back, her mind was clear. She summoned Isidorus.


    Adrianna stepped out of her bedroom and found Isidorus waiting for her. She told him everything. Isidorus didn''t look surprised. He went in deep thought.


    Adrianna said, "How did Cy''s men enter the wizard kingdom despite heavy security around? It only means that there is someone other than Mihr who is helping them!"

 Chapter 228 - Survival Skills Of The Students

    Isidorus went into deep thought. He had tightened the security to such an extent that even a bird couldn''t enter the wizard kingdom unless wanted. He raced his mind everywhere but couldn''t pinpoint the problem. He said, "It is highly possible that someone from inside is helping them. I will put my people on high alert. However, you have to play as if you don''t know anything about it, okay?"


    Adrianna nodded.


    "How come the students didn''t assemble in the gardens today in the morning? Professor Ziu was supposed to announce the second stage of competition," she asked remembering how temperamental Professor Ziu was in the morning.


    "It seems that the ministry hadn''t sent the final draft to him��"


    "So when will they announce it?"


    "Perhaps tomorrow," said Isidorus.


    Adrianna went on to narrate her day at Mihr''s house that day. Isidorus laughed. He noticed that there was a scar on her cheek. "I hope this heals fast so that no one is suspicious."


    "It will heal by the morning," she replied. "You are finding this funny, but I was scared that if anyone found my disguise, I''d be dead." She started laughing nervously.


    Isidorus stared at her as he realized. "How come no one could detect you?"


    "Because I disguised myself," replied Adrianna with a shrug.


    Isidorus blinked his eyes at her.


    Then she went on to talk about how strong an opponent Mihr thinks she is totally oblivious of his looks.


    Everyday Isidorus was getting to know something special about Adrianna. He wanted to crown her as soon as possible. Only if those opponents started yielding just a wee bit��


    At the end of the conversation, Isidorus said, "Adrianna, be careful from now onwards. We have thrown the bait at Mihr. It is possible that he may not take it, so just don''t do anything that will make you look foolish."


    Adrianna smiled and gestured zipping her lips. She was beginning to like Isidorus and could even joke with him occasionally.


    That night she didn''t go back to the werewolf realm as Dmitri had mentioned that he would be hunting with the pack in the night.


    Adrianna slept early, tired from the day''s activities.


    ---


    Next day in the wizard academy, all the students gathered in the garden. Professor Ziu was standing along with other professors. Adrianna could see Professor Coral and Professor Lane too.


    Lile was standing right beside her. She nudged Adrianna and said, "Adrianna, how was your day yesterday?"


    Adrianna chuckled when she thought of her adventure. "Will tell you with details when this assembly is over."


    A student behind them hushed the two of them.


    "The second stage of competition will test the survival skills of the students. You all will be left in wilderness where you won''t be able to use your magic. You will be there for a period of two days with nothing but a bottle of water and one time meal. You will also be given the flare that you can use during emergency. The notice with details is already on display on the notice board. Read the notice carefully, and if you have doubts ask your professors."


    All students became extremely attentive. There was a wave of excitement amongst them. The assembly was dismissed soon after a few more announcements and the students flocked to the notice board.


    Adrianna went there along with Lile. They had to push a few students around them to make way. When they reached there, they saw that there was a huge picture of snow covered mountains behind the notice. Adrianna looked at the picture and then noticed a small hut in the background. She narrowed her eyes to look at it closely. He mouth fell when recognition dawned upon her. It was Ed''s hut �C the inn where he stayed currently.


    How could ministry treat his hideout so lightly? Her anger boiled up. Without reading the notice, she went to the headmaster''s room. She started to knock the door there but stopped and retreated her hand. Professor Ziu didn''t know anything about Ed. She had to inform Isidorus to keep Ed safe. She exhaled aloud and walked away from there. Ziu opened the door to see who was there and saw her walking away. He stared at her from behind.


    In the magic spell class, she was not able to pay attention. Her mind wandered to Ed''s safety. When the class got over, she went to the Royal Guest House for the first time and summoned Isidorus. She was hardly bothered that she was getting late for the potion class.


    "The second stage of the competition is held in the wilderness where Ed is. This is detrimental for his safety. You should get the place changed," she blurted as soon as Isidorus appeared.


    Isidorus went and sat down on the sofa in front and then looked at her. "More than Ed you should be bothered about your safety over there."

 Chapter 229 - Find Someone Else To Help You

    Adrianna looked at Isidorus with a frown. "My safety? What do you mean? I can easily take care of myself."


    Isidorus stared at her, "It is a full moon on the first night of your competition."


    Adrianna''s face fell. She felt a shiver running down her spine. Her lips became dry, as she stared blankly at him. She became afraid of herself. Her stress was visible and her brain functioned less accurately. Her stress hormones chose to amp up what she feared every full moon night. This was her weak point and she felt she would crack up. If anyone would come to know about it, it would only spread hate amongst the fellow students. Her breath quickened as sweat drops showed on her forehead.


    "Isidorus, this isn''t right. You know that I am out of control in that state. I don''t recognize anyone. This is going to be disastrous if I come in contact with any student. Please do something to avoid this catastrophe," she pleaded Isidorus. All that she was thinking about Ed had taken a backseat as the dread crept over her like a chilly winter day, numbing her brain. There was no avoiding it.


    "You have to think of a plan Adrianna and manage it on your own. All I can do is keep Ed there in the inn so that in case of casualties, he is there to take care of."


    The tables had turned. She was thinking of getting Ed out and now she wanted Ed to be there. Last time, she had injured Dmitri very dangerously. Her heart ached. Would she injure Ed this time?


    "No! You must take Ed out of there," her mind protested.


    "No Adrianna, this is a part of the deal. Ed stays there."


    Adrianna''s eyes became moist. There was no backing out now.


    "When does the competition commence?" she asked.


    "In three days from today." After saying that Isidorus left her.


    Adrianna went to her bedroom with a heavy heart. This was so sudden. She had to devise a plan to avoid everyone during the first night of the competition.


    She didn''t sleep for a long time that night. Dmitri hadn''t returned from hunting. She wanted to talk to him and got restless with each passing minute. She went to the balcony of her bedroom. She looked down at the wizard realm. It looked beautiful as the lights shimmered all across the hills and beyond.


    Was she the right person to be their queen? She couldn''t even control herself on a full moon night, how would she control the most powerful kingdom on the face of the earth? Her mind was full of too many thoughts. Her eyes became heavy with tension. She went to bed and lied. As soon as she lied, she could smell a relaxing perfume in the air. The flowers outside had blossomed for their queen to emit therapeutic aroma. Adrianna closed her eyes and slowly entered the dreamland.


    Next two days, Adrianna became busy with her classes. Professor Ziu''s anger came down and he was back to his normal self.


    One day when she was contemplating her plan, he went to her to ask her, "Adrianna, have you read the notice carefully?"


    Adrianna looked at him with a startle, and said, "Yes, Sir."


    "I hope you are ready because this time no magic will be allowed. Only your wit and will to live will be your companion. All students will be on their own. It is possible that there are confrontations��" he explained things to her very gently.


    "Yes Professor."


    Ziu looked at her beautiful face and then gulped. "When you come back from the second stage of competition, there is something I would like to discuss with you��"


    "Sure," said Adrianna as she took her hand to her neck and stroked it a little exposing her mark. Ziu saw it and became stiff. "What is that mark?" he asked even though he knew the answer.


    "That is Dmitri''s mark," she replied with a shy smile.


    Ziu only felt more pained at heart. He was beginning to feed on the pain she was giving him unknowingly. He wanted to escape from that pain and felt like stabbing his heart. Without saying a word, he turned and left, much to Adrianna''s shock.


    When he left, Adrianna went back into her plan mode. She was disturbed by Lile.


    "Adrianna, I have been looking for you," said Lile in her chirpy voice.


    "Why?" asked Adrianna with a smile.


    "Even though we all will be entering the wilderness from various portals, which will open in different places, let''s plan to meet each other at one point."


    "What point?" asked Adrianna fearing what was about to come.


    "Let''s meet near that little hut."


    "No, we are not allowed to go there!" Adrianna said with anger.


    Lile jerked her head behind, "Woah! Why are you so worked up? Almost all are planning to meet somewhere near it."


    "But that is the breach of rules."


    Lile lowered her head. "Adrianna, what do we do? I am scared."


    Adrianna looked at Lile with sadness in her eyes. "Lile, I don''t want to be near you or anyone during the competition. Just don''t come near me, okay?"


    "Adrianna, all friends are planning to help each other," Lile said. "I am all alone. Other than you there is no other friend I have."


    "Sorry Lile, don''t come near me. Find someone else to help you out," said Adrianna firmly. She got up and walked away from there, her heart aching for her friend.

 Chapter 230 - Afraid For Tomorrow?

    Lile was speechless at Adrianna''s behavior. She went after her, but Adrianna had gone far ahead. She had turned into an alley where Lile wasn''t allowed. Lile went out to stand on the edge of the alley that opened in the academy garden. Other than the noise of the flags flapping in the near gale, there was hardly any other sound. She looked above at the sky, as she sighed. Her heart beat a little faster thinking about how traitorous Adrianna was. She asked for help one time and Adrianna refused instantly. Was she her friend, even once? Her inner peace was shattered and she felt she had to settle the score. The bell rang for the next class and the day continued. Lile didn''t know where else to go other than those three boys that were with her in the potion class.


    Since there was no potion class, Adrianna was called by Ziu. He had a lot of tasks for her. There were many spells that she had to learn, and he wanted to complete them all in a day. It was getting difficult for Adrianna, as her mind was preoccupied. She wanted to talk to Dmitri urgently. There was no one else who knew of her predicament. Isidorus had already made his stance clear. As the day was ending, Adrianna was getting all the more nervous.


    Ziu had noticed her. He wanted to comfort her but at the same time, he wanted to punish her. He was in a dilemma about what to do with his own feelings. He left her on her own for some time on the pretext of meeting people in order to clear his mind.


    Adrianna walked out of the room. She missed Liam''s presence who had been called by Dmitri to help him around. Adrianna knew that Liam was better off in the werewolf kingdom than over here. She crossed her arms across her chest as the cold breeze passed. Her slender fingers pressed into the skin of her forearms almost to the point of pain. She was scared of the future that loomed before her. She feared what loomed before her.


    Ziu came back from his room where he had sat down in his chair for some time. He was in the most awkward situation. He couldn''t stop his feelings towards Adrianna and she was marked by Dmitri. They were soul mates �C only death could part them and then also the other one lived a life of misery. He shook his head as to what had he gotten him into. He needed a break from all that was happening around him�� He walked out of his room and went back to Adrianna. She was standing outside the room. He called her and said, "Adrianna, let''s continue."


    Adrianna was deep in her thoughts when he called from behind. Startled, she looked at him and nodded.


    When the class ended, Ziu said, "Adrianna, if I am not wrong you are thinking about tomorrow?"


    For a moment she thought he knew of her secret. She waited for him to speak further.


    "If you feel that you are not able to sustain the hardship even for a day, you can send us that signal and we will take you back. Okay?"


    She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay."


    "Be here tomorrow morning on time. We have already made the list of students as to who will enter through which portal."


    "Yes," came a monotonous reply.


    "I am sure you can make it Adrianna, don''t take yourself so seriously."


    Adrianna looked down at her robe.


    Seeing that she was unwilling to speak much, Ziu left. There was nothing he could add further. He couldn''t show favoritism to her nor could he help her. He could only encourage her.


    Adrianna went to the Royal Palace. She walked around the garden to distract herself but she went back to thinking the same. She decided to visit Dmitri and called Fleur to create the portal. She wondered why was Ziu so secretive about her portal and thought of asking about it to Isidorus the next time they met.


    Adrianna walked through the portal in the bedroom only to find it empty but she felt home. She went and lied in bed. She felt so peaceful that she dozed off. She woke up an hour later and went downstairs to eat dinner. To her surprise Dmitri was already there, eating his dinner. She rushed down the stairs, "Dmitri!" she shouted excitedly from behind and ran to him. Dmitri looked in her direction and gave her a huge smile. She went and hugged him from behind. She kissed him. "Where were you hubby? I missed you so much."


    Dmitri pulled her in his lap and kissed her lips as she circled her arms around his neck.


    "Afraid for tomorrow?" he asked as he read her mind.


    "Yes��"


    Dmitri started eating again and fed her from his plate. "Eat first and then we will talk."

 Chapter 231 - The Moon Goddess!

    Every gesture of Dmitri''s was comforting. She loved being fed like a baby. He kept giving her food while just rested her head on his shoulders and munched it. They went upstairs to the bedroom after eating dinner.


    While they were lying down side by side, Adrianna said, "How was your hunting time with the pack? Did you all catch something good?"


    Dmitri laughed, "Of course yes! The winters are arriving and we have to stock up our food godowns otherwise how are we going to survive it? Even though all the packs hunt their own food, when their stock lessens, they come to my pack for help."


    "In that I am sure there must be packs who would hardly put effort in hunting, as they always have you as a backup plan," remarked Adrianna feeling that this was not justified.


    Dmitri laughed at her naivety. "It doesn''t work that way dear," he said brushing her fair skin on the cheeks. "They all hunt. Hunting is the primal nature of the werewolves. We hunt when we are hungry and it can become dangerous when we get hungry and don''t get food. All the packs search for their food during this time."


    "Hmm��"


    "Tomorrow you will enter into the competition arena?" he asked.


    "Yes, I am scared Dmitri," she replied as she dug her face in his chest while he wrapped his legs around her.


    "Its only one night darling. It''s a lot of wilderness. Find a good spot before the night and stay hidden there."


    "I will do that but I am scared that no student comes there around me," she answered. "We are going to the place where Ed is. If Ed comes out, his safety will be in jeopardy. I don''t want him to come out during that time."


    "I am sure he had been informed about it Adrianna," said Dmitri trying to allay her fears. Then he thought of a plan and said, "Adri, why don''t you come near the cave entrance an hour before the night falls? I will keep the entrance open for you and you can stay there for the entire night."


    "And then jeopardize your safety? Never! Plus you are not allowed to go there."


    "I am not allowed to come inside the arena, but how does that cave fall in the arena? It is outside," he spoke trying to drill sense into her.


    Adrianna thought for a while and then answered, "Dmitri that would mean that I have left the competition grounds, which isn''t allowed."


    "That is the best solution Adri. That way no one will ever discover your secret."


    Adrianna was tempted to do what Dmitri had said. "You are right Dmitri, at least others would be safe��" She sat down and then instructed him, "Open the entrance an hour before, okay? I will handle myself until then."


    "Sure darling."


    "As soon as you have opened it, go away from there," she said and then suddenly she remembered what had happened last time when they were almost attacked by Cy''s man. "Dmitri, no! Don''t even think of coming there. It is too risky."


    "Don''t worry Adri. I can do it along with Fleur. Both of us would be able to carry out the plan nicely. Just leave it to me, okay?"


    Adrianna shook her head. This was just too dangerous for Dmitri. If he failed to go back on time, he would have to face Adrianna and if he manages to go back on time, he might have to face danger in the jungle. Thinking that Adrianna shuddered. "No, you will not come anywhere near it!" she shouted at him. "That''s it."


    She hugged him tightly like a scared cat. She whispered, "I cannot let you get in any danger, and this is not just any danger. This is double of what you are thinking��"


    "Hush Adri�� calm down. Okay, I won''t come but don''t get panicky. Let''s not think about it any more. Let''s just sleep on it. Please?" He stroked her back to calm her nerves.


    Adrianna nodded. This was her battle and she had to emerge out of it as a winner. If she would survive the full moon night, it would become easier.


    Both of them became quiet and tried to sleep but sleep was eluding their eyes. Both were in a lot of tension. They could feel each others pain and it led to sleepless hours. However, none of them spoke, hoping that the other would sleep. Finally both of them slept past midnight and entered their dreamland.


    It had just been a few minutes that Adrianna felt as though she was walking in the air and was sheathed in bright white light. She was startled and walked towards the source of the light. It looked as if there was a person standing there from where the light was being emitted.


    Shocked, she asked, "Who are you?"


    "I am Selena, your goddess," came a soft reply.


    Adrianna was speechless. The Moon Goddess!

 Chapter 232 - Second Stage Of The Competition (1)

    Adrianna was shocked beyond words. Through the lights that were illuminating from all around her, she could see a woman whose beauty was unearthly. She suddenly felt as though she was deeply loved and protected. She bent down on her knees as she could feel deep empathy and kindness in her heart. She wanted to embrace all the beauty that was spread around her, and not the beauty that was physical, it was coming from deep within. That higher being in front of her invoked feeling that were like a gentle stream over pebbles. Adrianna wanted to embrace her and be in peace.


    "No child, you cannot come to me so soon," said the Moon Goddess reading her mind.


    Adrianna''s eyes became moist. "Do you know where my mother is?"


    "I am your mother," she replied.


    Adrianna''s tears started flowing out. "Then why did you leave me so soon? I am scared �C scared and lonely. I don''t want to hurt my near and dear ones anymore. Wither you take me with you or take away this curse from me?" she cried like a child creating a fuss around her mother.


    "Adrianna, I want you to imagine the person you love, someone whom you would die for," said Moon Goddess understanding the turmoil in her heart.


    Adrianna could only think of two people �C Dmitri and Ed.


    "Imagine someone about to harm them. Will you stand in their way fully knowing that you will be the one who will receive the deadly blow?"


    "Yes, of course I will," she replied.


    "Concentrate on that moment when you will stand in the way and step forward. Feel the love in your heart, your soul. How protective and resolute are you going to be?"


    Adrianna couldn''t even fathom her deep feelings for the two most important men in her life. "I can die for them��"


    "If you can die for them, they can die for you," she replied making herself crystal clear. "Remember, you are the center of someone''s universe. You still have a lot of tasks to do in front of you. Let them help you otherwise they will feel let down." The way Moon Goddess explained everything suddenly made sense.


    Adrianna wiped her tears as she realized that she shouldn''t hesitate in taking support from those she loved because if they won''t help her in her difficult times, who would. She smiled feeling lighter.


    The Moon Goddess gave her a beatific smile. "You are too young, my child. From now onwards, don''t feel that you are all alone. You will find me every time you are in a dilemma."


    This was the first time Adrianna had seen her. Was she dreaming? Was Moon Goddess really her mother? Adrianna''s smile increased. She felt herself being encompassed into lots of love that radiated out of the goddess. All of a sudden the light became much brighter. It almost blinded her. Adrianna closed her eyes by bringing her hand in front of them. The next moment there was darkness all around her. Adrianna woke up with a start. "What was that?" she muttered. She looked to her left. Dmitri was sleeping right beside her with his arms and legs wrapped around her. She smiled at him. She stroked his cheeks and whispered, "I''d die for you��"


    He whispered back, "I''d die for you too�� Perhaps, I can lie for you��"


    Adrianna chuckled. That was a dream but it was so real. She could almost feel the spirit of the Moon Goddess. She felt better and resolute. Yes, she was ready for tomorrow. It was just one night. Adrianna drifted off in a peaceful sleep.


    The Next Day:


    Adrianna woke up early in the morning. She dressed up for the academy and then woke up Dmitri. She told him her plan. He was still in bed and his hair was all messed up. He looked seductive as he focused and listened to her plan. Adrianna had to control her thoughts many times to complete her plan. And when she did, Dmitri got up from bed, picked her up and kissed her passionately. "Did you forget that I can hear your thoughts?" he said with a frown making her blush.


    "Now go to your academy and be fearless," he encouraged her as he placed her on the ground. Then Dmitri went to the closet and brought a fur coat from there. Adrianna remembered that it was a fur coat that was made from the skin of a bear that Dmitri had killed singlehandedly. He had made her wear that coat. "This will keep you warm."


    Adrianna giggled and walked right in front of the gates of the academy through the portal Fleur had created. The guards recognized her and opened the gates for her.


    All the senior students and professors were standing in the garden of the academy. The students were lined up in neat rows. Adrianna walked to one of the rows. She saw that Lile was standing in the same row. She smiled at Lile but Lile didn''s respond. She maintained a cold expression.


    The professors started giving the students the basic necessities for the competiton. All the students had come wearing thick fur coats as instructed in the notice.

 Chapter 233 - Second Stage Of The Competition (2)

    Once the students were handed over the basic necessities, they lined up to enter the portals. Each student was given a flare torch just before they entered different portals.


    Adrianna took the flare torch from Professor Ziu. Just before she entered, he cautioned her, "Be careful." Adrianna nodded enthusiastically and entered the portal. What she stepped out into was unimaginable. There were snow covered mountains everywhere. It was a dessert of snow. She looked around in all directions. Except her there was no one. She spotted some pine trees that were covered in snow that looked like tiny dots from where she was. Their green spiky leaves were trying to poke their way out of snow.


    Adrianna started walking towards them. The snow was soft and so every step she took went deep inside. "This is going to take forever," she thought and once again looked around for hard snow but there was none. She had to reach that place somehow for shelter. The descent was pretty steep. Adrianna knew that if she hurried, she might fall. So the first thing she did was to face outward from the slope. Then she rammed her heal into the snow as she pointed her toes to the sky. That ways, she walked safely down the slope. She was just a few meters away from the trees that she heard a loud scream coming from behind.


    "Heeelllppp!" A student was shouting as he was wrapped in snow all around him with his feet and head protruding out. He looked like a live giant snowball. The giant snowball hit the trees in front with a huge impact. The student fell out of it far away as Adrianna noticed him with fear in her eyes. Had he hit his head first, he would have died. He laid there on snow with eyes closed.


    Adrinna managed to to walk to him. She bent down to check his breath. "She slapped him lightly on cheeks and asked, "Are you okay?"


    The student opened his eyes and asked, "Am I dead?"


    Adrianna got up from there shaking her head. She said, "No," and walked away from there.


    The boy got up from his place shakily. "That was a stupid move," he said scratching his head. He stood from his place and started following Adrianna.


    "Hi! My name is Raz."


    "Hello Raz," replied Adrianna nonchalantly started picking the twigs and large leafy branches from the ground.


    "I know you Adrianna!" Said Raz excited to find someone and that too winner of the first stage of the competition. He also started picking the branches after keeping his backpack nearby.


    When they had a lot of branches, Adrianna took her knife out and shaped them one after the other. "Hey Adrianna, I know how to build a good shelter. Leave it to me." Said Raz wanting to show his skill.


    "If only you will build it, you will soon tire out. Together we will build it," she said firmly.


    In the next one hour, the two of them had built a fantastic shelter. It was big enough for 4 to sleep inside. Feeling happy at his creation Raz sat down on a rocky outcrop and grinned. Exhausted, Adrianna sat inside the shelter and took out the meal that was given to them. She had to ration it.


    As soon as she opened it, Raz came inside the shelter. "Adrianna, don''t eat that!" He stopped her.


    "Raz, I am hungry," she replied irritated by him.


    "Wait! I sneaked in some biscuits and cake!" He said excited like a child.


    Adrianna gaped at him.


    "Oh, stop judging me! All of my friends sneaked in some or the other snacks, just ended not to get caught," said Raz with a smile as he opened the backpack and took out punch cake. Adrianna laughed as she accepted cake from him.


    Raz shrugged his his shoulders and laughed along with her.


    After they had had two or three sumptuous helping, they felt relaxed and Raz slept rolling off in a corner. Adrianna looked at him and felt sleepy. She had to find the inn as soon as possible. She decided to sleep a little and then take off.


    She he woke up an hour later and saw that Raz was still sleeping. The sun had come overhead. Quietly she collected her belongings from there and came out of the shelter. She went to the trees and marked them with her knife. As soon as she started to go, Raz woke up.


    "Where are you going?" He asked.


    she didn''t reply and walked. "Don''t go Adrianna. According to the notice we need to hunt for our food here... our stock won''t last long. Let''s hunt together.


    "Can''t you do it on your own? Why are you clinging to me?" Adrianna started walking away.


    "I can do it on my own, but the two of us will do it quickly."


    "You are saying as though there is something to hunt on a platter."


    "And if there is?"


    Adriannna frowned upon him.


    "While I was rolling down, I saw a pair of deer just a few meters away."


    "They must have galloped away by now!"


    "Impossible!" He said as he picked a long sleek branch to make a bow.

 Chapter 234 - Second Stage Of The Competition (3)

    Raz sharpened some arrows and tied a strong flexible branch across to make a good bow. He pulled the string in order to see its strength. He smiled at his success and looked at Adrianna, who was also making a bow. When she had made it, both of them laughed mildly at each other.


    "Let''s go," Raz said. They left their backpacks in the shelter and walked towards the place Raz had mentioned. It was higher up and they had tough time going there. It was noon and Adrianna couldn''t help but think that she had to find the inn.


    It took them twenty minutes to reach the spot.


    "There''s nothing here," exclaimed Adrianna feeling that she had wasted her time.


    Suddenly Raz gestured her to stay quiet. He pulled her behind a pine tree. They saw a herd of deer walking magestically in that snow. There were no more than seven of them but they looked beautiful against the backdrop of snow. Raz put his arrow on the bow and pulled it making a twang sound.


    "I''d hate to see them die," whispered Adrianna with a sad expression.


    Then she looked towards Raz. He had pointed his arrow at her. "How about you die?"


    Adrianna stared at him. Raz''s eyes were blazing. They looked like that of a maniac. He licked his lips and said, "We''ve been trying to eliminate you from such a long time, but you have some survival skills."


    "You are insane," Said Adrianna as she started to walk backwards.


    "No, I am just another assassin in his army."


    "Whose army''s?"


    Raz laughed. "Army of the person who would rule the wizard kingdom."


    Raz pointed his arrow at her and pulled the string. "Finally I get the chance to kill you, bitch! Imagine the glory I will achieve."


    Adrianna started running away from him.


    "Run, bitch, run!" Raz pulled the arrow and shot in her direction after allowing her to run a few meters away.


    Adrianna ducked as she saw it coming in her direction. "Raz stop it," she shouted as the arrow missed her. But Raz had pulled another one. Adrianna was extremely angry. She growled menacingly at him.


    Instead of of running away from him, she started running towards him and shape shifted as she leapt in air and landed right on him. She pinned him to the ground with her paws. Raz was horrified as he looked into the golden yellow eyes of Adrianna. Everything happened in a matter of few seconds. Raz didn''t get a chance to understand what had happened. Adrianna growled at him. All of a sudden she saw that he had taken out a knife from his belt and was about to attack her. Adrianna had just pinned him only to scare him, but he was on a spree to kill her. As he tried to raise his hand, Adrianna caught it in her jaws and squashed it.


    "Ahhhhh" he cried as blood started pouring out and his bones cracked.


    Adrianna lifted his body with her jaws and threw him high in air. Raz landed on soft snow all bloodied. He was shouting and crying in pain.


    Adrianna shape shifted and looked at him in anger. "Who sent you?" She asked him again.


    But Raz was in so much pain that he howled, "Ahhhh you bitch, you have killed me!"


    Adriannashook her head. "If you won''t tell me here, I will come hunting for you and then you won''t find a place to hide." She took out her flare and fired it in air. Immediately a portal opened. A professor stepped out. Without asking anything, he took Raz away, which Adrianna found strange.


    Adrianna felt very sad for being betrayed by Raz. She walked back to the shelter. Who could be the person behind it? She wondered. When she reached the shelter, she found Lile and two of her friends from the potion class eating the cake from Raz''s bag.


    Sensing movement, Lile and others stood up with their knives. Adrianna emerged from behind the shelter. She smiled at them but when they looked at her, they were horrified. Her hand was covered in blood. Like forgot everything about their fight and she ran to Adrianna. "What happened Adrianna?"


    "Nothing."


    "Why is there blood on your hands?"


    "It''s nothing," Adrianna dismissed as she looked around for water to wash her hands.


    "Use snow for now. We will go to wash your hand in a small stream I saw down the slope," said one of the boys.


    Adrianna looked at him with wide eyes. "Where''s the stream?"


    "It''s a mile from here, I think," he said as he pointed in that direction. "I think there''s a waterfall somewhere around...


    Adrianna picked her backpack quickly. She dashed out of the shelter.


    "Where are you going?" Shouted Lile from behind.


    Adrianna didn''t answer. She headed for the cave entrance.

 Chapter 235 - Second Stage Of The Competition (4)

    "Adrianna, stop. Where are you going?" shouted Lile from behind as she also ran after her. Lile managed to catch up with Adrianna soon since the ice was too soft in the area and walking in it was problematic.


    "Adrianna, first clean your hands," Lile insisted as she held Adrianna''s backpack to stop her.


    "Lile, leave me, will you? I am in a great hurry!"


    "Hurry for what? There are so many activities that need to be finished and if we do them together, we will be able to finish them fast," insisted Lile.


    "I will come back later to you all, but right now I have to go, so don''t come after me!" Adrianna yelled at Lile. She was finding her irritating.


    Lile crossed her hands across her chest and said, "Fine, off you go, but first clean your hands." Lile picked some snow and put it around Adrianna''s hands so that the blood is soaked.


    "Ouch!" Adrianna cried feeling ticklish. "Are you trying to kill me?"


    "Just keep still, you fool!" chided Lile as Adrianna tried to smile at her friend in between feeling chilly on her hands.


    Although most of it was cleaned, some traces were still left. Satisfied, Lile let go of Adrianna. "There, you are done. Now go. By the way, when will you come back? And how will you come back? There is so much wilderness all around here that it is easy to lose your way��"


    Adrianna smiled yet again at her friend. "Sorry for being mean yesterday."


    Lile laughed and replied, "It''s okay. Just don''t forget your way."


    Adrianna nodded and then asked, "Which direction did you guys see the stream?"


    "It is down the slope, less than a mile away. But why is so important to you?"


    Adrianna shook her head and left her without answering the question. Lile saw her going down the slope and narrowed her eyes. She turned to go towards the shelter, as cold breeze started blowing. Soon light snow started to fall �C soft, white crystals. It looked lovely.


    Adrianna walked down the slope slowly in order to avoid accidents as the snow fell around her. She looked up at the sky and prayed to the wolf spirits that the snowfall end soon. However, the snowfall only became thicker and soon it turned into a blizzard. Adrianna walked backwards into the blizzard, turning to check her path once in a while. She felt the ice pellets bouncing from her fur jacket.


    The path in front was becoming unclear by the minute and she stood there for a minute. The soft snow crystals that were bouncing off her jacket now found their way inside in every possible way. They gathered around her neck and between the fabric that flapped at the front. As a werewolf, she didn''t feel so cold, but she was getting hindered by the strong blizzard. Somehow she managed to keep walking.


    She had to survive and reach the cave entrance. She must have walked down the slope for over an hour, but there was no sign of the stream. The blizzard had stopped thankfully and Adrianna was extremely tired. There was not much time left for the night to fall, only a few hours. Did Lile tell her the right way? Perhaps she heard them wrong�� So many possibilities were going through her mind. Surely, Lile couldn''t have given her wrong directions�� Adrianna smacked her forehead for thinking stupid. But then where was the waterfall they were talking about? She felt helpless and confused. It was turning out to be some adventure for her.


    Tired, she stopped and looked all around her. There were only snow covered mountains �C not a soul could be seen�� She felt lonely�� If she were to die, no one would even help her, as she had used the flare gun she had on Raz.


    Adrianna cleared the ice that had settled on her neck and then started walking further down. Suddenly she spotted a beast coming towards her. Its brown skin against the white backdrop appeared like a speck from far away. Adrianna took out her knife, as she kept standing there rooted to her place. It was stupid to move anywhere else since the beast would have more advantage compared to her in its home.


    Minutes later the beast came closer looking larger than a speck, and Adrianna noticed that it was running at a high speed in this deep snow. She took her knife out, ready to attack it. She watched it with keen eyes.


    In the next few minutes, as Adrianna waited for the beast, she saw that it had reduced it speed and was now walking towards her.


    "Mun!" Adrianna shouted as she realized that the beast was none other than Mun, Ed''s pet. "What are you doing here Mun?" asked Adrianna as Mun came near her and leaned his face into her hands.

 Chapter 236 - Second Stage Of The Competition (5)

    He wanted her to pat him, as if he had found his long lost owner. Adrianna laughed at him as she patted. "Mun, have you lost your way?" Mun was jumping around her in joy playing with her by throwing himself over her and leaned his face in every nook and corner of her body. "Stop it Mun," Adrianna kept laughing at his gesture of love. He was very quiet and maintained his distance when she last saw him.


    Mun stopped jumping around her and then knelt on the ground. He nudged her. "Sit on me," he said. Adrianna gaped as she heard him.


    "I know you can hear animals Adrianna," he smirked.


    "Now sit on me. You have come in the wrong direction. The inn is in the opposite direction."


    Adrianna was speechless. She had tolerated a blizzard and so many hardships only to come in the wrong direction! She was confused.


    "Why are you going in the wrong direction?" he asked, as he once again nudged her.


    Adrianna closed her mouth with her hands. Lile had sent her on a wild goose chase.


    "How come you are here Mun?" she asked, shocked at Lile. She climbed onto him.


    Mun started walking. "You were supposed to be near the inn. When you didn''t come until noon, we thought you have lost your way, so I was sent to fetch you. It is already so late. The sun will go down in a few hours."


    "How did you find me?"


    "Adrianna, this is my home. I know every nook and corner over here. Finding you was difficult, and it took me a few hours to find you."


    "I heard that the inn is surrounded by magical spell. No one can enter it��"


    "Nothing is magic for me. Rather, magic is not for me," replied Mun in a nonchalant way as though Adrianna was a novice.


    Adrianna was getting more and more intrigued about Mun. As she sat on him, she found that he was very comfortable. She was feeling very tired and this was a welcome change. She smiled and looked down at her savior.


    "Hold tight Adrianna. I will run now. It is going to take an hour to reach the inn considering the fact that it has just snowed and the inn is located at a higher altitude." Saying that Mun broke into a fast trot and then soon after he was running. Adrianna was amazed as to how fast he could run in that snow.


    They had been on the move for more than an hour, but she couldn''t see the destination anywhere around. The sun had started coming down and Adrianna felt uneasy. Her body broke into a sweat. "Mun, how far?"


    "Maybe half an hour��"


    "I am not feeling well��"


    "Hold on Adrianna. Just focus on me. Talk to me."


    Adrianna looked at him as her eyes became bleary. "Why did Lile send me in the opposite direction?" she asked feeling dizzy, not knowing what she was talking about.


    "Lile is a corrupt girl. Don''t be her friend now. She is not dangerous but she is vicious and she will settle scores with you if you don''t do as she wishes."


    "How do you know Mun?" asked Adrianna feeling uncomfortable.


    "I know everything Adrianna��"


    Adrianna was feeling so heated up that she wanted to take the fur jacket out. "I want to remove my clothes Mun��"


    "Only a few minutes Adrianna," said Mun as he fastened his speed.


    Adrianna couldn''t see things clearly around her. She wondered whether that was because of her bleary vision or because of the high speed Mun was running at. She saw around her. The trees looked darker, as the dusk came. The moon had started rising in the horizon. Her insides were all tangled up. She remembered her dream. She focused on her mother, the moon goddess. But her self control was diminishing.


    "Mun��"


    "Adrianna look at me! We are near the cave entrance. As soon as you dismount me, run to the cave entrance. Can you see it?" he asked almost shouting at her.


    Adrianna opened her eyes and she could see that Dmitri was standing there waiting for her. Adrianna smiled at him through her confusion. She didn''t know what she was doing, as the bleariness increased and her body reacted as though it would blow up into a thousand pieces.


    "Get down!" shouted Mun.


    The moon was now looming in the horizon.


    Adrianna got down on his instructions. Dazed, somehow reached Dmitri. She smiled as she extended her hand to Dmitri who held it fast and pulled her inside the cave. She noticed that Fleur was also there. Without Fleur, Dmitri couldn''t have come.


    Dmitri pulled the cover of the cave entrance to close it and dragged Adrianna further down the steps. He wanted her to go near the floor of the cave so that she wouldn''t be able to get out.


    Adrianna felt being dragged and then she growled.

 Chapter 237 - Second Stage Of The Competition (6)

    Adrianna lost control of herself as she changed into a werewolf on that full moon night. She tried to hold herself for sometime, but the things started falling. She didn''t know what was going on as she was getting dragged down the stairs. Everything became fuzzy.


    "Adrianna, focus!" shouted Dmitri from somewhere far.


    She wanted to smile at Dmitri, feel his warm touch upon her, but everything was losing sense��


    Dmitri had pulled her half way down the stairs when he heard the growl. He looked at her. Her eyes had become golden yellow and she looked at him as though she would attack him any moment now.


    "Dmitri, jump off the stairs!" screamed Fleur fearing for his safety. He had taken a lot of risk by coming to the cave only for Adrianna.


    Dmitri looked at Fleur who was in the air on her broom. She was moving along with them in the air. He looked at Adrianna. "Adrianna you got to control yourself. Come on, just a few more stairs." His words fell on deaf ears.


    Adrianna leapt into the air to attack Fleur as she shape shifted. In the process she pushed Dmitri away who lost his balance and fell off the tip of the stairs he was on. Fleur dodged Adrianna''s attack as her broom flew at a high speed from there in Dmitri''s direction who was falling at a rapid speed. The broom caught hold of him a few meters away from the ground and took them safely to a corner, which was inconspicuous.


    "Thanks Fleur��" said a stunned Dmitri. He didn''t even want to imagine what could have happened to him if he had fallen on the ground from that height. It would have taken almost a month for him to recover.


    "Shhh��" Fleur gestured, as she pointed at Adrianna.


    Adrianna was in frenzy. She growled at the dark surroundings around her. She wanted to go out, as moonbeams attracted every cell of her body. She leapt on Fleur but the moment she landed on her paws on the ground below, she didn''t find anyone. Confused, she started climbing the stairs growling at every little thing that came her way.


    "She is going out of the cave," said Fleur. "We have to stop her."


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna. She was slowly climbing up. "How do we stop her? Can you wield some magic?"


    Fleur created a light electric field to scare Adrianna a few meters away. However, she was surprised to see that Adrianna was not even bothered about it. She walked past through the field without even feeling it. Fleur created another circle of stronger field again. She was afraid that if she would make it any stronger, Adrianna''s fur might burn.


    When Adrianna reached that circle, she stopped. It looked like she had detected the electric field and was hesitant to go further.


    Adrianna rubbed her nose with her paw and then looked around. There was a little hole somewhere on the top from where the moon''s rays were falling inside the cave lighting it up dimly. Adrianna''s attraction to get near the moon became stronger. She dashed up the stairs towards the light going through the field without any harm.


    Fleur and Dmitri were shocked. "I don''t want to create a stronger field because I am afraid that she is not thinking straight and might get burned��"


    "Then we need to do something Fleur."


    "Let us go near her and distract her. Once she will see us, she would again leap at us. We can spend the entire night doing this until she is tired."


    "Okay, but can we trust your broom?" asked Dmitri.


    "No, we can''t," said Fleur and flew towards Adrianna.


    "Adrianna," shouted Dmitri.


    Adrianna looked at the intrusion. She growled at them with a warning. They were coming in her way of going to the moon light. Adrianna ignored them and climbed up further. She started speeding up the stairs. She wanted to become one with the moon.


    "Adri!" he shouted again.


    She didn''t stop.


    "Let''s go near her," Dmitri urged Fleur.


    "She is dangerous at the moment. If we go any near, she can attack us brutally. I won''t take that chance."


    "Fleur, just do the way I am asking!" shouted Dmitri as he saw Adrianna storming up the stairs. All his efforts would go for a waste if Adrianna escaped. What was the point of him risking so much and coming to this place? What was the point of him making those plans with his wife when he couldn''t even stop her?


    "Go, now!"


    Fleur gritted her teeth and she went close to Adrianna to stop her. Adrianna came to a screeching halt when she saw the two of them. With a loud growl, she bared her jaws and leapt on them.

 Chapter 238 - Second Stage Of The Competition (7)

    Adrianna had leapt in a way that she landed on the tip of the broom, making Fleur lose control. In the process Dmitri also lost control as he slipped outwards. He fell over but somehow managed to catch the broom. Fleur couldn''t take the groom to the ground because of the fear that Adrianna would jump on them again. Adrianna was once again on the floor of the cave near the stream. She growled loudly as she looked at her enemies. Her growl was blood curdling.


    "Hang on there Dmitri," said Fleur as she went right to the top of the stairs and came to a standstill. Quickly, Dmitri hopped on the staircase and started mounting the broom. "Quick, Dmitri! She is coming closer!" shouted Fleur.


    This time Fleur and Dmitri barely missed Adrianna. It was the closest to death they could get. They heard Adrianna''s growl becoming louder. She was running up the stairs, aiming for the two of them. She was chasing them at a high speed, growling and itching to kill them. Fleur was now paler than snow. Without thinking she drew her wand out. She was ready to strike but Dmitri saw her in time. He knew that Fleur was panicking. "Fleur, move!" he yelled at her.


    Immediately Fleur directed her broom to steer clear of Adrianna but soon she realized her mistake. They were near the entrance of the cave. As soon as Dmitri mounted the broom, she barely had time to fly away from there. Adrianna leapt at the two of them. This time she missed them and leapt right at the cave entrance, which was covered by the rock. The rock shattered into hundreds of pieces which dispersed around with a loud sound, as Adrianna escaped from there. She leapt several feet high in the air and emerged out of the entrance. She landed on the snow outside. Dmitri and Fleur could only see their efforts gone for a waste. Adrianna was just powerful force to stop or deal with.


    Dmitri got down from the broom and ran upstairs to call Adrianna, but Fleur stopped him, "If you go out, it is possible that there are others lurking around. You risk Adrianna''s identity and also your safety. Stay inside and even if anyone has seen her, they would think a beast is out, which is normal for places like these."


    "Fleur, Adri- She needs help��"


    "She is beyond our help Dmitri��" Fleur stated, which was the truth.


    The dread crept over Dmitri like an icy chill, numbing his brain. What would happen to Adrianna now? Will other students think of her as a beast and kill her? In his frozen state, his mind offered him only one thought �C it is just one night and there was no avoiding it. All he could do was to pray the wolf spirits that things slipped into place that night.


    Outside, Adrianna landed on the soft snow and howled looking at the moon. She felt relieved as she looked at the moon. She wanted to reach it. Its cool rays were soothing for her body and soul. She was attracted to it as bees were attracted to the honey. Adrianna set off on a journey to meet the moon, to be one with the moon. She started going up the slope.


    The mountains soared upward as if they were going to heaven. There was nothing except vast expanse of snow miles and miles on each side, which was dotted by solitary pine trees here and there. Adrianna howled again as she shook her golden yellow fur to shake off the snow icicles that were falling from above. She kept going up towards the peak.


    It was past midnight that Adrianna heard low howl coming from behind. She looked around and howled back, as she bared her jaws. There was nothing that was visible in the vicinity, so she resumed her climb. As she climbed up more, she could see speck of golden fire burning. She looked at the fire intently and walked towards it. She could feel its heat and became infuriated as to who would disturb the peaceful and soothing moon rays. Adrianna charged towards the source of fire.


    As she ran up, she could hear more howls coming from behind. She turned to look and found a herd of beasts running much behind her.


    Adrianna turned again to look at the fire, which was her current source of distraction. She had to tackle it before resuming her journey upwards. She charged. The howls faded.


    Meanwhile in the shelter above, Nefasky was having dinner with her group of five other witches and wizards. They had found themselves and had stuck together to survive the place for another day.


    "This place is strange. Why are we not able to use our magic?" asked one of the wizards.


    "If you can use your magic here, what is the point of testing the survival skills?" answered another.


    Nefasky was roasting a small bird she had hunted on the fire, as she heard them talking.

 Chapter 239 - Second Stage Of The Competition (8)

    "I feel that this stage is absolutely ridiculous. I asked my parents about this stage and they said that they never had to go through it because after all we are wizards, why do we need to stay without magic. Magic is our specialty," grumbled a brown haired boy.


    "There are many who chose to stay in the human realm. I have heard that they don''t feel like coming back. Some of them end up marrying people from that realm. So you need to know how to survive in a place where you cannot practice magic and if you can survive without magic in a place like this, you can be rest assured that it would be a breeze to survive in the human realm," replied a tall boy with spectacles.


    "Hey, how come you are using your glasses?" asked Nefasky. "Doesn''t snow accumulate on it?"


    "It does�� Do when we are walking around, I remove it��"


    "I am really hungry Nefasky and I think I can eat the entire bird that you are roasting," said a fatty witch who was sitting right next to her, salivating at the meat. The meals that were provided by the academy was too less and they had finished it all by the evening.


    "Geez, Lenny! Watch your waistline. You will become fatter even you will look at this meat. Shoo away!" replied Nefasky, making all in the group laugh.


    All of them chatted for a while when the peace of the night was suddenly disturbed by a low growl. All of them became alert as they got up from their places and picked up their knives. They started looking in different directions but they couldn''t figure out from where the sound was coming.


    They heard the growl yet again. It was closer now. Scared, one of them took his flare out. He whispered, "Should I send this off? This is too dangerous."


    "I think we are surrounded by a herd of red foxes."


    "Stay quiet, all of you," whispered Nefasky back to them. "Look for the source and be ready with your knives."


    All of them became quiet and looked around. Since there were some pine trees where they had made the shelter, they couldn''t see behind them and there was nothing up the slope.


    The growling sound came closer but this time it was accompanied by more growls.


    "We are being surrounded. The foxes are hunting us," whined the brown haired boy.


    All of them came closer to each other and formed a circle with their backs facing inside. They had their knives ready in their hands to counterattack any beast that would jump out at them. The only sound they could hear was the sound of their own breaths mingled with the crackling of fire and low growls.


    "There, look over there!" pointed Lenny towards a pine tree. A pair of golden yellow eyes was glaring at them.


    "That''s a wolf!" came a shaky answer.


    Adrianna growled at all of them. She looked at them fiercely as she howled loudly and lashed her tail on the ground. She saw at the fire and became angrier.


    To their horror, the wolf in front of them bared its jaws and growled in a menacing way ready to attack any time.


    Adrianna stepped forward. Suddenly Lenny broke the circle and dashed to the fire and that was enough to trigger Adrianna''s response. She dashed at her but Lenny had picked a pan and a stick and started making loud noise. Adrianna looked at her with anger burning in her belly. She jumped in the air to attack Lenny and in one pounce, she pinned Lenny to the ground ready to sink her jaws in Lenny''s neck.


    Rest of the group started screaming to distract Adrianna. Adrianna got diverted and turned to look at the source of noise. She growled at them and left Lenny to charge at them but just as she prepared to charge them, she saw the red foxes that she had left behind. They had surrounded the group and Adrianna.


    They were five of them, lashing their tails behind them as they closed in. Adrianna growled again. In a matter of seconds, she jumped on the one who was right in front of her, and the rest of them jumped on her, biting her legs and her fur. Adrianna whelped in pain as blood started flowing out of various places from her body. Her anger was uncontrollable now. She caught the one in front of her with her jaws and squashed its neck before throwing it far. Then she turned around towards the one who had attacked her hind leg. She caught it in her jaw and it met the same treatment as the first one. Adrianna turned to the other side and kicked the one that had attacked her fur with so much force that it went flying in the air several feet away. Only two remained.

 Chapter 240 - Second Stage Of The Competition (9)

    Nefasky''s group was watching it all with wonder, as their eyes grew wide with horror, shock, and surprise.


    Adrianna had once again leaped at the fox, which was running away regardless of the one that had sunk its teeth in her hide. She grabbed it in one pounce and pinned it beneath her, killing it within a matter of few seconds. The last one tried to run away in fear, but Adrianna pounced on it too and brought it to the ground. She killed it by opening its stomach with her sharp jaws, brutally shaking the dead corpse after killing it.


    The battle of the beasts lasted no more than thirty minutes as Nefasky and her friends watched the huge wolf with golden yellow fur in action. By the end of the fight, the golden wolf was covered with a lot of blood. It was injured on its back and on its hind legs. Lenney thought that this was the best time to kill it. So she picked her knife up and was ready to attack. But Nefasky stopped her, "Are you out of your mind? The wolf is injured. If you go anywhere near it, it will immediately attack you. Right now it is already leaving, can''t you see?"


    Adrianna whelped and cried out of pain. The white snow below her was covered in blood and all the dead foxes were strewn across it. She sat down, feeling tired and started licking her wounds. The golden yellow eyes were slowly becoming dull. Somehow, she gained enough energy and got up. She looked at the moon and howled as loud as she could, and continued her journey towards it.


    Nefasky let the wolf go as she watched it quietly. When the wolf was out of range, they added more wood to the fire. In the bright light of the fire, the group noticed the gory scene that was all around them. One of the boys chuckled, "Not only we can skin these foxes and take the fur, we have a lot of meat that will also last for tomorrow. Thank god for sending that wolf here!"


    He ran to gather the foxes. Others followed his cue and they dragged all the dead animals to their shelter. They piled them one over the other.


    "Here, Lenny! Now you can stay here for the next week and keep eating," said Nefasky as others laughed at her joke.


    Lenny seemed to be in a daze. She couldn''t forget how the wolf had pinned her to the ground. She had never seen a wolf so up and close and with such magnificent golden yellow eyes. It was the most majestic animal she had ever seen.


    Nefasky went to her and shook her shoulders, "Lenny, are you okay?"


    Lenny nodded. "Yes��" She went to sit in the shelter and fainted.


    Up on the slope, Adrianna whelped with every step she took. Her energy was fizzling out. She looked at the moon and howled as if pleading it to come and save her, but there was nothing around her. She was alone. Fresh snow started falling. Her pace upwards to the mountain peak became slower. Finally, she could no longer walk and sat down right there, in the middle of nowhere. The snow that fell on her fur accumulated on the places where she was wounded numbing her pain a little. Sleep blurred her eyes, as she battled to stay awake. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a beast. It was standing a few meters away as if waiting for her to sleep and then attack. She growled at it to ward it off, but somehow it had sensed her inability to move further. After a few moments of struggle, Adrianna passed out.


    When he noticed that she had fainted, Mun went near Adrianna. He opened his beak to drop the medicine he had carried for her. He had been following her ever since she escaped from the cave. But he was very scared of going anywhere near her. He was a delicate being, and if Adrianna attacked him, he could have instantly died.


    The moon started sinking in the horizon, as Mun sat a few feet away from Adrianna and watched her heal slowly. The blood loss was immense, and he hoped that she would recover soon. As the dawn broke the dark sky, Adrianna''s body shape shifted on its own, and now instead of the fierce wolf that had created so much menace, was a beautiful young girl. She looked so petite that Mun wanted to protect her. He went and sat near her to give her all his warmth.


    Nefasky and her group didn''t have to complete the task of hunting, as they took the opportunity and collected the foxes. The group decided to stay near the shelter.


    They all slept turn by turn that night, each of them guarding the shelter for two hours. Finally, it was Nefasky''s turn, for which she had to wake up at 4 AM.


    She rubbed her eyes as she went out of the shelter to switch places with the boy in spectacles who was brushing off the snow that was falling lightly on him.


    Nefasky must have sat down for no more than an hour when she heard a boy shouting from afar. "Help me! Is anybody there?"

 Chapter 241 - Second Stage Of The Competition (10)

    She narrowed her eyes to see who was shouting. The boy shouted again. Nefasky got up from her place and ran to him. It looked as though he was carrying someone on his back while coming down the slope. As Nefasky went nearer, she saw that he was somehow carrying a very frail looking Adrianna on his back. Nefasky called her group of boys, "Wake up! Come here. Help me."


    Hearing her shouts, the brown-haired boy woke up and ambled out of the shelter. As soon as he saw the two of them, he rushed towards them and picked Adrianna from his back. He carried her inside the shelter, and made a place for her to lie down by kicking others around.


    Adrianna was looking as frail as a leaf. Her clothes were tattered and she had blood all over her body. There was a deep wound on her leg, which seemed to be healing and a deeper one on the back, which was slightly open. Nefasky was horrified. How did Adrianna get into this?


    "Where did you find her?" she asked the boy who had carried her.


    "She was lying in this condition a few hundred meters up from here. I think my portal opened into a higher altitude and that is why it took the entire day and night to reach down the slope. I was out for a hunt when I noticed her lying unconscious on the snow." He said and sat down on a nearby fallen trunk. "But the amazing part is that there was a strange looking beast sitting right next to her, as though it was protecting her..." he added.


    Nefasky''s face became pale. The wolf must have attacked her after leaving their place in a mess. She went inside the shelter and looked at Adrianna. She sat down near her and kept her hand on her forehead to see whether she had fever. Her body felt warm.


    By that time everyone else in the shelter had woken up.


    Nefasky suggested, "I think we should fire the flare and send her back to the wizard kingdom. She''s really unwell."


    "Won''t that disqualify her from the second stage of competition?" asked Lenny.


    "It will but she''s too frail to continue today," Nefasky replied.


    "Wait, I have something that would help her," said the boy in spectacles. He picked his backpack and dugout a small glass bottle of thick green liquid.


    "What is this?" asked Lenny scrunching her nose.


    He scratched his head and said, "My father is a doctor in the wizard kingdom�� He gave me this lotion and asked me to apply it if I got frostbite."


    "This isn''t frostbite," chided Nefasky. "Adrianna clearly needs to go back."


    "Well, now that you are insisting that she has to go back, we might as well apply it on her wounds. It is possible that she recovers. I would hate to see her getting disqualified. After all she is being portrayed as our future queen."


    "What will happen if the medicine your are carrying has negative effect?" Nefasky tried to stop him.


    "I don''t think it can have a negative effect. It is purely herbal �C made from a plant my father grows in the backyard. My father hates the art of potion making and so he has a variety of plants in our backyard which are used for medicinal purposes."


    He opened the bottle''s cap and poured some glue-like thick liquid on his palm. He asked Lenny to apply the liquid to her thigh. Lenny took it from his palm. Nefasky helped removing the pants Adrianna was wearing and Lenny applied the liquid on the wound feeling yucky at the same time. She felt she could puke when she saw the wound and blood. It was ghastly and she pitied Adrianna. Then Nefasky turned Adrianna over and the liquid was applied on her back.


    Once done, the group came out of the shelter after covering Adrianna with whatever extra blankets they had.


    All of them sat outside the shelter waiting and wondering what would happen next. "I really like Adrianna��" said the boy in spectacles.


    "Ooooo��" came a perverted shout from another boy. He looked at the boy and said in a stern voice. I am one of Adrianna''s cousins by the way. Lia''s husband is my mother''s brother�� so we are kind of cousins��"


    Everyone in the group stared at him. "What?" came a surprise question from all of them as they tried to figure out that relationship!


    "What?" he shrugged as though this was nothing out of normal.


    They started joking with him as one of them got up to light the fire to roast the meat that was an extraordinary gift from a stray wolf last night.


    Last night Adrianna had passed out while she was ascending the slope. She had looked at the beast in front of her and wanted to kill it but it was waiting for her to fall down. With one last attempt to ward it off, she growled. However, the next moment, everything around her went black.

 Chapter 242 - Second Stage Of The Competition (11)

    When she opened her eyes, she could see the green and brown branches of the trees all around her. Had she reached her shelter? What about Raz? What about Dmitri and Fleur? Where was Mun? Why did she feel that Mun followed her all the time? She tried to get up,, but her head was spinning. She whimpered in pain.


    Outside, the boy in glasses heard her and came inside to check upon her. When he saw that she was already awake, he went near her to help her sit. Adrianna weakly sat up and looked at him. He smiled, kindly looking at her with his brown eyes. "Hi, I am Shay."


    Adrianna smiled back at him. "Hi, I am Adrianna��" she answered feebly.


    Shay''s smile widened. "Adrianna, how are you feeling? If you would like, we can send you back to the academy. A boy rescued you quite a distance up to the mountains. Did your portal opened in a higher altitude?"


    Shay was keenly looking at Adrianna. He then offered her water from his bottle and said, "You are very weak. Did any wild animal attack you? You were brought here heavily injured."


    Adrianna removed her blanket and looked at her clothes. Her clothes were entirely tattered and messed up. There was a lot of dried blood on them. She stretched her leg a little and yelped in pain. There was a deep wound on her thigh. She bit her lip, trying to stop the shout that was ready to escape her mouth. Right at that moment, Nefasky came running in along with other boys and girls. When Adrianna saw her, her eyes went cold. Nefasky became quiet, seeing Adrianna''s cold gaze on her.


    "This boy out here �C he brought you from the higher slope," said Lenny as she smiled at Adrianna and pointed at the boy.


    "Thank you," Adrianna looked at him with gratitude.


    "Nefasky and I were the ones who applied medicine on your wounds while Shay was the one gave it. If you think that it''s better to stay, then you should stay. Otherwise, you should think of going back, Adrianna," suggested Lenny. None of them wanted an extra burden except Shay. An injured person would only mean burden without magic.


    Adrianna knew that she would heal fast but the wounds were too deep. It might take the entire day for them to completely heal. Adrianna felt grateful to those who helped her, although she wondered why would Nefasky help her.


    Lenny went near her to inspect her wounds. Adrianna became a little uncomfortable with the way Lenny was checking her wounds by pulling and pushing her a little. Lenny exclaimed, "The wound on your back was open yesterday, but today it is already closed!" She looked at Shay and said, "Give me more of your medicine and I will apply it on her wounds."


    Shay was happy. He dug out the medicine from his bag and gave it to Nefasky. Nefasky pursed her lips and went near Adrianna. Gently, she pushed her a little to be able to apply the liquid. Then, Lenny took it from her and applied it on her thigh. Nefasky closed the bottle and gave it back to Shay.


    Adrianna was flabbergasted at Nefasky''s willingness to help out. "Would you like to rest more?" asked Lenny. "As all our tasks are complete, we are not planning to go anywhere today. Plus we have plenty of food, thanks to a stray wolf that came here last night!" Lenny looked at Adrianna, "By the way, did you meet that stray wolf? Looking at your wounds, it seems that you have been attacked by a wild animal!"


    Adrianna''s face paled. She had come to attack this group. She lowered her head and said, "Yes, I was attacked brutally by a fox��"


    "Oh! We have those foxes dead now, Adrianna. Don''t worry!" Nefasky exclaimed.


    Adrianna was in for a shock. She must have killed those foxes, but how did they end up dead around the shelter?


    Suddenly, the entire group broke into loud chatter around Adrianna, and the uneasiness evaporated. They all laughed at Shay''s explanation of his relationship with Adrianna, as he claimed to be her cousin. In the next hour, the place looked like the party which Adrianna had attended on the creek where she met Dmitri. At that point of time, she didn''t understand her attraction for him. Suddenly, she remembered that she had seen him near the cave entrance where Mun had left her. What had happened to them?


    The plan had gone haywire because they were supposed to make her stay in the cave. How did she manage to escape? She wondered what must have happened to Dmitri and Fleur. She resisted the temptation to go back to the academy to meet them. Did Dmitri go back safely? All of a sudden , she became anxious. Sweat broke out on her forehead. She covered her face with the blanket.


    ---


    When Adrianna escaped from the cave, Dmitri ran after her to the top of the staircase and shouted, risking his life even though Fleur had previously warned him. However, he found that Adrianna had landed several feet away. She was looking at the moon and then let out a blood-curdling howl. He knew that he couldn''t disturb that creature anymore. He helplessly watched as she ran away into darkness. Feeling dejected, Dmitri walked back into the cave. He was not allowed to go inside the inn because Ed was there. It was crucial to hide his identity.


    Fleur could understand the pain he was going through. She brought her broom to him and said, "It''s time to go Dmitri. We have done what we could. We should all hope that she would stay safe. meet on the other side of the world."


    She took Dmitri down to the cave entrance. Thankfully, this time there was no one was lurking out there, and they went back quietly.


    ---


    The entire day the group spent laughing and telling jokes. When Adrianna''s condition became a little better, she also joined them. Talking to all of them, lessened her urge to go back.

 Chapter 243 - I Am Ready To Unmark You!

    Soon it was time for all of them to leave the arena of competition. While for most of them it had been quite a tough two days, for Nefasky and her group, it became kind of a picnic they didn''t have to hunt for food. The next morning everyone left through the portals.


    When Adrianna left, she looked back at the vast expanse of snow as she hugged her backpack. It had been quite a journey for her. Although she didn''t remember what had happened to her during the full moon night, she was glad that Mun had come right in time to help her. All that she now looked forward was to meet Dmitri.


    When Adrianna walked back in the academy out of the portal, all the professors were shocked to see her tattered clothes with blood on it. She appeared frail and ghostly. It was a disgusting sight. Adrianna lowered her head and pursed her lips as she made her way through the crowd.


    One of the professors asked, "Adrianna, do you need help? Should I take you to the infirmary?"


    "No thanks, professor," she answered softly and went ahead.


    Nefasky, Lenny, Shay and the rest of the group followed her. They were all happy and cheerful to be back. Their excitement was so infectious that even the professors laughed with them.


    When Adreanna walked out of the academy, she saw that Fleur was waiting for her on the gates. She was so happy to see Fleur that disregarding her tattered condition, she went and hugged her tightly. "Fleur!" Fleur laughed at her as she tightly pinched her nose. "Kiddo! Get your butt to the royal palace. You need a good shower."


    "How is Dmitri?" asked Adrianna.


    "Very fine!"


    Adrianna was keen to take a shower and walk through the portal to be with Dmitri in the wolf realm.


    All other wizards and witches in her team looked at Adrianna, aghast of her appearance. "Your royal highness, why don''t you change your clothes? It is very easy. Would you like me to remind you of the magic spell?" suggested one of them. The stench emanating from Adrianna was unbearable.


    Adrianna brushed that wizard off. She walked past him and then went to sit in the carriage. "No, I will change at home."


    As she sat in the carriage and it flew, the air around it was smelling of dead animal, mixed with blood. All the wizards and witches were having a tough time flying around her. They kept going up and down the path they had to follow in a wave-like motion. However, Adrianna looked very happy. She was least bothered about the smell. Her already tousled hair looked all the more pathetic as they blew around her in thick clumpy strands.


    As soon as the carriage reached the royal palace, all of them disappeared from there in a second. Adrianna royally walked out of the carriage and summoned the servants. She wanted them to give her a nice scrub. The servants couldn''t stand the smell, coming out from her. But they couldn''t do a thing. Half of them ran away to prepare a bath for her, while the other half walked with her to the bedroom, somehow resisting puking right at the spot.


    Adrianna was so happy to enter the known realm after two exhausting days, which even included a full moon night, that she was hardly bothered about their feelings. She entered her bedroom and to her surprise, she saw Dmitri half-propped up on the bed. He was reading a diary, which she recognized as his father''s. Adrianna was so happy to see him that she ran to hug him. But the moment she jumped on him, Dmitri ran out to the balcony and she landed on the bed.


    He was surprised to see so many servants preparing a bath, and he thought that perhaps they were doing it for him. He was genuinely happy and impressed. However, when he saw Adrianna he wanted to puke. To think that she wanted to jump on him like that was torturous!


    "Dmitri!" shouted Adrianna. "How can you do this to your wife? I have been waiting to meet you."


    Dmitri shouted back from the balcony, "Adrianna, please go and take a bath. Otherwise, I am going to die from suffocation."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. "You should accept me the way I am, even if that means I am this dirty."


    "Baby, I am sorry, but with that kind of stench, I am ready to unmark you!"


    "You, jerk!" she shouted, angered at his statement. Immediately after her words, a pillow came flying out of the balcony. "If that is the case, then wait and see what I will do," she said and started all over the bed to properly make it dirty. Then she opened her shirt, and holding it high in the air, she hurled it. She did the same with her tattered jeans. She laughed an evil laugh as she was seen running around in her undergarments through the bedroom, much to the servants and Dmitri''s chagrin.

 Chapter 244 - Those Are My Buttocks!

    Somehow, Dmitri managed to run out of the bedroom. Adrianna heartily laughed at him and only after that she went to take a bath. The servants had lit a lot of aromatic candles that emitted a fragrance that would help her relax her mind. She made the servants give her a good body massage. They had applied sesame and honey all over her body to scrub the dirt. Once that was done, she was given a gentle bath.It was a kind of royal bath, with all the servants scrubbing her with fragrant soap and solutions. She only finished taking the bath after an hour. When she came out of the bathroom, she was thoroughly relaxed. The servants quickly cleaned the bathroom and only then left her chambers.


    Meanwhile, Dmitri was already back inside the bedroom, sitting on the bed. He looked at her with affection. Adrianna noticed that the bedroom had been neatly rearranged after the chaos she had created. She chuckled and went near him, wrapped merely in a towel. Dmitri opened her towel and bent forward to check her wound on her back. It was no more there. Even her thigh wound was completely healed. Satisfied, he pulled her onto his lap. He started lightly stroking her hair as he circled his arms around her. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, "Sorry, it was impossible for me to stop my wife in the cave. I tried my best."


    "Dmitri, I am sorry for putting you in this dangerous situation. Why am I cursed? Is there even a way I can get relieved of this curse?" she asked as she rested her head on his shoulder.


    "I hope so too, darling�� We will talk to your grandfather the next time we visit him."


    Dmitri lifted her head and kissed her on her lips. He softly chewed on them, saying. "I am glad that the second stage of the competition is over and you are safe." Suddenly he felt that the competition was dangerous and could have gone either way. He delved his tongue into her mouth and kissed her fervently, tightening his hold around her. Soon, they were both breathless.


    "Adri, I am sure that tomorrow you have a holiday. Let''s go to the human realm. I have some very important work there. Plus, both of us can get off this place and relax for a little."


    "Great idea, Mr. Adrianna," she replied as she looked at his lips.


    "Mr. Adrianna?"


    "Of course!"


    "Okay, I agree to be your wife today. What will my husband do for me?" he asked dodging her attempt to kiss his lips.


    "Simple! Come on, my wife, please me," replied Adrianna with an annoyed look.


    "No," Dmitri shook his head and placed her down on the mattress. "You gotta treat me as Adrianna and now do what you have to do." He looked mischievously at her.


    Adrianna wanted to tease him a bit but found herself in this trap instead. He even removed her from his lap. She crossed her arms over her chest in anger and then said, "Lights off." The lights went out and the flower canopy surrounded them. This time, only white flowers were blossoming. Inside the canopy, it turned dark. Adrianna turned her face the other way. Even Dmitri laid down, keeping the diary on the bedside table. Suddenly, Adrianna felt a stab of pain in her back, on her wound, as she stretched. "Ah!" she cried.


    "What happened?" asked Dmitri.


    "I am having pain in my back, could you please rub there a little."


    Dmitri came to her side and started rubbing her buttocks. "Dmitri, I am asking you to rub my back. Those are my buttocks!"


    "Oh! It''s so dark now, I can''t even see anything. How would I know which is your buttock and which is your back?" he replied innocently.


    "Can''t you even feel my body parts?" she asked getting even more annoyed.


    "Of course I can. They are smooth," he said as he kept rubbing her buttocks, squeezing them in between his words.


    Adrianna lifted his hand from her buttoks and brought it to her back, saying, "This is my back. Now, rub there."


    Dmitri started rubbing her back but soon he left rubbing it and brought his hands to her breast. "Dmitri, those are my breasts!"


    "Now this is getting too much, Adri! It is so dark here, and I keep losing my way! Stop shouting at me!"


    Adrianna sprang up and sat down. "Even I feel like losing my way." She started tickling Dmitri.


    "Stop, stop! Okay, I am sorry," Dmitri cried as Adrianna kept laughing. Suddenly, Adrianna stopped, and Dmitri found her soft tongue on his member. She licked it gently. She spread his legs. His member quickly reacted to her touch. He tried to move, but his body was tied to the bed by some invisible threads. Unconsciously, he thrust himself inside her mouth. Her long and soft tongue wrapped around his member. It had been so long that he couldn''t hold himself and he came inside her mouth.


    "Adri��" he moaned as he came.


    Adrianna came above him and sat over his chest and took his hand to the warmth of her sweet spot. Dmitri put his fingers inside the deep, warm and very wet core. His fingers got sucked inside. He slowly slid them in and out. As he did that Adrianna came. He could feel her juices flowing out on his chest and his member gorged again. He wanted to suck her but instead, she went down and mounted him. She guided his member to slip inside her. Once he was deep inside, she started slowly moving her hips up and down.


    As she moved, a dim light glowed inside the canopy, which was now blooming with red flowers that dropped over the couple. Along her moves, her naked thighs caressed his naked skin. She looked like an angel and her core was warm. It felt like home to him. She enveloped him and drew him deeper inside. Dmitri found his erection grow larger and hardening inside her. He could no longer hold himself and he burst out, shouting her name again "Adrianna!"

 Chapter 245 - The Human Realm

    Adrianna and Dmitri slept after a few more rounds of lovemaking. Since it was a holiday the next day, none of them bothered to get up early. When they woke up, it was already lunchtime. They woke up all fresh and happy. After taking a bath, they went to eat lunch. Lunch was an exotic affair since Adrianna was having it in the royal palace after a long time. Dmitri was spoiled for choice. He tried some of the best dishes he had ever had in his life. "Adri, I don''t mind living off as your wife in the royal palace," he remarked and both of them laughed.


    "That reminds me, when is the third stage of the competition?" he asked.


    "Please, Dmitri, don''t remind me that. I have just come back after finishing the second stage!" Adrianna rolled her eyes.


    "I am asking because after the third stage the cowonation will take place. Only a few days are left��"


    "Hmm��" Adrianna acknowledged lazily and finished the fish that was on her plate.


    As soon as they had their lunch, Fleur came. She seemed excited and wanted to talk to them about something: she couldn''t hold her enthusiasm.


    "What is it, Fleur?" asked Adrianna. "Dmitri and I are going to the human realm.So you better open the portal soon."


    "Do you know that tomorrow the wizard kingdom will be witnessing a Winter Carnival?"


    Adrianna raised her eyebrows as she looked at Fleur. They were now sitting in the main hall. Winter carnival in a wizard kingdom sounded weird. What kind of shows and tricks would these people even put up?


    "There is a carnival taking place in the wizard kingdom every five years. Tomorrow would be the first day. It takes place in the third level, and Isidorus was having a tough time arranging the security all around the third level.


    "What? How come I was never even informed about it?" asked Adrianna feeling sad that she didn''t have a clue about it all the while.


    "Adrianna, you were so busy with the academy and the second stage of the competition that I didn''t want to divert your attention. Plus, it was Isidorus who wanted me to stay quiet about it." Fleur lowered her head and headed, "Some people in the ministry feel that you are not the Queen yet and hence there was no need to tell you about it. You should be informed just like any other wizard or witch��"


    Adrianna asked, "Don''t you people announce about it months before like they do that in the human realm?"


    "Months before? Why would we do that?" asked Fleur amused at Adrianna.


    "I am sure you must be making preparations."


    "No, everything is created right there and then."


    Adrianna pursed her lips, as Dmitri chuckled. "Adri, you are in the kingdom of magic."


    Adrianna smiled.


    "Would you like to go there?" asked Fleur because she was keen on going there. It was so much fun.


    "I don''t mind�� I mean, I have hardly seen any carnival and a winter carnival to add�� But there is no snow falling around, Fleur," said Adrianna mocking the words ''Winter Carnival.''


    "Oh! You haven''t seen the third level. It is covered with snow right now. In the next few days, you will see that the snow has fully covered the second and third levels."


    "That''s very interesting!" said Dmitri. "What attractions do you have here in the carnival?"


    "It is a lot of fun. We have sledding, digging during blizzards, navigating the roads in treacherous, drifting snow, races during high winds, and of course, lots and lots of hot food!"


    Fleur clasped her hands and sounded so excited that it was getting infectious. "Please Adrianna, let''s go there tomorrow?! Otherwise, I will end up staying around here. The Winter Carnival comes once in five years and it is worth all the excitement.


    Adrianna smiled at Fleur and wondered if the latter hadn''t had her share of excitement in the past few days. She looked at Dmitri, and all she wanted was to peacefully spend her time with him. She held his hand and interlocked their fingers with his. "Fleur, I want to spend my time with Dmitri. Why don''t you just take a day off and go?"


    Fleur sulked. She looked at the leaf in her hand. She was bound for the lifetime to protect her queen. "I can''t��" she answered and got up to go. She created the portal and was about to enter it when Dmitri asked, "Can Liam come and join us?"


    Fleur turned to look at him sharply, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Of course! But will he come? It has been ages since I met him."


    "Well, then you should get him here," he said.


    "Why, Dmitri?" Adrianna asked as soon as Fleur disappeared in the portal.


    "Liam has been feeling under the weather. This is a good time for all of us to be together," he replied as he kissed her cheek.


    Fleur was back there within five minutes. The funny part was that she was hanging on Liam like a koala and both of them were kissing passionately. As soon as Liam stepped out, he broke away from Fleur. He tilted his head to look at Dmitri and said, "Thanks, Alpha," and went back to kissing Fleur. The next second, they disappeared from there.


    Both Adrianna and Dmitri were stunned. What just happened? They felt like parents of two very spoiled kids. They laughed and walked through the portal that Fleur had already created for them.


    They walked right into the human realm. It was the market that Adrianna had previously come with Niiya and Ookashi. Her memories were refreshed. She circled Dmitri''s arm and started walking the street ahead. She felt nice to be with humans. They were so normal, oblivious to all the magic happening around them. From the corner of her eyes, Adrianna could identify that there were at least ten wizards and witches of her team that were around the couple. She shook her head.


    Dmitri guided her to the shop he had in his mind.

 Chapter 246 - Not As Beautiful As My Wife…

    Adrianna was surprised that Dmitri had taken her to a jewelry shop. "Why are we here?" she asked.


    "Well, ever since we have been married, I have hardly taken my wife to buy some jewelry. I''ve heard that women love buying jewelry. My mother had given a lot of money to Keisha to buy jewelry before. I heard that she bought a lot of it. So, I guess it is time that my wife also learns to buy it."


    Adrianna chuckled, "I can be very expensive, you see."


    "Done!"


    The store manager offered a general seat for them to sit. He saw that such a young couple had come to the shop, and they were just window shopping. So he wasn''t even bothered to attend to them. There was another middle-aged couple who were trying out various necklaces. The wife would look at them and say, "Please, keep this one aside." She must have asked them to keep at least five diamond necklaces on the side.


    Adrianna looked at her with wide eyes. "My god! They are so rich!"


    There was another salesman attending to them and he got very happy that his customer was going to buy so much.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna and said, "What would you like to buy?"


    Adrianna looked blank. She shrugged and said, "I have no idea�� haven''t ever worn even a ring on my finger��"


    "Okay, let''s start with a ring," he said and turned to the salesman. "Do you have solitaire diamonds?"


    "Of course, we do. Our shop sells one of the best solitaire diamonds. But the thing is that they are very expensive. Should I show you something of a lower price range?" he was clearly condescending.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and said in a very firm voice, "Show us solitaires please."


    The salesman uninterestedly got up and went to fetch some tiny solitaire for them. However, when he reached the locker where they were stored, he had an idea to teach those kids a lesson. He took some of the expensive and big ones that were available in the showroom. He chuckled as he imagined the faces of those plainly dressed kids who thought they could buy everything in the showroom. He hated the way the boy asked for diamonds. "Hmph!" he made a face and went to the place they were sitting.


    Then he displayed the tray of rings that had large diamonds on them. Adrianna was wide-eyed. She had never seen so many diamonds in her life, let alone those large ones. Each one of them was the size of one centimeter. Dmitri picked the largest one and brought it near his wife''s hand. He slid it on her finger. It looked so beautiful that Adrianna was amazed. She brought her hand to her eyes and looked at the ring on her finger, stunned at its beauty. Her face glowed in admiration. "It''s so beautiful��"


    "Not as beautiful as my wife��" replied Dmitri, looking with admiration at his wife''s reaction.


    The salesman said, "That diamond costs one million dollars."


    Adrianna''s little face fell. She brought her hand to remove it, but Dmitri stopped her. "Keep wearing."


    The salesman narrowed his eyes and became angry. He wanted to scold those kids but then he thought of even greater idea of insulting them. He would allow them to wear all they wanted and then show them their place by counting the money. He laughed inside.


    Dmitri turned to look at him and said, "We want to also see necklaces. Only diamond necklaces."


    The salesman again went to the lockers and this time, he brought the most expensive necklace that they had in their shop. It consisted of a string of diamonds and each rock in that string costed half a million dollars. Nobody had the capacity to buy that necklace. He really wanted to make a joke out of them.


    Once again, Dmitri picked it and made Adrianna wear it. Adrianna pulled her hair up as she allowed him to fasten it around her neck. Once again she fell in love with it. What was it with diamonds and a girl, eh? The attraction was natural.


    Over the next half an hour, Adrianna was wearing more jewelry than she could have ever imagined. There were diamonds shimmering all around her �C earrings, bangles, anklets and even a toe ring. The middle-aged couple who was previously buying gold necklaces looked at her. She was looking majestic. The diamonds glittered all around her and reflected the seven colors of light on her white and flawless skin.


    Dmitri watched his wife as he decorated her from top to bottom. "Can you think of any other jewelry item?" he asked Adrianna.


    "Dmitri, I didn''t even know that all of these even existed," she laughed as she stood up from her chair and swirled around. She rarely felt so ecstatic. She didn''t expect him to buy anything other than the ring. She chuckled at her ambitions regarding him.


    Dmitri took out his wallet and turned to the salesman, "Bill all of these on this card."

 Chapter 247 - Take That Jewelry Out Girl

    "What do you mean, ''Bill all of these on this card?'' Do you know how expensive these items are? First, let me tell you the cost of these," retorted the salesman. Now was the time to show them their place.


    "Sure," replied Dmitri crossing his arms over his chest as his face became red with anger as he realized what the salesman was meaning to do. However, he kept the anger hidden inside. Adrianna read the salesman''s mind and she also narrowed her eyes. She communicated with Dmitri that they should leave the place before things turned ugly.


    Dmitri warned her to stay quiet. He wanted to see how pathetic the man could get. Adrianna pursed her lips, and communicated, "There are many people here from the wizard kingdom. I don''t want any of them to see this show, Dmitri."


    "This is beyond everyone now, Adri. Don''t come in between," Dmitri growled.


    The salesman returned from the counter where he got the estimate done by the cashier. Looking at the total amount of fifty million dollars, even the cashier came to see the show. They had called the owner of the shop to see the young kids that were messing around. They were even planning to call the police after that.


    The salesman laughed and handed the paper to Dmitry. "The total is fifty million dollars. We can give you a five percent discount, but how much do you have on that card? Five thousand dollars?" Everyone else standing over there started laughing.


    "Did you swipe the card or should I assume that you haven''t seen clients like me?" asked Dmitri.


    The salesman became angry, "We only cater to rich clients and not some window shoppers who don''t know their place." Then the salesman turned to Adrianna and said, "Take that jewelry off, girl. We have a reputation to keep. You better get out. Both of you. Otherwise, we will call the police." He extended his hand to take the ring off of her finger. Dmitri caught his hand midway and pressed his hand so hard that he winced in pain.


    "Ahhh! What are you doing? Call the police, Sean!" said the salesman to the cashier. "These are just homies!"


    Sean ran to the counter and dialed the police''s number. Dmitri and Adrianna waited until the police came. Dmitri didn''t let Adrianna take off any of the jewelry. Two policemen arrived within five minutes. They looked sternly at the two of them.


    The elder looking policeman said, "You rogues, you think you can loot the shop with your antics? Come with us to the police station. Once you get a good beating, you will be fine."


    Dmitri said, "What crime have I committed? I want to buy the jewelry my wife is wearing and they are not selling it to me? Do I see any sort of discrimination here just because we are not wearing expensive clothes?!"


    The policeman was shocked to hear them speaking the word "discrimination". He hated people doing that and so he asked the salesman, "Did you try to swipe his card?"


    "No sir, can''t you see that they are goons. They are trying to shoplift. This card that he has given us is weird. I haven''t seen a card like this anywhere." Saying those words, the salesman threw the card on the floor.


    The couple who was watching the drama looked at the gold card that was thrown on the floor.


    "Oh, my God! Where did you get that card from?" asked the man.


    "That is mine," answered Dmitri.


    "This card is exclusive. I had only heard about it. Hardly ten or eleven people on this earth have this card. It is given to mega rich people and has no limit," he said with bewilderment. "Who are you?" he asked.


    Dmitri ignored his statement and took the card from him. "Swipe it," he said to the cashier.


    The cashier held the card in his hand as though he was carrying some kind of treasure. His hands started shaking when he heard the middle-aged man''s words. He brought the swiping machine, swiped the card and extended it to Dmitri to enter his password. Dmitri entered and the transaction went through!


    The cashier felt winded, he held the chair beside him to balance himself. He looked at Dmitri and his wife. "Sir��" he said as he ran towards him and held his hand. "Sir, I am very sorry. This useless salesman here is an idiot."


    By that time the owner had also come. He saw what was going on there. "You are fired," he barked at the salesman who was showing them the jewelry.


    The salesman forgot his pain and became dizzy. What he thought of them and what they actually turned out to be - one of the top ten richest people on this earth? When the owner shouted at him, he became nervous. "I am sorry��" that''s all he managed to say.


    "I am sorry, but I won''t accept his apology," said Dmitri. He turned towards the police and said, "This guy here tried to sabotage my reputation. I would like you to arrest on the base of slander and moral damage."


    Adrianna couldn''t help herself, and started laughing loudly then.

 Chapter 248 - So Scared Of Hurting Me That...

    The salesman was miserable. "Sir, I am extremely sorry. Please, you must forgive me. This is the first time I have seen such kind of shopping in our shop."


    Adrianna was pissed by his change in behavior after seeing the money and their power to buy things. She requested the policemen, "He wanted to insult us right from the beginning. Please arrest him and we will lodge a complaint with you now against him."


    While the salesman kept pleading guilty, the owner of the shop was seen running around to help pack all the jewelry Dmitri had purchased. He wasn''t even bothered to help the salesman. "Sir, would you like us to send the jewelry to your house?"


    "No, we will take it from here," answered Dmitri. Then he took the ring out of the box and made Adrianna wear it there and then. "This is how humans get engaged."


    Adrianna circled her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "And this is how the deal is sealed."


    "Really? In that case I must make you wear all the jewelry at home and see what all can be done," said a bemused Dmitri.


    The middle-aged couple who was standing nearby started laughing much to Adrianna''s embarrassment. She slapped him on his shoulder as she blushed a deep red.


    Dmitri gave his lopsided smile and together they exited the shop with so many packets that the passersby looked at them with wonder. They must have walked a few meters ahead on the pavement that a car came and stopped right next to them.


    "Adrianna!" shouted Ookashi and jumped out of the car. She ran and hugged Adrianna who both hands were holding various sized shopping bags. Nate also got out of the driving seat and smiled at the two of them.


    Adrianna was surprised to see the two of them together. "What the hell is going on? Have I missed something?" asked Adrianna as she looked at Nate from above Ookashi''s shoulders. Nate''s smile spread into a grin.


    Ookashi was literally jumping with excitement. "See what Nate has given me?" She left Adrianna and showed her the engagement ring.


    "What? Oh. My. God. Congratulations!" exclaimed Adrianna. She handed all the bags to Dmitri who was already overloaded and hugged Ookashi tightly. "Ookashiiiii, I am so happy. This is sudden progress. I mean even Dmitri and I took some time."


    "Oh! You and Dmitri took forever," replied Ookashi rolling her eyes. "But I can''t let my man stray away. Once he loves me, he better gives me that ring or else I will move on!" she said looking at Nate with a raised eyebrow.


    "Nate: "��"


    Adrianna laughed. "Let''s celebrate it because even Dmitri gave me an engagement ring today." Adrianna flaunted her ring and the two of them screamed together. Both the men were just too embarrassed now. They went and sat in the car.


    "Yes, let''s go and have a good dinner," said Ookashi as she started dragging her out of there.


    "Hey, what about us?" asked Nate.


    "We will catch up with the two of you in an hour," replied Ookashi and ran away from there holding Adrianna''s hand.


    Dmitri looked at Nate as if he would rip him apart. "Why did you come here - to spoil my day? You better tame that wild girl of yours or else I am going to keep Adrianna away from her! He communicated him mentally with clenched jaws.


    "Dmitri, its not my fault. They are girls and I think all normal girls behave like that. Let''s go and have some beer while they have girl-fun," suggested Nate trying to cheer his alpha.


    Nate and Ookashi was an extremely odd couple. While Nate had a serious and calm demeanor, Ookashi was extremely flamboyant, chirpy and full of energy. Yet, whatever she did, never ever irritated Nate.


    Ookashi led Adrianna to a nearby diner where the two of them settled in a corner. Ookashi was looking so happy that she was radiating.


    Adrianna asked her the question that had been troubling her, "What about your parents? Do they know that you are engaged to Nate?"


    "Yes, I have informed them." Ookashi answered as she inspected her ruby and diamond ring. It was beautiful. They she picked Adrianna''s ring finger to see her ring.


    "So how did you guys come to this stage? The last I remember was that you had gone to his place."


    Ookashi smiled. "Adri, I don''t know how to begin. I was genuinely surprised when I came to know that you guys are werewolves. It was like the most fascinating thing I had ever heard in my life. I asked Nate to tell me everything and he revealed everything about himself, and he also said��" Ookashi hesitated.


    "That I go to the wizard kingdom?" Adrianna completed her sentence.


    Ookashi bit her lip and nodded. "But Adri, I am�� I am okay with all that. Trust me!"


    Adrianna smiled at her friend. She knew that Ookashi was speaking the truth.


    "I was shocked initially, but after staying with Nate for the past one month, I feel that I am a part of your world. I am a human and often Nate is scared of hurting me. As a matter of fact he is so scared that we haven''t had sex as yet!"


    "What? Is he mad?" Adrianna shouted. Everyone in the diner started looking at them.


    "Please don''t say that about him. He is just too concerned about me. He said that sex in wolves is very different and that you people mark the partner. He is scared that if my body accepts the mark, things will become different." Ookashi looked at Adrianna and asked, "What is marking the partner?"


    Adrianna understood his apprehension. When Dmitri had marked her, the pain was excruciating. It was natural for Nate to refrain. He didn''t want to hurt Ookashi, yet only Adrianna could understand how difficult it must be for him.


    Adrianna bared her mark and said, "This is marking. When a wolf marks his mate, a soul bond is created. You will never be able to leave him after that��"


    Ookashi''s eyes were wide with wonder. She saw two marks of teeth that had pierced Adrianna skin and were now healed completely. "That''s savage! Why would you do that to your partner?"


    "For a werewolf that is natural. You will understand once you marked. It is something, which will make him your slave for life and you will never think of anyone other than Nate. Your souls will be intertwined," Adrianna replied with a very serious expression. "You must be ready for that kind of life Ookashi. I know that Nate has imprinted on you. So even if you will reject him and marry someone else, he wouldn''t be able to do that. He will stay unmarried forever. He won''t accept anyone as his partner. You are the center of his universe now and will stay forever."


    Ookashi eyes became moist. "What do you mean ''imprinted''?"


    "Werewolves imprint on their partners. It''s like they lose connection with everything else in the universe and only their mate''s attraction exists." Adrianna looked down in her lap. "You won''t understand Ookashi��"


    "I want to Adri�� Do I need to be marked to understand that?"


    "Perhaps��"


    The food was served and the friends had it in silence.

 Chapter 249 - Love Was In The Air

    Ookashi dined with conflicted emotions. Her love for Nate was charging horses pulling her in his direction but she was wondering if she was ready for a union like this. Adrianna had given her the real picture of what was lying ahead. She couldn''t abandon her feelings for Nate, but she couldn''t even accept them fully. Bond for life? That was something that she wasn''t ready for. Nate was the perfect boyfriend, buddy and best friend one could ever even think of but getting with him for the lifetime was the weirder part. Will she be able to commit to him? The need to love and the need to nurture go hand in hand, but what would happen if she started falling out?


    Adrianna read her mind and smiled. She put her hand on hers across the table on hers and said "Don''t worry. Firstly, you will never fall out of this relationship. The soul bond will take care of that part. And secondly, have confidence in yourself. Nate is a wonderful man. You won''t find someone as sincere as he is in the entire world. His commitment level for you is to a level you cannot fathom."


    Ookashi nodded with a faint smile. She paid for the dinner they had and then both of them walked to their lovers who were sitting right across the street in a bar where a young girl was standing right next to them exposing the cleavage of her boobs. She seemed to have been smitten by those young handsome, very muscular men whom each girl that passed by the bar would stare at.


    Adrianna chuckled and mentally communicated. "Should I disguise as her in the evening?"


    "That would be mind boggling! Please I want to see my wife like that," replied Dmitri thinking of all the possibilities.


    When Ookashi saw her, she became angry. She left Adrianna and ran to Nate''s side. She sat there much to the disapproval of the bar''s maid. "I want a beer," she ordered and circled her arms around Nate.


    "We don''t serve it to the kids," replied the barmaid and started talking to Dmitri.


    "Young man, do you think you have spare time?" she asked as her interest in Nate disappeared.


    "It depends. What kind of tasks do you have in mind for me?" asked Dmitri much to Ookashi''s horror.


    Adrianna had come there by that time and sat next to Dmitri. She picked Dmitri''s glass and had a sip. Dmitri narrowed his eyes and removed the glass from there.


    Seeing how she had ignored Ookashi''s demand, Nate said, "I need another glass, plus my girlfriend here is not underage. She is nineteen."


    Once again the barmaid ignored him. She saw how Dmitri responded to her remark and tugging her necklace said, "I want you to inspect something. Can you follow me?"


    Dmitri followed her. Ookashi was left staring at Adrianna. "What the hell? Why didn''t you stop him?"


    Adrianna laughed as she sipped beer from his glass. Dmitri came back in two minutes brushing dirt off his shirt. "Where is she?" asked Adrianna. "Didn''t you inspect her?"


    "Yes, I did. She is where she belonged to �C in a trashcan behind this bar," he replied sipping his beer and circling his arms around Adrianna. "Come here," he said and kissed on her lips.


    "I need that beer," she demanded.


    "Nope!" he replied.


    Ookashi couldn''t stop laughing. Nate had brought beer for her by that time. She chugged at it in excitement. She had had two beer mugs already and wanted more before Nate had to stop her. He had to lug her to the car as she had become very verbal and was jumping in excitement. Dmitri and Adrianna sat in front. While Dmitri drove the car, Nate was having a tough time managing Ookashi. "No more alcohol for you," he said as Dmitri looked at Adrianna and they both laughed.


    Love was in the air.


    Nate took Ookashi home. He had to carry her there as she refused to walk. Adrianna and Dmitri went back home with all the shopping they had done.


    When they went home, Nate took her to the bedroom and asked her to sleep while he went to fetch cold water for her. When he came back, he saw that she had taken off all her clothes and was sitting on the bed. He went to her and covered her with a blanket even though he was getting crazy ideas about her. His member had tightened inside his pants but he was refraining. He gave her a glass of cold water. She sipped it and removed the blanket from her. "It is getting hot," she said as she looked seductively at him.


    Her white skin, he slightly flushed face and the smell of her pheromones was making him go wild inside. "Why are you testing me Ookashi? Don''t you know that I can''t have you? I don''t want to hurt you. Please cover yourself." He said and started picking the blanket. She held his thick muscular wrist with her small hand. "Nate, I want you to make love to me. I want to offer myself to you and then make any decision about us."


    Nate looked into her eyes. He couldn''t hold himself. He held her face and kissed her lips. Then he pressed her beneath him and said, "There is no going back from here." He delved his tongue in her mouth.


    "It is going to be my first time��" she said in between kisses.


    "Good��" he replied and went down to her breasts.


    Meanwhile in the wizard kingdom, Liam was exploring Fleur''s each and every part of the body. He couldn''t get enough of her. Ever since they had met, there wasn''t a moment of separation. Each was addicted to the other to the extent that they the separation of so many days had brought them to the point of madness. They were unable to think properly. As the night fell and Liam kissed her stomach, she asked him, "How old are you Liam?" His cute face that melted her heart was buried in her stomach as his hands played with her pubic area. She thought that he must be twenty-one at the most. The fact that she was twenty-five made her feel so old.


    Liam looked at her and went up to kiss her again, his member hardened in the process. "I am hundred and thirty five years old."


    Fleur looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" she asked but he stopped her as he bit her lips. They made passionate love as the first snow of the winter fell outside their windows. She was happy that she was younger.


    Back in the wolf realm, Dmitri and Adrianna were playing the barmaid game. "Expose your cleavage woman," demanded Dmitri.

 Chapter 250 - Belle Of The Ball (1)

    Next day in the morning, the two of them came down to have breakfast together. Nate entered the dining with Ookashi. They were holding hands. Ookashi looked shy while Nate walked confidently to them. He sat down opposite Dmitri and Ookashi sat right next to him.


    As usual Dmitri had to ask shamelessly, "How was your night yesterday Ookashi? You had quite a lot of drinks." He was buttering his bread.


    Ookashi started coughing as she stared Dmitri. Nate rubbed her back and mentally communicated to Dmitri, "Dude, she is not comfortable with your shamelessness."


    "Ah!" he said.


    "Ookashi, why are you coughing? Did Nate not take good care of you? I mean we were expecting that he would mark you. When are you guys getting married?" Dmitri continued as he looked at Ookashi.


    Ookashi only became redder. Adrianna had to slap his shoulders to shut him up. She could see that the two of them were crazily in love with each other. She could read Ookashi''s mind and knew that Ookashi was very confident about Nate. As a matter of fact she was looking forward to take him to her parents, although that wasn''t required.


    Nate was filling her plate with fruits. After a nice breakfast, Dmitri and Adrianna had to walk back to the wizard realm. It was for the first time that Ookashi saw a portal. She was mesmerized, shocked and stunned. This was the most beautiful thing she had seen in her life �C a portal of flowers. She wanted to pick the flowers but Adrianna stopped her. "If you pick even one flower, the portal will open in a different unknown location."


    Ookashi made a sad face and retracted her hand. "See you soon," she waved them goodbye and looked at Nate. "Let''s go back to your place."


    "Why? Let''s walk in the gardens here," he insisted. He was afraid that he might give her more bruises.


    "No!" she said and she pulled him to his house. She was getting addicted to him.


    When Adrianna and Dmitri walked in the wizard realm in the royal palace, Fleur was there ready for them to escort them to the third level along with her team of security. She had taken special permission from Isidorus to be with Liam for just one day. Although she hadn''t expected, but Isidorus had permitted her to her utter surprise.


    Isidorus was also there.


    Adrianna greeted him and Dmitri nodded.


    "My queen, can I have a private audience?" he said.


    Adrianna frowned. Then she nodded and went ahead as Dmitri went to the garden.


    While walking to the main hall, Isidorus said, "It seems that Mihr might approve your offer."


    "How do you know?"


    "He had asked his daughter Nefasky to be cordial with you and extend her help to you during the competition."


    "Hmm�� I could see the change in demeanor during the competition."


    "Well, we still need to wait and watch. He is known to he hot tempered and a long-time friend of Cy," replied Isidorus. "Also I had another request."


    "Sure, what is it Isidorus?"


    "I heard that Dmitri ended up buying a huge amount of jewelry for you."


    "Yes," Adrianna chuckled as she flaunted her ring.


    "The treasury of the wizard kingdom has jewelry worth trillions of human currency and it is all there for the king and queen. You shouldn''t have bought it."


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus with wide eyes. Trillions of human currency!


    As if he had read her mind, he said, "Yes, it is the biggest in all the realm and is hidden in a place where no one can go. It is stored in sixteen rooms."


    Adrianna''s jaw dropped.


    Isidorus got up and said "Time to go Adrianna. Enjoy the winter carnival. But remember that you shouldn''t fall for any tricks."


    Adrianna looked at the place where he disappeared, her mouth wide open.


    She walked outside in a daze and found Fleur talking to Dmitri. The moment she came out, Dmitri hopped in the carriage. He looked at her and asked, "What happened? Did Isidorus say something?"


    "He asked me not to buy more jewelry. He said that there is a lot in the treasury here."


    "That sneaky old bastard!" Dmitri shouted. "Why does he spy so much? I will give my wife whatever I want to."


    Adrianna grinned at her husband. "Dmitri you are so adorable."


    "Remove adorable and add sexy."


    Adrianna laughed.


    The carriage was flying through various levels. Adrianna saw the second level was now covered with a thin sheet of ice. As the carriage was flying, the second level beautiful beneath them. The ice had fallen on the trees and on top of the home. Some of the trees were trying to shake the snow off them as though in irritation. When they shook, the birds would come flying out and then again go back inside them when they had shaken the snow away. Adrianna laughed. It was truly magical, like a fairy kingdom. Slowly the carriage descended to the third level, which was completely covered in snow. It looked as though there was not a place that was left where the snow had accumulated.


    The carriage landed on a relatively plain area between the woods. Adrianna came out and Dmitri followed her. Fleur had cast a spell on them and they were now covered with appropriate clothes. "Which way?" asked Adrianna.


    Fleur guided them to the carnival. They had walked only a few meters when Dmitri saw Liam walking towards them. He joined them and the four of them walked into the celebrations of the winter carnival.


    It was daytime, but there were lights everywhere. The trees were lit up with white lights giving the impression of tiny stars trying to stay fixed on the trees.


    Children were sledding, there were people gathered around to see local matches between different types of beasts. The third level was where most of the population of the wizard world lived. That place was lively, much livelier than the town, which Adrianna frequented in her realm. As she walked she started getting all the more interested.


    Suddenly, all of them came to a standstill. There was a huge poster that said, "Belle of the Ball Competition".


    "Let us participate," said Fleur as she remembered that she had participated last time also.

 Chapter 251 - Belle Of The Ball (2)

    Adrianna went ahead near Fleur and looked at the huge poster. The poster was like a film running in a huge photo frame setting that was suspended in the air. The film showed girls dancing with their partners in a circle on music that was playing the background. The dance got over with each of them bowing. All of them were wearing exotic gowns and looked beautiful.


    "What is this about, Fleur?" asked Adrianna as she rested her hand on her shoulders.


    "This is just a fun event of winter carnival in which mostly people from the age group of sixteen to thirty are allowed to participate. We all have to create our own dresses and then at the end of the day, we have to dance with our partners. The girl with the best dress usually wins the crown of the ''Belle of the Ball''," explained Fleur with a glint in her eyes. She loved the way the girls were dancing there in the picture.


    "When is the competition?" asked Adrianna thinking that it would be a week or two later considering the exotic outfits the girls were wearing.


    "It is going to be tomorrow. So let''s participate. We have plenty of time to prevent our partners for dancing."


    "Tomorrow?" Adrianna was shocked. "We cannot stitch our dresses by tomorrow! Plus I don''t have those kinds of gowns. So it is better that you participate in it."


    "Come on Adrianna, don''t be such a spoilsport. You must take part in this competition," coaxed Fleur.


    "Fleur, it is impossible to stitch a dress like that in a day. The tailor would take at least a month to come anywhere near those kinds of dresses," reasoned Adrianna.


    "If it is about the dresses then you don''t have to bother," said Fleur. She held Adrianna''s hand and dragged her inside the hall where they were registering the names of the participants. From the corner of her eyes, Adrianna noticed that Lile was also standing in line to register her name. Their eyes met and Lile ignored Adrianna. Adrianna remembered how Lile had misled her in the Second stage of competition. Adrianna also ignored her.


    She turned to Fleur and said, "I really don''t want to take part in this competition. I mean I cannot see myself as the Belle of the ball." Adrianna chuckled.


    "Hush," said Fleur by putting a finger on her lips. Dimitri and Liam had followed the girls inside. They were standing in the corner watching this with interest. They were excited to take part and dance with their partners. When the registration finished, the girls came to them. Before the girls could say anything, Dmitri asked, "So how are we going to get the partners? Is it random or do I have to necessarily dance with Adrianna?" He sounded thrilled at the thought.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and answered, "It is random. The girls get to choose their partners to dance with."


    "What?" Dmitri''s face paled. He wouldn''t allow Adrianna to dance with anyone else. He had thought that this joke would provoke Adrianna instead he started feeling insecure. "In that case I am sorry but Adrianna cannot take part in this competition."


    "Who said so? I will take part," harrumphed Adrianna and walked away from there asking, "How do we get the gowns?"


    Dmitri ran after her. "Baby, it was a joke," he was heard speaking behind her.


    Fleur laughed as Liam shook his head. Dmitri was beginning to become such a flirt and tease and Adrianna was getting wiser by the day.


    "For the competition, each registrant is given a mannequin on which they can create a dress," said Fleur.


    "Huh? How can a mannequin make a dress?" Adrianna was intrigued.


    "You just have to think what would you want and tell the mannequin your design. The mannequin starts working on its own pace and will stitch the dress for you," said Fleur, which made Adrianna all the more interested in it.


    "Where are the mannequins?" asked Adrianna enthusiastically.


    Fleur took out two token from her pants pocket. She handed one to Adrianna and said, "Here''s your token. We are going to give this to the tailor master. He will note down the number and give you a mannequin to work upon."


    "What about the dress material? Will the tailor give that too?"


    "Of course! Everything belongs to the competition organizers."


    Adrianna became all the more excited. She had never been in this kind of a competition. More than the competition, she looked forward to making her gown. They walked around the hall on the outside and reached a small shop where the tailor master was sitting. There was once again a line of boys and girls standing to take the mannequins assigned to them while some of them were going back carrying their mannequins.


    The tailor master handed them their mannequins after noting down their numbers. He was so busy with all this that he didn''t even have the time to look at them.


    Fleur guided Adrianna to yet another hall where people had kept their mannequins. All the mannequins were kept in a neat line. There were rows upon rows of those and some of them had unstitched dresses on them, while some of them were waiting for their owners. It gave an eerie look.


    "What about the material? Do we have to go elsewhere to fetch it?" asked an eager Adrianna after keeping her mannequin next to Fleur''s.


    "No!" blurted Fleur. "Watch me."


    Fleur imagined her dress and instructed her mannequin as to what she wanted. At times when she couldn''t instruct, she only imagined. Slowly a green colored net fabric appeared on the mannequin. The fabric started arranging itself into the design Fleur had thought. Stitches started appearing on their own. Green colored beads appeared and arranged themselves on the neckline.


    Then Fleur looked at Adrianna and said, "All you have to do is imagine a dress and instruct the design to your mannequin. It will automatically start stitching the dress. The material will be taken from the tailor''s shop."


    Adrianna eyes became wide with amusement. Even Dmitri and Liam, who had followed their girls, looked interested.


    "What if someone steals my dress?" asked Adrianna. She wasn''t sure that the mannequin would even remain stable on the ground.


    Fleur looked at her with a weird expression. "Nobody can steal your mannequin, let alone your dress!"

 Chapter 252 - Belle Of The Ball (3)

    "No one can steal my mannequin?" Adrianna was perplexed even more. Those mannequins were as light as feathers. "How can that be/It''s absurd,anyone can lift them with one hand and run away with your dress."


    Fleur chuckled at her. "Try lifting your mannequin, Adrianna."


    Adrianna had placed her mannequin right next to Fleur''s but she noticed that it had shifted from its place and had adjusted itself a little away in the next available slot. "When did it move?" asked Adrianna totally bewildered.


    "Maybe when we were talking," answered Fleur with a shrug.


    "But I didn''t see it moving," Adrianna said with wide eyes. She went to the mannequin and tried to lift it up but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t budge it from its place.


    "What happened? Why can''t I move it?" she questioned - while scratching her head.


    "That''s because the mannequin has now rooted itself in the next available slot. The slot number has got registered with the tailor, which he has sent to the organizers. Now your entry is sealed. It is your choice whether you want to go ahead or not with the competition, but your name will appear in the list of the competitors after the competition winners are announced," Fleu replied while looking at the dress her mannequin was stitching.


    Suddenly a scissors appeared from nowhere and the dress started to get cut from the sleeve.


    Adrianna chuckled. She rubbed her hands as they itched to do something. She started thinking about which dress would be good. There were thousands of options running a mile a minute in her mind. She had seen so many dresses in the human realm. By the end of half an hour, one could see a confused Adrianna flanked by Dmitri and Liam, sitting near her mannequin in a squatted position with her hands holding her face. She pouted and sulked a little.


    "Do something, Adrianna," said Dmitri. He was getting exasperated by her dithering. "I am not going to sit here all day!"


    "There are a lot of designs in my mind. What should I do?"


    "Why don''t you think about your own wedding dress? Did you like that?" asked Dmitri tenderly. He wanted to suggest to her that from a long time.


    Adrianna''s eyes glinted and she clapped her hands with glee. She imagined her dress and instructed the mannequin accordingly. To her surprise, a fabric appeared and started wrapping around it.


    "If you have given your instructions, let us go, Adrianna," Fleur coaxed. "It will keep stitching the dress on its own. We can come and check later."


    Adrianna was feeling so happy with the new job that she was reluctant to leave but Dmitri dragged her out. "Let''s go and enjoy the rest of the carnival."


    When all of them had left, Lile, who had been watching all of them from a distance secretly, emerged from her place. She went to see the dress of Adrianna''s mannequin. Even though it wasn''t fully formed, it looked beautiful. Lile narrowed her eyes and looked around. There was no one in that row. She took out a small thumbnail-sized black translucent stone from her bag. Blowing it softly, she placed it at the back of the foot of Adrianna''s mannequin. The stone attached itself like a leech.


    She left the hall quietly.


    Outside, Adrianna and Dmitri were flanked by security. "What happened? Why do we have so much security all of a sudden?"


    "There has been a security breach in one of the places. Adrianna, don''t lose security even for a minute while I go and take a look."


    Adrianna nodded. Dmitri caught her hand and they started walking together.


    People started staring at them as they passed by and Adriana could hear the fervent whispering behind her back. Slowly, it was spread throughout the third level that their potential queen was walking around the carnival. People flocked in groups to see her. In a matter of minutes, Adiranna felt that the situation was going downhill because if her and felt embarrassed for causing such a ruckus. She bowed her head so as to hide her turbulent thoughts.


    Meanwhile, Dmitri enjoyed all the attention. He would even wave at little kids who would call out her name from the periphery of the crowd. People started walking alongside her entourage. The security had a tough time controlling them. Finally, a barrier was made around her that consisted of an electric field much to Adrianna''s disgust.


    They walked like that for some time and then all of a sudden Liam shouted, "Adrianna!" He came in front of Adrianna and Dmitri and covered them by circling his hands around them. An arrow that was shot from somewhere had come at a lightning speed/wheezing past the stunned spectators and made straight for the two and it pierced the electric field.


    As soon Liam had realised the meaning of the soft whoosh of the flying arrow, he had jumped forward to protect his Alpha and Luna. The arrow pierced the electric field but due to high heat, its tip had already burned through. By the time it came near Liam, it was blunt and burnt. It struck right on Liam''s back and pierced his clothes.


    Fleur came flying to them on her broom. She was shocked to see the three of them in that state. She hastily dismounted from her broom and rushed towards Liam. She pried off the arrow out of his clothes and removed his fur coat to check whether he had any flesh wounds. She seemed so angry that she took the arrow in her possession. Thankfully, the arrow couldn''t hurt Liam much, there were only a few scratches on his back. Fleur hugged him tightly with moist eyes. "My old man," she whispered.


    "I am fine," Liam assured her.


    Then, he pried off her arms from around him and looked at Adrianna and Dmitri.


    "Thanks, mate," Dmitri acknowledged his actions as he patted Liam''s back. Then he turned to Fleur and asked, "Who could have done that?"


    Fleur''s attention was thus diverted and she replied, "I will investigate it soon and let you know."


    All in the security team were so shocked by the incident that they created another layer of an electric field around them.


    "It is too risky to be here now. Let us go back," suggested Fleur.


    Adrianna said, "No, no. We must go and take a look at our dresses."


    Looking at her eagerness and thrill, all of them started laughing and the tension decreased.


    When they reached the hall, they saw that Adrianna''s dress was not even near to what she had instructed. It was badly sewn, almost to the point of being akin to a cheap copy of the original idea.

 Chapter 253 - This Is Leech!

    Adrianna was shocked to see her mannequin. How could that happen? Was her mannequin damaged? She started looking at its head thinking that perhaps it had some kind of artificial brain.


    Sensing what Adrianna was looking at, Fleur chuckled and said, "The entire body of the mannequin absorbs your vibes and takes the instructions. It has sensed the measurement of your body and will work accordingly. However, even I am perplexed as to what has gone wrong?"


    Fleur started looking for clues. All the material that was there was shabbily stitched and didn''t resemble what Adrianna had thought. "Let me go to the tailor master to find out what has gone wrong. You stay here Adrianna. We hardly have any time left now, since we need to go back before the moon comes up."


    Adrianna nodded, her mood plunging to hell. She went around the mannequin to see her dress all around and then kicked it on its ankle lightly for not understanding her thoughts well. Adrianna thought that perhaps because she was a half-wolf, the mannequin couldn''t understand half of what she had thought. However, as she kicked it, she could sense something projected out. "The mannequin is damaged," she declared without seeing the place.


    Dmitri and Liam came there immediately. "Where? Why do you say that?" asked Dmitri.


    Adrianna bent down and then said, "I think it is damaged here and from here all the energy is escaping." She bent down to look at the foot of the mannequin. But what they saw was even more shocking. There was a tiny black translucent stone attached to the ankle.


    Adrianna held the stone to remove it. "What is it?" asked Liam.


    "It''s a small stone��" she tried to pull it out, but it won''t budge. It had attached itself as though it has been glued there. The stone would often emit red lights from within.


    "What is it doing?" she was all the more shocked. "Why it is emitting red light?" she said as she tried her best to pull it out.


    Fleur came back in the meantime and she went around to see what they were doing.


    "What did the tailor master say?'' asked Adrianna.


    "He wasn''t there��"


    "Fleur, what is this stone over here?" asked Adrianna trying to scratch around it.


    Fleur went over and looked at it. "Adrianna, move away. This is leech! Who the hell put it here?"


    "What is leech?" asked Adrianna moving away because it certainly didn''t look like the leech she had seen in the forests. Those would attach themselves on the skin of the live animals or people and sucked blood.


    Fleur explained, "This one is a highly developed leech. It will attach itself to the animate or inanimate objects and adapt accordingly. If it is attached to the live wizard or witch, it will suck their blood and affect their thought process. If it gets attached to any inanimate object, it will defeat its purpose by leeching off its energy."


    Fleur took a cloth that was lying on the side and from a distance, it scratched it from the top. "Its head is here. Once that comes out, it will fall off." The head came out soon and the stone fell off on the ground.


    Immediately Fleur wrapped it in cloth and tied it.


    "Who would get a leech on my mannequin?" asked Adrianna very irritated.


    "It is easy to know but for now you should concentrate on recreating your dress," said Fleur as she kept the leech in a box that appeared as she snapped her fingers.


    Adrianna exhaled getting pissed by everyone around. Once again she gave instructions to her mannequin. The mannequin started stitching the dress perfectly. Satisfied, Adrianna left along with others.


    While walking back to the carriage, Adrianna said, "I want to know who did this cheeky thing with my mannequin."


    "Let us just finish off with the dance competition tomorrow. You leave it to me," said Fleur as she circled her arms around Liam''s hand. She looked at Liam and asked tenderly, "How is my old man?"


    Liam stopped in his tracks. He looked at her with warm eyes and stroked her hair that was falling till her shoulders. Tucking a loose hair behind her ears he said, "I am fine. You worry too much."


    Adrianna and Dmitri also stopped as they watched the lovebirds.


    Just then soft breeze blew and the hair that had fallen on Fleur''s neck ruffled in it.


    Adrianna was in for a shock as she noticed something on her neck. She closed her mouth with her hands when she saw it. Liam had marked her!


    She looked at the two of them. It was so clear that they were soul mates even though they hadn''t married. Dmitri looked at his wife, and then followed the line of gaze. Fleur''s hair had settled and he couldn''t see what Adrianna had seen. However, he had heard her thoughts. Dmitri looked at Liam with wide eyes. He didn''t know what to say to him.


    Even Liam had heard them but all of them stayed quiet. This wasn''t a place to discuss. They sat in the carriage while Fleur mounted her broom. All of them rode back in silence.


    In the royal palace, Dmitri confronted Liam. "Are you insane? How could you mark her knowing fully well that now you are bonded with her for life? Have you no respect for your life? Fleur is head of security for Adrianna and is in constant danger. Do you realize what you have done by marking her?"


    Fleur started crying upon hearing Dmitri''s harsh words. She went and hugged Liam. "He is mine," she said between her tears.


    "When did this happen?" asked Dmitri almost shouting at them. Adrianna was sitting and watching the three of them with tension.


    "Yesterday��" answered Liam. "I am sorry, but I tried a lot to stay away. However, every time I stayed away from her, it was painful. I tried to deceive my conscious mind in many ways, but I couldn''t deceive my entire being. Fleur and I have tough love. She loves me with her soul and so do I. When I feel the lack of that, I run, strike out and bite. I don''t have the courage to hold myself. It is impossible to stay through the roughness of challenges. I cannot face them. It was her tough love that kept me on the rails��


    "Yesterday, when I came here, I had to mark her and she offered herself to me willingly��"

 Chapter 254 - Belle Of The Ball (4)

    As Liam spoke, he had tightened his hold on Fleur as if Dmitri was planning to separate the two forever. He had wrapped his fur coat around her. Fleur was clinging to him.


    Dmitri was puzzled. How could he deal with this situation? Liam had just been attacked in the academy and he was also poisoned. He was vulnerable to so many attacks in the wizard kingdom. How would Fleur help him? It was different for Adrianna and him since the security was far tighter.


    "Don''t worry Dmitri. It''s going to be the same as it is with you. I had waited for my fated one for over a hundred years, and when I found her do you think I could have waited anymore. But still I tried my best.


    "Have you taken Howard''s permission?" Asked Dmitri.


    "No��"


    Exasperated, Dmitri sat down with Adrianna.


    "Let us go from here, Liam," Fleur urged. She didn''t want to talk about anything that would separate the two of them. Liam nodded. Before leaving she turned to Adrianna and said, "I will not slack in my duties for you but I can''t live without Liam now."


    "You should know that I need Liam in the wolf kingdom. What is he going to do over here along with you? Over the years he would get bored with the lack of work." Answered Dmitri being a little rough now.


    Liam knew that what Dmitri said was the truth, but now it was beyond his control. He was connected with Fleur in a way that it was beyond any explanation. "It can''t be undone now," he said and stepped into the portal.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna and sighed. Adrianna brought her hand to cheek and said, "You can''t help that Dmitri. They are the destined ones��"


    They retired to their bedroom after having dinner. None of them could speak much because they were just too occupied with Liam and Fleur''s future.


    Things were fizzled out when the night ended. In the morning Adrianna got up early as she became nervous about getting into the dance competition. She didn''t know the steps so well. She summoned Fleur who was sleepy as hell. Liam didn''t even follow her, as he couldn''t open his eyes after their late night sessions.


    "You should teach me how to dance, Fleur," said overly enthusiastic Adrianna.


    Dmitri came in the meanwhile. He looked at Fleur who looked like she could drop any moment out of sleepiness. "I will teach her Fleur. You can go back."


    "No! In that case Fleur you must see how the two of us dance," cried Adrianna.


    Dmitri rolled his eyes. He pulled Adrianna in his embrace and started dancing as the music played in the background. Fleur went to sit on the sofa in the main hall. Fleur opened one eye to see how she was doing and found her to step on Dmitri''s foot every other time. She shook her head and went back to sleep. Soon the couple was dancing even more vigorously as the music played louder. Fleur got up and went back to Liam.


    Two hours later Fleur came with her security team to take the couple to the carnival.


    They directly went to the place where the dresses were stitched. Adrianna clasped her hands in excitement when she saw that her dress was complete and it was looking beautiful. She took it out from there changed into it for the competition. Adrianna''s dress was a low neckline white colored tulle fabric dress with silk beneath it. It had a large white rose made out of silk right in the center of the waist. The dress was only till her thighs and it flaunted her white legs. She looked lovely.


    While going to the hall for it, she said, "Fleur, I would like to know who the hell tried to sabotage my dress."


    "Yes, I will tell you that, but for now please focus on your dance. Dmitri is a wonderful dancer while you are very clumsy!"


    Adrianna walked behind her with her head low.


    All the couples took their places in the hall. Adrianna could see that Lile was there along with Shay.


    While most other people wore very exotic large gowns like the ones in fairy tales, Adrianna''s was rather modern. The judges were all seated in the front of the hall and even if they didn''t want it, their eyes were going to Adrianna. They couldn''t help admiring her dress.


    The music started and the couples started dancing. Everyone danced well, but some of them gave up because their partners were too fat or because they stepped on their exotic gowns tearing them up in the process. Only a few remained until the last. Adrianna was being easily led by her partner, Dmitri. She thought that dancing was so easy.


    When the dance lasted, everyone clapped. The judges took around fifteen minutes to come up with their results.


    Just as they were about to announce the results, Fleur announced, "I have to ask about a leech that was fixed to Adrianna''s mannequin."

 Chapter 255 - Belle Of The Ball (5)

    Fleur had been waiting for this moment to tell about the leech to all those present in the hall . She wanted hash it out in front of everyone.


    "Fleur, how would these people know? This needs to be investigated by us," said Adrianna trying to stop her stopping her from announcing it in public.


    "Wait and watch Adrianna," she replied. Then she looked at the judges again. "I would like to call the tailor master. Only he can reveal as to who had fixed the leech on Adrianna''s mannequin."


    "Fleur, why you trying to delay our results? Adrianna is wearing a great dress. As far as we can see, there isn''t anything anyone that would say that there was a leech. A dress is majorly affected if there is a leech on the mannequin," said Lile who was standing in the third row. She looked irritated.


    Fleur went to the corner of the hall and picked a bag in which she had stuffed Adrianna''s old dress, which was badly damaged. She took it to the judges and showed it to them. The judges were baffled as to who could do this kind of cheeky underhanded trick thing. They promptly summoned the tailor master.


    The tailor master had been busy counting the mannequins that had been returned by the participants when he was summoned. he appeared right in front of the judges and he looked very annoyed. "Why have you called me? I have so much work to do and when the work won''t finish in time, the organizers are going to point fingers at me."


    The judges bowed in respect to the tailor master and called him forward. They explained the problem to him. He called Fleur and Adrianna. "Do you have your suspicions on anyone?"


    "No��" replied Adrianna.


    "But I have the leech with me!" said Fleur.


    Suddenly Lile shouted from behind. "You are wasting our time too. Let the judges first announce as to who is the winner and then you all can take your own sweet time doing whatever you like. Because of you, we all don''t have to won''t wait for a long time. We have a lot of other things to do as well"


    The judges looked at Lile and one of them replied in an annoying annoyed tone, "We will not reveal the results until this matter is sorted. The person who had fixed the leech was trying to cheat her way into the competition. Once we know who that is, we will disqualify her and then announce the winners."


    Lile became quiet. She pursed her lips and and her gaze turned downwards, trying to hide the well of emotions in her eyes.


    "How will they come to know who had fixed it?" asked Adrianna softly.


    "The tailor master has the powers to know everything that goes wrong in the wizard kingdom as far as dresses are concerned. He is the head of all those who want to become tailors and controls all the issues regarding our dresses in this realm. He knows how to do it," replied Fleur in a low voice.


    Adrianna was amazed. She looked at the tailor master. He was an old bald man with thick rimmed glasses.He had an inch-tape hanging around his neck. He was wearing a white shirt that was so beautifully stitched that Adrianna was impressed. Beneath the shirt, he was wearing grey pants with golden motifs. Although, it appeared off to her, she liked his appearance. Although the ensemble gave off a disconcerting feeling, she liked the overall look.


    The tailor master took the cloth from Fleur in which the leech was tied. He kept it on the floor and stood behind. He took his wand out from the his pant''s pants pocket and pointed it towards the cloth. A soft breeze blew and the knots of the cloth opened up on their own. Slowly, the sides of the cloth spread out and the black translucent stone could be seen. It was not emitting any red light now.


    "Is it the same stone? There is no light," asked Adrianna.


    "Yes."


    The tailor master made a circle in the air and blew air. A white light passed through the wand and hit the stone. The black stone jumped in the air and turned green. Suddenly someone shouted from the rows behind. "Lile!"


    Lile had turned green in color. Her skin was looking like as though it was painted in the same color as the stone.


    As soon as the tailor master had cast the spell, Lile had started sneaking out of the place. However, she hadn''t even reached the door when a girl near her shouted. "Lile, you have turned green!"


    Lile tried to make a run for it, run out but the doors of the hall closed automatically. She couldn''t escape. She looked up in front of her as everyone else stared at her.


    The tailor master said, "Come here, Lile and accept your wrongdoing, otherwise the stone here will keep jumping and you would not regain your original skin color."


    Adrianna''s eyes widened in shock were wide with shock. "Why has Lile turned green?" she asked feeling nervous.


    Fleur was surprised. She said, "It seems that she was the one who had fixed a leech onto your mannequin. She had fixed the leech on your mannequin. The leech can recall who had done it and the only way the culprit can be revealed is by imparting same color to its handler."


    Lile covered her face with her hands, as she came near the tailor master. "This is ridiculous. You are framing me!" she shrieked at Adrianna.


    Adrianna glared at her. "Lile, you have done such a cheeky dastardly thing. Go see yourself in the mirror �C that this face of yours is that of a cheat! But even mirrors can''t talk. Lucky for you, they can''t laugh either."


    Feeling insulted in front of so many people, Lile ran to Adrianna to push her down, but Adrianna snapped her fingers and Lile slipped onto the floor. She crashed slumped right on her buttocks with a loud thud and everyone present burst into jeers and laughter.


    The tailor master collected the cloth and the leech and looked at Adrianna with a kind smile. He disappeared soon after in a vortex.


    The judges announced the result. The Belle of the Ball was Adrianna for wearing the most beautiful dress, while another couple got the best dancers award. Best Dancers Award


    Liam was seen comforting a teary Fleur.

 Chapter 256 - I Am Much Eviler Than That

    Fleur complained to Liam, "I had won it last time."


    "Hush dear. It''s okay" he tried to comfort her.


    Adriana and Dmitri watched in apparent amusement as Liam tried to coax Fleur because she was feeling down due to her loss. The other couple were entertaining in their antics and they couldn''t help but shake their heads and laughed aloud.


    Adrianna was wearing a sash that was given to her after she had won the competition and she held her trophy proudly. Dmitri wanted to take her photographs but he hardly carried his phone around. Suddenly, a loud orchestra played and the poster that was earlier showing the competition date was now showing Adrianna''s picture as the Belle of the Ball. Adrianna''s face split into an a cheshire like grin. She was so happy that she squealed and danced all the way to her carriage. While Dmitri sat with her inside, Liam was with Fleur on her broom. It was best to leave the two love-birds alone for the moment.


    When they reached the royal palace, it was already evening and after they had their dinner, all of them went to do their own individual tasks.


    As the canopy of flowers started closing in around them, Dmitri embraced her tightly and Adrianna remarked , "Tomorrow my academy starts, and I will again be busy. Dmitri, it''s just a scant ten days to my crowning ceremony, at least that is what I have estimated...


    "Hmm��" he replied.


    "I am nervous," she said as she thought about how things are going to change in case the crown accepts her. The ministry had recommended that she stayed there for a month, and it had been over thirty days. She was beginning to become slightly impatient.


    "Don''t be�� everything will fall in place��" said Dmitri and dozed off to sleep. He was too tired after spending the entire day in the competition.


    The flowers of the canopy bloomed white and had a very sweet fragrance to them.


    The next day Adrianna woke up early and went to the academy while Dmitri was still in his land of dreams. She smiled at him and hoped that he would stay there that day too.


    In the academy, the results of the second stage of the competition were announced. Although Adrianna was very close to winning, the girl who won it was Nefasky. There was a huge cheering from Nefasky''s friends.


    They all carried Nefasky on their shoulders back to the class. Nefasky was so happy that she treated all the class with an exotic dish that she got especially from her house.


    She looked at Adrianna, who was sitting there and watching them cheer Nefasky with a smile. Nefasky went to her and said, "I don''t know how you got injured so badly otherwise you could have won but I am glad that I found you and Shay were there."


    Adrianna said, "Congratulations Nefasky. I can''t win every time."


    Nefasky smiled and left her to join her friends. Lile was sitting right there in the far corner watching Adrianna. After Nefasky went back to her, Lile went to her and said loudly for all to hear, "Nefasky, many congratulations! I am so happy that you have won the competition. Unlike others who only love to gloat in their victory and don''t want to help their friends because they are afraid that by helping friends, they would lose the competition, you went way out of your way to help others."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. Nefasky was surprised at Lile because Lile had left her and become Adrianna''s friend. She was also aware of the Belle of ball competition scandalous ending.


    Lile shook Nefasky''s hand and looked at Adrianna. "Sometimes, it is important to teach a lesson to the bitch who is condescending. What do you think Adrianna?" asked Lile with a scornful face.


    The entire class went silent.


    Adrianna raised an eyebrow. Nefasky was disgusted by Lile''s attitude. She found her to be extremely revolting at that moment for trying to drag her in between her fight with Adrianna. Before she could say anything, Adrianna said, "My name must sound so good because it is always on your lips ! Also, don''t call me a bitch, I am definitely much eviler than that!"


    "You arrogant bitch!" shouted Lile. Then she looked at Nefasky and said, "See, this is what I mean. She is so conceited. No wonder no one likes her."


    "People who are as intelligent and attractive as I am are usually conceited. I agree I am an acquired taste. So if you don''t like me, go acquire some taste," replied Adrianna with a warning look in her eyes.


    Lile looked at Adrianna with a shocked expression. The way she was answering was so unlike her. She looked at Nefasky for support. However, she was disappointed because Nefasky laughed and said, "I don''t think she is conceited. She likes to think of things that she actually cares about. Also, thank you for congratulating me." Saying that Nefasky turned her back towards Lile and started talking to her friends who were again excited.


    Lile gulped. She realised that she was all alone now - with no one to back her up in sticky situations.


    Adrianna walked out of the class, feeling better. She had had innumerable people who were always mocking her. Lile was out of her friendship zone completely.

 Chapter 257 - Release Nate Now!

    After her spat with Lile, Adrianna looked around. She kept looking around for Raz but didn''t find him anywhere near the vicinity of the place.Thinking that perhaps he might have been injured, she tried to shake off the tumultuous thoughts off.


    Adrianna went for the special spells class with Professor Ziu. She was wondering as to how many classes are still remaining as she walked through the alleyways. When she reached the room, she noticed that the door was closed. She pushed the door to open it, however it was apparent that someone had bolted it from the inside. Feeling bewildered about it, Adrianna knocked at the door but there was no answer. She tried to push it open but it still didn''t budge. She banged on it loudly and shouted, "Who is in there? Open it!"


    "Hisss��" a sharp intake of breath was heard from inside.


    Adrianna felt a little uncomfortable. She shouted loudly, "Who is in there? Come out. Open the door now!" As she said that, she took out her wand and just as she was about to cast the spell that would open the door, it creaked open slowly. When it opened completely, Adrianna was stunned at the sight in front of her. A huge black monster was sitting right in the center of the room in a bubble of water. The monster looked like a giant sea horse with so many fin like appendages all over its body and floating around in the water.Its sharp tongue would come out and eat the fish around it. It hissed as it saw Adrianna.


    "Who are you?" she asked as she looked at him with wide eyes, horrified to the core. Goose bumps lined her skin.


    "You have forgotten me so easily�� hisss��" he replied. His voice was warbled.


    Adrianna went near the water bubble to touch it but it appeared as though it wasn''t there. She was seeing a mirage or was she hallucinating? She reached out her hand to touch it. Her skin felt cold but she couldn''t feel the slippery and wet feeling of water.


    The monster laughed at her astonished and perplexed expression and exposed its fangs. "Don''t touch me, Adrianna."


    Suddenly, she saw a human body floating around it. It appeared the size of a palm in front of the beast''s gigantic body. Its face was facing away from her but Adrianna could make out that it was a man.


    The monster took out what seemed like its hand and held the body in his hand. He bared his fangs again and took out his tongue. He licked the man''s body with his large tongue and suddenly tossed it towards Adrianna. The body turned and came to the periphery of the water bubble.


    Adrianna shrieked in horror and her hands reached her mouth to contain her shirek and horror inside instinctively. "Ahhhhh!" That was Nate floating around him. He was unconscious and looked pale.


    "You recognize him, don''t you?" asked the monster. "He is my prized possession for the day. If you want him back, come find me�� hisss��"


    "Release Nate now!" Adrianna bellowed at the top of her lungs.


    The monster caught Nate in his hand and said, "Don''t shout or I will gobble him up."


    Ziu came running inside when he heard the strange conversation. He was shocked and took his wand out. Adrianna stopped his hand, "No! Don''t. That human he has as a hostage is Nate."


    The monster started laughing again, "You are quick to learn Adrianna."


    "Please tell me what you want. What has Nate done?" asked Adrianna exasperated.


    The monster opened its blue eyes fully. "Ah, now you are talking in a way that makes me want to converse with you ." He released Nate from his hands and gently left him in the water to float around . "I want three potions that you have successfully made in the last few days and I will release Nate. You should personally come to give me those potions or else I will not hesitate in killing him."


    "But tell me where are you?" she coaxed him.


    "No�� you have to find me by yourself and you have until tomorrow''s sun set," he replied lazily, while stroking Nate''s hair with his hand as he floated in front of him. Finished with his words, he suddenly lashed his long curvy tail and swam away. The water around him rippled as Nate''s body bumped on the bed of the water.


    "Stop!" Adrianna shouted but the monster had already disappeared.


    Nate''s body slowly settled on the bed of water and fish surrounded him.


    Adrianna felt worried for Nate''s well-being. . She looked at him as he lay there unconscious. Her tears started gushing out. Just two days ago , he and Ookashi had decided to stay together. She turned to look at Professor Ziu and asked him with tears in her eyes, "Do you know who that is? I am baffled because he said that I have forgotten him. Please tell me Professor Ziu, who is he?"


    Ziu was bewildered. He shook his head and said, "I don''t know Adrianna�� I have never seen anything like that��" He went forward to touch the water bubble but it disappeared instantly.


    "Nate!" shouted Adrianna. She felt helpless. Where would Nate be at the moment? All the coldness that surrounded him must be horrifying. Why were the fish surrounding him? What would she tell Dmitri?


    Adrianna turned around to go out of the classroom while her mind whirled with a slew of questions that remained unanswered as of now. Before leaving, she turned towards Professor Ziu and observed, "I am leaving to go and talk to Dmitri��"

 Chapter 258 - The Sea Horse (1)

    Just as she was about to leave the classroom, she recalled that the monster had asked her to deliver three recent potions that she had made. She turned around to look at Professor Ziu. "The monster wanted the last three potions I have made. Has this got anything to do with Professor Lane? Do you think he knows anything about it?"


    "Let''s ask him," replied Ziu and both of them rushed to find him.


    Meanwhile, Professor Lane was teaching the potion class for students who were lagging as compared to their peers . When he saw them, he paused in his lecture and came out of the classroom to talk to them. However, before any of them could do more than look at each other , Professor Ziu sucked them all in a vortex to his office.


    "We must talk here in privacy."


    Adrianna looked at Professor Lane and explained the entire situation to him. "Which monster could ask for potions? All the potions that I have created are fatal, especially the last one that we all created using a viper''s venom."


    Professor Lane''s face became pale. He quickly explained, "The only kind of monster who would want that kind of potion(s) is the one that lived in the North Seas . He predated on fish found in deep sea and rarely come up to the shallow waters. However, if he has, then he is surely looking for something and the fact that he had appeared in front of you means you hold the key to his wishes. He has taken Nate as ransom. While I am saying this, you should also know that he could become a human when needed and come out of the sea. Although, he cannot stay out of the sea for more than a day."


    "So it is highly possible that he had met Nate on land and lured him into the deep sea?" asked Adrianna, totally astounded.


    "Yes."


    "What else do you know professor?"


    "If it stays out of water for more than a day, its mind will become fuzzy and it can''t think anything cohesively. Apart from that, remember he is just too egotistical. So if you provoke him, he will make sure that he rips Nate''s limbs."


    "Why does he want the potions?" asked Ziu.


    "Because I think he is addicted to the viper''s venom or it could be that it is a trap for a bigger prize, which could be you, in this case, Adrianna��"


    "What have I done to provoke a monster?" asked Adrianna still dazed at what Professor Lane was saying. She paused for a long time and wondered what it was that she had done in the recent past that could lead up to this situation. All of a sudden she remembered, "I wanted to ask you one thing, Professor Ziu."


    "Sure, what is it, Adrianna?"


    "A student named Raz tried to kill me during the second stage of the competition. He said that there is someone who is far superior to him and he wanted me dead. However, I foiled his plans and in the battle that pursued, I injured him heavily. Worried for his safety, I lit the torch that was given to me and a professor walked out of a portal, lifted him and walked away without asking a word about his injury. I was baffled. Can you tell me who is Raz? I have never met him."


    "Raz? Who is Raz? I don''t know. There is no such student in the senior class who would enter the competition!" replied Ziu even more bewildered. "We haven''t heard of anyone named Raz!"


    Adrianna raised her eyebrows and her mouth fell open. "Raz tried to kill me using a bow and arrow�� he was there in the arena with me for some time. We made a shelter together."


    "Adrianna, I am telling you there is no Raz! Did you hallucinate? It is normal to hallucinate in such conditions."


    She blinked and then tilted her head getting even more suspicious. If she would have been killed over there, no one would have come to know as to who did it and would have walked away as quietly as he had come.


    "Professor Ziu, I am not speaking a lie. Please investigate this matter."


    Then she looked at Professor Lane and said, "Could you please give me those potions?"


    "I am sorry Adrianna but those are deadly potions. They cannot leave academy''s grounds."


    "Please professor, I have to save a friend''s life."


    Lane looked at Ziu who nodded in agreement. He snapped his fingers and the three potions appeared in front of them in a glass box. "Be careful with them. They cannot fall into enemy''s hands because if they do, they can only wreak havoc . A single drop of any of these potions can potentially kill the ecosystem of an entire lake."


    Adrianna thanked Professor Lane profusely and left the academy grounds. As she went out of the academy, she found Liam talking to Fleur. "I will come back as soon as possible."


    Fleur pursed her lips. When she saw Adrianna coming out at that time, she was surprised. "Are you sick?"


    Adrianna ignored Fleur and mentally communicated with Liam. "I got the message about Nate."

 Chapter 259 - The Sea Horse (2)

    "Then let us go!" answered Liam.


    As soon as Fleur heard that Adrianna was also leaving, the entire team went on high alert . Fleur opened the portal and all of them stepped through it. Everyone walked right into the gardens of Dmitri''s mansion. Ookashi was standing with Dmitri and was crying hysterically. He pursed his lips and found it extremely difficult to say words to soothe her.


    When Ookashi saw Adrianna, she ran to her and hugged her, "Adri- Adri, Nate has been missing for a day now. First, I thought he must have come to Dmitri for some work. When he didn''t return even after five hours in the market, I came to meet him at Dmitri''s but he wasn''t here, so I went to the market and came to know from others that he had gone to the market to buy a necklace for me. . No one has seen him since then. The owner of the place from where he was about to buy the necklace said that someone had come there and told him that he had an exquisite necklace but for a price. After that no one has heard a word from him."


    Adrianna caressed Ookashi. She held Ookashi''s shoulders and then pushed her inside gently. "We are trying our best to find him��" Adrianna didn''t want to reveal what she saw to Ookashi, afraid that she might panic all the more. She called a maid and asked her to take Ookashi to the guest room so that she could rest a little but Ookashi refused, "Adrianna, how can you even think that I will rest until we find Nate! Two days back, Nate and I decided that we would get married and the next day he goes missing! Do you realize what I am feeling right now?"


    "Ookashi, you haven''t slept for over twenty four hours now. Please take some rest," urged Adrianna. She knew that it was difficult for humans to stay awake for so long and that it affected their mental health. Ookashi''s face was puffy and her eyes had turned red and swollen because of all the crying. Her parents were dead set against the marriage and she had left her house to be with him. If anything happened to Nate, she wouldn''t be able to survive. It was because of her that he had gone missing.


    "No. I am going to stay right here," she said as she broke into a fresh bout of tears. Adrianna had no choice but to cast a sleep spell on her. The next moment Ookashi was sleeping, as tears flowed out of the corner of her eyes. It was a pitiable sight but necessary. The servants took her inside.


    Adrianna asked all the servants to clear the room. When only Liam, Fleur and Dmitri were left, she started, "Today when I went for the magic spell class, I saw a vision of a monster with Nate''s body floating around him."


    "What?" Dmitri''s skin lined up with goosebumps . "What the hell are you saying? What monster?"


    Adrianna exhaled and then went on to narrate everything patiently to him. At the end of the explanation, all of them were in a state of shock. "Where the hell has the monster taken him?" asked Liam.


    "I have no idea which water body have they gone into but I have only until tomorrow''s sunset. After that the monster will kill Nate��"


    "Shut up, Adri!" shouted Dmitri. It was the first time he ever regretted marrying her. Because of her so many problems were constantly arising one after another. He was beginning to get fed up of them.


    Adrianna could hear his thoughts and couldn''t help but feel miserable in her heart. She knew that already�� but she masked her sadness by blocking her mind''s thoughts and showed a bold face.


    "Let us go to the market place and start finding clues from there," she declared as she stood up and walked out of the room. . As soon as she was on the main gates, she stepped through the portal and entered the market place along with others. They went to the shop as mentioned by Ookashi.


    The shop''s owner said, "I was showing exquisite necklaces to Nate but he wasn''t impressed. There are so many necklaces here," he said pointing to the display out there, "And each of them are traditional ones that the mates give to their loved ones for wedding but he wanted something unique."


    "Then what happened?" asked Liam.


    "There was another man here who was looking at all sorts of jewelry �C very peculiar looking man with strange tattoo on his neck. He couldn''t speak our language so well, and the way he spoke it appeared as though he was speaking with a lot of difficulty. With every sentence he said, he would exhale and inhale deeply."

 Chapter 260 - The Sea Horse (3)

    "What did he say?" asked Adrianna getting suspicious already.


    "He said that he has exquisite diamond necklaces in the marketplace of the town. Humans like that kind of stuff. Nate became very excited when he heard that and said, "Oh yes, that is what I was looking for!" and went with him."


    "Can you explain what kind of tattoo he had on his neck?" asked Adrianna hoping that it might give them some sort of clue or idea to go on, .


    "It was a strange one�� I think it looked like a seahorse ��"


    Adrianna was astounded at this revelation. She kept her hand on her mouth. "Adri, is it what I am thinking?" asked Dmitri.


    "Yes," came a subdued reply.


    "Then what happened?" asked Dmitri.


    "Then Nate walked out with that man. I was very angry with him for poaching my customer, so I walked out to fight with him but I saw that they had walked quite a distance away in such a short time, which was surprising��"


    "Where did they go? Do you have any idea?" enquired Dmitri.


    "Yes, Alpha. I asked my boy here to follow them but my boy returned saying that they disappeared somewhere�� the last he saw them was on the road to the marketplace."


    Adrianna held her head and went out of the shop. Others followed her. "So what I can gather is that this is the same man with a tattoo that lured Nate out. He is the monster. Once Nate followed him, he must have taken him to a place where he could knock him out and take him to his world. But how did he know about Nate and me?"


    "I feel that the monster couldn''t have traveled too far. It is possible that he is still somewhere in a nearby water body. Is there a lake around here, which connects to a river, which then opens into a sea?" asked Adrianna.


    "Yes, the lake for which your father fought for �C the one that falls within the territory of the Lake Moon Pack��" answered Dmitri.


    All of them were walking back through the portal and into the gardens of Dmitri''s mansion when a guard came to them. "Alpha, the chief of the Lake Moon Pack is here and requests to have an audience with you urgently."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri. "Call him inside now!"


    The chief of the Lake Moon Pack came inside. He looked apprehensive and knackered. "Alpha, I have never ever faced this kind of situation before. You have to help me!"


    "What is wrong?" asked Dmitri getting up from his place in anticipation that he had found Nate.


    "Most of the water that is supplied to the packs is through the lake that is within our territory. The problem is that the water is receding at a very quick rate. Within a day the water has gone down by ten feet. The children playing around the lake reported seeing a huge strange creature swimming around the lake. So I went there to investigate the truth. While none of us have seen any creature, I am afraid that the water level is going down at a rapid rate and at this rate the entire werewolf kingdom would be affected within a matter of weeks . You have to do something alpha because I am unable to understand as to where is the leak taking place from. My team is not able to find it. We ran around the entire territory to find the culprit but there is nobody! I am really getting confused by this issue." The chief of the Lake Moon Pack was looked helpless. There was panic written all over his face.


    Adrianna got up from her place and came forward, "Take me to your pack."


    "Sure, Luna," replied the chief.


    It was not long before all of them had shape shifted and were running further inside the forest, as Fleur and rest of the wizards and witches flew above them with the potions safely tucked in her dress.


    Instead of going to his house, all of them first went to the lake. When they reached the banks, they realized that the water level was indeed going down at a rapid rate.


    Suddenly the chief shouted as he pointed far inside the lake, "Why is the water turning black over there?"


    Adrianna''s face became stern. She looked at Dmitri and said, "I need to go inside."


    "I will go with you," he answered.


    "I will go too," said Liam.


    "No, none of you will come with me!" shouted Adrianna.


    "It''s not for you to decide Adrianna," Dmitri warned her.


    It was the first time Adrianna could feel Dmitri''s immense anger directed at her. Even Liam was extremely angry. It was just that none of them were voicing their thoughts because they knew that as soon as they opened their mouth, only a slew of harsh words would be spoken, which wouldn''t help them and instead, hurt them on a visceral level.

 Chapter 261 - The Sea Horse (4)

    "I don''t want to put your life in danger," she tried to explain them.


    "My life was in danger the day I married you!" replied Dmitri with a snarl. He was seething with anger. Adrianna could totally justify his anger. After all Nate was his beta.


    Hearing his answer, Adrianna bit her lip. She was looking at Fleur to instruct her regarding the potions when she saw that Dmitri and Liam had already taken off their clothes and had jumped into the lake. Adrianna hurriedly instructed Fleur, "Stay there as near as possible to the area where we will go inside the water of the lake. Wait for my signal to come and give me the potions, okay?"


    Fleur nodded. She was also feeling extremely nervous as she watched Liam swimming away along with Dmitri. She was afraid of the unknown danger. Her face had already lost all its colour, which Adrianna noticed. She patted her shoulder to assure her, "Fleur, I won''t let anything happen to Liam. Trust me."


    "They are swimming towards the center of the lake at a great speed Adrianna. Please go, you have to catch up with them," Fleur urged.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers and in a second she vanished from there leaving a stunned Fleur behind. Fleur smiled through her panic, Adrianna was a half witch. She saw Adrianna appearing right above the water in the center of the lake. She walked around the top of the water a little - as if the water was hard ground for her. She looked at Dmitri and Liam and pointed her finger at them. They were lifted in the air and pulled towards her. They felt as though there was a force that was keeping them suspended in the air.


    When they reached near her, she said, "Save your energy to fight with the monster!" and jumped inside. The two of them looked at each other stupidly. How could they forget what Adrianna could do? The force around them broke and the two of them fell into the water with a huge splash. Once inside, they saw that Adrianna had swum deeper. They followed her.


    Each of them as a werewolf, could hold their breath underwater for no more than two hours. After that, they would have to come to the surface to catch their breath. This meant that they only had two hours to find Nate and bring him up.


    As Adrianna went further inside, she saw that the water became murkier. It was actually turning greyish. The tall water planktons inside were swaying with the movement that was created by them. They were hindering their vision. Dmitri and Liam followed her further deep down. It was eerie around them. There was no aquatic animal at such deep sea levels , not even a speck of life be seen around them. It looked dark, dirty and very depressing.


    As they swam further down, Adrianna saw that there was a spot where almost all the fish had concentrated and was circling around. She stopped several meters away from there. She recalled her vision. She turned towards Dmitri and Liam and signaled for them to stop, indicating that this is where Nate should be. Dmitri could see Adrianna''s pale white skin as her hair flowed around her in water. She looked like the goddess of water. She smiled at him and then turned again to go near the fish.


    She was only a few meters away from the spot, when suddenly all the fish left the area and started moving out.


    "Adrianna, why have you come here?" Adrianna heard them whispering. "Go back�� he is coming here��"


    The fish left the place in a hurry, swimming past them flapping their fins loudly in fright. As soon as they cleared the area, Adrianna could see Nate lying on the floor of the lake. His body was half-covered with mud. She signaled Dmitri and Liam to come there quickly. Dmitri and Liam were thunderstruck when they saw Nate''s body lying like that. They rushed to pick him from there.


    They were only a few meters away, when a huge wave of water came and tossed the three of them several meters away. They saw Nate''s body rolling on the floor. Shocked, they again started swimming towards him.


    "What happened?" Liam communicated mentally.


    "I don''t know��" replied Adrianna.


    As they were closing in, they saw a figure swimming towards them. It was very lazily swimming towards them. Adrianna narrowed her eyes to see what it was �C"The Monster!" she shouted. The other two stood there behind her on the floor transfixed in their position.


    The sea horse with thousands of fins around it, swam towards them at a sedate pace.


    As the sea horse came near, he could see Adrianna standing on the bed of the lake, as the other two men stood right behind her. He looked at them with hot blazing eyes.

 Chapter 262 - The Sea Horse (5)

    Nate was lying on the sand bed and the other three people were staying around him - as if ready to fight anyone who dared to bring harm to the unconscious man , his body was covered covered with a pile of sand heaped over him and he looked almost colourless - the blood having receded from the uppermost layer of nerves. They knew that if he wasn''t rescued in time, it would be fatal for him.


    The monster came and settled on the bed. He looked at Adrianna and asked, "Do you remember me, Adrianna?"


    Adrianna gazed at his eyes that were blazing hot in anger. He brought one of his hands to its teeth to remove a piece of bone that was stuck in between them. His head that was prolonged between the eyes formed a sort of beak. The mouth that opened downwards had a large number of mandibles. His huge, compound eyes looked like two enormous red crystals made from red hot lava. His tail was curved in front.


    She was surprised that she could hear him speak surrounded as they were by water. Was he really speaking or was he communicating with them mentally? If he was talking to her mentally, it was entirely possible that Dmitri and Liam were also listening in on the conversation. She looked at them and found them staring at him with blank expressions.


    "Oh! They can''t hear me��" he replied, as though understanding her unspoken thoughts.


    Adrianna looked at him with shock. "Who are you?"


    The monster laughed. "I am the devil of the sea."


    "I have got the three potions that you wanted. Take them and let us go," she said, contemplating her options and trying to form a quick plan of escape if he reneged on his promise at the same time.


    The monster laughed again. To Dmitri and Liam, it sounded like a loud shriek and they covered their ears.


    The monster didn''t answer her, rather he said something stranger, "Adrianna, I have to say that it was great chasing you in the snow. You looked so scared that I was beginning to have fun."


    "In the snow?" She was stunned.


    "Yes�� when the master gave me the task of killing you, I thought you were just like every other mundane wizard or witch�� but you are something else��" he said as he simultaneously shifted from his place and came towards Nate.


    Adrianna''s mind raced. It was certain that he was there in the arena during the second stage of the competition because that was the only time she had been in snow recently.


    "RAZ?" she shouted at him as she looked with bewilderment!


    The monster seemed happy and laughed again. He started moving side to side and then he snapped his tail. He started spinning his tail in circles, pounding the mud of the floor bed, raising a lot of mud. He made a loud popping sound and extended his hands out, which were a bed of gloopy pustules. His claws extended outwards and, he started scraping them on a nearby rock and the noises could be mistaken as if coming from a construction site a block away.


    He looked at her and replied, "Ah! I see you have recognized me. It was difficult to stay in so much snow Adrianna, but I managed because killing you would have been so satisfying. My master wanted you dead or alive."


    "Who is your master?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes.


    He ignored her question and continued, "I didn''t expect someone as tiny as you to be so powerful. You could take Raz down so easily? Raz is not going to forget that."


    Adrianna was shocked beyond words. So this explained the fact that there was no student named Raz in the Academy, but how the hell did he enter the competition arena and on whose behest? It seemed as if her confusion was the source of the monster''s happiness.


    Dmitri broke their communication and shouted at her, "We need to take out Nate as soon as possible. What are you waiting for? Give him the potions and let''s go!"


    "I have brought the potions as desired by you," said Adrianna as she started walking towards Nate. "I don''t wish to continue this conversation." She was getting afraid that Raz might turn this thing into a personal vendetta or was it already a personal vendetta? She had to move quickly with her plans.


    Suddenly Raz'' uncurled his tail and circled it around Nate. "Nah! Not so easily, Adrianna."


    Adrianna stopped. Adrianna signaled Fleur to drop the potions box inside.


    "Where are the potions?" he asked.


    The box was seen coming down in the waters slowly. It came to Adrianna and she held it in her hands. Raz could see three small bottles of potions in the glass box. He bared his teeth as though he smiling at his victory which was near at hand.


    "Give them to me," he said.


    "First release Nate," she demanded.

 Chapter 263 - The Sea Horse (6)

    Slowly Raz removed his tail from Nate. Adrianna came near Nate and held his hand. She kept the potions box on the floor of the lake and put her foot on it. Then she signaled Dmitri and Liam to come there and pick Nate. They swam there and held Nate between the two of them.


    "Go out with him. I will follow you," she ordered.


    Suddenly, Dmitri realized that Adrianna was sacrificing her safety because of Nate. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. He stared at her and said, "Come with me, now!"


    "No, Dmitri. If I leave now, none of us would make it back alive. Let me handle this, I will come up soon."


    Liam had held Nate and he tugged Dmitri, "Let''s go pal, else Nate may never gain consciousness."


    Dmitri was lost. What the hell did he say back then? Adrianna had heard him. He had said that he regretted marrying her out of anger and now that she was sacrificing herself, he wanted to die with her.


    "Give me that potions box Adrianna, else I will kill the two men with you."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri. She knew what he wanted. She closed her eyes and brought her hands forward.


    "Noooo! Adri! Noooo! You can''t do that!" he shouted. But by that time she had already thrown her hands forward and a large wave of turbulent water was created and it took them to the shores of the lake.


    Dmitri and Liam landed safely on dry land with Nate, while Adrianna stayed inside, all alone to fight the monster.


    "That was very clever of you, Adrianna. Even admiral, I would say but nonetheless, foolish.," Raz commented. "But it is better for me. I didn''t want them to fight me. They are of no value to me. Why should I waste my time on them? I have what I wanted �C You��"


    Adrianna smiled. "Of course I knew what you wanted all along. Do you think it is so easy to take down a person like me?" She stopped and pressed the box in the mud. Then she crossed her arms across her chest and looked at him, "I am sure Nate must have given you a good fight because from what I have heard you can''t stay on earth for more than a day. The fact that you spoke to Nate in a warbled voice in the shop means that you were already short on time that day. You lured Nate and took him to the jungle, instead of the town. Nate must have resisted you quite a lot. So, I wonder, if Nate is capable enough of fighting against you when you were almost on the last dredges of your power, I shouldn''t break a sweat while trying to finish you off. What do you think?"


    Raz looked at her in anger. "Nate is a patient man. It was slightly difficult to take him down. I had to sting him with my saliva to make him unconscious. But Adrianna�� what will be your fate? You are in my realm after all and that changes everything, doesn''t it?��"


    Adrianna looked at him scornfully. Then, she closed her eyes, brought her hands forward and circled them in a shape of ball. The water inside the ball appeared like a little bundle of sea storm. It looked powerful enough to destroy anything that came in its way. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, which were now golden yellow like that of a wolf and threw that ball of storm in his direction.


    Raz was amused at her little trick when he saw her creating that ball of storm. However, he wasn''t ready for the impact of the ball. As soon it hit him, he was thrown several meters away and the water around him started swirling dangerously.


    He shouted from within, "Adrianna! I am going to kill you!" A string of curses unraveled from his tongue, as he fought through the storm and advanced. Its black scales looked dark and dirty as its fins would open and close rapidly. He swam towards Adrianna to knock her down, but she dodged him deftly. She threw a large amount of mud at his eyes. The mud made his vision blurry. He tried to dodge and extended his claws to strike her, but she was nowhere to be found. He lost his balance and tumbled down into the mud. Angrily, he got up and cleared the mud from his eyes. He saw that Adrianna had already started swimming up.


    "You are scared, aren''t you, Adrianna?" he leapt towards her and reached her in one giant leap. Once again he stretched his hand to catch her.


    Meanwhile, Adrianna had already sensed that he was nearby, she increased her speed to break through the surface of the water. She dodged him yet again and finally, reached the surface. She inhaled deeply, giving her lungs the much needed oxygen. Fleur saw her and using her wand, pulled her out of the water. As Adrianna was being thrown out of water, Raz leapt behind her, caught her by her foot and took her back inside. Fleur''s magic was broken.

 Chapter 264 - The Sea Horse (7)

    Dmitri watched everything with a rising sense of horror. He ran to the lake to jump in it, but Liam caught him from behind. "Adrianna!" he shouted.


    Adrianna was once again struggling inside water and now in the hands of Raz. Raz took her down. His eyes were blazing hot. "You are not going to escape this time," he said and opened his mouth to eat her. In the next moment, to Adrianna''s horror the monster swallowed her in.


    Adrianna could listen his laughter while inside his belly. She was infuriated as she found herself surrounded by the disgusting liquid inside his belly. She concentrated on her inner energy and brought out a thin copper light from within. She formed a ball of that light and threw it at the walls of his stomach. Immediately, the walls started melting because of the heat the light generated.


    Raz felt slight  pain inside, which increased in a few seconds. "Arrrggggg!" He couldn''t bear  the scorching heat and pain. It was as if a lightning had struck him inside his body. Within a few minutes, his body exploded into a thousand pieces akin to a shattered mirror as Adrianna emerged unscathed from inside him. One could hear his loud, painful hair-raising shriek from afar.


    Adrianna swam to the place where the potions box was still buried. She dug it out and went upwards. When Fleur saw her, she pulled her out once again. This time Dmitri knew that she was safe and the monster had left them forever.


    When Adrianna walked back on land with her head held high, everyone out there was awestruck. She gave the box to Fleur. Nate had been revived. He looked pale but he his eyes met Adrianna,  and they were shining in heartfelt gratitude.


    Dmitri watched her from a distance, too guilty to go to her and beg for her forgiveness . He lowered his head in shame and self-blame. Fleur had created a portal through which all of them went back to Dmitri''s mansion.


    Ookashi jumped with ecstasy when she saw Nate. She hugged him tightly. "Take me with you next time wherever you go," she said with tears streaming down her face. Ookashi thanked Adrianna profusely and everyone else and the couple left for their home.


    ---


    When everyone  was gone, Adrianna left to take a shower. She came out to find that Dmitri wasn''t there. She just went to her side of the bed and dozed off. Afterall, the day had been  one of the most adventurous days of her life till date and that was saying something with everything she had to deal with on a daily basis .


    The next day Adrianna decided not to go to the academy. It had been a wild day for her and she needed a lot of rest. She wanted to see Dmitri, but she wondered where their relationship was heading to and couldn''t help crying a little. He hadn''t entered the bedroom at all last night. Was he avoiding her to that extent? It wasn''t her fault that Raz kidnapped Nate, and even if he had, she had rescued him and Raz had been eliminated forever.


    She went down to have breakfast and still there was no sign of Dmitri. She went out to look for him and wondered if he was walking in the gardens but he wasn''t there either. While walking near a fountain, she heard some voices coming from behind a large bush. Adrianna stopped to hear the voices and realized they came from Cora and Keisha who were giggling merrily as they conversed.


    "I was so surprised today, Cora," said Keisha in an excited tone.


    "Why?" asked Cora.


    "Yesterday evening Dmitri came over to my place and he left today in the morning. I have come back with him to meet you."


    "Really? Oh, that is indeed good news, Keisha! I think he is just too tired of that bitch!" replied Cora with a scorn. "I knew that she just brings bad luck everywhere. Ever since Dmitri married her, he hardly found any solace, like there is something or the other bad that keeps happening around him. I am sure he is fed up with her. Now, he will know why I had warned him so right in the beginning when they were getting married!"


    "He was looking very sad, Cora. I am sure he had something on his mind. I tried to ask him and  also read his thoughts, but he had blocked everyone out. However, he ended up sleeping in the guest room."


    "Good, good. Very nice Keisha, I am happy. You should make sure that he spends more time with you."


    Keisha squealed with excitement.


    As they walked and talked a little more, they finally saw that Adrianna was standing right over there. She must have listened to them. Keisha felt so  good and satisfied inside that she proudly walked past her along with Cora who ignored her.

 Chapter 265 - Ookashi And Nates Engagement (1)

    Adrianna exhaled and once again her eyes became misty. She blocked her mind completely determined not to let anyone know what was going inside it. She ambled her way through the garden with a heavy heart and after some times, walked back into the house. She saw that Cora and Keisha were sitting in the main hall along with Nate and Ookashi.


    Adrianna smiled at Ookashi and Nate and went to them. Ookashi hugged her as Nate stood from his place and gave her a bear hug. "Adrianna, no one could have done what you did for me. I am forever indebted to you. You just have to tell me what you want and I am ready to give my life for you," said Nate expressing his gratitude.


    Ookashi smiled and said, "We are keeping a small party in the town. Both you and Dmitri have to come. There, we will also announce our engagement to my friends."


    Cora was shocked when she heard the word engagement. "Nate, are you mad?"


    Nate turned to look at Cora, surprised at her statement. He frowned.


    "How can you even think of marrying a human?" she shouted. "Are you going to malign our race with hybrid kids? A human would never fit in our society!" she said while looking at Adrianna.


    Ookashi narrowed her eyes as her anger flared, "When in a society where Keisha can fit, I am a thousand times better fit." Ookashi knew about Keisha''s origin and had heard numerous stories about her from the maids.


    Keisha snarled to scare her, but Nate growled back and warned her mentally to stay off of Ookashi or else he would not hesitate in taking her down.


    Adrianna couldn''t help but smile at Ookashi, her friend who had the zing in her. "Sure, I will come. What time is it?" she asked in order to mitigate the tension.


    "It is in the evening at 6PM," said Nate.


    "Will be there," replied Adrianna. "I would never miss your engagement." She hugged Ookashi again.


    Before leaving Nate invited Cora to join for his engagement. Cora didn''t say anything but being the beta of his son, she had to go.


    Adrianna went upstairs to her bedroom. She was feeling miserable in front of Keisha but did not show her emotion there. The last she had expected was Dmitri going to Keisha''s place. In one impulsive moment she picked a small glass that was kept on the table and threw it on the ground. It came crashing down with a loud sound and broke into hundreds of pieces. Moments later, a servant came in and quietly collected the pieces. Adrianna clenched her teeth. She decided not to sulk.


    Then she immersed herself into reading all her notes on spell and arranging her college notebooks. She sighed, missing the simple days back then��


    It was 4PM and Dmitri still hadn''t returned. Was he really distancing himself from her? But Ed had said that when you meet your destined one, you couldn''t stay away from them. It is natural attraction that works over anything. She thought that Ed was wrong. What about angst and other associated emotions? She became nervous and closed her hands into fists. There was no way she could distract herself. Every time she wanted to think of something else, her mind wandered back to Dmitri.


    When he didn''t return even at 6PM, she decided to go there alone. She asked Fleur to create a portal in the back alley and she walked through that along with Liam and Fleur. They entered the venue, which was a quaint little restaurant over the rooftop. The venue looked beautiful with lights overhead that looked like stars.


    When Ookashi saw them entering, she squealed, "Adriiiii!" then ran to hug her.


    Adrianna was extremely happy to see Ookashi. What could be better than having her best friend marrying Nate? She hugged her back tightly.


    Looking at Ookashi who was wearing a beautiful olive green gown with a necklace of green sapphires, Adrianna complimented, "You are looking gorgeous Ookashi!"


    "Of course! It is my engagement!" replied Ookashi as though this was expected. Adrianna laughed.


    Ookashi took them to where Nate was standing and the first thing that Nate asked was, "Where is Dmitri?"


    Adrianna sighed and shrugged. "I have no idea and don''t ask me. I haven''t even seen him today."


    Nate looked upset as a frown formed on his face.


    After Liam and Fleur gave their gift to Ookashi, they went straight into the bar along with Adrianna, as more and more guests came forward to meet and give gifts to the couple. For the first time in the history of the town, there were large numbers of werewolves and humans gathered in the same area. Nate had mentally communicated his pack to behave properly and  never reveal their true identity, else they would break the treaty.

 Chapter 266 - Ookashi And Nates Engagement (2)

    Adrianna picked a wine glass for herself and Liam picked drinks for himself and Fleur. He took them to where she was standing. In the end, Adrianna was left alone on the bar stool. She sipped the entire glass of wine within a few minutes and ordered another one. It wasn''t long before all the single boys started showing interest in her and sure enough, she was immediately flanked by several boys. She sat on the bar stool over there. When one of them began to sing for her, she couldn''t help letting out hearty laughs as she enjoyed her evening.


    For a moment, she forgot everything as she sipped another glass. Her brown dress that had accentuated her curves was now revealing her thighs. She had crossed her legs and her white skin against the brown dress looked inviting. Few strands of hair escaped her high bun and were playing on her cheeks and she looked beautiful.


    Suddenly she saw Niiya who was talking to Ookashi and Nate. She smiled at him and raised her glass. If Dmitri could do that to him, why couldn''t she? Niiya smiled back and slowly walked towards her. He saw that so many boys had already flanked her, but he ignored them as he went and sat next to her.


    "How are you doing Adri?"


    Adrianna looked at him and spoke in an intoxicated voice, "Very fine. Can''t you see~?" she pointed her wine glass to all the boys around and laughed. She expected Niiya at the party, but she knew that Ookashi''s parents wouldn''t come.


    Niiya picked a glass of whisky and stood beside her. He could see  that there was something wrong with her and Dmitri. He gulped the first glass and grinned. This was his chance!


    As their entertainment continued, Dmitri entered the venue flanked by Cora and Keisha. Instead of looking at Nate and Ookashi, his gaze immediately went to Adrianna who was surrounded by boys who vied for her attention. What caught his attention was how she seemed to be enjoying herself out there.


    Cora and Keisha also noticed her and they couldn''t feel any better. Keisha laughed inwards, while Cora left them and walked ahead. "Nate, hello dear. So sorry for the morning." She presented Ookashi with a pair of earrings and left them to meet some of her own people.


    Dmitri came forward along with Keisha. He gave a bear hug to Nate and congratulated the two of them along with Keisha. Ookashi and Nate were both shocked to see him walking together with Keisha. Nate asked if things were fine between him and Adrianna but he didn''t answer.


    Keisha smiled, handed Ookashi her gift and walked away from there. "Who invited her?" asked Ookashi, feeling like kicking her out.


    "Perhaps she came along with Cora," replied Nate.


    Dmitri walked to where Adrianna was sitting and noticed that Niiya was also there. With a stoic expression, he asked the bartender to make cocktail for him and Keisha. Adrianna was now two glasses down and on her way to the third one. She was extra chirpy and giggling stupidly. As soon as she saw him, she raised her glass then shouted, "Hi there handsome!"


    It was Niiya''s turn to be jealous. He held Adrianna''s hand and said, "How about a dance Adri? It has been ages since we have met."


    "Yes, sure!" she said as she jumped from her place. The music was playing and there were quite a few couples dancing on the floor. Niiya held her hand and guided her. As the music played, Adrianna started swaying with him.


    When he saw her being so shameless, Dmitri followed suit and took Keisha''s hand. He brought her to the dance floor, on which they started to dance.


    As the rhythm of the music picked up, so did the steps of Niiya. He twirled Adrianna around him. She giggled as she twirled. As the music stopped, Niiya brought her forward and dipped her. But just as Niiya brought his face close to hers, Adrianna found herself being snatched away from him.


    "What are you doing Dmitri?" she shouted.


    Not able to withstand his anger and her flirting with Niiya, Dmitri had pulled her from his embrace and hauled her over his shoulder. He started carrying her out of the venue, much to the bewilderment of people around.


    Niiya moved to block his way. "Put her down! She doesn''t want to do anything with you."


    "Stay away from the husband and wife, Niiya," said Dmitri rubbing on his face that he was an outsider in their marriage.


    Niiya gritted his teeth as he watched the two of them going out as Keisha followed them. "Dmitri, Dmitri, what are you doing? Why can''t you leave her? She doesn''t deserve you! Look how she embarrassed you were in front of all the people out there because of her?"

 Chapter 267 - Ookashi And Nates Engagement (3)

    Dmitri wasn''t listening to Keisha. He just brought Adrianna outside and went to a secluded alley where he placed her on the ground and pushed her against a wall. He kept his hands beside her and pinned her there.


    "What were you doing up there?" he asked. "You should know what kind of an alpha I am."


    She was drunk. She giggled and looked to her side. She found Keisha staring at them.


    Keisha said, "Dmitri, just leave her be. Can''t you see that she is a slut of top order? Let''s go back to the party. After all it is Nate''s party and he will not take it nicely if you are going to be absent from there." She started walking near Dmitri.


    Adrianna was so pissed by the woman that she growled at her and warned her to stay away. But Keisha ignored it and kept walking towards them.


    Adrianna removed Dmitri''s hands and walked towards Keisha. Keisha growled loudly and charged at Adrianna as she shape shifted. But the moment she landed on the ground, instead of hearing the usual growl, she heard herself saying "Meow".


    What was that? She looked up and found an amused Adrianna looking at her. Why was Adrianna looking so tall? She growled again, "Meow".


    Adrianna had turned her into a cat when she shape shifted! And that too in a cat that was only a foot long and not even half a foot tall. Enraged, she jumped at Adrianna while baring her claws, but Adrianna kicked her with her foot with so much force that she found herself somewhere on a large tree.


    Satisfied, Adrianna dusted her dress and then started going back to the venue but Dmitri had pulled her in his embrace. His lips were on hers and he kissed her senseless until she was out of breath. When he left her, she was panting for breath as he pressed his forehead on hers.


    "You know I am a jealous man," he whispered.


    "Don''t you know that I am a jealous witch!" she retorted.


    Fuming and aroused beyond words, he picked her again and in one swift move she was on his shoulder being hauled back to his car. Once inside, he drove her back to the mansion. He mentally communicate to Nate, "Sorry mate, I am taking my wife back. See you tomorrow."


    Nate looked at Ookashi and laughed. "What happened?" she asked.


    "Nothing," he shook his head and looked around to find Cora.


    By the time the part came to an end, Cora went out to find Keisha. But she was nowhere to be found. Strangely, a small cat came to her  and keep tugging at her dress. In the end, Cora was so annoyed by the cat that she kicked it, sending her flying to god knows where.


    "Meow!!!" came a pained scream from the cat.


    Adrianna being drunk, she giggled all the way back home. "Why were you dancing with Niiya?" he asked as he zipped the car through the highway.


    "Why did you go and sleep at Keisha''s house?" she asked with half closed eyes.


    "I would have killed him if he would have kissed you!" shouted Dmitri.


    "Hmm�� well I would like to kill you for staying at Keisha''s place," she giggled again.


    Angered all the more at her, Dmitri couldn''t wait to reach the mansion. When they reached the gates of the mansion, he brought the car to a screeching halt. He opened his side of the door, and rushed towards Adrianna''s side. He opened her door and said, "Come out." But Adrianna didn''t come out of the car. Dmitri pulled her out roughly.


    "Stop it Dmitri!" she shouted as she jerked his hand away.


    All the guards standing over there were looking at their alpha and his luna. It was actually quite an embarrassing scene.


    Dmitri was enraged. Once again he held her and pulled her inside the gate. Adrianna shirked his hand off her and started running in a different direction. "I don''t want to come back with you. I don''t want to go back in your home," she shouted as she ran.


    He ran after her yelling from behind, "Come back Adrianna, else if I will pounce on you, it is going to be bad. Where do you think you will go?"


    But Adrianna didn''t listen. She must have run only a hundred meters that she found herself on the soft grass as Dmitri had pounced on her from behind and pressed her onto it. He held her from behind and pinned her to the grass.


    "Leave me!" she snarled.


    "No!" he said as he bit her neck and licked her on her mark. Adrianna squirmed. She struggled beneath him to get out of the grip but he was just to powerful for her at the moment as she was too intoxicated.


    Then he bit into her shoulder. He rose from her and flipped her to face her. He had straddled her while she was on the ground and removed her dress. She tried to remove his hands from her but he pinned them with one of his hand and then removed her bra.


    "Dmitri, don''t," she warned him.


    Dmitri got up from there, picked her, hauled her on his shoulder and went behind a large bush. There he removed her panties.

 Chapter 268 - My Wife Hates Keisha

    He brought her down his body and held her on the waist holding her face close to his. "Are you testing me?" he asked. He grabbed her lips and tried to delve into her mouth but she removed herself. "Adri, stop resisting me," he put her down on the ground and hugged her tightly. "You know how I feel when you do that��"


    She could feel the tug in his heart, his anguish and his pain. She cursed herself for feeling his soul. He bent down and sucked upon her mark knowing fully well that she would that was one thing she could never resist. "Ah!" she moaned.


    He pushed her to the ground and once again straddled her. He took his shirt out and bent down to kiss her lips. He left them and went further down to suck her breasts making her gasp. Yes, she did want him but not on the cost of her pride.


    She held his head to stop him and asked again, "Why were you at Keisha''s place? Why did you block yourself from me? Even if you are fed up with me, you have to kill me to go and stay at Keisha''s place. I won''t accept it. So leave me Dmitri."


    "Shush," he said and once again kissed her on the lips. His wolf was out of control for the want of his partner. He unbuckled to lower his pants and freed his bulging erection and in one rough mood slipped it inside her. He slammed her hard as he pinned her hands above her so that she stopped resisting. Once he came, he slumped over her. All his tension was gone. "I love you Adri. There is no one I have loved so much in my life and you know that." He was almost choking on his words.


    Adrianna''s eyes watered. This was the first time he had exerted force on her. She lay there on the grass beside him under the moonlight wondering why she buckled under him. Even her wolf was making her go crazy without him but why the hell did he go to Keisha.


    "Adri�� there was a reason to go to Keisha''s place��" he said as he moved away from her, reading her mind.


    She turned away from him but he held her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "I heard that it was Keisha who had funded the rebellion that your father had started. Since my mother gave the money to her, it was easy to blame my mother. It was a well planned strategy in which she had asked my mother to give her money as she wanted to buy jewelry for herself. My mother has a soft point for Keisha. She didn''t even ask why she wanted that money, and gave her. The problem is that in our world, the only kind of money that works is the precious gems and stones. My mother gave her some of the most expensive bagful of stones. Each and every stone has the mark of our treasury."


    Adrianna became interested. She was also stunned to know that Keisha could go to such lengths. Then what was this fa?ade of loving Dmitri?


    Dmitri continued, "Each and every gem that she had give cost millions of dollars in the human world. Obviously Keisha knew the price and gave only that was required. Rest she kept with herself. My men informed me that it was my mother Cora who funded them, but in fact it was Keisha. They said that all the stones were part of a segment that was marked as priceless. I had gone to her house to find out whether this was true or not. I had to fool her into thinking something. Yesterday, when she slept, I had searched her home and found those stones, which are now in my possession."


    "What do you plan to do?" asked Adrianna.


    "It is already proven that she did treason. I will give orders to imprison her tomorrow."


    Adrianna was satisfied. She brought her hand to his cheeks and asked, "Why didn''t you tell me this plan?"


    "If I would have told that plan to my wife, do you think my wife would have let me go there and spend a night? My wife hates Keisha and I am very scared of her."


    Adrianna started laughing. Dmitri kissed her tears away.


    "This is the last time I will ever go and stay in a woman''s house, even if that is a part of the spying plan. My wife is a witch. She could convert me into a donkey for the rest of my life and I wouldn''t even know how to break that spell."


    Adrianna laughed all the more. "I am so tempted to make you my dog though."


    "For that all you need to do is put the leash in my neck and hold one end. I will walk with you like that anywhere you want," he replied as he made her wear her dress, which she had brought there with a snap of her fingers.

 Chapter 269 - Keisha Is Missing

    Once Dmitri''s wolf was satisfied, he got up from there and then pulled Adrianna up. Together, they went inside and ordered dinner for themselves.


    Dmitri had placed his legs on Adrianna''s lap while they ate from the same plate. He was too lazy to even pick a plate for himself. First, he started eating from her plate, and then Adrianna was reflexively feeding him bites of food. At this time, Adrianna asked, "What about your father''s diary? Have you started looking for what you wanted to?"


    Dmitri sighed. "Adri, I went to the cave where he said that he retrieved the three year old girl from. The only territory that is near it was the Red Moon pack territory. So in my opinion, that girl belongs to the Red Moon pack. However, there is one more wolf territory out there, the Grey Moon pack. That one is a little further away from there, about a mile. I have sent my people to find out about all the Eds that stay in these two territories. Let''s see what happens."


    "Why are you so keen on finding her?" she asked, feeling a little jealous.


    Dmitri hadn''t told her that he was finding the girl his father had betrothed him with, however, one day while reading the diary, he hadn''t blocked his mind and Adrianna was sleeping next to him. She read his thoughts easily, then felt a pang in her heart, but she didn''t want to speak about it. Perhaps, it was better that he found out about her in order to respect his father''s feelings.


    Dmitri smiled at her and stroked her cheeks. "Don''t worry Adri�� there''s no one I am going to love more than you ever��"


    Adrianna stared at him intensely with her beautiful eyes and he melted yet again. "I know��"


    "I want to find her and perhaps thank her, if she is waiting for me at all. But if she already found someone, then I''ll go to her house along with you and give her a nice gift," said Dmitri with a broad smile.


    Adrianna giggled and gave him a huge chunk of fish chops.


    Next day early in the morning, when they were sleeping, a servant knocked the door softly. Dmitri woke up while Adrianna was still sleeping. He got up from the bed quietly and went to door. "What happened?" he asked irritatingly.


    "Alpha, Mr. Nate is here and he is demanding to see you," answered the servant who was scared beyond words. Dmitri saw the time, which showed 5 a.m. It was odd for Nate to call him so early in the morning. He dismissed the servant, went to the bed to cover Adrianna comfortably, then wore his night robe. He closed the door behind him softly and went down the stairs.


    Nate had called Dmitri urgently. He was waiting for him in the main hall and his expressions were tense.


    "What is it Nate?"


    "Keisha is missing. After Adrianna had converted her into a cat, she had somehow found her way to the pack. After you asked me, I had sent people to keep a watch on her. However, we don''t know what has happened because she just disappeared from her home. Dmitri, what is it that you are not telling me? Why is Keisha under watch?"


    Dmitri looked down. He wanted to catch her that time only, but things were moving so fast. His mother had insisted that they go to Nate''s engagement together that day in the morning and was there with them the entire day just to make sure that they are seen together. He hated himself for making this so complicated. Other than that it was his wolf was driving him crazy to be with Adrianna.


    "It''s Keisha who funded the rebellion against us."


    Nate gritted his teeth. "Dmitri, you should have told this earlier."


    "I had told this to Liam, but didn''t want to ruin your day��"


    Nate didn''t say a word and turned around to exit. They found Liam standing on the main door.


    "Keisha has gone towards the town. We have information that she is hiding somewhere there," said Liam.


    "That means that she has come to know that we are after her," replied Nate.


    "Wait for me. We will go together," said Dmitri and went upstairs to change.


    ---


    Standing in front of his house, Keisha wondered if he would help her. She didn''t know anyone in that town except him and that too remotely. However, if she stayed with him, no one would even suspect. She had to convince him. She pressed the bell and waited for the door to open.


    His mother opened the door and found a very beautiful, voluptuous girl waiting at the door.


    "Is he there?" asked Keisha very softly.


    His mother frowned as she appreciated his taste in girls. But what was she doing so early in the morning. It was only 4AM.


    "He is, come in."

 Chapter 270 - He Wanted To Kill Dmitri!

    Niiya woke up when his mother said that his friend came for a visit. He was pretty annoyed from the previous night ever since Adrianna had once again chosen someone else over him. He wore his night robe begrudgingly and went to see who was at the door and was shocked when he saw Keisha.


    He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you here? Who gave you permission to enter my house?!" he got furious and stepped in front of her to yanked her hand and dragged her out of the house. He hated her for being mean to Adrianna during the college days.


    "Please Niiya, listen to me first!" Keisha said as she jerked her hand off Niiya''s. "I know you don''t like me, but I thought you should know this information before they kill me!"


    Niiya looked at her with anger and replied, "I don''t want to listen to a person like you! Get out!" Once again, he took her hand forcefully and continued to pull her to the exit.


    "It was Dmitri who had kidnapped you!" she shouted loud enough to gain his attention.


    Niiya stopped in his tracks. His grip on her loosened as he stared at her with shock. His eyes went wide in bewilderment.


    Keisha took advantage of the opportunity. She repeated, "It was Dmitri who had kidnapped you, because he wanted to marry Adrianna. Adrianna wasn''t ready to marry him, but she was forced into marrying him because he kidnapped you and had threatened her with dire consequences. He said that if she didn''t marry him, he would kill you, so she was forced to marry him only to save you."


    Niiya''s legs became limp when the information entered his ears. He was so shocked that he didn''t know what to do at that point of time. He walked around, then sat on the nearest sofa with his head between his hands.


    Keisha slowly moved next to him and sat. "I am sorry, but this is the truth."


    Niiya felt utterly helpless at that time. Adrianna married the guy she hated only to save him, all the while he kept blaming her about how she rejected him. He felt his heart palpitated as if on the verge of coming out of his mouth. The truth was hurting him. His brain refused to believe it or was overreacting, either way, he rushed to the bathroom and vomited. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed that his eyes were red with tears flowing out of them. He had lost his love forever, but the way he lost it was even more terrible.


    He wanted to kill Dmitri then and there!


    He took a deep breath to calm his mind for a bit, once he did, he washed his face and came out.


    He saw that Keisha was waiting for him outside. "I am sorry Niiya, but I had to tell you this."


    Niiya went to sit in front of her. He had to know what was going on. He collected his thoughts and asked, "Why are you telling this to me now? Why didn''t you tell me this when I was about to get abducted? Do you realize how many lives could have been saved from disaster?"


    Keisha was sneering inside, but outside, she sighed and acted tactful. "At that point of time I was with Dmitri and was hoping that he doesn''t make that mistake. I had told him in various ways to not go after Adrianna, but he didn''t listen. All he wanted was to acquire something you liked. He was in competition with you and Adrianna was his trophy of victory."


    "Do you mean to say that he doesn''t love Adrianna?" asked Niiya, getting agitated. His heart went all out for Adrianna as if his flame was rekindled and he wanted to kill Dmitri.


    "Of course��" Keisha lowered her head then said, "No. Dmitri only loves himself andAdrianna is just a toy for him to play with. Look, he even spent two nights with me, even if I don''t want it!"


    Niiya clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Then why didn''t you stop him?"


    "I wanted to stop him but he forced himself on me!" said Keisha as her eyes began to tear. "I told him that he belonged to Adrianna and that he shouldn''t do anything with me, but he insisted that he wanted me now. That is why we came to Nate''s party together."


    Niiya felt all the more disgusted. Yesterday, during the engagement, Adrianna was drinking because she was hurt seeing him with Keisha. This was so messed up. He wanted to do his best for her, but then again, Dmitri must have seen it as  a competition. He couldn''t bear his trophy being snatched, so he took Adrianna away from him. He also remembered how Keisha went after them desperately.


    Keisha continued, "When he saw you dance with Adrianna, once again he wanted to put you down by taking  Adrianna out in a way that you would feel jealous and rejected."


    Niiya scoffed, "So I am right, after all! Dmitri is a bastard who can''t face the fact that Adrianna loves me and hates him. He just wants to force himself on her!"


    He gritted his teeth and swore that he would teach the scum a lesson.

 Chapter 271 - The Shenanigans

    Keisha knew that Dmitri was just too powerful for Niiya. If Niiya decided to take his revenge, he would in no way be able to defeat Dmitri. However, what she wanted was to buy time until she found a place to hide safely.


    "You still haven''t answered my first question," asked Niiya."Why didn''t you tell this to me when I was about to get abducted?"


    "That was because by the time I realized his sinister plans, he had already kidnapped you and took you somewhere I didn''t know," she replied. "Trust me, I tried to find you in so many places, but no one knew where you were��"


    Niiya felt another pang of bile coming up to his mouth. He retched and ran to the bathroom again. Once inside, he closed the door and vomited. His knees went wobbly as he rested his back on the wall inside the bathroom and then slowly sat down. Tears started flowing out again. This time he shuddered as he cried. He held his head in his hands and kept crying at the disgusting, messy situation he had gotten into. The only girl he loved crazily slipped from his hand because of an evil plan.


    He went back to the sink and washed his face. He would free Adrianna from the clutches of that man.


    He went out, once again facing Keisha with as much attention as possible even in his disturbed state. "What is it that you want from me? And why are you telling this to me now?"


    "I hate the fact that Dmitri is two timing both me and Adrianna. We both deserve better than falling in love with a man who is so brutal and selfish," said Keisha sounding like a victim. "I had gone to Adrianna to tell that Dmitri had forced himself upon me, but somehow Dmitri came to know about it and he had been after my life. He wants to kill me for speaking it to Adrianna, because then, Adrianna would leave him and come to you. He will not accept such an insult." Keisha paused, and then continued with a sigh, "Please Niiya, can you help me? I want to stay safe for a few days and as soon as I find another place, I will leave you and go."


    Niiya stared at Keisha, who looked very nervous. "Okay�� you can stay here until you find a safe haven."


    Keisha thanked the wolf spirits and looked at him with gratitude. She knew that because of the treaty, Dmitri wouldn''t be able to harm her as long as she was inside their house. Niiya got up from there and took her to the basement room. It was already 6AM in the morning.


    Meanwhile Dmitri, Liam and Nate were hunting for Keisha throughout the town but they couldn''t pick her scent. They had come out in the morning when the streets were empty. That was the best time to pick her scent because no humans were usually out and the scent never got mixed up. The sun was now coming up and they had to retreat. It was 7AM now and Dmitri was aware that Adrianna would leave for the academy by 8AM. He wanted to see her before she went but finding Keisha was becoming annoying for him.


    They had scrounged through most of the town and only a few elite places were left. They headed over there and were beginning to give up when Liam picked a familiar scent. He diverged from the group and started walking fast towards a beautiful big bungalow. Dmitri followed him and was shocked. He mentally communicated, "Keisha is in Niiya''s place."


    "What do we do?" asked Nate.


    Dmitri stopped Liam, "Liam, don''t think of entering that house. That is where Niiya lives."


    Liam immediately stopped. "Shit! What do we do now?"


    "She would never come out of that house," said Nate.


    "Can we keep a watch on her?" asked Liam.


    "We have to get someone who wouldn''t break the treaty and stay calm in all situations because I am sure that as soon as Keisha would know about the presence of werewolves of her pack, she would raise an alarm and Niiya would chase him away," replied Nate.


    "I want someone from Fleur''s team to keep a watch on her. Also I want that wizard to not break the treaty at any cost," suggested Dmitri.


    Liam nodded and then ran away. He had to reach Fleur as soon as possible because they knew that they had very little time at hand.


    Meanwhile, Nate suggested that they go to meet Niiya, but Dmitri stopped him. he said, "Let''s go back Nate. If she is here, there is no way Niiya would divulge her details. We know that she is here but Niiya doesn''t know that we know she is here. He is giving her protection for the time. I have no idea how did she manage to convince him to protect her��"

 Chapter 272 - That Is Zola’s Brother, Zephyr

    Inside the house, Niiya had offered Keisha to stay in his basement room for the time being. After Niiya gave her a blanket and left, Keisha went to bed.


    She lied down and shuddered in anxiety. She had to make future plans to escape immediately, after all, who knew if the Blue Moon pack was close behind her trail..


    She cursed Adrianna for casting a spell that turned her into a small cat. The spell lasted a good two hours and she had to hide in order to escape from the street dogs.


    She already had her suspicion when she reached home the previous day. She noticed some movement around and caught glimpses of familiar faces at that point of time at night. Although she found it strange, she was too tired to care and just wanted to crash on her bed. But when she was changing, she noticed that her wardrobe had been tampered with.


    Her entire body broke into a sweat. "Dmitri!" she spoke his name with contempt. That was when she realized that he was there not because he liked her, but because he was conducting searches.


    Being a person who had always been Dmitri''s accomplice in the battles, she knew what he must have been doing. She went to the window and pulled the curtain slightly to see what was happening outside. Her calculations were correct. They were keeping a watch on her.


    While her new house was being built, she had asked the architect to build a door that led to a room, which she told him would be her room for learning music. However, what the architect didn''t know was that the room had a small tunnel that opened much farther away from the house. Keisha had used that tunnel to escape the house and ran away to the town. She had thought that she could easily thrown the people who were watching her off the track, but they managed to pick up her scent and chased her for a long time until she reached the outskirts of the town. It was there that she was able to slip away.


    Keisha finally dozed off without realizing what was happening outside. She was extremely tired from spending the whole night running away from her pursuers.


    ---


    Dmitri and Nate left once the witch came to keep a watch outside Niiya''s house.


    Back in Dmitri''s bedroom, Adrianna had woken up.Upon noticing that she only got fifteen minutes left, she dashed to the bathroom. When she came out, she found Dmitri waiting for her. He looked irritated.


    Reading his thoughts, she went to him and said, "Keisha knows that you are after her. She will spend three to four days with Niiya. If you like, I can help you."


    Dmitri looked at her. "How?"


    "Just keep a watch on her for the whole day and I will come back in the evening. We will go back together to the town," said Adrianna as she walked through the portal.


    When Adrianna reached the academy, she found that the class had already started. But instead of Professor Ziu, there was someone else teaching the class. To Adrianna''s surprise, the new professor was a very young handsome boy with blue eyes and black hair. When Adrianna entered the class, he smiled at her and nodded. Adrianna wondered if she had seen him somewhere. She nodded and went to sit on the chair that was vacant in the far corner.


    She could see that most girls were hardly into hearing what he was saying, rather, they were looking at him with affections.


    Once the class was over, she asked the girl sitting next to her, "Where is professor Ziu?"


    "I don''t know," she replied with a shrug as she picked her bag to rush to the young professor''s desk where other girls had gone.


    "Who is he?" Adrianna asked before she left.


    "That is Zola''s brother, Zephyr."


    Adrianna felt as though her entire body had been tied to a large boulder and was thrown into the deep sea.


    The girl looked at her with narrowed eyes and left.


    Adrianna lowered her head, feeling guilty. Slowly, she collected her books  and got out of the class. She knew that her cousin was being seen as her rival for crowning. Other than that the fact that both Lia and Zola had been killed by her in a battle against her in the first stage of the competition, weighed her down. But why was he substituting for Professor Ziu? Adrianna wasn''t able to understand what was going on. She thought that she would ask Ziu for clarification.


    Adrianna walked in the alleys that were leading her to Professor Lane''s class. Suddenly, someone called her from behind, "Adrianna!" She turned to see that her cousin was following her.


    He went to her and said, "Can we talk?"

 Chapter 273 - Why Zephyr?

    Adrianna slowed her pace as Zephyr approached her. "Sure," she replied.


    And so, he started walking with her and she could sense tension building up. Others, who were also walking to the potions class in the corridor, could feel how odd it was for the two of them to walk together.


    After walking for a few yards in an awkward silence, Zephyr sighed and chose to speak first in order to break the tension.


    "Adrianna," he started. "Professor Ziu will be out for a week and I will be your new professor for the spells. If you feel that you are not comfortable with me, I will recommend some other professor for you."


    Adrianna was shocked. With Professor Ziu out for a week, how will she learn the spells? She was very comfortable with him. She didn''t want to stay near Zephyr, let alone learn the spells from him. Things weren''t adding�� why Zephyr? There were other professors who could teach her spells. What about Coral? Even she could have taught her.


    Adrianna bit her lip because here she was, wanting to stay away from Zephyr while he was only extending his help to teach her.


    "Thanks Zephyr. I will let you know��" she replied with her conscience biting her.


    "Sure," he said with a smile. "I''ll take your leave. Have to go to another class."


    When Zephyr left, Adrianna felt relieved. She took a deep breath and followed the hallway to the potions class. Once she saw Professor Lane, she returned the three potions that she had taken from him.


    "Congratulation Adrianna, I am very happy that you dealt with Raz cleverly." He took the potions with a smile. "He deserved an ending like that. I had heard that he had been creating havoc in this realm."


    Adrianna chuckled as she remembered the disgusting fluid around when she was eaten by him, and how she exploded him. It gave her immense satisfaction.


    "But, do you know that the ministry will be announcing the third stage of the competition soon?" Added Professor Lane as he returned the bottles back in the rack. "This time, there are going to be really tough rules. You better prepare yourself nicely."


    "Soon? As in when?" she asked.


    It was as if fate was against her resting even for a day. Every day, there was something new to look at. Her life had catapulted into a storm of adventures one after the other.


    "I don''t know," replied Professor Lane with a shrug. "Right now, you should concentrate on learning as many spells as possible. I am sure Professor Zephyr will teach you well."


    Adrianna cringed, which was noticed by Professor Lane. He frowned and gave her a short lecture, "Adrianna, Zephyr is a very talented boy and you should know that by the fact that he is teaching an academy''s senior class. We all know your history with Lia and Zola. Remember, everyone here is being watched. If Zephyr has accepted this position, he is well aware that he is being watched, so be rest assured that he will teach you nicely. As far as your personal relationship is concerned, that is for you to decide."


    Adrianna sulked. "I know��" she said, then went to her table. This time, there were only three other boys. Lile had stopped coming to the potions class.


    "Today, I will be teaching how to make a potion that will allow you to travel at a speed faster than that of sound," declared Professor Lane.


    ---


    In Niiya''s house, Keisha have slept for a long time. When she woke up, it was past afternoon.


    She went out of the basement to find Niiya, but met his mother instead. Niiya''s mother smiled at her and asked her to join them for lunch. Over lunch, Keisha spoke as minimal as she could for the fear that her people might hear her or read her mental thoughts even though she had blocked herself. She found it odd that there were no familiar scents around, because by this time, Dmitri should have sent all his men around to find her.


    Niiya''s mother broke her reverie as she asked her a question, "When did you meet Niiya? He has never told me about you. I thought that after Adrianna, he would never be interested in other girl. She is a wretched witch!"


    Keisha thought that it was still the case. Niiya still loved Adrianna deeply, otherwise she wouldn''t have been able to manipulate  him. She just smiled and replied, "I met Niiya just a few days back��"


    Niiya''s mother smiled as they talked. After she finished her lunch, Keisha went back to her room.


    As the day passed, there were still no familiar scents. At one point of time, she sneaked out of the front door to try to pick up any familiar scent, but there was none. All she saw was a teenage girl standing in a black dress looking away from her. Keisha went inside, assured that no one from the Blue Moon pack was there . She had to take the opportunity and get out of Niiya''s home as soon as possible before they discovered that she was there. For that, she had to wait for the night to fall.

 Chapter 274 - Keishas Punishment

    Niiya came back in the evening to meet Keisha straightaway. When he went inside, he saw that Keisha was packing her things.


    "What are you doing?" he asked.


    "I need to go away from here Niiya. I don''t want to be a burden to you," she replied as she kept her small bag of precious stones in her pocket. She had thought that she would stay there for three days thinking that Dmitri would find her soon, but she wasn''t expecting that he had failed to find her.


    "You are no burden to me,you can stay here as long as you want!" Niiya said. "It is already 8 PM in the evening. Where will you go now? You should go tomorrow morning if you have to."


    Keisha smiled at his foolishness. "Thanks Niiya, but I have to go."


    "Keisha, I want to expose Dmitri''s nature in front of Adrianna. Once I do, she will leave him and come to me. You have to help me with that."


    Keisha looked at Niiya with wide eyes. ''Is he a fool?'' she thought.


    "Niiya, for that, you have to wait for Dmitri to come to your place. I don''t have the time for that. I need to go away as far as possible from here before he figures out my whereabouts."


    "Keisha, this is my only chance! If we expose Dmitri in front of Adrianna, trust me, Adrianna will come to me and you will get Dmitri," insisted Niiya. He had thought about this while he was in college. If Adrianna got back to him, he swore that he will treasure her; unlike that scum.


    Keisha was getting irritated by his foolhardiness, but she didn''t say anything. It was a picture that she had painted in front of him and he was trapped. "Niiya, I am not interested in Dmitri anymore. I cannot be with a man who is not loyal to his wife. Do you think he would be loyal to me? Also, what is the guarantee that Adrianna would come back to you? She might be heartbroken after Dmitri is exposed in front of her."


    "You can''t leave Keisha. You must help me out with this," Niiya said with a tinge of madness in his eyes.


    Keisha sighed. This guy was only wasting her time. There was no one outside and it was already 7 PM. It would be so easy for her to run away. She was smiling inside, thinking that she had gauged it correctly that Dmitri would never suspect her coming here.


    "Niiya, thanks for all your help. If you want, I can write a letter for Adrianna which you can show her, but I have to leave now because I have someone who is waiting for me on the outskirts of this town. They will help me reach my destination safely."


    Niiya found her to be too stubborn and selfish. He had given her protection for a day and she couldn''t help him with this important part of his life. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, write it."


    Keisha picked a pen and paper and quickly wrote a letter. Then she collected her stuff and left Niiya''s house. The moment she stepped out, information was sent to Dmitri. Adrianna, who was sitting right next to him nodded.


    Keisha was heading towards the opposite end of the town, where she knew she could escape. She had seen that place once before. It was a desert where only cacti grew. Beyond the desert was another country, another people amongst whom she would hide. She was in a way thankful to Adrianna. Because of her, she had interacted with humans and knew their ways.


    The witch who was supposed to keep a watch on Keisha followed her until the border of the desert very quietly, maintaining a distance under invisibility.


    Meanwhile, Keisha couldn''t believe her luck. Throughout the way, she had been so cautious, but she didn''t pick up any scent. When she reached the periphery of the border, she looked at the vast expanse of land. She knew that she could cover it within a night. She crossed the road and entered it, then started walking to her destination, while whistling on her victory. She could see some street lamps installed up to the land ahead, and after that, it was dark.


    Suddenly, Keisha stumbled back in shock as Adrianna appeared in front of her.


    "Where are you going Keisha?" asked Adrianna, staring intently at her.


    Keisha was so stunned when she saw Adrianna that she fell back on the sand. The bag of precious stones that she had stolen from her house fell down. It opened, scattering all the precious stones around her. She looked up at Adrianna, who  seemed to be walking on air, high above the ground.


    "Adrianna, it is not my fault. Dmitri tried to force himself on me. I tried to reason with him that he should go back to you but he wouldn''t listen," said Keisha, trembling on her feet.


    "I remember converting you into a small cat. Because you said that I didn''t deserve Dmitri and that I was some sort of a loose character woman��" said Adrianna, knowing fully well how she would punish Keisha.


    "That is untrue Adrianna! You were too intoxicated to even know what happened." Keisha maintained her stance. "Trust me, it was Dmitri who was trying to betray you!"


    "Well, are you sure?" asked Adrianna.


    "Yes, yes! I am."


    "In that case, I better ask Dmitri about it. I can''t punish you unless I ask him."


    "Of course!" replied Keisha feeling excited inside for convincing Adrianna too.


    "Okay, stay here Keisha. Don''t go anywhere. I will talk to Dmitri in the meanwhile." Adrianna snapped her fingers and left walking through a portal.


    Keisha got up from her place and started laughing, then greedily collected all the stone around her and packed them back in her bag. How could Adrianna be convinced so easily? Was she so good with her skills? She got up from the place and shape shifted. After that, she broke into a sprint.


    Weirdly enough, even after running for a full hour, she returned to the same spot where she had met Adrianna. The street lamps appeared again.

 Chapter 275 - Keishas Punishment (2)

    Keisha was surprised. How could she run back to the street lamps? Was she running in circles? The moon had risen high in the sky and she didn''t have much time left. In a desert like that she had to make sure that she crossed it during the night time, else in the day the sun would be harsh and she might die out of dehydration. Once again she ran fast in order to cover as much as she could. However, within an hour, she was back to the same spot. She was baffled now. After two hours of running, she was back to where she began. She was getting irritated and was running out of time.


    This time Keisha decided to shape shift and walk on her feet. She thought of marking her way so that in case she returned, she would know that she had already traversed that path and would take another route. So she walked and started making a mark on the huge boulders that she saw in front of her. This way she wouldn''t lose her way.


    Two hours had passed and she was happy that she hadn''t passed any boulder that she had already marked. That meant that she was on the right path. She walked another two hundred meters and suddenly saw a faint glow of the street lamps from a distance. She stopped in her tracks with a jolt. She was back to square one. Her hands went to her head. She was baffled beyond words. Why was she coming back to this place again and again? If that was the case, it was better that she walked back in the town and find some other way to get out of it. Even though it was risky, it was better than wasting her time in the desert. All she had to do was be cautious of any of Dmitri''s people lurking in the town to catch her.


    Thinking that, Keisha ran to the row of the street lamps and followed them. She looked at the town road that was hardly fifty meters ahead. Breathing in deeply, Keisha walked towards the road. Suddenly a huge sand wall appeared in front of her. The sand wall was moving inside making her retract her steps. The wall moved at a speed where she had to almost run back in the desert. Keisha was utterly confused. She thought that she was dreaming. How could it be possible that a wall would chase her back in the desert? This wall was nowhere initially. Where did it grow from? Her mind had become numb. She must have run inside a hundred meters when the wall stopped chasing her and seemed to fix itself on the ground.


    Keisha also stopped. She went back to touch the wall, to see whether it was for real or not. It was there, standing solid. She touched it. Everything was abnormal. Her quest to escape from there was not coming to fruition. Once again she ran inside the desert and once again she came back to the wall. She was trapped there.


    Feeling frustrated, helpless and tired, she knew who was doing all this. She shouted at the top of the lungs, "Adrianna!"


    ---


    When Adrianna went back empty-handed, Dmitri frowned. "Where''s Keisha?" he asked. He was standing in the garden waiting for her along with Nate and Liam.


    "She is now trapped in a maze for the rest of her life. She will never be able to come out of it," replied Adrianna as she walked past him and entered the main hall.


    The three followed her. "What do you mean Adri?" Dmitri was confused.


    "Keisha wanted to run away Dmitri, so now she will keep running away in order to find a way out of that maze until she would realize that there is no way out and eventually perish. She had run with the precious gems that she had been so greedy about. In the desert where she would have no water and no food to eat, she will have to survive on those gems�� That is her punishment for causing so much trouble��" replied Keisha looking unforgiving. She became silent as she watched blank space in front of her.


    The way Adrianna sounded and looked, Liam and Nate became scared of her. They didn''t know that Adrianna was capable of such harsh punishments. Something inside her had snapped regarding Keisha.


    Even Dmitri was surprised but he didn''t say anything. He was okay with whatever punishment his luna served to any person under him. "Let''s go to bed Adri��" he said looking at her. He knew she was feeling sad.


    Liam and Nate left the couple. None of them had any words about what Adrianna did. Keisha would fall into the grip of death slowly. She would rot away in that wilderness. This was worse than sending her to prison. They knew that the desert was harsh. The conditions there were severe, and without food and water, it was just a matter of days that Keisha would meet her end. They felt sad for her. They were sad because she had been with them to so many battles. She had fought with them through thick and thin. However, towards the end, her greed for Dmitri and to become the luna of the supreme alpha had overshadowed her judgment.


    Back in the bedroom, Dmitri noticed that Adrianna had gone to take a bath.

 Chapter 276 - You Must Accept Your Actions

    He went after her and saw that she had soaked herself in warm water in the tub and was resting her head on the side. Her eyes were closed as if she was still thinking about something. He tried to read her thoughts but she had blocked everyone out. He took his clothes off and slowly entered the bathtub. He sat opposite her and held her legs onto his lap. He gave her a gentle foot massage while she looked at him intently. Aware of her stare at him, he looked in her eyes and said, "I am sorry for even thinking that I regretted you marrying. I know that you have been through a lot and this is not easy for both of us. You are trying to achieve something even though you are clearly the most capable candidate and I am trying to manage the werewolf kingdom."


    He paused for a while as he took another foot in his lap and massaged it. "I was clouded by my anger but the fact is that I think I am the luckiest in the entire werewolf realm to have found a person like you as my soul mate."


    Adrianna tilted her head and looked at him through her blurry eyes. "Dmitri, I know that. You will never get anyone better than me." She smiled.


    "Then what are thinking darling? I am happy that Keisha is gone forever."


    Adrianna exhaled heavily and then put her head back behind to rest. She closed her eyes, "I feel I have snatched a daughter from a mother. Cora loved her a lot��"


    "Keisha manipulated mother at every step. I don''t why couldn''t mother see it through. It was just that my mother had been so lonely all the while that she banked on Keisha for all emotional support and then you cam. It threatened Keisha''s position, so Keisha tried to manipulate Cora more. Don''t worry, I will talk to her and it is not necessary that needs to know that Keisha has been trapped in a maze. We will tell her that Keisha escaped with gemstones that she had given her to buy the jewelry. There is enough evidence about that."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri with sadness in her eyes. Dmitri held her feet and dragged her to him slowly. He picked her and made her sit on his lap. "Adri, please don''t feel bad about it. Okay? I hate to see you sad because of anyone else other than me!"


    Adrianna laughed, "What do you mean Dmitri Volkov? I can be sad only because of you."


    "Of course! Only I hold the power to make you feel sad!"


    She laughed out loud and he held her closely. He loved it when she laughed. Kissing her arms, he said, "What do you think of kids?" He wanted to completely distract her mind from Keisha''s incident.


    "I think they are cute," she replied with a cute pout and added, "But I won''t think about having one for at least a year."


    "Hmm�� now that is not in your power. That is again me to decide. And mind that Adri, I am not a patient man. I want at least two to three babies as soon as possible maybe by next year."


    Adrianna started to run from there, knowing perfectly what he was hinting at but was pinned by his strong arms. "No my darling. You have some duties towards your husband." She started laughing. He looked at her lovely face and kissed her until she was out of breath. His erection sprang up and he grabbed her by her buttocks and made her slip it in her.


    They emerged out of the bathroom after half an hour. They slept after having sumptuous dinner. Adrianna slept without having any nightmares. All her sadness was seeped out of the system after Dmitri had talked to her. She held him close to her while sleeping. It was comforting.


    Next day in the morning they woke up listening to a huge commotion downstairs. When they came downstairs, they saw Cora shouting at all servants. When Dmitri came downstairs, Cora said, "Dmitri, look I have received this letter in Keisha''s handwriting!" She handed the letter to Dmitri and then shot an angry glance at Adrianna.


    "Adrianna, you have tricked my son!"


    Adrianna was shocked as to what was Cora even saying.


    Cora turned to the servants and shouted at them again, "Go find Keisha!"


    When Dmitri read the letter written Keisha, his face turned pale. She had accused him of forcing on her. She had also mentioned that Adrianna was in love with Niiya and that Dmitri two-timed the girls.


    "Mother this is wrong! I have never forced myself on Keisha," said Dmitri in a hoarse voice.


    "Dmitri, you must accept your actions and accept Keisha into your life. If you wanted her so much, why did you marry Adrianna? If I had known your intentions, I would have put my foot down earlier," said Cora holding his hands.

 Chapter 277 - Betrayal?

    This topic was irritating Adrianna. It had been so many days since she had married Dmitri. He had marked her and yet every time she face Cora, somehow this topic would emerge. But why would Dmitri two-time? Did she miss anything when she was in the academy?


    Dmitri re-read the letter. It was in Keisha''s handwriting but why would she accuse him of forcing him on her? Every time she advanced towards him, he only stepped back. "Mother, who gave you this letter?" he asked.


    "Can I see the letter?" asked Adrianna. Dmitri gave her the letter. Adrianna read the entire letter and then in the end she saw the lines, which invited glares from Cora. "Dmitri never loved Adrianna. He married her to win over Niiya, who was in love with Adrianna."


    "This letter is ridiculous!" shouted Adrianna. "Cora, can''t you see that this letter holds no meaning? Clearly this letter is written with the intention of creating doubts in the minds of people around."


    "I am not talking to you Adrianna. I am talking to my son! You have always clouded his reasoning. Who knows what curse have you cast on Dmitri? He actually fell for you that time!" lashed Cora making an ugly expression.


    Her words were so harsh that Dmitri''s brows furrowed and his expression turned cold.


    Cora turned to Dmitri and said with a raised voice, "Back then you didn''t know what is good and what is not. During the wedding things go well with even that Shaman telling that Adrianna wasn''t a good match for you. I don''t thing Adrianna wants to live a good life with you! Why are still holding on her? You should leave her as soon as possible! There is no limit to the number of women who want to marry you. In the werewolf realm there are numerous who would run to you at the drop of a hat! But Keisha is the best. I knew that you loved her. Dmitri, I don''t mind you going irrational for one. Its okay, you are young and you made mistake by marrying Adrianna, but now is the time to rectify it!"


    "Mother!" shouted Dmitri. "You are going beyond my patience limit. I am well aware of how important Adrianna is in my life. You don''t have to worry about it." Dmitri''s initial confusion about the letter was long gone.


    Cora sulked, "Dmitri, don''t feel so offended with what I am saying. I am speaking only as your mother and I feel for you."


    Adrianna asked Cora once again, "Who has given this letter?"


    "Ookashi!" blurted Cora.


    Adrianna was shocked. How the hell did Ookashi get this letter? Did Keisha write it and gave it to Niiya?


    It took two minutes for Dmitri to understand what must have happened. Keisha must have tried to convince Niiya with her twisted theory. Then Niiya must have asked her to prove herself, however she chose to rather write the letter and run away instead of confronting. After all why would she bother about their relationships once she was gone?


    Adrianna read Dmitri''s thoughts and all she did was to walk away from there. "Deal with your mother!" she mentally communicated to him rolling her eyes.


    "Mother, I think you need to go on a holiday," said Dmitri with a cold expression.


    "What do you mean Dmitri?" asked Cora becoming anxious. "Is that your wife''s command?" Cora actually looked worried now.


    "The letter here is obviously an attempt to sabotage our relationships for personal benefits. I have never forced myself on Keisha. Instead she had forced herself on me number of times. Every time I had told you this problem, you just didn''t listen to me because all you wanted was that I should marry Keisha even if I didn''t like her. Being a werewolf, don''t you know that if after marking your soul mate accepts the mark, a soul bond is formed? If the mark is not accepted, it only shows as scars in the skin, but if it is accepted, it looks as though you were born with it? You have seen my mark on Adrianna. What does it look like to you?


    "You are so blinded by Keisha''s manipulations that you refuse to see your son''s emotions," Dmitri almost shouted making Cora cringe.


    "You should know that it was Keisha who funded the rebellion and that too with the gems that you have given to her to buy jewelry. All she wanted was chaos. She funded Kuro and spread the information that it was Adrianna who had funded her father''s rebellion against her own husband."


    "This can''t be true," said Cora as she held on to a sofa behind her and then sat down on it, her legs going wobbly.


    "If this isn''t true, did Keisha ever show you the jewelry she bought?"


    "No��"


    "Keisha has manipulated you every time. You had given her a bagful of precious stones from our treasury and she gave some of them to Kuro. When I discovered her betrayal, she had run away."


    "Betrayal?" Cora''s eyes became moist.


    "Yes, she used Niiya to run away!" replied Dmitri hiding that she was in fact trapped in a desert

 Chapter 278 - Love Turned To Hate

    Cora sat there on the sofa, with both her hands holding the armrest for support. She trusted Keisha more than she could have trusted any other person in her life. How could Keisha betray her? "This is not true��" Cora shook her head.


    "Send the messengers who discovered Keisha''s disloyalty towards the kingdom," ordered Dmitri looking at Nate. "You can hear it from those who have evidence against her," said Dmitri looking at his mother.


    Cora''s heart became heavy as though someone had put a thousand pounds weight on it. The messengers came within half an hour and they poured all the details in front of Cora.


    "When Adrianna heard about her father''s rebellion, even she reacted to it. I had sent Kuro to the guillotines. However, later she understood that had to be done was necessary," Dmitri said to make Cora understand the gravity of the situation. "It was because of Keisha''s offer to help them in their rebellion that Kuro turned against us. With all the money she offered, it was easy for him to buy so many chiefs to rebel against us. But that didn''t happen because all chiefs under me are loyal at this point of time. No one has the guts to go against me. Keisha had planned the rebellion all along only to get back at me. While on the outside she showed how loyal she was to you, on the inside her plans were to overturn me at one point of time."


    Cora was listening to all that Dmitri was pouring in front of her with wide eyes. How could she not see Keisha''s treachery? Suddenly the love she had for her turned into hate even without fighting the self-conscience. Negative emotions flowed through her body and it was as though someone had poured acid into her soul. She tried to remember all the good memories she had about Keisha in order to shirk those thoughts but nothing came to her mind. Her betrayal was foremost in her mind.


    Cora looked at Dmitri. He hadn''t told her about Keisha even after the rebellion was suppressed. Although she did remember that he had asked her whether she had given any money to Keisha. He had been so considerate of their relationship. Suddenly it occurred to her that even Adrianna was considerate of her relationship with Keisha. Had it been Cora, she wouldn''t have been sympathetic and would have killed the disloyal person immediately.


    Her mind that was filled with so much purpose and love for Keisha was now replaced with bitterness and hate. Her trust in being a good mother was gone. She had only been pathetic. Keisha pulled wool over her eyes for years, telling tales of trauma and victimhood that never happened. Even in her last letter she had tried to make her a fool. Cora felt that she was like the leading lady of all her dramas. And now that she glimpsed through the curtains, she spotted her evil intentions. Tears ran through her eyes unbridled.


    Dmitri came forward to hold his mother, but she removed his hand. It was something she had to deal with on her own. She had to fight her own ghosts. She looked pale and was filled with remorse. The way she treated her son and Adrianna because of Keisha was something she couldn''t even fathom. She got up from the sofa and walked to her room.


    Everyone else left the room too.


    It was already 8AM and Adrianna had to go back to the academy. Dmitri went upstairs to his bedroom. He hadn''t anticipated the whole drama would take so long. When he reached, he found that Adrianna was already ready to leave.


    She looked at him. He was looking very sad. She went to him and hugged him. "I am sorry��"


    He hugged her back. "If anyone has to be sorry, that is me�� I am sorry for my mother''s behavior��"


    Adrianna pressed her head on his chest and said, "This is just a phase. It will pass�� However, don''t ask me to release Keisha. She has to meet her end and I couldn''t be gentler on it. She has to see it approaching near her slowly. What she has done is simply unacceptable."


    "I am not bothered about her Adri��" he replied.


    Suddenly a portal was beginning to form. Adrianna released him and started to leave. She smiled at him. "Take care Dmitri and if you want to take a rest, why don''t you come to the wizard kingdom tonight. If you like you can bring Cora too."


    "I think she is going to take a long time to recover but I will think about it," he replied as he saw her entering the portal.


    She waved him goodbye with a smile.


    Adrianna walked right outside the wizard academy. She took a deep breath to be ready to face Zephyr.

 Chapter 279 - More Capable Of Handling The Crown

    When Adrianna reached her class, she saw that all the students were talking to each other excitedly. There was something that she must have missed. Some students had surrounded Zephyr and looked pretty enthusiastic. Adrianna went and sat in the side of the first row on a chair that was empty and right next to some boys who were in Nefasky''s group. Shay was also present there. He looked at her and smiled, "Hello Adrianna."


    She nodded back with a smile. Although she took her notebooks out, and pretended to browse through them, her entire attention was on what they were talking around.


    Zephyr had noticed her and his eyes followed her.


    The third stage of the competition will soon be announced," said Nefasky. "It is going to be extremely exciting."


    "Yes, this time they will be choosing only the top few students to participate," said Lenny in excitement.


    "But this is just not correct. Why are they trying to tell the weak students that they are weak?"


    "Absolutely! They should have told us earlier that they were going to give points in each stage of the competition so that we would have worked harder to achieve those points earlier on," lamented a boy.


    Two girls started laughing. "As if by telling you, you would have caught ten neotides in the first stage of the competition!"


    The boy shrank as he turned to look at Adrianna who was seeing her notebook as though she was going to bore a hole through it.


    "Well, we could have recovered in the second stage," he replied.


    "Trust me, you wouldn''t have fared well in the second stage too!" said Nefasky and everyone started laughing at him.


    "Do you know that in the past all our seniors had to mandatorily participate in all the stages of the competition and until now only one senior has ever passed all three stages and that senior is none other than Zephyr?" said Lenny who looked at Zephyr with charm in her eyes.


    Understanding her lewd thoughts, Nefasky smacked her head, "First go and reduce your weight!" All others again started laughing.


    Lenny''s lips curved downwards as she went to sit on her chair. Soon the entire class was called to order.


    Zephyr looked at the class and said, "Today, I am going to tell you how to make someone a prisoner in cell of their mind. You can take them to their deepest fears and leave them their forever. The person will never be able to come out of the cell of their mind. In outer world this is also known as insanity. People call it schizophrenia in the human realm. You must see the way I am going to pronounce this spell. Its pronunciation is important."


    "Professor Zephyr, if this is a spell then there must be a way of coming out of it or someone can break the spell too," asked a girl sitting in the front. All students were actually looking scared. They were thankful that they were not subject to this cruel spell.


    "Of course there is!" replied Zephyr.


    Zephyr looked at Adrianna and said, "Adrianna, would you be my subject today for the next spell that I am going to teach you all."


    Adrianna looked at him with surprise. She stood up from her chair and said, "Sure." She didn''t know what this cousin of hers was cooking but she had to show her courage on the fa?ade.


    "Are you ready?" he asked.


    "Yes," she said narrowing her eyes.


    "Come in the front before me," he said as he pointed to a chair in front of him.


    Adrianna walked there. "Remember, if it becomes too much to bear, you just have to press the middle of your palm and say "De" and you will come out, okay?"


    "Yes," replied Adrianna as she sat on the chair in front of looking confident. Inside she was nervous. Why would he choose her out of so many to be the subject for this spell?


    Zephyr pointed his wand towards her and out came the words, "Aanimi Arcaa."


    In the next second, Adrianna found herself surrounded by a place, which didn''t have an opening or an end. Everywhere it was white �C the floors, the walls, the ceiling �C everything was white. She was alone. Her breathing became ragged as she looked around for people. She walked a little further in that place. Was it a room or was it a world? Was that her mind that she was in? She walked a little more in this unending place. Suddenly she saw a speck, which became larger as he came near her. He looked shocked.


    "Tell me why have you called me in here," asked Adrianna with scorn on her face.


    "Adrianna, you are clever," he replied, hearing her question. He came straight to the point, "There was no other way I could talk to you. Outside everywhere in the academy they are watching me and I had to tell you something. My method is a little unconventional but trust me now no one would be able to hear us," said Zephyr with a hint of a smile in his eyes.


    "After the third stage of the competition, you will be invited for crowning irrespective of the fact whether you win or not," continued Zephyr with a smirk. He sounded as though she was less capable than him. "However, I will also stake claim to the crown because I think I am more capable of handling the crown."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. "Being capable of handling the crown? What does that mean? One should be capable of handling the wizard kingdom and not the crown. Crown is just a means of helping you in the administration of the kingdom."


    Zephyr was shocked to hear those words from Adrianna. She sounded wise but he was definitely far more brilliant than she was. His mother had always encouraged him saying that ruling the kingdom was in their blood. In fact she had come close to getting him crowned on a number of occasions but sometimes it was Mihr who wouldn''t let this happen. All his hopes dashed when Adrianna came in the scene.


    "Adrianna, I don''t care what you are saying but all I wanted to say was that I will also stake claim. Now the thing is whether you would allow me to go first or would you go first to that throne to put the crown on head?"

 Chapter 280 - The Intruder

    Adrianna laughed at Zephyr''s way of telling her about his plans. She knew that she couldn''t go and speak about it to anyone, because then they would think that she had become insane or was imagining things. All this interaction was taking place in their minds. She had to admit that he was indeed clever.


    "Right now I cannot decide whether I will go first or you. You have to give me time to think about it," she replied as she walked further in that nothingness.


    "Okay, but when?"


    "Maybe after the third stage of the competition is over," she said.


    Zephyr exhaled audibly and said, "Look Adrianna, we are cousins. Intelligence runs in our blood. Our great grandfather was Gregory and you would be surprised to know one hidden fact. A fact that defines the wizards and what they can become if they fall into greed. That fact is a secret that only Isidorus knows and he has been using you."


    "Using me? In what way?" Adrianna was surprised.


    "Our family has a history of people who have ruled the wizard kingdom from over a thousand years now. We are blessed with that gene somehow. Always remember that the only people who can destroy us are those of our own bloodline.." Zephyr looked very serious as though he was about to spill a secret.


    "Why are you speaking in such cryptic manner? Speak clearly!" she demanded.


    "It is not the time," said Zephyr. "Just remember that I am not on your side or anyone else''s. I am only bothered about one thing and that is that the crown should fall in the right hands." Having said that, he exited the cell.


    Adrianna flinched. "What did mean by saying this is not the right time?" She felt like staying there to think more, but she had to go back now. She pressed the middle of her palm and opened her eyes to see that the entire class was staring at her. Adrianna smiled at them, then at Zephyr, who was staring at her with a glint in his eyes.


    "Do you think you can cast that spell, Adrianna?" he asked in a mocking tone.


    "Yes, I can cast it and come out of it. Also, I think I can easily drag people with me inside my cell," she replied. Her answer instigated a sense of fear amongst students. The more they spent time with her, the more they realized how sinister and distant she seemed.


    Zephyr smiled and nodded. "Good," he said and then turned to look at the rest of the class. "Does anyone else want to try?"


    Adrianna left the chair to return to  her seat.


    Nefasky wanted to try it out. She thought that if Adrianna could manage it, why couldn''t she? After all it was just a spell, which was explained very nicely by Zephyr. She got up and said, "I want to try."


    Zephyr became concerned, but he let her seat on the chair in front of him.


    "Remember Nefasky," he warned. "If you feel that you cannot handle the spell and it becomes too much for you, just press the middle of your palm and say, ''De''."


    "Yes Professor," she replied with a nervous undertone.


    As soon as she sat on the chair, Zephyr pointed his wand at her and chanted, "Aanimi Arcaa."


    Nefasky closed her eyes and appeared to go in a deep trance in front of the class. Her eyes had rolled up and mouth opened, while her head rested on the chair.


    Last time when Adrianna had got into her cell, even Zephyr seemed to have gone inside because they both appeared to be in deep trance. The students thought that Zephyr had gone to help her. However, this time, he was standing and staring at Nefasky.


    Suddenly, Nefasky''s body broke into a cold sweat and she shrieked. It was as though she was seeing a nightmare and died inside it.


    Zephyr shouted, "Nefasky, if you can hear me, press the palm now!" But she hadn''t heard him and she continued to shriek.


    Immediately Adrianna stood up, took out her wand and pointed at Nefasky. In a minute, she slumped on her chair as she had entered Nefasky''s cell. Students around her got extremely scared.


    When Adrianna entered Nefasky''s cell, she saw a figure that had clutched Nefasky''s neck in his long bony hand. He didn''t have a face, but Adrianna could tell that he was trying to suck on her ear.


    Everywhere around them was painted in red, as there were numerous blood vessels surrounding them. She found herself standing on a soft surface.


    "Leave her!" shouted Adrianna.


    The figure looked at her. Instead of a face, all he had was a skull. "Ahhh�� Adrianna��" he whispered. "You interfere my meal��"


    "Leave her or I will kill you!" She snarled as she pointed her wand towards the abomination.


    The figure pondered for a moment as it looked at her. In the end, he let go of Nefasky, who didn''t hesitate to run towards Adrianna''s side.


    "How come you entered with your wand, Adrianna?" he asked.


    "Now that you know that I can enter anyone''s cell with my wand, you should scram, Vikra, else I won''t hesitate in using this wand!" Adrianna warned him again.


    Nefasky took another glance at the figure, her limbs had become cold. "So this is Vikra," she thought as goose bumps lined her skin.


    Vikra started laughing. In fact, he began to dance. "I am proud of you Adrianna. You are the epitome of finest genes in your family."


    Suddenly, he started floating towards the two girls as his bony fingers softly brushed the red veins around them.


    Once again, the students heard Nefasky screaming loudly as though she was in immense pain. This time, Zephyr pointed his wand and entered Nefasky''s cell, right where the two girls were standing. He was stunned when he saw Adrianna with her wand, but quickly recovered as he noticed that Vikra was approaching from ahead. Immediately, he moved in front of them.


    "Go away!" Zephyr threatened.


    Vikra stopped in his tracks. He laughed loudly and started dancing again, all the more with joy. "So, the cousin is here too. Do you know how powerful the two of you are?"


    Vikra pointed at them and whispered, "The two of you can rule the world together."

 Chapter 281 - Clever Girl…

    Adrianna and Zephyr were both stunned by his statement. Vikra looked at their faces and in order for them to agree to what he said, he continuously spoke. "If the two of you will join forces, you can conquer the world. It is like a dream come true for every wizard or witch that the world is in their pockets. If you want to realize that dream, I will help you."


    Before he could say anything, Adrianna gnarled at him, "Get out of here Vikra. Get out of Nefasky''s mind." She knew that he was trying to lure then by showing them false dreams. Even if they could conquer the world, what would be the cost they would be paying? "Also the purpose of this spell is to get into the cell of your opponent, so there is nothing striking about entering someone else''s mind. What nonsense are you uttering?"


    Vikra started laughing. "Try this with other students in your class. Students can enter the cells of person they have cast the spell on but you can enter the cell of person without casting the spell." Vikra looked at her with his hollow eyes. "That''s why the two of you are very powerful."


    Adrianna shouted, "You are a sick man Vikra! Go away!"


    The hollow in place of Vikra''s eyes turned red with anger. He pointed his finger at one of the veins inside and a mild white lighting struck it, snapping it. There was a loud scream somewhere, which they knew was that was Nefasky in real life. In her own cell, Nefasky could see some blood drops coming out of that vein and she felt that she could vomit. There was dizziness in front of her eyes and she held onto Zephyr for support.


    Adrianna and Zephyr knew how delicate this battlefield was. If Adrianna used her wand, it was most likely that Nefasky''s brain could get damaged to a point of no return.


    Looking at the fear in the eyes of the two cousins, Vikra started laughing. "Now do you know what it is to get inside a cell? It is such a powerful tool. Both you and Zephyr can enter anyone''s mind so easily. Once you enter, you can literally have full command on them. Trust me in this world only the three of us can enter anyone''s cell. The fourth person was your mother Adrianna. Tsk, tsk. She fell in love with a werewolf and had to spend her life in shame."


    "Vikra, what will you do by harming Nefasky? You can''t conquer the world by doing that. As a matter of fact, we both already knew that. You don''t have to remind us. Nefasky isn''t anyone of so much importance that you are wasting your time and ours over a matter of something as important as conquering the world. If that is all you wanted to convey, you have. Now you can get out of here and get on with your deeds. However, if you like, you can stay here forever. I have no intentions of staying here. Also, once I am out of here, I will make sure that your intrusion in Nefasky''s cell does reach the ears of Mihr." Saying that Adrianna got out of Nefasky''s cell and got back to her consciousness. She looked around as all students stared at her, fear apparent in their eyes.


    "What about Nefasky? Why hasn''t she come back?" asked Lenny.


    Adrianna stayed quiet as she slowly rose from her chair. She saw that both Zephyr and Nefasky''s bodies were lying limp on the chair.


    With Adrianna gone out of her cell, Zephyr signaled Nefasky to press the middle of her palm on his cue. Vikra was left confused by Adrianna''s exit. His main purpose was to meet her. However, she also threatened him that she would tell all about this to Mihr if he didn''t leave the cell. He became angry. "Clever girl��" he said. He would use Mihr''s help to get in the wizard kingdom from time to time. With her gone, he didn''t want to waste his time and disappeared from the cell.


    "Now!" shouted Zephyr fearing that Vikra may reappear. Nefasky pressed her palm with her thumb and both of them got out of the cell. They gasped heavily as soon as they were out. Their limp bodies moved and the entire class breathed a sigh of relief.


    Nefasky had to be taken to the infirmary.


    While Adrianna had threatened Vikra that she would tell about this episode to Mihr if he didn''t leave the cell, she actually thought of telling about this incident to Mihr. The class got over on rather a scandalous note.


    Adrianna was very angry with Zephyr for telling students about a spell that was so dangerous. She made a mental note of mentioning to Isidorus to ban this spell.


    Once the class was dismissed, she went to Zephyr. "Why didn''t you go inside Nefasky''s cell?"

 Chapter 282 - He Basically Lured You In

    "In the first class, the student is supposed to explore himself or herself within their mind. There are stages through which you can master the spell," he replied. "I didn''t know that Vikra would find his way there. I just followed you because the two of you weren''t coming out and Nefasky shrieked."


    "Then why did you take that chance with me?" she asked with a frown. Wasn''t he responsible for her safety?


    "Because you are different. I know your potential," said Zephyr and left the class.


    Adrianna looked at him exiting the door. She smiled. She found Zephyr odd. He was very straightforward and it seemed he was only interested in his own career rather than thinking about anything. He was selfish but he wasn''t into nasty acts. At least that was what her reading was. He wasn''t scheming type. He was focused and brilliant. However, Adrianna had to investigate more about him. She decided to meet Isidorus that evening. She was in no mood to go to the werewolf realm because of the drama Cora had created. She was hoping that Dmitri would come to the wizard kingdom instead.


    She went to her potions class where all the students looked at her with awe. They looked at her with appreciative glances. Before Professor had entered the class, Lenny and Shay went to her. They thanked her for helping Nefasky out.


    Lenny asked curiously, "What really happened in the cell Adrianna?"


    Adrianna couldn''t say anything about what exactly happened inside but she dodged the question. She just smiled and said, "You have to try it out." However she knew that was going to recommend banning that spell.


    While they were talking about it, there was an announcement on the loudspeaker. "Students, please assemble in the garden tomorrow early morning. We will be announcing the dates and rules for the third stage of the competition."


    Adrianna noticed that after the announcement many students sulked. They were complaining, "We haven''t aggregated enough points to enter."


    "The administration is just being plain biased to weak students."


    "They should have told about this stipulation beforehand."


    "The ministry is filled with people who have biased opinions."


    Adrianna only listened to the gossip, as she didn''t want to participate in it.


    When the classes got over in the evening, she went to the palace. That day when she was flying in the royal carriage, she asked Fleur, "Why can''t I fly like the way you do on the brooms?"


    Fleur smiled and said, "This carriage is like that bullet proof cars that people have in human realm. It is protected by a large number of spells. If you remember the incident that happened few weeks back, it was the parrot they harmed and not the carriage. So as long as you are there in the carriage, no outside harm can affect you."


    Adrianna was impressed. She smiled and sat in silence for the rest of the journey. When she reached the palace, she found Isidorus waiting for her.


    Adrianna was surprised as to how did he know that she wanted to meet him but she didn''t ask anything. Everything in the wizard kingdom was weird.


    "Good evening," she greeted him.


    Isidorus passed that rare smile and nodded. He was looking tired as if he hadn''t rested for a long time.


    "There are so many things I would like to talk to you about, Isidorus," said Adrianna as she started walking towards the main hall.


    "Yes, I know��" he replied.


    When they were seated, the first thing that she asked was, "How did Vikra reach Nefasky''s mind?"


    Isidorus narrowed his eyes. "Explain me what happened."


    Adrianna realized that except Zephyr, Nefasky and her, no one knew about the incident. She narrated the entire occurrence without missing a single detail. "So now tell me how did Vikra manage to get inside her cell?"


    "You see getting inside someone''s cell is easy for Vikra. He doesn''t have to be physically present to get inside. All he needs is that spell which will open an entrance to your mind. Unlike others who can enter the cell of the person whom they have cast the spell upon, Vikra can enter anyone''s cell," Isidorus replied with concern etched on his face.


    "Do you mean that he heard the name of the spell being cast and came here?"


    "Yes�� he can hear people casting that spell��" He was impressed that Adrianna could enter anyone''s cell just like Vikra.


    "Then it is dangerous Isidorus. How many people in the wizard kingdom know about the spell?" she asked with doubts.


    "Only a handful few. You should understand Adrianna that even if that spell were cast, Vikra wouldn''t come and enter anyone''s mind. Why would he waste time on people who are of no importance to him?" Isidorus paused and then added, "He must have heard Zephyr using that spell in the academy and he couldn''t leave that opportunity. It was unfortunate that Nefasky got trapped in it. He would have entered any other student''s cell too only because he wanted to meet you. He basically lured you in."


    "In that case, we must ban using the spell. How come we have allowed Zephyr to teach it to the students?" Adrianna said insisting on her words.


    "There is no curriculum that mentions that this spell needs to be banned. But why did Zephyr teach it?"


    "Because he wanted to convey to me that he would stake claim for the crown. He said that I have to decide who would go first to stake the claim."


    Isidorus smiled and asked, "What have you decided Adrianna?"


    "I haven''t decided anything Isidorus��" she said looking in distance as if thinking about something. Then she looked at Isidorus and continued, "I want you to tell Mihr about today''s incident."


    "Of course, that goes without saying," Isidorus laughed.


    Mihr was there with his daughter in the infirmary. She had fainted and the healer was trying his best to revive her.


    "What has happened to her, please tell me?" asked Mihr. His wife was crying hysterically.


    From what he had heard from the students, Zephyr had taught them a spell for which she volunteered. She couldn''t manage it and Zephyr and Adrianna had to go and rescue her. It was very confusing. He had tried to contact Zephyr to know details, but he wasn''t responding.

 Chapter 283 - The Surgery

    After leaving the royal palace, Isidorus went to the infirmary where Nefasky was being treated. The healer had given her several potions but she was still unconscious. Nefasky''s mother had been crying while Mihr looked extremely worried. He had contacted ministry to complain to them about Zephyr but the problem was that the ministry couldn''t do anything since there was nothing that was out of the curriculum, hence Zephyr couldn''t be implicated.


    Mihr was now at a total loss. Nefasky was conscious when she had returned from the academy, but she had become unconscious in the evening just after taking a shower. A maid discovered her and brought the attention of the household.


    When Mihr saw Isidorus, he took him out of the room and threw a barrage of questions at him. "Have you met Adrianna? Students said that she had also gone into Nefasky''s cell. You must tell me what happened. I suspect that it was Adrianna who tried to harm Nefasky because she thinks Nefasky is her rival for the crown. However, if Adrianna has stooped to this level, I am going to make sure that she gets the worst punishment for harming my daughter and that too so nefariously that you cannot even imagine. I have been trying to contact Zephyr but he isn''t responding. Isidorus, there is something really sinister going here and you must stop it."


    Isidorus took a deep breath. He informed in a low voice, "Vikra entered Nefasky''s cell."


    Mihr was horrified when he heard that name. "What? This can''t be." After all that he had done for Vikra and Cy, this was what that soulless creature did? Mihr had been extremely cooperative with Vikra to get inside the wizard kingdom for giving fruition to his purposes. Cy had been his friend for so long and for him he had taken risks. But this is what they gave in return. They used his daughter.


    "Why?" he asked in a choked voice.


    "He wanted to meet Adrianna and lure her into joining him. When he heard the spell "Aanimi Arcaa" from the grounds of the academy, he knew this was his opportunity to meet her without getting noticed by anyone."


    "Even if he met her there, who was the one who harmed her? Did anyone of them mess with her insides? You know that it is not allowed to mess with anyone''s cell!" shouted Mihr.


    "That I am not ascertain of because all Adrianna told me was to send you this message that Vikra was the one who entered Nefasky''s cell," replied Isidorus.


    "If she was trying to send me a message, does she mean that she didn''t do it? Is she trying to show her loyalty to me?" asked Mihr. "Is she acting innocent here? I want her presence right now Isidorus!" He was getting impatient and just wanted to know who harmed his daughter.


    Suddenly, a loud shriek was heard from inside the room and the two of them ran back. It was Nefasky who was screaming. Two wizards had held her hand to prevent her from falling down the bed. Her mother had closed her mouth in horror by putting her hands on her mouth as fresh tears ran through her eyes.


    "Go away! Who are you? Adrianna! Help me!" Nefasky shouted and then her body went limp. She started murmuring, "Help Adria�� help me��"


    Mihr couldn''t control his emotions. He went out of the room only to shed a tear. His daughter was subject to mental torture now. After Nefasky shouted, he was clear about one thing, Adrianna didn''t do anything. She only helped. Zephyr, being a teacher couldn''t have done anything.


    Isidorus didn''t know what to do, so he went out shaking his head. As he was walking out of the room, he saw Adrianna walking in the infirmary. He was a little surprised but he nodded. There were ten other wizards and witches who walked in with her. Fleur was walking right behind her.


    When Mihr saw her, he couldn''t believe it. Adrianna did not utter a word instead she just walked inside. He followed her.


    She addressed the healer, "We have to take her to the human realm where they will have to perform brain surgery on her."


    "Brain surgery? What is that?" asked the healer.


    Adrianna knew that Vikra had tampered with Nefasky''s veins inside and a little blood had oozed out, which meant that there could be a blood clot.


    "I am suspecting that there is a blood clot inside her brain, which needs to be extracted as soon as possible. For that she has to undergo medical treatment. Surgery has to be performed otherwise it may cause irreparable damage to her," said Adrianna. Her interactions with the human world had taught her numerous things.


    Mihr was willing to do anything for his daughter at this point of time. "Whatever that is, let''s go!" he ordered his men. He turned to look at Adrianna and asked, "Where can we get that done?"


    "In the town hospital," she replied. Then she turned to look at Isidorus, "Niiya''s father is a doctor. He will help you if you know him."


    Isidorus didn''t waste anytime and he got sucked in a vortex. In the next one hour, Nefasky was taken to the hospital in the human realm where a team of neurosurgeons started preparing themselves for the operation. Niiya''s father had to help Isidorus as per the treaty.


    In the initial reports, it was established that Nefasky had a blood clot. However, it was minor and could be extracted. The team took her for surgery immediately. The operation lasted for about three hours in which Nefasky''s blood clot was sucked out very carefully. When the operation ended, the doctors informed that the surgery was done successfully.


    All the wizards and witches that were present there were mesmerized by the way humans could save lives. They thought that they were the most powerful, but humans were no less. As soon as the doctor informed them about Nefasky, Mihr thanked them profusely. At the back of his mind he knew that had Adrianna not suggested this method of treatment, Nefasky would have perhaps never recovered. He had to personally thank Adrianna. It was time to jump loyalties.


    Meanwhile, as soon as Adrianna saw that they had all gone away to the human realm, she walked back into the palace through the portal Fleur had created. To her pleasant surprise, when she reached her room, she saw Dmitri standing in the balcony, sipping wine.

 Chapter 284 - Let’s Make Babies

    Adrianna was so happy to see him that she went and hugged him from the back. Dmitri smiled and held her arm. "Where have you been? It''s so late."


    "Hmm�� something urgent came up��" she replied, as she smelled the familiar scent that always calmed her. The incident of the morning was still in her mind. "How is your mother now?"


    "She will be fine in a few days��" he replied. "I want to leave her alone. She had built so many walls around her just for the sake of Keisha that when the walls are crashing down, they are making noise and only she can deal with that."


    Adrianna couldn''t agree more.


    "I am planning to stay here for the next two days," he declared.


    Adrianna jumped with joy, "Really?"


    He nodded as he tousled her hair. "Yes, it is time I spend my time with you without any distraction. Quality time."


    Adrianna giggled. She hugged him again and jumped while hugging him, spilling his wine. He laughed at her. He kept his glass on the parapet and picked his wife. "The quality time starts now!"


    "What?" Adrianna looked at him with horror.


    Dmitri just took her to the bed and made her lie there as he pressed her. The flower canopy surrounded them. White flowers were blossoming. However, as time went by when Dmitri removed her clothes and kissed all around her white skin, the flowers turned pink and red. In between his kissed he asked, "I wonder what would be the color of the flower when you will get pregnant?"


    As he said that he went between her thighs and started his ministrations. The flowers in the canopy became red in color.


    When Adrianna woke up the next morning, she noticed she couldn''t move an inch. She looked down and saw that Dmitri was sleeping half on her tummy with his hands wrapped around her. She moved a little. Sensing her movement, he opened his eyes and smiled lazily. "Don''t go to the academy today. Let''s make babies," he said seductively.


    Adrianna giggled. "We can do that when I come back."


    "I am sensing that my wife is giving in to her deep desires of getting the crown," said Dmitri jokingly but Adrianna looked at him with wide eyes as the sleep left her that instant. What he said was true?


    She shrugged those feelings and patted him. "See you soon darling." She got up to get ready.


    Early morning all the students gathered in the garden in front before the classes began. Everyone was waiting with anticipation as to which students would be invited for the third stage of the competition. All by the morning had come to know about Nefasky''s incident and so they knew that she wouldn''t be participating. They felt sad for her as she was a capable student and stood a great chance of winning the third stage.


    All the professors had lined up the stage as though waiting for someone. Suddenly they saw Isidorus walking on the stage flanked by two ministry people who were holding some scrolls. When they reached the center of the stage, all the professors greeted them. The people from the ministry handed the scroll to Isidorus. He opened it to read out the announcement.


    "Students, this year we have kept entry to the third stage of the competition very limited. We will be inviting only the top sixteen students according to the points they have aggregated in the two stages. In case any of these students would want to drop out, they have to do before the last date of enrolling and the last date of enrolling is day after tomorrow. Once the names are locked after the last date, the students will have to take part in the competition. There will be no backing allowed.


    "The invites will be sent to you privately and we will not announce it here. As for the rules, you have to check the notice board again to know about them. The competition will commence from the first day of the next week."


    After the announcement was made, all the students went back to their classes. Zephyr was sitting in the class waiting for all the students with anger on his face. Adrianna had noticed his absence from the morning''s assembly. As the class started, he said, "I won''t be teaching you how to get into the cell. After yesterday''s incident, the ministry has banned the spell and if anyone is caught casting that spell would go to prison."


    The students gasped when they heard that. Who would dare to go against the ministry, let alone cast the spell? It was just too dangerous. It was only Adrianna who had learnt it, so none of them paid much attention. Zephyr looked at Adrianna who was directly looking into his eyes. A smile left her lips and he knew what must have happened.


    While he was teaching another spell, a messenger came with invites.

 Chapter 285 - Third Stage Of The Competition (1)

    The invites were small scrolls of papers, which were handed over to Zephyr. As soon as the messenger left, Zephyr kept the scrolls on the table. Suddenly the students saw that the scrolls started flying. Red wings appeared on the yellowish scrolls and they flew to all the respective invites. All of them gasped at this beautiful way of invite. Their gazes followed to all those who had received the invite. There were only sixteen invites, which meant that those sixteen students were the top point aggregators.


    The students who didn''t receive the invite felt terrible once again for this kind of bias and there were murmurs of dissatisfaction. The ones who received were extremely excited. The only one who wasn''t excited was Adrianna. She opened the scroll to read it. It read as follows:


    "We are very happy to invite you to the third stage of the competition. You have earned the maximum points in the last stages and hence you are in the first spot. Following is the way the competition will be spread:


    1. The competition will have two pools of people with each pool having 8 people.


    2. The first round will be qualifying round.


    3. The first student with highest points will fight against the one with the least points in their own pool.


    4. So in the first stage there would be eight competitions in two pools.


    5. Four people will emerge as winners from their pool in the quarter finals who will then fight for the semi finals.


    6. The top four who will emerge as the winners will fight according to their points for the spot to get in the finals.


    7. The final will be held next end of the week.


    8. The rules will be sent to the notice board for all to see.


    If you have read this message say ''Yes'', else you can reread the message. Once you will have reread the message the scroll will destroy itself."


    Adrianna was reading it with concentration. How she wished she had a phone that time just to click the photo of the scroll. A chuckle left her throat when she thought that and started reading the message again. The boy who was sitting next to her wanted to badly to peak in and read what was written. He hadn''t received the invite, so his curiosity was killing him. Adrianna sensed it and kept the scroll on the table for him to see it. However, before he could even read one sentence, the scroll combusted and was burnt to ashes within a second. The boy was shocked.


    All students who had received the invite knew that even they would cross the first stage of the competition they would gain a place in ministry. But there were two students who were waiting to go as far as possible in the competition and stake claim to the throne. They wanted to defeat Adrianna at all costs.


    Lile and Shay looked at Adrianna with narrow eyes.


    Once the class was over, they all went to the potions class where Professor Lane taught them a potion that would make a person laugh the entire day.


    When the class got over, Adrianna went to the notice board. She found too many students out there. As soon as she reached, the students who saw her immediately made way for her to see the board. She thanked them and moved forward. When she went there, she found a list of the top sixteen students was hanging there and the letters weren''t even moving as they would for all other notices and the topmost was her name. With Nefasky out of the competition, Adrianna was naturally the topmost. Otherwise she would have shared the spot with Nefasky.


    All students smiled at her and greeted her with awe. They were eager to see what was in store for the third stage.


    Adrianna was reading the rules when in the end she read one thing that caught her off guard.


    "The competition will be held in front of all the people of the wizard kingdom. Everyone in the wizard kingdom would be invited to watch it. It will be held in the grounds of the academy situated on the back side of the administrative block."


    That ground was the biggest field in the academy, almost the size of five football fields. Adrianna became nervous. So many people would be spectators.


    Obviously this only meant one thing �C Isidorus wanted them all to see Adrianna climbing her way up.


    But Adrianna doubted herself. She was scared that would she have to harm other wizards in order to climb the success ladder? She was not ready to do that and so she clenched her fists in nervousness and left the place. How could she harm more people in order to climb up? Was this justice? Was this the only way to prove that she was the most powerful?


    Her head became heavy, as once again she started getting discouraged��

 Chapter 286 - To The Queen Of My Heart

    In the evening when Adrianna went to the palace, Dmitri had been waiting for her with a huge bouquet of flowers. Those were the most beautiful blossoms that he had picked from the garden in which even the servants had helped. It was a large bouquet of hundred different colored flowers. When Adrianna saw them, all her nervousness and anxiety vanished into thin air. She ran to him and hugged him over the bouquet. "Dmitri!"


    He laughed at her, as he stood wrapped in her arms with all the flowers squishing in between. When Adrianna released him, he presented her the bouquet, "To the queen of my heart."


    Adrianna chuckled and took the bouquet. She smelled the flowers and rested her head on them. Dmitri couldn''t help but kiss her cheek as he looked how angelic she looked on top of those flowers. She smiled at him and said, "So happy to have you with me." She held his hand and they walked in the palace together.


    While she walked with him, she narrated the entire day''s incidents. She told him about the competition. "Dmitri, I am a little nervous about the third stage. I am scared that it will cause harm to all those who are participating."


    Dmitri tightened his grip around her hand and said, "Adrianna, the third stage of the competition will show your grit. It is going to test your abilities as a monarch. You have to make tough decisions, but then that is what is expected from a ruler �C decisions that are in favor of everyone, yet they show your authority. You have to show everyone that you are the ruler. You have to fight those who are competing against you, but do it fairly and within the rules. Never ever get into something sneaky, otherwise the guilt of that would ruin your mental health. Always remember Adrianna, Karma is a bitch. If you will dig a hole for someone, you will fall into it."


    They had reached the bedroom by then. Adrianna was listening to Dmitri very patiently. She needed him to be with her as her pillar of support. She halted just before the entrance of the door. She tiptoed and reached his forehead to kiss him. "Thanks Dmitri. That was the best I have heard in so many days."


    Dmitri picked her and she chuckled in surprise. "There is better I can do with you." He kissed her passionately on the lips as she lay there in his arms with the bouquet on her chest.


    When he left her, she started chuckling again. "What is cooking up in that mind of yours?"


    "Something that you would love to taste," he replied.


    "Geez Dmitri!"


    He didn''t let her speak and sealed her lips with his. He brought her to the bed and took the bouquet from her hands. He placed them in a flower vase on the table and came back to her.


    "I need to take a shower," she looked at him with puppy eyes pleading not to do anything with her but Dmitri removed her shirt and skirt. She was in her panties and under him in a few seconds while he was wearing his clothes.


    He lifted her face in his hands and licked her lips asking her to open them with his tongue. He dug his tongue deep in between the lips and then forced her to open her teeth and entered his tongue inside. Adrianna groaned and he captured that in his throat. The way he kissed her, she was left wanting for oxygen when he went to her neck. He sucked and nibbled at it and licked her mark with his tongue. Adrianna squirmed under him. Dmitri brought his hand inside her panties and tore them open. He was not able to handle his desire for her. He went to her sweet spot and sucked it by trying to insert his tongue inside. Adrianna''s body arched and all her muscles tightened. She came as her body jerked slightly.


    "Stop Dmitri," she whispered as she buried her head in the pillow.


    Dmitri stopped and then went up to sit on her. He unzipped his pants and stroked his member. "Baby, this one needs you." Saying that, he came much above her and put his member in her mouth. "Suck it!"


    Adrianna sucked it softly at first and then started to lap her tongue around it. Dmitri was finding it hard to contain. "Adri��!" he whispered. As soon as he was about to come, Adrianna stopped sucking. "Adri!"


    She said I want to come on top of you. Dmitri couldn''t do anything but had to allow her to be on top of her. She sat on him and turned her face towards his member and her butts towards his face. Then she started sucking him and all Dmitri could see was her ass moving towards him or away from him as she sucked him. It was the first time he had seen her like that and he couldn''t control. He came within seconds.

 Chapter 287 - Third Stage Of The Competition (2)

    By the time it was evening both Adrianna and Dmitri were totally exhausted. Dmitri was extremely hungry by the end of their love making session. He had tried so many positions with Adrianna that he was having one of the best times of his life. Once they had finished, Dmitri took her to take a bath. In the shower Dmitri asked her to go out in the second realm and take a stroll since he wanted to get out of the palace. Adrianna agreed happily because she also needed a break. They came out and got dressed accordingly.


    Since Dmitri was very hungry, they had turned towards the dining hall where Adrianna had thought of ordering the servants to prepare a quick meal for them. To her surprise a vast spread of meal was laid out on the table. Dmitri wasn''t even bothered to ask anything, he just jumped at it. After having so much sex with his wife, he thought he would eat everything that was there on the table.


    Adrianna giggled at him. "Adri, you are the culprit, it''s not me who is hungry. You are the one who is making me hungry. Also if I become fat, you are to be blamed."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes, "If you become fat, I would make you sleep out on the couch."


    Dmitri loved all the light banter with Adrianna. Back in the werewolf kingdom, his entire day was spent taking care of one or the other problems. He had to travel a lot. This place was tension free. At least from all the tensions that he had left behind. A day later he was hardly bothered as to what must have happened to Keisha.


    While their light bantering was going on, a servant announced, "The Military General is here. He is seeking your audience."


    Adrianna looked at the servant wondering if she heard him right. Why would Mihr come and talk to her? Nefasky had been taken care of and she knew that Isidorus had already told her about Vikra. So what other information was he seeking? She had already shown her solidarity towards him in the party. With Mihr in the palace grounds, the security had become very tight. The wizards and witches who were their inside the ground had stationed themselves in such a way that if Mihr or his men would do something nasty, they would immediately take them down.


    She looked at Dmitri who was also a little stunned. He signaled her to go and meet him while he kept eating.


    Adrianna went to the main hall where she found that Mihr was pacing the hall up and down. When he saw her, he stopped and came to her.


    Adrianna offered him to sit politely and said, "What brings you here Mihr?"


    Mihr came straight to the point, "You will be facing the third stage of the competition. This time the ministry is very tight and they haven''t revealed what all challenges would they throw for you all but I am extremely sure that you would need to hone your skills further and also be prepared for the hardest of spells you would ever face. The sixteen students who have been selected are all very powerful wizards and witches. They are the creamiest layer of the academy, so you the competition is definitely going to be tough."


    Adrianna looked at with a frown. Why was he saying all this her? What was the purpose?


    "With Ziu not in town, I believe there is no one who would teach you spells, the kind that are needed," he continued.


    "Zephyr is there to teach me in Professor Ziu''s absence," said Adrianna still confounded as to what was it that he wanted to talk about.


    "Do you think Zephyr is going to teach you the necessary spells? Adrianna is you''re your number one opponent to stake claim to the throne. He would never teach you something that would go against him. You will see that from tomorrow, he would go on a long leave from the academy," replied Mihr as though trying to drill sense into her.


    Adrianna was all the more surprised as to why was Mihr showing so much support to her. This was new and what caused this sudden change? She looked at him with wide eyes and confused expressions. "How do you know that he will take long leave?"


    "Adrianna, it is common sense. I know everything," said Mihr with a glint in his eyes. "Your only chance to win the competition is if you learn those spells from me. I am the master at those."


    He looked Adrianna as though trying to read her mind. "Isidorus doesn''t have time to teach you, plus he can''t teach you since he is in the core committee of making the rules and creating tasks for the competition."


    What came out of his mouth next gave Adrianna goose bumps.

 Chapter 288 - Third Stage Of The Competition (3)

    Dmitri had entered the main hall by then and had listened to what he had just said. He stopped in his tracks. Was Mihr changing his loyalty just now and showing his solidarity to Adrianna? Was he so desperate for Adrianna to win the competition?


    Adrianna was listening to him with rapt attention. But she wasn''t prepared for what came next.


    Mihr paused and then said, "Listen Adrianna, Isidorus won''t be able to even talk to you now because otherwise they might blame him for favoring you. So I have decided something, which is of utmost importance and I know this may sound odd to you, but you still need to know some spells for that competition and I can teach you those spells!"


    Dmitri had walked to his side by the time he had spoken those words. Both he and Adrianna looked at him with shock.


    "Why are you offering to teach me?" she asked. With Mihr''s history, it was possible that he might be bluffing them.


    "Let''s just say this �C I want to be loyal to the woman who helped my daughter out of danger. Without you, Nefasky would have died by now and this is the only way I can show you my gratitude."


    The way Mihr said those words Adrianna could see his humility. He was genuinely looking unpretentious.


    "Thanks Mihr, that was very nice of you to offer. We will get back to you with our answer soon," replied Dmitri, as he was wary of him.


    Mihr took a deep breath and said, "Okay, but you people need to answer me fast. You only have four days left until the next stage and in four days you can''t learn much even if I teach you for twenty four hours."


    Adrianna still hadn''t recovered from what he said. Mihr bowed and was sucked in a vortex.


    Adrianna was looking so baffled that her mouth opened to form an ''O''.


    Dmitri laughed at her expressions.


    "What do you think about his proposition Dmitri?" she asked with that expression.


    "What do you think?" he asked her back.


    "Well, he was really not pretending this time. I couldn''t see any malice when I delved in his brain," she answered naturally.


    Dmitri smiled at her. He had forgotten about his wife''s ability to enter other people''s brain so effectively that sometimes even he was spooked.


    ---


    When Mihr was standing there and waiting for his daughter to come out of the operation theater, Cy''s men contacted him. They were not concerned about what happened to his daughter, instead they demanded to open a secret portal in the wizard kingdom for them to enter. They had planned something nefarious for the third stage of the competition.


    Mihr told them that they would have to wait until his daughter came out of the operation theater, but they were very impatient. "Do you think we have all the time in the world? Open the portal now!"


    Mihr became very angry. He was already so perturbed and nervous about Nefasky and these people were only thinking about the portal. Not only that, it was because of Vikra all this happened, and still they had the guts to come to him and ask for help.


    "Nefasky is in this problem because of you people, because of Vikra and you people think that I am going to help you into the wizard kingdom?" he replied with blazing eyes.


    "Mihr, you have to sacrifice for bigger things in life. Nefasky was just a small sacrifice that you have to give for Vikra. It is nothing compared to the bigger picture. You should know this since you had always been a part of Cy''s team. You have helped us because you wanted Cy to come back and because you want Vikra to come back. Now why are you wavering? Your daughter is a pawn that was knocked out in the first move. So move on!" said one of them threateningly.


    Mihr''s anger was on its epitome. They dared to threaten him �C the military general of the wizard kingdom. It was their selfishness and apathy that triggered his psychological control. His nose wrinkled and he drew his head backwards. His face became red and it seemed as if his brain would explode. It was a threat and a strong one. He knew that going against these men would mean more harm. He knew he was going against the monsters. But he had to.


    "Get out! Don''t even dare to meet me or send anyone to seek help. From today onwards, I will not help you in any of your nefarious activities. Trust me, if I even see anyone of you people in the wizard kingdom, I will be the first to slain you!"


    Cy''s men could feel the tension in the intensity of his tone. He was emotionally spent. They sniggered and left after making a threat, "Wait and watch Mihr. You will be our first target."


    ---


    Adrianna had sent her men to find out about Mihr and what she came to know was a huge shock to her.

 Chapter 289 - Third Stage Of The Competition (4)

    When Adrianna''s men came back with the information the next day in the morning, she was shocked. Cy''s men had threatened to kill Nefasky and her mother if Mihr didn''t comply with their wishes of helping them out. Mihr had refused to help them anymore. Since Nefasky was still in the hospital in the human realm, she was at risk. Adrianna asked Fleur to discuss this issue with Isidorus and bring more safety around them. Getting Mihr on their side meant less problems in the wizard kingdom, although she wasn''t sure what was Cy and Vikra capable of doing outside the kingdom.


    ---


    The first thing that Mihr did once he came back to the wizard kingdom was to meet Adrianna. He had decided in the hospital as to what would he do in the future. He knew that whatever action he would take, he would definitely become the target of Vikra''s wrath.


    The fact that Adrianna had approached him with a plan in the party, he was encouraged to join her and the only way to show that he supported her was to help her out with the competition. For him it had become paramount that she won the competition and also the crown. With that in mind, he went to meet Adrianna in the palace.


    After Mihr had left, Dmitri and Adrianna had gone to the second level where they strolled around hand in hand in a secluded area so that no one would disturb their walk. Last time in the third level, wizards and witches had followed them everywhere they went. It was as if they had no privacy. This was also the reason why Adrianna had restricted visiting out until she was crowned. Although Fleur said that this only brought popularity. However, Adrianna''s argument was that the crown didn''t accept the ruler based on popularity!


    When they came back, it was already pretty late so they went off to sleep immediately.


    ---


    Next day, when Adrianna went to the academy, the students in her class were all murmuring in their own groups. There was no teacher in the class. She went and sat on a chair in the front row where Lenny and others were present.


    "Adrianna, do you know that Professor Zephyr is on indefinite leave?" said Lenny with dismay.


    "This is so irresponsible of him," said Shay feeling sad. "Now that we have only four days left, who will teach us the remaining spells?"


    "I am disappointed in him," commented another student. "He just wants to show that he is the best by not helping other students."


    "Are we going to get another teacher?" asked Adrianna remembering what Mihr had told her the previous evening. She was actually disappointed with Zephyr''s behavior.


    "I hope so," replied the brown haired boy. "Usually the teachers substitute."


    "However, no one has come until now��" said Lenny feeling upset. "Why has the academy suddenly become devoid of so many teachers?"


    Adrianna wondered as to when would Professor Ziu come.


    While the students were sulking and complaining, suddenly there was an announcement on the speakers, "We are having a new person from the ministry to teach the senior class all the magic spells. Please wait for your new teacher."


    Immediately a wave of relief passed over the students. There was excitement again in the class.


    "Who could that be?" asked Lenny.


    "Someone from ministry? That means we are surely going to get quality classes," chuckled a girl.


    In the next five everyone started chattering loudly and while they were all in their own world regarding competition, a loud "Ahem!" brought them back to the class.


    Adrianna and others looked at their new professor with wide eyes!


    "Good morning all!" said Professor Coral standing in front of the class.


    Adrianna bit her lip. She didn''t know that Professor Coral was from the ministry. She thought that Coral was a regular professor over there or was she missing something?


    "I have been appointed from the ministry to fill the gap for these four days. Unfortunately Professor Zephyr has gone on an indefinite leave. However, whatever spells I will teach now will only be for students who have qualified for the third stage of the competition. Hence these spells will be relevant to them. Other students who want to join can surely join in, but some of these spells are not in your regular curriculum, so why even bother?" said Coral with a smile inviting chuckles. "Whoever wants to leave the class may leave it now."


    In the next five minutes, only sixteen students were left. Coral started with giving each of them a paper that listed the spells she would teach.


    After the first class got over, Adrianna went to Coral and said with a smile, "I didn''t know you were from ministry��"


    Coral smiled. Her reply made Adrianna stunned beyond words.

 Chapter 290 - Third Stage Of The Competiton (6)

    Adrianna was speechless.


    "I was appointed by the ministry the moment you joined Adrianna in order to keep a close watch on you," replied Coral. "There are a lot of irregularities happening in the academy and I had been undercover for a long time. However, now the ministry will be calling me back again after the competition is over."


    "But- but why have you come out of your cov- cover?" stuttered Adrianna.


    "The ministry wanted me to reveal myself to the professors and the students. Only four days of the competition are left and they want to tell the academy''s management that we are watching you closely. Hence it was necessary to tell them who I am," replied Coral as she collected her books.


    "Won''t the professors try to distance themselves from you?"


    Coral laughed, "On the contrary, they are trying to curry favor."


    Adrianna smiled. She could never imagine that Coral was appointed from the ministry. Suddenly she wondered, if it was Isidorus who had asked Coral to keep an on her. Adrianna jerked those thoughts away.


    "I am here to keep an eye on some professors," replied Coral as though she had read Adrianna''s mind leaving Adrianna speechless once again.


    Coral left with a smile and Adrianna went to collect her books from the table. She had to attend the potion class.


    Professor Lane had been teaching them something very simple so that the students could concentrate better on their spells classes.


    Professor Coral had called all of them to a special room that was big enough to be a basketball court. Over there she began with teaching the first spell that was listed in the paper she had handed them in the morning.


    All other students who were not in the competition were having the best time of their life. They would keep visiting the markets of the wizard kingdom and have fun overall. The academy was flooded with complains with students skipping the classes over the next few days.


    When Adrianna reached palace after the academy, she found that Dmitri had just walked in from a portal. "Where did you go?" asked Adrianna as she walked to the bedroom. She was extremely tired and wanted to sleep.


    "I had gone to see mother�� she is sick��" he replied with sadness.


    Adrianna pursed her lips. She went to take a shower. Cora was the last thing that she wanted to think about. When she came out she found Dmitri reading his father''s diary with a glass of wine in other hand.


    "Did you find that girl?" she asked as changed into something comfortable.


    "No�� I was wondering how far around that cave should we go to find her? My father mentioned that her mother had died when she was young. So I have asked my men to find girls whose mothers have died when they were young and whose grandfathers are called Ed." He took the glass on his lips and took a sip.


    Adrianna crawled to him to lie down beside him, but a servant appeared. "My queen, Mihr is here. He says that he has to teach you some spells."


    Adrianna was exhausted from the day and wanted to just rest. She had never thought that Mihr would actually come and teach her without her inviting him. Dmitri chuckled. "Go Adri, it is going to benefit you."


    "I don''t want to. What if he kills me using a spell?" she asked like a child.


    Dmitri became serious. "Do you think that with so much security around you, he can harm you?"


    "No��"


    "Then get your ass out of the bed and learn those spells. I am sure if he is teaching them, they must be important."


    He went back to reading as Adrianna dragged herself out of bed.


    When she reached outside to meet Mihr, she noticed that her security team was standing close. Even Fleur had come. They were all looking at Mihr suspiciously.


    Adrianna looked at him and said, "Hello Mihr, how is Nefasky?"


    "Thanks for all that additional help. She will be discharged after a few days." He replied knowing that it was Adrianna who had recommended more help.


    "You are welcome."


    "I am here to teach you some important spells."


    "But Professor Coral is already teaching us," she replied still reluctant.


    "Do you know that almost all students are learning underhand tricks �C spells that will go undetected?"


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. "Okay teach me now," she said after a long pause. The security team stepped a little away.


    "The first one is the "Aphasia". This one is cast to use your blood in order to create material things. I will teach you how to cast it and also how to defend yourself from it. It can be very painful if a large amount of blood is taken out, but would go undetected if a few drops of your blood were used at a time. So your opponent would use this spell and try to make you weak. If this spell is cast five times, you will become very tired."


    Without wasting time in the next one hour, Mihr taught her how to cast it and how to deflect it. The only way to detect it was that the material that was made was always red in color.

 Chapter 291 - Stupid Idea Of Announcing It

    Once Mihr taught her those two spells, he stopped, as he understood that Adrianna was very tired for the day. He could see that if that had been Nefasky, she would have left midway getting angry on her father.


    "Adrianna, I know this is really taxing but if you can spare more time tomorrow, I can finish teaching them in two days. With the way you are picking, it will be easy for you."


    Adrianna smiled and said "Thank you Mihr."


    Mihr left for the day.


    When Adrianna went inside, she saw Dmitri waiting for her at the dinner table. He had asked the cooks to prepare a healthy meal for his wife that consisted of food that provided mental wellbeing. Adrianna smiled at him and sat down to have her dinner. She was very tired and after having dinner, she slept like a baby.


    ---


    Next day after Adrianna had left for the academy, Dmitri went to the werewolf realm. Liam had reported that there was a throng of girls who claimed that they were the little girls that he had been looking for and they had come along with their grandfathers called Ed. Dmitri was shocked when he heard that.


    When he went to the Blue Moon Pack territory, the guards immediately surrounded their alpha to protect him from all the girls that were waiting for his arrival. Dmitri eyes became like a soccer field when he saw the sheer number of girls over there. There must have been over hundred from various packs across the werewolf kingdom.


    Dmitri ran inside the mansion where Liam was waiting for him. "How did you manage to get so many of them?"


    "Dmitri, I was getting fed up of going around secretly finding that girl, so I just asked my men to spread the news regarding this. All the girls that fit the description are here!" he replied holding both his hands up. Liam had actually given up on this quest now. During one of the travel to find that girl, he became so angry that he decided to announce it.


    Dmitri couldn''t say anything except gritting his teeth. "Where is Nate?" he asked.


    "They are on their pre-wedding honeymoon!" he replied.


    "What is pre-wedding honeymoon?" asked Dmitri with a gesture of a question.


    "It is something you would never know!" replied Liam with exasperation. "Now sift through these. I am going!"


    "Wait, you can''t leave me like this. Since you are the one who has called them, you should be sifting them!" shouted Dmitri clearly looking confused.


    Listening to all the chaos outside, Cora came out. She looked at the two of them and then went outside. She was in for a shock. Even though she appeared frail, she could walk around the house. After Keisha''s news, she had felt terrible and reflected on the past. Everyday she thought about her, it only added to her hatred towards her. Dmitri had distanced himself from her because he wanted to give her alone time. As for Adrianna, how could she expect any support? She had been mean with her along with Keisha.


    "What is happening here?" she asked softly to a servant.


    The servant explained that those girls had come on Liam''s invitation since Dmitri was finding the girl his father had promised to marry him with when he was very young.


    Cora was shocked. How did Dmitri come to know about all that? She had read her husband''s diaries, and was baffled by this secret. He had never shown her those diaries and she discovered them in a cupboard, by chance in their old home. She read them much later when Dmitri had become the alpha. After he had disappeared, she had kept his things very carefully in the attic upstairs. Had Dmitri found out about it?


    She looked at Dmitri with question in her eyes. Dmitri pursed his lips. "Sorry mother, I was just curious. I want to know who that girl is so that I may compensate her nicely and honor my father''s wish."


    Cora smiled at him and started laughing. He was a little boy in so many ways. "That''s very nice of you Dmitri but how will you judge who is she amongst so many here?"


    "Well, their grandfather''s name has to be Ed and they should be no more than nineteen or twenty," he replied with a shrug.


    "But that description will hold more than a hundred. Today you are seeing these many, tomorrow you would see another hundred. You have to be extremely specific," said Cora. "Who gave you this stupid idea of announcing it?"


    Liam didn''t know where to look as Dmitri glared at him. Cora laughed again.


    "Okay, let me help you with it!" replied Cora. She looked excited and Dmitri found her looking eager for the first time in many days.


    "Be my guest," he replied with a smile.


    In the next few hours what Cora faced was something that she could never forget in her life.

 Chapter 292 - Comparison

    There were hundreds of girls present in the garden out the mansion, some escorted by their grandfathers and some alone. The guards were having a tough time managing them. When Cora saw the chaos, she went to the guards and instructed them how to put everyone on order. Within the next few minutes, all the girls and men were chased out of the gates. They were all asked to form a line and one by one each of them were called. Cora had decided to interview all of them.


    When the first one came, even Dmitri was there. He was looking at her eagerly. She looked at him and blushed. Cora narrowed her eyes and asked her, "Do you remember where you were found?"


    "Yes, I was found in the foothills of the mountains deep inside the jungle. Your father rescued me and brought me to my Grandfather, Ed." She said pointing at and old man. Then she looked at Dmitri and said with a deeper blush, "Your father had pledged your hand in mine. You should honor his words and marry me. Your current luna can be given a compensation."


    Cora quickly became agitated and clenched her jaws as Dmitri watched her in astonishment. "Get out!" snarled Cora.


    "Why? I am not saying anything wrong!" the girl lamented and tried to stay longer but the guards carried her all the way past the front gates and threw her out. Her old grandfather walked behind her and asked, "Have we got the reward?" She just scoffed and stomped away from him.


    When the second one came, she suggested that she be given only one territory as compensation. The third one was even more interesting. She asked Dmitri to make a harem in order to include her and so she stayed with him always. She said she didn''t mind Adrianna''s presence.


    It was almost afternoon and not even half the girls'' interviews were finished. Dmitri became extremely impatient. Time and again he would curse Liam who would look at him stupidly.


    ---


    Ever since Ed had heard about the third stage of the competition, he had become anxious. His little grandchild had to face the toughest test of the stage. Even though he was ordered by Isidorus to stay safe at the inn hidden in the mountains, he was getting impatient to meet her. One day when Howard visited him casually during a weekend, he said over dinner, "Howard, I want to be with Adri during the third stage of the competition."


    Howard looked at him with surprise. "But you said that you didn''t want to go anywhere and that is why you wanted to spend time in retirement in this mountainous region."


    "I know Howard, but everyday I think about it, every minute I miss her more," replied Ed looking so upset as though he would cry.


    "Okay, then what about this inn?" asked Howard.


    "I will take care of the inn," came a voice from behind. It was Mun who spoke, much to Howard''s shock. "I will take care of this inn," repeated Mun rolling his eyes at Howard''s flabbergasted facial expression.


    Howard looked at Ed with wide eyes and he chuckled while nodding, "Yes, he speaks."


    "By the way, tell Adrianna that I would have loved her had she belonged to my species," continued Mun as he nibbled on the meat piece in front of him.


    Ed laughed heartily as Howard shook his head. What the hell did he just hear?


    "The competition would take place from next week onwards. I will come to take you from here," replied Howard as he joined in the laughter.


    ---


    Cora continued to take interviews and realized that almost all the girls she had interviewed were so pretentious that it appalled her. In comparison, Adrianna was very simple. That girl didn''t even boast about her powers to the world. All these girls were almost nothing in front of her, and yet the amount of fluff they had in her was simply appalling .


    Half of them were wearing lewd clothes that were half revealing their breasts. Very few were decently dressed but they were all too cunning. On the contrary, Adrianna was always wearing simple clothes like a pair of jeans and usually checkered shirts. Cora smiled when she started to compare the girls in front of her and her daughter-in-law Adrianna.


    In the end when it was evening, Dmitri left the place, as he was so angry that he couldn''t stand anyone of them. He walked to the royal palace through the portal. The portal opened in the bedroom. It was evening 7PM and Adrianna was nowhere to be seen.  He haphazardly ran outside in a panicked frenzy only to find that Mihr was presently teaching her more spells.


    "Adrianna, you need to concentrate a lot when you are trying to hypnotize a person," shouted Mihr. He had been trying to teach her the hypnosis spell in which all nearby creatures would get fascinated and they would stop in their activities and stare blankly. They would do whatever you would suggest them. However, it would affect only people who could see you or were close enough to hear you. This was one of the most common spells the wizards knew and threw at their opponents. Mihr was trying to teach her the spell and also how to dodge it.


    Feeling irritated, Adrianna pointed her wand and shouted, "Hypnosia!" a white light came out of her wand and hit both Mihr and Dmitri.

 Chapter 293 - Do You Want A Harem, My Lord?

    Out of irritation and provocation from Mihr, Adrianna just used her wand and pointed it at Mihr to cast the spell. "Hypnosia!" she spoke loudly and a white thin streak of light emitted from the wand. It hit Mihr and then it passed through him and hit Dmitri.


    Mihr, who was standing with his wand high up in the air didn''t even get a chance to react and stood there looking blank. It was as if he didn''t understand what was he doing in this life. He looked at Adrianna with the most idiotic expression and Adrianna started giggling and looked back at him with a bewildered expression. "Damn!" she shouted as she realized that she had hit the two of them with the spell and the spell worked correctly.


    She looked back at Dmitri who was standing right behind Mihr and looking at his chest, which was hit by the white light. Adrianna ran past Mihr to Dmitri and held his arms. "Dmitri, are you okay?" she shook him as though trying to get him back to sense.


    Mihr watched Adrianna running past. He didn''t do anything, just kept standing there, gazing blankly at her.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna in a confused way. "I am fine Adri, but what was this white light? I felt ticklish with it," he replied.


    Adrianna was shocked when she heard that he felt ticklish and the spell didn''t work on him. She held his cheeks in her hands and shook his head in order to ascertain her suspicions. "What are you doing Adrianna?" he asked removing her hands from there.


    Adrianna looked at Mihr who appeared totally hypnotized. Why wasn''t Dmitri hypnotized? She stepped away from him and walked to Mihr. Suddenly she turned again and said, "Hypnosia!" pointing her wand towards Dmitri. Once again a white left the wand and hit Dmitri. As soon as the light hit him, he chuckled. "Stop it Adri! Why are you trying to tickle me? Wait till I get hold of you, carry you inside and tickle you until you are breathless!"


    It was an experiment she wanted to do to ascertain whether her wand affected Dmitri or not. She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. Her wand was kept next to her chest. A tear came out of her eyes. "Dmitri, my wand will never cast a spell on you. It will only protect you. Even if I go rogue, my wand won''t allow it. It will protect you from my wrath always. My pet baby bear will never cause you harm. My two Dmitris will always take care of each other." she said with tears forming in her eyes.


    Dmitri looked at her with amazement. He took her wand from her as she released him and smiled. Suddenly they were surrounded by a spiral of white protective light all around them. Adrianna chuckled. "I think he still communicates with me," she said looking at the wand.


    It was one of those precious moments that would be etched in your memory forever. Perhaps that is why the wizards and witches whose wands were broken became emotionally tangled.


    Adrianna smiled at Dmitri and left him. The white light also disappeared in air. She turned to look at Mihr and didn''t know what to do with him. She hadn''t learnt how to remove that spell. So she went in front of him and snapped her fingers. Immediately Mihr came out of the spell. He looked around. "Wh- what happened Adrianna? I don''t remember anything. Did you learn the spell?"


    Adrianna chuckled. "Yes, I learnt it." She narrated him what happened without divulging the information about her wand.


    Mihr was stunned that Adrianna could get him out with a snap of her fingers. All wizards had to use a spell to remove the magic. He bowed and left after saying, "We will meet the day after. Tomorrow I have really urgent work."


    "Sure," replied Adrianna feeling happy that she would get to rest for a day.


    She turned to Dmitri and locked her arms with his. As they walked inside, Dmitri narrated her the day''s events. By the time she reached the bedroom, she was laughing. "Harem? Does my lord want a harem?" she mocked him.


    "I can''t handle one wife. Do you think I can manage a harem? Although, it isn''t a bad idea. At least I would get to see so many women in scanty clothes." He replied with a grin as though imagining them.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at him and snapped her fingers. Suddenly there were five more Adrianna over there, each wearing skimpiest of the clothes that barely covered their sensitive parts. Dmitri jumped in glee as he ran to catch one of them who dodged him the moment he came near her. The real Adrianna chuckled, left her husband to five others and went to take a shower.


    As for Dmitri, he kept running after his prey but couldn''t grab even one of them. By the time Adrianna came out, all of them were nude and Dmitri was looking at them with greed. He was so exhausted running after them that he was now sitting on the bed, panting and sweating.


    "Do you want a harem, my lord?" she asked again.

 Chapter 294 - The Torture Of Adriannas

    "No! No! I don''t want harem. Come to me darling," he cried, as he spread his arms in front of him.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers and they all disappeared. She laughed to her heart''s content and then went to sit in his lap. She kissed his lips and said, "What are we going to do now?"


    "What a stupid question to ask," he replied and threw her towel across the room. The flower canopy surrounded them.


    When it was time for dinner, the two of them changed and came out. Once again Dmitri commented, "I think I would love to see that harem again."


    "Hmm��"


    The next day in the morning Adrianna got up earlier than Dmitri. He was sleeping and smiling at the same time. In the night he had mumbled number of times, "Adri, don''t run, let me take those clothes off you�� Second Adri, come sit on me�� third Adri��"


    Adrianna was angry by the time it was morning. So she got up quietly and got dressed. Just before leaving she snapped her fingers and the five Adrianna''s reappeared.


    When Dmitri opened his eyes, he saw the five of them around him, all wearing only panties. "Adri! You can''t do this to me!" shouted Dmitri so loudly that the servants also heard him. He avoided all of them and went to the bathroom, but they followed him there. He closed his eyes while waiting for the bathtub to fill, but as soon as he sat down in the bathtub, they sat all around him. One of them opened her legs as she took her panties off. Dmitri was going mad by the minute. He jumped at her, but she dodged him and went to sit at the other side.


    He wanted to go to the werewolf realm that day but couldn''t, scared that those Adrianna''s would follow him and people might see her body. He ordered all his meals in the bedroom and stayed confined there until his wife returned.


    ---


    Back in the academy, Coral taught the sixteen students more spells. It was very exhausting. None of the students were talking to each other. No one was interested in even greeting each other. The competition had made them too selfish. Everyone was worried that they may give away tips that were necessary for winning in the competition. Adrianna couldn''t blame them. It was not that they had created the world around them. They had not made the choice of getting into a competition, they were all being forced into it. The society was such that it judged people based on how much they could learn and how well they could perform. None of them felt guilty about being mean to others.


    Adrianna felt the same. The students in front of her were all rivals �C all of them wanted to beat her down first because they all wanted to prove themselves to be better than the best. During the class everybody only concentrated on their work and the teacher.


    After the class finally ended, Adrianna went to the notice board again. This time she wanted to memorize all the rules by heart. She saw that Lile was also there. Somehow she didn''t know why but she delved into Lile''s mind. She was shocked to know what she was thinking. She was trying to find loopholes in the rules.


    When she saw Adrianna, Lile immediately shifted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and went away from there. Lile wasn''t in her pool, which was good but that also meant that she might face her as an opponent.


    Adrianna went to the notice board once Lile left and then looked at all the rules. She wondered what loopholes there might be. She made a mental note to discuss them with Mihr the next day.


    When she went home in the evening, Dmitri was on his bed lying nude stroking his member as the five Adrianna sat around him. "Adri, I am going to kill you today!" he shouted as soon as he saw her and lunged at her. Adrianna laughed and ran from there to the balcony and he followed her there. He growled and pinned her to the edge of the balcony, pressing his naked member against her and then picked her up carrying her on one of his shoulders. He spanked her multiple times before throwing her on the bed.


    ---


    The next two days passed in the blink of an eye. Cora had dismissed all the girls. A few more came the next day but she dismissed them too. Somehow she was getting impatient about something. When Dmitri hadn''t returned the next day from the wizard kingdom, she became sad because she had waited for him the entire day. However, when he came back the next day, she voiced her wish to him very softly.


    When Dmitri heard his mother, he looked at her as though he hadn''t heard her correctly. He rubbed his ears and looked at her again with blinking eyes.

 Chapter 295 - Your Secret Of Being A Lust-Hungry Man

    Dmitri was shocked at his mother''s request and so he wanted to hear it again. Cora repeated with a smile.


    ---


    After interviewing so many girls, Cora found that all of them were so pretentious. All of them were not up to any standard that could match Adrianna. She shook her head as she thought about how much time she had wasted into pursuing Keisha and neglected all the quality time with Adrianna.


    When she remembered how she had even tried her best to sabotage Dmitri''s and Adrianna''s wedding, she became all the more miserable. She did all that only because of Keisha''s encouragement. The way Keisha made herself an innocent girl who was the victim of Dmitri''s wrath, was really something that Cora wondered.


    All the girls out there were just too mean. Every smile that was spread on their faces was not right. It was as though they had plastered the smile on their faces. All of them had their affections coming out of ice. There was so much malice in their smiles that Cora could see it right through them.


    Finally Cora zeroed on in two girls �C Julia and Sheena. While Cora sent all others back home, she invited these two girls to stay in the palace. Only these two were the ones who had shown genuine affection and were not pretentious. She also sent her men to verify their claims. The two of them entered the palace along with their grandfathers and were mesmerized by every luxury that surrounded them. More than them, their grandfathers chuckled. They seemed so happy that even Cora laughed at their cute behavior. They would sit on the sofa and jump on it. The two girls had to stop them from embarrassing themselves. Cora smiled and left the four of them. The servants showed them the guestrooms.


    The two girls showered and came to meet each other outside in the gardens. They started walking around together and their eyes became wide at every step. They saw Dmitri walking inside and quietly followed him out of curtsey.


    When Dmitri came, Cora was sitting in the main hall. She told him about the two girls and introduced them to her. She said, "Dmitri, I think these are the two who best fit the description in your father''s diary."


    Dmitri looked at them and nodded politely. He felt happy because he was near his father''s wish fulfillment. He chatted with them very graciously and said, "I hope you enjoy your stay here and I am glad that we have found you. Whoever is the one whom my father had chosen to be my bride, I will give her the best compensation possible and not only that, the other one will not go empty-handed. I will give rewards to her too."


    The two of them looked at him and thanked him graciously. When they would look at him, they would blush. He was just too handsome. They looked at all those ripped muscles and couldn''t help imagining to be held by those arms.


    Dmitri took their leave and went to his bedroom. After an exhaustive night with the five Adriannas, he just didn''t have any energy left. He wanted to take a shower and go off to sleep.


    When he reached his bedroom, he just took out all his clothes and went to the bathroom straight. He filled the bathtub with hot water and poured in a lot of aromatic gel in it. As the water was filling, he smiled when he thought about his wife''s tricks. He stepped in the water and stretched his legs in front as he rested his head behind.


    He didn''t know how long he had soaked himself in hot water but when he opened his eyes what he saw in front of him was shocking. The two girls, Julia and Sheena were sitting right over there on the edge of the bathtub, playing with water and smiling at him. Both of them had taken out their clothes. When they saw the expression on his face, they giggled.


    "Why are so stunned," said Julia. "We are here to please you."


    "Yes, don''t worry. We will not tell anything to your wife and you can do whatever you like with us," said the other one giggling and stepping in water beside him.


    "We don''t mind if you would like to have us along with your wife," said Julia as she also stepped in beside him.


    "After all we are your subjects supreme alpha. You can do anything you like with us," said Sheena with a seductive smile.


    Dmitri was horrified. They were behaving so demurely in the main hall in front of Cora. Who allowed them to even enter his bedroom? They must have colluded with a servant for sure. The girls started rubbing their naked breasts on his arms. Dmitri was so appalled by their behavior that he shouted, "Get out both of you! How dare you enter this place?"


    The girls giggled as they were anticipating it. "Alpha, we know that you are angry, but if you will try us, you won''t want us to leave you at all."


    Dmitri got up from there and stepped out of the bathtub. He wrapped a towel around his waist and ran out of the bedroom outside. The girls quickly stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped towels around them. They had never thought that the entire thing would become so different than what they had in mind. Most men they had been with gave in to the temptations and this was the first time they faced a person like Dmitri. They followed him outside.


    Hearing the commotion outside, all the servants came and they gasped when they saw that two girls in towels were chasing their alpha. When the girls saw so many people, they started crying and looked extremely nervous.


    Cora also came out and saw what was going on. She snarled at them. She shouted at the top of her voice, "All of you, shut up!"


    By that time the two old men also came out of the guestrooms.


    "What happened?" asked Cora.


    Dmitri was extremely angry, "Who allowed these girls to enter my room?" he looked at the servants in a way that it made them flinch. All of them stepped back.


    One of the girls who were crying suddenly said, "Supreme alpha was forcing us to have sex with us. When we didn''t comply to his wishes, he is now accusing us that we followed him."


    "What utter nonsense are you speaking?" yelled Dmitri on top of his voice. Everyone present was again terrified.


    "Don''t point at my son''s character," said Cora with a threat in her voice. That was a flaw she would never accept in her son.


    The grandfathers of the girls spoke. "Your son is not the right kind of man. We didn''t expect that the supreme alpha would do such a pathetic thing. We are going to spread it everywhere now about how he treated our children and that everyone should be wary of taking their daughters in front of him."


    "You cheats! I am going to put you behind the bars!" Dmitri looked at his guards and shouted, Guards, arrest them!" Immediately the guards came and held them.


    But that didn''t stop the grandfathers. One of the lamented, "You are suppressing us just so that your secret of being a lust-hungry man, doesn''t go out."


    Suddenly Dmitri was shocked with what he saw behind the guards.

 Chapter 296 - Utilize Your Powers

    Dmitri saw who was standing right behind the guards and what shocked him with what he thought he saw. It was Adrianna behind them. He thought that he was dreaming because it couldn''t be possible. Adrianna was in the academy right now. This was the stupidest thing that could have happened. It was as if he caught an apparition of Adrianna. She appeared for a moment and then she wasn''t there. However, he became scared that what would Adrianna think if she actually saw this situation!


    Dmitri shirked those thoughts away and focused his attention on the two bitches in front of him.


    One of the old men was blabbing, "You people are showing your authority on poor people like us. Your father had vouched that he would give your hand to my granddaughter and now that you have found us, you are giving us this kind of treatment. Why? Only because you don''t want to compensate us? Are you going back on your words? Your father was a fantastic man but you are such a disappointment."


    Julia started sobbing again. She clutched her towel and said, "He tried to bully us in having his way in the bathtub and now he is telling all this nonsense."


    Cora went and slapped her tightly right across the face. "Shut up!"


    Julia''s mouth opened as she caught her face. She held Sheena''s hand tightly.


    Cora knew by now that those were imposters. She had a thousand questions to ask but just as she was about to ask, Liam came with his men. Cora looked at him and after mentally reading them, she said, "Speak!"


    Liam started speaking, "These two girls belong to the Green Moon Pack which is more than twenty miles away from here. There could have been no way that these girls would have come to play in Alex''s cave from there. You can''t imagine a three year old to come and play twenty miles away in Alex''s cave." Liam turned to the two old men. "These two men are Baka and Kil. They both have large harems and these two are the newest addition to their harems."


    The faces of the girls paled as the two men started kicking the guards to escape. Cora crossed her arms. She scoffed at them, "You fools, do you think it was so easy to come and create this drama?"


    "Arrest them and execute them tomorrow morning for conspiracy!" shouted Dmitri to the guards.


    "Wait!" yelled one of the old men. "What conspiracy?" he asked with fear visible in his eyes.


    "For framing the supreme alpha in something as baseless as this!" Dmitri replied with a menacing threat.


    ---


    Back in the wizard kingdom, Adrianna was learning spells when suddenly she felt as though Dmitri was remembering her. She smiled and had an urgent desire to meet him. With that in mind, she was unable to concentrate on what Coral was teaching and somehow she found herself in the main hall of the wolf realm. She could see Dmitri wrapped in a towel, with Cora and Liam and some unknown strangers. She also saw two girls standing behind Dmitri wrapped in towels! Adrianna was shocked. Suddenly she heard Coral shouting "Adrianna!"


    Adrianna''s concentration broke and she found herself knocked on the floor by a spell that was supposed to throw you several feet away. Coral was teaching them to defend themselves from that spell, but it seemed that Adrianna had phased out.


    "I- I am sorry!" said Adrianna as she got up from there. It looked as though she had mentally teleported for a few seconds in the werewolf realm.


    "What happened?" asked Coral as she rushed to Adrianna who was sitting on the ground with a blank expression.


    "N- nothing," she replied getting up and brushing her robe.


    Coral saw that she was fine and continued teaching them.


    When the academy was over, Adrianna went to the palace only to find Mihr. He was getting super enthusiastic to teach her more. That evening he taught her till late in the evening because he said that she needed a lot of rest before the competition began. She asked him whether there were any loopholes in the rules to which he smiled and said, "None. If a student tries to circumvent the rules, he or she will be immediately disqualified."


    Satisfied with what he had taught her, Mihr left.


    Dmitri was already there when Adrianna finished and reached the bedroom. She was pretty tired. She had an early dinner and went off to sleep.


    Next day being a Sunday, Adrianna didn''t bother to wake up early. Dmitri also let her rest. However, he had gone to the werewolf realm and come back even before she had woken up. When she opened her eyes, she found him standing in the balcony and having fresh juice. She went to him and circled him from behind. "Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well?" he asked.


    "Mhmm��"


    "Tomorrow I have a surprise for you," he said as he turned towards her.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    He laughed, "It is a surprise!"


    Adrianna smiled lazily and went to take a shower. Next day was a big day. She was getting anxious to be there and face her opponents. The ministry had announced who would be in her pool of students but she didn''t know whom she would be facing. She remembered all those who were there in her pool. Once she came out, she made a note of each one of them and started writing about their strengths and weaknesses. She chuckled at the thought that if she had known who was there in her pool earlier, she would have delved into their minds and found a lot about their character.


    Dmitri came to her and sat down with her to list all the things that came to her mind. She chuckled as she voiced her opinion to him.


    "Is there a rule that you cannot delve in their minds?" he asked.


    "How can there be a rule Dmitri, when they don''t know that I can enter their minds? The only way wizards know how to enter the minds is by casting the "Aanimi Arcaa" spell."


    "Well, in that case you better utilize your power." He replied matter of factly.


    "No, I can''t," she said, shaking her head vehemently.


    "Why not Adri? That''s your power, something inborn and not something you have acquired by learning. You are also a werewolf. If you need you should shape shift. Use your inborn powers and talent. No one can stop you from that. Don''t just focus on being a witch to win that competition. You have to win it using all your powers. Plus I am sure others would also be using their powers or some skills they might have learnt from here and there."


    Adrianna looked at him with wide eyes. He wasn''t wrong in what he was telling her.


    "You have to defend yourself and that is of utmost importance. Okay?" he said keeping a hand on her shoulders and looking directly in the black of her eyes.


    "I am not asking you to do anything sneaky, all I am asking you is to defend yourself. They number of training sessions you have taken for a month was exhausting, but do you realize the number of years those wizards and witches have been taught? They were taught since they were not even ten. So they will use all that has been taught to them and they will exploit it. You have to use all that has been taught to you along with your powers. Use them!"


    "I am scared Dmitri. What if someone gets hurt?"

 Chapter 297 - Third Stage Of The Competition (7)

    Dmitri brought his hand to her cheeks and said tenderly, "What if my wife gets hurt? I will not be able to tolerate." He kissed her softly on her cheeks. "Your powers are the main weapon against all those wizards and witches. You have used them in the past to get out of dangerous situations and now you have to use them to your benefit. So don''t think twice and use them."


    Adrianna smiled. She nodded much to his satisfaction. Suddenly she remembered her dazed moment from yesterday. She asked him pensively, "Yesterday when I was in the academy, I thought I had teleported into the main hall of our home in the werewolf kingdom for a second. I saw you wearing a towel and there were two other girls standing right behind you."


    Dmitri was shocked. Even he saw her and thought he was dreaming. He didn''t reply because he didn''t want to disturb her for the next day. Adrianna looked at his expressions and laughed. She thought she was dreaming and so Dmitri was shocked to hear her dream. She went back to writing her notes about the strengths and weaknesses of all her competitors.


    The day passed with the two of them charting out the strategies that were feasible. Rest all depended on the spur of the moment. She had to decide what action had to be taken according to the spells her competitors casted.


    "So how will it be decided as to who wins?" asked Dmitri.


    "Either the opponent surrenders or they are captured," she replied.


    "Do you think any opponent would surrender?"


    "Nope, because all of these people are the top students of the academy. They have reached this level after a lot of hard work. They wouldn''t submit so easily."


    "True��" Dmitri became very worried. This was going to be the longest days of his life.


    "So what is the surprise Dmitri?" she asked him again.


    He laughed. He tousled her hair and said, "You will see tomorrow."


    Adrianna sighed.


    In the evening they went out to stroll in the garden. Dmitri was keeping her mood very light so that she stayed positive. They slept early. Next day Adrianna woke up in the morning. She was very excited.


    After she had dressed for the academy, she said to Dmitri, "The competition is open for all to see. Will you be coming?"


    "Of course," he replied as he jumped out of the bed. "When does it start?"


    "In an hour''s time."


    "Adri, tell me one thing. What happens if the two opponents are unable to finish the competition within the academy time?"


    "Well, they continue to compete until the other one is down even if taken them more than a day. However, the ministry has kept a time limit of two days. So in case there is no decision, the wizards have to stop and it will be considered as a draw between them. The winner would be announced on the basis of the points."


    "Hmm�� in that case you better finish them off by the evening max, okay?"


    Adrianna laughed. "Sure!" she said and headed outside. Dmitri followed her. Just before she was about to leave after breakfast, he hugged her and said, "Wish you all the best!"


    "Thank you!" she said excitedly and climbed the carriage.


    ---


    All the competitors lined up in two neat rows according to their pool in front of the academy garden. Isidorus was there to announce the opponents and commencement of the competition.


    All the students were looking forward to it. They had already formed their favorites and were ready with placards and banners to cheer them up. Some of the students had even practiced dancing to cheer their favorite wizard or witch.


    All the professors had lined around Isidorus. Adrianna noticed that Professor Ziu was back there on the podium standing right next to him.


    Isidorus announced the names.


    Adrianna had to face George in the first round. George was a sharp looking boy with brown eyes and brown hair. He was the one who had rescued Adrianna in the second stage of the competition after she was terribly injured by the red foxes.


    Adrianna pursed her lips. How could she defeat someone who had rescued her? This was the test of her willpower.


    Rest of the names was announced.


    All the competitors walked to the main field where it was supposed to take place. All the eight pairs were given huge spaces, which were all protected by powerful spells around them so that none of the spells casted could escape the bounds. When they reached the field, they found that the sky was overcast with clouds. There were a large number of audiences all around the field.


    The competitors took their positions. Adrianna noticed that their names were displayed on the top of each segment. Along with George, she went there. When all students had reached their places, they took their spots. Adrianna was waiting with bated breath to begin. She saw that her segment had maximum number of people watching. Suddenly, they heard Isidorus'' voice on the speakers, "You May start."


    Adrianna looked at George. She had already delved into his mind. When she read his mind, she knew what his strategy was and she decided to defend herself.


    George didn''t wait for her to begin and suddenly pointed his wand at her. Sharp shard-like icicles started coming towards her. All the audience gasped when they the speed at which they were coming towards Adrianna. But Adrianna was ready and she formed a shield of fire in front of her strong enough for them to melt.


    George was surprised at her agility to create the firewall. Once again he pointed his wand towards her and cast the "Hypnosia" spell. However, Adrianna was once again ready for it and she effectively dodged it with the help of her wand. Adrianna knew the list of spells George was going to cast. She had made her plan to dodge all of them. However, by dodging all the spells, there was no way that the competition would end soon.


    Every time, she dodged a spell the audience cheered. They would wave huge banners or shout her name. She could see them but she couldn''t listen to them, although she didn''t have the time to see them properly.


    She realized that she was only wasting time with George while on the other hand, George was amazed at the speed at which she was avoiding all his spells. He didn''t know as to which spell should he cast to give her some resistance. Somehow he already knew that she was only playing with him.


    In the entire field the audience could see various types of lights coming out of the wands. It was an enthralling site. Everyone was very excited. Slowly one by one as the time went by, the results started coming out. By the time it was 6PM, only three pairs were left in the field and one of them was Adrianna. She could have finished the entire competition within an hour of starting it but she was learning the spells, which George was casting on her. Each spell was a learning experience for her. In the end George became very tired. Adrianna smiled and the moment she noticed that he was tired, she casted the "Hypnosia" spell on him. George threw his wand on the floor.


    Adrianna smiled and looked at the audience. With so many spells cast at her all the time, she hadn''t looked towards them until then. However this time as she looked at them, she found someone sitting over there along with Dmitri and her eyes were full of surprise.

 Chapter 298 - Third Stage Of The Competition (8)

    Adrianna looked at the audience and was hoping to find Dmitri somewhere. Amongst the throng of visitors that were sitting over there, it was difficult to find Dmitri. All of them were sitting very far from the actual segments and so it wasn''t very easy to spot them. Hence while she was competing with George, she really couldn''t focus on them. When she had cast the spell on George, she went near him, picked his wand and snapped her fingers for him to come out of the trance. George immediately came out of the trance and he looked at Adrianna with wide eyes. She smiled and handed over his want to him.


    "Thank you, George. It was great having to compete with you," she bowed and said.


    George gulped. "What happened to me?" he asked feeling very sad almost to the point of looking desolate.


    "Nothing much. I casted "Hypnosia" spell on you," replied Adrianna with a smile playing on her lips.


    She looked ahead and saw that the last two pairs were still fighting. She held George''s hand and raised it up for the audience to see. The audience was already in frenzy after she had won. They were cheering for her from the outside. Banners were waving in the air and the wizards and witches had burst fire crackers with magic. Adrianna laughed as she saw her supporters doing that.


    Her eyes searched for Dmitri and finally found him but when she looked on his side, her eyes became wide with surprise. So this was the surprise he was giving her.


    On his left side Ed was sitting who had stood up and clapped loudly. Adrianna jumped in the air when she saw him. She ran towards the end of the segment just before the charmed wall and waved her hand at him. He waved back, a grin splitting his face. Dmitri started laughing at her. Suddenly she saw a woman standing slowly beside Dmitri. Adrianna was stunned. She stopped waving and her mouth fell to the ground. That was Cora.


    Cora stood up slowly and she started clapping along with the audience. Adrianna couldn''t think for a moment. Was she dreaming? She stared at her again and pinched herself. "Ouch!" she shouted. No she wasn''t dreaming. Cora had come to see her competition and she was clapping for her! Did Dmitri force her to come?


    She waited for the professors to remove the wall around her. As soon as the results were displayed on top of the wall, a door was formed for them to exit the area. The brooms of the students were stashed in the corner. As soon as they sensed their owners, they flew to them. Adrianna caught her broom and sat on it. She wanted to fly to Dmitri however they were instructed to take a round of the entire field on the broom for the spectators before leaving the grounds.


    Adrianna whooshed around the field in order to be with her family as soon as possible even leaving George behind. When she came out, she could actually hear all the noise around her and was overwhelmed by it. She laughed. When she reached where her family was sitting, she went to them but was hit by an invisible wall. She realized that even the field was encompassed within a magic wall. She pursed her lips and instructed all of them to meet her in the royal palace.


    After the formalities were over, Adrianna was allowed to go back home. When she reached home, she found Dmitri sitting in the main hall along with Ed and Cora. She was so happy to see Ed that she ran to him and hugged him tightly. "Grandfather! I had missed you so much!"


    Ed patted her back and said, "Same here Adri. How could I miss my child''s competition?"


    "Now that you are here, please stay back for the entire competition," she urged, afraid that he would go the next day.


    "That goes without saying," he replied with a smile.


    Adrianna jumped with ecstasy in his arms and Ed laughed at his little grandchild.


    Adrianna turned her attention to Dmitri and Cora. Cora was sitting there with her arms folded in her lap. She went to Cora, scared that Cora would again say something nasty.


    But what Cora said made her eyes become wider than the field she was competing in.


    "You did well Adrianna," said Cora.


    "Th- Thank you," Adrianna managed to reply.


    "I want you to focus for the next fight and hence I will not allow you to sleep with Dmitri. He only knows how to disturb people. You will be sleeping with me," ordered Cora.


    Adrianna couldn''t even blink an eye. Dmitri was shocked beyond words. His mother had asked him to take her to be with Adrianna when he had gone back to the werewolf realm. He was shocked to hear what his mother wanted and had rubbed his ears if he had listened to her correctly, but that was what she wanted.


    "Dmitri, once this issue of the girl which your father pledged you to is solved, I would like to go and meet Adrianna."


    Dmitri had nodded. He didn''t know what was it that caused his mother to say that but that was an opportunity he couldn''t let go. However, he didn''t know that she would come up with such a horrendous idea for him and Adrianna.


    Ed also nodded in agreement to Cora''s statement. "Yes Adrianna, your mother-in-law is speaking correct. You should sleep with her." Ed looked at Dmitri and remembered how he had pursued Adrianna before marriage when all he would do is stay with her at night, which used to make him feel very uncomfortable in his own house.


    "But mother��" protested Dmitri. "You can''t do that. I don''t distract Adrianna. I only encourage her. She needs my help because the two of talk about her competitors a lot. We talk about the strategy too."


    Cora looked at him with blazing eyes. "Dmitri!" she shouted. "Don''t you want your wife to win? Don''t act like a child who is being removed from his favorite toy! Adrianna will sleep in my bedroom now."


    Adrianna and Dmitri were both crying inside.


    Ed looked at Cora and nodded. "I support you Cora." Saying that Ed sat beside Adrianna.


    Cora said, "After dinner, come to my room. When is your next competition?"


    "It is tomorrow. My next competitor is already decided," she said feeling low.


    "Who is your competitor?"


    "We don''t know that. It will be disclosed when we reach there. All I know is the name of the people who have won the first round."


    "Hmm��" Cora became pensive. "Okay, today in the evening after dinner, I will discuss the strategy with you for each of them."


    "But mother, please since it is me and Adri always deciding things, she will become confused with you." Dmitri wanted to dissuade his mother at all costs.


    "I have been into so many strategies regarding wars before you became the Supreme Alpha, and now you are doubting me?" she said with a hint of anger.


    Ed nodded heavily.


    While Adrianna was wondering what had happened to her mother in law in the last few days that she had changed so much, what she said next made Ed jump in his seat!

 Chapter 299 - Third Stage Of The Competition (9)

    "If Pierre had been here, he would have smacked you!" Cora scolded Dmitri. "You are behaving like a spoilt little brat!"


    Ed was stunned when he heard the name "Pierre"? He stared at her as though she had grown two horns on her head. His brain had started producing sparks, desperately trying to connect the dots. However, all that was happening was mini short circuits. He was looking like pop-eyed toy that you see in the claw machines in the fun fair. He was speechless. His brain stuttered for sometime as he thought he would ask her how she knew Pierre. Obviously that must have been her husband with the way she spoke about him. Ed''s mind couldn''t take more information and every part of his body went into a pause mode.


    "I am leaving now," said Cora as she got up. Then she looked at Ed and said, "Is it okay if you sleep here in the palace along with us?"


    Even though Ed had been invited by Howard to stay with them, Ed nodded without uttering a word. Feeling satisfied Cora walked away.


    Ed''s eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise and although she he was staring at Cora, she didn''t really appear to notice her. It was as though he was in a different world. And surely he was. His mind had traveled into past when he and Pierre used to have a great time together. After Pierre''s disappearance, his wife had stayed with him for a year along with their seven-year son to hide from the rebellion but during that time Ed had hardly visited his own house. He had been running around like a vagabond.


    He had visited only once and that too for such a short time that he hardly remembered her face or the child''s. He thought of talking to her about it or enquiring about Pierre, but he stopped himself thinking that it might more confusion with Adrianna focusing hard on her competition. He pursed his lips. Adrianna looked at her grandfather and said, "Grandfather, yes you have to stay here. You won''t go anywhere until my competition is over!" But he wasn''t listening to her. He stared at her and Dmitri and his eyes became misty thinking about the possibility.


    Adrianna came to him and she shook his shoulders when she saw that he wasn''t responding to her. "Grandfather, are you okay? What happened?"


    Ed came out of his reverie. He looked at Adrianna and then shook his head. "Nothing- nothing dear!" Then he stood and walked out of the main hall.


    Both Adrianna and Dmitri were left totally astonished at their parents'' behavior. Dmitri went to Adrianna and held her waist. He buried his face into her neck and said, "What is this happening? I am going to sleep in the same room as you!"


    Adrianna patted his shoulders and replied, "I guess I have to use my spells on both of them."


    Dmitri immediately sprang up and looked at Adrianna with a glint of mischief in his eyes. He nodded heavily with a huge grin. Adrianna chuckled and said, "Shush." They both went to their room where Adrianna discussed more about her competition. Dmitri listened to her with attention and together they charted out the future strategy.


    "Adri, since you can already see what they are going to do, it must be easy for you to counterattack their spells," he asked.


    "Yes, it surely helps but making a fast decision is something which is difficult. With George it was very easy because I could find the list of spells he had in his mind for me. However, it may not be the same for others."


    "Okay, don''t worry, let''s continue."


    After dinner, Cora called Adrianna to her bedroom where Cora talked to her about some strategies that she could go with. She discussed the types of people and how to deal with them. It was important to know the opponent. More than that it was important to know the temperament of the opponent. She told her that sometimes in order to defeat a rival it was necessary to provoke them. By provoking them, they were bound to make a mistake, which could be exploited. After that Cora went on to talk to her about more strategies. Adrianna became so engrossed in her talk that she forgot about Dmitri completely. As a matter of fact Cora was far better as a strategist as compared to Dmitri and Adrianna admired her with starry eyes. She sure was a hidden talent.


    It was late in the night at about 11PM when there was a soft knock on the door, which neither of them gave attention to. Their conversation was disrupted when Dmitri opened the door and entered. He was expecting fireworks soon but when nothing happened for such a long time, he became eager to know as to what was going on between the two. Not able to resist himself, he just barged in the room when none of them answered and found himself staring at the two of them. The way they looked at him it was as if they were extremely disturbed by his presence.


    "Adri, you should sleep now," he said with an authority as a husband.


    She stared at him and so did Cora. "I will sleep when we finish our conversation."


    Dmitri appeared extremely angry. He gritted his teeth and said, "No, enough of it. You have to sleep now because you have to wake up early tomorrow morning. Who knows for how long you have to stay in the segment?" Saying that he went to her and held her hand. "I see that you won''t be able to sleep with mother. You better come with me."


    Adrianna was sitting on Cora''s bed. She had a pillow tucked in her hands. Dmitri pulled the pillow out of her lap, threw it on Cora''s bed and pulled Adrianna out of the room.


    "Dmitri!" Adrianna shouted at him. "What are you doing?"


    "I am taking you back to the room to sleep and from now onwards no more discussion at the night. You will sleep with me only. With mother I can see that you are going to get tired!"

 Chapter 300 - Third Stage Of The Competiton (10)

    Cora protested, "Dmitri, stop it! You need to let her sleep in my room tonight!"


    "No mother. I was expecting that the two of you must have slept by now, and that is why I even came to check you but unfortunately, this isn''t happening. So I am forced to take Adri back with me," replied Dmitri and shamelessly took his wife out of his mother''s room. Cora was left with feelings of guilt.


    The way Dmitri pulled Adrianna all the way up to their bedroom, it was as though if he would stop even for a second, Adrianna would run back or Cora might call her back. He stopped by the bed, tucked Adrianna in the blanket, switched off the lights and in order to be safely inside his room, he kissed her passionately on lips. As soon as he kissed, the canopy around them circled the bed with pink flowers blossoming.


    Even if Cora wanted to come, she would have thought twice before disturbing them. Feeling satisfied, Dmitri smiled and covered himself with the blanket.


    Meanwhile Adrianna was in a complete state of shock. The way her husband acted was way too embarrassing for her even recount. She wanted to slap him on his shoulders, but he just didn''t care about it. Soon she found his muscular arms around her waist as he pulled her towards him and whispered, "Nice, wasn''t it?" He chuckled.


    Adrianna smacked her forehead.


    Next day before going to the academy, Cora made sure that Adrianna ate good breakfast. Once she left, she rushed to take a bath and go to the field.


    When Adrianna reached the academy, she came to know that the brown haired boy who was in her group in the potions class and who had given her a pink flower when he saw her for the first time. They were with Lile now. "Hello Arcane." Adrianna greeted him. Arcane just nodded at her. Lile had been feeding him with wrong information about Adrianna and he was very agitated. He wanted to take Lile''s revenge from Adrianna.


    This time the field was divided into eight segments for the quarterfinals. Adrianna and Arcane went to the segment that was dedicated to them. Adrianna noticed that this time the segment was bigger. But just like last time the segments were protected by invisible walls all around. The competitors took their positions and waited for the "Start" announcement. Adrianna looked around to see whether her family was there or not. As soon as her gaze fell on them, she noticed Cora waving at her. Ed and Dmitri had both stood up as they shouted her name, which she couldn''t hear. She waved them back with a smile.


    Arcane was looking at her as though he was studying her, ignorant about the fact that Adrianna had already got into his mind and knew what was the first spell he was about to cast. With the way she read his mind, it appeared that he was very disconcerted. Was he out there to take revenge or face her as a competitor?


    Adrianna thought about thinking how to deal with him rather than analyzing his mind. Yesterday Cora had spoken about people who would get flustered easily. She waited for Arcane to make a mistake even before the competition started.


    "Start!" the mic boomed with a hoarse voice.


    Immediately the audience could see sparks and different lights passing inside each segment.


    A day before there were two minor injuries only but today the professors were ready to reach out to any student instantly. They were scared that the students would become more aggressive as the competition advanced.


    When Arcane heard "Start", he pointed his wand at Adrianna and said, "Ponos". Adrianna was ready for that. She deflected the spell with her wand. Arcane did not give her the time to recover from it and quickly casted "Ponos" again. Adrianna managed to stop the white light that had come out from his wand with a golden barricade that she formed in front of her. But Arcane had cast one spell after the other in order to penetrate that barricade. Adrianna was confused. Why was Arcane so agitated? As she was thinking that the barricade started to break with the golden light disintegrating into small sparks that flew around her. It could only take that many spells.


    The last part of the barricade broke. Arcane pointed his wand at her and shouted, "Bledia!"


    Adrianna scorned. She pointed her wand at him and shouted "Duxlux!"


    Coral taught that spell. It guided the spell in front back to its origin, which was the wand of the opponent. It had to be cast rightly so that the spell returned to the wand. In case it was cast in a wrong way, it could hit the wizard who was casting it. Since the spell that was casted by Arcane was supposed to make the rival bleed unto death, it was important for Adrianna to guide it back with precision. In a matter of few seconds Arcane, wand received the spell back, but the force at which it received made him fly back to the wall. Arcane was thrown against the wall. The wall turned into something rubbery and he was saved from getting injured.


    When he recovered, Adrianna was pointing her wand at him. Before he could react with a spell, she had lifted him into the air. "What is your problem?" she asked him.


    "You are my problem! You were in our group and then you left us, went against Lile and destroyed her reputation. You are a traitor. You can never become the queen of the wizard kingdom. I will make sure that you never ever become the queen," shouted Arcane.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers and a white light escaped her hands, which tangled Arcane all around. "Don''t try to force yourself out because the light is going to grip you tighter each time you do that."


    "Adrianna, you cheat!" he shouted. "Adrianna, you need my wand for this competition to stop."


    "I know," said Adrianna and then with a snap of her fingers, the light that had leashed him broke loose. Arcane, who was suspended seven feet above the ground fell with a loud thud.


    The audience broke into laughter.

 Chapter 301 - Third Stage Of The Competition (11)

    Arcane fell so badly that he shouted in pain. Somehow he got up feeling as though one or the other bone in his body had broken. His shoulders dropped and he looked pained. With a limp movement, he tried to pick his wand up to cast the spell but before he could point his wand at her again, Adrianna had already cast the spell "Nuyyn" on him that arrested his movements immediately. Arcane couldn''t walk and he fell on the ground again. This time also he didn''t leave his wand.


    Adrianna thought of playing a child''s trick on him and out of nowhere, some mud appeared which she slung in his eyes, at the same time withdrawing the Nuyyn spell. Arcane''s hand went to his eyes as he left his wand on the floor to remove it. "Adrianna, you bitch! You duped me!" he shouted trying to remove that mud from his eyes that had blinded him.


    Adrianna chuckled as she went ahead to pick his wand first. Then she pointed her wand in the air and with a spell, she pointed it back on him. In the next instant a large amount of water fell from above over Arcane drenching him completely and removing all the mud from his eyes. The water was so cold that Arcane teeth were chattering as he shivered. "Adr- Adri- Adriannaaannnaaa, you are such- a c- con master. You have tricked m- me," he stuttered.


    "We are in a competition. Do you expect me to tell you every spell I cast before I cast it on you?" she replied nonchalantly.


    "W- wait till I- I kill you," he said as he fumbled around to find his wand in that pool of water that seemed to touch Adrianna''s feet but never wet her, while he sat in it waist deep.


    "Are you finding this?" asked Adrianna showing him his wand.


    Arcane looked at her with a shock in his eyes. "You bitch!" he shouted again as he stood up.


    "Na na! Say you witch!" Angered by the way he was abusing her, she snapped her fingers and Arcane became quiet. It was as though he had lost his ability of speech. He knew what was going on around him, but he didn''t know how to formulate words.


    Adrianna removed water from around him. She went near him, held his hand and then raised it indicating that her competition was over. Both the wands were in her hands now.


    Adrianna was surprised that this time the round lasted only until the afternoon. She had won over Arcane within shortest time ever recorded. Once again when the door out of the segment opened, Adrianna''s broom rushed to her and nudged her to sit on it. It was so proud of her owner that it kept tapping her bums until she sat over it and it took her around the entire field of the cheering crowd. The winner had to go in front with the loser following him or her. Although Adrianna had returned his power of speech, she hadn''t returned his wand.


    He had to follow her behind until she came back to her segment where Dmitri and Ed were shouting and waving her banners in air, while Cora was sitting proudly shaking hands with people around her.


    "That''s my daughter-in-law," she was heard saying to all of them.


    "Adri is married to my son."


    "She belongs to our family."


    "Adrianna is after all the luna of the werewolf kingdom."


    Those were the other variations people heard from her.


    By the time it was 3PM they were back in the Royal Palace. Ed and Cora had especially ordered nutritious meals for Adrianna. While they were discussing the strategy for the next competition, suddenly Ed asked her, "Adri, when is the next full moon night?"


    "It is coming soon, four days after this week ends," replied Cora. "But why do you ask Ed?" she asked looking at Ed with question in her eyes.


    Ed and Dmitri paled as they looked at Adrianna. Isidorus had already declared that he wouldn''t wait another day for crowning after the third stage is over.


    "Nothing��" Adrianna replied and looked at her grandfather and husband with sadness. An unknown fear gripped her heart.


    Cora disregarded the conversation regarding full moon night and looked as though she was immersed in deep thoughts. She sighed and said, "My husband disappeared on the full moon night. No one could find him. I had looked for him for so long but couldn''t even find a bone that belonged to him��"


    Ed became curious. "What happened to him?"


    "There was a rebellion in my pack. Some people had started it and Pierre was fighting him. Pierre was at that time alpha of four packs. We don''t know how but somehow the rebellion increased. Pierre had gone to suppress the rebellion but he disappeared overnight. In those days lots of humans were being converted into werewolves. They were known as neotides. The people who had gone with him were attacked on all sides by the neotides. Pierre found himself surrounded by them. He fought with them for two days continuously until I also reached the battleground to fight with him alongside. However, by the time I had reached he was badly injured. While we were fighting, I had moved further away from him. Suddenly after two days our men started leaving the battleground. I wondered what happened, when one of them came to me and said that I''d better run for life as Pierre is missing. He said that I had to go and protect our son. Instead of looking for Pierre, I went to find Dmitri to protect him."


    Cora looked at Dmitri with a smile. "They say that the neotides were a part of the army of a man called Vikra. I have sent my men everywhere to find Vikra, but they have failed�� It is my wish that I find Vikra and kill him with my hands��"


    Ed, Dmitri and Adrianna were looking at her with shock in their eyes.


    "Do you think it was Vikra who killed father?" asked Dmitri slowly.


    "Hmm�� I strongly believe that his hand was in Pierre''s disappearance."

 Chapter 302 - Pierre Had A Friend Called Ed

    Ed was now at his wits end. He had to ask Cora more about Pierre. "Cora, did you and Dmitri ran away after Pierre was not found?"


    "Yes, once Pierre disappeared, we were not able to stay in the pack because there were too many people who had rebelled. I had to take Dmitri out of it in order to save him and myself," she replied looking far in the distance as though remembering those days.


    "Who was the one who had started the rebellion?" Ed became more curious.


    "From what I heard, it was a very small thing that escalated into that huge," she said trying to remember.


    "Do you remember what it was?" As Ed asked his questions both Adrianna and Dmitri were looking at Cora intently. This was the most important discussion they were having ever since Adrianna and Dmitri had married.


    "There were some people who wanted the change in power. They were waiting to take down Pierre even if he made the slightest of the mistake. The problem was that Pierre was a perfectionist. He ruled as the alpha of those four packs so nicely that it didn''t bode well with his competitors. They demanded that they be granted the status of military general of the pack. However, Pierre knew that they had other intention of actually using the army of those four packs to conquer other territories and rule them and so he didn''t agree to their demands. Rather he just told them to wait until he felt they were really ready for it. When this did not happen for a long time, it was in one of the meetings that one of them stood up and said that they were fooling themselves to think that there would be a change in power. He said that all of them were admiring a system that had no morals. He accused Pierre of accumulating more than he could ever spend while his pack members were starving."


    "That man''s speech worked effectively and werewolves in the meeting started taking his side. Pierre became very angry and he threw that werewolf out of the pack. He started a revolt against Pierre. Sometimes I feel that Pierre should have killed him rather than throwing him out of the pack. He was just too considerate. That is why I have always asked Dmitri to be a merciless ruler. However, even Dmitri has his ''kindness'' that interferes in his ruling."


    Cora stopped talking at she looked at Dmitri with a smile.


    "Where did you go after you escaped from the rebellion?" continued to probe Ed. Ever since Adrianna had married Dmitri, it had been eating his conscience that he couldn''t keep his friend''s Pierre''s words. He would reprimand himself that he didn''t even remember the woman who had come to stay in his cottage. What a wretched man he thought he was?


    "Pierre had a friend called Ed," said Cora looking at Ed with smile. "We went to stay with him. We stayed in his cottage for a year until I found my way out of that place into another safe hold."


    Ed felt as though his head was becoming dizzy. Both Adrianna and Dmitri were into shock.


    "Pierre had told me a week before his disappearance that in case anything happened to him, I should go and stay with Ed along with Dmitri. There I would stay safe. Ed never stayed in his house, so both Dmitri and me were practically staying alone and aloof. No one knew of our existence."


    Ed''s eyes became misty. His words choked and he couldn''t speak any further. He looked at Dmitri with utmost affection and it was for the first time he could see that Dmitri bore resemblance to Pierre. He smiled as a tear came out of his eyes.


    Dmitri noticed that affectionate tear. "Did Adrianna ever go to Alex''s cave?" asked Dmitri.


    Ed nodded, "Yes, and it was Pierre who found her in the cave. She was abandoned there by Kayla and her friends."


    It was a moment that could be defined as a mix of feeling �C waking up, emotional pain, happiness, at a loss of words and lots of love. Dmitri looked at Adrianna and his lips broke into a faint smile. For Ed it was a moment of emotions. Cora looked at all of them. "What is going on?"


    Suddenly she read Dmitri''s thoughts and looked at Adrianna.


    There was happiness in the moment. It was such and intense feeling. It was as if a heavy burden had lifted from Ed''s soul. It was like a beam of light to the soul. He felt warm and relaxed. He got up, hugged Dmitri and went out, with tears running from his eyes.


    As for Dmitri, a smile stuck on his face for seemed like an eternity.


    Cora could not stop bad things happening in the world but what happened just now could only be summed up as destiny. Adrianna was the same girl Pierre had pledged his son to. She got up from her place and hugged Adrianna tightly. She was the girl whom they had been looking for. She was right in their house and all Cora did was to neglect her because of a woman like Keisha. She could never forgive herself for this crime. The more she thought about it, the more she cried. When she hugged Adrianna, she felt closer to Pierre.


    As for Dmitri, he was on the top of the world. He sat back on the sofa and let that pleasure soak into his bones. He closed his eyes only to thank god and to savor the moment. He wanted to grow old with Adrianna. For the first time in so many months, his mind and body relaxed. He had been searching for the girl his father had promised to marry and that girl turned out to be Adrianna! It was a miracle or was it destiny? In that moment, he felt as if there were no more expectations left in life. He was in fact the winner and Adrianna was his bounty.


    Adrianna was feeling overwhelmed. The fact that her grandfather''s wish had fulfilled like this was a big surprise for her. Cora''s reaction was absolutely stunning. She felt so much closer to her than she could ever imagine. It was a new relationship. She patted Cora''s back when she hugged her tightly.


    "I want to give a dinner to all the chiefs in the werewolf kingdom," she said to Dmitri, releasing Adrianna.


    "Sure," he replied with a huge smile.


    "Today, I won''t stop you two from being together. You both can sleep in the same room," said Cora and walked away from there. She had to plan dinner. She had made a stash of gifts that she had decided to give her daughter-in-law. She had to add more items to it and give them all to Adrianna when the competition was over. Suddenly, she felt that she could actually now leave the two of them and go for a long tour of the world. She wanted to see the human realm. Her quest for so many things was over. "Pierre, I hope you are safe wherever you are. I know you are alive."

 Chapter 303 - Zephyr Is More Handsome Than You

    Cora was under this impression that because no one could ever find Pierre, he was alive. She had constantly sent people to find him but even after so many years, all search led to nothing. She refused to believe that he was dead.


    After going out, Ed had felt cathartic. He went to a solitary place in the garden where he couldn''t see anyone and sat on a bench. As soon as he shed his first tear, the flowery bush around circled him in a way that he was now not visible to the outer world.


    Ed couldn''t stop himself and he cried loudly, thinking about Pierre, about all the incidents that happened between him and Dmitri, about the time when he almost dissuaded Adrianna not to marry Dmitri and about his shortcomings as Adrianna''s grandfather. He cried for a very long time and wanted to stop but the tears weren''t listening to him. They just kept coming out unbridled. He left the place after an hour when his mind felt lighter. His hunched shoulders were broad with pride, he was filled with satisfaction when he thought that Adrianna was marked by none other than the best ruler the werewolf kingdom had ever seen.


    Back in Adrianna''s bedroom, Dmitri had carried his wife all the way to the bed. His search had ended right beside him. He didn''t want anything else. Everything was clear and his love was with him. There was no guilt left.


    He kissed Adrianna as they walked inside the bedroom, as she circled her hands around his neck. When he finished it, they had reached the bedroom. "Adri, I can''t tell you how nice I am feeling. I feel as if I have got full marks in my class."


    Adrianna started laughing at the comparison. "I have something to tell you husband," she said as he put her on the bed.


    "Hmm��"


    He stood in front of her as she stood on the bed in front of him. "I believe you were going to give a huge bounty to the girl who your father had promised you to marry."


    "Hmm��"


    "So where''s my reward?" she asked extending her hand in front of him. "Give it to me!"


    "Dmitri smiled and holding her hand said, "I am your reward. You can treat me as your prize. I am your prized possession. You can gift wrap me and then untie me slowly." As Dmitri said that he could think of a thousand ways how Adrianna would untie him. He imagined himself to be tied in a red ribbon around the neck wearing no clothes and lying right next to her. The next moment he thought of white ribbon tied all around his body like they tie a gift and Adrianna opening that gift. Or maybe he would just wear a red ribbon on his member and hold a flower in his mouth, which Adrianna would grab with her mouth, as she would touch his member. All those possibilities excited him to the extent that his face split in an ear to ear grin.


    Suddenly, Dmitri heard fingers snapping and the next moment he found himself inside a huge white box made from cardboard. He was buried in a pool of red and white ribbons. "Adrianna!" he shouted from within. "You brat! Open me now!"


    "You are my gift? Huh? You cheat you said you would give bounty to that girl. I am only demanding my share of gifts. Are you going to give it to me or not?" asked Adrianna as she stood on the bed with her hands on her waist.


    "This is what you get when you marry a witch! She doesn''t understand the love and affection. I am presenting myself as a gift to you. What else would you want?" Dmitri shouted. It took a minute for him to tear the box and come out of it and the moment he escaped, he lunged at Adrianna.


    Adrianna ran to the other side of the bed shouting, "Eeeeeee" but he was quick enough to catch her. Now they were both standing on the bed with Adrianna strongly held in his clutches. He was almost squeezing her. "I am your gift woman."


    She shook her head, "No, if that is the case I would rather look at more muscular men in the human realm. Even my cousin Zephyr is more handsome than you!"


    Dmitri was angered and extremely jealous now. He threw her on the bed, pinned her hands on the top of her head and straddled her. "Zephyr is on my hit list now. He will be dead the day I met him. No other man in any realm is allowed to be better than me!"


    "Shoo, shoo!" Adrianna challenged him.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and then took out her shirt. He tied her hands with the shirt and then tied her to the bedpost. Then he took her pants out and tied her legs with that. Then without doing anything, he sat right next to her. "That is your punishment for crossing me and thinking of another man." He smiled and made circles on her flawless skin.


    "You know that I can open these ties anytime," Adrianna said. Then she snapped her fingers. But nothing happened. She pulled her hands, tried to take her legs apart, but nothing happened. Her magic failed completely. She was stunned. How could that be? She looked at Dmitri who was also wondering the same. It was as if the wizard kingdom was working in collusion with Dmitri.


    And that was the true case. The moment the atmosphere around them sensed that Dmitri was the rightful owner of Adrianna, it protected Dmitri, even from Adrianna. So now along with her wand, even her magic or her magical powers were all useless against him. She was raw in front of him, just like any other werewolf.


    So many changes occurred that day that Dmitri was shocked. He untied Adrianna and said, "Adri, what was that?"


    "I think this world knows what to do with the king��"


    "But you just packed me in a box��"


    "Maybe, it sensed that I was joking and now it sensed that I was trying to go against you��"


    Dmitri stared at her. "I can''t understand��"


    "Neither can I Dmitri�� let''s just not think about it�� let''s take things slowly because there are so many things that are irrational for now��"


    "Hmm��"


    "So about your gift, when will you tie me darling?" he asked with a grin coming back to the existing crisis.


    "I would like to wipe that grin off your face!" she turned to the other side and covered herself with the blanket.


    "Baby��" he whined.


    "Good night dear hubby! No gift, no Adri!"


    "Since when have you become so greedy?" he asked gritting his teeth.


    "Since the moment you decided not to give me anything!"


    "Okay, what is it that you want?"


    "Bring me the stars and the moon!"


    Adrianna turned the light off. Dmitri sulked and slid next to her. Five minutes later, the canopy of flowers had surrounded the couple who couldn''t keep their hands off each other.


    ---


    In Vikra''s cave, Cy and his men surrounded a rock on which Reese had carved a map. She had been surveying the periphery of the wizard kingdom from a long time.


    Cy looked at her and pointed to a dot, "Where is this place?"

 Chapter 304 - Third Stage Of The Competition (12)

    Adrianna woke up the next day and found that Dmitri wasn''t there. She got up and went to the bathroom. She communicated with him mentally. He was in the kitchen along with Cora and Ed dishing out some of Adrianna''s favorite dishes. Adrianna laughed and asked him to get out of the kitchen because she was afraid he would eventually make some poison for her.


    "What? Don''t you remember that I roasted such fantastic deer meat for you when we had gone for our honeymoon?"


    Adrianna chuckled and went to take a bath. It was a beautiful time she spent with him. She decided to go with him on that trip once the competition was over.


    "The competition!" Adrianna smacked her head. She should be thinking about the competition when she was thinking about him.


    She had to face the semi finals today and the person she had to fight with was Shay, the boy who claimed to be her cousin. Adrianna thought about Shay and she found him to be one of the mildest persons in the class. She was genuinely surprised that Shay was a brilliant boy who could actually come up to that level. She wondered what would be her strategy to fight against Shay.


    She finished dressing up for the academy and went out to the dining hall where the three musketeers were waiting for her to showcase their kitchen skills. Before the men could even say anything, Cora approached her. She held her hand and brought her to the dishes she had made. Adrianna was surprised at Cora''s cooking skills. She had the turkey she had made and it was yummy. "Cora, you must teach me how to make that turkey," said Adrianna eating another mouthful.


    The two men, who had worked together to make dishes for Adrianna as compared to Cora, were just too jealous now. They passed the dishes they had made in front of her. Adrianna had to take those creamy puffs and eat them forcibly. Thank god that she was a witch and thank god she could create an impression that she was eating when in fact she was keeping them in her bag.


    Half an hour later she went to the academy. Dmitri had already discussed with her about Shay in the night but she knew that as an opponent he would try his best to defeat her.


    While flying in her carriage, she gave those creamy puff cakes to Fleur and the safety team who were in the most difficult situations of their life. How could they refuse food from Royal Palace?


    When Adrianna reached the academy, she went straight to the field. She saw that the crowd had grown in numbers and now only two very large segments were there in the field. She had almost half of the field for the semifinals. She wondered whether she even needed so much. The last two times it was very easy.


    The last four participants bowed to each other and went to their respective segments. Adrianna was very polite to Shay but Shay wasn''t even looking at her. He was in no mood to talk to her or show his friendly side. His body was stiff.


    "Which side would you like to stand Shay?" asked Adrianna out of curtsey.


    He shrugged and went ahead of her. He was trying to convey that he wasn''t in a mood to show how friendly he was. Adrianna understood that and she became cautious. She narrowed her eyes and delved into his mind. To her surprise, there was no strategy that she found there. His mind was blank. She went deep inside to find something that was relevant to the competition, but there was not an iota of information she could collect. Now she became anxious. There wasn''t much time to start and Shay wasn''t throwing any clue towards her.


    "Start!" the voice boomed on the mic suddenly.


    Immediately Shay pointed his wand and shouted, "Zhargasaaa��" An eerie black light came out of his wand and it started developing into smoke.


    Adrianna didn''t know what spell was that. There was no time to go into his mind to find out about that spell. The smoke started spreading around her. She pointed her wand all around to cover her in white light, but the smoke seemed to enter that too. Suddenly, the smoke started taking shape of a giant serpent like beast with red eyes.


    Shay shouted, "Burn her!" The serpent opened its mouth and blew fire form its mouth.


    Adrianna inferred that it was an invisible force that Shay had somehow woken up. It was obeying his commands.


    Adrianna leapt in the air and jumped to the other side as the serpent was blowing fire at her. She dodged him number of times and now her energy was beginning to drain. How can that be? She looked at Shay and he was chanting another spell "Tirosa", which was affecting her physique.


    She had to quickly think of something that would first quiet the serpent.


    "Kill her!" Shay commanded the beast.


    "Kill her!" One couldn''t cast the spell to kill but Shay used a sneaky method to kill her. He awoke dark spirits to kill her for him. He wasn''t against the rule for awakening dark spirits. The serpent stopped blowing fire and started crawling towards her. Adrianna saw a smoke like serpent, which was almost thirty feet long and as thick as a barrel, crawling towards her. She was rapidly losing her energy. She sat down, sweating and panting. She looked up in front and saw Dmitri, Ed and Cora all of whom had stood up and watched her in silence. Things appeared to go in slow motion. The entire audience had fallen silent. Everyone looked at her with bated breath. Half of them had stood up from their chairs.


    Adrianna closed her eyes. She didn''t know what to do because there was nothing that was taught to her regarding dark spirits. She concentrated on whatever energy that was left in her and then used her wand to point that energy at the serpent who was now crawling up and around her. "Still" was all that she spoke and the next moment the serpent turned into solid black sand that froze in its place. She managed to come out of it as Shay watched her in horror. In the next second she pointed her wand at Shay and shielded herself from the "Tiroso" spell, which was easy. She walked away from the serpent and shouted, "Recio!"


    The serpent exploded. Each and every particle of black sand was sent to heaven as she said "Starlzieee��." and created a portal for the dark spirit to enter it just as she had done for Gregory.


    The entire sequence took place within five minutes only. The audience gaped at Adrianna. That was one of the most rare spells only a few could perform. There was a huge applause from the audience and some even started shouting how Shay was circumventing the rules although the two participants couldn''t hear it anything.


    Adrianna had now fully recovered. She had some water from the bottles that were kept on the tables on the periphery of the segment. They were actually special potions made by Professor Lane that provided energy and food to the participants.


    In the next minute both Adrianna and Shay had attacked each other with everything they had ever learnt and the segment was covered in a thick sphere of different types of lights.

 Chapter 305 - Third Stage Of The Competition (13)

    It was over 10PM but Shay wasn''t giving up. He was using every possible spell that he had ever learnt to use on Adrianna. His friends and parents had said that there were rumors that she was no ordinary witch.


    When he remembered that he hexed her with the spell "Ponos" all over again and this time he added the word "Ponos maxima". A sudden gush of pain jolted through Adrianna''s body. Her stomach ached, her arms lost tension and her legs begin to weaken. "You will not get the better of me," she thought as the blood from her mouth dropped on the ground. Her tongue became soaked in blood. She felt as though she had been bruised and winded.


    With her body in agony, she garnered whatever strength was left in her body and she lunged forward with full speed towards Shay pinning him to the ground. He was bewildered that she could even lunge forward. He had held his wand tightly in case she tried to remove it from his hand, but that would have disqualified her.


    When she was over him, she growled menacingly and said, "You see, I am also a werewolf. The wounds you are giving me will soon be healed!"


    And to his surprise, the wounds healed while the time he had pinned him. She had pinned him long enough for her body to heal. Adrianna laughed at him. She brought a fist to his face, snapping his nose into a grotesquerie. She slowly left him and rose to stand up. Her head was pounding.


    Shay shouted when he was punched and winced in pain. "You bitch!" His nose was bleeding profusely. The two of them went to the opposite sides of the segments and sat down trying to bring their energy back. Adrianna''s wand had casted anti-spell on her on its own volition. Adrianna couldn''t understand her wand''s behavior but held it close to her heart. "Dmitri, let''s take him down," she whispered.


    The two opponents looked at each other from across the distance. There was blazing fire in their eyes. Shay''s nose hadn''t healed and it was still bleeding. The two of them became angry and ran towards each other, once again casting spells and anti-spells.


    The audience hadn''t left. As a matter of fact, more witches and wizards joined the place where this battle was going on. Ed, Dmitri and Cora were pale. They were watching Adrianna fighting it out alone in the segment while the three of them could do nothing. It was the first time Cora had seen Adrianna like that. She couldn''t even fathom how powerful her daughter-in-law was. She was powerful beyond words. She was the true match to her son, anything less could never do. How could she even think of Keisha? She prayed the wolf spirits for her safety.


    None of Adrianna tricks were working. Only one option was left, which was to fool him but Shay wasn''t giving a single clue.


    It was 6PM and they were still throwing spells on each other. Adrianna had tried to stupefy him number of times but he had deflected all those spells like child''s play. While she was thinking of another strategy, suddenly she saw him speaking, "Discus Ignesis!" As soon as those words left him, she saw huge blazing fires of discus flying towards her. These large balls of fire were emerging out of nowhere and flying in her direction. Adrianna leapt in the air to dodge those discus fireballs, and saw that Shay was taking his wand from the back to the front as he kept chanting that spell. Even though Adrianna had leapt in air, how far up she could go? The segment walls stopped her.


    Now the fireballs were coming towards her at a rapid speed. Up in the air, Adrianna managed to dodge them. She took a deep breath and then directed herself to fly towards Shay once again evading the fireballs on way.


    Shay looked at her bewildered. He was stunned to see her agility and ability to fly in the air and that too without her broom. When she lifted herself in the air for the first time, he was surprised that she could do that so easily as though it was a child''s play for her.


    Adrianna came and stopped right in front of him, standing two feet above the ground. She looked deep into his eyes and snapped her fingers. All the discus fireballs that were there in the air exploded with a deafening noise. Shay covered his ears and ran away to the opposite side. Adrianna took advantage of the situation and cast the spell, "Hynosia" but Shay had turned to look at her knowing fully well that she would immediately try something. He deflected the spell. Angered, he shouted, "Ponos" once again as that was the only spell he could think of that time to put her on the ground again. Adrianna deflected it successfully.


    Shay was now extremely irritated. The witch was just not coming down. He had effectively put down his two opponents the previous days and was confident that he would take her down also. However, it was midnight and they were still fighting it out.


    When it came to competitions like these, his parents said that there was no honor and no code. All that mattered was to win and nothing could be taken for granted. He had all the strategy planned so well in his mind and had kept it hidden in his mind because he had seen her getting in the cell of other people. He had learnt how to hide what he was thinking from others after practicing for a long time. He had gone slowly initially but after seeing her tenacity, he was fighting it out with a lot of energy and intelligence. But Adrianna was just too difficult an opponent. She wasn''t surrendering. He was sure that the fireballs would reduce her motivation but he was wrong. Rather it went opposite to what he had thought.

 Chapter 306 - Third Stage Of The Competition (14)

    Eventually Shay became irritated and Adrianna read that emotion. His eyes flashed with annoyance. Cora had told her that the moment the opponent became irritated, a bad idea would creep into his or her mind. In that moment, a person''s intelligence got funneled to his feet and walked out of the door. Shay''s face flushed red and in that moment of anger, his mind opened.


    It was 2AM in the morning and Adrianna smiled as soon as she read him. She was surprised initially but her plan was set now. Suddenly she saw that Shay had lifted his wand and cast the spell "Vrakhas Azadea." A large amount of lethal energy emitted from his wand. She remembered how Cy had used that spell against her in the battle to kill her when she had met him for the first time.


    She pointed her wand towards that lethal energy, and without even chanting a spell, her wand emitted a large amount of energy that was equal to the one Shay had thrown at her. In fact the wand had remembered the spell and the attack on its owner.


    Every wand evolved with every spell that was cast by it. It remembered the spell and in the process would adjust its capacity to hex. That was why the wizards became more powerful with each battle they fought.


    Adrianna''s wand remembered the spell and started throwing more and more energy towards the light from Shay''s wand. The two of them were barely thirty feet away. There was so much light generated from the wands that the entire segment was brightly lot. No one could see the two competitors. They were engulfed in the light.


    As that spell continued, none of the competitors were backing down. However, after about half an hour, Adrianna managed to overcome Shay. Her wand had become so powerful that it threw twice as much as what it was facing. Shay couldn''t hold it any longer. He was exerting a lot of force and energy to stay but eventually he stumbled back as Adrianna walked forward. Finally after intense battle, Shay was thrown back.


    It was at this time Adrianna read his thoughts clearly.


    "I will do this for you Zola," he shouted inside and sprang up.


    Adrianna was shocked but on an instant thinking, she changed her image to Zola. Shay was shocked.


    Adrianna dived further in his mind when he let his guard down. It appeared that he loved Zola but she never reciprocated. He had been meaning to tell her about his love for her but she was killed by Adrianna in the second stage of the competition. It seemed that he had been waiting to take his revenge from Adrianna since that day.


    Mihr had taught Adrianna "Uestis Energy" spell in which she could emanate an aura of cannibalism that sapped the strength of the opponent and channeled it into her system.


    Shay was stunned beyond words. He stumbled back a little and that was Adrianna''s opportunity. She pointed her wand and casted dual spells, "Uestis Energy" along with the charm spell. At that instant Shay became too attracted to her. She had to cast the charm spell on him because she knew that he would wake up soon if only "Uestis Energy" spell was cast and might use his energy to deflect it.


    With the charm spell, Shay started walking towards Adrianna. He could feel his energy depleting from his body and as his energy depleted, Adrianna started glowing more and more. She was sapping his energy fast. By the time Shay was only a few feet away, he had fallen on his limbs and had started crawling towards her, "Zola, my love�� I had waited for you for so long��"


    Somehow he came near her. Now his entire energy had been depleted. He felt as though he would lose consciousness but he wanted to reach out to Zola, he had to tell her how he felt about her. His love was flowing out of his heart but why was he feeling weak?


    He couldn''t even crawl now. He pulled his body forward the last five feet and touched Adrianna''s feet. As soon as he had touched them, he fainted. His wand rolled away from him. Adrianna stopped the spell immediately otherwise he would have forever lost his consciousness and might have gone into a coma.


    She picked his wand and with both her hands up declared that she had won the competition.


    It was 5AM in the morning. The sun had cracked the darkness.


    The audience exploded with cheers. They started cheering loudly. All they could see was a winner in whose feet the loser was lying unconscious. She smiled faintly. She was totally exhausted. The segment opened for her and she came out. She thought that Ed and Cora must have left by now but she was surprised to see all of them sitting there. Dmitri was dancing stupidly like they would around the fire to invoke wolf spirits, Ed and Cora simply held their hands high up in the air.


    She had won it!


    When she had won that fight, Dmitri felt so good to root for something so real and so important. All that training and all those grueling sessions that she had gone through, when she felt like her goal was even possible, but she managed to do it. She won it! She did it! Along with Cora and Ed, he was giving her every ounce of power that they could from the audience.


    Her broom came and nudged her to sit over it. Adrianna sat on it and the broom took her proudly around the field very slowly.


    It was 7AM by the time Adrianna reached the palace. She was received by Dmitri who carried her from the carriage to the bedroom in his hands. He was scared that she might fall unconscious after that intense battle against Shay. The moment he placed her on the bed, Adrianna slept. He saw a small tear escaping her eye. He held it in his hand and whispered, "No, you can''t."

 Chapter 307 - Report This Immediately

    Adrianna had been constantly battling with Shay for about twenty hours. She looked tired, disheveled and was totally consumed. Her tiredness had seeped into her bones. It had drained her emotionally. During her sleep she would often shudder as though she was waiting for the demons of tomorrow. She had tumultuous few hours of disaster fuelled dreaming.


    This was the toughest she had ever faced, but the experience was rich. Dmitri slept beside her after removing her shoes. He covered her with the blanket. The academy had announced a day''s holiday before the final competition. Adrianna had to face the final competition with Lile.


    Dmitri brought her closer to him so that she rested her mind. She had to make sharp decision for the final round against Lile. He had heard from others that Lile had been giving very tough time to her opponents.


    Finally Adrianna slept when he pulled her over his chest. She curled herself inside like a baby. Dmitri combed her hair with his hands softly until she stopped shuddering.


    Adrianna dozed for the entire morning and woke up in the afternoon. She found Dmitri also snoring beneath her. She smiled as she looked at him. She smelled his chest and only changed her position and slept again. She was sleep-drunk. She was in no mood to get up. Finally the couple woke up late in the afternoon. They took a shower and went to the dining hall feeling very hungry.


    Ed and Cora were also very tired but they woke up late in the morning. After breakfast, they went to the main hall where they discussed Pierre, their favorite subject for hours together. Cora looked outside and wondered where Pierre must be at that time when the first snowflake fell outside the window. Cora smiled. Winters had come. Her thoughts went to Adrianna who was still sleeping. She smiled and then started talking about her with Ed.


    As Ed spoke about Adrianna, she became intrigued. Her daughter-in-law had a terrible childhood. She could easily go astray but then it was in her nature to be so composed and calm and it was because of this nature that she had been so successful in her life.


    While talking suddenly they heard Adrianna and Dmitri''s voice. They were talking sweet nothings, which made Ed blush to his neck. Ed''s only regret was the Dmitri was way too shameless unlike Pierre who was an elegant man in every sense.


    He was using a sexy voice to talk to his wife. Keeping his voice low and husky, he was asking her to climb him like a koala while he kissed her all the way to the dining hall. He had, in fact stopped just before entering the main hall and after making her stand, brushed his lips against hers. Adrianna was getting excited by the minute.


    "Ahem!" Ed cleared his throat. The two of them looked at the intruder. While Adrianna ran to her grandfather, Dmitri clenched his jaw as his lips curved down upon being disturbed.


    "Grandfather, how have you been?" she asked with a huge smile as she hugged him. Then she greeted Cora politely.


    "I am good!" Ed was excited to see her. "Yesterday you put quite a fight there child. Keep it up!"


    "Thanks Grandfather," she replied. Her eyes looked sunk.


    "How come towards the end you were glowing so much Adri?" he asked.


    "It''s a spell in which I can sap your energy and make you weak��" she replied.


    "What? That''s a dangerous one."


    "It is but Mihr taught me and also taught me how to control it. I had to use it to stop Shay." Then she turned to Dmitri and said, "I think Shay had broken some rules and he should be disqualified from the competition."


    "Which rule?" asked Dmitri as he pointed her to go to the dining hall. He was very hungry now.


    She got up from her place and followed him. While walking, she said, "He used a hex to kill me. Ponos Maxima is cast actually make a person bleed to death and that too painfully. I want to report that to the academy."


    "In that case why didn''t the academy stop the competition there and then?" he asked he sat on the chair.


    Adrianna sat next to him. She picked an asparagus stick, dipped it in hollandaise sauce and munched on it. Dmitri served her with boneless fish chops. "That is what I am wondering. Couldn''t they see that I was bleeding profusely?"


    "You should report this immediately," Dmitri said in anger.


    "But I am wondering that how could Shay break the rules? If you break the rules you are disqualified. This means that whatever points you had garnered all along are going to become zero. Your name would be discarded. So if Shay had a chance to reach the third position, he would not get that prize now," Adrianna mused as she ate the fish. "The only person who can help right now is Howard. I saw him there in the audience."


    "Of course he is there. He had been there all the while along with Ed. The two of them had been eating chips and popcorn that Howard had brought from the human realm and didn''t share it with me!" Dmitri was extremely angry. "Do you know that they gave me only one chips packet?"


    Adrianna shook her head at the baby who was sitting next to her. She finished her lunch soon and then summoned both Mihr and Howard. When Dmitri saw Howard, he became angry again. Howard hardly gave him any importance. His own daughter''s boyfriend was no less. Liam had been troubling him with his shamelessness. At this point of time, Howard was actually taking revenge on any werewolf he could see, howsoever petty revenge was.


    Mihr knew what Adrianna wanted to say. "Look Adrianna, there is something wrong definitely. In the first stage of the competition, it was Ilsa who allowed Lia and Zola to enter but no one could find out who allowed Raz to enter the wilderness in the second stage of the competition. This is still a mystery and under investigation. Shay should have been disqualified by now but why haven''t they taken the step? I am also confused."


    "You should make a complaint Adrianna," said Howard. "You can make a complaint to the ministry if you like."


    "No one in the ministry would talk to me right now. Isidorus is not available��" she replied sadly.


    "Tell it to Professor Ziu," replied Howard.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t tell it to him, instead keep a watch on him," said Mihr.


    Adrianna was shocked to hear that, "What do mean Mihr? Professor Ziu is one man who had supported me always. This is the most shocking statement I have heard. Sometimes I feel you are too paranoid!"


    Mihr started laughing, "Okay, okay. I am sorry to say anything to your favorite professor." He stopped laughing and looked at her, "If you like you should complain about it to him but do that now."


    "It is a holiday today," said Cora who was listening to the conversation intently.


    "The academy''s administrative block must be open," Howard said encouraging her.


    Adrianna nodded. She looked at the clock. It was 3PM. She rushed to the academy.

 Chapter 308 - Someone Tried To Kill Shay

    When Adrianna reached the academy, it was deserted. Being a holiday, she didn''t expect anything other than that. She walked to the administrative block and her thoughts were still tangled. She wondered if she should complain about Shay. After all she had taken care of it. After the finals, there was another competition, which would be held between the students in third and fourth place in order to get the winner for bronze medal. That meant that Shay would be fighting with the student whom Lile had defeated.


    As she was walking, she noticed a wizard who was standing on the corner of the garden that was in front of the administrative block. She narrowed her eyes because she thought she had seen him somewhere. She stared at him for sometime as he looked away and in fact even walked away from there. Adrianna pursed her lips and reprimanded herself for looking at people suspiciously all the time. She stepped in the block and found a few professors walking in and out of it.


    The administrative block was one of the most beautiful buildings she had ever seen. The floors were made from marble. Marble pillars rose on the sides, which supported the ceiling. The ceiling from where large chandeliers were hanging, had numerous flower motifs so delicately and intricately carved that the craftsmen must have lost their vision after work. The walls of the rooms were made from white tiles each of which had miniature paintings. As she walked she could help admiring the beautiful vine plants that had adorned the marble pillars with roses.


    Professor Coral was also there. She was walking out when Adrianna stepped in. "Oh hello there Adrianna!" she greeted her with excitement.


    Adrianna greeted her back. "Good afternoon Professor Coral."


    "How come the finalist is here on a holiday? You should rest at home. Tomorrow is a big day," said Coral with a smile.


    Adrianna smiled back and said, "Umm�� actually I am here to lodge a complaint against Shay."


    "Regarding what?" asked Coral with a frown on her face.


    "He went against a rule."


    "Which rule?"


    "He casted the spell ''Ponos Maxima''," replied Adrianna.


    "Hmm��" Coral''s facial expressions became serious. "Come with me," she said and walked towards Professor Ziu''s chamber. Adrianna followed her.


    Suddenly as they were crossing the various rooms, Adrianna picked Shay''s voice and stopped. "What happened Adrianna?" asked Coral when she walked a few steps further and found that Adrianna had stopped following her. She went back to her.


    Being a werewolf, her sense of hearing was much more than any witch, wizard or human. She kept her finger on her lips and motioned her to follow her to the source of the voice. Shay was speaking to someone she had heard before but that person was speaking in whispers. So she couldn''t make it out that nicely. Along with Professor Coral, Adrianna tiptoed to the rooms on the left of the alley. She stopped after covering three rooms. The voices were coming from the fourth room on the left.


    "I tried to kill her by going against the rules. What else do you want?" said Shay with exasperation is his tone.


    While Adrianna could listen to the people inside, Coral was still confused. "What is it?" she whispered.


    Once again Adrianna signaled her to stay quiet.


    "If you were going against the rules, you should have fully gone against them. Why did you leave even a small route for her to escape? You should have casted more death spells!" whispered the person whom Shay was talking to.


    "If I had done that, I would have got noticed and they would have disqualified me immediately. I had to do it slowly and in a way that none of them would have understood. Do you take me for a fool who is going to listen to you and follow you blindly?" shouted Shay.


    There was a pause.


    "Arghhhh!" shouted Shay suddenly. "Stop it!" he was in immense pain.


    "No one talks to me like that," the man whispered back. "You have lost a golden chance. Our only hope is Lile. She is a strong witch and we are sure that she is going to give Adrianna the worst time of her life!"


    Shay stayed quiet.


    Adrianna was shocked - Lile! Before she could think of anything else, she heard more.


    "You will have to face the punishment for not being able to follow the orders of the leader," whispered the man.


    "What punishment?" fear evident in his voice.


    "There is only one punishment for such failures and that is death. We cannot leave any traces behind," said the man in a slightly raised voice.


    "Ahhhhh! Stop! Stop!" shouted Shay wincing in pain.


    "Cy!" Adrianna spoke aloud.


    Coral heard her and she was shocked. "What?" she asked as her skin was lined with goose bumps. She saw stunned face of Adrianna and looked at the door. Adrianna pushed it open hurriedly to catch Cy. As soon as the door opened, they only saw a wizard''s hands being sucked in a vortex. "Who was here?" demanded Coral.


    Shay was sitting on a chair with his hands and legs tied with a white light. He was profusely bleeding from mouth, nose and ears.


    Adrianna immediately removed those white lights from around him and Shay slumped in front. Coral came to him. She created a portal for them to walk to the infirmary. Two men walked inside and they picked Shay. The two ladies followed them inside the infirmary.


    When the healer saw his condition, he was shocked. "Who casted the death spell on him? If you hadn''t rescued him, he would have died by now?"


    Adrianna said, "We have to meet the principle of the academy now," and she held Coral''s hand to get sucked in a vortex.


    As they walked towards his chamber, Adrianna asked, "How did Cy get into the academy? What kind of security do we have here?"


    Coral was deep in her thoughts. Being appointed from the ministry, she was really finding it odd that didn''t come to know anything about the loophole in the security. She had to report it to Isidorus immediately.


    When they reached Professor Ziu''s room, they found that the door was open. They went inside and saw that he was talking to other professors. All of them stopped talking and looked at the two of them. There was some blood on Adrianna''s clothes. Ziu immediately got up from his place and went to her, "Adrianna, did you get injured? This blood? Are you okay?" He was panicky.


    Adrianna looked at him with wide eyes and he felt like cupping her cheeks with his hands. He waited for her to say something otherwise he felt he was being drawn by her to kiss her.


    "Someone tried to kill Shay," said Adrianna breaking his thoughts.


    Everyone in the room was stunned.


    "We have just admitted him to the infirmary," said Coral.


    Professor Ziu''s facial expression became stern. "Explain," he said.


    Adrianna and Coral looked at all the professors out there. Ziu asked them to leave. Once everyone had left, Adrianna started speaking. Suddenly she remembered that the wizard that she saw in the garden was Cy''s man that she had seen in the battle along with him. She explained everything in detail.


    After she had told everything to him, his first question was, "Why are you here?"

 Chapter 309 - I Will Not Quit!

    "Why are you here?" Adrianna wondered what sort of question was that. She had just poured all the details about Shay and yet Professor Ziu asked why she was there!


    "Why have you come to the academy?" he asked her again.


    Adrianna snapped from her thoughts about what happened to Shay. "I- I- I came here to- to complain about Shay��" she said as she felt guilty. After seeing him going through so much pain, she really didn''t want to complain. Shay was doing that because of Cy. This meant that Vikra was behind all this.


    "What did he do?" he asked staring at her with ferocious looks.


    "During the competition, he used the spell "Ponos Maxima".


    "Yes, we have received a complaint about that Adrianna. In fact the meeting today was called to discuss about his disqualification from the competition. We had asked Shay to come and explain about it however, it seems that the moment he came here, he was abducted," answered Ziu with all seriousness.


    "In all probability he is going to be disqualified. I am afraid that we might even expel him from the academy because if what you are saying is correct, then we have zero tolerance for any collusion with Cy. In fact I am shocked that Shay had been in contact with Cy," said Ziu looking at Coral.


    Coral was quiet all the time. She watched Ziu as he spoke. She sat down on the chair that was right in front of his table. She looked up at him, tilted her head and asked him, "Ziu, the grounds of the academy are very well protected. Not a soul can enter unless the guards allow them. Other than the professors, no student can create a portal or get sucked in a vortex within the academy premise. Then how did Cy and his man come inside?"


    "I am as confused as you are Coral��" said Ziu sitting on his chair and keeping his head on his hands.


    Coral shook her head. "Things aren''t adding up. I need a thorough check on all the professors here. I know students can''t let anyone enter."


    Ziu looked at her with attention. "Okay!" he said. "I will get someone to do it." Then he looked at Adrianna who was looking confused. "Adrianna, don''t think much about Shay. We will take care about it. You should go back home and concentrate for tomorrow."


    Adrianna smiled. She was about to ask as to who complained it before her but thought not to ask because she didn''t want to sound desperate or pushy. The authority was already taking care of the problem, so why push it further. "Yes Professor Ziu. I will take my leave." She left them and went back to the palace.


    Coral said, "Ziu, I am going to the infirmary to question Shay. This is a grave matter. How could a person like Cy enter the academy? What is happening? Why is the security so loose? I am asking the ministry to send in more people on the ground who will be monitoring this place."


    "Coral, Adrianna said that she heard Cy. She never saw him. It is possible that Shay was hexed by none other than his own family. We all know what sort of man Shay''s father is. It is best not to get so worked up on an issue like that and be careful before accusing any professor. Unless we have evidence, we can''t go around telling the professors that one of you allowed Cy to enter the academy grounds," reasoned Ziu. He felt that Coral was overreacting.


    "No father or mother would go to the extent of killing their own child," answered Coral with anger in her eyes. "Don''t take this issue so lightly and if you think that the parents were the ones who hexed him, then I would like to talk to them. They are insane and in need of medication. I will get them arrested for attempt to murder."


    Ziu was now out of reasoning with her. He closed his eyes and then finally said, "We can only catch them if we have evidence. Unless we have evidence we can''t do anything. Whatever Adrianna said could be submitted as evidence but that needs verification. Were you present there when she saw Cy''s man? Did you hear the voice of Cy? All you girls saw were the hands of the wizard out there and Shay was bleeding profusely. You need to really give me the evidence and only then I will allow you to get more security on the grounds of academy. Else I think you are doubting my ability as the principle here."


    Shocked at his words, Coral looked at him with wide eyes. He was taking the entire topic in a different direction. "I am only concerned about the safety of the children here."


    "Even I am!"


    Coral was furious at Ziu. She stood from her chair and walked out of his room without saying another word. Before she closed the door, she turned to look at him and said, "No one is allowed to enter the room where Shay is being treated until I question him. Even you!" Saying that she closed the door with a bang.


    Ziu gritted his teeth and pounded the table. His options were becoming narrower with ministry interfering in his matters constantly.


    ---


    When Adrianna reached the palace, she found Dmitri waiting for her. He had very serious expressions on his face. He held her hand and pulled her to an inside chamber that was adjacent to the dining hall. Adrianna was shocked when she saw who was inside. Isidorus was standing there beside a sofa looking outside a window pondering over something.


    It was a small room, which looked like a study. Adrianna had never been to that room. She didn''t even know that this room existed. There were numerous books stacked neatly on the shelf. Only one table was present there in the corner and two huge sofas.


    She looked from Dmitri to Isidorus. "How come you are here?" she asked bewildered. Isidorus was not supposed to meet any student in the competition and she was the finalist!


    "Good evening Adrianna," said Isidorus when he heard her. He was lost in his thoughts. "Coral had informed me of the latest things that have happened and I am concerned."


    "Good evening Isidorus," said Adrianna as she sat on the sofa in front of him where Dmitri had already sat down. "What do I do?"


    "I could sense the presence of dark forces around the wizard kingdom, Adrianna." Isidorus was looking very grave. "They will try to kill you at each and every step now. They are waiting for the right moment to strike you. Tomorrow is the last day of the competition and you will be facing Lile. I have come here to talk to you about Lile."


    "What is it Isidorus?" asked Dmitri as he held Adrianna''s hand. "If the danger is imminent, I won''t let Adrianna get into it voluntarily. I mean who would be such an idiot?"


    Isidorus looked at Adrianna and said, "If you like, you can go back to the werewolf kingdom now, but after that the wizard kingdom is going to be very chaotic. We are banking on you to get us out of the danger that is hanging on us. We have people who are eating us like termites from inside the kingdom and they are helping the dark forces outside. And I know that you can lead us, but I am concerned about your safety. If it was me, I would have crowned you the moment you had entered." Isidorus sighed and then continued, "But there are important people who are conspiring. They have prevented me from crowning you. Now the matters have escalated to a great extent. I want you to focus on the competition tomorrow and emerge as a winner. It is going to be tough."


    Adrianna wondered how much tougher it can get after Shay.


    "So if you want to quit now, you can."


    Adrianna shook her head, "I will not quit."


    "Are you sure?" asked Isidorus.


    "Yes!"


    "After this you can never leave the responsibilities of wizard kingdom."


    "I know!"


    Dmitri got scared. Adrianna held his hand in hers, feeling his fear to calm him down.


    "Then let me tell you something about Lile."


    Adrianna stared at Isidorus. What could it be that Isidorus would tell about Lile? She had already identified her weak and strong points and had discussed her strategy with Dmitri and Cora.


    What Isidorus mentioned next was shocking beyond words!

 Chapter 310 - Third Stage Of The Competition (15)

    Isidorus left them after talking to Adrianna for a brief time. What he said shook both Adrianna and Dmitri. Some of Lile''s family members were Vikra''s followers from a long time. Over the centuries they have kind of built a cult that is dedicated to praying Vikra. It is a small one but it exists and no one can do much about it because they don''t come out with it. Very few people had that knowledge and it is kept as a secret because if it is out, others may join the cult. Adrianna was horrified at this knowledge.


    The wizard kingdom had so many secrets that it was horrifying. On the fa?ade everything looked beautiful and harmonious but on the inside there were forces that were eating its very foundation.


    "You have to win against Lile, because if you lose, her cult will use that to grow and she would emerge as the cult-queen. It is possible that she will stake a claim to the throne. While I am not worried that the crown will reject her, I am worried that she would reject the crown saying that this tradition should be done away with." Isidorus had said that sounded like a very serious matter.


    "She will do everything in her power to kill you and if that is not possible, to defeat you. She tried to get close to you for a reason, which now is apparent to you."


    "If you feel that things are too much for you, you may quit Adrianna. Lile and her family are very powerful people. They know many dark spells and they can cast them in a way that you wouldn''t even come to know. So if you want to leave now, leave."


    Isidorus sounded as if he wanted to keep Adrianna safe. Adrianna smiled and wondered if he had developed emotions for her. She could see the desperation in his eyes and she could read his affection for her in his mind. "I won''t quit Isidorus and not now, at this juncture of events. You don''t have to worry about me."


    Isidorus took a deep breath and nodded. He got up from his chair, patted Adrianna''s head and left.


    Dmitri looked at her and said, "Adri, I am getting nervous."


    "Don''t Dmitri because I draw my strength from you," she answered as she placed her hand on her cheek. He leaned in then pulled her in his lap. "Don''t leave me alone in this life. I am only twenty-three, well soon to become twenty-four, but that is very young. Can you imagine what happens to a werewolf whose soul mate dies?" He pressed his head in her neck.


    Adrianna laughed and said, "When I come back from that competition, we are celebrating your pre-birthday dinner here in the royal palace amongst all the loyal and the royal."


    Dmitri laughed. Inside he was anxious.


    Next day Adrianna got dressed for the academy. Dmitri also got dressed, as he had decided to go with her. Ed and Cora were planning to buy something from the shopping places on the Wizard Street and so they said they would come later. They were not aware of the dangers lurking around Adrianna and she didn''t bother them with those. The couple smiled and left.


    When Dmitri went and sat down, he saw that the crowd around the field had grown multifold. He spotted Howard who was sitting with his family and asked, "I never saw so many people in the entire days of the third stage!"


    "Yup! Some of them are coming only today. They had betted throughout as to who would win!" replied Howard munching on his chips.


    "What? Betting?"


    "Yup!"


    Suddenly Dmitri spotted Fleur who was giggling at some joke cracked by the man beside her. Dmitri was wearing shades. He slid his shades down, tilted his head and to his surprise saw that the man beside her was making his way into her shorts. He clenched his fist to punch him when his glance went to see who he was. Liam was sitting there is all glory, laughing and enjoying his love. Dmitri''s eyes went wide! He mentally communicated with Liam, "When the hell did you come?"


    "Stop disturbing me Dmitri. I came yesterday evening."


    Howard looked at Dmitri''s shocked expressions and said, "Yes, I was also shocked. I hate Liam. I hate the werewolf kingdom. The only person I ever liked there was Ed and his granddaughter."


    Dmitri pursed his lips.


    Adrianna had reached the authorities from where she had to first take the necessary things inside the field. She had to meet Lile over there and they had to go in together. She saw that Lile had already collected her things and was waiting for her. Her expressions became cold when she saw Adrianna. Adrianna didn''t bother to greet her. She collected her potions from Professor Lane, who wished her all the best. Everyone out there looked nervous and anxious except Lile.


    The two of them started walking towards the center of the field as the crowd cheered for them. The entire field was one segment that day. As soon as they reached the center, they could see the crowd but couldn''t hear it. They went to their respective tables to keep the potions and came to the center waiting for the voice to say "Start."


    But instead of "Start" an announcement was made. "In order to make the final competition tougher, the authorities have decided to put the two participants through a variety of difficult tasks."


    Suddenly about thirty feet away from the center a wall appeared which was almost ten feet high.


    "The participants have to compete through different terrains. Right now they are surrounded by a wall and behind those walls, there is a desert, a sea, a forest and snow-capped mountains in each quarter of the segment. Lile and Adrianna will have to face each other in these segments only and they can come to the center if they are sick or defeated. If any one of them comes to the center even by chance, it would be considered as their defeat."


    The crowd outside gasped in silence. Suddenly they saw the quarters getting filled by snow-covered mountains in one quadrant, a very hot desert in the second segment, a thick forest devoid of sunlight in the third segment and a turbulent sea in the fourth segment.


    The two girls didn''t know which terrain filled the segments around them. They did not know the order. They had to take chances and see for themselves to fight it out.


    Dmitri''s heart sank.


    Adrianna looked at Lile with narrowed eyes and before another announcement, she ran to collect her potions. She stuffed them in her pockets of the skirt she was wearing. Lile did the same and the voice announced, "Start".


    The finale of the third stage of the competition began.


    They didn''t know how to get into the quadrant because there were white walls all around them. Suddenly Lile jumped towards the wall and disappeared behind it. It was as though the wall sucked her in. Adrianna smiled and followed her. She really was not as experienced as Lile was in wizardry. But her smile froze when she found herself in a desert. Lile was nowhere to be seen.


    It was a sandy desert and a dust storm had started. The cruel sun was up in the sky beating down the creatures. It was shining hard without blinking an eye. There was not a wisp of cloud to soften those harsh glares of the sun. It was as if the sky had conspired with the sun to be so harsh. Adrianna saw a few rocks dotting the terrain. The stiff, dry breeze was blowing sand into her eyes and making her hair stiff. Each step that she took sunk into the hot sand. Her breath was like burning hot. She glanced at a few desert lizards that took shelter under those rocks where the sand wasn''t hot enough to fry them. She looked around in that haze of sand storm to find refuge. She had to soon find a rock large enough for her to go under it or stand against it.


    Where the hell was Lile? Did she think that leaving her alone in this desert would bring death to her? Did she think that could not survive that dust storm? The particles of dust that were now more than thirty feet high were approaching towards her at a high speed. Adrianna ran to hide beneath a rock. As she ran, she pointed her wand towards several rocks to make a sort of enclosure for her.


    The audience could see the rocks flying and making a sort of small room for Adrianna. Adrianna ran inside the enclosure. The last rock hit its entrance to plug it just before the dust storm hit.


    Dmitri became pale.

 Chapter 311 - Third Stage Of The Competition (16)

    What kind of competition was this where the participants were subjected to this kind of survival apart from battling against each other? Dmitri''s blood drained from his face and he slumped in his chair. Howard could understand his anxiety. He offered him his packet of chips and asked Liam and Fleur to sit next to him.


    Inside the desert Adrianna was sheltered against the hot sand particles during the storm that were bouncing around the rocks around her. She could see those animals that had crept under the rocks. They looked disturbed. She mentally communicated to them to calm down. She was only protecting all of them. There were desert spiders, lizards and a few ground squirrels. They all looked at her with anticipation and appreciation. They waited calmly.


    Suddenly there was a huge roar and one of the rocks it sounded as if one of the rocks on the side had started breaking from the outside. Adrianna managed to hold it, but the rock gave away and flew in bit and pieces in along with the storm. All the sand that was flowing out started filling the small shelter she had created. The animals started moving behind her. Adrianna shielded her face with her arms and then on a quick thought, removed her robe and tied it around her face. She kept her hands on her face and looked in front to find another boulder but what she saw was shocking.


    The sand storm that had risen had taken the shape of Lile''s face right in the center. Adrianna looked up at the height of thirty feet where Lile''s face was formed. She was stunned. So Lile created the dust storm! Adrianna was wondering the power wizards and witches had. She didn''t know anything about these powers and realized she had to learn so much. She had to defend herself with the limited spells she knew and utilize her inner strength just as Dmitri said. The only limitation about her magic was that she had to use the energy of the surroundings. Being a werewolf, the heat of the dessert was suffocating so she had to escape from there as soon as possible. She looked up at Lile and took her wand out. Lile noticed her and started laughing. Her laughter boomed in that place. "Do you think your little wand can stop me?"


    Lile looked towards her left. A huge bulk of sand lifted and started blowing towards Adrianna. However, she was ready this time. She pointed her wand towards it and said, "Still!" the moment all the sand that was blowing froze in its place. Adrianna looked at the right of Lile and once again repeated the spell. The sand storm stopped as Lile''s face loomed large over her.


    Adrianna pointed her wand, but as soon as she did that, the bulk of sand with which Lile''s face was formed, came crashing down. She could hear a gush of air blown over her body with swoosh. She toppled a little towards the back. Adrianna stepped out of the shelter and as soon as she had stepped out, the rocks around her exploded into thousands of pieces. Adrianna crouched down to minimize the chances of getting hit by the rock pieces that were flying around her. She cast a spell around her to encase herself in a bubble, which bounced off all the small boulders.


    Furious, she got up and pointed her wand towards Lile to throw a white leash but Lile had reacted and arrested her spell.


    Few more spells were cast in which Lile was suffering the blow but in the process the desert became even hotter. It became unbearable for Adrianna. Perhaps Lile knew that being a werewolf. If she stayed in the desert for a long time, she would start sweating and then perhaps start getting heat stroke. Was it her strategy to keep her longer there? The spells that she was casting were just too elementary after the sand storm one.


    Her calculations were correct when Lile pointed her wand at the sun, drew a small amount of energy from there and directed it towards Adrianna. "Imetiu Solis!" Lile chanted and a glare of sunray hot enough to burn a human was directed towards her. Adrianna was prepared for it. She had arrested it with her wand and directed it towards the sand dune. The sunray fell on it and the area burnt creating a large inside. Adrianna, looked around to find a sand dune. She spotted one and shifted it between them to get out of her sight but she knew that it would be temporary.


    Taking advantage of the time, Adrianna ran to the opposite side. She had to get out of that quadrant and go to a different terrain, whatever that would be. She ran at her best speed to reach the periphery, but she wasn''t finding any. She ended up running under sun getting all the more dehydrated. It was endless. How could this be?


    She was desperate now. She looked back and found Lile coming after her chanting more spells. Adrianna shielded herself and then on an impulse created a portal thinking of a thick forest terrain next. The shiny gold portal with wolf inscriptions was created and it beamed brilliantly under sun.


    The audience was mesmerized at the portal. It was one of a kind and only person had ever created that portal in the entire wizard kingdom, and that was Vikra. Many in the audience started comparing her powers to Vikra.


    Isidorus was watching the entire show along with other ministry people. They were allotted special cabins to sit and watch.


    A holiday was declared across the wizard kingdom for everyone to watch the competition between the two most powerful wizards of the kingdom. When he saw her creating the portal, he smiled thoroughly satisfied at her display of power. Ministry people who were against her crowning, gasped when they saw her creating that portal.


    Meanwhile, Adrianna looked behind at Lile who was running at a great speed towards her trying to cast whatever spells that came to her mind. She smiled and walked through her portal into the different terrain. As soon as she walked through, she burned the portal behind her because her portal never vanished like other portal. It stayed and Professor Ziu had burnt it.


    When Lile saw that the portal was melting, she ran faster with whatever strength she had but couldn''t match the speed at which the portal was melting. It was important for her to enter the portal in order to catch her where she had entered. She knew that being a werewolf, Adrianna wouldn''t be able to bear the heat of the desert. When they entered the desert, Lile, on a quick thinking planned her strategy out. However, Adrianna must have figured it out sooner and hence she was escaping.


    Lile''s mind was working overtime as to how to stop Adrianna, but Adrianna deflected every spell that she was casting. She was least expecting her create the portal and when she did, all she could think of was to run to it. She must be at least two hundred yards away when she saw the portal melting in that fire and becoming smaller. She sucked herself in a vortex and managed to jump inside the last of the diminishing portal, although hot metal burned her skin at several places.


    What she found herself into was shocking. Adrianna sure knew how to take her revenge.

 Chapter 312 - Third Stage Of The Competition (17)

    When Lile walked out of the portal, she found herself in a dense jungle. The sweet fragrance was overpowering. She moved between the dense vegetation cutting a pathway as she walked ahead. She was using a wand as the machete in her right and was catching branches that were in front of her with her left hand. Even though the winters in the wizard kingdom had set in a way that the homes in the second level were covered with snow, the forest that she entered was very warm. The thick humidity made her sweat profusely. The sweat ran down her skin in her drenched clothes, which added to the dehydration.


    As she walked through the jungle, she could see that the rains had lashed through vegetation not long back. There were pools of water everywhere, on the pathway she was treading, the leaves had caught water and even the tree branches were dipping with water. From every direction she could hear insects and birds or the call of the mammals. Although she was sure that there were more poisonous creatures in the jungle, it was that human that she was scared of, the one who had creative ways of killing people �C Adrianna.


    As she walked in her heavy boots that she had used her magic to create, she found that it wasn''t easy walking there without protecting her ankles from the snakes and scorpions.


    Suddenly, she saw a large wolf with golden yellow fur was running swiftly between the jungles. "Adrianna!" She smiled. She understood that this terrain was easy for Adrianna. She didn''t have to work her way through it.


    The wolf stopped and turned back to look at her. Adrianna snarled baring her jaw. The snarl was so loud that almost every noise that she could hear was quiet now. There was pin drop silence. Lile smiled and pointed her wand. "What a stupid girl? Without her wand, does she think she can compete?" Lile started laughing at Adrianna''s folly. She had to fry that wolf. The wand emitted a thick ray of yellow light, the one akin to the light she had used in the desert, and within seconds came towards Adrianna. However, suddenly there was a huge wall of dense vegetation that came in front of her and the light hit that instead.


    Lile was shocked. Where did the wall come from? She started running towards the wall, throwing more spells at it for it to burn down but every time the light was thrown on it although it was burnt, new vegetation appeared. Lile saw that thick-hedged walls started making their way towards her. Every wall was uniformly cut with a square top. She ran through those to find a way out, but she soon realized that Adrianna had trapped her in a maze.


    "Adrianna!" Lile shouted.


    Outside the maze, Adrianna went a little far to recover from the wounds that were inflicted upon her when the rocks around her had shattered in the desert. Out of dehydration, he lips had cracked. She felt as if her whole body was burning inside like a volcano. She found a small lake in the forest and jumped inside that.


    The audience above could see what Adrianna had done. The competition was getting tougher. They saw her shape shift and jump in water, while they could also see Lile running through the maze. They admired Adrianna''s quick thinking. Dmitri was relaxed when he saw that Adrianna had jumped in the water. She had to recover from the heat. The audience waited for Adrianna to emerge out of the water but she was not coming out. Some of them panicked that fish inside ate her. Her fans had started weeping also. Dmitri kept his hands behind his head, as he knew that Adrianna was actually recuperating.


    It was after half an hour, when the audience saw that Adrianna emerged out of water. They saw the wolf entering and a girl coming out of the water. Adrianna emerged out of the lake as she swept her hair back with her hands. The wet clothes were sticking to her body accentuating all her curves. Her white face, drop-dead gorgeous looks and her contours, everything made the young wizards drool over her. And to Dmitri''s anger, many of them started whistling and flying banners.


    It was already evening and the sun was setting. Lile had spent hours running around the maze. She had even used a spell to be air borne and fly out of the maze, but to her surprise that spell didn''t work. The light in the maze started fading fast. It was like the end of the day in a tropical forest. It started becoming colder and the smell of stagnant water was dominating her senses. Lile had tried to burn the maze, but new vegetation appeared. She tried to cut it but it didn''t work. Soon her feet became sore. Her body''s heat going down and she began shaking. So Adrianna had given her a clear choice �C either keep walking through the maze for the entire night or slip into hypothermia.


    When she could walk no longer, she created a small fire and sat by it. The night was getting colder. She felt like a prisoner who would keep searching and never find a way. She wanted to race her mind through all her options but her body fatigue reached her mind. She wanted to sleep. She had plucked a lot of leaves and made a small spread for herself. She didn''t know as to when did she dozed off. Suddenly, she woke up to a loud growl. She opened her eyes wide and looked around. There was nothing.


    The growl was louder this time. Beasts! Before she could even get up and react, she saw a large panther like beast that had leapt in front of her. It was banging its long furry tail on the ground as though asking her to fight with her or become its food.


    Quietly, Lile held her wand and waited for it to come near. It growled again and this time it was a low growl. The next moment it leapt in the air towards her. Lile pointed her wand at it and said, "Vrakhas Azadea!"


    To her surprise the beast was burnt down immediately. She started laughing loudly. "Adrianna, is that it? I will get out of the maze now!" Lile got up with renovated energy. She left that place and walked forward. She must have walked not even fifty yards when she heard someone laughing. She turned to look at the source, "Adrianna, is that you?" she shouted. But the laughing stopped and she heard taunting voices of her parents. She could hear them how unworthy of an opponent she was. "No, I am not!" she shouted back.


    She heard more voices that forced her to betray her parents. What was happening? Her mind was not able to comprehend. She was getting tortured mentally. The voices kept reminding her how she had betrayed her friends one by one, how she had lusted for power that never belonged to her and how she had failed miserably.


    The maze was built in a way that she was facing down her own demons. It was hell.


    On the outside, Adrianna had made a small tree house and asked the fireflies to surround it in order to light it. She lied in for the night to recuperate fully.


    The audience outside could see a beautiful tree house surrounded by small blinking lights as Adrianna slept inside. Lile was seen walking through the maze. They wondered if Lile would even make it out of the maze��

 Chapter 313 - Third Stage Of The Competition (18)

    The day ended and as the night fell, Lile started feeling colder. She had to take refuge somewhere. With all those voices coming from somewhere, she was getting mentally tortured. She had jumped into the desert to sap out Adrianna''s energy but in this terrain Adrianna got back to her ten times stronger. She wondered if she would even survive the maze. Her magic was not that effective inside the maze.


    As she walked to find an exit, she heard metal clinking. She ran towards the source of the sound thinking if she could take advantage of the place and exit the maze, but to her horror, she saw a big boulder-sized spider with metal legs walking towards her. Lile immediately took refuge in the corner inside a hedge. She covered herself in the leaves and waited for the spider to go hoping that it hadn''t seen her.


    She heard the steps of the spider coming closer. The metal stopped clinking. Perhaps the spider had stopped walking. Suddenly Lile found that the hedge around her was getting cut one after the other. To her utter disgust she found that it was getting cut by it''s metal legs and she got injured in the process. She screamed. She got exposed completely. The spider opened his jaws. Lile took her wand out and shouted, "Adoleque!" The wand emitted a light that entered the spider''s mouth. It was so strong that the spider exploded from inside blowing into large pieces of flesh and grey fluid everywhere some of which also came on her. It was ugly. Lile started panting after the encounter.


    She hated Adrianna and now had to find a way out. She kept running around the maze while Adrianna slept throughout the night.


    During the entire night Lile fought with many other creatures. The audience could see some bright lights inside the maze and in far corner white lights emitted by fireflies where Adrianna soundly slept. They didn''t know that Adrianna was in fact recuperating.


    By the time it was 4AM Lile was extremely tired. She had fought so much that she had lost all her energy. She was on the verge of mental breakdown by the time it was 6AM. She sat down waiting for the next creature to attack her. She looked up and saw that the sun was up in the horizon. In her last attempt to get out of the maze, she pointed her wand to the hedge and shouted, "Adoleque!" To her surprise, the maze started melting. It started disappearing! Within five minutes, the entire maze disappeared, and she cursed herself for not chanting that spell earlier.


    Now she would hunt for Adrianna and make her pay for it. She ran out of the maze thinking about the injured body of Adrianna. She was so looking forward to hit her with more spells and finally take her down. She looked into her robe and found the potion that was given to her. While running she opened the bottle and had half of the bottle. Just as she closed the bottle''s lid and looked up, she found herself staring into Adrianna.


    Adrianna was looking fresh as a flower while she was looking and smelling like shit! Lile was surprised and her eyes became wide. "You vile! How dare you trap me in the maze? Do you think it was so easy to keep me inside that shitty maze of yours? See I have come out of it, and now I am going to give you a taste of your medicine!" She was furious. She had so many times shouted back at those voices to shut up!


    Adrianna started at her, "If I have created a maze, then no one can come out of it. You came out because I allowed you to come out and not because you could do it yourself." Adrianna sounded so cold that Lile could feel the chill in her bones. "According to the rules, I can''t let you die and hence I had to remove that maze."


    Lile mustered all her courage and said, "Hah! So now you prepare for your death because if I kill you, trust me there would be no one to even rant about it! We will rule!" She drew her wand out immediately to throw another spell on her, which was easily deflected by Adrianna.


    Seeing that Adrianna was unaffected, Lile started running away from her. She needed to distance from her to think what to do next. At the same time she had to deflect the spells coming from her. While running she saw a huge tree in front of her. She pointed her wand and the prop roots of the tree flew towards her. She caught them and disappeared from Adrianna''s field of vision, as the roots rolled her into them and protected her in the tree.


    Adrianna became alert. She looked in the direction the roots took her, but she couldn''t spot her through the tree''s thick foliage.


    "Plantia Imiata!" Lile shouted as she cast the spell on Adrianna. "Here take this! You brought me here. Now become a part of this place and stay in the jungle forever."


    Adrianna saw that the tip of her fingers started becoming like leaf. The leaves spread on her left hand rapidly. She kept her wand back in her robe and brushed off the leaves from there and just like that, the  leaves became brown and fell on the ground. The spell didn''t work on her.


    Lile was seeing it from above. She threw more spells but once again nothing was working. It seemed that Adrianna was very powerful in the jungle and nothing went her way.


    From above she saw a herd of rhinoceros drinking water from the river that was flowing in the center of the jungle. She pointed her wand towards them and started laughing. "Beat this Adrianna!" she shouted.


    Adrianna found her statement odd. She wanted to delve into her mind to see what was she thinking when she said that and also what did she mean when she said, "We will rule!" She looked around the thick foliage. Not able to find her, she snapped her fingers. All the leaves and stems that had covered Lile, cleared.


    By that time the herd of rhinoceros had come very close to where Adrianna was standing. Lile laughed loudly. She pointed at the herd behind her and said, "Die!"


    Adrianna was hardly twenty feet away when she looked at the herd behind her. She leapt in the air and allowed them to run beneath her. However, instead of turning back to her, the herd went and shook the very trunk of the tree.


    Lile was once again shocked to see. She was casting a spell on the herd for them to turn and attack Adrianna, but they only kept shaking the trunk. Lile had a difficult time holding herself and she fell on the ground as the tree tumble down not able to withstand the force. As soon as she tumbled, she jumped on the ground and created her portal.


    She was trying to run away! "Damn!" Adrianna shouted as she dashed after her through the portal.


    She thought that when the tree would fall, Lile would get injured but she managed to jump on her feet with agility and run away.


    Adrianna managed to get through the closing portal. The next terrain she stepped in had no ground. She found herself surrounded by dangerous waters all around in turbulent sea.

 Chapter 314 - Third Stage Of The Competition (19)

    When Adrianna looked around, all she could see was huge expanse of turbulent waters all around her. The wind affected the waters around her to become choppy. This effect transformed it into angry waves. Adrianna struggled to keep afloat over water and she was quickly engulfed in the sea. She waited for the waves above to pass and then emerged out on the surface. However, as soon as she was out, she realized that it was raining and the harsh winds slammed the rain right into her face. It was as if tiny stones were being pelted on her. It was better in the water than above the water. She took a large gulp of air and dived inside.


    She swam a little but felt the sea swelling beneath her feet. She swam in the direction away from the swell, but suddenly the wave came and hit her. She was thrown far away inside the water. Now she was surrounded by the grey, tempest water. She started swimming upwards. She decided to get out of this terrain as soon as she was out of the water. She came above the surface successfully. Thankfully the rain had become gentler.


    Adrianna started looking for land around or even a rock where she could get some respite from the turbulent sea, but there was none. She started swimming in the direction of the sky from where the sun was still rising. She must have swum for half an hour when she spotted a large rock with lush vegetation peeking out of the sea floor. She breathed a sigh of relief and swam faster. She had been trying to find some large whale as she communicated around in order to ride it but none was there.


    She had to keep swimming. While she was nearing the island, she heard a voice from beneath the waters. It was like a shark calling its mate or perhaps a whale. She had known about their calls while studying with the humans. Sensing danger, she increased her pace to reach the rocky island.


    While she was swimming there, she found a large number of small sea fish flipping, diving and jumping around her. She heard them, "Go away, go away!" They all seemed to be fleeing from there, from their habitat.


    She stopped swimming and waited before making a decision. Suddenly she was knocked by a heavy force. She was thrown more than thirty feet away. She gasped as she landed inside the water once again and tried to look around to find the force that was so powerful to toss her, but she couldn''t find anything. Once again she started swimming in the opposite direction. She hadn''t even swum for five minutes that the thing knocked her again and she was thrown high in the air. This time Adrianna was extremely confused. What was happening beneath those waters? What was there that she couldn''t see? She even had to find Lile but here she was getting tossed in and out of the water.


    When Adrianna was crashing down in the water, she flipped and dived head on just in time. This time she quickly turned around and saw that a large creature was swimming towards her. She couldn''t make out as to what was it from very far. Quickly, she dug her wand out and became still in water. The creature came nearer and she noticed that it looked like a blue colored dragon that had many fins flapping around it. The creature''s two eyes were like large orbs of yellow lights. They were on both sides of its head. The way it was moving around her and flapping its fins, it made a lot of noise and motion in water. It was taking circles around it and she realized that the creature was trying to create a whirlpool. She was surprised that the dragon-like creature was so intelligent. She was all the more surprised when she started talking to it. It didn''t talk back to her. Rather she could sense hostility.


    The creature was swimming upside down and most of its body looked like a slug while the upper part was strong as a rock. It had silver back that was facing down.


    The first thing that Adrianna did was to dive inside water before the whirlpool was created completely and then taking advantage of the fact that it was swimming upside down, she slid under it.


    Suddenly there was a sting of ray that passed through its fins. Adrianna had converted her wand into a sharp knife and was about to pierce it in the creature that it started emitting those electric rays. Adrianna dived deeper in order to escape from its rays that were emitted in a criss cross manner. It seemed that the creature wanted to trap her and kill her using those strong electric rays.


    Adrianna swam with her full force away from there to escape the current from those rays. Once she was away from it, she looked back, took her wand out, pointed at it and shouted, "Qindustrell!" Immediately the creature became still. Its fins that were emitting electricity were now hardly flapping. There was a minor movement in them and light blip passed through them.


    "Ahhhh!" Adrianna heard Lile''s traumatic voice. "I am trapped."


    Adrianna was wide eyed. Trapped? She looked at the creature. She delved into its mind and was shocked beyond words. That was Lile! Adrianna was stunned that Lile could transform into that creature. But how could she? How could this happen? In the few seconds that she was wondering about it, the creature came back to moving fast making Adrianna''s spell ineffective within seconds. Adrianna was all the more shocked. Was someone helping her from the outside? She was trying to read her mind when a faint image of someone familiar came. Was that Zephyr?


    Not giving her much time to think, This time the creature flipped back on its stomach and jumped at Adrianna, but Adrianna escaped. She swam as fast as possible, this time she was in danger. The creature made one final attempt to kill her and took a huge leap. It crashed right on her.


    Adrianna was pushed into deep waters.


    Lile started flapping fins and generating electricity through them as though she was dancing. She writhed and twisted her body in a way that she was victorious. She had successfully killed Adrianna.

 Chapter 315 - Third Stage Of The Competition (20)

    Lile was jumping around in water flipping her fins. The audience above gasped. They all held their breaths. Dmitri was looking as pale as a ghost. His heart reached out to his wife, but she couldn''t listen to him. There were too many spells around the segment. Ed and Cora choked on their words. Was this Adrianna''s end? So soon? This is how the competition was supposed to end?


    Isidorus looked at the sea and kept waiting for Adrianna to come out of it. There were smiles on the faces of some ministry people while the others knew that this was the end. The wizard kingdom would now fall into the hands of the most vicious power. Vikra had won.


    Every person in the audience was quiet. It was as if they all knew what was going to happen to them in the next few days. For Isidorus it was the worst thing that could happen. His last chance to save his world had failed.


    Meanwhile Lile started talking to Zephyr who was in her cell. Just before coming to the competition, Zephyr had contacted Lile. He had visited her house. He knew that her family was a follower of Vikra and that they had been secretly supporting him. He had told her that he would help her in defeating Adrianna on one condition.


    "What is it?" Lile''s father had asked.


    "I will be crowned as the king of the wizard kingdom and we won''t go for the crown. We would create another crown and bury the existing one," he said very clearly.


    Lile''s father smiled viciously. "Okay. But what if you betray us?"


    "There is no chance that I will betray you, but there are a lot of chances that you would betray me," replied Zephyr. He knew about their nefarious nature.


    Lile''s father nodded. Zephyr wasn''t an idiot that he was talking to. "Okay. Tell us how you can help us."


    Zephyr said, "I will be staying in my house and will enter Lile''s cell. From there I will be able to help her. Together our magic should be enough for Adrianna. She won''t be able to defeat both of us."


    "Why from your house? Why not ours?" he asked.


    "So that you stab me once Lile wins? Haha, no! I would do it from my house."


    "But you need another person to also go in a trance to enter their cell?"


    "Not necessarily. Both Adrianna and me cane enter anyone''s mind and stay there as long as we like and that person would never come to know unless we want it."


    Lile''s father was shocked and his eyes became wide. He knew that Zephyr was a direct descendent of Vikra and hence very powerful. What he didn''t know was that Zephyr was capable of much more. The only person that even came near him to magic and powers was Adrianna. Ziu was also nothing in front of them.


    Lile''s father did not ask questions because it was of no importance now. He didn''t want to complicate things any further. A bond was made, which would break after the competition was finished.


    When it was announced that the final stage would be fought in four different terrains, it was Zephyr''s idea to get into the desert first. However, he didn''t know that Adrianna would be so powerful. His combined magic with Lile couldn''t be of any match to Adrianna''s. It was his idea to go to the turbulent sea waters.


    "Should I come to my original form?" she asked Zephyr. She was laughing along with him.


    "Sure, why not? Our mission is accomplished. However, it would be better if you stay in this form in order to swim the turbulent sea fast. Let''s go to the center now," he replied rejoicing with her.


    "Okay! I love this body anyway. How did you know this spell Zephyr?" she asked as she started swimming towards the center, away from the sun.


    Zephyr sighed. "You don''t know a lot of things about me or Adrianna. We both are cousins and at the epitome of our genes. If Adrianna was a little different I wouldn''t have minded marrying her and ruling this world with her but she is already marked and I hate the fact that she could even challenge me."


    "Zephyr, you are one sneaky bastard! If anyone comes to know what we have done, they would disqualify me." Lile laughed as she swam slowly now. She had won the kingdom and wasn''t bothered about the competition. Once she would reach the shore, Zephyr would come out of her cell and he would claim the throne.


    "No one can know because only four or five people can perform this magic and out of those two are here. Oh sorry, one is dead. Only one is here."


    Lile started laughing again. He was really a cunning boy.


    "Will you marry me?" she asked with a giggle.


    "No. I can only marry someone as smart as Adrianna or else I would destroy you soon in the marriage," he answered coldly.


    Lile felt a stab in her heart. "She is no more!"


    "I will wait for more like her," he replied, though in his heart he knew that she was the only one of her kind. He hated Dmitri all the more.


    The ministry people started leaving one by one. Those who knew that now it was hopeless to think that she would come back. Adrianna was lost in the sea forever. They wouldn''t be able to find her body too. Dmitri had become numb with pain. Ed had tears running out of his eyes. For Cora, it was a huge loss. She had just started getting close to Adrianna.


    Lile could see the shore only a few miles away. She increased her pace. "Well, if you want, I am always there Zephyr," she said. The shore was a few kilometers away now and she thought that she should change back to her shape.


    Suddenly from the opposite side, she saw a large whale coming towards them. "Whale!" she shouted. Zephyr became alert.


    She looked at the mammal emerging in front and as it emerged, she saw Adrianna standing on it and riding it. She had her wand pointed towards her.

 Chapter 316 - Third Stage Of The Competition (21)

    Lile was talking to Zephyr when all of a sudden a whale emerged from the waters. The whale had brought her upper body out of the water majestically and it splashed a large amount of water that caused ripples over a large surface area. It was a huge hundred feet long mammal. Right on its head, Adrianna was standing. The whaled steered in their direction in such a way that Lile became nervous. It flipped its fins and then entered the water with a great force and high velocity. Adrianna went down in water with her. Lile panicked. "Zephyr, Adrianna is riding a whale! What do we do?"


    "Swim fast to the shore! The whale won''t be able to go to the shores. It needs deep waters to stay," he replied almost panicking himself.


    They had just thought that they had defeated her and killed her, when she came back again. Zephyr was agitated beyond words.


    ----


    In the audience, when some ministry people were about to leave with a snicker on their faces, Isidorus was feeling very sad. He also started to get up and leave and was about to exit the special arena where they were all seated, when he heard the crowd cheering. He looked back at them and then his gaze fell in the segment. A smile could be seen on Isidorus face and before anyone could even speak a word for him to return, he rushed back to his chair and sat there as his eyes fixed on his favorite person. That girl had tenacity and the will to fight back and give it back to them. The ministry people who had started going became frustrated. They came back slowly one by one.


    Dmitri, who had sank in the chair with a heavy heart, jumped out of it and shouted, "Adri! I love you!"


    Everyone else in the crowd started shouting with him. "Adri! I love you!"


    He growled and snarled at them but nothing was heard. They all cheered Adrianna so much that eventually he started laughing. Both Ed and Cora started laughing too. Ed wiped his tears. That was the only grandchild left as his descendent. And what a child?


    ---


    Lile started swimming towards the shore with greater speed. Even though she was a dragon now, her speed was no match to the mammal that was closing in on her. She cursed herself for talking away to Zephyr for so long and swim in victory instead of going to the shore earlier.


    Once again the whale emerged from the water and this time Adrianna was sitting on her head. Her wand had already cast the spell, which struck Lile with a huge bolt. Adrianna knew that if she broke the rules, she would be disqualified. So the electricity that she sent towards Lile''s way was just enough to reduce her speed.


    "Ahhhhhh!" Lile shouted as the electricity hit her fins. There was current all around her body.


    The current was enough for her force Zephyr back to his body. Adrianna had detected that Zephyr was there in her cell.


    When the current hit Lile''s body, Zephyr was the one who got the maximum shock. He shouted so loudly in her cell that it deafened her ears. Both of them were in a lot of pain. The speed reduced.


    "Should I change back to my original body?" she asked.


    "Try to think something on your own you stupid girl!" shouted Zephyr. "Don''t work on borrowed thinking all the time!"


    Lile gritted her teeth. She decided to stay in the dragon form and swam as fast as her body allowed. The whale in front of her disappeared in the water again. Lile took advantage and used full power of all her fins to propel. She noticed that the whale had not emerged out of the water for more than a minute. Did Adrianna slip from it? Feeling encouraged, she went ahead with energy.


    Suddenly, she felt a lot of movements beneath her. The water swelled and this time the whale came just below her and knocked her out of the water with a huge force.


    Adrianna had slipped from the whale''s body and was now holding its fin when the collision occurred.


    Lile was thrown up in the air several feet high. Zephyr couldn''t bear the shock and he had to leave Lile''s cell. She was on her own now.


    Lile came crashing down in the water, her soft blue belly getting the maximum impact. "Nooooo!" she cried in pain. She hated Zephyr for leaving her in the middle of it.


    The whale was unrelenting. As soon as Lile came down crashing water, it struck her again sending her up in the air again. In that moment she realized the big mistake of not converting back to her original body. The whale could easily identify her target. But how was Adrianna managing a huge whale like that?


    Lile came down crashing in water on her back this time and again shouted in pain. This time she didn''t take a chance and as soon as she entered the water, she came back to her original self. Under the water when she came to her original self and looked up, she saw herself staring right at Adrianna who was patiently waiting for her with her wand pointed at her.


    ---


    When Adrianna was swimming towards the small island that she had seen in the far distance, she had conveyed to the animals around to find someone big enough to carry her there as fast as possible. The message reached the biggest mammal and she had come to her rescue, but by that time Adrianna was getting hit by Lile. As soon as Lile had hit the surface of the water, she thought that she had killed Adrianna but in fact Adrianna was being dragged below water by the mammal. The whale scolded Adrianna for not calling her as soon as she had come to the sea. She had taken Adrianna far away from Lile to plan out the attack.


    ---


    Lile also took her wand out. Adrianna was ready to cast her spell, when suddenly Lile flipped out of the water and created her portal. Adrianna also went after her and followed her inside it. She was one the verge of exploding with anger.


    They walked in the last terrain �C the mountains covered in snow.

 Chapter 317 - Third Stage Of The Competition (22)

    When Adrianna entered through the next portal, she found herself surrounded on a mountainous terrain all covered in snow. Everywhere she looked, there were peaks of tall mountains all covered in layers of snow. She used her wand to dry herself and quickly wear something warm in order to trap heat around her body. She looked around to see if Lile was anywhere, but she wasn''t.


    When Adrianna realized that Zephyr was in Lile''s cell, she had to get him out of her cell. She didn''t know how but the plan to get him out of her cell came to her naturally. With him gone, it would be easy to tackle her. She was happy that Zephyr couldn''t really do anything against her in the maze too.


    She walked forward in the snow. It was very difficult to walk over there but she decided to walk up the mountain rather than going down. It had been two days since they were in the competition. She missed home, she missed the werewolf realm, she missed Dmitri and she missed Ed. When this would all get over, she would go back to the werewolf realm and go on a small vacation with Dmitri �C to his hideout, where no one would find them. He had said he had many hideouts in the forest.


    She kept walking for an hour but there was nothing where she could take shelter. The sun was going down the horizon and in the mountains it went down faster. She needed to look for a shelter or cave soon. She continued her journey forward. Suddenly she saw a small brownish outcrop in the mountain a few meters away from her. She was so tired but when she saw that, she went towards it excitedly. Perhaps it was a small opening where she would stay and spend the night.


    She lit her wand as a torch and as she neared it, she saw that the opening was not that small. She entered it and was surprised to find that it was a cave. The rocky outcrop was guarding the entrance, which was jagged and uneven. If it had been night, she could have easily missed the entrance.


    She smiled at her luck and stepped in. It was a dark cave and she walked on the small, loose stones that had littered the floor. She had to support her hand on the damp wall of the cave. In the light that broke the darkness around her, she could see stalactites, white in color hanging on the ceiling much above her. She kept walking inside to find a place to sleep. Ahead she could hear the sound of water dripping somewhere. When she went to find the source, she saw a small pool in the cave. It was surrounded in blackness and there no way she could tell how deep the pool would be so she kept away from it. Just across the pool there was another rock that was jutting out and that seemed to be the best place to sleep. Adrianna went there. She noticed that it was very plain and smooth ground and she opened her fur coat to lay it out there. She took a deep breath, and lied over there. She was so tired that she slept immediately.


    Adrianna didn''t know how long she had slept, when she heard a strange noise. It was as if the ground beneath her shook. She opened her eyes and got up immediately wondering whether it was an earthquake. Looking around the place, she noticed someone across the pool. She focused through her sleepy eyes. It was Lile standing with her wand pointed towards her. Lile threw another mild lighting bolt near her, which made her jump.


    "Are you mad?" shouted Adrianna. "If you do that the cave will get destroyed!"


    "Or you may get buried under the debris," she shouted with a murderous glint in her eyes.


    Adrianna jumped from her place as Lile sent another bolt her way. The rocky outcrop that was above her, shattered into pieces and fell on the floor. "How did she find her?" Adrianna wondered while she took her wand out. This time she dodged the bolt Lile sent her way across the pool. She had to get Lile out of the cave before due to her foolishness they both get buried inside the cave. Adrianna cast the spell to stupefy her but she deflected it.


    Suddenly there was a huge rumble from somewhere inside the cave. Both of them stopped for a moment and looked deeper inside the cave trying to see through the darkness but they couldn''t make out anything.


    Lile took advantage and once again she sent the bolt right next to Adrianna''s feet, which Adrianna deflected midway in the air over the pool. As the bolt fell in the water, a large amount splashed and spilled all around, making them both wet. The water was so chilly that for a moment for of them became still because their bodies and minds became numb.


    Before they could come to their senses, there was another rumble and the ground shook. They both looked back in the direction of the sound. "Run out!" shouted Adrianna thinking that there must be a beast inside that they had awakened. In the next moment Lile turned back and started running for her safety as Adrianna also followed her. As soon as they neared the cave entrance, they heard a roar. Mountain lion! They ran out as fast as possible but before they could even get out, a loud, almost deafening roar was heard right behind them.


    Both of them looked back. "Yeti!" shouted Lile. It seemed they had awakened a Yeti from its hibernation. That cave was its place of dwelling.


    They looked at each other and then again at the twenty feet tall Yeti who was looking at them as though it was looking at its prey. As soon as he took his first step forward, the two of them dashed out of the entrance. The Yeti followed them.


    But what Adrianna faced next was beyond shock!

 Chapter 318 - Third Stage Of The Competition (23)

    Adrianna and Lile ran out of the cave as fast as they could. The snow was knee-deep and it wasn''t easy for them to run down the slope but both still managed it somehow. It being the home ground for Yeti, he managed to walk through it easily. Lile already had the advantage of running ahead of Adrianna.


    Adrianna saw that Lile had gained almost fifty meters distance from her and the Yeti was now very far behind. Suddenly, Lile turned and sent a large bolt of lighting at her shouting, "Lux Caecor!" The lighting that was emitted from her wand was in the form of serrated electricity that was not only supposed to numb her but even blind her. Adrianna was shocked beyond words. From the front Lile was attacking her and from the back it was Yeti. She was sandwiched between the two strong foes.


    Adrianna deflected the spell efficiently in a way that it went and landed on the ice nearby leaving a large hole in the snow. Lile sent another one of the same spells towards her way to stop her. Her strategy was that if Adrianna got struck with the spell, it would be easy to take her down and at the same time, Yeti would attack its prey. Being awakened from its slumber, Yeti was very hungry. It was advancing towards Adrianna with large strides and great speed.


    Every time Lile would send the spell her way, Adrianna would deflect. Adrianna was scared that if the spell went and hit Yeti it would die.


    Once again Lile started running because Adrianna was deflecting the spells while running towards her and the distance between them became smaller. After a few meters, instead of going downwards, the mountains around started rising up. Lile looked around to see if there was any place from where she could run down, but everywhere the direction only sloped up. Suddenly an idea came to her and she stopped. As she stopped, she looked at Adrianna and closed her eyes. When she opened then, she released a huge ball from her wand and sent it her way.


    Adrianna dodged it with agility, but she saw that Lile was now sending bundles of red fireballs towards her. She dodged them but one of hit the Yeti. The fireball was so potential that when it hit the Yeti, he sank his knees to the ground wincing in pain. Adrianna saw it and stood frozen over there. In the next instant she saw that Lile had run away further up.


    Lile wanted Adrianna to stop and be hit by the red fireballs so that she became Yeti''s prey. However, something she hadn''t anticipated happened. The Yeti got hit, which meant that now Adrianna was safe from its wrath. "Shit!" she cursed and then started running away from them. She was hoping to find a place to go downwards beyond the plateau that she could see a few meters ahead now.


    She saw that Adrianna had actually stopped. She was looking at the Yeti. Then she looked up towards her. She was looking so furious that for once Lile got scared. She picked up the pace to go higher the slope. Once she reached up, she saw that it was a small plateau hardly hundred feet wide. She ran towards the opposite side feeling happy that she would do down the slope on the opposite side away from Adrianna.


    ---


    Ever since Lile had entered the portal, she was in a lot of pain. The whale had hit her with a huge force. Had she been in her original form, she would have died instantly. It was her dragon form that saved her but even then the pain she had experienced the previous night was just too much. At one point of time she wanted to quit the competition and go back but then she knew if she did that, her entire family would hunt her and kill her. It was either get killed in this competition or get killed by her family. Her father had been personally teaching her all the spells. Being staunch followers of Vikra, they knew that this was the only way to get him back. She had to kill Adrianna. But she was turning out to be quite a formidable one. It was impossible to defeat. Adrianna had sent Zephyr out of her cell.


    With all those thoughts in mind, she ran faster. She wanted to survive and gain some strength before attacking or being attacked by Adrianna. She took out another bottle of potion and drank the liquid inside. This was her last. She had drunk one the previous night and somehow survived the chill of the night after finding a small hole hidden inside one of the mountains. It was during the break of the dawn that she realized just a few meters away was a cave entrance. Cursing her luck, she had entered the cave only to rest but her plan changed the moment she saw Adrianna sleeping. She attacked her in her sleep, but things were working out.


    ---


    Lile had run over the plateau and nearing the edge, when she heard a familiar roar. She was only twenty feet away from the edge. Scared, she looked back while running, and found that Adrianna was running towards her followed by the Yeti. Getting exasperated by the chase, Lile suddenly pointed her wand towards the ground a little further away and chanted, "Vrakhas Azadea!" Her wand emitted large amount of energy and hit the white ground some ten feet in front of her. The ground immediately cracked up and a gorge was created between her and Adrianna. Adrianna stopped there and to Lile''s surprise the Yeti came and stood next to her. He didn''t attack her! He came and stood right next to her! Without giving it much thought, she ran towards the edge.


    Adrianna saw the gorge widening to almost ten feet. Suddenly, before she would use her magic to cross the gorge, she was lifted in the air. The Yeti had lifted her in the air, made her sit on his shoulder and crossed the gorge in one small jump.


    Lile had run to the edge but to her horror, she found that the other side of the plateau was a vertical fall. There was no slope.

 Chapter 319 - Third Stage Of The Competition (24)

    Lile had started running towards the edge of the plateau after she had created the gorge between herself and Adrianna but she was not prepared about the fact that the Yeti would jump over the gorge. The gorge was too wide and very deep. She just wanted to run away from there and buy time to build her strategy.


    The Yeti lifted Adrianna from his shoulders and placed her softly on the ground. Adrianna created a protective spell around him because he was the only person who would be harmed against Lile''s attack. Lile had been throwing one spell after the other on him. He was disgusted at Lile and started walking towards her with large strides. Adrianna also ran as fast as she could so that she wouldn''t lose Lile.


    But Lile couldn''t run once she neared the edge. She stared at the vertical fall. If she took that, it would mean Adrianna''s victory. The nearest mountain was several hundred meters away. Seeing Adrianna nearing her, Lile started running along the edge to increase the distance between her. Getting angry, Adrianna pointed her wand towards her to send white lighting, which would have tied her up tightly. However, Lile dodged that light and ran ahead. The Yeti had gone too far ahead to catch Lile and Lile wondered as to how could the Yeti escape her spell. Had that been a human, he or she would have died instantly.


    ---


    When Lile had thrown the red fireballs at Adrianna, one of them had hit the Yeti on the chest. He had fallen on his knees and was in tremendous pain. It was at that time, Adrianna mentally communicated with him. She assured him that if he allowed, she would heal him immediately. At first the Yeti had roared, but later when he could bear the pain, he looked at her with pitiful eyes. She went near him slowly with a lot of precautions. She had pacified him mentally to stay calm. The Yeti was surprised that she could even communicate with him.


    When she went near him, she took out a bottle of potion and gave it to him. The potion was so potent that he was soon partially healed. The wound was healed and fresh, tender skin showed instead of the burnt one. When Adrianna saw that the Yeti was in a better condition, she ran ahead to pursue Lile. Adrianna had run only a few meters in that snow that she saw the Yeti was following her. In his own way, he said thank you to her for saving him. Adrianna chuckled and ran forward.


    When they reached the slope, Adrianna was extremely angry to see Lile. She wanted to cast the spell but Lile created the gorge to distance herself. She was about to cast her spell on Lile that Yeti had picked her on his shoulders and she found herself jumping over the gorge.


    ---


    The Yeti roared and started running after Lile. He wanted to capture her and make her his food. He had run so fast that within a few seconds he was near Lile. He stopped right in front of her. Out of fear Lile threw spells at him, but none of them worked because he was protected. He looked at her with amazement and then bent forward to pick her up, but Lile stepped back. She was near the edge and her foot slipped. She lost her balance and rolled. Knowing that there was a vertical fall after that, somehow she managed to hold on to the edge by digging her wand in the snow and using that as anchor.


    The Yeti bent forward to pick her up but Adrianna came and stopped the Yeti. She looked at Lile and pointing her wand towards her said, "Surrender!"


    Lile shook her head. "It is not so easy Adrianna. You will never defeat me. I will never leave my wand. Kill me and then step over my body to win this competition," she replied as she clutched her wand.


    "You forget one thing Lile. The condition to win the finale of the third stage wasn''t to take your opponent''s wand, it was to make the opponent fall in the center and whoever fell their first would lose it," replied Adrianna with menacing expression.


    Lile looked at Adrianna with a shock. She shouted to trap Adrianna, "You pup, kill me!" She was scared to go back to face her family''s wrath. It would be better if Adrianna killed her. In that case she would be disqualified from the competition and Lile would emerge as the hero of the whole stage.


    "Do you know Lile that I can read people''s minds?"


    Lile stared at Adrianna. Her hands became sweaty.


    "I also have the ability to communicate with animals."


    Lile looked at the Yeti with wide eyes. He looked back at her with anger.


    Adrianna looked at the Yeti and said, "She is yours," and stepped back.


    "Nooooo!" shouted Lile.


    The Yeti stepped forward to grab Lile. Out of fear Lile left her wand and slipping off the edge. All they could hear was a painful scream.


    Adrianna and the Yeti stared at her. It was time for her to go back. She thanked Yeti, who was clearly looking very upset. Adrianna laughed at him. She snapped her fingers and out of nowhere, two deer came in front of him. As soon as they saw the Yeti, they started running and Yeti followed them to hunt them. Adrianna released her flare to come out of the competition arena.


    The crowd cheered in unison.


    This time it was Isidorus who came to take her out of the arena. He created a portal for his queen and held her hand to take her out of there. They stepped in the middle of the field where they found other ministry members clapping for Adrianna. Isidorus pointed his wand to the sky and removed the spell. The entire area got cleared of all the terrains and the green field below them appeared. It was as if it was always there.


    Adrianna saw that Lile was sitting in a corner sobbing crazily but no one paid attention to her. Suddenly out of nowhere, a battalion of soldiers appeared around her.

 Chapter 320 - Congratulations Wife!

    When Lile fell from the edge of the cliff, she thought she would die, but the vertical fall was in fact nothing but magic. She must have fallen no more than five feet in reality. She realized that she had lost the competition when she saw that she was in the center of the field in the middle of all terrains. She tried to climb back, but walls appeared everywhere preventing her to enter any terrain now. She started banging those walls shouting, "Let me in! The competition is not over!" but nothing happened. In the end, she sat down in the corner with her head low. Thinking about all the efforts she had taken to win and also how her family would treat her now, she started shivering out of fear. Suddenly she burst into crying loudly.


    The ministry had taken notice of all the cheating she had done. When the people came to know about Zephyr as to how he had entered her cell, they had sent soldiers to capture him. Had it anyone else in the competition other than Adrianna, they would have never come to know of their sneaky ways. It was Adrianna who could throw him out of Lile''s cell.


    When Adrianna was talking to Lile on the cliff''s edge, she asked the Yeti to take her down knowing the fact that if she wouldn''t leave the edge, the Yeti would eat her. That way Adrianna wouldn''t be responsible for her death and that would mean that she hadn''t broken the rules. She also knew that if Lile would leave the edge of the cliff, she would fall right in the center of the field because the ministry wouldn''t let that happen. It was check and mate for Lile. Adrianna had played her game perfectly.


    When she reached the center of field with Isidorus, the crowd went mad with cheer. They started shouting crazily. Isidorus removed the magic around the segment and it was the first time Adrianna listened to all of them. She saw Lile sitting in a corner, sobbing but didn''t pay much attention. The soldiers came and took her away as she protested. The crowd was floating banners and exploding firecrackers in excitement. They were shouting "Queen!"


    Dmitri, Ed, Cora, Howard, Liam and Fleur all stood up quietly. None of them had words to say. Dmitri could feel his chest expanding with pride. He looked at Adrianna and then at the crowd. His wife had defeated all odds despite being a new witch.


    It was time for the victory march. This time, when Adrianna mounted the broom, Isidorus also mounted his to take her around the field. For him it was sort of a power march. He had to show them all that the wizard kingdom has got their queen, their ruler. The most interesting part was that even the ministry members followed Adrianna and Isidorus in the power march. When Adrianna looked back while flying on her broom, she looked back and noticed that so many ministry members were following them. She was astonished as a smile broke on her face. She was extremely tired and wanted to sleep, but this show was important.


    Isidorus smiled at her when she looked back at the ministry members, "Let them come. They will come. Look forward to the public. You are their leader, and those behind you are your followers."


    Adrianna took a deep breath. She had to undergo so much ever since she had stepped in the kingdom. There were so many attempts to murder her or deceit her and at so many points she wanted to give up. But everything had come to a stop now, or was it a beginning of another time��


    The first thing she did was to look at her family. She wanted to go to them and turned her broom but Isidorus didn''t let her go. He urged her to first take that victory march.


    As Adrianna went around, the entire crowd became excited. They shouted and cheered her all along. All of them had stood up and clapped continuously. Their queen had come. They all wanted to see her sitting on the throne.


    When Adrianna''s victory march was over, and they reached the exit of the field, she found Mihr standing there along with Nefasky, whose head was still bandaged. She smiled at them and Mihr nodded.


    All the ministry members who were against her had disappeared from there. They were all planning to leave the kingdom as soon as possible fearing that they might get caught. However, before anyone of them could even leave, they were put in house arrests. Lile''s family was nowhere to be seen.


    Zephyr was taken as a prisoner. He had protested a lot and even tried his magic, but eventually he was caught.


    Isidorus left Adrianna saying, "We will crown you in two days. So sleep and rest as much as you want. After that you would hardly have time."


    Adrianna pursed her lips and then pleaded. "I need a week''s vacation. I have a lot of things planned with Dmitri in the werewolf realm."


    "Adrianna, you should know that now your safety is our utmost concern and you have to become the queen. If it were me, I would have put the crown on your head today but there is a ceremony that has to be followed. We have to call people from various realms to witness the ceremony. It is going to be something, which will be very tiring for you. So rest in the palace and don''t even think of going anywhere. None of your family can go until you are crowned."


    Adrianna sulked. All her dreams were shattered. She wanted her alone time with Dmitri. With a sad face of a teenager, she left the academy in her carriage. Fleur and her team proudly flew on their brooms back. While flying back they noticed that many people in the third realm were also flying with them but they were far below. However, just for precaution, Fleur created a spell beneath the team to make an invisible wall between the queen and those flying below. When Adrianna looked down, she waved at them inviting cheers once again.


    When the carriage stopped at home, Dmitri came running out. He picked his wife and twirled her round and round. "Congratulations wife!" he said with joy.


    ---


    Cy had looked at the dot, which Reese had shown him just outside the wizard kingdom. That was the most vulnerable point. Vikra watched him from far. "What do you think Cy?"


    "Let''s attack from here," he replied looking intently at it.


    Suddenly a messenger showed up. "Adrianna has won the competition!"

 Chapter 321 - I Think Its Time We Make Babies

    Vikra looked at the messenger and whispered in his unique style, "Get Lile''s father inside. He has done a good job."


    When Lile''s father came in, he fell in the feet of Vikra. "Oh great lord, forgive us. My daughter has failed you. I would have killed her myself, but they have captured her. Please have mercy on us!"


    Vikra put his bony toe under the chin of Lile''s father and made him stand up using that. "It is okay my child. I know you have worked hard. Tell me everything about the competition, right from the beginning." Vikra was interested in know how Adrianna won it despite such strong plan.


    ---


    Meanwhile the next day in the Royal Palace, Adrianna was relaxing in her bedroom. She was so tired that she didn''t even want to move a finger. It was 10AM in the morning and Dmitri had been waking her up from a long time but she would keep tossing and turning in her bed. Cora had prepared sumptuous dinner for her daughter-in-law and also got the best masseuse of the wizard kingdom to massage her. The entire therapy was so relaxing that Adrianna had slept at 8PM only, much to Dmitri''s disappointment.


    Cora had scolded Dmitri to stop her from resting, but Dmitri would wake her up every hour as he had woken up at 7AM and had so much to talk to her.


    It was at 11AM when he came and told her that there were five ministry members who were waiting to meet her in the main hall. Adrianna tossed again and rolled to the other side of the bed. Annoyed at her, Dmitri picked her up and took her to the bathroom. Amidst her protests, he brushed her teeth while filling water in the bathtub. He picked her to put her in the hot water. Once again Adrianna protested, but Dmitri wasn''t hearing. She was given a bath like baby and made to wear her usual clothes, jeans and a shirt.


    Dmitri dragged her to the main hall where there are ministry members were waiting with various gifts in order to congratulate her. Adrianna was surprised but she received them all with grace. After giving her the gifts, the members sat down for an hour and talked to her regarding the various ministry affairs that she was trying to understand because she did not know everything. Once those people left, more arrived. She got extremely tired. She didn''t even found time to rest in the afternoon.


    It was after 5PM that she finally found time to rest. Cora instructed all the guards to not let anyone come and see her for she was resting. Cora shook her head. She really had to teach Adrianna the ways of the kings and queens. Such a na?ve child she was.


    The crowing was supposed to take place the next day. Seeing that she wasn''t getting any moment to rest, Dmitri decided to take her to the werewolf kingdom against Isidorus'' wishes. So when the guards declared that Adrianna couldn''t meet any more people, Isidorus got the message immediately. He knew that the couple was up to some mischief again. Before he could even reach the palace, Adrianna and Dmitri had walked out of the portal into the werewolf realm. Isidorus was mad.


    Even though Fleur was around them all the time in the werewolf kingdom, the leaf of the tree in her palm pained a lot. Isidorus was reminding her that she better be careful about their safety or else she would be punished severely. Fleur became nervous.


    No one could know the whereabouts of the royal couple. Cora and Ed wanted to follow their kids, but Isidorus made them stay back in the kingdom in order for it to appear that Adrianna and Dmitri were still in the palace. Isidorus sent additional forces to create a layer of security around them.


    When they reached the werewolf kingdom, they walked directly into their bedroom. Adrianna was so happy that she ran and crashed on her side of the bed. Dmitri also went and lied down beside her. "Adri, I was thinking something��"


    "What is it Dmitri?" she asked lazily burying her face into her pillow.


    "Do you want to spend an evening out in the forest? I have a beautiful place that I am yet to show you," he asked turning his face towards her.


    Adrianna chuckled. "Sure! Let us go now!"


    "But there are so many guards around," he lamented. "They would report and you will be restricted.


    "Don''t worry about that darling! Tell me where do we have to go," she asked.


    "I have to lead you to that place. I can only tell the direction once we are out of the pack''s territory."


    "Hmm�� that''s easy," she said and held his hand. As soon as she held his hand, they got sucked in a vortex and appeared out of the pack''s territory. Adrianna laughed looking at Dmitri''s shocked expression. "What do we do now?" she asked.


    Dmitri laughed and ran towards the jungle while Adrianna watched him. He shape shifted and waited for her to shape shift. She also shape shifted and together they ran inside the jungle. Two wolves �C one with his soft grey fur and the other with her golden yellow fur were seen running side by side without a worry in the world. They played with each other as they moved ahead. After running for another half an hour, they reached the foot of a small hillock. Its lush vegetation was looking black under the moonlight. The stars had lit the sky and Adrianna could see the galaxy above. Dmitri shape shifted while Adrianna trotted beside him until they reached a small cave hidden in the foot of the hill.


    Adrianna also shape shifted and she looked around the cave. It was dark. "Can you light it?" he asked.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers and the cave lighted as thousands of fireflies shown inside. As they walked in, Adrianna saw how beautiful the cave was from inside. Dmitri had created a lovely fragrant garden with lush green grass to sleep on all sides.


    She wanted to go and sleep on the thickest grass.


    "Let''s go to the top of the hillock," he said as soon as she walked to the grass. "I want to show you something."


    Adrianna smiled. She had been craving for this small honeymoon with her husband after the competition and was afraid that now she would never get a chance. However, as fate would have it, she was there with him, alone�� She held his hand and the two of them again shape shifted to reach the top. Dmitri came to his human form. He kept his hand over her furry head and sat down. He cuddled her and then pointed at the sky. "Adri, isn''t that beautiful��"


    Adrianna shape shifted and looked at the sky. He pulled her on him and together they lied down with Adrianna over Dmitri as they looked towards the sky and felt the comforting coolness around them. It was such a blissful moment that neither of them spoke anything. They only mentally communicated, if they had to. Dmitri circled his arms around his wife. "I think it''s time we make babies, Adri��"


    Adrianna turned around on him and kissed his lips. Dmitri slipped his hand inside her shirt and��

 Chapter 322 - The Crowning (1)

    Dmitri slipped his hand inside her shirt and opened her bra. In one swift movement he rolled and pinned her beneath him. He opened the buttons of her shirt and then removed it, but didn''t take it out, instead tied her hand above her. Dmitri looked at his wife''s fair skin and rubbed his hands over her soft breasts. He squeezed them and then pinched the nipples. "Ah!" she cried as her back bucked. He went down to open her jeans and once again instead of opening it completely, he tied her legs with it.


    The moonlight that fell on her skin shone it brilliantly. Adrianna was so happy that she started glowing. Her glow spread around her so brilliantly that even Dmitri was sheathed in it. He bent down to kiss her between her thighs and she closed her eyes. Dmitri removed his clothes and then devoured her to his heart''s content before rolling her on her side and thrusting inside from behind. That was just the beginning. Dmitri picked his wife on his shoulder and carried her inside the cave where they continued making love. It was as if they had found each other after a long time.


    It was late in the night when the two of them slept with Adrianna sleeping over Dmitri. It had been ages since they had spent time alone with each other without any intrusion and it was so magical that neither of them wanted to wake up. It was early in the morning when the birds started chirping and Adrianna heard them talking to each other that she had to wake up reluctantly. She looked at her naked Dmitri and rolled off him. He stirred a little and opened his eyes.


    "We have to go back before people start getting suspicious," she said as she got up to wear her clothes.


    "I don''t want to go," Dmitri said and turned his back on her.


    Adrianna didn''t know what to do with him, so she just held his hand and the two of them got sucked in the vortex. The next moment Dmitri found himself on the bed of his bedroom. He smiled and said, "Ah! The perks of having a witch as your wife." Saying that he rolled on his tummy and went off to sleep all over again. Looking at him, Adrianna also slept beside him.


    It was 9AM when Fleur''s leaf in the hand started burning with pain. She had spent the night with Liam and was having her breakfast at that time with him. The pain was so intense that she groaned and closed her fist. "What is it Fleur?" asked Liam feeling nervous.


    "I have to go, Liam. Isidorus has asked me to come back soon."


    "How are things going to work from now on Fleur?" asked Liam wondering how would the two of them even meet if Fleur becomes Adrianna''s personal bodyguard.


    "I don''t know darling," replied Fleur feeling sad. It was painful to stay away from Liam for a long time.


    Liam rushed to her side and sat on a chair there. He picked her up in his lap and stroked her cheeks. "Please don''t feel sad. It makes me cry in pain."


    Fleyr looked at him and circled her hands around his neck. "Okay��" she kissed him lightly on his lips. "I have to go now."


    "Hmm," Liam released her from his embrace. He had to find a way to keep her with him. Would Isidorus release Fleur from her job?


    Fleur walked inside the manor through her portal. She went to their bedroom and knocked it hard. Adrianna and Dmitri woke up with a startle.


    "Wake up Adrianna! We have to go back. Today is your crowning in case you have forgotten!" Fleur shouted from the outside in agitation.


    Adrianna jumped out of the bed. Half an hour later the two of them walked inside the Royal Palace where the servants were waiting for them. When the servants saw how casually the king and queen were dressed, the head of the servants pursed his lips. He shook his head and ordered them to take the couple to the changing rooms. Both of them were taken to separate rooms.


    Adrianna was made to wear a raw silk gown �C its red skirt was embellished with maple leaves that were made of golden beads and diamonds. The gown was plain red silk below the waist while cr��me on the bodice. The maple leaves in the center highlighted her waist. It had short sleeves with a round neck. Over it, Adrianna had to wear a white robe. Her jewelry consisted of a diamond necklace and earrings, which Dmitri had bought for her. Her hair was tied in a neat plait. She looked beautiful and magnificent. When she came out, she saw that Dmitri was dressed in a black tuxedo. He looked even more handsome. She smiled at him and together the two of them walked out of the changing rooms towards the main hall.


    As soon as they came out, the guards surrounded them. They were guided to the noble court where the crowning had to be done.


    When Adrianna walked inside the noble court, she saw that there were many people who were present over there. Isidorus had invited a number of important dignitaries from all across the realms. This was because the crowning of the most powerful person on the face of earth had to be witnessed essentially.


    As Adrianna walked in, she noticed that all people were sitting around in a circle and they all stood up from their chairs. All of them bowed their heads to the power couple. Adrianna felt awkward and lowered her head. Dmitri communicated her mentally, "Look up Adri and nod at them slightly."


    Adrianna sheepishly looked up and plastered a small smile on her lips as she looked at everyone around. Suddenly she noticed a familiar figure. She was shocked and stared at him. Niiya''s father smiled back at her. She nodded at him and realized that he was there from the human realm. So did that mean he was representing the human realm? She remembered that Ed had mentioned as to a person from the human realm was the Chairman of the council. Was he that man? Adrianna''s eyes became wide with shock.

 Chapter 323 - The Crowning (2)

    As Adrianna walked further in the throne hall, she noticed that ministry members who were dead against her were also present in the audience. She walked over towards the throne, which was on a raised platform with three steps under a canopy.


    The throne hall mesmerized Dmitri. Intricate gold patterns snaked the sloped ceiling with stone effigies staring down at the positively sparkling marble floor. Bright torches illuminated the ivory rug leading to the throne that was flanked by smaller red carpets on either sides. Walls were decorated by emblazoned lacery banners which had beautiful nature images. Between each banner there were large candlesticks in gold, which were lighting the images. Glass stained windows were neighbored by huge drapes of ivory color. Each and every curtain was adorned with beautiful jewels and tassels.


    The throne that was in the raised platform was a grandiose gold throne that sat in front of a giant painting of the kingdom. It was covered with sacred patterns. There was a lotus flower that was fixed on each of its thick feet. All the guests were sitting on bulky chairs, which were aligned in two rows facing each other. It seemed that those with higher ranking sat close to the throne.


    Adrianna took a deep breath and walked forward to climb the steps of the throne while Dmitri was guided by Fleur to sit on a bulky chair on the right side of the throne. Everyone else sat down and took their places.


    When Adrianna was in front of the throne, she couldn''t help admiring the grandiose of it. Isidorus was standing there on the right side of the throne. He bowed at her. As soon as Adrianna stepped to sit on the throne, it disappeared. She was stunned and looked at Isidorus. Did the throne already reject her? Was the entire struggle to reach that place in vain? Suddenly she saw that a chair appeared on the side of the throne. Isidorus asked her to sit over there.


    When Adrianna sat there, she looked up at Isidorus. Instead of the throne why was she sitting in that chair? She was confused.


    She saw Isidorus closing his eyes. "I summon the crown to appear and test the candidate who has claimed to be its rightful owner."


    According to a legend, the crown locked itself in a golden cage that was invisible just behind the throne. It could only be summoned by Isidorus or the rulers of the kingdom. Once it was out of the golden cage, only Isidorus or the rulers could touch it.


    When Zephyr had planned to bury the original crown, he had thought that once it was in Isidorus'' hands, he would snatch it from him and bury it. What Zephyr didn''t know was that the crown disappeared on even the slightest threat to it.


    Once Isidorus summoned the crown, a golden cage behind the throne appeared. It was a small cage where only the crown could fit. Isidorus took a gold chain out from his neck, which had a key to it. He used that key to open the cage and the crown came out on its own. Its beauty captivated Adrianna and Dmitri. Adrianna could feel as if the crown was live.


    The gold crown was two inches high on all sides. There were seven oval gems that were collected from across the world and fixed in it in a line. On all sides there were diamonds that lined the crown.


    Isidorus took the crown in his hands and said, "If this crown accepts you, you will get to sit on the throne. If not, you might end up becoming mentally sick for the rest of your life."


    Adrianna was only looking at crown. She felt unnatural, unexplained attraction towards it. Perhaps all the candidates that looked at it, were attracted to it. What was that charm that was pulling her to it? It was as if she was ready to plunge herself into eternal abyss only to have that crown.


    Isidorus looked at her. He had seen similar emotions earlier also. He broke her reverie and asked, "Are you ready?"


    Adrianna nodded heavily. She couldn''t wait for the crown to sit on her head.


    Dmitri became nervous when Isidorus asked Adrianna as to whether she was ready. He stood from his chair on an impulse and mentally communicated to her, "I am not ready! Adri, we don''t need this. Let''s go back!"


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri with a lot of affection and replied, "We have worked so hard to reach this moment Dmitri. Please let me go for it." Her lure for the crown was growing by the minute. While she was getting impatient, Dmitri''s hands became sweaty. He could feel her lust for the crown in his heart. He sat down reluctantly knowing that there was no power in the world, which could stop her from accepting the crown now.


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus. He came forward and placed the crown on her head. Adrianna closed her eyes as though she got immense satisfaction in her heart and her journey of life had achieved its destination. She hadn''t realized but the crown was now taking the shape of her head. It did that so softly that it added to Adrianna''s comfort. It started clutching her. First, it softly clutched her head and then slowly the grip intensified.


    Adrianna, who was earlier feeling almost cathartic, could now feel the grip. She opened her eyes as to what was happening. She took her hands to remove the crown, but she couldn''t. Everyone in the audience was looking at her with baited breath. The grip tightened and she could now feel the pain. Why was it hurting her when all she could feel was love for it? She bore the pain for some time.


    The audience had seen previous candidates who had staked the claim to the crown shouting and howling in pain within a few seconds but Adrianna seemed to be bearing it calmly.


    Now the crown had clutched so tightly that it was almost bone crushing. Adrianna shouted in pain. "Aaaaaa! Remove it!" The pain was so intense that she thought her head would explode into hundreds of pieces. She screamed, "Noooooo!"

 Chapter 324 - The Crowning (3)

    The pain was extremely unbearable for Adrianna and she tried to remove the crown from her head. Dmitri could feel her pain. He became anxious and his skin lined with goose bumps. He got up from his place and ran to her to help her get out of the clutches of the crown, but as soon as he was just a few feet away from where Adrianna was sitting, an invisible force threw him back and he landed on the ivory rug. "Adriannaaaa!" he cried.


    He stretched his hand for her when he heard a voice hissing in his mind, "She is miiineeee! Don''t you dare touch herrr!"


    Dmitri was shocked as to whose voice was this. He looked at Isidorus with a plea in his eyes but Isidorus looked stoically at him. Isidorus turned his gaze to Adrianna who was still struggling with the excruciating pain. Fleur came to Dmitri and requested him to sit back in his chair, even though she was also extremely worried.


    Suddenly, Adrianna felt as though something was floating around her mind �C something that was like a cold fluid. It was bumping around her brain creating more pain. She cried louder and wondered if she would be able to survive this ordeal. "Leave me!" she begged the crown as tears ran out of her eyes. She could feel her mind getting lost in a thick mist.


    She felt metallic taste in her mouth and unexpectedly her nose started bleeding. Feeling her pain Dmitri got up once again and cried, "Leave her!" Qnce again he tried to go near her, but was thrown back with a fiercer force further away.


    Everyone watched Adrianna in stunned silence. No one dared to even move a finger. All her reactions were absolutely new. The crown did not cause so much pain in all the previous rulers as much as it was causing to Adrianna. It was as if it was hell bent on killing her. If the ordeal continued, Adrianna would actually get killed soon. Her pain, her cries were so loud that their souls shook. Suddenly, they saw that Adrianna was surrounded in a thick mist. No one could see her. Even Isidorus had to step aside.


    Adrianna had closed her eyes as she was bearing the pain when she heard someone calling her name, "Adriannaaaa��" The voice was soft and whispery.


    "Who is there?" she asked holding her crown.


    "Your touch is gentle��" the voice answered back.


    When Adrianna opened her eyes, she found herself in her cell. Inside she saw a very handsome, god-like man. Her pain vanished and the thick mist in her mind cleared. Adrianna kept looking at the man in front of her, mesmerized and awe-struck. Looking like a God, he had thick long golden hair, very muscular body and very beautiful deep black eyes. He was glowing all over.


    "Who are you?" asked Adrianna flabbergasted, as she stood in the whiteness of her cell.


    "Your cell is spotless�� so white�� I would love to live here��" replied the man.


    Adrianna was scared for a moment because she knew that the man was speaking the truth. It was as if he was informing her or foreboding her��


    "Who are you?" she repeated her question as she walked slowly towards him.


    He looked at her and covered the distance between them. Stroking her hair, he said in a husky voice, "I am the Crown."


    Amazed, Adrianna looked in his deep eyes and felt as though she was getting hypnotized by him. He extended his hand to her and she held it. Closing his large hand around her smaller ones, he walked a little further in her cell. She looked up at him captivated by his presence and aura. She started glowing.


    He smiled as he felt her glow and said, "I was the first king of the wizard kingdom. Over the thousands of years of its existence, I now live as the Crown. In order to become the ruler of this world, one has to pass my test. I look around the cells to find out everything about you. In case I find flaws, I reject them immediately."


    "Is something wrong with me?" she asked with a surprise and fear.


    The Crown laughed and said, "Adrianna, don''t be surprised. I had waited for you for a long time�� Your cell is spotless and there is no flaw in you. And that is why I am going to live here now. I accept you as the new ruler of the Wizard Kingdom."


    Adrianna stopped walking with him and looked at him with unblinking eyes. He laughed again. "But I have to warn you that people have become extremely power-thirsty after having me in their cell. They have killed mercilessly to rule. If I feel that you are going awry in your decisions or becoming blind by the power, I will punish you. Vikra is one such case. So be careful. Be wise and I shall always remain with you."


    Adrianna felt comfortable now. He kept his hands on her shoulders and said, "My Queen, together we will rule the Wizard Kingdom!" Saying that he embraced Adrianna.


    "Together?" asked Adrianna now very confused.


    "Of course! I am a part of you now. Since your body has accepted my metal. I will always remain in your in active or dormant stage. Once you will wear the crown, I will become active and you will have me near you always but once you will remove it, I will become dormant. Remember one thing �C The moment you wear the crown, I will now allow anyone to come near you for I am very possessive. Even Dmitri can''t come near you. He is your husband but when you will wear the crown, he will not sit next to you. He would sit on a separate chair next to the throne. For me all are equal in this world."


    Adrianna was astonished. She argued, "He is my husband, my soul mate."


    "Yes, but I am a part of you��" he said, meaning that he was even more important. "And do you know one thing?"


    "What..."


    "You are my direct descendent. The first of its kind with the strongest powers, even stronger than mine. Do you now know why do you glow when you are happy?"


    Adrianna gaped at him. He glowed when she met him for the first few moments ago. The Crown laughed, kissed her forehead and vanished leaving her alone in the cell.

 Chapter 325 - All Hail, The Queen!

    Adrianna went after him as she walked a little further in her cell. She had so many questions to ask him but he wasn''t to be seen anywhere. She did not have any other option. She came back to consciousness on the chair. Adrianna opened her eyes and she saw the mist around her started clearing.


    All the guests saw a crowned Adrianna who had opened her eyes, which were now golden yellow in color. They were stunned. She was glowing, and with the crown on her head, she looked like a goddess. It was the first time that ministers and Isidorus had experienced this kind of crowning. There were legends that the first ruler glowed when he wore that crown, which was thousands of years back but it was the first time that they had seen a current ruler with that legendary aura around her. She glowed so much that she looked like a star in the sky. Isidorus stepped back further, scared that he would get burnt in her radiance. Suddenly, a scepter appeared from nowhere in Adrianna''s hands.


    Dmitri was shocked and nervous at the way his wife appeared. He tried to communicate with her mentally. "Adri��"


    "I am there��" came a reassuring reply even though it caused her a slight headache.


    Looking extremely fierce with her golden yellow eyes, Adrianna got up from the chair. She could see people around her but in a different manner. She realized that she was now seeing the world through the eyes of the crown. People appeared as though they had an extra layer of luminosity around them. Some of them had a thick layer while some had thinner layers. What was that layer about?


    "That layer of light around them is their energy. There are a number of things that you can come to know about that person with just this layer," said the Crown.


    All of a sudden, there was a huge cheer from the audience, "All Hail, The Queen!" The voices were coming like echoes. Everyone seemed excited.


    With the crown on her head, it was like having two heads on her shoulders. Every sense was enhanced. Since Adrianna was a half werewolf, and already had heightened senses, the outcome was even more phenomenal. She looked around at each and every member in a different perspective now. She heard a voice inside her mind, "Do you feel the difference Adrianna? We are now two people in one body."


    People cheered once again, "My Queen!" Everyone was enthusiastic that the crown had accepted Adrianna. It was one of the most exhilarating events of their life.


    Adrianna turned to sit on the throne, which had appeared again. She looked at it and felt attracted it. "My seat��" she heard that voice again.


    Isidorus looked at her with a satisfied smile and invited her to sit on the throne. "My Queen, the throne awaits you," he said as he bowed. Adrianna looked at him with a stern face and sat on the throne with her scepter that rested on her lap.


    Immediately, outside the palace, a hundred doves were released which was a symbol that the crown had accepted the candidate who was claiming it. Adrianna was the new Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. There was jubilation in the entire Kingdom.


    When Adrianna sat on the throne, she looked around once again at everybody. She could feel that everyone was the same in her eyes. There was no regard to the status, age, relation or friendship. All that mattered was the fact that she had to stay unbiased. When her gaze fell on Dmitri, she found herself feeling thankful to him. He was the only man out of so many whose heartbeats she could see. Her glow increased and her golden yellow eyes became soft.


    Isidorus followed at Adrianna''s gaze. He went to Dmitri and invited him to sit on the throne along with Adrianna. Feeling extremely proud of his wife, Dmitri walked to the throne. However, he was surprised when he found himself kneeling in front of her. She touched his shoulder with the scepter. Dmitri was shocked to what was happening. Which was this invisible force that was subjecting him to kneel down in front of Adrianna?


    Once she touched him with the scepter, he was forced to stand. He looked up at her. Suddenly he saw that another smaller throne appeared on the left side of Adrianna. Isidorus guided him to sit on that throne. Dmitri walked over there.


    Dmitri looked at his wife proudly and then towards the audience. Even though he could feel that there was something very different about her, he didn''t show it on the face. The moment that he was waiting for had arrived. He had seen Adrianna suffering so much over the past few months because of her family or friends that he could never imagine that the nineteen year old girl sitting there on the throne would one day become the queen of the Wizard Kingdom, a kingdom where people were scared to go, a place which was considered to be the most powerful place. All those hardships, all those days filled with worry and all that nervousness was now over. However, with power came the responsibility and he could feel that Adrianna was already up to face the new challenges in her life. But now how would they rule the two kingdoms, each with their responsibilties?


    Once Adrianna settled on the throne, one by one everyone came and kissed her hand to accept her as their queen. The gifts that they had brought with them appeared one by one as they kissed her hand. Adrianna touched those gifts and they disappeared.


    Adrianna noticed that Isidorus was standing on her right side, below the platform. He looked immensely satisfied. The goal was achieved and now the enemies of the Wizard Kingdom would back down.


    ---


    Meanwhile, Cy recruited an army of neotides who had to collect in the area that was identified by Reese right outside the third level of the Wizard Kingdom. He couldn''t wait to strike.


    "How long will it take us to get there?" asked Reese.


    "Two days��" replied Vikra.


    Before they could talk more, once again a messenger appeared. "My Lord!" he said. The news that he gave cost him his life.

 Chapter 326 - Weak Spot

    Vikra had been going through a all the plans and strategies that Cy had presented before him. Reese was sent by Vikra to inspect each and every nook and corner outside Wizard Kingdom in order to strike the area, which was the weakest point. Reese had spent many a nights just to find that spot. She had drawn the maps on papers of places, which she felt would be easy to attack and have the least resistance.


    Vikra knew that it wasn''t possible to attack any part of the Wizard Kingdom with all the spells around it, but he had to take his chances. He wanted to capture Adrianna at all costs. And all his strategies turning into a failure one by one, he became desperate. While Cy was explain to Reese how to slowly collect a large chunk of neotides in that weak spot, a messenger came in.


    "My Lord, Adrianna has become the queen of the Wizard Kingdom. The Crown has accepted her." Vikra heard the news very calmly. His inside agitation was slowly rising. The messenger was standing near the rocky chair where he was sitting in his cave. Upon hearing his words, he slayed the messenger immediately by using his bony hands.


    If the Crown accepted Adrianna, it meant that a part of the Crown would always stay inside her. He looked at Cy and said, "Continue with the plan��"


    The werewolf kingdom lied on the West of the jungle, the Wizard Kingdom was on the North, while Vikra was hiding in the South. The council headquarters where Ed had gone to appeal his case were located north of the Wizard Kingdom where the mountains were covered with snow eternally. The jungle was so huge that it was impossible to fathom its boundaries. On the East there was a road that ran across the entire length of the jungle, which separated it from the human realm.


    According to Reese, the best place to attack was a spot that was on the east of the Wizard Kingdom, which faced the road and was towards the human realm. The activity was very less there because none of the inhabitants of the jungle wanted to expose themselves in front of the humans. These days'' humans were into developing warfare that was meant to wipe out entire civilization and so none of them wanted to touch them.


    ''This point is best of attack and that too during the night time because there is least activity here. However, we have to be extremely careful not to go close to the human realm," asserted Cy once more.


    "The human realm is miles away from this weak spot and hence they would never come to know," replied Reese.


    "But we cannot really take our chances. We have to use minimum warfare with maximum impact to breach inside the Wizard Kingdom. Once we are inside the kingdom, we would be able to deal with the people easily. Then there is no way anyone can stop me!" said Cy throwing his iron hand up in the air. The news that the Crown had accepted Adrianna was a shock to him. He didn''t even get a chance to claim the throne. He wanted to kill Adrianna more than ever.


    On the other hand Vikra was seen brooding over something. He left the two of them to discuss further about the strategy and went outside. It was evening and he could imagine the jubilations taking place in the Wizard Kingdom. He remembered his days when he was crowned. When the Crown had entered his cell and he could feel the sheer power in him. He didn''t know that with the Crown on his head, he was invincible. As and as he realized about this fact, he started becoming greedy. The Crown kept telling him to stay on his righteous path but he didn''t listen.


    In the end, the Crown left him and he couldn''t imagine the excruciating pain that he had experienced that night. His whole body was left in the most devastating state �C state where he was neither alive nor dead. His heart cried that day as he begged the Crown to come back to him, but his cell was empty. There was no one. He had spent days and days to call the Crown back to his cell but the Crown was just too ruthless. It had shut itself in its golden cage. Isidorus had banished Vikra after the incident. Ever since he had been looking for revenge.


    He wanted his body back, and for that he needed Adrianna at all costs. He had first thought that by catching Adrianna, he would eat her soul and gain his body back, but all his attempts to catch her failed. And now after the crowning, he to still capture her because now the Crown was also a part of her.


    He sighed upon remembering those days and went back inside as the night became dark.


    ---


    Back in the Wizard Kingdom, Adrianna''s crowning was successfully completed. It was evening by the time all the ceremonies were over. All the guests were invited to stay back for the night for more celebrations. While some of them left, some including Niiya''s father, Dr. Saito stayed back. There were some traditions that had to be performed and he was asked to witness them.


    In the Wizard Kingdom, the tradition was that once the Crown accepted the ruler, he or she had to be bathed in gifts and appreciation on the first night of the crowning. It was a symbol of compassion and love and it lasted the entire night. Once the crowning ceremony was over in the noble court, Adrianna had to exit the court without the Crown on her head. She tried to remove it but it wouldn''t leave her head.


    "Inform him that you would be exiting out of the noble court," said isidorus very softly.


    "I have to go out of this noble court," repeated Adrianna. The next moment, the Crown rose from her head and went back to its golden cage, which disappeared next moment.


    What happened next was an experience for Adrianna.

 Chapter 327 - Golden-Yellow Eyes

    When the Crown left her, she could feel her body feeling lighter. All her normal senses returned. Everything and everybody appeared normal. She looked at Dmitri on her left side. Dmitri was stunned when he looked at Adrianna after the crown was removed from her. Even though the crown wasn''t there on her head, her eyes'' color was still golden yellow. Did her eye color changed to a golden yellow permanently? Dmitri stared at her.


    "What is it Dmitri?" asked a worried Adrianna. The expressions on his face were confusing to her for a moment. Then she realized that he was staring deep into her eyes. "My eye color?..."


    Dmitri brought his hand to her cheeks and stroked them tenderly with the back of hands. "You look much more beautiful darling."


    Adrianna smiled and the next instant he asked, "Do I look golden to you?"


    Adrianna pursed her lips. Her husband left no place to make joke on her. "No, you are looking like a piece of charcoal," she replied.


    "Ah! Can''t be! I am just too charismatic darling!"


    As soon as she looked at him, he smiled and without her realizing it she glowed. The King and the Queen held each other''s hands and walked down the throne. Almost everyone in the court watched her walk out, mesmerized by the color of her eyes.


    "My dear Queen, you have to take a bath in the gifts that would be showered upon you by the people of the kingdom tonight," said Fleur as she led her to change.


    Adrianna looked at Fleur. She wondered what all changes would take place in the ministry now. She wanted Fleur to become the new military general but then there were other candidates. One of the things that she had learnt over the past few months was as to who were trustworthy people she had to be surrounded with. There were too many players in the field who were into nefarious activities. She had to clamp them all.


    Fleur guided the queen to the Royal Palace and said, "I will come to pick you up in an hour. Until then, kindly be ready for the ceremonies, which may last for the entire night."


    "What? What kind of ceremonies?" asked Adrianna who was now so tired both physically and mentally that she wanted to crash on her bed �C queen or no queen!


    "Lots of them my Queen. Just- Just be ready Adrianna!" replied an exasperated Fleur. She had an hour to meet Liam and Adrianna''s questions were eating her time. As soon as Adrianna read her mind, she smiled and said, "I was wondering if I should give you a permanent position in my cabinet��"


    Adrianna left and Fleur kept looking at her walking away, teased to the core. Suddenly Adrianna snapped her fingers and Fleur found herself in the arms of Liam. She was shocked. No portal was needed. Adrianna just snapped her fingers! Was that a new power she had acquired after becoming the queen? A shocked Liam who was reading a book saw his treasure in his arms. He stared at her new capability. "Where is the portal? Can you appear and disappear into thin air just like that?"


    "I don''t know!" squeaked Fleur.


    Meanwhile Cora and Ed, who were not allowed to enter the noble court, were waiting anxiously for Adrianna. When she arrived at the Royal Palace, Ed ran to his granddaughter and embraced her tightly.


    "Grandfather," whispered Adrianna as she hugged him back.


    "My Child�� Finally the wait is over. You are the queen! I have fulfilled the wishes of your mother and the moon goddess. I so wish that Kuro was also here��"


    Adrianna cringed when she heard her father''s name and looked at Dmitri. Dmitri stared back at her without averting his gaze. Adrianna stroked her Grandfather''s back and then removed herself. "Do you know that Reinjie and Kayla are still alive?"


    Ed''s eyes were wide with surprise. At his age all he wanted was his grandchildren to prosper. He wanted so many of them and at the moment only one was there for him to cherish.


    "If you like, you can meet them��" she added.


    "I will, when the time comes Adri��" replied Ed and then smiled again. "Queen of the Wizard Kingdom �C how does that sound?" He said as he removed himself. Then suddenly he looked into her eyes. "You eyes?"


    Adrianna nodded, "Their color changed��"


    "You look prettier!" He held her hand and walked with her.


    Cora had come to her side by then. She hugged her tightly. It was time for her to apologize. "Adrianna, child, many congratulations. I cannot go back in time and undo what all I did to you, but in the present all I can promise is that I am going to stay by your side like a mother whenever you need me."


    Adrianna was overwhelmed. She hugged her back and nodded with a smile. She could feel that Cora was very genuine in what she said.


    "But that doesn''t mean that I won''t nag you like a mother-in-law!" added Cora. "I want to see my grandkids!"


    Adrianna gritted her teeth. After all she was Dmitri''s mother. How could she not leave a chance to joke?


    Dmitri''s face split into two with an ear-to-ear grin. "Soon mother! Even I am thinking the same."


    Adrianna shook her head. She had just been crowned as the queen and all that the mother and son could think of were babies.


    Suddenly, Ed joined in, "Yes, I think we will do with three babies at the moment."


    Adrianna raised her eyebrows, "Three babies at the moment? What do you mean?"


    "We can have several more darling," replied Dmitri as he curled his arms around her shoulders and took her to the bedroom.


    Adrianna smacked his hand, "Don''t touch me! No babies!" Was she a baby churning machine?


    Dmitri laughed all the way to the bedroom feeling excited about his next mission. But when he got there, he found a battery of servants waiting for Adrianna to change her clothes. Dmitri felt as though a cold bucket of water was thrown on him.


    They all bowed to the queen and rushed to her side. The head servant said, "My Queen, you have to change for the next ceremony."


    Adrianna chuckled and nodded.


    Something ethereal awaited her. Something strange awaited her. Something that couldn''t be explained in words, awaited her��

 Chapter 328 - A Visitor From The Future

    Dmitri went out of the room and the servants started preparing Adrianna. They removed her clothes and her jewelry and made her wear a white bustier and white panties over which she wore a thin white muslin gown. A tiara of white blossoms was placed on her head. She looked lovely. Her white skin glowed beneath that muslin dress. The servants escorted her to the outside where Dmitri was waiting for her. He stared at his wife, held her hand softly and kissed her lightly on her lips. "You look lovely, my dear."


    Adrianna looked at him with her golden yellow eyes and rewarded him with a soft pink blush.


    "Let''s go, my Queen," said a servant from behind.


    Dmitri held Adrianna and together they walked out towards the vast gardens of the Royal Palace. That evening the gardens were open to all. Anyone could come and shower blessings on their queen. Mihr was standing there along with Fleur along with their team of security team. Even though the entire palace was cast with a protection spell, they didn''t want to take chances with the public. When Adrianna reached there, she found that some people had already gathered there to see her. This was the only time when the queen would appear in front of all inhabitants of the Wizard Kingdom.


    All of them bowed to her as she walked to her chair. Adrianna was made to sit on a slightly raised platform on a cushioned chair. There was a canopy of flowers above her. When Adrianna sat down, Dmitri stood beside her. Mihr and Fleur stood beside Dmitri.


    Wizards and witches who had come from across the two lower levels started forming a line in order to present their gift to the queen. All of them came with unique gift items. Adrianna was surprised at all the beautiful flowers, rare gems and rare feathers that were presented to her. They all knew that Adrianna was also half werewolf and the queen of the werewolf realm, hence they also came with gifts that only she and Dmitri could appreciate. Most of them were beaded jewelry, which married people wore in the werewolf realm.


    In the line, which extended several hundred feet, Adrianna saw a little boy waiting patiently for his turn and with the way the line was moving, she thought that he wouldn''t reach her for the next hour. Feeling pity for the little boy, Adrianna signaled him to come to her. The child looked at her and walked towards her. No one in the crowd or the security team stopped him. As he walked towards her, she could feel a growing affection for him. Her smile broadened.


    The little boy was no more than ten or eleven years. He had rosy pink lips, beautiful black eyes and slightly long hair till his shoulders. Wearing a thick brown dress beneath his fur golden yellow fur coat, he looked so cute that Adrianna wanted to hold him and make him sit in her lap. When he was only a few feet away from her, suddenly his eye color turned golden yellow. Adrianna was stunned and stared at him as her skin lined with goose bumps. With those eyes, he looked like a little god. He came very near to her and extended his hand. Adrianna held his hand and asked, "What is your name?"


    He gazed at her and said, "My eyes are just like yours."


    Adrianna nodded. "Who are you?" she asked again.


    He looked around her as she followed his gaze. Everything around them became standstill. Not a soul moved, not a leaf fluttered in the wind and not a beam of light deviated. Adrianna was flabbergasted. Why was she feeling so attracted to him? Who was this child who had the power to stop everything around him? What was the connection? Why did he have the same eye color as hers? As those questions gnawed her mind, she tried to delve into his mind but was stopped by some force.


    "Are you trying to enter my mind?" he asked as he brought his hands on her cheeks.


    Adrianna gaped. How did he know?


    "I am here from the future Adrianna. I am here from your future. My name is Ileus," the child disclosed his identity.


    Adrianna brought her hand on his soft cheeks. "Ileus�� did you do all this?" she asked tenderly, still widely surprised.


    He nodded.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers to let everything come back to its normal function, but nothing moved. She looked at Dmitri, whose eyes were fixed ahead at the line. His arms were crossed across his chest and he looked handsome like a statue. Ileus left Adrianna''s hand, ran to him, hugged his thigh and looked up. His height was a little above his legs. He chuckled as he kept pulling his clothes.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers once again to bring things back to normalcy, but nothing happened. Ileus left Dmitri and went back to Adrianna. "You cannot bring back things to normalcy, if I have interfered." He spoke as his eyes became black.


    "Who are you and what do you want?" Adrianna was now getting afraid. "How did your eye color change?"


    Ileus looked at her and tilted his head. His eye color changed to golden yellow again, making Adrianna jump in her seat. "Don''t be scared," he said with a smile. "I have come here to meet you. I have come here to warn you from your future. Be careful of yourself and live. Don''t fall easily in the hands of the enemy. Fight them and save yourself."


    "What enemy?" Adrianna was feeling as if he was hiding something.


    He smiled again. "I came here to see you in case I die, in case he dies," he said looking at Dmitri.


    "Why is Dmitri so important to you?" Adrianna had a thousand questions in her mind.


    Ileus started laughing. He stared at Adrianna and started walking backwards. "Take care of yourself and concentrate on your inner self. Your future lies in how you deal with it patiently."


    After saying that Ileus snapped his fingers and everything became normal again. Adrianna saw him disappearing into golden sand particles that vanished into thin air. "Stop!" she shouted.


    Dmitri looked at her and asked, "Adri��?"

 Chapter 329 - My Child…”

    Dmitri looked at Adrianna, who seemed spaced out. She extended her hand in front and shouted, "Stop!" But the child had gone.


    "What happened, Adrianna? Whom are you asking to stop?" asked Dmitri worried at her behavior in front of her subjects.


    Everyone in the line came to a halt thinking that perhaps the queen had ordered him or her to stay in his or her places.


    Adrianna looked blankly at Dmitri. "Dmitri, there was a child here right now. Did you see him?"


    Dmitri shook his head, "No Adri, there was no child. Do you mean he was unattended? Where did you see him?"


    "He was- he was standing right here in front of me. Dmitri, there was a child here!" she reiterated her stand.


    Afraid that she might appear insane in front of the people out there, he whispered in her ear, "Are you referring to my little baby that is tickling to enter you?"


    Adrianna became angry. She was asking about the child in front of her who just vanished in thin air, and her husband was referring to his baby! "Shut up!" she gritted her teeth. All her thoughts came back to the present.


    The ceremony continued as people started coming again one by one. Adrianna was moved by their gestures. There was a group of witches who had prepared a unique gift for her. When they reached her, they looked at the canopy and pointed their wands towards it. Suddenly the canopy started blooming yellow flower of various fragrances and started showering all around her. In a few minutes, Adrianna was covered in yellow flowers from top to bottom. Only her head appeared visible. She laughed softly while she felt the soft petals of the flowers falling around her and covering her body.


    Once it was done, one of the witches from the group said, "This is our blessing for our queen to produce healthy, strong and successful heirs to the throne. May we never ever have an empty throne now. It looks very lonely otherwise."


    Adrianna blushed a little as Dmitri beamed. It was as if fate was in his favor to have a baby. He started dreaming of five or six Adrianna. An idiotic grin spread on his face. When the group of witches saw that, they chuckled. "Young man, be gentle with our queen," said one of them.


    When Adrianna looked at her husband''s idiotic grin, she rolled her eyes. He gaze fell on Cora who also looked equally excited. She was dreaming of five or six little Dmitri!


    It was almost midnight and the line in front of them wasn''t ending. Adrianna called Fleur and said, "Can I call it quits now?"


    "I am sorry my Queen, but you have to stay here until the last person who wishes to gift you is done with."


    Adrianna took a deep breath and sat back. She wanted to get up, stretch and perhaps sit back. But she saw that almost everyone else in the security team, the ministers, servants and even the guests were all either standing or sitting in their positions with determination on their faces. Her gaze fell on Dr. Saiko, who was watching her with interest. She knew that he wanted to talk to her and it was important that she talked to him.


    Suddenly she heard loud noises. She looked towards the end of the line and noticed that a group of students from her class had come to present her gifts. She was excited to see them. They waved at her when she looked at them and she waved back excitedly.


    Mihr came to her side and said, "My Queen, kindly restrain yourself from doing these gestures otherwise people may think that you are biased towards your friends from the academy."


    Adrianna sulked. She noticed that even Nefasky was standing amongst the group. The bandages from her head were removed and she now had little growth of hair on her head. She smiled back at Adrianna when she found him looking at her. So much had passed between them that Adrianna felt a deep connection with her classmates in the academy.


    It was at this point of time that Isidorus entered. Adrianna was surprised to see him coming to the Royal Palace gardens for the ceremony at these hours of the night. She saw that he went and sat down with the guests in the front row towards the right.


    Another hour went by and Adrianna really wanted to get up now. She mentally communicated to Dmitri to make a situation in which she would have to get up from the chair. He looked at her, blinked his eyes several times and communicated back, "If you will puke like a pregnant woman, they will spare you for the entire night."


    Once again Adrianna clenched her jaw at his shamelessness.


    In the next few minutes something very ethereal happened. Something she had never expected happened.


    The Royal Palace gardens started to get sheathed in pure white, cool light. They all looked towards the sky, the source of white light. Each and every person was stunned when they saw what was unfolding in front of them. They saw a moon-like chariot flying in the sky coming towards the royal gardens. The woman who was sitting in the chariot looked like a Goddess. Her body was glowing in the night and she was wearing a crescent shaped crown. She was wearing a long white dress that was flowing all around her. With a long neck and black hair that flowed behind her, she was the epitome of beauty.


    Seven horses drove her chariot. These horses were flying in the sky and they stopped as soon as they landed on the Palace gardens. It was one of the most otherworldly experiences people around were experiencing. Was that the moon goddess? How could a goddess descend on the earth and be there amongst the mortals? They all looked at Adrianna who got up from the throne feeling insanely pulled towards her. It was the soft rays or an unexplained attraction that was drawing her towards her creator.


    Adrianna got down from her throne, went to Selene and kneeled in front of her. Suddenly she was encased in a brilliant white light all around. It was so bright that no one could see them.


    "My child��" The moon Goddess came to pick her up.

 Chapter 330 - Grant You A Wish

    Adrianna was captivated by Selene who was standing in full glory in front of her. Selene had a halo all around her. From her crown radiance was exuding that was coming from the heaven and embracing the earth. The atmosphere was suddenly glowing with the light of her crescent shaped crown and the beam of rays that came out of her was shining bright. Adrianna went near her and looked at Selene with unblinking eyes. She kneeled in her presence not because she was forced to but because she wanted to. She wanted to surrender herself to her creator.


    "My child��" said Selene as she lifted Adrianna holding her shoulders.


    Adrianna looked into her eyes and became entranced. "Are you my mother?" she asked.


    Selene smiled at her and holding her chin up replied, "My dear child, I have come here to give you my blessings for the future. You have been endowed a huge responsibility and it is up to you to carry this responsibility according to the best of your abilities. There are many tests to come in your life. I hope you walk through all of them as successfully as you have in the past. Just take care of yourself."


    Adrianna suddenly remembered what that little boy told her. Even he warned her of the future. What was it in the future that she got a warning twice?


    "Thank you mother," replied Adrianna wanting to hug her creator badly. A tear dropped from her eyes.


    Selene wiped that tear and said, "If I will embrace you, I will embrace you once and for all. You will never be able to return to your world."


    Adrianna smiled, "Embrace me mother. I have been waiting for you from so long."


    Selene smiled again. "No child. You have a long way to go. You have to lead many people in this world," she said and wiped another tear from her eyes. "What would you want for your special occasion Adrianna? I want to grant you a wish."


    "I am blessed with your presence mother�� there is nothing I wish for except that you stay here forever��"


    Selene laughed softly. "Adrianna, I would love to stay with my children, but I have duties to perform as do you."


    "There is nothing I want mother, I have everything��" Adrianna said once again.


    Selene beamed at her creation. She kissed her forehead and whispered something in her ears. Adrianna was wide eyed when she heard it.


    In the next moment Selene stepped on her chariot and pulled the reigns of her horses. The moon chariot leaps in the air and vanished from there.


    The bright light around Adrianna dispersed in thin air. She kept looking in the direction of the chariot. It was Dmitri who came to her and wrapped her shoulders in his arms. "Let''s go Adri, the ceremony has to be finished."


    Everyone present over there was shocked with the occurrence in front of them. It was the most beautiful event of their life, something they would tell their children and grandchildren. However, next day miraculously everyone had forgotten about what happened with Adrianna that night.


    The ceremony continued until the wee hours of the morning. Adrianna and Dmitri were very tired by then. They left the Palace Gardens once all the guests had left and then straight away headed to their bedroom. Both of them changed and dozed off.


    It was one of the most important days'' of Adrianna''s life.


    The couple woke up late in the afternoon. They took a bath and went out. Cora and Ed were sitting over there in the main hall.


    Cora smiled at Adrianna and said, "I will be going back to the werewolf realm but you have to come there. It is important that you be introduced at the queen of the Wizard Kingdom."


    Ed backed Cora and said, "Yes, that''s right Adrianna. You must go there. Also you must go to the human realm. Dr. Saiko will take care of you. You have to meet and know every important person over there. You must start thinking of forming alliances. Go and meet Isidorus to form your cabinet of ministers."


    Adrianna eyes became wide as a football when she heard what all she was supposed to do. "I can''t do all that today!"


    Ed sighed and shook his head. "You need to start soon Adri!"


    "From tomorrow. Today I am going to rest for the day," she replied with a pout.


    "Okay�� I will be leaving for my inn today in the evening. Fleur will be creating the portal for me," informed Ed. He had come to watch his granddaughter''s final stage of the competition and he ended up watching becoming the queen of the Wizard Kingdom. All he wanted now was to meet Kayla and Reinjie��


    Adrianna retorted, "You are not going anywhere grandfather. I can take care of you properly." She just didn''t want to lose him again. "Also you have to meet Kayla and Reinjie." She had read his mind.


    "I will be meeting Kayla today, and will meet Reinjie some other time��" replied Ed. Then he grinned at her and replied, "It is essential that I go there, child. Mun is waiting for me." Suddenly he remembered what Mun had asked him to convey, "By the way, Mun said that he would have married you, if you belonged to his species and that Dmitri isn''t the best match for you. He feels that he is better, but cannot accept you."


    Dmitri looked at Ed with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth as if he was looking at Mun. "Tell him that he better remain in his senses or I shall come and rip his limbs apart!"


    Adrianna laughed loudly at Dmitri. Then she looked at Ed and said, "Grandfather, tell him that I am honored that he considered me." She couldn''t help laughing at Mun too. He had helped her during the second stage of the competition so much.


    "So when will you come to the Werewolf Realm, Dmitri? You are needed there now," asked Cora.

 Chapter 331 - Was She Hallucinating?

    Cora was worried that Dmitri had been away from the Werewolf Realm for a long time now. She wanted him back over there, as there were too many matters still pending. There was a pack on the west that was demanding to move from there towards the south. She was not in favor of that move. Liam and Nate had discussed it with her a few days back and they were awaiting Dmitri''s answer for the same.


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri with very sad eyes. All of a sudden she realized that now the two of them would be separated for days altogether in order to take care of the kingdoms. She had to find an alternative to combat this situation. Dmitri was in his thoughts when he found Adrianna looking at him with sad expressions. He read her mind and assured her mentally that they would come up with a solution together. He turned his gaze at Cora and said, "Yes mother, I realize that. I will go back tomorrow morning." Cora nodded and got up from there to walk to her room. Ed also left after talking to her about things that she had to take up after becoming the queen.


    The two of them had their lunch and then Dmitri wished to go to the gardens. As they walked over there, he asked her, "What was it that you were stopping Adrianna while the ceremony was going on?"


    Adrianna looked at him excitedly and repeated, "There was a child Dmitri. Didn''t you see him?"


    "No! I didn''t see any child," he replied very confused at her.


    "How can this be that I saw him and you didn''t? That child was standing unattended in the line. He was so cute that I felt a natural affection towards him. I called him first so that he doesn''t get tired standing in the line. He came and spoke something very strange. At the same time he also went to you and played on your legs. Didn''t you feel that?" she asked feeling puzzled by his ignorance.


    "Adri, if I had seen him, why would I say I haven''t. Was that some sort of a wizard?"


    Adrianna''s doubts were confirmed now. Except her no one had seen Ileus. Was it her privilege to see him or be with him? She felt so good when he had placed his hand on her cheek. "Ah! Never mind Dmitri. It must have been my hallucination. I was extremely tired."


    Dmitri nodded and clasped his hands at the back.


    After a few more steps, Adrianna said, "It was so nice when the Moon Goddess came to bless me��" she sighed as she said that.


    "Moon Goddess? Adri, what is wrong with you? When did Moon Goddess come? You really hallucinated yesterday, huh?" Dmitri was perplexed at her behavior. Did the crowning affect her mind? Had she started hallucinating so much? Suddenly he stopped in front of her stopping her in her tracks. He placed his hand on her forehead and said, "I think you have fever because of exhaustion. Let us go to the healer in the Werewolf Realm to treat you."


    Adrianna smacked his hand from there. "Dmitri! I don''t have a fever." She didn''t add more words to what she had seen earlier in the morning. She knew that no one would believe her. Perhaps Selene had created a spell on all to forget what had happened. Adrianna smiled. It was a secret between her mother and herself.


    Dmitri wrapped his hand around his wife and said, "Let''s get inside. It looks as though it might start snowing soon." And just as he said that it started snowing lightly around them. Adrianna giggled and they went inside.


    Both of them rested for a long time while listening to music or reading books and none of them stepped out of their bedroom. The servants had lit fragrant candles all over the palace in order to create a relaxing atmosphere. Soon the two of them called it a night.


    By the time dawn broke, the snow outside had become thicker. Adrianna went to the balcony and noticed that the snow had covered the third level completely. It was looking so pure and white from where she was that she felt like going there. She looked in her gardens and smiled at the white snow that had covered the green grass all around. It looked as if the green grass never even existed.


    When Dmitri woke up, he started getting ready for the Werewolf Realm much to Adrianna''s unhappiness. "When will you come back?" she asked as he was wearing his clothes after taking a bath.


    "As soon as possible Adri."


    "I will come to you in the evening if you are not here by 7PM."


    Dmitri laughed and said, "Okay. That would be better." Then he bit his tongue. "No! You won''t step out of this kingdom unless you have queen''s security around you, okay?"


    "I am the queen and capable of protecting myself, so don''t worry."


    "Adri, you won''t step out of this place unless you are completely covered by the security and right now I don''t see that kind of an arrangement. What I am saying is that you need to create that cabinet of ministers and appoint the right people at places now. Please take your task seriously," said Dmitri in a very strict tone.


    Adrianna sulked. Her lips curved downward. "Okay, I won''t come��" she replied. "But you better come here by 7PM or else-"


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes to look at her and she stopped.


    Dmitri and Cora walked out of the portal as Adrianna watched them go. She was very dejected. Ed came from behind and held her shoulders, "Adri, get used to this and I am sure that today you won''t find time. Isidorus is waiting for you with a big to-do list."


    Adrianna sighed. Suddenly another portal opened in front of her. What was happening? Who was coming? But instead of anyone coming she noticed Ed smiling at her. "Grandfather, you can''t go! You must stay with me. Have you even met with Kayla?"

 Chapter 332 - Allow Me To March With My Troops

    Ever since Cy had told that they would be able to easily attack the weak spot that Reese had pointed, she had been very busy preparing a large number of neotides. She knew that going against the wizards and witches won''t be easy and so she focused on developing the best weapons and armor for them. She would every day visit the underground cave where the entire armory was manufactured. She would personally see each and every section, right from making the iron to molding that into weapons. With the next two days they had a large amount of inventory. She had already recruited around five thousand neotides to gather for the first attack.


    When she had gone to Vikra to give her a green flag to go, Cy was standing there.


    "Master, allow me to march with my troops to the point of attack," she asked Vikra.


    "Do you think that you can penetrate the walls of the Wizard Kingdom even at their weakest point with the help of neotides?" asked Cy.


    Reese didn''t speak a word.


    "I will send one of my men with you. Unless they remove the spells from that area, you won''t be able to do a thing," added Cy.


    Vikra looked at Reese and said, "Take Cy''s man with you."


    "Yes Master," she said and went out of the cave.


    In the next one hour, they were all ready �C one wizard with five thousand neotides. All he had to do was break the wall. The sheer number of neotides was enough to scare the wizards and witches once they entered inside the kingdom. Reese knew that many of them would be killed one after the other instantly and so the only advantage she had was the numbers.


    They waited for the night to fall and the first batch started their movement towards the Wizard Kingdom. None of them walked together. They went in very small groups and dispersed in different directions to remain undetected. All of them had a map as to where to meet eventually.


    ---


    Meanwhile Dmitri had reached the Werewolf Realm. He was immediately taken for meeting. Both Nate and Liam had been waiting for him. The most important matter was the one which Cora had talked about. A werewolf pack that was on the western most part of the jungle wanted to move to the southern part. When Dmitri asked the reason for this change in location, the chief of the pack said that there was constant attack of neotides occurring from the past few days and he wanted to save his people.


    Dmitri was surprised. How come the neotides had become active again? Also sending them to the south was a dangerous option because then they would be more exposed to the Vikra''s grounds. Dmitri asked him to move to the north instead, near the Wizard Kingdom.


    The chief agreed. He wanted to get out of that place and any place other than that was okay.


    Other meetings included expanding the inner network of roads. The connectivity was becoming an issue, as the kids were now demanding to drive their cars and motorbikes instead of running as werewolves. Dmitri could only purse his lips. He thought about it, but decided against that part. He said that the jungle was the natural habitat of the werewolves and he wouldn''t destroy it by clearing it for making roads. That would also add to pollution.


    ---


    In the Wizard Kingdom, it was Adrianna''s first day as the queen to sit in the noble court. When she walked in, she saw that all the ministers were already present there. All of them looked at her enthusiastically and bowed to her in respect.


    As soon as she sat on the throne, the crown unlocked itself and came to sit on her head. This time it sat comfortably and didn''t cause any pain. "Hello Adrianna?" he asked.


    Adrianna said, "Hello��" in her mind as she closed her eyes.


    "The meeting with the Moon Goddess went rather well," he complimented.


    "How do you know?" she asked stunned at him.


    "I know everything Adrianna. Remember I can visit every part of your cell once I am active?"


    Adrianna pursed her lips. "Yes��"


    When she opened her eyes, once again her vision was affected. She looked at Isidorus. He was emitting a thick layer of energy around him.


    "My Queen, there are several matters pending. You need to first make your cabinet of ministers. If you know someone, then you can recruit him or her personally. However, if you like, I can make suggestions," said Isidorus.


    "Send me your list. I would like to take a look," she replied.


    Isidorus nodded and a scroll appeared in front of him. He handed the list to Adrianna. She went through it and folded the scroll. She gave it back to him saying, she would send the final list soon.


    "The academy wants to honor you. They want to call the class of this year for the graduation ceremony."


    "Sure. Tell them that I will come tomorrow. Also tell Professor Ziu to be over there," she said. Adrianna was surprised at the words that were coming out of her but she realized that it was the crown talking at the moment.


    Isidorus looked at her and she expected him to ask questions, but he only nodded. Isidorus never questioned the crown ever in his life. "You have to go to the human realm today. There is a meeting already arranged for you with important people."


    "What is the meeting for?" asked Adrianna.


    "We have to form new allies after your crowning."


    "Sure."


    Rest of the morning passed in tackling issues related to the third level. When it was afternoon, the court ended and she went back to the Royal Palace. She had to leave for the human realm soon. She was excited because that meant that she could go and be with Dmitri.


    When she walked out of the portal dressed in a black dress that clung to her curves, she expected to walk in her bedroom, however she walked directly in the meeting venue. Suddenly more portals opened around her and five more ministers including Isidorus and a large army walked out.


    She bit her lip in embarrassment and gave Isidorus a dirty glare. Isidorus obviously ignored her.


    She entered the venue and was shocked to see people over there!

 Chapter 333 - Meeting Of All The Representatives

    Adrianna looked at all the people around her as she entered the meeting hall. The meeting hall was not very large but it was enough to accommodate at least hundred people. There was a large tables running on all four sides of the hall at which the members had to be seated. The tables were covered with red table cloths and beautiful flower bouquets were adorning it. A brown colored carpet had covered the floor entirely. Adrianna was flustered. The people who were talking and walking over there, she had only seen their pictures in the hallways of her college. They were the heads of various countries. She had never even imagined that she would come face to face and talk to them. She looked at Isidorus with a nervous look. Isidorus looked at her and said, "You are the queen of the Wizard Kingdom. This meeting has been called for you. So you have to look confident." Adrianna became all the more nervous. She went to sit in her designated place.


    She ran her gaze around and noticed that Dr. Saiko was sitting just three people away from her on the table. He was looking at her and as soon as she looked at him, he bowed. Adrianna bowed back. Whenever she used to see Dr. Saiko, she was reminded of Niiya and would feel guilty. She always wondered at what point of time did she lead him or at what point of time he had started loving her? Why was it that she never felt it towards him?


    Adrianna looked around the table and found that everyone else was talking in whispers and looking at her also. She could feel how intrigued they were. It was as if they were scared that she would actually perform magic there and convert them into rats or squirrels if they did not concede to her demands. While she was smiling and bowing back to all those who were greeting her silently, from the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure entering the meeting hall.


    "Dmitri?" she exclaimed mentally. "What are you doing here?" she asked. He mouth became as wide as the field in the academy.


    "Darling, I am the Supreme Alpha of the Werewolf Realm and I believe this is a meeting of all the representatives of various realms," he replied looking smug. "Also close that mouth. Your teeth aren''t that pretty!"


    Adrianna chuckled. How could she forget that her husband controlled the entire Werewolf Realm? As a matter of fact, had she not been his wife, she was his one of his subjects. "Oh please, my mouth is one place you love," she answered lewdly.


    "Ah! I need to test that tonight," he replied making her purse her lips in anger.


    Since Dr. Saiko was the Chairman of the council, he called everyone to order. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, after twenty long years, the Wizard Kingdom has finally found their queen." He pointed at Adrianna. "The queen has proven herself beyond words that she is more than capable of being their leader. I congratulate the Wizard Kingdom for the same."


    People around the table started clapping and congratulating her. Adrianna rose from her chair and bowed to all of them. Dmitri looked at his wife proudly.


    Dr. Saiko continued, "With new generation, I feel that it is time that I step down as the representative of the human realm and give over the reigns to someone else."


    Dmitri''s looked at Dr. Saiko with an agitated expression. He was dreading what was about to come.


    "I would like to propose the name of my son, Niiya for the same."


    Dmitri and Adrianna were both shocked beyond words.


    The door of the meeting hall opened and Niiya entered. Everyone''s eyes are on Niiya now. Their gaze follows Niiya, who comes to his father''s side and bowed to everyone.


    "All those who have an objection to this young man, may raise their hands now," said Dr. Saiko.


    But not a single hand was raised. No one wanted that position. No one wanted to deal with strange creatures. Hence all the humans unanimously elected him to be their representative and within a few minutes Niiya was elected! Adrianna and Dmitri were watching the events unfold in front of them in amazement. Adrianna looked at Isidorus but he looked very grave.


    As soon as they elected him, Niiya was made to sit in place of Dr. Saiko and Dr. Saiko rose from his chair. He bowed to all and left the meeting hall. There was no farewell speech or farewell drama. Dr. Saiko left and everyone came back to the current agenda.


    Niiya called his people who were standing behind to give him all the papers. "We have to sign a new peace treaty amongst the new heads of the realms now." He said that and passed the treaty around. Everyone signed it as it came to him or her. Another treaty of secrecy was signed in which it was written that none of the people present in the meeting would disclose their own identity or each other''s identity when they walked in the human realm.


    When all the treaties were signed, the meeting was adjourned. Adrianna was surprised that this was perhaps the shortest meeting she would have ever attended. People rose from their chairs and quickly made their way out. It was as though none of them had time.


    Isidorus also got up and he walked to his portal and left after bowing to his queen. He knew that since it was already late in the evening, Adrianna would rather go back with Dmitri instead of going to the Royal Palace. He made sure that there was appropriate security around them all the time. "See you tomorrow in the morning My Queen."


    Adrianna smiled at him.


    Adrianna wanted to meet Niiya but she saw that he was busy with the papers and so she didn''t disturb him. It was when she was walking out that Niiya ran to her and said, "Hello."

 Chapter 334 - Why Did You Kiss Him?

    "Hi Adrianna!" said Niiya from behind. Adrianna and Dmitri stopped in their tracks and turned back to look at him. Dmitri narrowed his eyes and gave a very cold look at Niiya. He held Adrianna''s hand and if that wasn''t enough, he circled her shoulders and stood with her firmly. He had never felt this threatened about Adrianna in anyone else''s presence.


    Adrianna looked warmly at Niiya. She rewarded him with a beautiful smile. All the anxiousness that Niiya was feeling before meeting her vanished in thin air


    "How are you doing Adrianna?" he asked very softly.


    "I am good, Niiya. How about you?" asked Adrianna with a smile.


    "I am good too," he replied and then there was an awkward silence. After a pause, he said, "Congratulations!"


    She smiled again and replied, "Thanks!" She paused for a moment and said, "How did you know about me�� I mean did you know about me at all that I am a witch��"


    "I didn''t know earlier but now I know everything about you��" Niiya said as though talking to her for the first time. "I knew about you ever since you entered the third stage of the competition."


    "Really?" Adrianna was surprised.


    "Yes," Niiya said and then pointed at Dmitri, "He knows."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri, her mouth wide open with shock. She didn''t say anything to him, but she was slightly peeved at him.


    Feeling extremely angry, Dmitri looked away and without speaking a word to either of them, he walked out of the meeting hall.


    Once he had gone out of there, Niiya turned his gaze at Adrianna and said, "If I had known that you were a witch, I would have kidnapped you and kept with me forever." Niiya jested with her and it felt as if they were back in the college.


    Adrianna laughed and said, "Witches can''t be kidnapped you see. I would have disappeared, you see."


    Niiya laughed with her. It was so nice to talk with her freely. He remembered his college days when he would go to the canteen with her or sit in the gardens of the chemistry block.


    "Weren''t you surprised when you came to know that I am a witch?" she asked.


    "I was very shocked, but I also wish that you had told me earlier. You didn''t trust me," he complained.


    "If I would have told it earlier to you, you would have never believed. Even I didn''t know that I was half-witch until a few months back," she chuckled. "But you should have met me if you had come to the wizard realm." She changed the topic. Ed had asked her never to reveal her true identity.


    "I didn''t meet you on purpose. I had come with father, as he wanted me to show the Wizard Kingdom. At that time, you were very busy with your competition and he had asked me not to meet you. He didn''t want me to distract you. Father thinks very highly of you Adrianna, even though you had given his son such a hard time," said Niiya with a grin.


    Adrianna laughed again. She missed the college days with him. "Are you still going to college?"


    "Of course! Will be giving my final exams next summer."


    Adrianna looked down and how she wished that she even continued her college. However, if would even try that now, she would be so far behind. She might have to repeat the year. She sighed.


    Niiya understood her emotions and said, "Adrianna, you have far greater duties in your life. Do you know why is it that every human out there doesn''t want to take my place?"


    Adrianna tilted her head as she looked at him. "Why?"


    "Because according to them you are the most powerful person that exists on this earth and they are scared of you."


    Adrianna pursed her lips.


    "They know that you and I were in college together and hence they unanimously agreed to my position."


    She looked at him pensively. She did have a lot to do.


    Niiya wanted to touch her and steal a kiss but he knew that she would not take it nicely. He sulked. "Adrianna, I must have lacked somewhere, otherwise you would have been mine. I still love you and it is difficult to forget you. However, now that I am in place of my father, I will try my best to not love you and only be friends with you."


    Suddenly, out of the blue, Adrianna took his cheeks in her hands and kissed him on his forehead. Niiya was shocked beyond words. "Adri��"


    "Thank you Niiya, for being so thoughtful. I hope we take this collaboration to a new level," she said softly and left. It was nice to have a friend who represented the human realm. She could feel that all her stars were in the right place.


    Niiya kept looking at Adrianna as she disappeared behind those doors. That was the only kiss he ever got from Adrianna and he felt as though this was the epitome of his love life with Adrianna. He sighed and said to himself, "You have to get out of it Niiya, else this will never work��" He returned back to the table where there were some people standing waiting for him to see some documents. It was his first day as the representative of the human realm and there were many things he had to take care of.


    When Adrianna went out of the meeting venue, she found Dmitri waiting for her. She could feel how angry he was. In fact he was burning with jealousy and rage. He didn''t speak a word with her. Fleur created a portal for them and they entered their bedroom. Fleur had been temporarily entrusted with Adrianna''s security. Isidorus wanted to change her. He knew that Liam had marked her.


    As soon as they entered the bedroom, Dmitri confronted her. He held her shoulders tightly as though he would crush them and asked, "Why did you kiss him?"

 Chapter 335 - Mountain Out Of A Molehill

    Dmitri was very angry with Adrianna. "Why did you kiss him?" he asked again when Adrianna looked blankly at him.


    "That was just a friendly kiss Dmitri," she replied confused at his reaction.


    "Oh! Do you go around kissing men when you feel friendly about them?" he asked.


    "Have you gone insane?" shouted Adrianna as she removed his hands from her shoulders.


    "I have gone insane, huh? And you were right in kissing him? Niiya is your past or is it that you still have feelings for him? After all you knew him before you knew me!" she was barking at her as though she wasn''t listening.


    "Stop shouting so loudly! I am standing right here!" she replied.


    "Do you still want to keep contact with Niiya? Now that he is the representative of the human realm, do you feel that you have missed a chance being his wife?" Dmitri was burning with jealous feelings.


    "Dmitri, this is incorrect! I don''t have any feelings for Niiya. Missed being a chance to be his wife? How can you even say so?" she replied trying to drill sense into him.


    "Then why did you kiss him on his forehead?" he said as he rubbed her lips roughly as if removing the cells that might have adhered to her lips when she kissed Niiya.


    She removed his hand from her lips, "Stop it Dmitri!"


    Dmitri pulled her to the bathroom and made her stand in front of the washbasin. He opened the tap and took some water in his hand while he held the back of her neck with his other hand. He pushed her forward and washed her face and her lips.


    Adrianna was very angry. She struggled to get free from him and ran out of the bathroom. "This is ridiculous!" she lambasted. "It was absolutely nothing! You are making a mountain out of a molehill."


    "I see no reason as to why would you even stand there and talk to him for so long, let alone kiss him. Adrianna, I am a very jealous person and you know that. If I see that you are even showing the slightest inclination towards Niiya, I will kill him and then I will kill the two of us because killing you wouldn''t suffice the purpose!" threatened Dmitri.


    "You are mad! You have marked me Dmitri. You feel my pain, I feel yours. You feel my love and I feel yours. When we were married, a blood bond was created between us, which sealed our relationship. We are soul mates. How can you even think that I have any feelings for Niiya?" she explained.


    "Then why were you looking warmly at him?" he said. "Every time you meet him, he shows his feelings explicitly for you. Do you realize how much that irritates him? Can''t you tell him once and for all that you are married to me for life? He doesn''t have any right to love you now, Adri!"


    "Dmitri, I had been his friend before I knew you. He loved me from then �C that is what he told me. I have no control over the fact that he loves me," she replied.


    "In that case why don''t you do something which will make him hate you?"


    "Does that even make sense? He has just become the representative of the human realm. That would be the last thing I would do!" she said with a surprise.


    "Oh! So why don''t you tell the truth Adrianna? You still have feelings for him!"


    "I don''t have any feelings for him! And for god''s sake stop this stupid talk of yours. You are too irritating! I was just-" but before Adrianna could complete her sentence, Dmitri had disappeared from her sight. He had opened the door of the room and walked outside. She ran outside and saw that he was running towards the jungle. She communicated with him mentally, but he had shut her. "Dmitri, please come back," she shouted behind him.


    As soon as their conflict had started, the floodgates opened. Adrianna and Dmitri had so much to say to each other and they were speaking with half their brains because the other half had maniacally plotted not to listen to the other person. Dmitri kept repeating while Adrianna kept refuting.


    As soon as Dmitri had reached the edge of the pack''s territory, he shape shifted and ran inside the jungle. His anger was too much to bear. Werewolves were known to be the most jealous creatures and especially if it involved their mates. They were known for attacking their mates in their anger. However, Dmitri had controlled that and instead in order to vent his anger, he ran inside the jungle, away from her. He didn''t want to see her, feel her or talk to her. He started running towards the center of the jungle towards the lake.


    In that chilly night, the moon''s rays were falling over the jungle trying to light up the ground beneath but it failed. Dmitri kept running until he reached the lake. He sped towards the lake and shape shifted before diving into it. The water was too chilly but it felt good around his skin. His skin was burning and his temperature had shot up. The cold water that surrounded him numbed his skin and he felt better. He took a deep breath and swam deeper inside the water. As and as he went deeper, the water became darker because the soft rays of moonlight couldn''t penetrate it more than a meter deep.


    Regardless, he kept swimming deeper. He wanted to forget the world around him, he wanted to forget Adrianna''s conversation with him, he wanted to forget that he wanted to murder Niiya. He would have definitely murdered him if he weren''t the Supreme Alpha. He swam up to the bottom of the lake and stood on the bed. He closed his eyes to feel the water around him. It was very soothing, very quiet and very refreshing, when suddenly��

 Chapter 336 - Do You Want To Live Or Die, Isidorus?

    Isidorus had become very relaxed ever since Adrianna was crowned as the queen. He had in fact been so happy that he had started giving time to his favorite hobby, gardening. The day Adrianna was crowned, when Isidorus came back to his palace, the first thing he did was to go to his garden and call his gardeners during evening only because he wanted to trim hedges. All the palace gardeners stood there in a line while the owner trimmed the hedges around the fountain that was right in front of the entrance. It took an hour to one quarter of the hedge. Poor gardeners were shaking their heads at the disappointing performance of their owner. He could have used his magic to cut those hedges, however, when it came to tending to the plants, Isidorus would do everything manually. It was a mystery no one could solve.


    Next day was very fruitful and he had given a list of names to Adrianna to consider for the ministry. One of the names was that of Mihr. Although he never wanted Mihr initially, however after the way he had completely stopped his communication with Vikra, he wanted to give him a chance. Isidorus had also suggested a few names from the academy. He was expecting Adrianna to be surprised, but she was very cool when she saw them.


    After meeting with people in the human realm, Isidorus had returned to his palace and once again he had immersed himself in his favorite hobby. This time it was the rose ramblers that were his target. Each and every brown leaf was taken out carefully from the creepers that were growing around. Three hours were spent in removing leaves from exactly there ramblers. The gardeners were now extremely irritated by him. Isidorus looked at them. "What else do you expect from a man who is twelve hundred years old?" He reprimanded them.


    "Magic!" replied an extremely irritated gardener.


    Next moment, magic happened and other gardeners saw a small bunny hopping around the gardens.


    After having his dinner, Isidorus went to his bedroom, which was on the north side of the palace. His bedroom was not big but was very luxurious. However, what people didn''t know was that Isidorus slept on the floor on a mat that he had bought three hundred years back from a traveler in human realm. He was of the opinion that it was this mat that had kept his spine straight even after so many years of life. That mat was his favorite but was now showing signs of degradation. As usual, he changed into his pajamas and went off to sleep on that mat with a soft little pillow under his head. He dozed off into a deep slumber.


    Suddenly the ground beneath his shook a little. Isidorus thought that he was dreaming. He woke up, looked around a little and then slept again. Once again he was disturbed by the ground, which was now shaking beneath him. The ground shook to the extent that Isidorus had rolled out of the mat. Alert at this occurrence, Isidorus got up. "Illuminabante" he said and all the torches in the bedroom lit up. He looked around. Was he dreaming or was that for real?


    There was nothing around but it was enough to raise his suspicions. He went back to his mat and lied there still. He waited for the movement. After a gap of five minutes, the ground shook above and this time Isidorus got up from his place. He went and sat on the bed. Suddenly, he saw as though under the ground, a serpent like creature moved. It moved from one side of the room to the other. Isidorus picked up his wand from the bedside table. The creature had stopped. Once again there was silence. How could anything even enter his palace, let alone his room? He was contemplating on it when all of a sudden the floor cracked open shattering the marble into hundreds of pieces and a serpent, which was half dragon emerged out of it.


    Isidorus'' looked at it with narrowed eyes. He didn''t have time to lose focus due to the shock. He pointed his wand at the creature and asked, "Who are you?"


    The dragon, which was half serpent, was green and two feet wide. It was not very long at just about fifteen feet. It had very bright jade like scales on its back that were glistening in the light.


    The creature stood crawled and came in front of Isidorus. It hissed.


    Isidorus had been pointing his wand at him throughout. "What do you want?" he asked without wasting time.


    "Adrianna��" it hissed.


    Isidorus flicked his wand and send a death spell his way, which the creature dodged.


    "I have come to warn you. If I don''t get Adrianna in the next two days, I will kidnap you and kill you," it hissed again.


    "Who are you?" asked Isidorus trying to remember who in the Wizard Kingdom had the ability to become that kind of a creature.


    "That''s a wrong question��" it hissed again. "The right question is do you want to live or die, Isidorus?"


    Isidorus was now very shocked that who was this who had entered his palace and threatened to kill him. He flicked his wand again and threw "Iceba" spell. However, before the spell could hit it, it had exploded into thousands of tiny dust like grains that disappeared into the air.


    That night Isidorus couldn''t sleep. He flicked his wand to recreate his room but sleep was far from his eyes. He called his private spies.


    ---


    In the lake when Dmitri was standing on its bed deep below amidst the darkness, he felt very calm. He didn''t want to think of his quarrel with Adrianna. All he wanted was peace of mind. He remembered that it was from here that he had dived and brought that necklace for her. While he was thinking all that, he suddenly felt movement around him.


    He opened his eyes, but he couldn''t see anything. Without wasting time, he started swimming up. Something scaly touched his body.

 Chapter 337 - Go And Join Niiya

    Dmitri increased his speed to go to the surface faster. He was not even two meters beneath the water surface that he felt as though the quiet waters above him were getting rough. Was a storm coming? He went a little more up and realized that a large number of people were swimming. He became still. In whatever little light that was filtered through water, he could see that those people were all swimming in one direction. He waited for about half an hour before going up. There was a continuous chain of people swimming in the lake. He became curious as to who those people were.


    Slowly he swam to the shore and rushed to the direction where he thought they must have gone, but there was no one. Finding it odd, he came back to the shore. Perhaps those were just the beasts that were going through their annual migration. He went back to the shore and sat on the rocky outcrop where he remembered, he had watched Adrianna in that lake practicing her magic for the first time. He had made love to her over there. Life was much simpler that time when he didn''t know anything about Niiya.


    Dmitri felt depressed that Niiya had come earlier in her life. He hated the fact that he came much earlier. He hated the fact that he didn''t explore the werewolf realm for his fated one. He hated that he had again come back. Even though he had marked Adrianna, it was impossible for him to tolerate Niiya and to think of the fact that he was now the representative of the human realm was even more disgusting. Why did Adri kiss him? Once again he was filled with rage.


    He stood on the rocky outcrop and was about to dive into water again when a pair of hands came and hugged him from behind. "I love you��" she whispered.


    He stood still for sometime, feeling the warmth and not wanting to get out of her embrace but then he thought about their quarrel, and on an impulse tried to remove her from there. She only tightened her grasp.


    "Leave me Adri��" he said with anger.


    "No��" she said softly.


    "Why have you come after me? Go and join Niiya."


    "I have joined you for life��" she wanted to reassure him.


    Dmitri turned around with rage, "Then why did you��?" Without speaking another word, he picked her up in his arms and grabbed her lips in a fierce kiss. He walked down the outcrop while kissing her passionately. He forced open her mouth and went past those teeth to explore her mouth. She could feel how urgently he was demanding her. She opened to him without resistance.


    His kiss had become deeper and faster. He roughly moved his tongue against her tongue and sucked it hard as though he wanted to never let it go. Then he aggressively stuck his tongue in Adrianna''s mouth for her to suck it. He wanted to know if she still loved him as ferociously as he did. Adrianna latched on to his tongue and started sucking it softly in a calm way. But it wasn''t enough for him and once again he took control. He grabbed her mouth and bit her lips sharply. He left her lips and then went to her mark, which he licked and sucked arousing every possible sensation in her body.


    Adrianna was moaning and groaning and hadn''t even realized that he had taken her to a cave nearby. It was the very same cave where the two of them had battled Cy together. The cave was recreated by Adrianna the last time she was there with Dmitri and Dmitri had created it into a beautiful place. It was now covered with grass all over and there were a few torches burning inside. He made her slide down him and then ripped open her clothes. He ran his hand from her face to her buttocks and hissed, "You are mine��"


    Casting a spell of invisibility around the cave, she looked at him seductively and the next moment he picked her again. She clung to him like a koala. He made her sit on a rock and sat in front of her. Opening her thighs, Dmitri brushed his finger over her pink folds and at the same time grabbed her breasts. He sucked and licked them hard. She groaned loudly and as he kept making red marks all around the breasts. He went from one breast to the other, making many red marks in between, marking her again and again, telling her body that she was his. "You are mine��" he hissed again in between the kisses as if telling himself that she belonged to him.


    Adrianna couldn''t take the assault anymore. The muscles in her body contracted somewhere and she came with a loud groan. Dmitri looked up at her. The beautiful eyes were glistening with fresh tears. Her cheeks had flushed and her rosy lips were swollen from his kiss. He could see little blood around them. He went up and licked all that blood. His eyes darkened and he went in between her thighs where he started kissing her pink folds. He pushed her down on the rock and then started sucking her outer lips. When he was done, he opened her labia and licked it along the length until her clit. Her bud became hard with all the sensation. Dmitri started licking the clit and then sucked on it so hard that her juices once again flowed out.


    Adrianna groaned again and then without a warning he penetrated her sweet spot thrusting in and out of it while he kept flicking her clip with his fingers. "Ahhh!" Adrianna moaned again and he could feel her body jerking again as she reached her orgasm. Dmitri tipped over at the same time as he shouted her name, "Adri!"


    It wasn''t over for Dmitri. He didn''t let her sleep for the night. They slept early in the morning. Adrianna had to suck them in the vortex so that they reach their bed and sleep in the comfort of their bedroom. He buried his face in her breasts and dozed off. "Don''t leave me��" were his last words before sleeping.


    ---


    In the Wizard Kingdom, Isidorus had sent his men everywhere to look for any new enemy that had showed up in the recent times.


    Outside the kingdom, a large force had started gathering��

 Chapter 338 - New Military General Of The Wizard Kingdom

    Isidorus men came and reported to him that there was absolutely nothing new that had entered the Wizard Kingdom. Since it was winter and all the levels were covered in snow, there was not much activity. Even though the wizards could easily make it warm during the winters, the Wizard Kingdom had its rules on never tampering with the earth''s atmosphere. They respected Mother Nature and it truly blessed them in various ways.


    Isidorus was very intrigued now. It could only mean one this and that was that there was someone within the kingdom who was the enemy, and this was more dangerous than ever. He had to talk to Adrianna and make sure that she stayed safe.


    ---


    When Adrianna woke up in the morning, she found Dmitri wrapped around her like ivy. She wanted to get up and go, but he simply grasped her hard. "No, don''t go��" he said in his sleep and made her sleep with him longer. In fact he made love to her even more when she woke up. He pinned her beneath him and inserted his member until both of them were breathless. He slumped beside her and pulled her over her. Her weight comforted him. He couldn''t live without her, and so every time he opened his eyes, he wanted to assure himself of the fact that she was there beside him.


    Finally Adrianna was allowed to get dressed and go to the Wizard Kingdom when it was almost afternoon on the promise that she would return in the evening. Before Adrianna went through the portal Dmitri reminded her of something she had completely forgotten. "Next week it is full moon night and you will be under curse. How are you going to tackle that?"


    Adrianna didn''t know how she would tackle that now that she was also the queen. How would things turn out? She became worried and thought that she needed to discuss that with Isidorus. "I don''t know Dmitri. Why don''t you come to the Wizard realm today? I will call Isidorus also to discuss this situation."


    "Okay, let me see," he replied as he hugged her in his naked glory. He kissed her forehead and said, "You better hurry up now."


    Adrianna smiled and walked through the portal. Isidorus was waiting for her and looked pretty angry for her coming so late but he didn''t say a thing. As usual, she was immediately taken to the noble court where as soon as she sat on the throne, the crown came and sat on her head. The day''s activities started. Isidorus reminded her to recruit new members of the ministry or continue with the same ones.


    She looked at the list again. Then she announced, "I want Mihr to be the military general of the Wizard Kingdom." It came as a surprise to many because he was known to be a traitor but others lacked the judgment. Mihe was the traitor undoubtedly, but he had openly come in support of Adrianna. He had severed all contact with Vikra and most of all he knew about several secrets about Vikra''a men. That was the knowledge that Adrianna was interested in. She had stopped doubting his loyalty toward her ever since Nefasky''s incident.


    Isidorus was given the position of advisor to the queen and hence he retained the same portfolio as before. Now only one important portfolio was left and that was of the Prime Minister of the noble court.


    Many ministry members had given names for the post. It was actually strange that even those members who were clearly her dissidents wanted the post. However, the only name that comes to her mind was that of Professor Ziu. So she thought that she would talk to him about the post rather than hurrying and filling it.


    Rest of the day had gone in determining important positions in the ministry. Members who were supporters of Vikra, which Isidorus had already noticed in the last stage of the competition, were all dismissed. They were put in house arrest for several days until the order was lifted. New members came instead of them. Adrianna also recruited some students from academy, one of them being Lenny. It was a pity that Shay and Lile were against Adrianna, otherwise with all the power they had, she would have definitely recruited them. She was very disappointed about the fact that Zephyr worked with Lile against her. Had he been slightly patient and had faith in Adrianna, she would have definitely offered him a position. But his greed engulfed his rationale.


    Once all the people were selected, Adrianna was about to leave, when Isidorus said that she was called to the academy for graduation the next day. Adrianna smiled and said, "Okay��"


    It was evening when she reached the Royal Palace. She took a shower and waited for Dmitri to come. Once Dmitri was there, she even summoned Isidorus. "What is it my Queen?" asked Isidorus looking slightly irritated because she had disturbed him from his favorite hobby.


    "I wanted to talk about my curse on the full moon night," said Adrianna looking intently at Isidorus. "Dmitri and I wanted your advice on this issue. I was thinking of going to the werewolf realm during the period of the curse and would return here once it is over. Dmitri is going to stay with me all the time."


    "No Adrianna, this is just too dangerous. What if someone captures you?" said Isidorus aghast at her idea.


    "But why would anyone capture me? No one except, Howard, Ed, you and Dmitri know about my curse. I don''t think anyone would even suspect about me being the rogue wolf," she replied.


    Dmitri nodded. "Yes, that us true and it would be better if we keep this low profile. The curse comes into effect when it is full moon night. People are already aware of that fact that there is a rogue wolf during those times, and so they stay inside their homes."

 Chapter 339 - Poor Dmitri

    Isidorus looked at Dmitri. What he said definitely made sense but just because Adrianna was a queen he became extra worried. "Isidorus, Dmitri is right. No one knows about my curse and so if I will go to the werewolf realm during night time and return back to the wizard kingdom at the break of dawn, who would come to know? Let us keep it low profile and let it go forward as it was going earlier," reiterated Adrianna. "It would only attract undue attention if we involve other people. If you will send security with me, there will be others who would come to know of my condition. It is not safe because you cannot guarantee that they would keep it to themselves."


    Isidorus took a deep breath. Her logic was very clear and correct. He looked at her, worry etched all over face, yet he reluctantly said, "Okay��"


    Adrianna was happy to see that Isidorus wasn''t giving as hard a time to her about security as she had thought. She continued after this topic was over. "There is another thing that I wanted to say."


    "What is Adrianna?" asked Isidorus again irritated about the fact that he was getting delayed for gardening. There were some primroses that needed trimming urgently. Besides the little bunny that was hopping around in the garden had been eating every possible leaf that it could find in its way. He was damaging his beautiful roses by the minute. He wanted to convert him back to the gardener like yesterday! What Adrianna said next was again shocking.


    "I want Professor Ziu to become the Prime Minister of the Wizard Realm," said Adrianna looking at Isidorus as if he would refute her immediately.


    Isdorus frowned and so did Dmitri. "Why do you want Ziu to be the Prime Minister? Aren''t there better candidates?" asked Dmitri, obviously becoming jealous all over again. "I suggest you keep a witch as your Prime Minister this time. It will send a good signal amongst the females of the Wizard Kingdom."


    Adrianna looked at him with narrowed eyes.


    Isididorus was also doubtful about him, "Adrianna, Ziu is no doubt an intelligent man, but he is also not very reliable. The fact that he chose to stay disguised as someone else other than his original self for so many years is highly questionable. No one has come to know the real reason behind his disguise. I would not suggest a man like that."


    "But Professor Ziu has proved that he has all the talent in the world. When he was close to me in the academy, and taught me the spells, I could see how brilliant that man is. I think we must use his powers and intelligence. I have heard that he can cast spells which only a few others can."


    "That is right Adrianna but I still doubt him," replied Isidorus to which Dmitri nodded in agreement pretty heavily.


    "Tomorrow I am going to the academy. If you like I can enter his cell and know about his past," offered Adrianna with a shrug.


    "If you will enter his cell, everyone will come to know about it," said Isidorus, once again aghast at her suggestion.


    "No, they won''t. I can enter the cell when I am conscious," she said much to Isidorus'' amazement.


    No other wizard could do that. They had to become unconscious to enter someone''s cell. Was Adrianna above all that? This was impossible.


    "Well, for now I can easily say that yesterday you encountered a serpent like, half-dragon creature that blasted your floor and entered your bedroom. You sent your spies around and you can''t find anything untoward. Did the creature say that you would die in two days if you didn''t get me?" asked Adrianna with a smile and a frown looking with questions in her eyes.


    Isidorus gaped and stared at his queen. "That- that was- how- how did you know?" he had never encountered a person like her in his life. So powerful that he couldn''t fathom her powers or her powers were still to be cultivated? It scared him.


    "I just entered your cell. There are way too many things there but for now this is what I want to talk about," she replied.


    Isidorus felt naked in front of the queen. He had rightly chosen the heir of the Wizard Kingdom. At one point he was proud of his decision in pursuing the heir and at the other point he was scared of her. No one other than the crown himself had scared him ever. Was she even more powerful than the crown?


    "O- okay, you can enter his cell and check it for yourself," stuttered Isidorus as Dmitri chuckled. Isidorus looked at Dmitri and thought, "Poor Dmitri, his wife is such a powerful witch. How would he sustain her? There was nothing he could ever hide. And he knew that boys loved to have fun around."


    Adrianna laughed at Isidorus. "Don''t worry, he is the only person in the world who is protected from my magic. Even my wand refuses to throw magic on him. I can definitely throw some spells on him but they have to be beneficial to him or they wouldn''t work at all. Instead they would work in his favor."


    Isidorus was aware of that part that the spells never worked on the spouses of the rulers, but he was scared about her ability to get into people''s mind. He shook his head and said, "Okay Adrianna, do what you like. Is there anything else?"


    "Yes, there is," she replied. "I want to visit your bedroom and inspect it. Who would have the guts to threaten the great wizard Isidorus?"


    Isidorus smiled. This is what he loved about her. She was overly protective about people who were close to her. "Sure my queen. I suggest that you come to my palace tomorrow after the graduation ceremony."


    Adrianna nodded in agreement. Finally Isidorus could go! His primroses! He disappeared immediately.


    Adrianna started laughing and snapped her fingers. "What magic have you cast Adri?" asked Dmitri as he got up and started to go to the bedroom. He was extremely tired and wanted to rest. Adrianna laughed heartily!

 Chapter 340 - Queens Dont Talk Like That

    When Isidorus reached his palace, he eagerly rushed to tend to his primroses. However, when he went over there, he was shocked, irritated and very angry at the sight in front of him. All the primroses were neatly trimmed! He looked at his gardeners who were waiting for him and wondered who could be the culprit out of them? Who would dare to trim the hedges without his consent? But he realized that all of them looked just as shocked. "What happened here?" he asked threatening them with his wand. "Who cut these hedges?"


    "We don''t know master. Suddenly these hedges were trimmed while we were waiting for you to come!" answered the head gardener fearfully. "We thought that you have finally used your magic."


    Isidorus narrowed his eyes. He realized what had happened. "Adriannaaa!" he shouted in anger. How dare she touched his work?


    Dmitri and Adrianna went to sleep early that day. Dmitri had been extremely tired, as he had run along with his pack in the fields of snow to find food. Soon heavy snow would start falling and going out would become a problem. It was a ritual that occured every year with all the packs.


    The lake in the center of the territories was about to get frozen. He had to find ways to create flow of water within the packs without any hindrance. He had spent a long time with his people who suggested him various ways.


    So as soon as he hit the pillow after taking a bath, he slept off. He had wanted to be with Adrianna and continue with his sessions of making love, instead he was having loud snoring sessions which disturbed Adrianna for a long time. The fact that the canopy surrounded them, his snoring was sort of echoing inside. Adrianna had finally got up pushed him to turn to the other side. Miraculously the snoring had stopped and she slept peacefully. Sometime during the night she found that all her clothes were removed and she was beneath him while he was gently pacing in and out of her. When he finished, he slumped beside her and embraced her tightly. "Let me sleep Dmitri," she said in a sleepy voice almost warning him. But it was not even an hour that she found herself below him while he was taking her from behind.


    He dozed off beside her not even bothered to disengage himself from her. When this happened for the fifth time, she became furious. "Dmitri! Stop, or else I am going out of this bedroom!"


    "Hush baby," he replied as he increased his pace inside her. Once he was done, he said, "Now sleep baby. I won''t trouble you."


    ---


    It was early morning when Isidorus got dressed. He was waiting for the creature to appear the entire night but it didn''t. Only a day had passed and Isidorus was well prepared. He would have to wait for the next day. He waited for Adrianna to come and inspect his bedroom. Since his spies had reported that there was no enemy that had penetrated the walls of the Wizard Kingdom from outside, finding an enemy within the kingdom should have been easier. However, his people were unable to notice anything untoward.


    ---


    Adrianna woke up late in the morning. She found Dmitri snoring all over again. She had to get dressed for the academy. The ceremony was supposed to start in an hour. She shook Dmitri. "Get up! We have to go to the academy."


    Dmitri rolled on the other side and started snoring again. Adrianna shook his body vigorously. When he didn''t wake up, she snapped her fingers in order to cast a spell for cold water to get sprinkled on him instead it sprinkled on her. She shrieked and jumped out of the bed. Annoyed, she said, "Dmitri, if you won''t get up, I would get a manual bucket of water and pour it on your head."


    "Queens don''t talk like that," he replied with his eyes closed.


    Furious, Adrianna went to the bathroom, filled a mug with water and just as she was about to come out, he came in. "Bad move Adri��" he said and pinned her to the counter. Once again he took her from behind and she didn''t even have the time to  protest.


    ---


    An hour later, they reached Isidorus'' palace. He was waiting for them eagerly. Isidorus looked at Adrianna and commented, "Why are your eyes looking so sunken? Didn''t you sleep well yesterday? Also, why did you trim those primroses? They are looking ugly now."


    Adrianna rolled her eyes. What was it with men around her? She sighed, ignored his complaint and said, "I would like to see your bedroom."


    When they went there, there was almost nothing that she could find. Isidorus told her how the incident occurred, which she listened intently. "Is it okay if I stay in your palace today?"


    "No! This is what that serpent-like creature wanted. You cannot stay here," he retorted at her idea.


    "Okay, don''t get riled," she replied. "Let''s go to the academy now." She had to calm him but she knew what she had to do.


    They left for the academy together in Adrianna''s carriage. As her carriage flew, Adrianna smiled at the two white doves that had replaced the parrots and were now used to pull it. They were beautiful and so serene to look at that one could spend a long time just watching their graceful movements while flying.


    Adrianna looked at Fleur whose eyes were red. She was looking very sad as though she had cried. At the back of her mind, Adrianna knew that she had to free Fleur from her work as soon as possible. It was impossible for her to stay away from Liam now. She couldn''t even imagine what was Liam''s state. She looked at Isidorus and said, "I want you to free Fleur from her duties��"


    "She was born to protect you," he replied coldly.


    "She is marked by Liam, in case you don''t know," interrupted Dmitri.


    "It is not my fault that she is marked by Liam," once again Isidorus replied coldly. He didn''t trust anyone with the queen''s security.

 Chapter 341 - Prime Minister Of The Wizard Kingdom

    "She would rebel soon if we don''t leave her!" said Adrianna irritated at his stubbornness.


    "Then I will kill her," replied isidorus in an ice-like tone.


    Adrianna thought that perhaps this wasn''t the right time to pursue the matter, so she left it. Besides she could see that they had reached the academy. This time when she went to the main gates, the iron guards kneeled down on the gate, as soon as she placed the golden card in its place. They did not get up until even Dmitri had passed through the gate. They had recognized Dmitri as the King of the Wizard Kingdom.


    They reached the venue of the graduation ceremony. It was held in the garden just outside the main classes. The garden was converted into a rose bowl setting. There was a small podium in the center while there were seats all around in front of it that were placed in steps. It looked very stately. Adrianna was taken to sit amongst the students, while Dmitri was supposed to sit in the place for parents and guardians. There was no special place for him and as soon as he went there, the girls around him started blushing and ogling him. Wearing a white shirt, a blue pants and a white jacket, he looked handsome and royal.


    Isidorus was guided by the professors to sit on the stage along with other members of the ministry.


    Adrianna was sitting in the last row. The students were made to sit according to their surnames. After marrying Dmitri, she had officially taken his surname and was now known as Adrianna Volkov. She was sitting with the students who were all very flustered around her. They all congratulated him and she was feeling a little awkward now. She smiled at all of them. She noticed that on the stage Professor Ziu was sitting right next to Isidorus. The function started. Professor Ziu welcomed all the students and the guests and soon it was time for them to be handed the certificates.


    "May I please call upon His Royal Magesty, Dmitri Volkov to present certificates to our passing out students?" said Ziu as he looked at Adrianna with a smile.


    Adrianna''s mouth fell. She would be receiving the certificate of her graduation from Dmitri! A non-wizard and a werewolf! And that too just because he was her husband? She chuckled inside and heard Dmitri saying, "See, I am in demand! Come to me wifey!"


    There was a thunderous clap when Dmitri rose from his place and went to give the certificates. One by one, the certificates were given to the students. Many witches held his hand to shake it longer than needed making Adrianna jealous. She would every time ask him to leave the hand as soon as he had shaken with a witch. In fact he would leave it, but they wouldn''t.


    At last it was her turn. She walked to the stage with a smile on her face. She blushed a little when she looked at her husband. As soon as she reached there, Dmitri held her hand and shook it nicely. She tried to remove it, but he didn''t let her go. Everyone in the audience was laughing at His Royal Majesty. He gave her the certificate, "Many Congratulations Wife, you deserve it more than anyone else!" Then he circled her shoulders and made her stand with him with a huge grin that was splitting his face into two.


    Everyone stood to give them a huge round of applause. Adrianna deserved every bit if that. She remembered all the struggle, all the animosity, and the way she had to prove herself over the last few months. It was an overwhelming moment for her.


    It was the firs time in the history of the Wizard Kingdom that the queen bowed in front of her subjects.


    When the function was over, all the important dignitaries were called for lavish lunch. It was here that Professor Ziu came to meet Adrianna, who was standing and talking to the ministry members who had surrounded her.


    "Many congratulations Adrianna!" said Ziu who was appearing tired.


    "Thank you so much, Professor Ziu," replied Adrianna with a bow. "This couldn''t happen without your encouragement."


    He smiled and said, "Let me know if I can be of any help to you in the future."


    Dmitri, who was standing right beside Adrianna looked at him with cold eyes.


    "Yes, there is a way that you can help me, Professor Ziu," she said in an urgent tone.


    "Sure, tell me what is it?" Suddenly he became very alert.


    "I want you to take the position of the Prime Minister of the Wizard Kingdom."


    Dmitri, Isidorus, all the ministry members and even Ziu himself, became silent for a moment.


    Dmitri was furious. "What are you doing?" he asked her mentally.


    She didn''t reply to him and looked at Ziu waiting for his answer. The way she had spoken, it was like a command.


    "Yes, Your Majesty," replied Ziu after a moment of silence. He bowed in front of her.


    "Come to the noble court tomorrow where I will be announcing."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    It was all so sudden that Ziu didn''t know what else to do. Besides if Adrianna had asked him, he would do that, no matter what.


    "What about the position of the academy''s headmaster?" asked one of the ministry members.


    "I would like Coral to take over the position of the headmistress," replied Adrianna.


    Once again there was no sign of disapproval from anyone.


    Isidorus wanted to question her decision, but then went against the idea. She must have already taken that decision when she was wearing the crown.


    The function got over soon.


    Dmitri wanted to talk to Adrianna about her choice of making Ziu the Prime Minister, but he thought that it would be too meddlesome. She had to make choices and he had to keep his jealousy in check.


    ---


    When Dmitri was in the lake the previous night, it was neotides who were swimming in large numbers to cross the river to reach the point of attack. It had been three days now and they were slowly accumulating over there. In order to remain undetected, all of them were hiding on the trees, caves, pits and caverns in the jungle. They waited for the entire first batch to arrive. Reese was waiting for one more batch to arrive. The attack was supposed to take place the next night.

 Chapter 342 - The Matrix (1)

    In the night, Isidorus waited for the perpetrator. Even though Isidorus had asked Adrianna not to come, she managed to get into his palace undetected under the cloak of invisibility. She lurks around his bedroom and waits outside during the time he had said that the creature appeared. Adrianna was shocked to notice that Isidorus slept on the floor and not on his plush bed.


    They kept waiting for the creature to appear but their waiting was futile. It didn''t appear. Isidorus was very confused and sleepy by the time it was dawn. He dozed off and Adrianna too returned to her palace and slept beside Dmitri. When she woke up, it was late in the morning and she noticed that Dmitri had left for the werewolf realm. She also got ready for the noble court.


    When she reached there, she noticed that Ziu was already there along with other ministry members. She went to sit on the throne and the crown came and sat on her head. "How are you Adrianna?" he asked.


    "I am fine," she communicated mentally as her vision changed.


    "Why have you got Ziu on board? I don''t trust him," asked the crown.


    "It was necessary. He is a capable man who is very brilliant. There are only five like him in the Wizard Kingdom and they include Zephyr and me. If Zephyr had been a little patient, he would have taken the Prime Minister''s position," replied Adrianna.


    "Did you enter his cell?" asked the crown.


    "No�� but I can read his mind. I don''t want to enter cells of people all the time. Plus I am sure Ziu would come to know if I enter his cell."


    Then Adrianna looked at the wizards and witches present in the court and announced, "Professor Ziu will be taking over as the Prime Minister of the Wizard Kingdom."


    There were murmurs amongst the ministers. She could hear them very clearly. "Is there a problem?" she asked them.


    None of dared to refute her. The court felt silent. Her cabinet of ministers was now complete. She turned towards Ziu and said, "Please move into the palace that is assigned to the Prime Minister."


    Ziu bowed the queen. Isidorus went to him and made him wear a ring.


    "What is this ring for?" asked Ziu feeling as though he was getting bind by some invisible force.


    Isidorus showed his ring to him, which was similar and said, "All ministry members have to wear it. It keeps them bound to the throne. Do not think of removing this ring from your hand."


    Ziu looked at Adrianna with surprise and found her looking at him as if he couldn''t question that. He became quiet. He could feel the heaviness of responsibility in his heart. What was this magic? Why was he feeling as though he was responsible for taking only the right decisions? He felt extremely loyal to the throne and the crown and he even felt that he could kill people if they spoke against the ruler or the throne.


    Adrianna looked back at her ministers in the court and then without them even knowing about it, a spell was cast upon them that tracked their movement from now on.


    Isidorus informed her that she had to visit the ministry now. The court was over and all the members left one by one. Adrianna went out with Isidorus and Ziu. They headed for the ministry. It was a short twenty minutes ride to the ministry. Adrianna noticed that the building was located atop a small hillock that was surrounded by water on all sides. The people arrived there on carriages or horses with wings. There was a large area where the carriages stopped. Once the owners alighted, the carriages went back. This way not even a single vehicle could be seen there. She walked towards the main entrance of the building and noticed how majestic the building looked. There was an earth shaped orb right in front of the building that was rotating on its axis. There was water falling on it from all sides. The water was falling in a way that the orb turned according to the time on earth. As the water fell, she could see that the orb became greener and blue. It was as if that it was this water that was supplying life to the earth. She could see tiny butterflies of various colors flying all around it. She smiled and walked. There were neatly manicured gardens all around the building. The Ministry building was like an old country mansion that had been extended over the centuries.


    "In case the ministry is attacked, these gardens invert and javelins are revealed. The javelins start launching one by one as they detect the enemy," said Isidorus when he saw her looking at the garden. Adrianna was shocked. She couldn''t imagine sharp missile-like javelins beneath the place she was walking on.


    When she reached the entrance, she found that it looked like a matrix. Every person who passed through the matrix had to be examined by it. The matrix read their DNA and it was instantly and stored in ministry data.


    When Adrianna entered, she was intrigued by it. She touched the giant matrix in front of her that was nothing but a collection of numbers, letters and various signs running from top to bottom. There were occasional electric currents buzzing inside it.


    "You have to go through this to enter the building," said Isidorus when he found her looking at it.


    Adrianna heard him with wonder and then looked at matrix from top to bottom. Then slowly she put her hand inside. As soon as she had put her hand inside, the matrix rapidly started coiling around it. She retracted her hand and the matrix also retracted.


    "Just calmly let it read you Adrianna��" assured Isidorus.


    Adrianna, once again inserted her hand inside. It started coiling around her at a rapid speed and within a few seconds her entire body was covered in the matrix.

 Chapter 343 - The Matrix (2)

    It was the first time that the matrix was reading her. It surrounded her completely �C the various letters, numbers and different signs and for a few minutes she found herself being scanned by it. She could feel its energy. It was as if it had a lot of life in it. She could see numbers and signs running in front of her eyes. They were changing at a rapid speed. The matrix read her within a few minutes and then suddenly retracted. It allowed her to go inside the ministry. She was intrigued at the way it worked. She looked at Isidorus who was at the moment being read by the matrix. As Isidorus walked in, he looked at Adrianna and said, "That was the longest I had see matrix working on an individual. You are the first person that the matrix spent almost three minutes in reading the DNA."


    "Maybe because I am half werewolf��"


    "I don''t think so. Many werewolves have entered the ministry earlier and all were scanned within a matter of seconds," replied Isidorus as he counted the number of werewolves who had entered the ministry. He couldn''t recollect more than five. Isidorus made a mental note of looking at her DNA in the data that was now filed somewhere deep undergorund amongst all other data.


    Rest of the people who had accompanied Adrianna followed them one after the other.


    When Adrianna walked inside, she was impressed by the building''s majestic architecture. It was shining masterpiece of while marble. There were tall pillars that supported the arched ceilings in the porticos all around. The building was stretched in 4 sides around a central quadrangle. There must have been over 100 rooms all around it. In the quadrangle there was a large table right in the center that had the ministry map.


    The main rooms were in the north block where all the ministers had their offices. In the east and west block there were those who were working below the ministers. It was the south block, which was the most intriguing. Here the ministry kept a huge army. In fact those were the training grounds of highly specialized wizards and witches, each of whom knew at least five types of martial arts that humans knew apart from all the magic they were laced with. It was from this army that the ministry sent spies in the different realms so that they could protect themselves without the help of magic when the situation demanded.


    For the next one hour, Adrianna was given a tour of the entire building and she was highly admired it. In the end, she was taken to her place of work - a room that was located a floor above the rooms in the north block. There was a spiral staircase, which led to her room. At the bottom of the staircase there was a white lion sitting as if guarding the entrance.


    As soon as the lion saw new people, he got up. "Good afternoon, Adrianna," he greeted her swishing his tail behind him in excitement. He had been guarding that from a long time now waiting for the ruler to come and visit the office again. It took a long time for her to come.


    "Hello Seashell!" she replied as she patted his head. "That''s a weird name for a lion," she laughed at him.


    Seashell growled. His growl was a light roar that scared Ziu. "The fifth ruler found me as a cub near the sea in the human realm and he brought me as a pet. I was his wand for a long time, but he released me before he died. I miss him..."


    "I am sorry..." she replied.


    Isidorus and Ziu started at the way she was dealing with the lion. Most other rulers were right away scared. The lion had to be taken away for a few days before they were comfortable.


    "How do you know his name?" asked Ziu because no one had told them about it.


    "I know a lot of things Professor Ziu," she said with a half-smile. She climbed the stairs as the two of them followed her. They noticed that even Seashell followed them. Ziu was out of his wits and he rushed in front of Adrianna.


    "I don''t like him," Adrianna heard Seashell and she laughed mentally.


    The room that they now walked into was tastefully decorated over the years. She looked around and was appreciating it when Isidorus said, "You can change the d��cor of the room as you like."


    She smiled and replied, "No, I don''t want to change a thing here." She didn''t want to waste her time in changing the d��cor.


    She saw that there were various sculpted bronze statues of previous rulers that were kept in a small gallery that was on the left of the room. She thought that one day even her bronze statue would also be decorating the place��


    On the right there was a room that had a large aquarium. Numerous exotic fish that were caught from the human realm inhabited it. She walked in the main room where had to sit. In the center was a large table and plush cushioned chair. All the sides of the room were covered with white and golden motifs. There were valuable manuscripts and books. Around twenty paintings decorated the walls on all sides.


    Isidorus introduced her to the various things that were present in the room. He pointed her to look out the window that was on the south side. When she went over there, she noticed that she could actually see the entire training grounds from there and surprisingly there weren''t too many wizards or witches there. "How many people are there in the training as of now?" she asked Isidorus wondering if she should increase the numbers.


    "There are about a hundred wizards and witches," replied Isidorus cringing at the word ''people'' but he couldn''t blame Adrianna. She had lived with humans for the most part of her life. "These are all here on a voluntary basis. Not all parents are happy to send their children to these grounds. Since they are inducted at a very young age, they are taught everything in these grounds itself."


    "What age are they admitted her?" she asked thinking that they must be here after completing the academy. Suddenly she saw a group of five very young wizards marching behind the older ones.


    "At the age of six," he replied nonchalantly.


    "What?" Adrianna was shocked.


    "Yes, and then they are hardly allowed to go and meet their parents."


    "This is twisted," she said in anger.


    "Why do you say that Adrianna? You were hardly with your parents right from a young age," Isidorus commented. "These children do go once in a while, maybe ten days in a year to meet their parents. Training them is not easy. You should totally go and see what they are capable of. Also we send them as spies in different realms."


    Adrianna felt terrible at Isidorus'' statement. Yes, she was denied parental love right from the beginning and it hurt her. "Who is your spy in the human world?" she asked.


    Another shock for Adrianna was in when Isidorus replied, "Howard." He looked at the children in the training ground and added, "But there are more."


    "W- who?"

 Chapter 344 - The Ministry

    Isidorus looked at Adrianna''s shocked expressions. "What so shocking about it? Don''t human send spies in different countries within their own realm?"


    "Y- yes they do? But it must be very difficult for the wizards or witches to hide themselves in the human realm?" she stuttered as she asked him.


    "Nah! It is easy to hide in human realm. It is most difficult to hide amongst elves. They can see what you are easily. You should see the kind of training the children are given who are chosen for elf realm. Those children not only have to be master of the martial arts of human realm but they also have to know the way elves fight, which incidentally is the most difficult thing to learn. As of now only a handful eight have been successful."


    "Where did they learn the ways of the elves?" she asked curious about it.


    Isidorus looked out the window and pointed to a small house at the far corner of the training grounds, which looked deserted. Surrounded by green grass all around it, it looked lonely. "Do you see that house?"


    Adrianna nodded.


    "That''s where he stays �C the only elf that ever came to the Wizard Kingdom. His lady love got married to someone else and he left the kingdom vouching he would never see her face. He was picked by the tenth ruler of the Wizard Kingdom, and stays here from that time. He is now over seven hundred years old."


    Adrianna was astonished.


    "He teaches the art to these children and has never stepped out of the training grounds." Isidorus looked at her. She was lost in the thoughts. "Well, that''s it my Queen! Let me introduce you to all other things in the room of the ruler."


    Adrianna smiled. Ziu had left them soon after they had seen the aquarium. He was scared of Seashell.


    Once Isidorus had introduced her to how things worked there, he started to leave. "Remember that if you want to ask for help, you have shout "Peonies" and a servant would appear." Saying that he left.


    "Peonies! That''s funny," Adrianna chuckled. But as soon as she had said that a peony appeared. Her eyes popped out when she looked at the peony. It was a cute fragrant flower that had two wings that were fluttering around it at a high speed to stay airborne. It circled Adrianna and suddenly a mouth opened inside it. "Yes my Queen, what can I do for you?"


    "I want a glass of water��" she gulped.


    The peony returned with a glass of water, which was held by its wings. It was now walking on the floor. "Anything else?"


    "N- no, you may leave!"


    The peony flew away. Seashell looked at him and growled, "These pests!"


    Adrianna went to the table and looked at all the documents that looked as if they were neatly arranged on the table. She started reading them one by one. Once she finished them, she started reading the manuscripts. Even though she hadn''t read that ancient language earlier, she could understand it easily. Those manuscripts were a treasure of spells and potion-making techniques. She was so immersed in them that she didn''t realize that it was time to leave. Isidorus came to her room to escort her out. He looked at what she was reading and asked, "Can you even understand all that?"


    "Oh yes!" she exclaimed. She pointed to a page and said in excitement, "Look this spell is just like an experiment we did back in my Chemistry class!"


    Isidorus looked at page. He had never been able to understand a letter in those manuscripts in his twelve hundred years of existence. He was baffled, stunned and surprised at Adrianna. She was reading them like she knew everything about it!


    "It''s time to leave," he said as he swished his wand making those manuscripts fly back on the shelves.


    Adrianna pursed her lips and left along with him. Her experience was simply too good on the first day and she couldn''t wait to tell it all to Dmitri. She couldn''t forget the sumptuous lunch that was served to her during the day. Dmitri would totally love it!


    ---


    Neotides had already gathered in large numbers now. The last batch had already left and was about to reach the outskirts of the Wizard Kingdom. From past five days Reese had been waiting for them. She was regularly roaming around all the hideouts and seeing if they were all well prepared or not. She couldn''t afford any lagging at this moment. The last batch, headed by Cy''s man arrived a few hours before the attack. As soon as he arrived, the wizard started working on removing the spells from the walls of the Wizard Kingdom.


    He knew that there were multiple spells in layers that had to be removed before they could even think of breaching the walls. The layers of spells were so thick from out one could only see haze. It was as if a thick cloud covered the wall but in fact they were spells.


    Slowly, he started removing them like layers from onion. He was removing only spells of the area enough through which the neotides could enter in small hordes. As he started working on them, all those around could see flashes of lights bursting out every time a spell broke. It wasn''t easy because the lights that were emitted out from there were falling on the grounds of the jungle causing small fires here and there. The dampness of the jungle and the ground was in their favor and hence the fire didn''t spread otherwise if it had been dry, the fire would have spread rapidly.


    Reese had asked the neotides to stay away from the place where the wizard was working. At last only a few more layers were left. They could all see the insides of the city through the thick barbed wires. There was an excitement amongst the neotides. The first batch started preparing to attack.

 Chapter 345 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (1)

    Reese was spearheading the attack and she wanted the first attack to be extremely impactful because if they lagged in this one, they would hardly get a chance to recover. She knew that Cy would come as a backup along with Vikra. This time she wanted to prove to Vikra that she was a supreme general of the army. If the Wizard Kingdom fell, she would become Vikra''s military general in the kingdom. Only imagining that was thrilling enough for her. She started looking and waiting for the last spell to break.


    ---


    When Adrianna had come back to the Royal Palace, she found that Dmitri was already there. He was talking with servants who were telling him about a yellow flower that appeared in their gardens. It was a strange yellow flower that had been blooming from past many days now. Every flower that bloomed, withered in a matter of few days, but that one was holding from more than a week now. When Dmitri saw Adrianna entering the palace, he was excited to share the information like a baby.


    While going back, he said, "When will yellow flowers blossom in our canopy? There is one growing outside, when will one grow inside?"


    Adrianna shook her head and went to take a bath, which was already prepared by the servants. Dmitri followed her inside and sat on the edge of the bathtub as she soaked herself in the warm water. As she sat there, he said, "Baby, I might not come back for a few days."


    Adrianna looked at him with a frown, "Why Dmitri? Where are you going?"


    "I have to go to the human realm, perhaps to a different country. There are several werewolf packs around the world and a war has broken out amongst a large number on the middle earth. The leaders from there have asked me to come and negotiate terms in order for them to reach a solution," he answered as he combed her hair with his hands.


    She sulked and her lips curved downward. "When will you be back?"


    "Perhaps in two weeks��"


    "What? How would I communicate with you?"


    "You can walk through portal Adri. Whenever I will miss you, I will send a message to Nate or Liam on the phone and they will tell you my exact location," he answered rubbing the frown from her forehead.


    "Let me also accompany you. I am very good at negotiating terms!"


    Dmitri laughed at her.


    The two of them talked for sometime and slept after having dinner. She held him close to her. She hated when he didn''t come for a day. Two weeks are going to be hell. It was past midnight when a servant knocked at the doors. Adrianna woke up with a start. She looked at the source of the sound. The servant knocked again. This time she was alerted. "What is it?" she asked in anger.


    "My Queen, sorry to disturb you, but on the southeast of the Wizard Kingdom, the walls have been breached. Isdorus, Ziu, Mihr and others are standing outside to have a word with you."


    Adrianna sprang out of the bed and so did Dmitri. Both of them wore the night robes over there night suits and rushed out. Adrianna looked at them as she walked in tying the string of the robe across her waist. "What happened?" she asked without wasting time.


    It was Mihr who replied, "There has been a breach on the southeast side of the kingdom. That was our weakest spot because it faced the human realm. One of the regular guards noticed sparks flying from that area. When he went to inspect it, he found that a wizard from the outside was breaking spells cast over there. As of now a very thin layer is left."


    Adrianna started walking out, as she quickly swished her hands over her body from head to waist to change her appearance. Instead of the robe, she was now wearing a brown leather pants and a leather jacket. She looked at Dmitri and snapped her fingers. Next moment, even he was wearing black leather pants and jacket. All of them walked through the portal created by Mihr. Some of the ministry members started murmuring that it was a big mistake to induct Mihr as the military general.


    One of them spoke loudly, "It seems that you have actually told them about this weak spot. Otherwise who would know about it?"


    Another one chimed in, "My Queen you have done a huge blunder by inducting him as the military general. He is a snake in your arm."


    "You should remove him and kill him!" added another.


    Mihr looked miserable but he didn''t say anything. The ghosts of his past would haunt him always.


    "Quiet! All of you!" shouted Adrianna. "Let us focus on the perpetrator and let me do what I have to!"


    She looked so threatening with her golden yellow eyes that they became quiet in an instant. Adrianna looked in front of her. She could make out through the haze that there was some movement on the other side. Immediately she put the invisibility spell on her ministry people. "I would like to know who is doing this. Which wizard has the nerve to even try to break the protection?"


    "If I send someone on the other side, it is highly unlikely that he would come back," replied Mihr.


    "So do we wait here until they break the entire wall?" Adrianna reprimanded him.


    She looked at Ziu and said, "Go and find out now."


    Ziu snapped his fingers and disappeared in smoke. He came back within a few minutes. "Cy''s man is the only wizard breaking the wall. There is a large number of neotides outside."


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus, who created a few more spells, but the problem was that he had to create them inside, which was taking space. They had to create it outside.


    "Get the army from ministry training grounds now," ordered Adrianna. Isidorus left.  Then she looked at Mihr, "I want five hundred of your army here, now!"


    She turned to Dmitri, "You have to go back to the palace!"


    ---


    Outside the wall, a smile appeared on Reese'' face. It was about time. Her hands were itching to kill some of those wizards and witches who thought they were the supreme beings.


    The wall was breached minutes later.

 Chapter 346 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (2)

    The battle hungry Neotides congregated outside the walls of the Wizard Kingdom. Their lust for blood and battle was palpable and they were waiting for Reese to signal the advance.


    Meanwhile inside the fortress, Adrianna had asked Mihr to inform inhabitants of the kingdom to stay in their houses and protect themselves with spells.


    As the night fell, the inhabitants were wary of the looming war. Fortified by layers of spells that no ordinary creature could get past through, they remained complacent that their stronghold was impenetrable. For ages, these spells kept them untouchable not even to their most powerful nemesis.


    But with the outpouring of neotides in the offing, could their spells still offer refuge? So when they heard that there was a breach in the southeast wall, they became anxious. It was the first time that such a challenge had been brought right at their footsteps. Fear started creeping slowly in their minds.


    Isidorus was amused at the audacity of the neotides. He said, "These neotodes are no match to our spells. Have they lost their minds? Do they really think they can get past through?"


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri once again and urged, "Dmitri, leave this place. There will be too many spells in the next few moments floating around you. I don''t want you to get injured!"


    "Adri, you do realize that I have a genetic advantage over the neotides. The way I can kill and beat them, no one because I am a skilled werewolf fighter," he replied determined that he wouldn''t leave. "I am going to stay here in the last and fight any neotide that escapes you all!"


    Adrianna shook her head, "Okay, but stay safe and call me whenever you are in danger."


    Dmitri gritted his teeth. It is she who should call him when she is in danger. What was this reverse thing going on?


    The army from the training ground had arrived. Adrianna made batches of the army and each batch included ten wizards. She stood there in the front, backed by Mihr, Isidorus and Ziu. Behind them stood the specialized army. Right behind them was the usual wizard army.


    Adrianna had instructed the wizards of the training ground to stay close to her. She knew that with them, she would easily take the neotides down. But what she feared was that they were large in numbers. Even if they would take them down, for how long would they be able to stop the hordes? Ziu had said that there were thousands of those.


    She was ready to strike them nonetheless. She looked at her husband one last time and swished her wand. He was covered in a protective spell. The cloak of invisibility was already there on all the wizards so none of the outsiders could even make out what was happening inside. So for the neotides it would look that the work they had was fruitful and they would take over the kingdom easily, when in fact there was an army of wizards inside.


    Outside the walls, Reese went and stood right in front of the neotides. She had to pep up her army. "Werewolves! If you want the grandeur of those castles, if you want to take down Adrianna, who is our nemesis, if you want to rule that kingdom, then be prepared. They, wizards, have no right to helm over any creature. They think that they are the most powerful creatures in the world. They think that they can suppress us. They have no right to show their supremacy. Kill them!"


    The neotides howled in concurrence. "Woooooooooo��"


    "On my command we will assault this kingdom. No one will look back. Fix your gaze towards the postern that will lead to our victory," Reese shouted with vigor.


    The neotides were charged up. Some started shape shifting as they howled. The dark night was filled with loud howls that traveled to the human realm, which was just a few miles away. Humans started closing their doors and windows fearing that a pack of wolves were on their way to the civilization.


    The wall breached and Reese looked at the Wizard Kingdom. There was no one. She growled. "Attack!" she shouted. Finally she commanded the countless neotides to flood the breached wall of the Wizard Kingdom.


    Neotides in hundreds, one over the other ran inside. However, even before they could run barely fifteen feet that Adrianna removed the invisibility cloak. They were shocked beyond words. What appeared a serene kingdom was now full of an army of wizards standing to take them down and if that wasn''t sufficient, they found themselves surrounded by spells upon spells thrown everywhere by the wizards. There were lighting bolts falling on them. Rabid neotides ran across here and there and back towards outside, but they couldn''t escape as more and neotides appeared.


    Adrianna took down a number of them in one blow. There were neotides flying and crashing down on the ground with split limbs, gashed stomach and often headless around her.


    Reese was shocked. She didn''t expect the wizards to show up. Cy and his men had assured that there would be no one. She was expecting a fluid entry in the kingdom. But now was no time to procrastinate. The battle had begun and she spearheaded it. The wizard who was with them took Reese on his broomstick and went airborne. From there he started throwing spells on the wizards down.


    Adrianna was fighting with twenty neotides when she heard a wizard from the special group near her shout in pain. It seemed that from somewhere "Ponos" spell was thrown on him. She looked up and saw a faint light coming from somewhere up. She pointed her wand and threw the spell "Nuyyn". Immediately movements of the wizard and Reese were arrested and they fell on the ground over other neotides who were all running inside. The broom of the wizard ran beneath them and picked them to take them to a safe place. They waited for the spell to subside, which could be an hour.


    Adrianna''s gaze fell on Dmitri, and she was stunned.

 Chapter 347 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (3)

    Dmitri had shape shifted and there was a deep gash on his shoulder.


    Adrianna looked at Ziu and asked him to take the affected wizard out. Ziu cast "Avaonte Aero" on him and airlifted the wizard. Another wizard created a portal and he was sent to the infirmary. Ziu came back to fight along with Adrianna.


    Whatever neotides escaped from the first assault, would get caught by Dmitri, who had shape shifted and was having fun ripping their limbs apart. As for Adrianna, one could see her shape shifting multiple times to suit her attack techniques.


    The whole field looked like a frenzy of various colored lights with blood being splattered everywhere.


    The sheer number of neotides seemed to drown the spells that surrounded the kingdom. Soon it looked that the first salvo was succumbing to the spells. They were no match to the wizards. But even though many of them met with their deaths the instant they crossed the boundary, their thirst for battle and victory didn''t fade a bit.


    Adrianna and her army were holding against them but inch by inch the neotides were advancing inside making them go back inside. As many neotides died down, an avalanche of neotides replenished their troop. The battle was running for over an hour and it was just the numbers that was worrying Adrianna. Even though Dmitri had been able to kill most that escaped the first barrier, some still managed to sneak their way inside. However, they were caught and killed instantly by the army from the training grounds immediately.


    "How many are there?" asked Adrianna as she slashed a neotide into two pieces.


    Isidorus, who was calmly casting one spell after the other replied, "They are in thousands and I am sure Vikra must be having more of those. The fact that he hasn''t come himself with them, means that he would come with a larger number. This was just the first batch and he has declared war on us."


    In anger Adrianna slashed five noetides with a lightning-like sword in her hand. The sword was made from silver, which was extremely dangerous for werewolves.


    "You shouldn''t be using that sword, Adrianna," said Mihr as he stood their defending his queen from all possible attacks.


    But Adrianna was hardly listening. How dare Vikra does this to her as soon as she was crowned? And why didn''t she get even the slightest signal about it? what about the spies that Isidorus showed her in the ministry?


    She looked towards Dmitri and communicated mentally, "We need more pure-blooded werewolves."


    "Back me up and create a portal!" he answered.


    Adrianna sent a few from the army to his place and Dmitri walked out of the portal created by one of the wizards. He came back within five minutes with another twenty werewolves that belonged to his army. Even Nate was there.


    Together, all of them went a little forward and attacked the neotides. "Stay at the back," shouted Adrianna. "There are spells all over!"


    Dmitri growled and went back to where he was supposed to be.


    The numbers was their advantage. If this continued, it was possible that they break the walls completely. She was also worried that the wizard who was with them might break other parts of the wall. She had to neutralize him first. She looked at Isidorus and said, "I want to go out!"


    "No," he replied calmly as he killed three neotides who had leapt at her.


    "I have to neutralize the wizard with them. I am taking five of these spies with me," she didn''t listen to his heed.


    "You can call them "Mozia" and not spies. "Spies" sounds very low," replied Isidorus.


    Adrianna was speechless. How could this man stay so calm and even crack jokes at this time? She was having an adrenaline rush in her body and she wanted to kill all of them!


    "Fine! I am taking five Mozia!" She said as she signaled five of them to fly with her to the outside. Immediately five from the reserve came to replace these.


    "Don''t Adrianna!" shouted Dmitri mentally. "It is very dangerous."


    But Adrianna blocked her mind and he could no longer communicate with her. She needed to concentrate on the war at the moment. Under the cloak of invisibility, they flew outside on their broomsticks. She was shocked when she saw the large number of neotides trying to enter the wall. They looked like ants from above. If she didn''t do anything now, they would all enter the kingdom is less than one night!


    All of a sudden she remembered that in two days it was full moon night. Her heart sank. She had to do something to stop them altogether. She took a deep breath and dived in the direction of the neotides along with the Mozia. "What do I address you all as?"


    Mozia 41, Mozia 42, Mozia 43, Mozia 44, Mozia 45


    Adrianna gritted her teeth. "I will call you 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!"


    Anything was fine with them.


    They were about twenty feet high, and a little further from the wall of the kingdom, when she commanded, "I am going down on the ground. Cover me. They will notice me soon because only I will be going in the opposite direction."


    According to her calculations, the wizard mustn''t have fallen far but she wasn''t sure where his broom must have taken him. She had to search nonetheless. As soon as she touched the ground, she shape shifted and became visible. In the hordes of neotides that were going in one direction in the form of werewolves, no one noticed her.


    Suddenly one of the Mozia saw something strange. Adrianna was the only one with golden yellow fur while all of them had grey fur. Even though it was dark of the night, her golden yellow fur brilliantly shone under the moonlight and her golden yellow eyes were burning with rage.


    A golden yellow werewolf was running in the opposite direction in the sea of grey. They became scared. What to do? How to fix that?

 Chapter 348 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (4)

    Without realizing that she had shape shifted into her golden yellow form, Adrianna kept running in the opposite direction. She had only one thing in her mind �C where was that wizard? In the sea of neotides, her sense of smell was also drowning as she could pick so many more smells.


    The Mozia above noticed the strange thing and communicated to the rest of the group. One of them dived closer to the ground and swished their wand at her to change her fur color, but the magic didn''t work. She was still golden yellow. What could they do? There was little or no time to think.


    Suddenly the Mozia got an idea. He swished his wand and now a huge bucket that contained grey colored liquid, used in dyeing clothes in the Wizard Kingdom, was seen coming in front by Adrianna. Before she could react, she was drenched with that paint.


    Adrianna was infuriated by the sudden water being thrown upon her but she realized that it was grey colored when she saw it dripping around her. She was tempted to shake her fur and remove it but she understood that it was done to hide her original fur.


    Laughing inside at Mozia, she just sped ahead satisfied that none of the neotides noticed this. She knew that they had very dull vision, especially when they had shape shifted.


    The jungle was becoming thicker as she sped ahead. She was making her way through those neotides running wherever she could find way and avoid head-on collisions. She hadn''t gone very far when one of the Mozia signaled her to stop. He noticed that there were two people lying still on a large rock that was shielded by a canopy overhead. It wasn''t difficult. Adrianna looked ahead and calculated her movements. She increased her speed and within five seconds, she leapt in the air and landed right on the rock. But when she landed, only the wizard was there. The other person had escaped, she couldn''t understand how.


    The wizard was lying there still as his movements were totally arrested due to her spell. Adrianna growled. She leapt right over him, took his neck in her jaws and picked him high in the air before crashing him down again on the rock. Her teeth sank so deep into his neck that he died that instant.


    ---


    Reese had been rescued by another neotide who worked closely with her as the general of a small unit. As he was coming with his batch towards the Wizard Kingdom, and he neared that rock, he saw Reese lying still over there with the wizard and then he suddenly saw a wolf leaping in her direction. He was shocked but he knew that neotides were known for their mood shifts. That one neotide had gone insane and he had to take it down but before that he had to save Reese.


    He was very close to the rock and so he leapt in the air over the rock. As soon as he landed, he just pulled her down holding her hand saving her just in time. Rolling her still body beneath the rock, he went back to look for that wayward neotide but when he came out to see it, he was in for a shock �C the neotide was killing the wizard. It had smashed the wizard''s body on the rock. Angered at it, he growled from behind.


    ---


    After killing the wizard, Adrianna was about to leave because her work was done. She wasn''t interested in finding the other one.


    There wouldn''t be any breach on the wall until another wizard appeared and she knew that she had bought a lot of time. She was about to signal the Mozia to leave but suddenly she heard a growl behind her. She turned to look behind and seeing a neotide, she growled back.


    The general was astonished as to how come this neotide had golden yellow eyes. Was that a pure blooded werewolf? How did a pure blooded wolf manage to come here and why did it kill the wizard?


    He leapt in the air to attack it, but Adrianna had leapt towards him with such force that within no time it was under her and she sank her teeth in its stomach making him howl in pain. His howl attracted several other neotides of his unit who stopped suddenly to see the source of the painful howl. They looked at the rock above and found that their general was being taken down by a wayward neotide.


    Adrianna had to kill the general as fast as possible because if he howled any more, it would attract attention. Little did she know that several neotides were already closing in on her. She pounced again on it with her paws.


    The general was shaken to the core because the werewolf was so powerful that it had pinned it down with its paws and was now standing over him. He couldn''t move a bit however hard he struggled. He saw the golden yellow eyes coming close to him and in the next instant its jaws were around his neck. The night became darker for him but in those last few seconds of his life he saw other neotides jumping on the rock surrounding the pure blooded werewolf.


    The Mozia were circling under the cloak of invisibility over the rock. When they saw Adrianna being surrounded by more neotides, they wanted to cast spells but that meant sending beams of light in the dark night, which in turn would attract more attention. It was difficult to combat the situation. Their queen was under attack.


    Adrianna cursed herself for not being able to attack the neck of neotide and giving it a chance to howl. She was surrounded with five other neotides now. There was no other way left but to fight them. The only thing that bothered her was that it would garner more attention. While she was thinking how to combat the situation, one of the bold neotides attacked her. She raised her body on her hind limbs and with her fore limbs pinned it down and save herself. She went for its neck this time killing it next instant.


    Infuriated, the rest of them started leaping towards her together.

 Chapter 349 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (5)

    The Mozai had been circling around their queen to protect her. They wanted to kill all the neotides around her but were afraid that it would attract attention. When they looked around the rock, they saw that more and more neotides had started gathering sensing that something was wrong up there and they had started howling.


    When Adrianna killed the first one, she immediately threw it down the rock holding it by its neck but she knew that she had given unwanted invitation to other neotides around the rock to attack her. Then suddenly, one in front of her, leapt at her. She growled and was ready to take it down when all of a sudden she saw a very thin line of a portal had formed right in front of it and that neotide disappeared through that portal. All other neotides were shocked as to where did their fellow go. So the last there around her jumped together at her while more of them were making way on the rock. However, as soon as the three jumped on her, even they disappeared through the portal.


    Adrianna chuckled.


    The Mozias above thought that in order to save the queen in the best way, which would not gather attention, would be to send these neotides into deep jungle or perhaps to the northern part of the jungle in mountains full of snow. So whenever a neotide jumped towards her, they found themselves landing in deep forest from where they could never find their way out or in snowy mountains where they could never survive.


    This was her chance to escape. Adrianna ran a little and then leapt in the air, shape shifting into her human form. As soon as she shape shifted, her broom came beneath her to balance her and the Mozias cast the invisibility spell on her. They surrounded their queen and within a few seconds all of them entered the Wizard Kingdom.


    When Adrianna reached inside the kingdom, the first thing that she saw was that Dmitri and his team had successfully killed many neotides. She looked at her Mozias one to five and nodded at them for their quick thinking. They left to join their team. They had started to hate the neotides and were itching to kill them all soon.


    Adrianna came back and saw that  by now a large number of neotides had penetrated the breached wall. The wizards were trying their best to kill each and every neotide that they could see, but the problem was that the tide of neotides kept rising. She had to find a way to stop them from coming in and at the same time Isidorus had to recreate the wall in whatever way he could to temporarily stop them from entering.


    On a quick thinking Adrianna flew over neotides near the breached wall and jumped down from her broom in the center. She landed on her feet and took one hand in the air. As she brought that hand down, she struck the ground with such force that it cracked and a tornado like field of wind was created with her at the center of it. The velocity of the winds looked so high that every neotide that was around it was thrown out. All the wizards dived in opposite directions to save themselves. This was a clue for Isidorus.


    Now none of the neotides could enter. Only the ones that in the front managed to jump far ahead and save themselves from the tornado. In that process Dmitri and his team either caught them or they were killed by the spells that were falling upon them from every direction. Loud, painful howls filled the atmosphere.


    Isidorus took the clue and started recreating the wall. He knew that Adrianna''s energy would soon be depleted and the tornado field around her would diminish. Soon Isidorus managed to recreate the wall by casting another thin layer of spell.


    So the neotides that were trapped inside were all killed by the wizards and witches while those outside once again couldn''t do anything as they dashed against the wall in frustration. As soon as the wall was recreated, Isidorus gave her a signal and she brought her hand up to stop. Then she looked at Dmitri again. She shape shifted and joined her husband into killing the neotides. Together they had fun tossing one after the other around them.


    It was soon over. All the neotides that were inside were killed.


    The first victory was theirs.


    All the efforts ended sooner than the neotides had expected but they didn''t give up hope. The second batch of the neotides was about to arrive with another wizard. The battle would soon restart.


    Inside the Wizard Kingdom, when things became quiet, Adrianna shape shifted and her broom came to her. She sat on it and flew towards the army that was fighting non-stop. All other wizards followed her.


    "We have won today!" she shouted. Everyone around her started cheering. It was the first time they had seen that anyone could be so powerful that they could even create a tornado. They started fearing and respecting their queen all the more.


    "But there is more danger lurking outside. I want Isidorus to keep creating more layers of spells to fortify the wall further. If anyone else has those skills, join Isidorus. Rest of you can go back and sleep for the night but we have to stay alert." Then she looked at the Mozias. "Five Mozias are going to stay here and they will be backed by fifty wizards. We have to be prepared in case there is next breach."


    "Yes, My Queen," replied Mihr.


    Then she turned to Ziu and said, "I want you to help isidorus."


    "Yes, my queen," said Ziu.


    She looked at Dmitri who had shape shifted. Understanding what she wanted, he nodded. All the werewolves that had come from his pack were sent back.


    Adrianna left the place and after picking Dmitri on her broom, she flew through the portal created by Mihr into the Royal Palace.


    Dmitri was wounded and he needed immediate attention. There was a deep gash on his right shoulder and on his back. Although it hurt Adrianna to see him like this in her heart, she stayed calm outside. The healer came to attend him soon.


    Outside, the effect of the spell cast on Reese worn down. Although her movement was arrested, she could see what was going on. She saw a golden yellow eye wolf attacking her and the wizard. Who was that?

 Chapter 350 - Yellow Flower Blossomed

    Back in Vikra''s cave a messenger had informed them that a wayward neotide with golden yellow eyes had killed the wizard.


    "The wizard was killed by a neotide that had gone insane. Although it was grey in color, it had golden yellow eyes according to other neotides. They said that the neotide had all of a sudden started running in the opposite direction to attack the wizard and Reese. One of the generals in the army saved Reese although he was also killed by that neotide. Reese has been saved but she is lying in the jungle, still hidden beneath the rock because her movements are arrested. It seems that she has suffered a stroke," said the messenger.


    Cy looked at the messenger and shouted, "Go away or I will kill you!" he was shocked to hear that his fellow had been killed by a neotide.


    "Can''t you even manage your neotides?" he said looking at Vikra. "We don''t have wizards left. That one wizard was equal to five thousand neotides, and yet he gets killed by one of yours! This is unacceptable. Can you imagine the loss?"


    The messenger started to leave out of fear. Who would even think of talking to the mad wizard with an iron hand in front of him?


    "Stop!" ordered Vikra to the messenger. The messenger froze thinking that he would be sent to death for this message.


    "Master, I only got the message. I did not kill the wizard. I don''t even have to capacity to kill neotides, let alone a wizard. Master, save my life!" he started crying.


    "Why didn''t the wizard defend himself?" asked Vikra. How was it possible that a wayward neotide would kill a powerful wizard like that in now time? It didn''t make sense.


    "They say that even he suffered a stroke and his movements were arrested," replied the messenger.


    Vikra looked at Cy and said, "How is it possible that two people will suddenly get a stroke? And what kind of stroke? They are not humans to suffer from heart stroke or brain stroke. They were a wizard and a neotide!"


    Cy looked at him with narrowed eyes. His mind started running thinking what could have happened. "Explain everything in detail!" he ordered the messenger.


    The messenger poured out all the details that he knew.


    "Can a neotide have golden yellow eyes?" asked Cy after the messenger finished speaking.


    "No, that is impossible because once you become a neotide, your eyes become a dull grey just like your fur��" replied Vikra.


    "That means that it was a werewolf �C a pure blooded werewolf. And which werewolf could enter so boldly within neotides?" asked Cy wondering about the valor of that wolf.


    "Unless that is Adrianna��" whispered Vikra.


    Cy looked at Vikra in shock. "Do you mean ...? B- but how can this be possible? She is the queen. They would never allow her to get out of the kingdom!"


    Vikra turned his head towards Cy and looked at him through the hollow of his eyes. "She is too powerful... We need her to get the Wizard Kingdom in our hands. I need her to get my human body back. It is time that Adrianna sacrifices for her Great Grandfather��"


    "G- Great Grandfather! You are Adrianna''s��?" Cy was falling short on words. That was the most shocking revelation! While his great granddaughter was the queen of the Wizard Kingdom, he was her most powerful enemy. What a paradox?


    "Hmm��" replied Vikra feeling proud of his gene pool. "I think she is even more powerful than me. The best of the family!" Vikra started laughing. Imagine what will become of me, when I will have her in my hands. I will rule the world!"


    Vikra looked at the messenger and snapped his bony fingers. The messenger found himself in a cave filled with hungry serpents. In no time, a serpent wrapped itself around his body and swallowed him. His shrieks died inside the serpent''s stomach.


    "What do we do now?" asked Cy feeling that they lost a huge chance to capture Adrianna. The neotides were so dull. They concentrated on attacking the wall of the kingdom when in fact all they could have done was to capture Adrianna and that would have been the end of the battle.


    "You should now go with the next batch of the neotides. This time you should go with the other wizard. Remember only three wizards are left in the army. We have to be very careful," said Vikra.


    "Okay!" replied Cy and left. He was feeling energized wondering that if he got an opportunity like this again, he wouldn''t leave it. So many ideas were forming in his mind to trap Adrianna. According to the messenger, she came out to stop the wizard from doing any further magic. He now knew how to lure her out.


    Vikra had gone to his dungeon and then went underground where his men were making sharp weapons. There was metallic sound everywhere. Fire was burning through pits and swords and javelins were getting hammered to become sharp. He decided to take all of them with him a day later.


    Meanwhile, Cy informed the generals of the batch that were supposed to accompany him to march towards the Wizard Kingdom in an hour. He would make them walk through his portal and reach the place soon. He was expecting that Isidorus would have already cast more spells and must be recreating the wall.


    ---


    The healer attended Dmitri''s wounds. He knew that being a werewolf, his wounds would soon be healed, maybe by morning. He had applied lots of herbs and tied a neat cloth around it. All other werewolves had to be attended also and they had been admitted to the infirmary. Adrianna took Dmitri to the bedroom. It was almost 4AM in the morning and she had to make sure that he slept.


    Adrianna curled her arms around him and they slept off. The canopy was formed around the couple and a yellow flower blossomed.

 Chapter 351 - Battle Between Wizard And Neotides (6)

    Isidorus had been diligently casting spells to create a solid wall in the breached area but at the back of mind he knew that if a powerful wizard like Cy comes, he would be able to break those spells. Thinking that he would start casting the spells more vehemently. It was 6AM by the time he was satisfied with his work. There were other wizards working with him including Ziu.


    Initially when the wall was thin, they could see that the neotides outside were crashing against it trying to break it with all their might. Isidorus hated the sight of the neotides. He was satisfied until the wall was thicker and he could no longer see them. All of them left once the walls were fortified.


    ---


    Reese had been lying under the rock with arrested limb movement. She was in her human form and she could hear the howls all around her. Her mind would keep going back to the werewolf that attacked her and the wizard. In some distance she could see the torn apart bodies of the wizard and her general. It was during the break of dawn when she could even feel her limbs. She moved her fingers slowly and then moved her feet. In another half an hour her movement was restored and she sat down. She looked around her and found that the neotides were all now retreating and hiding back in their places because of the daylight.


    One of the low cadre neotide came to her and reported the night''s adventure. "The Queen of the Wizard Kingdom, Adrianna had created a force field around her and none of us could enter. Taking advantage, Isidorus recreated the wall. We have to wait until the next wizard comes."


    "Gahhhh," shouted Reese. Had she been okay, things would have different, she thought. She waited for another batch to come and until then instructed all the neotides to stay hidden. She estimated that the next batch along with the wizards would come by night.


    Although Cy had decided to leave in an hour, his fellow wizard stopped him and said that they would leave in the next evening because none of the neotides would come out and risk their lives in broad daylight.


    Cy suggested Vikra that they should attack the Werewolves Realm and try to divert Adrianna''s attention but Vikra put down that suggestion. "No. I don''t want to waste my neotides on the werewolves. If it will attract the attention of the pure-blooded werewolves, they will join Adrianna and attack us from the back."


    ---


    When Dmitri woke up in the morning, he found Adrianna curled around his body like ivy. His wounds had completely healed. He removed her from him and got up. He looked at her face and stroked her cheeks, "The queen of my heart," he whispered. He had to go back to the Werewolf Realm and thought of attacking the neotides from behind using her army. While he was thinking about the strategy, he went to take a bath. Yesterday''s battle was just a small showcase of Adrianna''s powers.


    When he came out he found her awake staring at him. He went to her and lied down beside her. Pulling her on his body he embraced her and said, "Good morning Adri."


    She smiled and buried her face in his neck. "Good morning," she replied, her voice was warbled. "Dmitri, I don''t want you to involve your army in this battle now," she said after a while.


    Dmitri knew that she had read his thoughts but he was shocked. "Why Adri? Don''t you think that if we attack them from both sides, they would be squished in between?"


    "You don''t understand. They are no match to the wizards, at least this is what I could decipher yesterday and so we will be able to take them all down. I just don''t want our werewolves to spend their energy in killing the neotides. The neotides are very large in number and it is the number that we have to deal with."


    "I don''t agree with you Adrianna," replied Dmitri.


    Adrianna got up from him and said, "I have summoned other wizards in an hour. We will discuss our next strategy. As far as I know, none of them are going to attack during the day, which means that they are hiding in the jungle somewhere or the other."


    "True," replied Dmitri wondering about her strategy.


    Adrianna didn''t reply. Instead she went to take a bath. In the next hour they were all sitting in the main hall discussing the strategy. Isidorus, Mihr, Ziu, Fleur and the eight top Mozia were present there who had learnt to fight like elves. It seemed they were also the commanders of the specialized army.


    "We need the werewolves to attack the neotides from behind," suggested Ziu. "This way the neotides wouldn''t have a way to go anywhere. And from front we will attack them with full force. I say that we should all take them tonight with full force."


    "Yes, I agree with Ziu," said Dmitri.


    Adrianna stared at Dmitri and replied, "No."


    "But why Adri?" asked Dmitri out of desperation. Sometimes she was just too arrogant.


    "Because they are not going to come with full force tonight. Didn''t you see that only one wizard was there whereas according to our messenger there were three wizards with Vikra. Also, don''t forget that Vikra himself is a great wizard. So practically there are three more wizards. I highly doubt that tonight Vikra will come," replied Adrianna. "So if we spend all our forces tonight, what will we be left with the next night?"


    "Why do you think that they won''t attack with full force? It is highly likely that Vikra may come tonight," argued Ziu.


    "When he sent only one wizard yesterday, it means he is going to attack in batches. Every night he would attack with fresh batch of neotides. This would ensure that he is attacking with full vigor," she reasoned again.

 Chapter 352 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (7)

    Dmitri wasn''t satisfied with Adrianna''s explanation. "Adri, what if they attack the Werewolf Realm? It is better if we attack them first."


    "I don''t think Vikra would waste his time on that Dmitri. And if he would, I would plainly consider him as a stupid opponent," she replied.


    "Why do you say that?" he asked.


    "Because Vikra doesn''t have the time for that. Why would he attack the werewolves, and divide his army into two when he knows that taking down wizards would require a lot of numbers and with werewolves, his neotides would mostly be massacared, which in turn means wasting the resources for something which is going to be a failure?"" she replied with logic.


    "Then what should we do?" asked Mihr, ready for her orders.


    "Today as the day rises, most neotides are going to hide because none of them want to take a risk of being spotted for the fear that they would get killed by any wizard. So I want ten Mozias and twenty of your army to go and find out as many as possible under invisibility cloak and kill them. We have to try and reduce their numbers. However, I want you guys to cast spells that aren''t so prominent. You should not attract attention of the entire hoard. And if you do, just walk back through your portals."


    "Okay, My Queen," replied Mihr and stood up to leave.


    "I think we are committing a grave mistake," said Ziu. "We must attack them with full force so that they get scared and don''t come back and I would go on to suggest that Adrianna you should spearhead the attack."


    Adrianna looked at him and said, "Thanks for your suggestion Ziu, but this will go the way I have fleshed it out!" After saying that Adrianna got up from there and walked to her room where Dmitri followed her. All others left the main hall.


    Ziu was walking out with Isidorus when he said in an angry tone, "I don''t like the way Adrianna is ordering around how to strategize the war. She must take us in consideration and then strategize it. She can''t just go about thinking single-handedly. I am concerned about the Wizard Kingdom''s safety now."


    Isidorus stopped and looked at Ziu from top to bottom. "Are you going against the queen? Remember that Adrianna is the ruler of this kingdom not because of her lineage, but because of her capabilities that she has proved. All her reasoning was pretty logical and I don''t think we should refute it."


    Ziu became quiet and walked out of the Royal Palace without saying another word.


    Mihr made an army of twenty wizards and witches as soon as he went to his palace. At the same time ten Mozias walked through the portal into his palace. "Where do we attack them from?" asked one of the Mozia.


    "I will be opening the portal for you all from the far side towards the Human Realm. I don''t want you all to go head on in the front and attack them because there would a large army in the front and it would attract the attention. Start killing them from behind where there would be thinner population of neotides hiding. Also you should know where do the neotides mostly like to hide," Mihr instructed as he walked out the palace.


    "Where do they hide?" asked the Mozia.


    "In my knowledge, they mostly hide in caves but you should check the pits also over there. Do not, in any case come out of the invisibility cloak. In case of any danger where you feel that you are going to be dangerously attacked, come back through the vortex. There is no need to show valor. You have to show your sharpness, okay?" said Mihr.


    Within the next five minutes, all of them were walking out of the portal on the road that divided the jungle and the Human Realm. As soon as they walked out, all of them became invisible and walked in the jungle.


    True to what Mihr had said, there were very less neotides in that part, which were taken down easily. As the thirty of them moved ahead, they decided that they would move in a group of ten each and cover more area rather than just moving together. Each group consisted of Mozias too. They moved in three lines as they combed the jungle. Soon they found many small and big caves where the neotides were hiding and without giving them a warning started killing them. Since they had to do it very quietly, most of them were burnt to ashes by using cumulative spells by the entire group. Even though this led to minimum amount of resistance, the neotides did howl, which in turn alerted other neotides in the vicinity.


    By the time it was afternoon, the news of the neotides getting killed had spread far enough to reach Reese''s ears. She was furious. Only wizards could do this kind of mass killing. She took a batch of few hundred neotides and marched towards the place from where she heard the attacks were being done. Soon she reached there and in front of her eyes, she saw a cave getting burnt in ashes and along with that another batch of neotides died.


    The wizards saw a large batch of neotides coming towards them and immediately they flew higher up. Since they were under the invisibility mode, Reese couldn''t detect them and she marched ahead. The wizards came down and then skipped the next two caves in their path. They attacked the next ones.


    By the time Reese went ahead to find the wizards, she had gone far ahead where she saw more burnt jungle. Where the hell did they go? A messenger came and said that the more hideouts were burning in the opposite direction. Confused and angered, she turned back. When she found the two caves intact on her way, she understood the cleverness of the wizards. In order that they do not attract her batch''s attention, they had attacked caves further away from her, out of her sight.

 Chapter 353 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (8)

    Reese ran after the wizards in the direction of the destruction. She could see that more caves and hideouts were being burnt. She had to take them down in order to scare them away. She knew that the wizards were too powerful to be taken down altogether but scaring them would make a lot of difference. So she signaled all the neotides that were with her to join her into attacking the wizards at her sign.


    The Mozias and the wizard army were so busy burning the caves out there that they didn''t notice that the neotides had come near them. Reese could make out where the wizards were and so when they attacked the next time, she could understand their exact location.


    While a group of wizards was throwing the spells on the neotides, Reese gestured her group to attack the wizards twenty feet high in the air. In no time there were a large number of neotides who had attacked just ten wizards. While a few managed to escape as they flew upwards, three of them fell down and those three were the Mozias. Without the broomsticks all they had was their wands in their hands and their skill of martial arts to protect themselves.


    Each Mozia cast several spells to ward off those hundreds of Neotides that attacked them together. The three of them fought bravely until they were bruised fatally. It took other wizards a long time before the neotides around them were killed and the three of them were rescued. As soon as they were rescued, all of them left the place and came back to the Wizard Kingdom.


    Even though the three Mozia were admitted to the infirmary, the healer had warned that they wouldn''t be able to keep them alive. Adrianna visited the three of them. There was nothing she could do, but there was not a trace of sadness of regret in the eyes of the affected. Rather they were proud that they fell fighting the enemy. She acknowledged them and came back to the palace. She could sense that the night''s battle was going to be a fierce one.


    ---


    Reese was furious when she saw the damage. Almost half of her people were killed and her rage to kill Adrianna only increased. There was no point in crying over the ones who were dead so she assembled the remaining ones together and asked them to stay close by rather than spreading out so that in case they were attacked again, they would be able to know it soon. She waited for the evening to arrive.


    Cy and his fellow wizard arrived when it was almost sun set. Reese rushed to give him an account of the day and saw that there were hordes and hordes of neotides walking through several portals. Satisfied, she waited for the last one to come out of the portal. She didn''t want to disturb the wizards while they were creating portals. As soon as all the neotides of the second batch was out, she rushed to Cy to tell him everything.


    Cy looked at with cold eyes and said, "How incompetent you are?" Saying that along with other wizard, he left to where they had to breach the wall again. The two of them started working on it. Reese was left feeling enraged and miserable.


    Meanwhile inside the Royal Palace, the messenger informed that the walls are being breached again. Adrianna summoned Isidorus to take a look into it but there was not much he could do.


    Mihr was getting nervous about the situation. "Can we not go outside and kill them?" he asked Adrianna.


    "We can do that, but Cy is a very powerful wizard. He can''t be defeated so easily��" she answered.


    "But we cannot just stand here and watch the walls break!" Mihr was angry with her.


    "Do you know how many neotides are there at the moment?" she asked him.


    "Vikra has an army of over thirty thousand neotides out of which only a few came in the first batch. I think not more than four or five thousand came. Cy must have brought another fifteen thousand with him. Now this means that their army has swelled up to approximately eighteen thousand. Tell me Mihr, what is the total population of the Wizard Kingdom?"


    Mihr rubbed his head and replied, "Around five thousand."


    "And does that five thousand include kids and convalescent?"


    "Yes."


    "So I am assuming that there are no more than four thousand adult witches and wizards that can be used against that force."


    "Yes��" Mihr knew where the conversation was going.


    "So let''s just wait a while. I am waiting for them to make a mistake and then I will destroy them full on."


    Mihr couldn''t really say anything after it. He knew that his queen had to protect the people of the wizard kingdom and also defeat the neotides outside. There must be a way. He left the palace and consolidated his army more.


    Adrianna wanted to meet the elf present in the training ground but then she couldn''t find time. When she was alone with Dmitri, she said, "Tonight it is going to be very fierce and I will go out to fight them. I wanted to ask you one thing."


    "What is it Adri?"


    "Your mother said that your father was never found after he fought with Vikra and his allies. Do you think your father is still alive or this is just a hope that your mother lives on��?"


    "My mother feels that he is still alive, although I am not hopeful at all��" He looked at Adrianna who became sad immediately. He was sitting on the bed. "Come here." he called her to sit on his lap. She went and sat there and rested her head on his shoulder. She wondered how Cora must have been feeling without her mate all this time. She couldn''t imagine her life without Dmitri��


    "Dmitri��"


    "Hmm��"


    "I am scared��"


    "About what?"


    "Tomorrow night I will turn into a werewolf involuntarily��"

 Chapter 354 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (9)

    Dmitri looked at his beloved wife and hugged her tightly. He said, "So what if you will turn into a werewolf involuntarily? We will take you back to Ed''s place. You can wander around over there and come back in the morning. Mun is already there to take care of you." He kissed her head to reassure her that it wasn''t something she should be scared of now. They had found a solution for this problem.


    Adrianna lifted her head from his shoulders and replied, "How can I leave my people just to cater to my problem Dmitri? I cannot leave them fighting off the enemy themselves. They need me now."


    "But your problem is very serious. What if someone comes to know about you?" he asked shook to the core thinking what would happen if she would change into a werewolf while fighting with Vikra and neotides.


    "We have to find a solution to this problem together Dmitri," she said as she rested her head back on his shoulders.


    ---


    Outside the wall of the Wizard Kingdom, Cy and his fellow wizard were working on breaking the wall and they were doing it pretty fast. The problem was that as soon as they broke a barrier of spell, they had to face another complicated one immediately. Cy knew that Isidorus must have created a number of complicated spells, which were not so easy to break for a normal wizard. Understand and breaking them was an art only a few knew. He wondered even Adrianna knew all the powers of Isidorus.


    The evening was approaching fast. After the Mozia had killed so many neotides, Reese had got them together instead of asking them to disperse. So one could see a sea of neotides lurking outside the wall, eagerly waiting for it to break. This time they were in large numbers and they knew that they had to enter the wall with a larger force �C large enough for the wizards to be shaken.


    ---


    Although Isidorus had gone to rest, he was still agitated. He was restless and wondered what would this war take to end. He was ready to sacrifice his life. So many of his colleagues were ready to sacrifice their lives. He went back to the place where they were breaching the wall. He had asked Mihr to also keep looking around all around the periphery of the Wizard Kingdom to see if there were any breaches. Fortunately there were very small instances, which could be easily taken care of.


    While Cy was breaking the spells, Isidorus was creating them. He was creating even more complicated ones so that Cy took more time to break them. Isidorus was trying his best but he knew that it was just a matter of time. He was hoping for Adrianna to come as soon as possible. She had too many ideas in her brain and she was a natural warrior.


    In the meanwhile Adrianna was resting in the palace. She needed all her energy for the battle tonight. She knew that Reese was now aggravated and would attack with more energy and vigor but Adrianna was ready for it. She had already formed a strategy in her mind. She didn''t know why but she had a feeling that Vikra needed her. Along with Dmitri, she dozed off to sleep. She was so tired that it she slept immediately, and so did Dmitri. However, when she woke up two hours later, she found that Dmitri was already awake. He was looking at the canopy of flowers above him. She looked in his direction and asked, as she curled her hands around him, "What are you looking at hubby?"


    He pointed his finger to the blossoms above him. "Do you see that?"


    Adrianna looked in the direction and saw that there were lots of blossoms out there. She smiled and replied, "There are so many flowers over there, more than the usual��"


    "Do you see that yellow flower hidden between them?" he asked in a curious tone. He had been seeing it from a long time now. He remembered that a yellow flower bloomed if the queen was pregnant. Was Adrianna pregnant? Was this an indication? Or was he just imagining things?


    Adrianna''s eyes became wide. It was slightly dark but she could make out the colors of the flowers. They were the usual pink and white. They turned red when the two of them were passionately making inside. She tried to search for the yellow flower, but there was none. She said, "Pfft. You are just imagining things."


    Dmitri rose up and extended his hand in that direction. "Here, look here."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes to focus better. She saw a small yellow blossom hidden behind those flowers. Her mouth opened and she sprang up on the bed. She had goosebumps all over her body. "Yes, there is one��" she replied in a daze. But how could this be? They were all in the midst of a battle.


    Dmitri looked at her and pulled her on his lap. "Adri, are you pregnant?"


    Adrianna looked at him with a stupid expression. She said, "Since when did we start believing in blossoming of yellow flowers for confirmation of pregnancy? I mean do we throw away all the logic in the trash? What about all the pregnancy kits and tests and what about doctors examining you? This is absurd and I won''t believe unless I get examined by a human doctor!"


    Dmitri was stunned at her outburst. He stroked her hair and said, "Are you scared?"


    Adrianna hugged him tightly. "Dmitri, I am��"


    He could feel her fear. It reached his heart and suddenly even though he was scared. What if she was pregnant? With the battle happening on the outside of the wall, the timing was just too off.


    She buried her face in his neck. "Dmitri, if this is true, you will not tell this to anyone because then it is highly possible that they won''t let me fight and I have to save my kingdom."


    Dmitri was in a situation he couldn''t even deny, but for a moment he became selfish. "I am sure they can fight the neotides away without you. You are there for support and strategy. You don''t have to get into it."


    She looked at him and said, "No Dmitri, this is the battle that Vikra had been waiting for, and I won''t let him win it. You have to understand. Promise me you won''t speak about it to anyone."

 Chapter 355 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (10)

    Dmitri looked at his wife feeling as though he was in a Catch 22 situation. He couldn''t tell her no, nor could he agree with her. He was too concerned. Before he could say anything more, Adrianna kept a finger on his lips and said, "Let''s first confirm our doubts. Let''s go to the human realm and see whether I am pregnant or not. Okay? Until then just stay calm." Dmitri sighed and nodded.


    There was a knock on the door. "What is it?" asked Dmitri in a stern voice.


    "There is a breach on the northern walls my Queen," informed the servant.


    Adrianna clenched her jaws. How could there be a breach on the northern side. Cy and his fellow wizard were on the southwest side. As far as Vikra was concerned, he couldn''t go to the northern side because there was heavy snow on that side and he wouldn''t take chances of attacking from that side considering that the neotides were not very good in that terrain. So who could that be?


    She went out of Dmitri''s lap and started getting ready. "Where are you going Adri?" he asked becoming afraid of the future. "I will come with you."


    "I am going to look at the northern side of the wall. There is no way that Vikra would come there. So this could be something internal only and if this from within then I would like to catch my enemy soon."


    "Hmm�� It is possible that what you are thinking of as a breach could be something different �C you know things that happen in the local kingdom, something like robbery��"


    "Could be possible and I hope that is it�� anyway, I will just go and take my chances," she replied fully dressed now. She was wearing black leather pants and black jacket.


    When Dmitri saw her, he felt that she wasn''t sufficiently dressed for the chill outside, so he took his fur from the chair that he had thrown and covered her with it. She smiled and snuggled into it as he tied it in the front around her chest. "Thank you," she said warmly.


    "Let us go now."


    She went out and this time she didn''t wait for the carriage. She just took her broom and flew to the place as told by the servant. Her army followed her as usual. When she arrived, she saw that Mihr was already there. She alighted her broom while Dmitri kept sitting on it. "What is it Mihr?" she asked. "Tell me the gravity of the situation."


    "The wall was tried to be broken but the interesting part is that it wasn''t tried to be breached from the outside but from the inside," he replied as he showed her the patch that was marked by the army.


    Adrianna looked around to see if there was any more chaos but there was none to be seen. "Did you go and check outside the wall?"


    "Yes, we went outside but there is no one," he replied looking confused. "This means that we have someone that is helping them from the inside. He or she must be trying to break the wall and then he would have called them as soon as the wall was breached, but that person was alerted when they thought that the army had come to know about it and ran away."


    Adrianna shook her head and said, "Repair the wall now. This was nothing but a diversion! There is definitely someone on the inside. I want you to find that person as soon as possible but for now remove all your army from here and position them back on the south-west wall." Adrianna held her hand high and the broom came to her. She alighted the broom. "Cy is very close to breaking the wall. Put all your army there now. I want all the Mozia also over there now!"


    She said that and flew along with Dmitri to the place where she knew another intense battle was about to follow. She reached there in less than five minutes. All the while she was flying she was forming a strategy and also wondering what would be the best way to prevent her people from getting massacred in this battle. At one point of time, Dmitri said, "Don''t even think that!" She didn''t reply.


    When she reached there, she found Isidorus creating spell upon spell inside the wall but he was no match to Cy. Adrianna took a deep breath and went to him. She kept a hand on his shoulders and said, "Relax."


    Isidorus looked at her and said, "My Queen, I think it won''t be long before he is going to break all the spells."


    "I know that Isidorus," she replied and then she asked after a pause, "Doesn''t Cy have just one hand?"


    "Yes that is true. He has chopped his other hand because I had put a seal on his palm to track him down just like I have put it on many other wizards and witches in this kingdom."


    "What are the other ways that wizards can create spells apart from using their wands?" she asked contemplating something.


    "Hands play an integral part in creating the spells. If they don''t have hands, they cannot create spells but they can use chants and eyes to create some spells. However those spells would be partially effective," he replied.


    Adrianna narrowed his eyes. She looked at him and said, "I need ten Mozias with me now."


    "What do you have in mind?" he asked.


    "You are not going out of this wall!" shouted Dmitri as soon as he heard her. What the hell was she even thinking? Did she have no regard for her safety?


    Adrianna stared at him. She communicated mentally. "Don''t stop me Dmitri. This is extremely urgent! I need to do this now or else it would be too late."


    He lashed at her, "Even the Mozia can do it. You are not required for this puny job!"


    "No, they don''t know how to do it while I have a plan in my head. They would need me for this plan and if the plan is carried out successfully, it would rattle Vikra," she replied. She was so determined that he knew that no point what he argued, she wouldn''t listen to him.

 Chapter 356 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (11)

    Adrianna took a deep breath and went to Dmitri. She held his hand and said, "With so many Mozia, it is going to be fine. So don''t worry, okay? I will be back in less than an hour."


    Dmitri closed his eyes. From the past few days everyday was looking as though it would be his last. He couldn''t stay without Adrianna and he knew the moment she was killed, he would end his life rather than living like a hollow soul. He hung his head low feeling dejected. Feeling his emotions Adrianna brought her hand to his square jaw and lifted it. "That''s not what kings and queens are made of."


    He knew what she meant and smiled through his sadness. Embracing her warmly he said, "Come back soon and be safe. Call me if needed."


    She smiled and nodded. Moment later she was on her broom and along with the ten Mozias who were standing there already, she walked outside through the portal. As she walked she had cast the spell of invisibility on the Mozias and herself. She had already communicated to each of them her strategy to combat by entering their cells. It was the first time she realized that she could enter the cells of ten wizards in one time and it was the first time the Mozias realized how powerful their queen was. Entering a cell without making the other wizard unconscious was not possible and here she entered it while they were conscious and even told them about the entire plan.


    When they reached outside the wall, they all flew about hundred meters away and formed a line with five Mozias on each side high in the air. In the dark of the night, they could see from afar that Cy and his fellow wizard was throwing different spells on the wall and each spell was carrying lethal amounts of energy. The streaks of white, blue, green and red lights emitted from the wands were looking mesmerizing and dangerous.


    Cy was in a hurry to breach the wall. He knew that soon he would be able to do it.


    Suddenly Adrianna descended from there and flew to a place that was secluded and inside the jungle. This time she was cautious. As soon as she alighted her broom she shape shifted into a grey colored neotide. If she could disguise as a pheasant, why couldn''t she disguise as a neotide. That was simple. She emerged out of the woods as a grey neotide and started running towards the ones who were standing at the back.


    She growled and said, "It seems the wall is about to breach soon."


    Another neotide growled back and asked, "How do you know?"


    "I just sneaked my way to the front and came back here through woods. The wall is about to break," she replied back with an angry tone that was peculiar to the neotides.


    The news spread like wildfire within minutes amongst the eager neotides. All of them started walking towards the wall. Reese was surprised when she turned and saw the sea of neotides approaching towards the wall. She had asked them all to be in their positions and wait for her command. But what was this happening? She wanted to shout and give them their orders to stay back and wait for the breach but she couldn''t, as she didn''t want to disturb the wizards'' concentration. She asked her generals to convey the message to all of them quietly.


    However, the neotides had started moving. This is what Adrianna wanted. She ran back into the woods, shape shifted and mounted her broom. Within a few seconds she was back with the Mozias.


    Cy and his fellow wizard were working to break the wall when suddenly they saw that the wall was broken already. Cy was shocked. He could see all the people inside �C Isidorus, Mihr, Ziu and the army. They were all standing with a shocked expression on their faces. Cy couldn''t believe his eyes. How could this happen? Suddenly he realized what had happened. He looked behind but it was too late.


    Neotides howled together out of happiness that the wall was breached. Reese shouted, "MARCH!" and the neotides leaped over each other with loud howls and growls towards the hole that was created for them to enter the Wizard Kingdom. They leapt at it with huge force, but as soon as they leapt, they were all thrown back with an equal force. In fact the neotides kept coming towards the wall and kept leaping towards it but all they encountered were the spells and were either electrocuted or burnt to death and were thrown back. The entire scene was gory with loud painful howls of neotides.


    Cy had to stop them but the number was just too large. Reese couldn''t understand what was going on. She saw the wall break in front of her eyes. Then why were the neotides not able to go inside? She looked at Cy and his fellow who were retreating looking irritated.


    Now was the time. Adrianna and the Mozias flew down. They came very near to the two wizards and in no time the Mozias threw a leash around the wizard who was assisting Cy. He was lifted from there and taken away. He shouted, "Cy!"


    The whole thing took place in split seconds. Cy wasn''t given a chance to even think. He just saw that his fellow was being carried away with those leashes around him. "Wizards!" he shouted but his voice was suppressed in the painful howls of the neotides who were being thrown dead around him. He chased him to save but after flying for a few minutes, Adrianna appeared right in front of her.


    Cy stopped in his tracks with a shock on his face. He couldn''t believe that Adrianna would come out of the wall �C the queen herself had come. He thought he was only seeing things. He blinked his eyes but she was there. Was he being tricked?


    Adrianna laughed and said in a very menacing voice, "No, I tricked those foolish neotides. Look how they are dying."

 Chapter 357 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (12)

    Adrianna had successfully tricked the neotides. She created an illusion for them while Cy was working breaking the wall. The illusion was so perfect that even Cy was shocked for a moment and thought that he had removed all the spells. It took him a moment to realize that it was nothing but an illusion, but who could even create such a perfect illusion? It can''t be��


    It was when he faced Adrianna that his doubts were confirmed. She wasn''t an illusion. She was standing there for real. Even though he was shocked to the core, he immediately recovered. He could see those bright golden yellow eyes that looked menacing in the darkness of the night. With her hair moving in the soft breeze around her and her wand in her hand, she looked like a Goddess. The soft rays of moonlight only created a halo around her. "So we meet again," said Cy in a threatening voice.


    "Yes! We meet again," she replied. "How would you want to end this?" she asked reading his mind and knowing what he would start with.


    But Cy was a powerful wizard. He could sense that she had entered his mind and so he blocked her immediately. Adrianna started laughing. "Do you know I can enter your cell and destroy you completely?"


    "No one can do that to me Adrianna. I have genes from the same family as yours!" he replied.


    Adrianna was shocked to hear it.


    "Lile, Zephyr, me and you, we all belong to the same family. Oh and of course Shay, who failed you so miserably even though I helped him in the competition against you," said Cy and started laughing loudly.


    Adrianna was surprised beyond words. "You have cheated everyone and now again you are cheating me!"


    "Really?" he couldn''t stop laughing. "Then try to enter my cell." He challenged her.


    Slowly he started flying in a circle around her. He looked down at the landscape and could see thousands of neotides who were still foolishly running towards the wall and Reese was shouting at them.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She waited for him to come in front. She couldn''t just throw a spell on him. She had to take him down cautiously. He was also waiting for her to make a move. "But I have to say one thing �C the illusion you created was super."


    "Thank you Cy," she replied sweetly. After a pause she asked, "You tried to get the crown so hard, but you never even got close to it. Do you think that after today, you would even see the face of the world? All that hard work down the drain. Tsk tsk. So sad!" She wanted to provoke him.


    "I deserve that crown because I am not only more experienced than you, I am more powerful than you are! After a few moments, you won''t see the world that you had craved for so greedily. An ordinary girl, whose father hated her and whose mother abandoned the kingdom only to give birth to her has the blood of a traitor. Your mother was a traitor. She could never show her face to us after she ditched the Wizard Kingdom because of her lust." He wanted to provoke her and that was the best he could do. He wanted her to make a mistake and he would take advantage.


    "Shut up!" shouted Adrianna. "It looks that you really hated my mother!"


    Yes! He was successful in provoking her and now he waited for her to make a mistake. She made a mistake.


    Without a warning she threw a spell towards him. Thinking that it was going to be a lethal spell, Cy moved his wand to throw a spell to deflect it. He now had a chance to make use of the irritation he had caused in her brain. But suddenly he realized that in reality no spell was thrown and instead he wasted his time in deflecting it. Even a fraction of second counted in front of Adrianna.


    Adrianna let him think that he was at the advantage and also knew that he would quickly recover from the confusion but she had to take lead in that small time frame. She flew five feet below him and once again flicked her wand for real. "Garruloa!" she chanted and a small white light emitted through her wand that broke at regular intervals. It hit Cy from beneath.


    "I am already in your cell, Cy," she said in a sinister voice.


    Cy was shocked. What just happened was something he didn''t understand. He was tricked like a child, with something so basic? How could that be? And was Adrianna fooling him that she had entered his cell. He had blocked it. Suddenly he saw image of Adrianna in a ghostly form and not just one Adrianna �C there were ten of them in a line, one after the other. One of them took her white silver, shiny and sharp sword and shouted, "Cy, you imp!" and made a deep cut somewhere inside. Blood started oozing out.


    He shouted in pain, "Aaaarggghhhhh!" He couldn''t balance himself and his broom was trying to balance him and prevent him from falling.


    Next instant he saw Adrianna''s mother, Shira with a sword in her hand and she leapt in the air, made a 360 turn and made a deep gash. More blood flowed. "No, no! Don''t do this to me," he was in tremendous pain.


    Blood was oozing out of his ears. He started doubting his magic, his skills and his senses. The spell was cast on him to seed a supernatural fear in his mind casing self-evasiveness.


    He heard Adrianna laughing in front of him. He looked up to see her and saw that her want had converted into a sword that was brilliantly shining as the moon rays fell on it. She swished the sword in air and then leapt at him cutting his hand that was holding the wand. Inside his brain he saw her using the same sword stabbing an unknown place and the next moment Cy became blind. He didn''t even get a chance to fight like a wizard he was.


    "You conned me!" he shouted in pain.


    "It is war!" she replied.

 Chapter 358 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (13)

    Cy didn''t have a chance to defend himself. His only hand through which he could use wand to wield magic was gone and at the same instant his eyes through which he would have cast some spells were blinded. He had lost all his power in that fraction of a second in which he thought he had distracted Adrianna but in fact it was Adrianna who had distracted him. She was the master of con. "You cheat!" he shouted. "Even thieves have honor amongst themselves and you acted worse than a thief."


    Adrianna slid out of his cell and lashed, "Those words don''t look nice coming from someone who wanted to rob the throne of the Wizard Kingdom and allied with none other than the sworn enemy of the Kingdom, Vikra!" She was now airborne standing in front of Cy with her sword, which was dripping with his blood, in her hand beside her. There was no pity in her eyes. "It was your ambition that had led you to your pathetic end."


    Cy was writhing and crying out in pain. His broom was somehow balancing him but he had fallen limp over it. His mind was full of fear and horrible thoughts. His entire life came in front of him. "Adrianna, you will never succeed. You will pay for this," he whimpered. The life had become dark in front of his eyes.


    "I have already succeeded Cy," said Adrianna with a gnarl. "Look what I have done to you. I will leave you like this for the rest of your life."


    "No! Kill me now! What is a wizard without his wand? KILL ME NOW!" he begged.


    "Your wish shall be granted," said Adrianna and once again she leapt in the air, took a 360 degree turn and her sword landed on his neck cutting through it neatly. Next instant his head rolled off on the grass beneath as a pool of blood gushed out of his body. His broom couldn''t balance his body anymore and it dropped it on the ground. The next moment the broom combusted with a small blast. Adrianna stood there in the dark of the night in front of his decapitated body and the ashes that spread around her. Her golden yellow eyes stared at the wizard in front of her without any repent.


    The next moment the broom combusted with a small blast finished. Adrianna''s sword turned back into her wand.


    By the time all this finished it had gathered a little attention from the neotides since his body had fallen amongst them. As soon as they identified Cy''s body by the hand that had an iron hook, they looked above as to how did his body fall from above and that too in a decapitated state. The wizard they were looking up to was dead. Who could give him this kind of scary death? However, when they saw above, all they could see was a portal through which Adrianna was walking. In less than a second the portal disappeared.


    Panic stricken, the neotides took his body to Reese. Reese was stopping the neotides and had to a great extent succeeded in her efforts. Now less number of neotides was going there to the wall. When she saw Cy in that state, she shuddered. "Who did this and where is his fellow?" she asked as she felt how weak they had all become despite huge numbers.


    "We saw a portal being created high in the air when we recovered his body. We have no idea where his fellow wizard has gone��" came a reply from one of the neotides who witnessed the portal.


    "This means that one of the wizards was amongst us!" her voice quivered. "She knew who could that be but she couldn''t tell it to the neotides or it would lower their morales.


    "Yes!" the neotide replied.


    "Hurry and ask all the neotides to stop fighting immediately. Our only hope is Vikra. Let him come and he will take revenge," said Reese. All of them hurried away from there to contain the rage of the neotides.


    Meanwhile Cy''s fellow wizard was taken to the wizard prison. He awaited his fate there. He knew that they would torture him until he spilled everything about Vikra. It had been such a turn of events. One moment he was breaching the wall with Cy and now he was in prison for the wizards.


    When Adrianna walked through the portal along with the Mozias, Isidorus and Mihr were standing right there. Everyone standing there bowed to their Queen. She was the only one who could take down a person as strong as Cy. Dmitri was standing tall and proud. His wife had taken care of this menace adroitly.


    She looked at Isidorus and said, "Now you have plenty of time to work on the wall. Reconstruct it. However, tomorrow we have an even bigger threat, Vikra. We have to deal with him carefully."


    "Yes, my Queen," he replied.


    Adrianna walked up to her husband and smiled, "Let''s go Dmitri. I want to rest now." Her broom came right beside her and they mounted it. As soon as they were airborne, the security appeared around her and they flew back to the Royal Palace.


    Adrianna dismounted and went to her bedroom straight. She was very hungry and as though the walls could hear her internal thoughts, food appeared on the table in front of her.


    She went to take a quick shower and came back to have food with Dmitri. While having food she said, "Is it possible that we go to the human realm today and check whether I am pregnant or not?"


    Dmitri replied with a smile, "I will make it possible. Now eat your food and go off to sleep." He felt so excited that if it were for him, he would have taken her now! But it was only morning 6AM and none of the doctors would have been available.


    "But I don''t want anyone to know about it. This needs to be done very discreetly," she said.


    "Of course darling," he answered. He couldn''t tell this to anyone and take that risk.

 Chapter 359 - Pregnant? (1)

    Adrianna was extremely tired after fighting continuously for two nights and also taking care of the kingdom. She really wanted to sleep and so that day when she fell asleep, Dmitri instructed all the servants not disturb her for the next three hours. Meanwhile he asked Fleur to create a portal for them and he walked holding her in his arms through it into the Werewolf Realm. He walked in their bedroom over there.


    As soon as Adrianna was there, the Blue Moon pack territory was sealed for the rest of the day on the pretext that new laws were being made to enter the Blue Moon territory. When the new laws were made, the werewolves knew what the standard procedure was.


    Dmitri made her lie on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Once he had done that and saw that she was comfortable, he went downstairs to talk to his mother.


    Cora was sitting in the main hall looking at some documents that Nate had brought. She already knew that Adrianna was there and so she didn''t ask anything to Dmitri when he went and sat there. While she was looking at the documents, she heard her son mentally and so did Nate. She smiled. She was ecstatic and Nate seemed excited.


    "Mate, even Ookashi is pregnant!" he looked at Dmitri and said excitedly.


    "Congratulations!" said Dmitri with a smile.


    Cora kept the papers down on her side and after removing her glasses, she said, "Do you want to visit a doctor or would you like me to take a look?" She was smiling ear to ear.


    "Mother, Adrianna thinks that we should go to the doctor to determine whether she is expecting or not," he said gently so that his mother didn''t feel bad.


    Nate chimed in. "Even Ookashi insisted that she go and see the doctor. She wasn''t confident when the pack healer confirmed that she was pregnant."


    Cora shook her head, "What can you expect from Adrianna? She had stayed with humans for too long to believe that we could confirm these things without the medical knowledge." Then she looked at Nate and said, "Your wife is a human. I don''t expect her to believe at all."


    Both Dmitri and Nate looked down feeling guilty about their wives but they couldn''t do much. If their wives wanted a human doctor to take a look, so be it.


    "When do you want to go?" she asked.


    "As soon as she is awake," he replied.


    "We can take her to Ookashi''s doctor," suggested Nate once again excited.


    "Sure, why not?" said Cora. She knew who Ookashi''s doctor was. She was a well-renowned doctor in the town. "But I will accompany her."


    Dmitri also wanted to come. How could he be left out? He wanted to hear the good news.


    "Okay you can come," said Cora shaking her head.


    Dmitri smiled and stood from his place. Then he gave a bear hug to Nate with a wink as if saying that both our wives are pregnant and that they would share the joy of parenthood together.


    Nate was so excited that the moment he reached home, he informed Ookashi about Adrianna. Ookashi sprang out of the bed and wanted to visit her friend, but he stopped her saying that she was sleeping.


    Dmitri went up and lied beside his wife. He curled his hands around her and she moved in his embrace involuntarily. Together they slept for a long time. When Adrianna got up, it was almost afternoon. She woke Dmitri and said, "I have to go back to the Wizard Kingdom."


    "Why so soon?" he asked rubbing his eyes.


    "I am expecting Vikra to attack anytime," she replied with seriousness.


    "Vikra would never attack in the afternoon!" said Dmitri in a strict tone. "Moreover, mother and I have fixed an appointment with the doctor for you. You have to go to the hospital with us for tests."


    "What? Why did you do that today Dmitri?" she asked with a shocked expression.


    "Why not today?"


    "Today it is full moon night. You know what happens to me during a full moon night. I have to discuss the strategy with Isidorus and Mihr! I cannot waste time on this," she lashed at him.


    Dmitri took his hands at the back of his head and looked at her while lying down on his pillow. He said, "It is not full moon right now. It is not even 12PM. There is no need to panic. As soon as you get tests done, you may go directly to the Wizard Kingdom."


    "But-"


    Dmitri got up and kept his finger on her lips, "Shush."


    Adrianna hung her head low. "Okay��" When he removed his finger from her lips she said, "Let us hurry up then."


    "Sure," he said and got out of bed.


    When the couple went down, Cora first hurried them to have lunch. She was giving so much attention to Adrianna that she was feeling slightly embarrassed. "Adrianna you must eat well. You seem to have lost a lot of weight."


    "Mother, I am not sure that I am pregnant��" she said thinking that Cora was concerned about her pregnancy.


    Cora was annoyed. "You are looking very thin. You better eat properly. Even if you are unsure about pregnancy, you have to eat your food nicely!" Saying that she added a nice helping of green vegetables in her plate. Adrianna stared at her plate, which had no meat on it and then she looked at Dmitri''s plate, which only had meat. Dmitri smiled at her. "I am not pregnant," he communicated mentally cheerfully. Adrianna slowly ate her food.


    While eating Cora was a little concerned about her safety. "Dmitri, I am scared that Vikra might attempt to attack Adrianna if they come to know about her even a little bit that she is going to the Human Realm."


    "No mother, Vikra would never take those chances now. He must be forming strategy in his cave right now on how to attack the Wizard Kingdom. He would never come to know that Adri is here. Suppose he comes to know about her presence, he wouldn''t dare to strike her in the Human Realm. The treaty that we had signed was pretty binding. If humans would see that the treaty has broken, they would use their best warfare to wipe him out from the earth''s surface and he knows that."

 Chapter 360 - Pregnancy? (2)

    Cora was not convinced. She shook her head and said, "We still need protection around Adrianna. I have already instructed Blue Moon pack werewolves to go and secure the area around the doctor''s clinic." Then she looked at Adrianna and said, "I hope the wizards in your security are also alert."


    Adrianna nodded and replied, "They go wherever I go by default."


    "Hmm," Cora said as though still not satisfied. In fact she wasn''t satisfied. How could she take chances?


    Adrianna read her facial expressions and assured her, "Mother, please don''t worry. Vikra doesn''t know that I am here. He has sent more than half of his army to attack the Wizard Kingdom and he would move with the rest of the army himself. He would never come to the Human Realm and take the risk at this point of time. I am sure that he has already got the news that the two wizards he had sent to breach the wall are now dead. He wouldn''t care to even think that I could have come to the human realm."


    Cora smiled. Quickly they finished the food and all of them went to the doctor. Adrianna could sense that her security was flying around her under invisibility spell while the werewolves were already there. But what she didn''t anticipate was that even Niiya was there with his men. She was shocked to see him. As soon as he saw her, he smiled. She smiled back nervously at him fearing Dmitri''s reaction. He had overreacted the last time she met Niiya. Dmitri came and stood close to her when he saw that Niiya was there.


    Without any curtsies, he held her hand and pulled her inside the clinic. Niiya''s gaze followed them, surprised at their reaction but he didn''t say a word. He was asked by Cora to provide safety for Adrianna and so he did. He kept standing outside.


    When Adrianna went to the doctor''s chamber, she was slightly nervous. The doctor was friendly and examined her nicely. She asked her to take the usual pregnancy test and gave her the strips to pee on them. Adrianna took those strips and left for the washroom. Dmitri was so anxious with anticipation that he closed his fists tightly. What would happen now? Was Adrianna pregnant? He had come here to see the doctor because he believed in the yellow blossoms that he had stared for a long time in the morning. Was he about to become a father? Would he allow Adrianna to fight against Vikra if she was pregnant?


    While he was thinking all those things, Adrianna was testing herself. Although she wasn''t giving this a second thought because she knew that she couldn''t really go thinking that she was pregnant because of that one yellow bloom in the canopy, but what if she was really pregnant. She waited for the strips'' lines to appear in order to confirm her pregnancy. She didn''t know what the lines meant so when the lines appeared, she simply took them to the doctor and showed them. The doctor had asked her to get at least five strips back and all of them showed lines.


    The doctor took the strips from her and without even looking at them properly said, "Your wife is hundred percent pregnant!"


    Adrianna''s eyes were huge like a football field. Dmitri, who was standing with nervousness, sat down on the chair beside him with a thump and Cora only had unshed tears of joy in her eyes. She went to Adrianna and said, "Congratulations!"


    Adrianna''s mind went numb. Dmitri opened his mouth to say something but all he managed was a laugh.


    The doctor said, "I have to conduct a few more tests, so I will be taking Adrianna inside. I will be back within fifteen minutes."


    The doctor went inside and asked Adrianna to follow her in the examination room. Cora gently pushed a reluctant Adrianna in the room, "Go."


    The doctor examined her and when they came out, she said, "Many congratulations!"


    They calculated when was the last she missed her periods and then looking at Dmitri said, "I think your wife is about a month pregnant already."


    Dmitri couldn''t contain his excitement. He looked at his wife with pride, with love and warmth. He could feel the tiny baby that was his inside her. She had become a woman. She wasn''t the girl that she was anymore until yesterday. Today, she had climbed a step higher on the ladder of womanhood.


    "You should be extremely careful Adrianna because this is your first trimester. In this trimester there are maximum chances of miscarriage. So don''t do anything that would exert pressure on your tummy. Although your baby is like a tiny seed right now, he or she would need all the protection within those walls inside you. So be careful and I wish you all the best. Keep coming for regular checkups every month," said the doctor before the three of them came out.


    Once they were out, Adrianna was still quiet. There were too many things going on in her mind. Niiya looked at her again and when his gaze fell on Cora, she nodded to thank him. It was Dmitri''s excitement that was oozing out in a way that Niiya became suspicious. Before he could ask a question, Dmitri went to him and shook his hand vigorously. Saying, "We are pregnant!" he left him with an agape mouth and a dark face. Even if Dmitri had to hide it from the world, he had to tell this news to Niiya. How couldn''t he? He could imagine how sour he must be feeling.


    Dmitri went back to Adrianna, held her hand and left the clinic. Cora shook her head.


    It was already 2PM now.


    Adrianna had to go back to the Wizard Kingdom but all her thoughts were in a tizzy. She had to think about her strategy with Vikra for the night, but all she could think of was her pregnancy. She was supposed to become a werewolf involuntarily tonight, but even that thought was pushed back.

 Chapter 361 - Pregnancy (3)

    Vikra was preparing to go with the remaining force and attack the Wizard Kingdom to give it a final blow. He was sure that Cy and his fellow wizard must have breached the walls by now. It was just a matter of time that the kingdom would fall in his hands. He had once again gone to the underground caves where the neotides were making new armor for the battle to remind them that they should all be ready for tonight''s battle. When he said that to them, they all seemed excited and he too was excited to go out. He was going to be victorious after a wait of over two hundred years. The Wizard Kingdom would be his. He had so many neotides that he didn''t even bother about the puny number of wizards over there. He laughed all his way out of the cave exhilarated at his thought.


    When he reached up, he noticed that a messenger was waiting for him to give the news. Thinking that it was just the regular news that he had to give, he went and sat on his throne that was carved in a rock inside the cave and then looked at the messenger. The messenger could feel his creepy, hollow look on him and shivered to the core. It was always extremely frightening around Vikra and the news that he was about to give might cost his life but he had to take the chance because he was pushed by his General to deliver it. His General had threatened him that if he didn''t give the news to Vikra, he would be beheaded. It was a different thing that the General himself was very scared.


    "Master, I bow to thee," said the messenger loudly and knelt down. "There is important news that you should know."


    Vikra scratched his bony chin with his bony fingers knowing what the messenger was about to inform. He knew that the wall was already breached.


    After a pause, the messenger said in a shaky voice, "Master, Cy and his fellow wizard are dead!"


    Vikra looked at the messenger and hissed as if he would kill him for speaking nonsense. He got up from his chair and glided on the floor to reach him. He stuck out one of his bony fingers and placed it beneath his chin, "What did you say? Repeat it." He couldn''t believe what he just heard. He could feel the anger rising inside him.


    "M- Master, it is not my fault," replied the messenger, feeling the death hanging over him.


    "Speak!" hissed Vikra as he poked his bony finger in his chin and the blood started flowing out.


    "Cy and his fellow wizard are dead. When they were just about to breach the wall, an illusion occurred and all the neotides and the wizards were cheated," said the messenger. He went on to narrate all that happened yesterday night and by the time he finished, the bony finger had dug into his flesh. He still hoped that Vikra would leave him. His neck was fully covered with blood now.


    "Which wizard came out to kill him?" asked Vikra. Who could be so powerful to kill a General as powerful as Cy?


    "The speculation is that it was the Mozias and Adrianna."


    "Where is Reese?" he asked because her safety was of utmost importance. She was controlling the neotides.


    "She is still there. All the neotides over there are pretty scared. Master, we need you amongst us. The morale of the neotides is at an all time low," said the messenger. He thought he was coaxing Vikra but in fact he was only adding to his anger. In no time, Vikra''s finger pierced through his jaw. Few seconds later, the limbs of messenger were ripped and thrown around the cave as Vikra hissed in rage.


    He was going to attack the Wizard Kingdom with full force now. He was going to take down Adrianna now! There would be no stopping. He wanted her dead.


    ---


    Adrianna was stunned when she heard about her pregnancy. When they all reached home, she went to her bedroom along with Dmitri and the first thing Dmitri did was to wrap her in his arms and kiss her on her face everywhere. He was beaming with joy while she was standing there numb at the thought. What would happen now? She had to protect her baby. She had to survive the full moon night. Dmitri saw her face and knew her concern. He stopped kissing her and said, "How about you spend the night at Ed''s place? That is safest. Please Adri, you must do that."


    Adrianna removed his hands from her and went to sit on the bed. She was in deep thoughts. She was thinking about something and had blocked Dmitri. He walked to sit near her and held her face. "Why are you afraid? I am there with you."


    "Dmitri, I have to protect our baby at any cost," she said and remembered that Ileus had come when she was being crowned. Now she realized what he meant and now she realized how powerful her baby was. Ileus was going to be the most powerful ruler the Wizard Kingdom had ever seen but he came to her to see that he survived, to see that she survived. He had walked to her from future. When she thought that she was shaken to the core. Her hand went to her tummy, to the little baby, to little Ileus who had attached himself to her body. She had to quickly think of a way to protect him.


    She could sense Vikra''s anger and hatred. Her eyes filled with tears.


    "Dmitri, I have to go to the Wizard Kingdom now and meet Isidorus," she said in an urgent voice.


    He tilted his head and asked, "Aren''t you happy that we are going to have a baby? I want to see another Adri hanging around me��"


    She smiled as tears started coming out of her eyes and through those tears she said, "I have to protect my baby at any cost. Dmitri, I am ecstatic that our child has chosen us to be his parents but he needs to be guarded well."


    Dmitri wiped her tears feeling warm about her and his unborn baby. His was so overwhelmed that he couldn''t express. His bundle of joy was inside her. "Let us go and meet Isidorus."


    "No one in the Wizard Kingdom should know about my pregnancy except Isidorus," she said as they stepped into the portal.

 Chapter 362 - Pregnancy (4)

    Adrianna and Dmitri walked through the portal right into the Royal Palace where she summoned Isidorus.


    Isidorus was sleeping in his palace because he had been working all night to recreate the wall along with Mihr, Ziu and other wizards. The wall was strong now but not as strong as it was before. The earlier wall had been a work of several thousand years and it was impossible to make it like that again but for now it was pretty strong. They all had only one thing at the back of the mind �C they had to stop Vikra from entering. They were relaxed that at least his fellow wizards were all taken care of and now only he was left, but he was a force to be reckoned with.


    Isidorus was wearing his nightdress when he was summoned. Not bothering about his dress, he just walked into the main hall. It was afternoon. Maybe she called him to discuss about the night''s strategy. They were all expecting Vikra that night. When he entered the main hall, he saw that she was sitting with Dmitri who held her hand and was stroking her back.


    He read their expressions and knew that there was something very important. He frowned and asked, "My Queen, what is it?" he asked with concern etched on his face and sat down opposite them.


    Dmitri looked at Isidorus with a worried expression, "Adri is pregnant."


    Isidorus'' eyes became wide with so many expressions that he became speechless. There was shock, fear, excitement, caution and anxiousness. It was the first time in his life he experienced nervousness. The heir apparent chose to come in this world now? How could this be? A war had broken between the Wizards and neotides. There was danger lurking around her. She was about to be converted into a werewolf because of her curse and the baby chose to come now? Didn''t he or she understood the gravity of the situation? Suddenly there was a line of sweat on his forehead. Never in his dreams he had thought about this situation. He was prepared for a strategy for war, for bloodshed, but he was not prepared for the jolt she just gave. "Preg- pregnant?" he stuttered. "How can this be?"


    Adrianna rolled her eyes at Isidorus reading his mind. "I didn''t choose to be pregnant now!" she replied with anger.


    "Umm�� Would you like me to tell you the details on how Adri became pregnant?" asked Dmitri with a poker face.


    Isidorus clenched his jaws at the shameless man in front of him. At least he should have the decency of being a king. "No, I don''t need the details," he replied calmly to his emperor.


    Dmitri shrugged and looked at Adrianna as if telling him, your loss.


    "So what do we do now Adrianna?" asked Isidorus. He had to protect his queen and the baby in her. "Should we announce it to the kingdom?"


    "No!" shouted Adrianna. "We will not tell this to anyone. Just the three of us know it for now."


    "Then what do we do?" asked Isidorus become panicky now. It was as if he had become Adrianna''s father suddenly. "You will be becoming a rogue werewolf in a few hours. We have to keep an eye on you so that you don''t harm the baby in you." Isidorus was almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he thought that Adrianna might not even understand about her pregnancy under her curse. "I suggest we keep her confined in the Wizard Kingdom," he added looking at Dmitri.


    "It is impossible to confine Adrianna when she turns into a rogue werewolf. No magic works on her and she becomes too powerful to be reined. In fact if she is restrained here, there are chances that she would become free in no time and then people here would come to know about her curse," replied Dmitri.


    "So what do we do?" asked Isidorus, now so exasperated that he could faint. He just wanted to hide Adrianna from the world for the moment. Why the hell was he feeling so protective, he couldn''t understand? He wanted her to deliver the baby under full protection. He wanted that baby. He felt he was already a servant to the unborn child. What was this? He couldn''t fathom his deep feelings for the child she was carrying, for the baby who was probably not even the size of a tiny seed inside her.


    Unbeknownst to him, those were the powers of the unborn child.


    "I will go out to the Werewolf Realm along with Dmitri. We know that place and Dmitri already know how to control me. We had been in this situation earlier also," she said.


    "Why don''t we go to Ed''s place?" suggested Isidorus. "That ways you would hide from the chaotic situation. No one would ever be able to find out about you."


    "No. My best bet at the moment is the Werewolf Realm," she said with determination.


    Isidrus became angry, "Why?" he asked. "You cannot risk the life of the baby in you!" he would have killed that person if someone else had suggested it. He was becoming possessive about the child with each passing minute.


    "Sometimes you have to do things that are important. I have to take my chances even when I am out of control. I know that with me being a rogue werewolf, I will be able to kill all the neotides who would come to attack me and I can''t leave my kingdom for my own selfish reasons. So I will take my chances and kill them in that state too," she said with so much determination that Isidorus could not say a word.


    "But the baby��" he said feeling a quiver down his spine.


    "Dmitri would be there with me,'' she replied and left the room.


    Isidorus felt helpless and miserable. He was too angry at her stubborn behavior but what she said wasn''t incorrect. She talked like a queen. She wanted to win the battle even if she had to face the extreme.


    It was 4PM now. In some time it would be twilight.


    ---


    Vikra started gathering his remaining army. He had decided to reach the wall of the Wizard Kingdom within the next two hours with full force.

 Chapter 363 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (14)

    Adrianna was beginning to feel feverish. She wanted to stay alone and Dmitri could see that her body was now revolting slowly to turn into a werewolf. Her body''s temperature had increased considerably. Her face was flushed and she was beginning to lose her vision. Things were becoming blurry in front of her.


    Isidorus was left in the main hall sitting alone and wondering what to do next to save the baby. He felt strongly for the next heir. He didn''t feel this kind of protectiveness and will to serve the previous heirs that were unborn, not even Adrianna, but he was feeling as if he would not be able to leave Adrianna even for a minute until she conceived. On a quick thinking he decided to go with her to the Werewolf Realm and stayed there to protect her.


    Since he couldn''t tell about her condition to anyone, Dmitri asked Isidorus to create the portal for Adrianna to enter the Werewolf Realm. It was already twilight and Adrianna could feel that every cell in her body was about to explode. The process was painful. She felt that she was about to faint as she was quickly losing her sense of the surroundings.


    ---


    In Vikra''s cave, the army had gathered. They were laced with the latest weapons that they had created and were eager to reach the Wizard Kingdom''s periphery and be ready for the attack. This had been the purpose of their living. This is what they wanted for the life. This is what they were groomed for always. Now was the time to show what they had in them to attack and show their solidarity to their master.


    When it was twilight, Vikra created a portal for all of them to enter the jungle. Thousands of them waited for their turn to patiently enter the portal. When the last one of them entered, it was already more than two hours and Vikra walked through it in the last. As soon as he entered the portal closed and now no one could go back unless he wanted them to go back. He flew on his broom right to the wall where Reese was standing along with many generals of the army. She saw him and immediately all of them knelt on the ground to greet him. Vikra merely looked at them and went to the wall. He started breaking the wall with full concentration, as the neotides surrounded him. He was determined not to break his concentration while breaking the wall learning from how Cy was conned by Adrianna.


    ---


    Adrianna was getting restless by the minute. Isidorus had communicated to Dmitri that he would join her during the night but Adrianna gave strict instructions that he had to stay in the Kingdom and keep a watch out on Vikra. She was sure that Vikra would attack the wall that very night. She hoped that he would take all night to break the wall so that as soon as the dawn broke, she would be able to face him as a wizard. She hated the timing of her curse but then she knew that she had to manage everything even though she was under that curse.


    Isidorus was very adamant initially but because of Adrianna''s persistence, he had to stay back. Now it was in his hand to tell others as to why was the queen absent during this attack. He hoped to not let Vikra break the wall so easily. He went to Mihr and they formed a strategy along with Ziu and other Mozias. Getting out of the Wizard Kingdom wasn''t an option because the messengers had informed them that Vikra''s last batch of army was marching towards the kingdom.


    ---


    Along with Dmitri, Adrianna walked out of the portal. However, this time she walked out to one of his hideouts. They were in a cave where Dmitri had brought her when they were on their honeymoon. The cave was hidden behind a curtain created by a thick waterfall. Hence it was safe as no one from outside could see it. Since it was beginning to get chilly, the temperature only soothed her but still she could feel that she needed to go out and be next to the moon. Dmitri sat down on the green grass of the cave and held her in his arms for a long time in order to soothe her. He would stroke her hair, her skin or her back only to make her feel that he was there. However, Adrianna went into complete daze as the sun started to set. She stared into blank. It was simply too unbearable.


    Suddenly, she lost all sense to the world. Pushing Dmitri away Adrianna got up from his lap and ran outside the cave through the waterfall. Dmitri ran after her and when he walked through the waterfall, he saw Adrianna shape shifting into the rogue werewolf. She leapt almost twenty feet in the air and she was a wolf when she landed on her paws. She ran to the highest peak that was in the vicinity and looked at the moon. She howled filling the valley with the sound. The moon was attracting her. She wanted to merge with it, she wanted to be with the moon, so she ran again to find a higher summit.


    Dmitri had to force her to go towards the place where the battle was about to begin, according to her plan.


    ---


    Outside the kingdom the neotides witnessed rays of several lights of lethal energy coming out from Vikra''s wand. Each time they struck the wall, blasts would occur. He was a powerful wizard and at one point of time he had contributed in creating that wall. He knew all about Isidorus'' magic. Although it wasn''t easy to break the wall, he was succeeding in breaking it slowly bit by bit. Often the neotides would growl and howl loudly to encourage others and build the rage.


    ---


    Inside the kingdom, Isidorus, Mihr, Ziu and others had collectively thrown spells on the wall to maintain the force from inside. They knew that Vikra was a powerful enemy and the only wizard who could take him down wasn''t there. Every time a spell broke, a blast occurred on the outside, which would also have some effect on the inside. Their wands would stop functioning.


    Out of frustration Mihr asked, "Where is the Queen?"

 Chapter 364 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (15)

    Adrianna ran to the higher peaks that surrounded the area. It was so chilly that small flakes of snow were falling around her. She ran at a speed that Dmitri was unable to follow her. Every now and then Adrianna would stop to look at the moon and howl loudly. Its rays were soothing her nerves and as she would look at it, her urge to go to be with it only increased. It was at these times that Dmitri would pick his pace and come near her. However. He always maintained distance because he was afraid as to what happened with him long back when he had discovered that she was the rogue wolf.


    She had to be driven towards the neotides, however, he wasn''t able to understand how to draw her attention to him. The problem was that he didn''t want to go close to her and so she was only going towards the higher peaks. He couldn''t stop her. If he drew attention, then he wouldn''t be able to match her speed and she would attack him within a short period of time. He saw her stopping again and howling towards moon. Soon she picked up speed and ran in the opposite direction.


    It was midnight now and the moon was in the center of the sky. Adrianna would leap as soon as she reached the peaks of the hills but would fall on the other side. Dmitri was scared that the baby might get affected. He had to find a way to distract her.


    ---


    It had been almost midnight and the wall was slowly breaking. Vikra could feel success this close to him and that feeling was enough for him to keep breaking the wall. He couldn''t help thinking how he would capture Adrianna and how he would use her powers to control the world. All he needed was one session with her and he knew how to control her. He increased the amount of energy passing through his wand. Several more blasts could be heard.


    ---


    "Where is the queen?" shouted Mihr on top of his voice becoming frustrated by the fact that she wasn''t coming when they needed her the most. Was this the way she was abandoning them? Had she become scared of Vikra?


    Ziu joined in, "Where is Adrianna? This is unacceptable. We are standing here and fighting for the Kingdom while she is not even interested in seeing how we are doing?"


    Isidorus roared, "Stay quiet! Do not talk about the queen like that. These are her orders. We have to stay inside the Kingdom and stop Vikra as much as possible. We have to make sure that we are able to hold this until morning."


    When Isidorus shouted at them, they became scared and didn''t utter a word after that. All of them concentrated on holding their bastion.


    ---


    Adrianna had gone too far in the opposite direction. Dmitri had to divert her attention now else it would be too late. This time when she stopped and sat down, he went dangerously close to her and let out a soft growl. Adrianna looked around the plain fields and slopes in front of her. The vegetation around her wasn''t that thick, only some tall grass and few bushes were present. The snow that was falling around them had intensified. Suddenly she saw movement behind her and immediately stood up as if ready to attack. She saw a creature behind her at a distance. She glared at it.


    When Dmitri saw those golden yellow eyes staring at him, he became scared. He knew that now she would charge at him. Slowly he started going back while Adrianna started coming nearer. They kept growling at each other for some time when suddenly Adrianna broke into a run. Dmitri was calculating her movements and the moment she ran towards him, he ran in the direction he had to take her. He thought that before she could overcome him, he had to run as far as possible in the direction where all the neotides were present.


    Adrianna was extremely angry with the intruder who had stopped her pursuit to her favorite thing in the world. She chased him with all her might to take him down as soon as possible but he was running very fast.


    Dmitri was running through the hilly terrain in a way that he was keeping himself close to the boulders, trees or caves or any huge impediment that he could see. However, this strategy was slowing down the speed a lot. He had to choose between speed and safety and he had to apply both tactfully.


    After chasing him for almost a long time, Adrianna was getting extremely irritated now. In her anger, once when she came very close to him, she leapt into the air to attack him, but just because he was near a waterfall, he jumped right into it and saved himself by running out of it quickly while Adrianna landed behind him.


    For Adrianna there were no tricks under that curse. It was only rage and she couldn''t act tactfully.


    Dmitri ran for the next two hours towards the place where the battle was about to begin. He was hoping that Isidorus and rest were able to hold the bastion until them. He was tired now and so wished that Fleur were there to create a portal for them. Even though he was tired, Adrianna was chasing him with the same vigor and speed. Dmitri was afraid that she might attack him at any moment now. Soon they would enter the field outside the Wizard Kingdom where all the neotides were present in large numbers. He just had to keep himself going until then.


    As he neared the battlefield, he could hear the neotides growling and howling in large numbers. Suddenly something very scary occurred to him. Something, which they completely forgot about. Adrianna''s fur was golden yellow and that would stand up against the grey furred neotides. He was running at a very high speed and as soon as he thought about it, he screeched himself to a stop and turned. He had to stop his wife from getting killed.


    Adrianna also stopped, a little surprised as to how come the creature in front of him stopped. Suddenly she leapt.

 Chapter 365 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (16)

    Adrianna had been running after the intruder who had the guts to disturb her. It was the first time that she couldn''t catch the prey in front of her, as it was being too tricky. It would hide every time she would leap towards him and she would be left growling and looking around. However, it would appear in front of her out of nowhere and again she would get distracted. The hide and seek game for almost two hours until she reached the jungle and all of a sudden she picked up scents of more creatures. She was getting nearer to them, as the scents were thicker now. She couldn''t wait to meet and kill all those that disturbed her night.


    All the way she was running chasing the creature but when she got nearer the scents, she heard it growling and it turned towards her. It faced her as if ready to attack her. Seeing it challenging her, she scratched her nails on the ground and accepted the challenge.


    Dmitri''s mind became numb when he thought that so many neotides would attack Adrianna and she might get killed. He screeched to a halt and turned. He now wanted to run in the opposite direction and take her to a safe place. However, suddenly Adrianna leapt and he wasn''t ready for that. He knew that he had to fight her and somehow run in the opposite direction after fighting with her. He ducked in order to dodge her but to his shock, Adrianna jumped and landed a little far and there were more growls.


    Shocked, he turned around to look. Adrianna had actually leapt onto the neotides that had come behind Dmitri. She was fighting with the neotides who had gathered in a herd to attack two werewolves who had dared to enter the place where they were present. Ten of them had attacked Dmitri but Adrianna had confronted all them. He looked at her in amazement as she took each and every one of them down easily. She ripped them apart with her powerful jaws as if it was just a game for her. And in fact Adrianna was having fun killing all of them. Her lust for killing them only increased.


    When the neotides saw that a werewolf was killing their fellows so easily, they thought that perhaps it had come from the Werewolf Realm and had lost its way. Being the sworn enemies of the pureblooded werewolves, the neotides became aggravated at this sight. Agitated, more of them came forward and attacked Adrianna together


    Dmitri watched all that in horror. He had to save his wife and so when he saw more jumping at her, he joined her. Together they fought with all the strength they had to kill them. The first batch was killed easily. They were no match to Adrianna and Dmitri. But even when many died down, their thirst for the battle and victory against those werewolves didn''t fade even a little bit. More numbers kept advancing towards them.


    Adrianna''s thirst and lust to kill them only enhanced with each passing minute. Dmitri tried to stop her from going forward and came in front of her to stop her, but she was now least interested in Dmitri. She just jumped over him again and attacked more neotides. Slowly and slowly she was running inside the sea of neotides. Dmitri followed her. He tried to communicate with her mentally, "Please get out of here." But his plea fell on deaf ears. He became desperate and went near her to push her away from there but she pushed him away. In fact she threw him away with so much force that he landed several feet away from her.


    He got up on his paws and saw that Adrianna was now surrounded by neotides who were pouring and attacking her from all sides. His brain froze. Even though he could mentally communicate with his fellows, there was none in the vicinity because Adrianna had instructed not to involve the werewolves at all in the war. God knows what was in her mind and why the hell did he agree to her? However, at the moment all he could do was join her in killing the neotides. Her golden fur wasn''t helping. It was glowing in the moonlight. Her golden yellow eyes looked ferocious. He cried inside. She stood apart from all of them. She looked like she was their queen. She looked majestic, beautiful and stately. She handled them powerfully and fought with them as if she would take them all down.


    Dmitri was in awe of her power as a rogue wolf. It looked as if he shouldn''t worry about her. Without a single scratch on her body she was taking them down, killing them and ripping them with such agility that it was rarely seen.


    ---


    Vikra had successfully breached almost half of the spells on the wall. He was casting his spells so adroitly and quickly that the wizards inside were only able to hold him. They were having very little time to repair the wall. And whenever they repaired it, the spell would hardly hold. Isidorus was becoming desperate. Was this the way the Wizard Kingdom would fall down? He wanted to protect his queen and he felt that he failed her, he felt that he failed her unborn child and his people.


    The dawn was about to break. The moon was setting down and he hoped that they would be able to hold Vikra until Adrianna returned. At the back of the mind they all knew that only Adrianna could hold Vikra but where was she?


    Reese was looking at Vikra and waiting patiently for her lord to break the wall when two of her Generals came and informed her, "There is a werewolf on the southern side that is taking down our neotides with such speed and ease that it must have killed hundreds of them so far?"


    Reese stared at them. Where had this werewolf come from?


    "It has golden yellow fur and can be easily detected from far!" said one of them.

 Chapter 366 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (17)

    Inside the Wizard Kingdom, Isidorus and Mihr were becoming nervous as the hours of the night advanced. Ziu was extremely annoyed. He looked at Mihr and shouted, "These bloodlusts are overrunning our spells. In my opinion we should retreat and huddle up lest we all get overcome by Vikra anytime now. Our Queen has chosen to hide at this hour of need."


    Isidorus glared at him. "Ziu!" he roared, "Stop making such snide remarks about the queen unless you want to be banished. We are going to collectively work towards this. The Queen had given me instructions to hold the bastion until she comes back. She has gone on an important mission."


    This time it was Mihr who pitched inn aggravated by what Ziu said, "We have never seen anyone who was able to defy our spells. Most wizards are now panicking and they are waiting for their queen to save them. This is the moment when she saves us from those bloodthirsty neotides."


    Isidorus could understand their chaotic state of mind but he also had to maintain a cold demeanor and defend his queen. He couldn''t let anyone ruin this moment or take advantage of it or make unpleasant remarks about her.


    "The wizards are all panicking. They are wondering of the dark days are ahead. Vikra is able to break every spell we have cast on the outside. For how long do you think we are going to hold it?" questioned Ziu with disgust.


    Outside Reese was informed about a golden haired werewolf who had lost its way and was now on a rampage. It was killing every neotide that came its way. They had come to Reese to help them in controlling the damage or killing the rogue wolf. They also informed her that the golden haired werewolf was helped by a grey haired one whom they thought was a neotide but was much larger and stronger in skills as compared to an average neotide.


    "How is it possible that you all are unable to take down one werewolf? There are so many of us and yet the two of them are able to kill all those who are coming in their way? Are you insane or are you trying to tell me that we are so useless in front of the neotides?" said Reese getting angered.


    The General shook his head and replied, "If the rogue wolf continues the rampage, soon it would reach this side and the attention of the neotides would be divided. The wizards would come to know about it and they may take advantage. You have to come with us to take it down."


    Reese wanted to stay there as she was waiting for Vikra to break the wall impatiently. This time she wanted to be the first one to enter the Wizard Kingdom alongside her master. Imagining that was such an enthralling thought for her that she felt excited. But this werewolf matter was also pressing. "Wait here," she said and then ran towards her master. She had to inform him because she knew at the back of her mind that he depended on her a lot.


    Vikra was in the midst of it all when Reese approached him. He was chanting and casting a spell. His wand was emitting a lethal green light that could burn an entire jungle. The green light seemed to be melting something unknown. He could sense that she wanted to speak to him urgently. He didn''t have the time nor the energy to enter her cell or read her mind, so he asked her annoyingly in his unique voice with a hiss, "What is it Reese?"


    "There is a rogue werewolf that has entered this area and my General says that it has taken down several neotides. I need your permission to go there and check out the situation otherwise if this information goes out, soon there would be more werewolves to kill the neotides," she replied with concern.


    "Don''t check the situation. Go and kill it. Return as soon as possible. I am about to break the wall," he hissed. He could sense that the wall was thinning and the wizards inside could stand against him. He was supreme, even better than Adrianna. He smiled.


    Reese bowed and left. She went to her General. "Let us go. Take me in that direction," she said as she shape shifted. A batch of hundred neotides was gathered in the meantime to follow and protect Reese.


    When Reese reached there, she could see how easily the golden haired werewolf was killing all the neotides around it. She was aghast as to how could a werewolf be so strong. Then her gaze fell on the neotide that was supporting her. It was much larger than an average neotide and she suspected whether it was a neotide or a pureblooded werewolf. She looked at it properly and with the way he was so skillfully killing the neotides, she could grasp that it was also a pureblooded werewolf. So that meant that the rogue werewolf was clever to choose a grey haired neotide that could easily gel with the grey furred neotides and kill them at the same time.


    Getting angered she asked the hundred who followed her to stand in a line of ten each and then formed her strategy. Ten would surround the two werewolves. So each time they would kill a neotide, the one behind it would come forward to attack them and this way there would be an onslaught of ten of them at all times.


    According to the strategy she moved forward as their leader. Other neotides gave way to Reese. They all knew who Reese was and they made a way for her to approach the rogue wolf. When she arrived, she saw that the majestic golden furred werewolf with golden yellow eyes. It had stopped fighting because the neotides around it had moved away.


    Adrianna was growling loudly, challenging every creature to come and fight her. When she saw them retreating, she threw her upper half up and stood on her hind legs. She looked at the moon and howled loudly. Her howl was menacing and threatening. There was blood of neotides on her jaws that was dripping out and had scarred her golden fur there.

 Chapter 367 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (18)

    Reese became scared slightly when she saw the werewolf in front of her on her hind legs. It was huge, almost one and a half times the size of an average neotide. It looked majestic and had golden yellow eyes that shone brilliantly in the moonlight. Reese looked around for another grey furred werewolf who was helping her but she couldn''t see him in the vicinity. Maybe he ran away or was hiding amongst the neotides. He would soon reveal himself if he was fighting with the rogue wolf.


    According to her strategy, other neotides started forming a circle around Adrianna. So now Adrianna was in the center and there were ten wolves who surrounded her in the innermost circle. The attack was led by Reese. Rest of the neotides stood behind the one in the front in a neat row.


    Reese instructed all other neotides to clear that place and go near the wall, as the wall was about to break. With hundred neotides to help her kill a rogue wolf, she was confident that she would slaughter it soon. More neotides were needed near the wall.


    Seeing that she was surrounded on all sides, it didn''t deter her feelings, instead she was ever more determined to kill them. The wild animal in her was lusting for more blood and she could feel that her power was only increasing with the moon''s rays.


    Adrianna growled at the creatures in front of her as if challenging her to come and even touch her. Suddenly a neotide leapt on her and he was taken down immediately as she caught it by its neck and threw it like a piece of battered toy. As soon as it was killed, another neotide replaced it. Adrianna was now attacked on all sides but she was too quick and she could take two to three neotides at the same time.


    In the meanwhile Dmitri had chosen to hide when he saw a large group of neotides coming towards them. So when they formed a circle, he started attacking them from the outside. He could easily kill them from the outside, so in less than half an hour, only a few neotides remained.


    Reese was now tensed. Only half of them were left. She wasn''t looking on the outside circle as she was focusing on the werewolf inside. With the way the rogue werewolf was killing her fellows, she couldn''t for a moment look around her. She wondered how come so less was left. She ordered all of them to attack Adrianna all at once.


    Dmitri heard it and he also increased his pace to attack them. In fact he leapt over them and in one swift jump, he came to where Adrianna was �C in the center. He had to take that chance. He knew that Adrianna might attack him but he had to save her and his baby. He was getting scared of his baby time and again.


    "Oh, this was the grey werewolf," thought Reese with hatred. She had to attack him first and remove the rogue werewolf''s support. While others were attacking the rogue werewolf, she took the opportunity and jumped on Dmitri. She jumped on his with such force that her claws dug into his flesh. He whined and this caught Adrianna''s attention. She looked at him with menacing eyes.


    Before she could attack him, Reese attacked him once more. Angered as to who dared to take her target, Adrianna attacked Reese. She caught her from neck and pressed her jaws inside the flesh. Reese struggled to break free. But Adrianna shook her neck in her jaws vigorously and then put her down. Then she caught one of her limbs and tore it apart from her body. Reese howled in pain. Adrianna caught another of her limbs and tore that too. Within minutes limbless body of Reese was lying on the ground. Reese was numb with pain as she looked at Adrianna whose face was very close to hers. She closed her eyes. She didn''t know that her end would be like that. Next moment everything went blank. Adrianna had torn her head off the torso.


    Other neotides were aghast. They saw their leader had been ripped apart limp by limb. Only a few remained in the dark of the night. They feared for their life and started to flee.


    Dmitri was relieved that the two of them had successfully scared the enemy away and he wanted her to go back. So he tried to distract her by giving her a menacing growl. However, Adrianna had seemed to lose interest in him. She started running after the neotides �C her new toys.


    Dmitri froze. Adrianna was running into a sea of thousands of neotides and this was like inviting death. In order to divert her attention, he growled again, but she didn''t pay heed to his presence. He tried to once again mentally call her but there was no response. He cried inside. "Adrianna please turn back." He chased her and after a few seconds, he could see that his wife had disappeared into the darkness. She ran at a very high speed. He just couldn''t follow her. He felt helpless and called his mate. But there was no response. He stopped after running for some time. What should he do? He shivered from inside.


    When the neotides ran away from there, they ran fast to inform Vikra that Reese had died in the hands of the rogue werewolf. They knew that Reese was Vikra''s favorite and were scared what would he do to them when he would come to know about Reese. All of them decided to go and say the news together.


    They went near Vikra and waited for him to look at him.


    "Where is Reese?" he hissed without looking at them.


    "Master, Reese is dead. She was killed by the golden haired wolf," said one of them with a little courage. "Her limbs were ripped apart."


    Vikra stopped. He froze and stared at the neotides who bore that news. The lethal light that he was throwing at the wall stopped emitting out of his wand. All the neotides around him looked at him with stunned expressions.

 Chapter 368 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (19)

    Vikra was bamboozled when he heard that Reese had been killed by the rogue wolf. How could that be? She was the most powerful of all the neotides and even more powerful than any average werewolf. Killing her meant that the rogue werewolf was extremely powerful and this despite the fact that there were hundred neotides that attacked it. Vikra got such a jolt of his life that his emotions seeped through him into his wand and his wand stopped working. The spell that he was casting to break the wall stopped. He looked at the messenger.


    Reese was with him from the time she was just a small werewolf. She was amongst the first ones who had come to him. She was like his pet, a person who he replied on every since he was banished from the kingdom. "Reese has been killed," those words resounded in his mind. He stepped back a little.


    Without wasting time, he said, "Take me to that place."


    The messengers sighed a breath of relief that they were spared. They led him to the place the rogue werewolf was. However, they didn''t have to go too far, they found it killing more neotides a few hundred feet away. Vikra looked at the golden furred werewolf and instantly knew who the werewolf was. So this was Adrianna''s game? She had attacked them singlehandedly from behind. But why had she shape shifted? She could have easily taken them all down as a witch.


    Vikra watched her killing from a distance as he flew over the group of neotides that guided him. He had to go near it to see what was her strategy. He wanted to get into her cell. Carefully, he went near her slowly. When he was about a hundred feet away from her, he expected her to look at him and attack him by shape shifting. He took his wand out to attack her in case she did.


    He was seething and wanted to kill Adrianna there and then. So he slowly inched towards her. It was dangerous to go near. The night wasn''t helping as it was a full moon night and everything was visible. As he inched towards her, he tried to enter her cell but he couldn''t. However, from the vibes of the animal in front of him, he became confused. It was just an animal. There were no vibes that indicated that she was even a witch.


    Vikra became curious. He forgot about Reese and now he focused on the werewolf who was always the target of his life. He wanted to capture it to rule the world. It was so close to him, he couldn''t believe his eyes. Was this an illusion she had created like last time? He looked at her closely, as she slaughtered all around her. He was mesmerized by the sheer display of power.


    In order to test her, he went closer and using his wand, he cast a spell on her. It was just a little amount of light that would burn the fur. As suspected, it burnt her fur Adrianna was diverted. She looked at the source of light that burnt her fur on the back and growled.


    Who was this creature above her in the air? She wanted to pounce on him. Adrianna leapt in the air to grab it from where she was leaving all those around her. However, Vikra was agile and he flew away from there.


    He was shocked that she did not shape shift. How could that be? Why wasn''t she using her powers? What was this new trick? He was baffled.


    Now she was standing right in front of him a few feet away. All other neotides were aware of this powerful werewolf amongst them and they stayed from it seeing that their Master had come to deal with it.


    Once again he raised his wand to throw a spell on her just to see her reaction. He didn''t want to give her physical injury but wanted to capture her in that state. His hopes rose when he saw that Adrianna wasn''t shape shifting to counterattack him. She looked like a wild beast, something that didn''t have control over itself.


    His eyes glinted with excitement when he discovered that Adrianna was not able to shape shift. At this juncture she should have recognized him and reacted. So this also meant that she didn''t recognize him.


    Vikra could not hold his excitement when he discovered two facts about Adrianna �C she couldn''t shape shift somehow and she couldn''t recognize him.


    Was she under some spell?


    Suddenly Adrianna jumped in the air and stood on her hind legs. She looked at the moon and howled menacingly as if challenging him.


    Vikra looked at the moon and then her. It took him two minutes to realize that Adrianna was cursed. Under the full moon, she became a beast. His excitement increased. In fact he was thankful that Reese was killed, otherwise he would have never come to this place and never discovered Adrianna''s secret. He laughed. This was perhaps the best opportunity for him to seize her.


    He formulated his strategy to capture her quickly. He knew that in order for him to seize her, he had to make use of the full moon night. The moment the moon disappeared, she would get her sense back. Also to keep her in that state as a beast, he had to create an effect for her to always stay under a full moon.


    Vikra first had to stop her from jumping around because he wanted her to be seized without any bodily harm. He wanted to use her powers almost instantly. His time to rule the world had come.


    Pointing his wand at the ground in front of her he hissed, "Ignea Orbetum."


    A large circle of fire broke around Adrianna and she was trapped inside it. The werewolf who was only looking for the soothing moon rays was trapped inside fire. It was hell for her. She flinched and let out small growls.

 Chapter 369 - Battle Between Wizards And Neotides (20)

    When Adrianna saw the fire burning in front of her, she retracted a little in order to run back, but she noticed that the fire quickly formed a circle around her. She hated it. She wanted to leap out of it but every time she tried to leap out of it, the fire would become intense on that side and she had to withdraw. She tried to jump out of it from different directions but she couldn''t. Vikra made sure that she was trapped inside properly.


    Adrianna would look at the moon and howl as if calling it to help her, to douse the fire for her but it was all in vain. It just shone brilliantly in the sky without a care in the world. Perhaps it wasn''t even aware of her agony.


    Vikra realized that she needed the moon and the fire was restricting her. He smiled and hissed, "Adrianna finally we meet."


    Now he had to find a way to quickly trap her in a cage and transport her to his cave. He was now least interested in breaching the wall of the Wizard Kingdom. He looked at his Generals and hissed, "Tell all the neotides to retract immediately. They should reach our territory as soon as possible." Once he would transport her to his cave, he would need a lot of security to contain her. She was an extremely powerful beast who had killed numerous neotides like they were toys.


    Vikra looked at the moon and estimated that not even an hour was left for it to set. Quickly he formed a strategy. He looked at Adrianna and saw her leaping around the fire, growling and wincing at every flame that leapt towards her. She looked pitiable. He had to make her jump towards safety but how to do that.


    ---


    Meanwhile in the Wizard Kingdom, Isidorus and Mihr were surprised as to how come Vikra had stopped casting spells. They couldn''t understand what was going on outside. The wall had become very weak and if Vikra had continued for the next half an hour, it would have broken. They thought that perhaps he had become tired. However, they ruled out that theory because he had an indomitable spirit. They sent a few Mozias on the outside to see what was going on. The Mozias returned with an even strange information. "The neotides are leaving."


    "What?" asked Isidorus with amazement. "What about Vikra?"


    "He isn''t there. It seems he had left the place long ago," replied one of them.


    Mihr couldn''t believe his ears. So he also went outside the wall to check it and found the information to be true. He could see that the neotides were leaving en masse. He went back and confirmed the situation to Isidorus.


    "If that is the case, let us start rebuilding the wall," said Isidorus. "Who know that he may just come back?"


    Isidorus looked at the sky and it was about time for the moon to set and the dawn to break. Adrianna was about to come back. He had to hold the citadel for her. He had to give this news to her. Although he didn''t know why did Vikra leave all of a sudden, he felt happy.


    With new energy and vigor all of them started rebuilding the wall.


    ---


    Vikra was watching Adrianna''s movements. He knew what he had to do.


    Adrianna was getting afraid by the minute. She wanted to get out of the circle of fire. She tried to go out of it, but the fire would inhibit her.


    Suddenly Vikra thought of a technique to transport her.


    This time when Adrianna leapt to get out of the fire, the fire in that area wiped out and she directly jumped through a portal and found herself inside a dark cave.


    Vikra followed her through the portal into the cave.


    Adrianna couldn''t see properly inside the cave because it was too dark. She turned around in frenzy to find a way out but there was none. Her eyes searched for the moonbeams. They were coming inside that dark cave but she couldn''t find the source. She looked around and found that the rays were coming from somewhere very high. So she jumped in the air to reach that place but it was too high and she couldn''t. Where was she trapped?


    She growled menacingly but her growls echoed.


    Vikra had successfully trapped Adrianna. He could see her in the dark, running around the cave to find an exit but she couldn''t see him.


    Now all he had to do was to turn that place for her into eternal full moon night. He held his wand out and with one soft move of his hand, he swished in chanting, "Luna noctem." The cave''s wall started shining with moon''s rays.


    Adrianna immediately stopped running around and stood at one place. The rays soothed her. She looked at the source of the rays and saw the moon very high up. Feeling calm, she jumped on her hind legs and greeted the moon by a loud howl.


    Vikra started laughing at her. All this while he had been finding a way to trap her. He had his eyes set of this baby ever since she was born. However, at the time the moon goddess had come to save her. How come she didn''t come now? He couldn''t believe his luck that how in a short period of time he had captured Adrianna.


    For her he would sacrifice hundreds of Reese.


    Adrianna looked at the creature that was flying above her. She hated it for disturbing her peace so she got up to attack it, but the moment she jumped on it, the creature disappeared. Satisfied that she had scared the creature, she sniffed around a little and found a place to sit and sleep. She was tired and soon she slept.


    On the outside, Vikra was celebrating his victory. He had commanded a huge force to only surround the cave.


    Dmitri didn''t know where she was. He couldn''t find her. All he saw was that the neotides were retreating.

 Chapter 370 - Captured

    Dmitri couldn''t understand as to how come the battle got over so fast. What happened that stopped the battle so suddenly? He ran around the area to look for Adrianna but she was nowhere. An unknown fear gripped him. He ran towards the wall of the Wizard Kingdom and saw that the wall was being recreated from the inside and there were a few wizards outside who were helping to rebuild it from the outside. He asked them if they had seen Adrianna, but none of them had. His worry intensified and he asked one of them to create a portal for him to go inside the kingdom.


    When he went inside, he met Isidorus, Mihr and Ziu and asked them about Adrianna''s whereabouts. It was already dawn and the sun was slowly coming up. The moon had retreated down the horizon. The sky was light orange and grey as it was still breaking the darkness. "Did she come here?" he asked.


    Isidorus stared at Dmitri, as fear gripped his heart. He shook his head. Leaving Mihr and Ziu with the rest of the wizards, Isidorus took Dmitri to the Royal Palace and asked, "Where the hell did you leave Adrianna?"


    Dmitri was nervous. He narrated the entire incident and somehow they both had the same thing in their mind. To dispel their doubts, Isidorus called some Mozias and sent them on a secret mission to find the queen. Once again he found himself in the same situation he was twenty years back when Shira had disappeared. He couldn''t think straight at that time and had become very depressed. However, it was different this time. A melancholy loomed over his soul. He was scared about the child and thought that if he didn''t find the queen, he would go mad.


    For Dmitri, it was torture. He couldn''t communicate with Adrianna in any way.


    The Mozias went to the jungle outside the Wizard Kingdom to find Adrianna but there was nothing. They found numerous neotides that had been slaughtered by her, but not a single one was the golden furred werewolf. They searched for her in every cave and holes dug in the ground, but she wasn''t anywhere. Finally they returned with sad news.


    Dmitri couldn''t bear to hear the news. He said, "Is it possible that she went to the Werewolf Realm?"


    "If she had gone to the Werewolf Realm, how does it explain that Vikra had retreated when he was this close to breaking the wall?" replied Isidorus. He was certain that she had been captured because Vikra was looking for Adrianna and that was the only thing that would have stopped him. He had gathered a large force to capture Adrianna. With the bounty in hand, he would have retreated quietly. Isidorus cursed himself for not thinking this to be the reason for his retreat otherwise he would have come out of the Kingdom along with a force and saved Adrianna.


    It all happened so quickly that they couldn''t even imagine that this would take place. Vikra somehow came to know about Adrianna''s curse and he took advantage of it.


    Dmitri felt as if he would collapse. He could see Adrianna fighting against those neotides. The entire scene of yesterday''s night was vivid in his eyes. Bad thoughts were lingering in his mind. It was a terrible feeling to lose something that you held so dearly. It was like a limb torn from his body, like his heart exploding without a chance to save it. He went inside the room and looked at the bed. The bed where she was sleeping in his arms yesterday was looking lonely and disinviting. He was alone. So this is how his mother felt when his father went missing. Were the mother and son sharing the same fate?


    He knelt on the cold floor and shouted, "Adri! I couldn''t save you. Where are you?" He started crying loudly as if his brain was being shredded into thousands of pieces. His emotional pain flowed from his eyes. His cry was so heart wrenching that the eyes of those who were standing outside and waiting for him, also became wet. Dmitri was shaking violently and he grabbed onto the bed in front of him. In his life, he never expected to leave Adrianna in danger. He regretted his decision of marrying her. If she had married Niiya, perhaps she would have been happier. She would have stayed in the Human Realm where Vikra would have never entered.


    The whole world vanished for him and only pain remained. The pain was so deep that it was breaking him internally. Was his mate alive? This thought was gnawing his soul. She was the beloved Adrianna for whom he had connived to marry. He had taken the risk of kidnapping Niiya only to marry her. He had marked her. HE remembered the day he had marked her and felt even more miserable. "Adri, wherever you are, give me a sign."


    Meanwhile on the outside, Isidorus had gone mad with rage. He left the Royal Palace and went to his palace where he called Mihr and the Mozias. Ziu couldn''t come because he was still rebuilding the wall.


    Isidorus had to prepare a plan. "Adrianna is missing and in all probability she has been captured by Vikra."


    Mihr was wide eyed with shock. "How can this be? She is the most powerful wizard of the world!" asked Mihr. This was an impossible thing.


    "We have full information that she had been captured. I don''t know what transpired between them and how she went there, but we have to now attack Vikra''a land to get Adrianna back safely," said Isidorus hiding all the details from those in front of him.


    Even the Mozias were shocked. They had seen Adrianna fighting in the battlefield out. It was impressive! How could she be captured?


    "I don''t want to discuss anything!" roared Isidorus. "Go and inform the Werewolf Realm about her disappearance. We are going to declare war on them today!"

 Chapter 371 - What Trick?

    In Vikra''s cave, Adrianna slept for a long time feeling at peace with the moon that was now eternally shining and soothing her. She would wake up and then look at the moon and again go back to sleep. She was tired after slaughtering the neotides and running wild after the creatures in the jungle.


    Outside the cave, the day rose normally and the neotides were stationed around it in large numbers. They did not move from their positions, afraid that Vikra might become unhappy. He had ordered strict vigilation. The cave had only one entrance and that was sealed with a large boulder. However, what they did not know that there was a lot of magic in the entrance running across it in a criss cross way. It was so complicated that not even a dust particle could enter inside.


    When Adrianna woke up next, she was hungry. She wanted to eat food and so she growled loudly. Even though the walls of the cave were very thick, the neotides could hear her outside. It was a blood-curdling growl. They were very scared of the creature inside the cave and hoped that it never came out.


    Meanwhile, Vikra was forming a strategy on how to use Adrianna and her powers. One of the ways was to suck her soul, which would not only give him the body with flesh, but it would also give him a lot of power. The other way was to use her power to conquer the world in a way that she would remain like that beast and then he would use her alongside to conquer the world. He was tempted to suck her soul, but then he thought that it would be an end to a powerful girl like Adrianna. And if he used her and her powers alongside his that would mean that she could be used for eternity. Also two brains were better than one. After all Adrianna was his lineage.


    He spent the next day in dilemma. In the night the messenger came and informed him that the Werewolf Realm and Wizard Kingdom are planning to wage a war against him. He was expecting that but he wasn''t bothered because if nothing worked, he would simply kill Adrianna after sucking her soul.


    One of the Generals in his army came to inform that they were hearing loud growls from inside the cave. Perhaps the werewolf was hungry.


    Vikra smiled and snapped his fingers. Inside the cave, a large amount of meat appeared out of nowhere. Even though Adrianna was surprised but she feasted on it and once again she went off to sleep.


    ---


    Dmitri had gone back to the Werewolf Realm and informed Cora about Adrianna''s capture. Cora was shocked, "You have to get her back, Dmitri!" she lashed at him. "I want Adrianna back, no matter what!" She became scared. Her son was facing the same fate as her. How could this be possible that Vikra would kill her husband as well her daughter-in-law? She had been staying without her mate for so long only because she had Dmitri with her, but what about Dmitri? He would be devastated. Moreover Adrianna was pregnant. Cora shuddered when she thought about Adrianna''s pregnancy.


    She looked at Dmitri who was looking as if he had his life sucked out of him. He looked helpless and dejected. "Mother, help me," was all he managed to say after some time.


    Without another word, she called Nate and Liam. A small meeting was arranged with all the chiefs and the news was spread in the entire Werewolf Realm that Adrianna had been captured. All the armies of the each and every little pack became ready to attack the neotides.


    At the same time in the Wizard Kingdom, Isidorus and Mihr were forming a strategy to attack Vikra''s territory.


    The main problem according to that was extracting Adrianna safely out of that place.


    "There is one thing I am unable to understand Isidorus," said Mihr. "Adrianna is such a powerful witch. Why can''t she use her magic to come out of that place? If she wants she can even destroy it completely." Mihr was actually confused.


    How could Isidorus say that Adrianna must be still in her beastly form otherwise she would have already used her magic? "Mihr, I don''t know anything, but these are the instructions from the King and so we have to do exactly what he wants us to do."


    That statement put a full stop to any doubts in the minds of those present over there. If the King has demanded, there was no way anyone would go against it.


    "Okay, so what is your strategy?" asked Mihr.


    As Isidorus was explaining his strategy to Mihr, Ziu said, "The two of you should go to save Adrianna while I think I should stay back in Wizard Kingdom to see if there are no more attacks from outside. This could also be a trick of Vikra."


    Isidorus looked at him with confusion, "What trick?" he asked.


    "Well, maybe he doesn''t have Adrianna in his captivity and she is dead. He is just creating an impression that she is there with him so that we go and attack him. When all of us would leave this place, he would seize the opportunity and attack the Kingdom. So there should be one person to manage this place also," replied Ziu trying to give logic.


    Mihr narrowed his eyes at him and said, "Okay, you stay here��"


    The rest of them continued with the plan.


    ---


    The news also travelled to the Human Realm where Niiya heard it. He became red with fury. He wanted to use all his manpower and bomb the place but that was against the treaty. So all he did was to get only snipers and some bombers to spearhead the attack. He wanted to make maximum impact with the least. When he was just about to leave after forming a small army, his father stopped him, "This would be a gross violation of treaty. You cannot go."


    "But father, Adrianna is captured by Vikra!" he retorted.

 Chapter 372 - His Prized Possession

    Niiya was astonished at his father. How could his father even think of not helping Adrianna?


    "How do you know that Adrianna is in captivity?" asked his father. "Are you sure about it? Do you have any confirmation on it?"


    "Father, Cora has sent me the information and I am pretty sure that her information is absolutely correct," he replied.


    Dr. Tanaka looked at him and said, "Even in that case, you will not go and break the treaty because if you do, there will be no end to the grey areas that you are going to step over and this would create a lot of problems in the future."


    Niiya was very furious. It was difficult for him to be as rational and cold as his father. He was driven by his emotions to the extent that he pounded his hand on the table in front of him and left the room. He walked out with anger and helplessness on his face. Being a human limited him. Were there no inter werewolf-human marriages? What would have happened if he had married Adrianna?


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the Werewolf Realm, Dmitri had been busy preparing his army. He had several meetings with Nate, Liam and all the chiefs and they had designed a strategy to attack Vikra''s land.


    Vikra''s land was down south of the jungles. It was a barren land with hardly any vegetation and was dotted with huge boulders, rocks and underground caves. The Werewolf Realm was on the west of the jungle while the Wizard Kingdom was on the north. Hence Dmitri decided to cover the entire west side. The Wizards were planning to attack from the north.


    When Isidorus was formulating the strategy, Mihr was not happy. He said, "I want to talk to Dmitri and understand his approach as well. It would be better if we mix the armies and attack."


    Isidorus looked at Mihr and knew what he was saying was absolutely true, but he also knew the character issues of the werewolves. They were very egoistic and short-tempered people. If the wizards mixed with, it was possible that they would have ego clashes with them. This would directly impact the war. "Mihr, let us not mix the armies. It would lead to unnecessary issues," he said.


    "Why Isidorus?" he asked.


    "It is better that some questions are left unanswered," he replied and started looking at the map. "We will make a plan first and then we will go there to talk about it."


    "Okay," replied Mihr. Yet another of his questions went unanswered. He was getting used to Isidorus nowadays. He was much different earlier.


    They started planning the strategy again.


    ---


    After having food, Adrianna was now very relaxed. She stretched herself and once again looked around the cave. It was still dark and the moon was glowing in its full glory. It soothed her. Just to express her gratitude, she howled. Her howl was heard outside and neotides became tense. Vikra was in his cave when he heard Adrianna and he decided it was time to see her again. He wanted to keep her as healthy as possible. He took his broom and snapped his fingers. Next moment he was in Adrianna''s cave.


    He saw the beast jumping towards the moon and laughed. He hissed, "Adrianna, you are so foolish. I didn''t know that you were cursed. If I had known, I would have kidnapped you much longer and would have trained you to work for me. I spent all those years training Reese. Imagine how it would have turned out, if I had trained you? We would have been ruling the world! Anyway, it is not too late. We would do that now that you are with me."


    Adrianna looked at the creature with her golden yellow eyes and felt disturbed. She jumped at it to scare it off. Vikra laughed and then immediately rushed to the other side of the cave. Adrianna ran towards him at a greater speed and leaped at the creature, but he snapped his fingers and was at a different place. This went on for a long time, until she had run around a lot. Vikra thought that she would get tired, but contrary to his belief, she was very energetic.


    Vikra felt as if he was playing with his pet. He laughed and then left the cave, pleased with her. He decided not to kill her or suck her soul. She was a fantastic, powerful being with immense powers. He had to use her powers.


    He had already sent all his forces to the border of his land. He had anticipated that no one would be able to attack from the southern side of the territory. Hence he had sent huge numbers to the rest of the areas. He also had an escape route planned on the southern side in case his army was defeated.


    Satisfied with his decision, Vikra went to his cave and rested. He was mentally satisfied now. He couldn''t believe but he felt that he was at peace after centuries of anxiety. Even though he knew that there would be massive numbers of wizards and werewolves waiting to attack his land the next day, he was hardly bothered about them. His lifeless, bony body wanted to go to bed after years of instability. He wanted to rest.


    But before resting, it was time for him to meet the man who was his prized possession from more than fifteen years. He had kept him alive for so long in his prison. His prison hardly had any prisoners because all of them were executed. However, Vikra had spared this one man and had tortured him a lot. He thought that this man would die from his torture one day but Vikra admired the fact that he was able to bear it all.


    Vikra made his way to the prison. It was dark in the night and very eerie. When the prison gates opened, Vikra smiled. The place was filled with stench and filth, perfect for his prisoner.

 Chapter 373 - The Prisoner

    The prisoner had stayed strong throughout his years of torture. He was chained in heavy metal on his neck and limbs. There was no way he could shape shift and if he ever tried, the shackled would grip so hard that his limbs would simply come close together and he would fall every time. For him it was better to stay in his human form. Often Vikra would throw him in the dungeons with freshly formed neotides who were thirsty to kill and he had strongly fended them off. His body showed years of torture marks all over. His face had been gashed from top right to bottom left. There were numerous marks on his back. Even though he was a werewolf and he could recover fast, but it was malnourishment that made his body weak. It was because he was mentall sound werewolf that he could withstand so much torture. The only problem was that Vikra had kind of used him as a play for his bloody satisfactions. It was now a battle of willpower.


    When Vikra entered the prison, he laughed. The werewolf knew that the Master of the Land was there. He could smell that rotten odor coming out of his body. It was filthier than all the stench in the prison. Shackled in his chains, he looked up. The prison that he was in had a soft ground with little dried leaves. He had hardly seen the sun in so many years. He waited for Vikra to come to his prison and talk to him. This time he wanted to challenge him so that he had one chance to die as an honorable man.


    When Vikra came near the prison, he looked at the werewolf and said, "Today my purpose is fulfilled. I don''t need you now. I have captured my new toy with whose help I would rule this world." He started laughing and his bones started making that irritating clattering sound.


    "I don''t care who you have captured, you vile!" shouted the prisoner. "But I have a request today."


    Vikra looked at him interestingly as he cranked the metal of the prison with his bony fingers, "Hmm. What request?" he asked.


    "I want you to give me one last chance to fight with you. You have to give me that because I deserve it! Either you release me or give me a chance to fight for my freedom." He looked with bloodshot eyes towards him.


    Vikra started laughing again and this time he couldn''t stop laughing for some time. When he stopped, he looked at the prisoner with amusement and said, "You don''t have a chance against me Pierre!"


    Pierre brought his hands forward in order to lunge at him but was pulled back by the chains. "Try me, you coward!"


    "Hmm�� Well I have an idea Pierre," replied Vikra. "I can offer you the freedom you had been looking at for a long time."


    "What idea?" asked Pierre seriously. He was desperate to do anything for his freedom.


    "There is a pureblooded werewolf I have captured and she is supposed to be a real strong one. If you like we can arrange for a fight between her and you. If you win, you can leave this prison and go back to your son and wife. No one in this land would stop you and you have my word for it. However, if you lose, then no one will be able to save you because that beast would kill you anyway."


    Pierre narrowed his eyes. There was no werewolf in the entire Werewolf Realm that was stronger than him when he was the chief of his tribe. This was also the reason why other chiefs had come to him to join forces against Vikra to drive him away. Although he was successful in driving Vikra back to his territory, he had to pay with his freedom.


    "Who is that werewolf?" asked Pierre becoming very intrigued.


    Vikra smiled and said, "No, I won''t tell you who that werewolf is because that would spoil the charm of the fight. However, if you agree, we can put you in front of it tomorrow morning."


    Pierre sneered at Vikra. That was the easiest way to freedom for him. It would take him no more than fifteen minutes to put that werewolf down.


    While he was thinking and smiling inside, Vikra said, "But there is a condition."


    "Condition? What kind of condition?" asked Pierre with a frown.


    "You have to face that werewolf in a cave where I have created an illusion for it."


    Pierre was confused. He was wary of Vikra''s words. It could be a trick.


    Vikra started laughing. "No it isn''t a trick," he hissed. "And you always forget that I can get into your cell. None of your thoughts are unknown to me."


    "Tell me more," replied Pierre. He knew that no matter how hard he tried to block Vikra, he would enter his cell easily.


    "That werewolf needs full moon to stay in this form because the moon soothes it''s mind and body. So the cave where you have to fight with it has an illusion whereby the full moon keeps shining in it. It is going to be dark and you have to depend on your senses."


    Pierre was shocked. Which werewolf required full moon to stay in that form? A werewolf could shape shift the moment it wanted or of course when there were special conditions.


    Vikra sighed. "You see this werewolf is extremely dangerous in human form and so I have to keep it in this condition." He stared at Pierre again and continued, "Forget about the details Pierre. Tell me, do you want to fight it out and gain your freedom?" Knowing Pierre, Vikra knew that he would not back out.


    "Yes!" Replied Pierre. Excitement was palpable in his eyes. He could taste his freedom even before he could meet the werewolf. He was in fact very eager to meet the werewolf.


    Vikra couldn''t have got a better deal. Fighting kin with kin. "Okay, be ready for tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 374 - Fool!

    When Vikra went back, Pierre felt excited. He knew that Vikra was one of the most vicious creatures on the earth and it was possible that he wouldn''t even do as promised, but Pierre was ready to take his chances. That one chance was enough for him. He had been living all this while only to get freed from Vikra''s clutches and go back to his family, his mate and his son. He missed them a lot. He also missed Ed and his granddaughter that he had promised he would marry his son with. He wondered where she might be at the moment. He had to find his family the moment he was out. The thought only excited him and he waited for the morning. He didn''t know how he would spend the night.


    ---


    Isidorus met with Dmitri and his chiefs that day after forming his strategy to attack Vikra. They were concerned about one thing only �C Adrianna''s safety. They were not sure that Vikra might keep her safe and just to take his vendetta, he might kill Adrianna. Hence they had to move with caution.


    The entire wizard''s army had come to the Werewolf Realm after Isidorus and Mihr had talked to Dmitri and talked about their plans. They were ready to attack.


    Dmitri along with all the chiefs started their journey towards the east of Vikra''s land. The jungles were huge and they would take a lot of time to reach there. In order to ease the movement, the wizards created portal through which the werewolves directly walked on the eastern side of Vikra''s territory. It took almost until midnight for all the troops to march and be stationed in their places. Obviously Vikra had been informed of this by his messengers but he was least bothered. He knew that he would use Adrianna against her own people because knowing the beast she had become, she would never be able to identify who she was fighting against. And the first person she would fight against was her own father-in-law. Upon thinking about the possibilities, Vikra sniggered.


    After talking to Pierre, Vikra went to Adrianna''s cave and found her awake. She was scratching her head with her paw. As soon as he appeared in the cave, she growled at him menacingly in order to scare him off. He was very far away from her and looked at her. He smiled and said, "Adrianna, be ready for tomorrow. After fighting and killing your father-in-law, you need to kill your husband and his mother and then go on to win the battle for me."


    Adrianna growled at him again. This creature was really irritating her now. She got up on her front legs and looked at it. She was positioning herself to attack him.


    "Tomorrow, I will put you under the same shackles as I have put on Pierre. Your special armor is ready and you will wear it in the battlefield. Trust me, you are going to have a lot of fun tomorrow," said Vikra and started laughing. He was extremely excited for the dawn to break. More than the wizards and the werewolves, he was eager to fight against them. His only problem was that he had to create a full moon illusion for Adrianna. But that shouldn''t be an issue as he had thought of a plan to keep her in that condition.


    ---


    Dmitri and his troops had stationed themselves and were monitoring all the movement of the neotides. There were thousands of them scattered everywhere. Since they had already come to know that the armies of wizards and werewolves had surrounded them, they were prepared for the war. Adrianna''s cave was heavily guarded with neotides not only surrounding the periphery but also on the roof of the cave. They looked like ants crawling all over the place.


    On the outside in Dmitri''s camp, a meeting was going on which was attended by Isidorus, Nate, Liam and Cora. Dmitri was of the opinion that they should send a message personally to Vikra and tell him to release Adrianna in a peaceful way.


    Isidorus said, "Vikra is a powerful wizard. He has trapped Adrianna and in a way that he must have created an illusion of full moon for her. Otherwise Adrianna would have broken the spell and come out by now."


    "So how do we break the spell?" asked Cora. She had been apprised about Adrianna''s curse a while back. Instead of getting panicky, she only dealt with the matter at hand maturely.


    "Well, I am going to take a few Mozia with me today inside Vikra''s land. We will be finding our way inside to his cave. While over there, one of the Mozias will sneak in and try to find the place where she is held as a prisoner," replied Isidorus.


    "In that case I will come with you," said Dmitri.


    "There is going to be a lot of risk Dmitri. Right now we have to be rational instead of being driven by emotions," said Isidorus.


    "I will go!" roared Dmitri. How could he stay there when his partner was held inside Vikra''s land?


    Isidorus gritted his teeth, "Fool!" he lashed.


    Dmitri ignored him and repeated, "I will go along with you. While you negotiate with Vikra, I will go with the Mozia and search Adrianna."


    "Okay!" agreed Isidorus with anger. Dmitri''s presence would create problems because he wouldn''t be able to disappear at will like wizards. But what could he do? He was Adrianna''s foolish werewolf husband.


    ---


    It was towards the end of the night, when Pierre heard movement around his prison. It was as if someone was running but the way it ran, only a rustle could be heard. He became alarmed. Was that one of the neotides who wanted to kill him before giving him a chance to fight? He had been forming one strategy after another throughout the night to bring the other werewolf down but his thoughts were broken by that sound. He sat up, tensed as hell.

 Chapter 375 - Blatant

    Pierre was getting tensed when he heard a rustle in the prison. No one came at that time usually. Since he was shackled in chains that had magic, he couldn''t escape ever. Hence hardly two or three neotides were needed as guards for him because they knew that he could never run away. So who was it at this time of the morning? It was the first time he heard someone walking outside during this time. He looked through the darkness in front of him through the prison bars and was shocked when suddenly he found a beast with golden yellow eyes standing in front of him outside the bars. Its golden fur coat was appearing beautiful in the dark too. On closer inspection, he saw that it was a werewolf. It growled.


    After a moment of shocked silence, he asked, "Who are you?" Pierre tried to communicate with it mentally. If it belonged to his pack, he would reply back mentally. "Are you the one whom I have to meet in the fighting arena in the morning?"


    ---


    As the sun rose, it was time for Vikra to go to his favorite beast in the captivity. He had to see the fight. It was a beautiful day, which he was looking forward. While he was preparing to leave and announce for the fight, which other neotides came and watched for entertainment, a messenger came in his cave.


    He bowed and then informed, "Master, report has come from the borders. Isidorus and his men are seeking an audience with you."


    Although he knew that it would eventually happen, Vikra''s fun was spoiled when he heard Isidorus'' name. "What do they want?" he hissed.


    The messenger extended a scroll towards him and said, "They have written it all over here."


    Vikra took the scroll and opened it while the messenger waited.


    The writing was in ancient wizard language, which was prevalent in his time when he was the ruler of the Wizard Kingdom. He smiled that Isidorus remembered to convey in the two hundred year old language to make it sound cryptic.


    Isidorus had asked him to either surrender and give Adrianna or be ready for the worst war of his existence. Furthermore he had requested that they talk about it and offered a peace treaty. Vikra laughed. How could Isidorus even think that he would sign a peace treaty with them? It had been so long since he wanted to rule the Kingdom again and now was the time when he would not only rule the Wizard Kingdom but also the world.


    He looked at the messenger and said, "Ask them to come here in an hour. I want to show them a spectacle of their life!"


    The messenger bowed and left.


    Vikra couldn''t think of a better way to entertain his guests from the outside. He hoped that Dmitri would also come.


    He went to see Adrianna in the cave who was eating the flesh of a freshly killed deer. The way her jaws were tearing into the flesh, Vikra could only feel the power. He laughed softly so as not to disturb her and said, "Eat nicely Adrianna. Today the fight will be witnessed by your husband too."


    He kept looking at her for some time while appreciating her magnificence. He had already instructed the guards to bring Pierre to the fighting arena and had intentionally told them not to serve him food.


    His guests came soon and he had to return to his cave. When he entered, he noticed that Isidorus was standing with Mihr and few other wizards. He remarked, "I was expecting Dmitri too." He really wanted Dmitri to see the fight between his wife and his father.


    Vikra walked towards his seat and sat there grandly trying to convey that this was his territory. Holding his face in his bony fingers, he looked at them. He treated them like scum and didn''t even offer to sit.


    Isidorus wasn''t expecting anything from Vikra. He had met him after such a long time and could feel that his entire hostility had oozed out of his system. He wanted to kill Vikra there and then except for the fact that he was actually on a mission to save Adrianna and her baby. Along with Mihr and the Mozias, he stood there in front of him as he watched him sit in his chair.


    "I will not leave Adrianna," said Vikra opening the conversation between them. He was blatant and wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.


    Isidorus glared at the bony structure in front of him with hatred. "You should realize the consequences of this battle. I can already see that you will be defeated and I will personally ensure that your pitiable existence from this world is over," replied Isidorus in an aggressive tone.


    Vikra was having too much fun and refused to feel down due to Isidorus'' sarcastic reply. "In that case let us meet in the battlefield. Why have you come here to waste your time? Go away," he hissed.


    "I am warning you Vikra, if anything happens to Adrianna, we will ally with the humans and bring your downfall," said Isidorus.


    Vikra waved his hand and said, "Isidorus, you should know me better than that. I won''t kill Adrianna for now��"


    Mihr grunted at his statement. How dare he said something like that about his queen.


    When Vikra heard Mihr, he said, "So this dog is with you? Mihr, you worked well when you were with me. I miss your presence but don''t worry there were others who helped me."


    This revelation was shocking! Who else was there?


    Isidorus disregarded the sentence. He knew that Vikra was trying to create hostility between Mihr and him. He put his hand up to stop Mihr from speaking anything and said, "You know me better than that Vikra. Such talk is not expected from you."


    ---


    While Isidorus was talking to Vikra, two people were lurking outside under an invisibility spell to find the place where she was held captive. It was a large area to cover and they had to find her as soon as possible.

 Chapter 376 - The Blasts

    Dmitri and one of the Mozias were looking for Adrianna. Dmitri was trying to pick her smell. They had to do it fast because they knew that Isidorus wouldn''t be able to hold in front of Vikra for a long time. He wanted to find her so that he could along with other''s help take her out from there. They must have combed the entire area in the half an hour they had with them but Dmitri couldn''t pick her smell. What was it that was preventing him? As they walked, the Mozia noticed a part of the place where it was heavily guarded. He pointed it to Dmitri.


    Dmitri frowned as to why was that place so heavily guarded? Was Adrianna over there? The two of them went walked towards that area with caution. There were so many neotides walking around that they had to take caution not to bump into any of them. Even when they were under an invisibility spell, their physical presence could be felt if they crashed into something or something collided with them. Together, they made their way to the area slowly. When they reached, they found that it was actually a cave that was covered with a large boulder.


    "I think there is magic around that boulder," whispered the Mozia.


    "Do you think Adrianna is inside?" asked Dmitri as he tried to sniff.


    "We have to take our chances," he replied.


    Dmitri nodded and they went forward. In front of the entrance, there were so many neotides that it was not possible to reach the boulder. Suddenly one of the neotides dashed them from the back and fell. The two of them became scared. They froze in their place waiting for the neotide to create a commotion.


    The neotide frowned not able to understand what he bumped into. He got up extended his hand to feel the presence of what he dashed into. Dmitri and the Mozia backed the moment he extended his hand, avoiding his touch.


    "I think there is something here," shouted the neotide making Dmitri and the Mozia jump in fear.


    Other neotides growled and looked at him. Slowly, they started advancing towards them. Dmitri nudged the Mozia to move back as much as possible. In the process they came dangerously close to the boulder, which was sheathed in magic. Dmitri was about to take one more step towards it when the Mozia stopped him.


    Most of the neotides had already gone to the one who shouted and were very angry when they found that it was a fake call.


    Mozia had to now quickly remove the magic from the boulder. He looked at the neotides who were now coming back to their positions. He realized that he had less than two minutes to remove the magic but he knew that every time he would remove a spell, first he had to understand what it was and then it would be removed with a small blast. So it was bound to get noisy. But he had to take his chances. They had seen all the places and this was the most likely place where Adrianna would be present.


    The Mozia took a minute to understand the spell and as soon as he was about to remove it, a neotide came next to him. He gritted his teeth but continued the work. Suddenly there was a small blast on the side and a neotide who was present there jumped with fear and shock. All the neotides instantly became alerted. The entire group that was scattered all over started to come to the affected neotide. Dmitri became tense. The Mozia detected another spell and he removed that too. This time the blast was on the other side and it was heavier than the previous one. It blasted a small portion of the boulder making a dent in it and the small rocks splintered.


    The neotides shouted and raised an alarm. They all started coming towards the boulder with their spears pointed at it. They were ready to poke them to anything that might be present there. Dmitri and the Mozia froze as they waited for the neotides to reach them. They had to leave that place immediately now. The Mozia snapped his finger and left. But to their utter surprise, instead of going back to the border, they found themselves inside the dark cave.


    Outside the neotides were all in a frenzy as they kept poking the spears everywhere to kill the intruders. They were confused as to who could create the blasts in the boulder. They knew that if Vikra found out about the breach in security, he would kill all of them, so after running around and trying to find the intruders, they decided not to tell him more so because the blasts had stopped. It became peaceful.


    Inside the cave Dmitri and the Mozia looked directly into the golden yellow eyes of what appeared to be a beast.


    ---


    Isidorus was getting agitated by the minute in front of Vikra. "I am asking you to release Adrianna, Vikra otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble. We have surrounded you from all sides. Do you think your army of neotides is going to hold in front of us? Every wizard is capable of killing hundreds of neotides in a single strike, so how long do you think you can stand against us? All of them will be wiped out within a few hours!" shouted Isidorus.


    Vikra shook his head. He said, "Tst tsk, Isidorus you are the same old stupid old man who had no brains. I used to tell you that a lot and even asked you to come to my side but you continued to stick to the ruler. If you were with me, we would have been ruling the Wizard Kingdom together." He stopped and looked away hoping Isidorus would become angry and he would ask them to leave his land. Then he said after a moment of silence when he failed to invoke any reaction from Isidorus, "You can go now. Adrianna is mine," he hissed.


    "Vikra!" yelled Mihr. "Stop it and hand over Adrianna to us!"


    This sudden outburst from Mihr irked Vikra but he smiled revealing his jaws and said, "You see I have a fight to attend. The daughter-in-law will face the father-in-law. Do you want to watch it?"

 Chapter 377 - Fight! Fight! Fight!

    Isidorus could feel a shiver down his spine when he heard Vikra. Daughter-in-law vs father-in-law? That meant that Dmitri''s father was alive! He stared at Vikra with eyes wide as the jungles. He didn''t know how to react. If Dmitri had been here, he would have lost his mind. Imagine both his wife and his father being held captive by this creature? He wanted to kill Vikra then and there but he was waiting for Dmitri''s sign who hadn''t come back till now. It was almost twenty minutes.


    When Vikra saw Isidorus'' reaction, he felt satisfied. Tilting his head, he said, So would you like to see the fight between the two of them?"


    "Vikraaaa!" shouted Isidorus. "You have gone insane!"


    Vikra only laughed more.


    "Release Adrianna now!" ordered Isidorus.


    "No��" he hissed.


    Mihr was completely confused. He looked at Isidorus and asked, "What fight is he talking about?"


    Isidorus couldn''t answer him. He had kept the secret that Adrianna was the rogue werewolf and that she was being held captive and now being thrown in front of Pierre. It was just too complicated for him to explain. At that moment he wanted to go out of Vikra''s cave and order his army to attack the neotides instantly and he also wanted to stay back because he wanted to get Adrianna.


    Suddenly, Vikra snapped his fingers and all of them found themselves in front of a cage with iron bars out in the open, which was surrounded by hundreds of neotides who were shouting and cheering. Isidorus, Mihr and the Mozias looked around at all of them with shock. They saw that Vikra was walking towards his place of seating, which was on a higher ground while they were quite near the cage.


    Vikra went and sat down in his chair. It was one of the most interesting days of his existence. Soon the arena was filled with neotides who wanted to watch two werewolves fighting each other.


    The arena was not very big as it was built in a small clearing, which had huge rocks and boulders around it. The audience didn''t have proper chairs to sit. They had to stand or sit on any rock or boulder they could find. Right in the center there was an iron cage where the fight had to take place. The cage was big enough for the two werewolves to fight with each other. Vikra knew how powerful the two werewolves were hence the bars of the cage were extremely sturdy.


    The guards had brought Pierre outside the arena. He was walking in chains that clattered around him making a loud clanking noise. He looked at the familiar gathering �C the neotides who enjoyed watching him fight. He spat at them as his face turned red with fury. The guards pulled him inside the arena and then after removing his chains, he was pushed inside the iron cage. Pierre rubbed his wrists when the chains were removed and looked around. He saw Vikra sitting in his high almighty chair that was carved in a rock.


    Suddenly the iron cage turned dark and a full moon appeared out of nowhere. Pierre was shocked. He went and held the bars and shouted, "What is this nonsense?"


    He could hear Vikra''s hissed laughter. "This is for the werewolf who has to fight against you. You see Pierre, I need to be fair to my newest guest."


    "But I can hardly see anything," shouted Pierre back. "How is this fair?"


    "Then adjust your vision," replied Vikra coldly.


    Pierre became irritated at him and shouted back. "You cheat! You said that you would give me a chance to fight for my freedom and now you have put me in this dark place where I wouldn''t be able to see my target!"


    Vikra didn''t reply.


    Everyone could see from the outside what was happening in the cage, but due to magic it was pitch dark inside the cage. Isidorus saw that Pierre was holding the iron bars and his eyes were wide trying to adjust to the darkness. He started walking around the cage to measure its dimensions. All of a sudden Pierre heard neotides shouting and passing snide remarks loudly.


    "Here comes the queen!"


    "See, how pitiable she looks."


    "Kill her Pierre!"


    "Or get killed by her."


    There was evil everywhere around Pierre.


    "Queen?" he said in a low voice to himself. He had to fight with the werewolf. Where has a queen come from? He heard the door of the cage open and someone was shoved inside.


    He looked around to adjust his gaze in the darkness, when suddenly his eyes met with bright golden yellow eyes.


    Outside, Isidorus, Mihr and Mozias could see that a huge werewolf had entered the cage and it was about ten feet distance from Pierre. Isidorus'' blood drained and he became pale. Adrianna was facing her father-in-law. He was scared of the outcome. Where the hell was Dmitri? His nervousness increased all the more. When he looked at Adrianna, he could feel the attraction for the child and felt like going in the cage himself. He started walking towards the cage when suddenly he was thrown back by a jolt of lighting. Mihr ran to help him get up and together they looked at Vikra.


    "Don''t," he hissed. He had created a magic field around the cage.


    Isidorus punched the ground under him. Helplessness shrouded his being.


    The spectators watched the two inside the cage.


    "Fight! Fight! Fight!" they started shouting.


    Pierre looked at the golden yellow eyes and slowly started retracting his footsteps.


    The audience started cheering the two of them and then all of a sudden they saw that Pierre who had retracted to the end of the cage started running towards Adrianna at a great speed. However, midway he shape shifted and growled as he leapt in the air and attacked Adrianna.


    Adrianna growled back and attacked the werewolf in front of her. They met in the middle of the air and growled so loudly that all the neotides stopped shouting. It was blood curdling to watch the two dangerous werewolves in action and especially when one of them was the strongest being on earth.

 Chapter 378 - The Blasts (2)

    As the fight proceeded, the neotides were enjoying the scene from the outside. They cheered for whomever was leading. They had no sides because they hated both the werewolves who were inside. Both of them had killed hundreds of neotides in their lifetimes. So fighting with each other to kill was simply thrilling.


    "Fight Adrianna! Kill that werewolf!"


    "Pierre, kill the beast!"


    "Kill the queen, Pierre!"


    "We will hang her on the entrance of Vikra''s cave."


    "We can hang both of them."


    They were laughing and shouting as Vikra was watching the two of them and listening. It was exhilarating and he could feel that his goals were near completion now. He saw how the two werewolves were growling and fighting each other as they injured and drew blood out from the furs. He could see how Adrianna had been able to injure Pierre to the extent that he was wincing in pain. However, brave as he was, he didn''t back out. He only increased his attack all the more. Vikra had to give him that. Pierre was fighting for his freedom.


    Isidorus, Mihr and other Mozias were looking in horror at the two of them. It was too gory and they wanted to stop the fight. They feared for their queen. Isidorus had never felt so helpless that he had this kind of a feeling for the first time in this entire life. He could see that this was the beginning of the end of the Wizard Kingdom.


    Mihr was extremely angry. He said, "What the hell is going one, Isidorus? Why can''t we as wizards use our magic and save the queen? It is extremely ridiculous for us to stand between all these neotides and watch our queen fight. Have you become so helpless and hopeless?"


    Isidorus looked at Vikra and said, "Do you look at that creature out there?"


    Mihr followed his gaze and found Vikra staring at them.


    "He can hear this conversation. This is his land. If we go and try to save Adrianna, he will kill her this instant."


    Mihr''s eyes were wide with shock. He fisted his right hand in his other left palm out of anger. There has to be a way.


    Vikra turned his line of sight to the cage where the two werewolves were fighting. He could see that Pierre was about to lose. Perhaps he was about to die. He was seeing the sheer strength of Adrianna and was satisfied inside that how useful she would be in his endeavor to rule the world. He imagined riding her back. He imagined making her his wand. How powerful she would be if she became his wand.


    The possibilities were vast and each possibility only thrilled him more. He relaxed on the chair behind because he knew the outcome of the fight inside the cage. Pierre was almost finished as Adrianna had caught his neck from behind and tossed him into the air. He crashed into the car on the ceiling, which clanked heavily and then landed on the ground. Vikra saw how bloodied he was now. There was blood dripping from every part of his body. "You wanted your freedom? Here be free from this world," he hissed as he laughed.


    Many neotides who never used to watch the fight, joined the show. It was something rare. Everyone was extremely absorbed in the fight. Suddenly there was a blast in the north side of the land. The sound of the blast was so deafening that Vikra stood up from his seat and looked at that side. He could see tall flames rising from the source of the sound and the area was covered in smoke. Everyone looked in that direction and was surprised as what had happened when one of them shouted, "That blast is from the underground cave where we create our weaponry!"


    The neotides standing around him were still wondering about the blast when they heard their fellow. Immediately a group of neotides started to leave the arena and run to the blast site. Vikra stood there in his place rooted to the ground conjecturing as to how did the blast happen. There was a small blast that occurred many years back in the weaponry unit because of some miscalculation, however, it couldn''t happen now since he had corrected the fault.


    He waited for sometime until the flames reduced and looked at the cage in front. Perhaps another fault had occurred and he sat down again in his chair. However, as soon as he sat down, two more blasts took place and this time one was in the weaponry unit while the other was in the cave he dwelled.


    Now he was alarmed. He looked at Isidorus who was looking as confused. Not wasting another minute, he flew towards Isidorus and came to a stop right in front of him. He hissed, "Who all came with you?"


    Isidorus stared at the creature in front of him and replied with a smile, "No one."


    But Vikra wasn''t satisfied with his answer. He looked at the cage where the two werewolves were still fighting and rest of the neotides was watching them with interest. He didn''t want to miss the scenario but had to leave to see the source of chaos. He hated that someone dared to hamper his entertainment. He had to find him or her and punish accordingly. After instructing his generals, he left.


    After about five minutes Isidorus held Mihr''s hand quietly. Mihr held the hand of the Mozia standing next to him and soon all of them held each other''s hand. The generals who were standing there to prevent them from escaping saw that the five of them were getting sucked into a vortex. They were shocked and ran around here and there to find the wizards but none of them was seen anywhere their eyes could see.


    The five of them joined Dmitri and the Mozia inside Vikra''s cave.


    Isidorus laughed softly. He was extremely happy the way Dmitri carried out the blast.


    "Adrianna is fighting with your father," said Isidorus. He had to break this information to Dmitri expecting him to become angry.


    Dmitri''s expressions darkened.


    Before he could react, Mihr said, "Let us go out now and attack them!"


    Suddenly a voice from behind made them jump. "No, I need you all over here now."

 Chapter 379 - Her Fiery Golden Yellow Eyes

    Isidorus, Mihr and other Mozias turned sharply as they took their wands out to attack the person behind them but as soon they turned, they were stunned to see their Queen.


    Adrianna was standing behind them, her golden eyes blazing like fire and her aura looking so dangerous that they could feel the danger under their skin. Dmitri smiled and went to his Adrianna as all the others looked at the two of them with astonishment. The Mozia who was with Dmitri was not there.


    Mihr was so stunned that words that were formed in his brain couldn''t find an outlet. He mumbled gibberish, "Adr- Q- Queen, m- my queen�� b- but I saw you in the c- cage-"


    "What you saw in the cage was just a deception I had created for Vikra and the neotides," she replied nonchalantly.


    "But Vikra mentioned that he had created an illusion for you in the cage��" said Isidorus feeling mystified by Adrianna''s presence. At that point of time it was impossible to fathom the dark powers this girl in front of him had. He shuddered to think that if Adrianna were their adversary, what would have been the situation. "When did Dmitri help you in releasing from captivity?" he asked. "Also, if that was an illusion, where is Pierre? Is he still in the cage fighting with you?"


    Adrianna smiled and said, "Pierre is with the Mozia, destroying the caves where Vikra''s artillery is manufactured."


    Mihr was stunned into silence along with the Mozias standing with him. Just a few minutes back they had come from the arena where they were witnessing the fight between two strong werewolves and now one of them was there in front of them. How could that be possible, and that too in the land of Vikra where all magic was under his scanner? Was Adrianna that powerful that she could successfully practice magic without detection? Did she create an illusion within an illusion? It was so confusing for the minds of great wizards like Mihr, Isidorus and the three Mozias that they were totally blank-faced.


    "Right now I need you all over here!" said Adrianna looking at their confused faces. There was no time for explanation and she started instructing them.


    "Mihr, go outside this territory now and launch attack."


    "Isidorus, I want you to destroy Vikra''s cave."


    "Dmitri and myself will destroy the caves and dungeons where they are building their weapons."


    Then she looked at the Mozias and said, "Two of you will accompany Isidorus while one of you will come with me."


    All of them snapped out of their confusion after the instructions were given. Without thinking twice, Mihr got sucked in a vortex. He went outside where the armies were ready for attack and ordered all of them to attack simultaneously. As if waiting for those orders, werewolves and the wizards launched an attack on the neotides immediately. They broke the boundaries with vengeance.


    The neotides who were present on the periphery of Vikra''s land were taken by surprise. Even though thousands of them were guarding it, the surprise attack was a shocker. Their weapons weren''t ready. They had to be supplied. The werewolves took advantage of that fact and started killing the weak neotides easily. A single pureblooded werewolf was equal to a hundred of neotides. Unstoppable massacre started and soon the battlefield turned gory.


    Vikra had gone to the place where the blast had occurred to assess the damage. That was the most important unit weapon manufacturing. He had thought that he would contain the damage easily just like last time but when he reached there and saw the extent of damage, he was outraged. The entire unit was burning into flames. There was not a sign that weapons were even manufactured over there. It was all gone. Bodies of neotides and several other beasts were lying littered everywhere as a stench of burnt flesh and fumes filled the air.


    This couldn''t be a simple malfunction in the unit. This had to be some sort of attack. But who could it be? Had an intruder come into his land? Did Vikra get someone with him? Was it Dmitri? Thinking that Vikra hissed. He looked extremely dangerous.


    Alarmed that an intruder had entered, he turned his broom immediately in the direction of the second unit to save it and as he had anticipated, he saw Dmitri and two Mozias destroying everything that came in their way. They were killing, slashing, throwing spells and damaging the cave and the weapons. Angered beyond words, he flicked his hand in the air and a sword appeared that shined and looked like it needed the blood of those who were destroying his property.


    He hissed and alighted his broom. Airborne, first he slowly went towards them and then warned them, "You dare to destroy the land of Vikraaaa!" Suddenly, a whirlwind was created around him.


    Dmitri and Mozias stopped and looked in his direction but all they could see was dangerous tornado like dark winds that were coming towards them at a great speed. Once in a while a silver sword would shine in between those black winds. Within split seconds the chaotic winds was a few feet away from them. The three of them were wide eyed and stood frozen over there when suddenly the winds cleared and Vikra appeared from within.


    Vikra brandished his sword up in the air and brought it down to slice the men in front of him when unexpectedly, another sword came and stopped him from the side. The force of the sword that had stopped the great wizard Vikra''s sword in action was so much that Vikra lost his balance and staggered back. He looked up with shock to see who had the courage to challenge him. His mind went numb when he saw Adrianna standing above the ground in the air, looking down upon him with her fiery golden yellow eyes.


    "How dare you think of harming my mate?" she said in a dangerous low voice.


    Vikra balanced himself and looked up. He was frozen to the spot. Was Adrianna really there or was he hallucinating? How could she come out of the cage? He had created the perfect illusion for her to capture her. She was supposed to stay as a rogue wolf in the full moon, then how come she came out of her trap? When he left them, it was impossible for Isidoris and Mihr to even touch the cage to reverse the spell, so what went wrong? How did she become free?


    While so many questions were bouncing around his head, he gaze went around the entire cave. There were small blasts occurring everywhere and blue flames that threatened to turn big anytime were coming out of the pits, bodies of neotides were lying scattered with their limbs ripped apart and in front of Adrianna was standing amidst all the chaos with a sword that looked as threatening as her persona. With her dark hair falling down to her waist and all the beauty nature could gift her, Vikra was awed looking at her.


    Nothing fitted. His emotions for her and his vengeance for her.


    On a quick thinking he came out of his confusion and rushed forward to attack Adrianna.

 Chapter 380 - I Was Never In The Cage

    Vikra was hoping that it was an illusion that was in front of him and attacked with his sword with all his might so that the illusion would break and everything would again come back to where he wanted it to be. However, his mighty sword was met with a formidable force and once again he was thrown back. Now he was truly shocked. So Adrianna was actually there standing right in front of him. It wasn''t an illusion.


    He looked past her and saw Dmitri standing with other Mozias glaring at him. "Destroy everything!" he ordered them and the three of them flew away from there as Adrianna took over Vikra.


    A battle ensued. Vikra created a massive tornado around him and became invisible in the dark winds that surrounded him. He charged at Adrianna with a great force thinking that she would become confused. However, on the contrary, Adrianna entered the dark winds easily. From the outside, one could see dark winds swirling around everywhere in the cave. Everywhere they went, disaster followed. Only silver swords brandished every now and then. There was no trace of those who were fighting against each other. It was like a dark, mysterious powers fighting against each other. Thunder and lightning jolted the cave as magic was thrown. They looked so dangerous that no one dared to go near them.


    Isidorus and the Mozias had destroyed the entire dwelling of Vikra. Isidorus was especially using all his spells in vengeance and shattering every small thing he could find in the cave. Suddenly he came in front of the stone seat where Vikra used to sit. He looked at it with anger. He stopped right in front of it and then flicked his wand. The seat melted and it was now a ball of thorns crafted in stone. "Sit on it," he said and created a magic spell around it so that no one would be able to change its shape now.


    Dmitri and the other two Mozias had destroyed the smallest of the caves they could find. Soon there was so much heat that the molten iron of the caves started flowing out like hot lava. There was fire all around and the place started crumbling like a sand-house. When their work was finished, they all went outside to look for others. Dmitri saw that the attack was launched on the neotides. He thought of attacking them from where he was, but one of the Mozias stopped. "No, if we do that we could easily get trapped. Either we go and attack them after joining our people or we simply go and find Isidorus."


    Dmitri stopped and said, "You go to Isidorus. I want to go and find Adrianna."


    "Sorry my King, we can''t allow you to go alone. If you want to find the queen, then we will follow you," said one of the Mozias.


    "In that case I want to go to Isidorus first," he replied. The Mozia brought his broom in front of Dmitri and he mounted it. He smiled when he thought that he had become skilled in flying on the broom nowadays.


    Adrianna was an extremely powerful enemy. Vikra had never encountered someone like her. While attacking her on the abdominal area, he asked, "How did you manage to get out of the cage?"


    She answered, dodging his attack, "I was never in the cage!" She turned and brought her sword to his bony legs that cracked upon the hit.


    Vikra was shocked. "What do you mean? I had put you in the cave and then in the cage."


    "You thought that you had captured me Vikra, but all this happened because I wanted this to occur. Everything went according to as I had foreseen. Do you think you can trap Adrianna?" she shouted and bringing her sword up in the air, she hit his shoulders.


    "Arghhh!" winced Vikra as he fell to the ground. The only thing left in his body were his bones. If those cracked or shattered, there would be nothing left �C only energy, which would have to find a physical being to reside in. He had to save himself from her continued attacks because with the way she was going he could feel that his end was near.


    He had to provoke her so that she became agitated and commit some mistakes. "You are nothing but a fox, a sly fox!" he said getting up from the ground. "You have tricked me. Is that the honor of a true witch?"


    Adrianna laughed. She said, "Vikra, remember I can get in anyone''s cell. Even though you are just a bony structure, I can see what you are thinking."


    Vikra understood that provoking her wasn''t an option. He was beginning to feel weaker in front of her. He knew that as long his body remained, he had a chance to come back and claim the throne.


    Adrianna had suddenly become too aggressive. All of a sudden Vikra found himself in a deserted area. There was no one around him, only miles and miles of desert.


    "You should know that I am also a wizard," he said to Adrianna as he flicked his wand to get out of there. However, his magic didn''t work and he couldn''t escape.


    Even though he was shocked, he contained himself and threw a lethal spell towards her but all he found was that Adrianna had mirrored herself and now there were over a dozen Adrianna all around him.


    Vikra started laughing. He asked, "When did you come out of the cave?"


    He was expecting the real Adrianna to speak up because he knew that the mirrored ones couldn''t. But he was again in for a shock when the one behind him said, "Yesterday night when you had visited the prison to see Pierre."


    "How?" he hissed because he couldn''t feel her presence there. It was impossible. She was conning him again.


    "I was in your cell," replied the one next to her.


    Vikra pulled up his wand and mirrored himself. Now along with each Adrianna, there was a Vikra to fight. He started cackling loudly. "Adrianna I am proud of my lineage but today I will kill you!"


    "For that you have to find the real me. However, I know the real you," she replied and all of them attacked the Vikra in front of them.

 Chapter 381 - Vikra Is Dead

    Vikra was stunned at her sentence. What did she think he was? How could he not determine who the real Adrianna was in the ones that were fighting against him? He raised his sword and swooshed in the air in front of the one he was fighting with. The real one would bleed while the rest would disappear, however all of them would fight with the same vigor. That was how all the magic the great wizards could perform. When his sword landed in front of her, Adrianna jumped to the side missing his attack but the next moment his word came and landed on her abdomen and the blood started oozing out.


    He laughed and shouted, "See it was so easy to find you!" Saying that he brought his sword again downwards and it hit her shoulders. She staggered behind much to his relief. He had taken her down.


    Suddenly there was a loud scream from his side and he saw another Adrianna being cut into half by one of his mirror images and that body was also bleeding. Even though his mirror image stood victorious, he was shocked that how come even that Adrianna was bleeding. How could this be possible? Either the one in front of him was real or the one out there was real. While he was thinking that, he saw that almost all his mirror images were cut into half and they vanished from there leaving him alone. Shocked, he looked at all other Adriannas around him.


    Vikra realized that he was fighting with the most powerful adversary of his existence. She was no ordinary witch. She was The Queen of Wizards and Witches of the Wizard Kingdom. She was the most powerful dark ruler of the Wizard Kingdom.


    Suddenly he saw that all the Adriannas were now walking towards him. He snapped his fingers to make more of his mirror images but nothing was happening. Now there was no escape. His end was imminent. He had to use the last resort, his most powerful and dark magic in which he had to leave his body and exist as energy in this world until he found a host. He thought that once he would leave his body, maybe he would enter Adrianna.


    By the time he was mulling, all the Adriannas came and stood in a circle around him. Slowly they all started moving behind the one who was standing right in front of him and merged in her. He moved his sword into the air and brought it down upon her but he saw that she had also moved her sword to protect herself but what he saw was something he had never witnessed. As Adrianna moved her hand, he could see her mirror images following the same movement. It was absolutely stunning.


    First Adrianna protected herself and then she moved her sword in his direction. It landed right on his bony skeleton in the middle. Seeing that his end was right there, Vikra snapped his fingers. His bony skeleton was shattered into pieces by one stroke from Adrianna''s sword. As soon as the bones broke, a large amount of black energy got released from his body. It was black like the smoke that rose from the fire. It hissed around her and covered her completely. A voice came, "I cannot die Adrianna��"


    Adrianna stood there steadily. Her golden yellow eyes showed tranquility. She knew that Vikra couldn''t do anything now.


    "You think that you can enter me?" she asked.


    "Yes�� I will��" the voice came back. A loud shriek came from it as the energy tried to find a way into her. The shriek became even more desperate as the dark energy kept swirling around her.


    Adrianna swooshed her sword and turned it in a way as if trying to wrap the wind around it. In a few seconds the energy was wrapped around her sword.


    Feeling caged, the voice came, "Release me!"


    She didn''t say anything. She brought the sword up in the air and with force she sat down on her knees fixing the sword in the ground with the energy wrapped around it.


    The voice hissed in desperation, "Adrianna, release me if you are courageous enough to face me! Are you a coward?"


    Adrianna got up from there and laughed. "This is the place you belong to. Look and feel the desert around you. No one will ever come here and you will forever remain trapped here." She looked up at the night sky that was shining bright with stars. "Time for the peace to return. Time for the order to return and time for me to go back. Vikra, your existence has come to an end. You have killed so many and so many have suffered because of you only for your never-ending lust for the throne. Now all you get is this sand. Eat sand forever. This is the only space you can ever rule now!"


    The voice hissed, "Adrianna��" But before it could say anything else, Adrianna had already disappeared from there. Only a blank space remained in which the dark energy that was Vikra remained suspended on that sword. There was desert all around, only sand. Not a soul could be felt. He kept shouting for a long time��


    One day someone would come�� his wait began��


    Adrianna came back to the land of Vikra and declared that he was dead. Panic was rife amongst the neotides when they heard that their Master was dead. Some couldn''t believe and they went to search for him in his cave but no trace of Vikra could be found.


    So much destruction had taken place. The neotides had completely fallen in front of the combined army of the wizards and werewolves. It didn''t take more than an hour to wipe out the neotides completely.


    Adrianna joined her army to kill the neotides. She was flying on her broom with Dmitri sitting behind her. She had given him a sword and he was killing the enemy with pleasure. When everything was destroyed, they returned back to their kingdoms, victorious and feeling elated. The menace of neotides was over once and for all.


    While flying back, Dmitri curled his arms around her and said, "How is my baby?"

 Chapter 382 - Restoring The Balance

    Adrianna chuckled. "I am fine."


    Dmitri coughed a little and said, "I was asking about my baby in you."


    She gritted her teeth and suddenly stopped the broom, which made him fall right on her back. He lost balance and started to fall down when he clasped his hand around the broom. Suspended in air, he shouted, "Adri!"


    Adrianna was so angry that she started flying with him in that position. He was hanging on her broom while she was sitting comfortably on it. People around her watched the two of them and none could help laughing at the couple.


    "Will you stop?" shouted Dmitri fearing he would fall from such a high altitude.


    Adrianna didn''t listen to him and continued to fly, however, her broom stopped. It was as if it was out of her control. The broom shook a little and let Dmitri climb up and when he sat comfortably again, did it start moving. Adrianna was shocked at her broom. Dmitri smiled and patted her broom saying, "None of your magic can work on me. Even your broom loves me. So don''t you dare go against your husband."


    "Hmmph!" she said and looked forward.


    Dmitri smiled at her anger. He wrapped his hands around her tummy and said affectionately, "I missed both of you."


    Adrianna melted the moment she leaned in his arms. "I missed you too darling."


    They all flew for some time and then Isidorus asked whether he should create a portal for them or not. After all she must be so tired.


    Adrianna said, "No, I want to see the entire battle field from above. I can''t imagine what all occurred here."


    "Why my Queen?" he asked.


    She just smiled and didn''t answer him but Dmitri knew. He held her closer. Soon they entered the area from where the battle began. The field was littered with ripped bodies of neotides there was blood, gore and destruction everywhere. Adrianna took her wand out threw the spells and slowly the field started converting back into the lush green jungle it was. Isidorus and the rest of the wizards understood what Adrianna meant when she said that she wanted to fly back.


    She restored the balance that was there before the battle. Soon they reached the fields outside the Wizard Kingdom and Adrianna swished her wand again. The jungle that was dotted with burnt trees and patches of dry grass because of all the fire once again became as beautiful it was. Restoring balance was one of the most difficult witchcraft because it was like going back in time. Not many wizards could do it and the last that a wizard could it was the Crown himself. Everyone was amazed at Adrianna but little did they know where the power was coming from.


    They all reached the Wizard Kingdom soon. Adrianna noticed that the area of the wall that was breached hadn''t been restored completely. She knew that it would take a long time to restore it. The spells on it were a work of several centuries and it couldn''t be completed in just a few days.


    There was a jubilation mood in the people of the Wizard Kingdom. All of them were in a festivity mood. While going back to the Royal Palace Isidorus said, "We should have a huge celebration to show our victory. The Wizard Kingdom has for the first time in centuries has become a better place to live with Vikra gone forever. There would be no more threats now."


    Adrianna nodded.


    Isidorus was happy that the child was safe. All along the while Adrianna was flying back, he was flying a few feet behind them feeling protective about the child. He couldn''t understand his attraction for the baby at all but all he knew was that he had to protect and live for the child. He wished himself a longer life. At the same time he wanted to ask her what all happened in Vikra''s land. What about her curse?


    Meanwhile Mihr was also feeling extremely protective about Adrianna. At one time he thought that he could lay his life for her. Even he didn''t understand this sudden change in his feelings, and was bewildered about the way he had started thinking about her. He allegiance towards her only increased.


    Everyone went to their abodes when they reached the kingdom. They were so tired that as soon as they entered, they all disappeared including the Mozias.


    Adrianna and Dmitri entered the Royal Palace and they just went to their room. The servants were all standing there to bathe the royal couple even though they wanted some alone time. Both the King and Queen were given a royal bath and then only all the servants left. Once they had settled, food came in. Adrianna ate like a cow while Dmitri watched her in horror.


    The day went by quickly. When it was night, the couple slept in others arms as the canopy around them covered them from all sides. The canopy now had yellow and pink flowers blooming in it.


    It was so relaxing that both of them didn''t want to wake up early. However, the duties came first. Adrianna had to wake up to go to the noble court. The servants had made sure that she woke up in time.


    While the servants readied her, Dmitri kept sleeping. He looked so relaxed that she didn''t have the heart to wake up.


    When she walked into the noble court, she found that everyone was present there and they all bowed to their queen. They all had awe in their eyes. She walked to the throne and found that Isidorus was standing there on the right side of the throne while Mihr was on the left side. She nodded at both of them and sat on the throne.


    The crown appeared from its cage and settled on her head beautifully. This time Adrianna didn''t have any problem when the crown settled on her. It was as if he was waiting for her. Even Adrianna wondered why didn''t she undergo the usual process of severe headache but as soon as the crown settled on her head, it said, "Welcome back. I want that baby safe and secure always. So from now on you will not go on any battles or adventures. You will send your army."


    Adrianna was shocked. Why was the crown being so protective about her child?

 Chapter 383 - Answering The Doubts Of Isidorus

    There was no answer to her question because even though The Crown was active in her head and knew her doubts, he didn''t answer her. She stayed quiet and looked ahead. As usual her vision had altered and she started seeing an extra layer of energy around the wizards present in the court. She glanced through all of them as everybody watched her looking at them. She noticed that the only person who appeared extremely tired was Ziu while rest of them was feeling invigorated. The energy around everyone was vibrant while around Ziu it was dull. She ignored it thinking that he might have become tired trying to restore the breached wall because all the others had gone with her, while only he remained there for the work.


    The court started and there were very few matters to deal with. The ministry people were demanding a new cell of wizards and witches that would go to the Human Realm and mix with the humans there. In fact ever since the natives of the Wizard Kingdom had heard that their Queen had in her earlier years interacted with the humans had made them extremely interested about those people. They wanted to see how it was to stay within them without practicing their magic. Perhaps that was the reason why she was so strong.


    When Adrianna heard this logic, she couldn''t stop laughing, but she said that she will have to talk to the relevant people in the Human Realm and put this proposal forward.


    Other wizards demanded that there should a weeklong celebration in the Wizard Kingdom for their epic victory. This is something, which Adrianna could not say no to because her people deserved the celebration. She gave her consent for that.


    "Take your time to scan people during this celebration. There are still a few bad eggs in the kingdom, which need to be thrown out or punished. During the celebration finale, get them out from their hiding and kill all of them," said the Crown.


    "I don''t want to kill anymore," replied Adrianna. She was tired of all the gore.


    "You have to. I don''t want a single threat to the heir," the Crown insisted.


    "How can it be a threat to the unborn child? Also why are you so protective about the child?" she asked feeling very strange. For some reason she found that Isidorus and Mihr were also strongly protective about the child.


    "Ileus has to be protected at all costs!" asserted the Crown without giving any more explanations.


    Adrianna became quiet. There was no point in discussing it. The court was adjourned and she started to leave when she noticed that Ziu was in a hurry to leave and didn''t even wait for her to leave the court and exited much to the annoyance of others. She had to ignore that.


    When she reached the Royal Palace, she found that Dmitri was waiting for her. He had already woken up and was enjoying the grapes that the servant had served him. He smiled as he saw her and gestured her to come and sit next to him. She went near him and instead of sitting next to him, she sat right on his lap. He laughed and said, "It seems you really missed my lap."


    She curled her hands around him and said, "I missed everything about you." She kissed his lips and soon Dmitri lost control as he delved his tongue in her mouth. They were kissing passionately when someone from behind started coughing loudly. Startled at this intrusion, the two of them immediately separated and saw that Isidorus was standing there. Adrianna flushed while Dmitri looked like he could kill Isidorus.


    "What are doing here old man?" asked Dmitri. "Don''t you have a garden to look after? After all you neglected it for so long!"


    Isidorus narrowed his eyes and ignored the sarcasm.


    Adrianna got out of her husband''s lap and sat beside him sheepishly. Isidorus also went and sat opposite her. As soon as he sat, he said, "Adrianna I need answers to my questions."


    Before he even asked her anything, she knew what he wanted to ask. She smiled and said, "Sure, ask away, even though I know what you want to ask."


    "You were under the curse during that night and you were captured. How did you manage to come out of this?" asked Isidorus.


    Adrianna relaxed back. She knew this was just the first from the long list he had. They had the entire day with them.


    "When I was crowned, the Moon Goddess visited me. Her gift was that she had lifted the curse partially. So now I will be the rogue wolf without control only for sometime, while the rest of the time I will remain the rogue wolf but will remember everything. However, I will not be able to shape shift and stay as a werewolf during the entire full moon night. Moon Goddess said that the effects of the curse would slowly wear off now that I am expecting a child."


    "Oh, so this explains almost everything!" he said. "But how did you manage to come out of the cave? I mean Dmitri and the Mozia couldn''t have broken the spell around that cave. Vikra''s magic was too powerful."


    "Hmm�� True. Let me start from the beginning. That will answer all your doubts," she said.


    "When Vikra caught me and put me in that cage under the illusion of the full moon, he didn''t know that my curse was already partially lifted. I was staying in that form only because I wanted to know his plans. Dmitri had told me that his father had disappeared when he fought against Vikra and I had a strong intuition that he was still there. So that night when Vikra came to visit me, I took the opportunity to enter his cell. All he saw was that I was relaxing and eating but in reality, he didn''t know that I was in his cell."


    "He committed a foolish mistake by going and meeting Pierre just after meeting me. He spoke to Pierre and instigated him to fight with me. I was right there, listening to his plan in his cell and could see Pierre. That was the first time I saw Pierre and was extremely happy for Dmitri."


    Adrianna was about to speak further, when suddenly a portal in front of them was formed. The three of them were surprised to see the people who walked out of it.

 Chapter 384 - What Happened After Vikra Went To See Pierre?

    Adrianna and Dmitri were surprised to see the two people who had just walked in through the portal. They got and Dmitri went to give a bear hug to his father, Pierre as Cora watched the two of them with love and tenderness. The last she saw them together was when Dmitri was only seven years old. Her eyes became moist, which Dmitri saw and gestured her to come to him. Cora went to them and the three of them hugged each other tightly. For Pierre it was a moment to treasure. He was meeting his son after a gap of so many years that it appeared like a century.


    When they had hugged each other, Pierre removed himself and looked at Adrianna. He looked at her with gratefulness in his eyes. "Thank you Adrianna," he whispered and she bowed her head with a smile.


    Pierre looked at Dmitri and Cora and said, "Had it not been for Adrianna, I would have never met you two ever in my life."


    Adrianna''s smile broadened as Cora went to her and hugged her. "Thank you Adri. I think now I can leave the two of you and go somewhere peaceful with my husband."


    Adrianna said, "I am sorry, but nothing is more peaceful than the Werewolf Realm and we need you there as always."


    Cora chuckled at her daughter-in-law with affection in her eyes. Dmitri held his father''s hand and they all sat down on the sofa. Isidorus was feeling very happy to see this family reunion because he knew that Adrianna needed all the support and care she could in her situation.


    The conversation started again about Adrianna''s adventure in Vikra''s land. While they were talking the servants came and arranged the table with numerous snacks. Adrianna was amazed to see how much both father and son could eat. It was as if they were hungry from years.


    "So what happened after Vikra went to see Pierre?" asked Isidorus because the conversation was very interesting and he wanted to know all the details.


    "Well, I heard his plan and thought of visiting Pierre once it was late in the night. A few hours later, I had come out of the cave where I was held captive and walked to Pierre''s prison. There I saw that the guard was sleeping and it was easy for me to enter inside and meet him," she replied.


    At this point Pierre looked Adrianna and said, "I was very shocked when I saw you in the prison. No one had dared to enter that place ever. Only Vikra used to come or sometimes other neotides used to come to give me food. So when I saw a werewolf like you, I was taken aback." Pierre stopped eating and then looked at Isidorus, "I asked her who she was. I was sure that it was the same werewolf that I had to fight with in the morning for my freedom."


    "The werewolf didn''t reply. Suddenly it shape shifted and beautiful young girl was standing there in front of me outside the gates. My eyes were wide with amazement. The girl had beautiful golden yellow eyes. Her complexion was glowing and her aura was so commanding that she looked like a queen. Mesmerized at the young one in front of me, I felt excited. It was after so long that I saw one of my kind and that too a young girl. My mind was confused. I wondered, how did that werewolf manage to come to his prison? Didn''t Vikra and his army of neotides chain her? Did she escape? How did she find him? Had she come for negotiations?


    Suddenly, I remembered Vikra''s words that my freedom would be granted if I would kill the werewolf tomorrow and his eyes narrowed. Since I didn''t recognize who she was, I threatened her, "I will kill you for my freedom, so don''t even think of negotiating with me!" But what she said next was something I had never expected.


    She smiled and said, "I am Adrianna, Dmitri''s wife."


    Adrianna took over the conversation.


    Flashback:


    Pierre was even more shocked. His mind became numb. "My Dmitri�� my son?"


    "Yes," I replied.


    "How come you are here? How did Vikra capture you?" he asked feeling protective. There were thousands of questions bouncing in his head but at the moment he was only concerned with her safety. But he had to ask one question urgently, "Are you Ed''s granddaughter?"


    She nodded shyly.


    Pierre got up from his place and moved forward in excitement but his chains pulled him back. "Oh! Hail the wolf spirits!"


    Looking at his condition, in order to remove those irons from him she walked into the prison through the iron bars. Pierre was now even more shocked. She just walked inside the prison without harm to the iron. They didn''t even bend or she didn''t try to bend them. They had magic and no one could touch them easily unless someone wanted a death wish. In fact the iron bars bent on their own, to allow her to enter and then straightened again. It was crazy. "How did you do that?" he asked her. "You are a werewolf!"


    She didn''t answer as she kept smiling.


    "I knew there was something different about you when you were a child and I saved you from Alex''s cave!"


    Adrianna flicked her hand and the chains of his hands opened.


    Pierre raised his hands and then looked at her with eyes as wide as the lake in the center of the jungle. He asked, "How did you do that?"


    "Pierre��"


    Before she could say anything, Pierre asked, "Are you a witch? I knew that Shira was a witch?"


    Adrianna nodded. Pierre chuckled. He couldn''t believe his luck. "My son is so lucky!"


    It was time for Adrianna to smile. "Pierre, we need to hurry up. Tomorrow during the fight, I will create an illusion. You just go inside the arena where the fight will take place and I will meet you there. After that the two of us would disappear from there."


    "What? That will invite wrath from Vikra! He would hunt us and kill you first."


    "Trust me that nothing of the sort will happen because I will create an illusion that would fool everyone around us."

 Chapter 385 - How Is My Grandchild?

    Flashback continued:


    Pierre was shocked to hear Adrianna. However, something in his heart said that he could trust the girl standing in front of her. He nodded. "Okay��"


    "Do you know the places where Vikra makes his weapons?" asked Adrianna.


    "Yes. I know all of them," said Pierre. He had worked as a labor in many of those caves when Vikra wanted to subject him to more torture. He would get whipped by the neotides when he would fail the task at hand. In all the years he was the prisoner, he had been rotated to all the caves one by one as and when he was wanted. Pierre was a master craftsman of weapons and that was one of the reasons why Vikra had captured him. He had a vast knowledge about the chemicals and hence Vikra wanted to use that knowledge.


    After the war that happened between werewolves and Vikra, Pierre had disappeared. Even his dead body wasn''t found because Vikra had caught him. This was the reason why Cora always believed that Pierre wasn''t dead.


    "In that case you will have to accompany me to those caves after I have cast the illusion," replied Adrianna.


    "But those caves are heavily guarded and going around those caves isn''t easy," he said cautioning her. He was scared that his daughter-in-law would get harmed. He wanted to protect her immediately.


    "Don''t worry Pierre. Just trust me and do what I am saying. Once we get out of the cage, you will have to come with me to those caves," said Adrianna with a smile.


    "Okay," he replied awed at the confidence she was exuding.


    Adrianna smiled and then said, "I will head back to my cave." Saying that she made Pierre wear his chains once again. Before leaving she said, "Tomorrow you will become free," and returned back to her cage.


    Next day in the morning when Adrianna was preparing to go to the arena, suddenly she heard a noise outside her cave. She smiled when she heard Dmitri''s smell and voice. He was with a Mozia. They were very near the cave when the neotides were about to attack them. She snapped her fingers and the two of them found themselves inside the cage right in front of Adrianna. They were shocked.


    "Adri!" said Dmitri as he rushed to hug her. He had seen her after so long and was living in so much desolation without her. He hugged her for a long time as she hugged him back. "I was so worried for you," he said as he dipped his face in her neck and smelled her. "Are you okay?" He removed himself from her and cupped her face in his hands.


    "Yes darling," she smiled. "Why did you come Dmitri? I wanted you to stay away and you have come right in the middle of the storm."


    "I couldn''t have stayed back Adri! You know that my life without you is listless. I wasn''t living these past two days. I was moving like a zombie. You cannot imagine what all went through my heart when I couldn''t pick up what was happening to you. I was ready to kill or be killed if I hadn''t found you."


    "Shush!" said Adrianna as she kept her hand on his mouth. She hugged him again and buried her face in his chest. She kissed him there and said, "I have found your father."


    Dmitri caught her by the shoulders and pushed her back a little to see her face. He eyes were wide with surprise. "My father is here?"


    Adrianna nodded. "He is here and today I am going to help him with his freedom. However, your father and I have arranged for a little bit of fireworks for the neotides."


    Dmitri was all ears. Everything was happening so fast that he didn''t know how to react. Adrianna could see his shock, so she held his hand and took him to sit on a rocky outcrop in the cave. She stood in front of him and explained her strategy. At the end she said, "So you and this Mozia have to be with us in order to destroy those caves. Once those caves are destroyed, Vikra''s fifty percent strength will be over."


    Dmitri said, "That''s excellent."


    Adrianna asked, "But how did you manage to come here in Vikra''s land and that too with the help of one Mozia?"


    Before he could say anything she knew the answer. "Isidorus asked for the meeting and I snuck in." Dmitri tilted his head and said, "And now you know everything."


    She laughed. "I will be going to the cage in a while to fight Pierre. You keep waiting here, as this is the safest place to be. I will return in ten minutes along with Pierre and we will go on our mission."


    Dmitri nodded and held Adrianna''s wrist to pull her towards him. She went and stood in between his legs. He held her waist and said, "Thank you Adri��"


    She kissed him on his lips.


    All of a sudden, the boulder that was on the cave''s entrance, started opening. The Mozia and Dmitri ran to the far corner of the cave and the Mozia cast an invisibility spell. Adrianna shape shifted. When the boulder was fully opened, an army of neotides came along with a cage in which they prodded Adrianna to enter. She entered the cage without any problem and saw that Vikra had created an illusion of full moon for her. She smirked at his foolishness.


    After a while she faced Pierre inside the cage where they had to fight. Pierre had staged a fantastic show for the neotides. As soon as she entered, she shape shifted and created the illusion for all of them. While everyone was watching what she wanted them to watch, Adrianna asked Pierre to hold her hand and she got sucked in the vortex. They were back in the cave where Dmitri and Mozia were waiting.


    Dmitri was so emotional when he saw his father that he didn''t know what to do. Even Pierre was too emotional. His son had grown into a fine young man and married the girl of his choice. This was such a fantastic thing that he couldn''t thank to the wolf spirits enough. Since the time was less, they had to immediately rush to the caves where weapons were made. Pierre sat on the broom with Mozia and led them to the biggest one first. It was a matter of time that the first cave was destroyed. She went on to destroy the second one when she saw Isidorus and Mihr going to Vikra''s cave along with the Mozia. She asked Pierre to continue with his spree while she went to Isidorus and instructed him what to do and asked Mihr to attack from the outside.


    Along with Dmitri, she went to where Pierre was, but she was shocked to see Vikra there. She had to take Vikra out of there to save Dmitri. She knew that she would kill Vikra now.


    ---


    Present:


    Isidorus and Cora listened to Adrianna and Pierre without blinking their eyes. The two of them talked as if it was just a fairy tale while their skins were getting lined up with goosebumps. At the end of it, Cora asked, "How is my grandchild?"


    Pierre''s eyes were wide with shock. "Adrianna is pregnant?" he asked as if he was hit by lighting bolt.

 Chapter 386 - The Pampering

    "Adrianna is pregnant?" asked Pierre as he looked at his daughter-in-law who had fought so bravely against a wizard like Vikra. He shuddered to think how she fought against all those neotides and how she managed to destroy all the caves along with him. It was sheer show of power. He couldn''t believe his eyes and suddenly he became too scared. He looked at Dmitri sternly and shouted, "Is this how you take care of your pregnant wife?"


    Dmitri who was eating soft lamb meat stopped chewing and stared at his father''s face wondering at his sudden outburst. His mouth was open and he was speechless.


    Pierre continued, "You stupid boy. How could you subject her to this kind of monstrosity? Didn''t you even once think that my grandchild was in danger?"


    This was the time Isidorus was waiting for. "I agree with you Pierre. Dmitri had indeed been very careless." He looked at Dmitri and joined Pierre in scolding him. "How could you leave Adrianna on her own when she was still under the curse? She fought with so many neotides and even got captured by Vikra! Do you realize the kind of peril you had put Adrianna and her baby in? Have you no sense?"


    Dmitri somehow managed to chew his meat and then looked at Adrianna for support but she was just too busy wiping her mouth clean. As if to add salt to his wounds, she said, "Father, I am so hungry and I am feeling very tired."


    Pierre immediately sprang up from his seat and looked at Cora who was also looking very worried. "Tired?" asked Cora.


    Adrianna nodded. Her face looked so innocent that everyone except Dmitri melted.


    "My child," said Cora.


    "Adrianna, please rest child," said Pierre.


    "My Queen, you cannot go anywhere now," said Isidorus as he flicked his wand and more food appeared for her to eat.


    Adrianna smiled at Dmitri and picked a soup bowl.


    Dmitri was angry. He mentally communicated to Adrianna, "This is vicious of you!"


    However, as soon as he communicated that he was scolded by Pierre and Cora who also mentally communicated their displeasure, "How dare you say anything like that to Adrianna?"


    Dmitri looked at his parents helplessly, especially his father. They had met after a long gap of so many years and all he did was scolded him for Adrianna. How could he? He pouted like a little baby feeling wronged and hoping for attention but he got none. In fact the three elders out there were only catering to Adrianna.


    "Child, here eat this," said Pierre pointing at turkey meat.


    "No, you should eat vegetables," said Cora as she gave her stir-fried vegetables.


    "Adrianna, you must have a lot of milk," added Isidorus.


    None of them were even aware of the affection that was so naturally flowing between them. It was Adrianna who was kept smiling and then thanked God for giving her such a beautiful family. Just a few months back she could not even imagine a loving family as her own treated her terribly. At one point of time all she ever wanted was to live with her grandfather, Ed peacefully. And here she was now. She had indeed come a long way.


    After a while of pampering her, Pierre said, "I want to meet Ed and thank him for keeping his promise."


    "Sure, but what promise, Father?" asked Adrianna.


    "He had promised your hand to my son and he fulfilled it - that promise," replied Pierre feeling lucky once again.


    Dmitri started laughing loudly. Adrianna blushed slightly as she remembered how they started and how she resisted him. Cora on the other hand felt terrible for all that she had done to Adrianna.


    Seeing that the family was into talking about their private life, Isidorus took his leave after saying, "If you want to go to Ed, let me know. Even I want to meet him. I will call Howard also. It has been a long time."


    "Sure," said Pierre and was shocked to see Isidorus disappearing into thin air.


    "Get used to that Father," said Dmitri raising his eyebrows at that dramatic man.


    "Hmm��" he replied and then asked, "Why were you laughing?"


    Cora patted her husband''s shoulder and said, "It is a long story, Pierre. I will tell you all about it once we go back."


    "Long story? About what?" he looked confused.


    "Adrianna''s and Dmitri''s marriage."


    Pierre thought that even if it was a long story, it didn''t matter now. The two of his favorite children were sitting in front of him and that with such good news. He said, "I want Adrianna to spend some time in the Werewolf Realm since I want Cora to look after you. You can take some days off from here."


    Adrianna couldn''t feel any more grateful. Being taken care of by an elder was something she loved. She replied, "I will see if I can. My schedule here is not so tight and there is going to be a weeklong festivity to celebrate our victory. Hence I don''t know how soon would I be free��"


    "It''s okay but I would like to see you there soon." Then he looked at Dmitri and said, "Be with your wife for now. I will look into the affairs of the Werewolf Realm for a few days and then I will go to meet Ed."


    "Okay father," he said.


    After spending a few more hours with them, Cora and Pierre went back through the portal.


    It was evening and the royal couple walked in the garden until sunset. They looked down at the third level where the citizens of the Wizard Kingdom had already started preparing for the gala. Dmitri held Adrianna''s shoulders feeling satisfied and happy. His mate was with him.


    ---


    Somewhere in a room, he threw the glass of wine that was in his hand. The glass shattered into hundreds of small pieces as soon as it touched the ground. He cursed himself for not knowing where Vikra was. That useless creature couldn''t even do one thing. Everything was going so well according to his plan and that stupid joke of his existence couldn''t take advantage of the situation. He had even helped her in taking Adrianna in the cage and taught him the spell of creating an illusion of a full moon.

 Chapter 387 - Is My Baby Okay?

    He had made a perfect plan for getting the throne. First he had thought that he could entice Adrianna with his gorgeous looks. Looks that had stopped everyone in their tracks. He was used to those people who would look at him and their expressions would change and a weak smile would appear. All the young witches had blushed when they looked at him and were dying to be his girlfriends or wives. He had hidden his looks long back only to stay away from so many gazes and everyday passes. So many opportunities came his way, but he found none to be worthy of him.


    It was Adrianna whom he knew at first glance that she was the one. He was happy to have her as his student and had revealed his looks to the outer world only to attract her and show her how much he was wanted and followed by other women. Ziu didn''t know that Adrianna was a one-man-woman who prized her genuineness and intelligence over any looks. It was a different thing that her husband was one of the most dashing and handsome werewolves.


    He thought that Adrianna would come to him and had tried his best to do that by asking the ministry to stay as her teacher to teach all the spells. He was a brilliant wizard and he knew that Adrianna would be a natural in wizardry, but he didn''t know that she would exceed him or for that matter exceed any wizard ever born. She was a powerful one and that added to her charm. He thought that she would be second to him if at all.


    The moment he came to know about her untapped potential, he knew that she was his ladder to the throne. After all with such brilliant mind and looks, how could he be just a headmaster at school? He should be the King of the Wizard Kingdom!


    All his plans failed. Nothing worked �C his charm, his deceit, Vikra and even the neotides. He was managing Vikra from inside the Wizard Kingdom. He would keep giving him information and direct him on what to do but Vikra failed too many times.


    Ziu poured another glass of whiskey and staggered to move around the room a bit until he found his bed and sat down on it. He gulped the whiskey, threw the glass on the carpet and then fell on the bed backwards. He brought his hands over his eyes. He had two options now �C one was to concede to Adrianna as his Queen, second was to rebel against her. He could never concede to stay beneath her. He was the real ruler!


    He had hinted Isidorus long back but Isidorus either chose to ignore his hint or didn''t pay heed to what he meant. His only option was to fan Vikra''s ambitions but that fool got himself killed by Adrianna. He knew that Adrianna was extremely powerful. Thinking about all the possibilities that were left for him to tap, he came to one conclusion �C for now he had to lie low. He had to wait and watch how things went by.


    The citizens had decorated the entire Wizard Kingdom. They were in a gala mood and wanted to celebrate the epic victory. The celebrations were going to last for a week with the Queen inaugurating the events on the morning of the next day.


    Dmitri and Adrianna went inside the palace and after a while they slept off. Peace was restored in her Kingdom. There was no apparent threat and she felt very happy and content. It was like a fairy tale for her. She reflected on the past when she was still in the college and how Dmitri pursued her. It was her grandfather who always believed in her powers and made her feel special. Now she understood the reason why he wanted to hide her powers from the world. She remembered how her family scoffed at her always. While remembering her family, she remembered her sister, Kayla who was still there in the prison.


    Her heart felt sad. Dmitri could sense her sadness and said, "Remember that she had tried to poison us."


    "Hmm��" she replied and curled her arms around the man who loved her the most.


    Dmitri held her chin up and said, "You need to be cheerful now. We are going to start a new life from tomorrow."


    "Hmm��" she said and turned on her pillow. As she did that, her mark got exposed, which Dmitri saw.


    He went to see it closely and not able to resist, he licked it.


    "Ah!" Adrianna immediately reacted to that. The muscles between her thighs clenched.


    The canopy around them started blooming with red flowers.


    Dmitri licked it again and suddenly he felt the urge to suck that mark. Adrianna became crazy for the want of her mate. Ignoring the advice of Cora, all they wanted to do at that time was to devour each other. Dmitri got up and carefully removed her clothes. He went to her side and turned her slowly so that her back was facing her. He started kissing her soft back, sucking and nibbling it slowly. Her soft and fleshy buttocks were enticing and he started kneading them gently. He knew that her juices started flowing. He lifted her leg up and positioned himself. Slowly he slid his erection inside. He wanted to slam her hard because he was in her after a long time, but he had to keep his pace slow. He cupped her breasts and then soon he tipped over and as he came, he sucked her back in order to muffle his voice.


    Once he was done, he removed himself and then turned his wife towards him. Holding her face in his hands, he asked, "You fine?"


    Her face was red with all the hormones flowing through her system. She nodded. He removed his hand and placed them on her tummy. "Is my baby okay?"


    She chuckled and said, "How would he know?" hahaha��


    He smiled at her and the two of them talked about how they met. It was all too blissful. Adrianna thought that perhaps this was how fairytales were. Perhaps they were real. Perhaps they were happening somewhere in an alternate world. Everything was there that she had ever wanted. She had never thought about being pregnant, but perhaps the God was benevolent on her these days��

 Chapter 388 - A Surprise

    The Wizard Kingdom was ready for the Queen and the King. It was decorated so beautifully that it resembled a fairy tale kingdom. There were paper lamps that floated in the sky. Each lamp had a lovely pair of dolls of Adrianna and Dmitri. Wherever one would go, there would be a group of people either dancing or participating in a game. The trees were decorated with thousands of lights and every house had some or the other decoration that showed solidarity to the crown, to the Queen.


    Next day when Adrianna and Dmitri woke up, the servants helped them with dressing up for the occasion. They had to go to the third level for inaugurating the event. Once they were ready, they went out to sit in the royal carriage. Adrianna found that apart from her security, there was Isidorus, Mihr, Ziu and others from the ministry who were standing for their Queen. Adrianna understood that they would all accompany her to the third level. She smiled as everyone bowed to her and climbed the carriage. Dmitri followed her.


    Soon the carriage was airborne followed by the rest of the carriages. The way all of them were flying it was looking so majestic that the citizens couldn''t help but come out of their homes or stand and watch them. The carriages first went to the second level and then slowly went to the third level where the moment the doves of Adrianna''s carriage touched the ground, they started walking slowly to pull the carriage amongst the citizens who had lined the streets to see their King and Queen.


    Adrianna waved at them and they cheered for her. Isidorus'' carriage followed behind hers, then Mihr''s and then the rest of them. Everyone of feeling very happy and cheerful except one person �C Ziu. Everything that was happening was like an eyesore for him. Had Vikra succeeded in his venture, instead of Adrianna it would have been him who were sitting in the lead carriage.


    Suddenly a group of dancers came in front of the carriage. Immediately Mihr''s men surrounded them. However, Adrianna could easily find out that they were having genuine intentions and so she asked Mihr''s men to leave the group.


    The group bowed to their Queen and the leader said that they had been preparing for this victory dance ever since the Queen had started fighting for them. They had full confidence that their Queen would save them from the wrath of Vikra and neotides.


    Adrianna was so overwhelmed by the speech that she bowed gratefully in front of them and flicked her wand to open the carriage from all the sides. As soon as the carriage opened, citizens could see their King and Queen in full glory and all them cheered them again. However, Mihr was in deep trouble at this gesture. He created an invisible magic cover around the Royal Couple just in case��


    The group started performing and it was simply majestic. The way the dancers swayed and jumped around in the air, it was as if they defied the rules of gravity. It was at this time that Adrianna remembered how humans danced in the Human Realm. She chuckled. If they would see what was happening here, they would faint.


    When the dance was over, the Queen thanked them politely and the carriage moved forward. After about twenty minutes, they arrived at the main venue for inauguration. Adrianna and Dmitri got down and their guards surrounded them immediately. Adrianna was getting a little irritated by the security Mihr was going with. She wanted to reprimand him that this was much more than what was needed. It was distancing her from her people.


    There were two layers of security around her and so the nearest commoner that was close to them was more than twenty feet away. Aside from that Mihr also wanted to cast a spell of security around the royal couple to which Adrianna vehemently denied.


    Soon the entire troupe reached the inauguration point. Adrianna was given a scissors to cut the ribbon. She smiled thinking how sweet everything was. Very human-like approach. She just took the scissors and cut the ribbon to declare the even open. As soon as the ribbon was cut, somewhere far fireworks started and thousands of balloons were released into the air. She wondered if the wizards and witches of her kingdom ever went to the Human Realm because it was all so similar.


    Suddenly she noticed a carriage flying towards them and it landed a few meters away from them. She was in for the astonishment of her life when she saw Niiya stepping out of that carriage. Dmitri''s face darkened when he saw Niiya, but Adrianna was ecstatic. One of the ministry people came forward and informed her that all the balloons and firecrackers were an idea of Niiya who had come here the previous night and wanted to give her a surprise.


    Adrianna laughed at Niiya when he came closer. Looking at the two of them he bowed. Adrianna grinned while Dmitri smirked.


    "I wanted to give you a surprise, Adrianna," said Niiya. "This is for our days as friends," he pointed at the sky that was now dotted with thousands of balloons.


    Dmitri felt like puncturing every balloon that was up there. He closed his fists in anger. This Niiya! What couldn''t he leave his wife now?


    Adrianna chuckled and said, "Thanks Niiya. This was indeed a special surprise and I am so thankful to you!"


    Niiya waved his hand and said, "Oh! This is nothing. But I am glad that you liked it."


    Dmitri glared at him. Was he flirting with his wife? Did he have no regard for his life? Didn''t he know that making him jealous would be painful for this human?


    Adrianna read Dmitri''s thoughts and she communicated him mentally to chill. He was their guest and should be treated with respect, but Dmitri was in no mood to listen. His festivity was already spoiled by the presence of this single human!


    "If he doesn''t leave this place in a few minutes, I will kill him!" he replied once again glaring at Niiya in a way as if his glare was enough to burn him to ashes!


    "Stop it Dmitri!" Adrianna chided him.

 Chapter 389 - Image Of The Royal Couple Was At Stake

    Niiya was smiling at Adrianna completely ignoring Dmitri. "This is just a token of my solidarity to the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. There is nothing in this world that you can''t have," said Niiya as he stood there.


    "But you said that this is for a friendship since college days?" asked Adrianna with a frown.


    Niiya started laughing. "Well, this is everything in one!"


    "What?" chided Adrianna. "I need another gift for different expressions."


    Niiya loved it when Adrianna showed her little ownership on him. He chuckled.


    "Adrianna, I will give you as many gifts as you want but you should accept whatever gift a guest has to present. Sometimes I feel you just overstep your boundaries," said Dmitri as he gazed Niiya and stepped closer to Adrianna to hold her hand. Queen, no queen, she was his wife first!


    Niiya''s face darkened. Yes he was the guest but did he have to rub it in the face?


    Adrianna was feeling embarrassed as though chided by her daddy. She pursed her lips and couldn''t say a word. Isidorus came to rescue the situation. "Niiya, it is a pleasure to have you amongst us. Please join us in the celebration."


    Niiya bowed courteously and smiled. He was well acquainted with Dmitri''s ways when it came to Adrianna. Now he want even interested in his antics. He was only interested in maintaining harmonious relationship with the strongest woman in the world. He did regret the fact that Adrianna could have married him had he not been kidnapped but then fate had to take its way��


    Ziu watched Niiya and Dmitri''s interaction. The two of them didn''t seem to like each other. Was it because of Adrianna? Time to think of a new strategy. He smirked.


    The King and the Queen continued to walk towards the main area of the event. They were guided to sit on the red and golden thrones that were specially made for them.


    As soon as the sat, the ceremony started. The area where all the celebrations took place was a circular field, which was surrounded by seating arrangement on all sides. It resembled the modern football field. The arena where Adrianna and Dmitri were sitting was the VIP enclosure that was covered in various spells. It was open but not a bird could enter that place without being burnt to ashes. They were sitting in the front and the rest sat behind them. The security was so tight that the wizards and witches were keeping a strict vigilance over all the citizens.


    It was Fleur who was in charge of the security this time. When Adrianna saw her flying over the area she was sitting in, their eyes met and Fleur bowed slightly. Adrianna knew that it was time that she released Fleur from her duties. Liam must be missing her crazily. She looked at Dmitri and couldn''t think of parting from him even though he was a jealous werewolf and had to embarrass her in front of so many people.


    The first event was that of a group that presented them with acrobatics without magic. Then there was a ball dance by young couples, which Adrianna wanted to join. But it was Isidorus who was giving her glares and warning her not to even think about it. The restrictions she had to live with as a queen were sometimes overbearing. She was such a free spirit when she lived in the Werewolf Realm and now�� Sigh��


    As the day progressed there were more events that took place. Adrianna became tired. She wanted to rest but she also knew that since she was the queen, her presence would only encourage the people more. She looked at Dmitri and explained about her tiredness. Her pregnancy wasn''t revealed to many people, so what to do. They also had to attend a dinner in the evening that Isidorus had hosted for the ministry people.


    Dmitri winked and communicated mentally, "Create an illusion, my lady. Even I want to go from here."


    Adrianna chuckled softly. She snapped her fingers under her robe. In an instant Dmitri found himself in their bedroom on the bed. He laughed out aloud. There were so many benefits of marrying a witch, he couldn''t even imagine. He said, "Sometimes I think that we should go to other countries on short holidays. You can create such illusions while both can enjoy."


    Adrianna laughed along with him. The servants knew what the Royal Couple was up to, but they didn''t dare say a word. They helped them removing the clothes. They left the room after reminding them of joining the dinner in the evening.


    The couple slept feeling blissful in each other''s arms. Adrianna had to scold Dmitri for being so over-possessive about her in public, but then she let it slide.


    When created an illusion, no one could make out. However the only person who did make out was Ziu. He smiled inwards and thought now was the time to expose her. ''Hmmph! The Royal Couple!''


    The program went on for another one hour and soon everyone was about to disperse. There was an announcement that the event would resume tomorrow afternoon. Everybody was waiting for the royal couple to get up first and leave and then they would follow, but they weren''t only getting up. This was something really bizarre. Ziu laughed and said, "The Royal Couple is not here. This is just an illusion." The way he said, he secretly made sure that everyone in the public listened to them.


    When the public heard, all of them froze in their spot. How could their Queen leave them in the middle and fool them with her illusion. This was unbelievable. They all had prepared so much and it was all in her honor.


    Isidorus was very angry when he noticed what Ziu did. He glared at him. But what to do now, the image of the Royal Couple was at stake. Even Niiya felt very bad about the situation.


    As they were all thinking about it, suddenly everything froze on its spot. Nothing moved. Even a little dust particle froze in air.

 Chapter 390 - I Don’t Trust Him

    Each and every little thing that existed over there froze. It was as if the entire Wizard Kingdom was nothing but a small toy that existed in a glass ball.


    Adrianna and Dmitri were having a soundless sleep when suddenly someone in her dreams said, "Mother, you are needed at the event."


    Adrianna woke up with a startle. ''Mother?'' Her eyes became wide with shock. Did her child come in her dreams? What event was she needed at? "Oh!" she shouted and woke Dmitri.


    "What is it Adri?" said Dmitri as he looked irritatedly at her.


    "We need to be at the event now!"


    "Why?"


    But Adrianna wasn''t under the mood of explaining him anything. Instead she snapped her fingers multiple times and dragged sleep Dmitri out of the bed. The two of them were in the event once again. But something interesting happened. While Adrianna had snapped her fingers and she was there looking at everything that was frozen in front of her, Dmitri too was frozen in that zone as soon as he entered. It was as if only Adrianna was excluded from that kind of magic. She looked at everything with surprise. It was just like when Ileus had come to meet her when she was being crowned. He had come to warn her about taking care of her.


    The baby really wanted to be born and he was an extremely powerful child. He was taking extreme precaution for himself.


    Adrianna snapped her fingers and everything went back to normalcy. She saw that most of the people were looking in her direction. It was odd, but she got up from her place along with Dmitri and together they waved at them. The entire audience broke into loud applause.


    "Who the hell said that it was an illusion?" said someone from the back.


    "I think it was Ziu," came the reply.


    The two of them looked at Ziu and reprimanded him. "This is no way to behave Ziu. How could you announce to the audience that the King and Queen were not actually present and it was just an illusion? Have you no regard to the royalty?"


    Ziu pursed his lips. He said he was sorry but in his mind he knew that it was indeed an illusion, then how come things have changed so suddenly. Like it was something else a few seconds ago. It was perfect for him to grow seeds of unpleasantness and distrust about Adrianna and Dmitri but how did the table turn so fast? He couldn''t understand and left the place in a huff.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes when she heard that Ziu was trying to tarnish the image. At that time, she exited the place quietly with Dmitri but she had to investigate this thing.


    Niiya was standing at the exit. He said, "I think I will go back now. It was really nice to meet you."


    "No Niiya," came a voice from behind before Adrianna could say anything. It was Isidorus. "You have to stay back for the dinner that I am hosting tonight in honor of the Royal Couple."


    Dmitri was again irritated by Isidorus. This old man needed to be taught a lesson. "You cannot pressurize a guest if he wants to leave," said Dmitri.


    Adrianna didn''t know what to do with her husband when it came to Niiya. Why was he so jealous? It was now becoming very childish. She communicated mentally to him, "What is wrong with you? Niiya is a special guest!"


    "Special? What do you mean?" he retorted.


    "I mean what I say. He is the representative of the Human Realm. It is a courtesy call for me to invite him to dinner at the Royal Palace however Isidorus is doing that for me. So don''t you think it is better that we let Isidorus do all the curtsey?"


    Dmitri fumed inside. "I don''t like him!"


    "I don''t care," came the prompt reply.


    "I want to go!"


    "You have to wait."


    Dmitri started looking around in fury. His gaze fell on a few witches who were giggling as they saw him looking in his direction. "Ah! Such beautiful ones."


    Adrianna looked in his direction.


    "Yes, I would like take a leave Isidorus," said Niiya.


    "Not at all! Today you are my guest. So no going away unless you have dinner with me," insisted Isidorus.


    Niiya smiled and looked Adrianna. She also smiled back and said, "Yes, you must join us."


    Dmitri walked away to those witches, but soon stopped in his tracks because he found himself rooted to the ground. He looked at Adrianna. But she couldn''t perform magic on him, then who was it?


    Isidorus looked at Dmitri and gave a brilliant smile.


    "This old man!" shouted Dmitri in his head and Adrianna chuckled out aloud.


    Niiya left with Isidorus. Ziu followed the two of them. He really had to talk to Niiya.


    "So Niiya, what do you actually do in the Human realm?" asked Ziu as they walked back to their carriages.


    "Do you mean what is my business? Like how I survive there?" asked Niiya as he laughed at the question.


    Ziu laughed with him and said, "Yes, yes. What do you do to survive?"


    "I have my own business over there," replied Niiya.


    "Oh! I see."


    Adrianna and Dmitri walked back to their carriage. When they sat inside, Dmitri wasn''t talking to her and sat opposite.


    "Dmitri stop acting like a child!" chided Adrianna.


    "I hate the way he looks at you!"


    "Don''t you trust me?"


    "I don''t trust him!"


    Adrianna clenched her jaw. There was no way she was going to win this argument. Why was it that Dmitri felt so insecure when it came to Niiya?


    "When I see him, I feel that he is trying to offer you some or the other kind of protection or help. Adrianna, I am very well capable of giving you all that. So when Niiya offers you any of that, I feel so small and incapable. Also I hate the way he looks at you. Why hasn''t he found a girl as yet? He should have moved on. It has almost been a year now. When the hell would he give up on you?"

 Chapter 391 - Ziu’s Hospitality

    Adrianna was really peeved Dmitri. "Are you out of your mind?" she said with her eyes wide in anger. "Niiya is here only to pay his respect to the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. Had someone else would have been the Queen instead of me he would have come still! He is only doing his duty."


    The carriage landed in the gardens of the Royal Palace and Dmitri opened the door to stomp out of it. Adrianna followed him inside. Once they reached the main hall, Dmitri stopped and turned to look at her. "I would have understood if he just wanted to pay his respects by being present during the ceremony. What was the point of putting those balloons high up in the air amongst those lanterns?" he said pointing up.


    "That only symbolizes harmony between the Human and Wizard Realms. There was nothing else!" reasoned Adrianna.


    Dmitri wasn''t convinced. He harrumphed and turned away from her to look at the wall where her mother''s portrait was hanging.


    Adrianna was now really agitated. She had been explaining him time and again that there was nothing he should be insecure about but things were not getting in his mind. "Dmitri, I am telling you this the last time. You are the only person in my path of love. The only person who belongs to me in true sense is you and no one else. Not even the baby who is in me. You are going to be my lifetime companion. Our baby will leave the nest and perhaps fly away or maybe he would continue to stay with us, who knows? But the two of us are soul mates. We are bonded with this mark that you have given me. I can never leave you even if you want me to. Stop acting like a baby and accept Niiya the way he is. I won''t change my stance towards him because he is representative of the Human Realm and a friend whom I have known before you. So, please stop with this nonsense!"


    Dmitri was stunned to hear her. In his heart he knew that she was right but what was it that wasn''t allowing him to accept all this? He didn''t look at her and kept standing like a rigid man, that he was behaving as throughout the past few hours.


    Seeing him unmoved by her explanation, Adrianna just left him there and walked away to the bedroom. Her mood was spoiled and she had a dinner to attend. In the meanwhile Dmitri called Fleur to make a portal for him. He went to the Werewolf Realm to be with his parents.


    When the servants informed Adrianna about Dmitri''s departure, she was at a loss of words. She felt bad that instead of understanding, he just left. At first she thought she would also follow him there but then she went against that idea. She wondered if he would return for dinner. If he wouldn''t, it would be such a bad image for her. She didn''t want to tell everyone about her quarrels with her husband. Plus how could she go alone in the party now that even Niiya would be there. She looked at her tummy and said, "Can''t you talk to your father? Why is it that you only talk to me? Drill some sense in his brain. And when you are born, please be born with some sense especially about women. Women are very tender species. You got to handle them with care or they tend to get broken fast��"


    Adrianna lied down on the bed after removing her robe. Even though she wanted to think about the issues of the Kingdom, her mind only wandered back to Dmitri. Gently she stroked his pillow and then the sheet where he had lied. She felt lonely��


    After Niiya had left along with Ziu and Isidorus, Ziu had requested Niiya to come with him to his home. Seeing how friendly Ziu was, Niiya didn''t mind. Although Isidorus had told him that he could stay with him till he was in the Wizard Kingdom, and urged him to come with him in order to rest, Ziu insisted that Niiya should accompany him. Ziu wanted to know the extent of his relationship with Adrianna.


    Niiya was impressed by Ziu''s hospitality and immediately became free with him. He was also in awe of the man who was so handsome. Such combination was rare in the Human Realm, intelligence, humility and handsomeness. Overall he found Ziu to be very amiable. Slowly after some jokes and a glass of wine, Ziu started asking him personal questions.


    In the Werewolf Realm, Dmitri had walked straight in his room. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, so he went to his bed. Somehow he wanted to go back to Adrianna instead decided to stay back. Her love was like a puzzle for him sometimes. He wanted to run away from her, yet he wanted to stay close to her. After sometime of brooding, he needed some diversion so he went to meet Nate and Ookashi.


    Ookashi had been doing extremely well. She had adapted to the Werewolf Realm so nicely that it was as if she belonged to this place only.


    When Dmitri went there, he saw that Nate was pampering Ookashi to eat something as all she was doing these days was throwing up everything she ate. He was worried that she had a wolf child in her womb and they were known to be ferociously hungry. He was scared that she wouldn''t eat well the child born would be thin or malnourished.


    When Nate saw Dmitri, he was very happy. The two friends gave a bear hug other as Ookashi watched them with a smile.


    "Dmitri! Seeing you after so long!" exclaimed Ookashi as she sprang out of her chair and hugged him.


    "Be careful Ookashi," warned Nate as she got up with a jerk in her body.


    "Hmm��" replied Dmitri. "How are you doing?"


    "I am good!" she said with excitement. "How is Adri?"


    "She is good too," he replied with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    Ookashi immediately knew there was something wrong. She didn''t say anything to him at that time. "You guys sit, let me prepare some nice snacks for you."


    Dmitri nodded and sat down on the sofa. He rested his head behind and looked up in blank space.


    "Dude, if you are having issues with Adri, no point in brooding," said Niiya.

 Chapter 392 - How About Killing Him?

    Nate looked at Dmitri and understood that expression. "Dmitri, why do you get into a situation that you can''t handle?"


    "What do you mean?" asked Dmitri. "Some situations are out of control. It''s not that I want to get into it."


    "What happened?" asked Nate as he leaned forward in his chair.


    Dmitri didn''t want to explain what had transpired between him and Adrianna. All he wanted was to go back to her but he was upset with Niiya''s presence. He wanted Adrianna to come after him and pamper him and massage his ego a little. But none of that happened. Instead Adrianna only went on to explain to him why it was important to see Niiya. Suddenly he turned to see Nate and said, "Is it possible that we can have a different person to represent the Human Realm?"


    Nate shook his head. He knew what was eating Dmitri. "Is Niiya in the Wizard Kingdom?"


    "Hmm��" came the lazy reply. "But tell me, is it possible to get him removed?"


    "It is definitely possible however, that would mean finding a person whom everyone would like and then getting that person voted by the head council. Only Ed knows the ways of the head council, so it would be a gargantuan task. Also to think of the fact that Niiya won''t resist�� Well, to tell the long story short, it is going to be very difficult to replace Niiya. I have heard that in order to remove a head, you have to have solid reasons. For example, think of the reasons why you would be removed as the Supreme Alpha of the Werewolf Realm."


    Dmitri pursed his lips. "Isn''t there an easier way? For example how about killing him? That would be the best!" replied Dmitri with a glint of excitement in his eyes.


    "And why would you kill him?" asked Nate as he got up to make a peg of whiskey for the two of them.


    "I don''t know��" replied Dmitri with a shrug. "Maybe because he dares to flirt with my wife. You see, you cannot flirt with the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom."


    "Ah! But how come the King of the Wizard Kingdom keeps flirting so much?" asked Nate as he gave him a glass of whiskey.


    "Only to make Adrianna jealous."


    "Now that is a heinous crime. If I would do that Ookashi would leave me even though she is marked by me. She is a human and I feel she is more balanced than I am emotionally. So it is possible that she will survive but Dmitri, what would happen to me? Do you think as a werewolf I will be able to live without her?" Nate reasoned.


    Dmitri kept his head back on the sofa again and started looking into blank space. This wasn''t going anywhere. All he could think of was how Adrianna was doing��


    In the Royal Palace it was time for Adrianna to go for the evening dinner at Isidorus. She thought that this was the second time he had given dinner in her honor and it was high time she should also call all the ministry members for dinner. Her thoughts went back to Dmitri and she felt lonely again. While the servants were dressing her up for the occasion, she looked at herself in the mirror.


    One of the girls who was dressing her looked at the beautiful nape of her Queen. She was making her wear a necklace when her gaze fell on her mark that marred the beauty. She touched the mark slightly and said, "My Queen, what is it?"


    Adrianna looked at her with anger in her eyes and said, "Don''t touch it ever again." Adrianna could feel electricity running in body, and she didn''t like anyone else''s touch on it.


    The girl was scared and said, "Sorry My Queen!"


    Once she was dressed, she looked stunning with a red evening gown flanked by a magnificent diamond necklace that created a beautiful glitter on the flawless skin of her neck. With her hair tied in a neat bun and the Queen''s white robe, she looked as stately as one could.


    It was time to go for dinner. This was the first dinner hosted by anyone for the King and Queen after her coronation and Dmitri wasn''t there. Her loneliness grew�� But there was nothing she could do.


    She could have gone through the portal but it was a tradition to go by the carriage and so even though it was a five minutes journey to Isidorus'' Palace, she went in her carriage.


    When she reached there and stepped in everyone bowed to their Queen. Isidorus rushed to her to receive her and was surprised to see that she was alone but he didn''t ask her anything.


    She could see a question on the faces of those around regarding the absence of Dmitri. She walked with her head held high in between all of them and went with Isidorus to the special area where only a few could sit. She took her place and sat there gracefully. She smiled to all those who bowed to her.


    Ziu saw that she had come without Dmitri and smirked. There was something wrong with them, he was sure. He had to fan that fire and along with Niiya who was talking to him, he went over to Adrianna. Niiya who was talking while walking with Ziu was surprised to see Adrianna suddenly when they reached over there.


    "Hi there Adri!" he said.


    Adrianna smiled sheepishly. "Hello Niiya." Then she looked away.


    "Where is Dmitri?" interjected Ziu.


    Adrianna looked at Ziu to answer but before she could say anything, Niiya said aloud, "How about we raise a toast to the Queen?"


    Everyone around became alert and beamed. Adrianna became slightly uncomfortable. A servant came and gave a wine glass to her. She took it and stood up gracefully. She had to keep the act of looking confident.


    It was Niiya who raised a toast and said, "To the long collaboration of the Wizard Kingdom and the Human Realm and Long live the Queen!"


    Everybody raised their wine glasses along with Adrianna. However, just before she was about to sip the wine from her glass, two strong arms hugged her from behind and took the glass from her.

 Chapter 393 - Another Public Display Of Affection

    Adrianna smiled when she sensed the man behind her. He took the glass from her and mentally communicated, "Pregnant women shouldn''t drink." With his right hand wrapped around her, he raised the glass for her with his left hand in response to the toast that Niiya had given.


    "Thank you," he said to everyone, Niiya in particular. Then he sipped wine from the glass and looked at his wife who looked up at him. He sealed her lips and passed some wine to her, which she gulped immediately.


    Everyone around them started clapping and giggling at this public display of affection. When Dmitri left her, she was panting for breath and her face was red.


    As their eyes met, he whispered, "I love you."


    "I love you too."


    A smile came on their lips and both of them started looking at those in front.


    Niiya was a little taken aback but then he just bowed and left. He knew that he had to get used to this and he also knew that Dmitri did that on purpose only to show that he was an outsider in their relationship, something from the past but it was getting difficult for him. He could never understand why was he so much in love with a woman who would never be his. Seeing how his sister acted after getting married to a werewolf with her mark and all, he could well imagine what it would be to be a werewolf. Dmitri''s marking her meant they were soul mates for life.


    He seriously wanted to move on with life and after what he saw tonight, he thought of going overseas and take up Masters in Chemistry. He had to do something to divert his mind.


    Ziu was standing near Niiya and when he noticed that Niiya was walking away after the kiss, he also went away with him. He was disappointed that his plans failed so miserably. However, he wouldn''t give up. He went and stood by his side and said, "Would you like another glass of wine?"


    Niiya''s mood was spoiled, so he gulped his wine in one large swig and said, "Yes!"


    Ziu went to fetch another glass and by the time he was back, he saw that Niiya was being flanked by several witches, trying to ask him out. Niiya was laughing with all of them, at their jokes. His mind seemed to have diverted. It was at this time that Ziu entered his cell and came to know that he was planning to go overseas. No, that wasn''t an option. Not till he was there and wanted the crown. "Niiya, you have to realize the importance of your presence in the Human Realm," thought Ziu.


    Adrianna and Dmitri were now sitting holding hands. "So, you decided to come?" she teased him. What she meant was that he couldn''t stay without her.


    "How could I leave my wife alone and that too when her former lover was here? Do you think I am such a fool?" he sipped his wine and said.


    When Dmitri was in the Werewolf Realm and talking to Nate, he realized what a stupid thing he did to fight with Adrianna and leave her alone. Niiya was already there and if he would find her alone, he would definitely try to flirt with her. That thought was unbearable. Plus what Nate said made so much sense. Staying away from her after a fight was simply difficult. He had gone to meet his parents after he left Nate.


    Pierre was simply horrified when she saw that he was alone there without Adrianna. He had specifically asked him to stay with her. "What is it that brings you here?" he scolded him. "I asked you to stay with Adrianna. Don''t you realize that she is pregnant and needs your support?"


    Cora joined in. "Yes Dmitri, you shouldn''t worry about things here. There are very minor problems nowadays, thanks to Adrianna for getting rid of Vikra and your father is handling them very well. In fact, your father loves that he is able to handle things nicely all over again. He admires that you have so painstakingly united all the packs and is now their Supreme Alpha."


    Dmitri took a deep breath as he smiled to show his gratitude.


    Pierre continued, "Go back to Adrianna and come only when she also wants to come here. As such I was thinking of calling all the Chiefs for a grand celebration because we have defeated Vikra, so I will let you know when that is scheduled. Till then stay with Adri."


    "Okay father," said Dmitri. He got his answers and he couldn''t wait to be with Adrianna. Fleur created a portal for him and as he walked through the portal, his clothes were that of what he had to wear for the party. So when he stepped out, he was fully dressed as the King. He chuckled as he looked at Fleur. Privileges of being a witch and privileges of being a part of their world.


    She bowed and said, "You are welcome."


    Adrianna laughed at her husband. "You know that there is nothing from my side, then why do you even torture yourself with these ideas?" she asked. "There can be no one other than you, okay?" she said as she kept a hand on his cheek.


    "Hmm��" he replied affectionately.


    For the entire evening everyone else present in the party could see how close the King and Queen were and it really boosted their confidence. It was important for the citizens to see that their rulers were standing for each other and there were no conspiracies going on.


    "Let us go home," said Dmitri after gulping the wine.


    "Okay," she replied because even she didn''t like parties. She loved her time just being with her family. Her needs were still so small as they were when she was a teenager who was not bothered about the world around her.


    But Isidorus glared at the two of them when they thought of leaving. He came in front of them instantly and stopped them. "Stay until dinner," he commanded.


    They pouted like two kids who were caught in the act of fleeing and were being reprimanded by their father.


    A few minutes later a ministry member came and said, "My Queen, I wanted to discuss something with you."

 Chapter 394 - Why Don’t You Like Him?

    Ever since the Wizard Kingdom citizens had come to know about the fact that their Queen had stayed amongst the humans, there were many parents who wanted to send their children to the Human Realm for a year or two in order to learn about the ways of that world. It was because they thought that Adrianna was a very composed woman who had very high standards of perceiving life. She was honest and had a very cool temperament. All decisions that she took were very valuable and well thought of. They saw how she commanded them to victory in the recent war at such a young age and so it must have got to do something with her interaction with the Human Realm.


    Since many of those parents were also in ministry jobs, hence they thought that they should discuss it with the Queen.


    The Ministry Member who came to discuss this matter was in charge of overseeing matters of education and welfare. He bowed and when Adrianna nodded, he sat down on the sofa opposite to her.


    He said, "My Queen, there has been a special demand from the many parents from across the various levels for their children."


    Adrianna already liked the topic because it was concerning children. "What is it?" she asked.


    Dmitri also listened to this conversation intently.


    The Ministry Member continued, "Since our Queen has successfully stayed amongst the humans in the Human Realm, many parents feel that even their kids can stay in the Human Realm. This is because they would learn to control their feelings and become more patient."


    Adrianna smiled at the thought. Perhaps these people thought that Adrianna''s character was developed because she lived with the humans. Although that wasn''t true but living with humans did make her very patient. She couldn''t use her magic every now and then for any purpose. She had to depend on her intelligence in tackling with people over there. There was a sad smile on her face when she remembered Pryce and how she had to deal with her.


    "Parents want that their children should stay amongst the humans for a period of one or two years, whatever they liked and this should be done as soon as possible," said the Ministry Member.


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri and asked, "What do you think about it?"


    Dmitri was very surprised when he heard that it was the Human Realm that shaped Adrianna''s character. These people knew so little about her. He smirked and said, "Adrianna is a werewolf. Yes, she did attend the school and college with humans but do you really think that it was the humans that helped in shaping her character? Character is something that is taught by the parents primarily."


    "I agree with you my King, but other outer factors also influence," reasoned the Ministry Member.


    Dmitri didn''t want to stay how her father and siblings treated Adrianna. If it had been for them she was better dead than alive. As a young girl she always ran away from them and stayed with Ed. "Yes, lots of outer factors!" he repeated.


    The Ministry Member was confused about why was the King so upset. So he started looking at his Queen.


    Adrianna replied, "I think this is a nice idea but the wizards and witches are different from humans. It would be very difficult for them to adjust."


    "Yes, My Queen. We do understand the hazards of sending the kids to that realm but unless we send them over there, how can we know that they won''t adjust," argued the Ministry Member.


    "Arthur," said Adrianna, "If the parents are so keen, I don''t see why shouldn''t the kids go and interact with the humans. However, all this needs to be sorted out very carefully. We don''t want humans to panic and we don''t want them to know that we exist. Because if they would know the consequences would be disastrous. Greed for power would become prominent amongst them and they would use the wizards and witches for their own individual needs. So we have to all sit down and formulate policies regarding this idea, if it were to come in action."


    "Yes, My Queen, I agree. It is just an idea and it would be great if it was given a further thought."


    "Sure," she replied and Arthur took his leave.


    Adrianna turned to Dmitri and said, "Why were you so rude? I think it is a nice idea."


    "Adri, when he spoke about shaping kids'' character, I remembered how your father and siblings treated you. Didn''t your father send to wage a war against me only because he was unable to fight on his own? He had no interest in your well-being. Didn''t your sister leave you in Alex''s Cave to fend for yourself at the age of three? And what about your brother Reinjie? Didn''t he force you to get married to that good for nothing person from whom I saved you?" Dmitri spoke all that with anger in his eyes.


    Adrianna held his hand and caressed it. After a moment''s pause she said, "Everything is behind us and all those people who conspired against us have now met with their fate. So please darling, don''t get angry. It is of no use."


    The way she said and looked in his eyes, it calmed him. He looked down in his lap and then changing the topic said, "When are we going to eat food?"


    She laughed knowing that he wanted to go back home.


    They chatted for a while. Dmitri asked her casually, "Can you read the minds of everyone out here?"


    "Hmm," she replied as she continued to caress him.


    "Then tell me what is Niiya thinking?" he asked.


    Adrianna left his hand immediately. Angrily she said, "No more talking about Niiya!"


    Dmitri put his hands up and said, "Okay, Okay!" Then he looked at Ziu and said, "Somehow I don''t like that man either."


    Adrianna shook her head. "Enough Dmitri!"


    "No, not in the way I don''t like Niiya�� but in a different way��"


    "What do you mean?" she asked.


    "Well, I don''t think he is my love rival because I know you never even looked at him," he chuckled and said.


    "Then why don''t you like him?"

 Chapter 395 - Document Records Section

    Dmitri couldn''t collect his ideas about Ziu. It was impossible to pinpoint on anything so he pursed his lips. He looked away from Adrianna and then after a short pause said, "I just feel that there is something going on in his mind. You should investigate this a little��"


    Adrianna looked at Ziu who was standing far across in the room along with Niiya and few other witches, all of which were talking to him with admiration in their eyes. She stared at Ziu for some time in order to get into his cell, but she was blocked. Ziu was indeed a powerful man and if what Dmitri said was correct then she had to look for an opportunity to investigate him.


    In the next hour, various other ministry members, businessmen and other people came to meet her. Dinner was served and as soon as they had it, the Royal Couple left. Isidorus had told them to stay longer because the people were going to base their movement around the Royal Couple. They noticed when the couple came in or walked out. Everything was noticed. All programs were scheduled according to them. So it was important how they conducted in front of their people.


    Adrianna and Dmitri left after a little while, as she couldn''t withstand her sleepiness. Isidorus understood her predicament. While walking out she looked at Ziu once again and noticed that he was also looking at her. She gave a smile and turned her face away.


    By the time they reached home, Adrianna had a few things in her mind. She remembered that when she had made Ziu the Prime Minister of the Wizard Kingdom, the crown didn''t like the proposal and had even warned her.


    Next day they had to go to the celebrations that were taking place in the third level. Once those events were over, she went to the Ministry Building along with Dmitri. As she walked to her chamber, she saw that there were only a few people out there. The place was very quiet. As soon as they saw their Queen, they all bowed to her. It was indeed surprising to see her there at this time.


    Dmitri was impressed by the building so much that he said, "We should make room for resting here too."


    "What makes you think we don''t have one here?" said Adrianna with a small frown.


    They walked and just before she was about to climb to her chamber, she saw that Seashell, the lion was lying there, sleeping as usual. He sensed her coming towards the staircase and woke up with a soft roar. "My Queen," he said as he too bowed to her. "Seeing you after a long time."


    "How are you Seashell?" communicated Adrianna.


    "I am doing well but who is this man with you?" he asked as he allowed her to climb but stopped Dmitri coming right in front of him baring his teeth.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and stood there with his arms crossed across his chest. He felt like shape shifting and fight this animal for blocking him.


    Adrianna rolled her eyes at Dmitri and communicated to Seashell, "He is my husband."


    "Oh!" replied Seashell, as he walked to the side and gave him the clearance. "Very arrogant!"


    Dmitri walked past him with his head held high. Suddenly as he was climbing the first step, he felt as if someone had slapped his buttocks. Shocked he turned to see and saw Seashell standing behind him and looking at his face.


    "I am sorry but that was my tail I couldn''t control," replied Seashell as Adrianna asked him to behave.


    "Did this lion just slapped me on my buttocks?" asked Dmitri turning t look at her in anger.


    Adrianna shrugged. She didn''t answer and walked away from there. Dmitri turned back to glare at Seashell and with two of his finger pointed at his eyes and then at him to convey that he was watching him.


    "Bah! Keep watching. Who is bothered?" came a soft growl.


    Adrianna went to her chamber but she didn''t stop there. She went to the library that was adjacent to her room. Dmitri followed her. He went and sat down on the couch. He took his shoes off and putting his feet up, he said, "This is lovely. Adri, I am now enjoying you being the Queen��"


    Adrianna shook her head and left him there. She went inside the library. She moved her face from left to right to locate the bookshelf that Isidorus had once told her about. She moved forward as her gaze fell on it and opened it slowly. There was a red button that she pressed and a large number of cupboards moved aside as a lift came into view. When its door opened, she saw that the inside of the lift were made of gold. There was a large mirror right in front. The lift was lift with just one light and it shimmered.


    "Where do you want to go My Queen?" asked a voice inside the lift.


    Adrianna stepped inside and said, "Take me to Document Records."


    The door of the lift closed. It started moving very fast towards the right and within a minute, it started going down. The lift opened into the Document Records section. When Adrianna walked in, the doors of the section automatically opened. She noticed that there were two elves working in that section. She was surprised. Isidorus had told that there was only one elf but now she was facing two more.


    "Good afternoon," said the elves together as they bowed to her. One of them was seven feet tall while the other one was about Dmitri''s height.


    "I- I am Adrianna," she stuttered.


    "We know you, Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. What would you like to see?" asked the taller one without even blinking his eyes.


    "How come I didn''t know about you two?"


    "We work in this section where we have documented every record about all the wizards and witches. This place contain secrets of many and so we cannot be revealed to anyone."


    Adrianna was stunned. There was so much secrecy but she got a hold of herself and said, "I want to see Ziu''s records."

 Chapter 396 - Zius Records

    The two elves didn''t ask any questions and guided her to the section. While walking towards that section she asked them, "So how did you know about me?"


    "That lift is used only by the royals only. After you had entered here for the first time, your DNA had been recorded by the matrix and is already in our data so we knew that the new ruler of the Wizard Kingdom is a queen. No one other than the ruler is allowed to enter this section," replied the shorter elf.


    "So you two are permanent residents of this section and no one know that you even exist and on top of that you people are elves! How do you maintain your secrecy?" asked a bewildered Adrianna.


    "We have our ways," replied the elf as if disregarding the fact that she was the queen and should know about them. "We live in the ground across from here along with the elf that you were watching the other day."


    "What?" Adrianna was shocked that they even knew that she was watching the elf who was the Mozia trainer the day she had come to the Ministry Block for the first time. "H- how do you know that I was watching him?"


    "Like I said, we have our ways," he replied and became quiet.


    They had reached the segment where Ziu''s records were kept. It was located in the last of the huge room that was stacked with large number of documents. Although the room was huge, there was not a speck of dust present. Everything was neatly stacked.


    They bowed to her and the shorted one said, "We will take your leave now My Queen. In case you need help, let us know. Be careful when you open the family history of Ziu. That is very dark and the book is disturbing. You might feel low and despairing but keep reading it and the feeling would go."


    Adrianna nodded and they left. She turned her gaze towards the bookshelf that was from top to bottom and located the family section of Ziu. She saw that there were over ten thick folders that belonged to his family. She scanned through them and took out two most important ones, one about him and the other about his father and mother. She opened the first page of his parent''s documents. Every document was in a folder resembling a book.


    In the first page she saw his parent''s photos along with him and his little sister. His mother was a beautiful woman, almost seductive to the point of being unbelievable. She opened the next page and started reading it. As she read it, the facts only astonished her mind.


    Ziu''s mother belonged to the family of serpents. In fact she was the fifth daughter of the King of Serpents. They lived underwater and could also live out of the water but their castle was under the surface of the ocean. She met Ziu father, who was a wizard when she had come out to explore the world. Every child of the King was sent out to see the world that existed on the land. She met her mate when she had shape shifted and had somehow lost her way in the jungles that surrounded the Wizard Kingdom.


    She had used her charm to seduce his father who eventually fell in love with her irrevocably. He brought her to the Wizard Kingdom secretly and married her. Ziu was born a year later and his mother continued to stay in the Wizard Kingdom. Her identity was revealed to Shira who welcomed her to the kingdom as she thought that this relationship could be used as a strong alliance with the Serpent Kingdom.


    This also explained why Ziu was the most handsome wizard in the kingdom. He was seductive beyond belief because he got his looks from his mother. Since he had his mother''s genes too, Ziu could shape shift into a serpent. He could easily speak the serpent''s language. The problem began when the young Ziu became ambitious knowing how powerful he was. His mother had taken him to the Serpent Kingdom to show him to her father who was very happy to see his grandson. He had welcomed his son-in-law and had told Ziu that he would provide them with whatever support they ever needed. Ziu had learnt how to shape shift as a serpent under his grandfather''s guidance. In fact he was left with his grandfather for two years to learn all about the powers of being a serpent who could shape shift.


    Since Ziu was also a wizard he was extremely powerful and his grandfather had started seeing him as the next heir to his throne. Ziu had declined, as he wanted to live in the Wizard Kingdom. His parents had really liked the idea and had pestered that being a King in the Serpent Kingdom was way better than being an ordinary wizard in the Wizard Kingdom. However, the young boy rebelled against his father and mother and came back to the Wizard Kingdom. However, his grandfather adopted him as his son much to the annoyance of his other children.


    Adrianna stopped reading and wondered who was serpent Raz who had kidnapped Nate. Was he one of the Ziu''s alliances? He had mentioned that his Master was someone else. Her mind wandered to the serpent attack on Isidorus. Could that be Ziu? The complexity around Ziu grew and Adrianna was now getting uncomfortable. She could feel the chill around herself. It was intense and it gripped her heart making her feel desolate. She started reading further as advised by the elves.


    Whenever Ziu shape shifted into a serpent, his behavior resembled that of a serpent. He would swallow his prey wholly. No one dared to cross his path because he was known to kill them with his magic and then eat them up. He was feared by many in the Serpent Kingdom so when he didn''t accept the throne, it was actually a relief to all his brothers and sisters.


    The fact that he could shape shift was hidden from all. Only the elves knew and now Adrianna. She wondered if her mother also knew or not. The discovery was extremely shocking to her. Her breathing accelerated. She could feel the icy chillness of water around her. She wanted to close the book and run away from there.

 Chapter 397 - Finishing The Book

    There was a strange fear that filled her heart, something cold that couldn''t describe. Her hand went to her tummy and she caressed the little one inside as though he wanted her to get out of this place as of now. "Don''t be scared little one. Your mother is there. Sleep for a while��"


    Perhaps all those fears were emanating from the little heart that beat in her tummy��


    She continued to read the book. Ziu was extremely handsome and the reason that floated around the Wizard Kingdom was that he was bogged down by witches all across the kingdom to marry him, so he had hidden himself in the ugly fa?ade. However, the fact that he had come back to his original shape was because of another reason, which wasn''t stated there. What was written was that he could charm anyone he wanted but he didn''t feel anyone was close to his intelligence level until one day he had met a girl in the Wizard Kingdom. He had tried hard to seduce her and appeared in his original form but his charm didn''t work on her.


    Adrianna''s hand reached her mark on the neck that Dmitri had given her. She caressed it softly. That mark was her seal of protection, a seal of love that protected her heart from falling in love with anyone other than her fated mate. Suddenly, she felt that there were waves of cold water splashing around her, freezing her body. She could see the effect of that on her fingers, which had become white from cold.


    The fear.


    The desolation.


    Her mind was getting confused. Why was she getting those feelings? It was as if the book didn''t want her to read it. She could hear the sound of hiss coming from inside. It was threatening her.


    She turned the page in order to change the topic of reading but on the next page there was a large serpent in the background of the text written. All of a sudden, she noticed that the serpent moved and it coiled its tail to sit on. It bared its fangs with a hiss sound. "Go away Adrianna," it seemed to whisper. "Otherwise I will drag you down the deepest depths of the ocean."


    She ignored that warning because the elves had asked her to continue reading the book no matter what else if she would stop in the middle she would carry the sadness in her heart forever. The book was a cursed one but by whom, she didn''t know and didn''t want to know. All she knew was that she had to complete it and leave that place.


    "Adrianna." Dmitri was calling her. He could feel the misery in her heart. "Where are you? Come back to me."


    She mentally communicated, "Stay there, Dmitri. I will come as soon as possible."


    "Are you okay?" he asked with anguish in his communication.


    "I am not�� but I can''t come to you right now. Trust me, I will be back soon."


    He quieted down. She continued to read.


    Ziu had many siblings and they all wanted him dead because he was ferocious. The main contender to the Kingdom of Serpents throne was the eldest one from his mother''s sister. He was the real heir to the throne and had seen Ziu as a threat. He wanted him dead and had even attempted to kill him three times.


    Adrianna continued to read the book and check his history. One interesting thing that she came to know was that he had a sister from the second sister of his mother who was somewhere in the Human Realm and he was close to her. She was his ally of sorts and had shown her solidarity to him.


    If she was hunted, Adrianna could gain advantage.


    Taking down Ziu just like that wouldn''t be easy because he would create havoc to not get caught. She had to trick him to come out of the Wizard Kingdom. Either she would send him back to his Kingdom or she would have to kill him. With the kind of intentions he had, the latter option was better.


    The book was finished in another half an hour. As she neared the end of the book, she realized that the miserable feeling that she was filled with had now dissipated. She closed the book and left the Document Records Section. The elves came to see her off. Before leaving she said, "You must come to the Royal Palace someday."


    "If we will come to the Royal Palace, our kind is going to kill us," said the taller elf.


    Adrianna was aghast. "Why is that?"


    "Because we have run away from our land and they are still hunting for us. It was the first Prince of the Wizard Kingdom who offered us refuge, and since then this has been our home. We stay under an invisibility spell. No one knows about you except for two people, the elf who trains the Mozias and you. The moment we will step out of the Ministry Block, the spell would wear off."


    These two were thousands of years old! "So how do you know so much about the Wizards that you are maintaining our records section?" asked a bewildered Adrianna.


    "We take the data from your DNA that is locked in the matrix here and then we have our ways of interpreting and finding out everything that is possible about you."


    Adrianna was really stunned at the vast knowledge of the elves. She couldn''t even imagine all the information these had in their brains. She nodded and bowed to them. "Thank you," she had to say that. She left the section using the lift again.


    When she arrived, she found that Dmitri was pacing up and down the room. As soon as he saw her, he rushed to her and hugged her tightly. "You were giving me all sorts of heart attacks. Where were you that you experienced so much pain and fear? How is my baby? It is not right for you to put our child at this kind of psychological risk!"


    "I am sorry, but this was important," she replied as she hugged him back. "Let''s go back to the Palace."

 Chapter 398 - Release Fleur

    Dmitri and Adrianna headed to the Royal Palace in their carriage. As usual the army of wizards and witches surrounded them from all sides. While looking outside the window, Adrianna noticed Fleur who was flying right beside the carriage and her mind wandered to reliving her of her duties. She had to talk to Isidorus about. The topic had been delayed so much that she no longer wanted to delay it so she asked the wizard driving the carriage to go to Isidorus'' Palace.


    Dmitri smiled at her. "This was long due. Liam is not able to concentrate on his work and the two have been fighting a lot lately. In fact, I heard that she had come here to the Wizard Kingdom and staying away from him from past one week. Liam keeps accusing her of not finding time for him."


    Adrianna sighed. "I can understand the agony of these two but the way the events have turned out, it was impossible for me to focus on this issue. Let''s see what Isidorus has to say." She turned around to gaze Fleur whose face was very stiff but her mind was in turmoil, which Adrianna could read very well. Perhaps she was crying inside.


    They reached the Palace of Isidorus in ten minutes and found him waiting for them. Even though he was in the event, the moment he sensed that his Queen needed his audience, he came to his palace and stood on the gate to receive them.


    "What is it my Queen?" he asked as the royal couple walked through the wide pathway in between the gardens that led to the main entrance.


    Adrianna stepped inside followed by Dmitri and Isidorus. She noticed that the hall that was bustling with festivity a night before was now quiet with very furniture back in its place. She walked towards a plush sofa and sat down. Dmitri made himself home as he picked up an apple from the center table and took a bite after giving a wink to the old man whom he loved to tease.


    "I wanted to talk about Fleur," said Adrianna without wasting time.


    "What about her? Has she given you any trouble?" asked a wary Isidorus.


    Dmitri raised an eyebrow and shook his head at the man who only had suspicions in his mind. "Broaden your horizon, old man," he said and munched on his apple.


    Isidorus slanted his eyebrows in anger as he looked at Dmitri. This man was always taunting him. Only he knew how he tolerated Dmitri.


    "No, Isidorus, she hasn''t given me any trouble but I want you to release her from serving me as my head of personal security," said Adrianna looking straight in his eyes.


    "That is not an option my Queen. She has been branded. She was born to be your guard."


    "How can she be my guard if she has been marked by Liam?" revealed Adrianna.


    Isidorus eyes became wide. "She has been marked! How dare she allows that? She has breached the very being of her existence. This calls for an immediate execution."


    "No!" shouted Adrianna in a voice that made him jump in his seat. "You will not execute Fleur only because she was marked by Liam."


    "B- but My Queen-"


    Adrianna took her hand forward to cut him off. "How can she be released?"


    "If we release her who would become your personal security guard?" asked Isidorus as if he never trusted anyone else.


    "I would like a Mozia to be my personal guard. Can that happen?"


    Isidorus contemplated on the option and said, "That can happen but there is a small problem. The Mozia are not loyal to the person, they are loyal to the crown and the ruler. So as long as you are the ruler, they would guard you with their life, but they would leave you the minute you are not the ruler. However, with Fleur it is different. She is bonded to save you for her life. If we release her from her duty, she would no longer be able to use her magic and possible even cease to exist as a witch. She would turn into a mere human who is mortal. Once she becomes a mortal, would Liam be able to take that pain?"


    Dmitri stopped munching as he lost his appetite on hearing about the fate of his friend. Adrianna gaped at Isidorus in fear and misery. "What do you mean Isidorus?"


    Isidorus took a deep breath and said, "Howard was not having children for a long time. He approached the Wizard Queen at that time who had the powers to grant him the wish. Shira granted him the wish but everything comes with a price. She said that the first born would have to serve as a personal guard to the ruler of the kingdom. Desperate to have a child, Howard agreed and Fleur was born. After her, he had three more babies but out of them, only she was owned by the Palace. The wish had to be fulfilled the moment we came to know about you and she was sent to guard you even when you were not the queen."


    "So does that mean that if we release her from this, she has to pay with her personality, with what she is? She has to sacrifice her magic?"


    "Yes," said Isidorus nonchalantly.


    "Does she know about it?" asked Dmitri because he knew that Liam surely didn''t know about it.


    "No, she doesn''t. We haven''t told her this."


    Adrianna gulped. This was such a difficult situation. She wanted to help Fleur but to what end? She couldn''t even think of Liam''s loss once Fleur would die as a mortal. "We will tell this to the two of them and leave the decision on them. It is for them to decide. However, if Fleur wants to be released, we will release her," said Adrianna and got up from there. She was feeling suffocated.


    "Okay, my Queen," replied Isidorus.


    Adrianna could read the sadness in his mind. He appeared like a tough old man but he cared a lot for Fleur. Howard and Ed were one of his best friends. When she went outside, her eyes locked with Fleur and she smiled.

 Chapter 399 - The Ugly Truth

    Fleur bowed and smiled back at Adrianna and mounted her broom. She was longing to go and meet Liam but they have had a fight. The agony and misery only increased when she couldn''t even mentally communicate with him. Whenever her hand went to the mark that Liam had given her, she would become restless. She had tried tying a thick scarf around it so that even when she was careless, her hand wouldn''t go there. Although she succeeded, what about her heart?


    Fleur sighed and waited for Adrianna and Dmitri to sit in the carriage. The carriage was airborne and Fleur commanded her troupe to fly with them. When they reached the Royal Palace, she was about to take her leave when Adrianna said, "Fleur, I would like to go to the Werewolf Realm in an hour, so be ready."


    "Yes, my Queen," Fleur said reluctantly. She was hesitant to meet Liam. It was him who had been fighting with her and so she was internally conflicted. She wanted to meet him desperately but was too angry to see his face.


    Adrianna was very tired and she wanted to sleep, but it was necessary for her to go to the Werewolf Realm only for Liam and Fleur. She wanted to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.


    She went to her bedroom and wore casual and comfortable clothes.


    "I think we should visit the market in the Human Realm to buy clothes for you, Adri," said Dmitri as he noticed her changing her clothes.


    "Why?" asked Adrianna with a frown on her face. God only knows how many clothes her closet had in this world. Every time she would open it, there were so many according to her mood and occasion that she was spoilt for choice.


    "Because there you are going to get appropriate clothes for a pregnant woman," he replied matter-of-factly with a shrug.


    "Dmitri, don''t worry, I have plenty over here too!" she dissuaded him.


    "We will see��" he said and lolled on the bed. "By the way, why were you feeling miserable back in the Ministry Block? I became worried," he asked as he propped his head on his hand and looked at her.


    Adrianna sighed. "I will let you know when the time comes��"


    Dmitri didn''t pursue the matter. He beckoned her to come to him and she obliged. When she lied next to him, he curled his arms around her lovingly and said, "Adri, I want you to feel pleasant and happy." He kissed her forehead and smelled her.


    She smiled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and stroked his hair. She would love to feel happy in his company and just be his wife and give birth to their baby. However, the life of a ruler was different. The college days were absolutely great in front of her current time.


    An hour later, Fleur had created the portal through which she walked into the Werewolf Realm along with Dmitri. Fleur was about to leave when Adrianna asked her to stay there for some more time and wait for her in the main hall.


    Meanwhile Dmitri had communicated to Liam about his arrival and the fact that he had to meet him. So when they went to the main hall after fifteen minutes, they found Liam and Fleur sitting on opposite sofas and avoiding to look at each other. The situation was pretty awkward for both of them. Adrianna went to sit next to Fleur while Dmitri waved a casual hello to Liam and went to meet his parents.


    "How are you Liam?" asked Adrianna as she sat next to Fleur.


    "Good," came a short answer as a cursory glance was passed towards Fleur too. "Why am I here?"


    Adrianna tilted her head and looked at him. She wasn''t able to understand as to how she should give the information to them. She started slowly. "There is something that you both have to know��"


    "If you are here to talk on Fleur''s behalf, then I am not interested Adri," said Liam and turned his gaze away.


    Fleur became angry and crossed her arms against her chest withdrawing herself even more. She pursed her lips and fought the tears that were choking her throat now.


    "Liam, you have to understand the repercussions of marrying Fleur," said Adrianna looking intently at him.


    "I understand them very well, Adrianna. She would never stay with me and would continue to serve as your bodyguard. She doesn''t want to give up on that and this is the reason why we are not seeing each other. As my wife, I would want her to be with me but who would have known that my fated mate was someone who didn''t want to live with me? So if she wants, we can go through the rituals of unmarking her. I will call the shaman today," said Liam as anger rose within him.


    Adrianna was shocked. "Unmarking your soulmate is not possible. Had she been not your soul mate, that scar should have healed. Don''t you know that?" she scolded him for being so careless in answering her.


    "What do you want from me, Adri?" he asked as he turned to face the two women in front of him. "I will marry her only if she agrees to live with me. I want her to stay with me as my wife."


    "If Fleur leaves the post of my security guard, she will turn into a mortal��" said Adrianna inviting a shock from both of them.


    "What?"


    "What?"


    The two of them said it together loudly.


    Adrianna sighed and said, "Yes, that is the ugly truth. You have to give up being a witch if you choose to marry Liam. So it is for both of you to decide what is it that the two of you want."


    Liam was wide eyed. "Please explain," he said with seriousness.


    Adrianna went to tell everything that Isidorus had told her without leaving a detail. It was important that both of them knew and made an informed decision.


    At the end of it, there were tears in Fleur''s eyes and Liam was with a heavy weight in his heart. Either she remained immortal or marries Liam. What a choice? This was painful�� She got up and ran outside to the garden because she had begun to feel winded. She was owned by the Royal Palace. Price of her life.


    Fleur reached the garden but she didn''t stop there. She had to see her father.


    Suddenly the ground beneath her rumbled.

 Chapter 400 - I Have Made My Decision

    There was a low rumble in the ground upon which Fleur ran. She stopped for a moment but thought that she had only imagined it and so she started walking further. She reached the gates of the mansion when she heard the rustle of leaves behind her. When she turned she found Liam standing over there.


    "Where are you going?" he asked as he put his hands on his waist.


    Fleur pursed her lips and looked away from him. She didn''t want to talk to him. There were thousands of questions that she had to ask her father, but she didn''t even know where to start from. A tear formed near the edge of her eye and she wiped it slightly before it spilled. Her breath got caught in her throat. She turned and started walking towards the gate again.


    Liam came from behind and caught her hand. "Fleur, there is no point in asking Howard about it," he said reading her mind. "He will only be pained to see his child in such a situation. Don''t you think he is already aware of this situation and must have kept it a secret from you for so long?"


    Fleur stopped and tried to wriggle her hand out of his but she was feeling weak and helpless. How could she become a mortal only because she wanted to marry someone she loved? And that someone had been so annoying recently. So where did this situation put her?


    "Leave me, Liam. I want to go to father and be with him. I have to ask him so many questions. I want to stay away from you. I have to decide what to do next��" said Fleur as her throat choked and she burst into tears.


    Liam pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms. He stroked her hair and smelled her trying to calm his internal emotions. Imagine staying with Fleur who would die soon. What must Nate be going through? Ookashai was a human. This was a miserable feeling.


    He picked her and brought her face to face. Lightly brushing his lips against hers, he said, "Let us go to Nate and Ookashi instead, okay?" He kissed her lightly.


    Feeling the familiar touch and the kiss that acted like balm to her nerves, Fleur held his neck and nodded. She couldn''t keep away from him and kissed him passionately offering her tongue. The answer was right there. Either get tortured for life or spend whatever life she had with him in happiness.


    Liam placed her on her feet and held her hands tightly. They started walking towards Nate''s house when the ground under them rumbled again.


    Fleur became alert because this time the sound was louder than before. The two of them stopped in their tracks. "Did you hear that?" asked Fleur.


    "Yes��"


    Without a second''s delay, Fleur called all the wizards and witches that were in there for Adrianna''s security. They appeared immediately and positioned themselves at each and every strategic point outside the mansion.


    She looked ahead towards the skies, which were a hue of red and orange. The sun had set and the forest ahead looked dark. She stopped and waited for some time but there was no sound. So once again the two of them resumed their walk towards Nate''s house.


    "I never thought about Nate and Ookashi�� they must be living with this fear everyday��" she said.


    "Hmm��"


    They reached Nate''s place within ten minutes and found that Ookashi was sitting outside along with Nate. They were sitting on a garden swing. Ookashi''s hand was resting on her tummy, her pregnant bulge now pretty evident. Nate was rubbing her feet that she had kept on his lap.


    When Ookashi saw them, she beamed and waved at them. Nate followed her gaze and smiled. Ookashi started to get up but he said, "No baby, you keep sitting. Your feet are swollen and you need to keep them stable."


    "Ah, okay," she replied with a smile.


    Fleur went to her and hugged her and so did Liam.


    "How are you?" asked Fleur with a soft smile.


    "I am fine. This little one needs a lot of attention from his parents, so both Nate and me are tending to him," she replied with a grin.


    "That''s a baby girl!" Nate refuted her claim.


    Liam started laughing at his friend as Fleur joined him and Ookashi just shook her head.


    Nate went inside to fetch wine and snacks for the two of them.


    "So nice to see Liam in an upbeat mood today. He had been very sad without you, Fleur," said Ookashi. "You should marry him fast now that he has already marked you."


    Fleur became pensive upon hearing it and looked at the ground near her boots.


    "What is it?" asked Ookashi sensing that something was wrong.


    Fleur explained her everything. Nate had also come by that time and heard her. He noted that Liam was the one feeling miserable. He could read his state of mind. He handed them the drinks and sat down next to his wife.


    "Look at me Fleur. It doesn''t matter to me," said Ookashi. "I am a human, so immortality is not even an option for me. I am happy with what I have at the moment." She looked at Nate and extended her hand for him to hold it. When he held it, he kissed her fingers.


    "It is something that is always there in the back of our minds but we can''t do anything about it, so I have stopped thinking about it," said Nate. "I want to savor every moment with Ookashi."


    Liam looked up at the sky as he fought the mist in his eyes. "Let''s just stay like the way we are," he said to Fleur. "I won''t be able to see you die." He couldn''t imagine the immense pain that Nate was feeling at that point of time.


    "No, I have made my decision," said Fleur as she sipped her wine. "I will live with you and marry you."


    "No!" shouted Liam. "You won''t."


    Fleur kept her glass on the ground below. She got up from her chair and went to sit on Liam''s lap. "I will marry you sweetheart," she said and sealed his lips before he could say anything. The words that were coming out of his mouth were captured in her mouth and then there was a soft groan. A submission...


    Nate and Ookashi smiled.


    Just near the mansion there was an earth shattering sound.

 Chapter 401 - I Have Orders To Kill You

    Adrianna was sitting along with Dmitri and his parents in their room. Cora was asking her all about her pregnancy and Pierre was fussing a lot. Suddenly he stood from his place and went to his wardrobe from where he dug out a blue velvet box. Keeping it in front of Adrianna he said, "Cora and I have bought this for you a week back. This is our first gift to you together after you have become pregnant."


    Adrianna pursed her lips. That was an expensive gift and she wasn''t sure whether she should accept it or not. She looked at Dmitri from the corner of her eyes. He just sat near his mother eating the apples she was peeling for him.


    "Take it," he mentally communicated. "They would feel bad if you won''t."


    She smiled and said, "Thank you father. I will take this one but please don''t buy anymore. I have so many that Dmitri had bought and a lot in the Royal Palace."


    Pierre looked at the girl in front of her. Most girls of her age would have gladly accepted any jewelry they would be gifted with and she was simply taking it as a curtsey. He smiled and replied, "Get used to it Adrianna. We will be gifting more. After all you are the Luna of the Supreme Alpha and the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. You will keep getting such gifts."


    Adrianna sighed knowing that he said the truth. She opened the blue velvet box and found a shimmering bracelet with five round rubies that were surrounded with diamonds on all sides. She gawked at it. The bracelet must be so expensive, she didn''t even want to imagine the cost. Despite the fact that she had been Dmitri''s wife for so long and was the Wizard Queen, she still couldn''t get the attitude to behave like one.


    Not her fault. She was treated like trash when she was with her family.


    She picked the bracelet and wore it around her left wrist.


    "Thank you mother and father," she said with gratitude thanking the wolf spirits the thousandth time to give her such a wonderful family.


    Pierre smiled back at her. He continued, "You should be very careful about your well being. Cora tells me that you don''t eat nicely and that you were very thin before marriage and there is no change in your body after you have got married. I am very scared that this would affect the child."


    Dmitri laughed. Adrianna had been eating like a cow. "Thin? From which angle father? She-" He looked at Adrianna and closed his mouth. She was staring at him with narrowed eyes as if trying to say that if you speak one more word, you are staying here while I am gone.


    Pierre was angry for being interrupted so rudely by his father. "Shut up Dmitri! Can''t you see what pregnant women should look like? You should have seen your mother. She looked like a cow when she was expecting you!"


    Dmitri couldn''t hold his laughter now. He chuckled slightly trying his best to control his laughter and then he saw his mother who was glaring at his father. His gaze turned to Adrianna and then his chuckle converted in a full fledged laughter. He started rolling on the bed with his hands on his stomach.


    "When the hell did I look like a fat cow, Pierre?" Cora shouted as her face became red with anger.


    "Eh?" was all that Pierre managed to say.


    Suddenly there was an earth shattering sound outside in the garden and all of them sat up. The sound was so loud, it seemed as if something had broken. The ground shook. Was that an earthquake? They were shocked.


    All four of them immediately vacated the room and went outside. As they were going outside to find, Liam, Fleur and Nate were coming in.


    "What is happening?" asked Dmitri as he shielded his parents and Adrianna.


    "You must come outside now," said Liam. He turned to look at Fleur and said, "Create a portal now for Adrianna to leave for the Wizard Kingdom."


    "Can someone tell me what happened outside?" demanded Dmitri again.


    "When we came to the mansion after hearing the sound, we saw that the ground near the foundation had cracked open," explained Nate. "We are still investigating what caused that but for now we want Adrianna to be safe please. In fact send your parents also with her to the Wizard Kingdom."


    But Adrianna wasn''t satisfied with the answer. "Fleur, create the portal. Mother and father, you go to the Palace and wait for my cue to come here," she said.


    "No!" shouted Dmitri. However, before he could say another word, she was already out of the main door while Fleur had created the portal. As soon as Cora and Pierre left, the portal closed.


    Dmitri, Liam, Nate and Fleur followed Adrianna outside. They were aghast when they saw the scene in front of them.


    Adrianna was standing in front of a huge ebony serpent that looked like a dragon that was almost twenty feet tall. It was sitting on its tail. The ground around it was shattered. There were many cracks and debris were scattered around. The scales present on its back were standing against the skin and its large fangs were clearly visible. There were scales present on the entire body, which were glimmering under the amethyst colored dusk. Its gray eyes were staring directly at Adrianna.


    There were wizards and werewolves who had surrounded it from all sides but he was hardly intimidated by them.


    "Step back Adri!," said Dmitri mentally.


    "Who are you?" asked Adrianna ignoring Dmitri''s warning.


    The snake hissed its name, "Rhyssss," and then uncoiled its tail and threw it lightly on the ground.


    "What do you want?" she asked like a Queen, unnerved at his show of strength.


    "You��" it hissed back.


    Although the two of them were talking, no one understood what they spoke.


    "I am warning you. Go back to where you have come from Rhys, else I will kill you."


    "No, I have orders to kill you," he said as he lowered his face to her level and bared its fangs. "I am going to enjoy ripping you apart."


    All those who surrounded him came a step forward. The wizards and witches that were hovering above also inched closer with their wands pointing at him.

 Chapter 402 - Dmitris Warning

    Adrianna wanted to kill the serpent in front of her but she realized he was such a fool. He really wasn''t as intelligent as Ziu was. She put her hand in the air to stop everyone from coming any nearer as she continued to stare at him. All those who surrounded them stopped in their places.


    Adrianna crossed her hands and said, "You are surrounded by a large number of werewolves and wizards who are waiting for my order to finish you, and believe me your body would explode in at least a thousand pieces if I as much snap my fingers." She slanted her eyebrows and continued, "Yet you have the audacity to say that to me and that too in my land! I should applaud you for that Rhys."


    Rhys laughed, which Adrianna listened to but what others saw was a huge serpent shaking its head in a menacing way sideways and hissing. They thought that it was preparing to attack and looked at Adrianna to give them instructions to kill it but when they noticed that she was hardly afraid of him, they stayed in their positions.


    "Adrianna, if I was bothered about these ants killing me, I wouldn''t have come alone," he replied as he roared with laughter.


    "You are the eldest of the King of serpents, Rhys," said Adrianna. "You are strong and powerful and the right heir to the throne."


    The serpent stopped laughing. He stared back at her and hissed, "How do you know?"


    "I know all about you. If you like we can fight or if you like, we can talk about negotiating with you."


    "Negotiating?" he started laughing. "You have given up so soon Adrianna?"


    What a fool? Thought Adrianna.


    "There is no point in talking to me about negotiations. If you want to talk, then perhaps you can talk about giving up the throne of the Wizard Kingdom." Saying that, he suddenly spewed fire from his mouth at her.


    Adrianna jumped to the side dodging his attack.


    The werewolves including Dmitri shape shifted and started running towards him. Some of them leapt in the air and jumped right over him while the other went towards it tail to bite the skin beneath that area. Since everywhere they could only see scales.


    Rhys was quicker than all of them. He coiled his body in a tight circle only so that his thorny scales were exposed. His skin was so rough that it was impossible to penetrate their teeth or claws in it.


    One could see twenty werewolves attacking a giant serpent from all sides trying to bite him or claw him but most of them slid or found it too difficult to get a hold on his body.


    All at once, Rhys uncoiled with a huge force and all those who were trying to climb it flew in air and landed with a huge thud on the ground thirty feet away. While those who were near the ground around were hurled by it body ten feet away. He slithered his way to the Queen throwing his large and thick tail on the ground as if threatening any werewolf to come closer and he would crush it.


    As he made his way to Adrianna, a werewolf who had fallen close by ran back to him and attacked him from under right below his mouth. The werewolf sank its teeth in the flesh injuring him badly. Black blood seeped out of his body.


    Rhys hissed in anger and blew more fire from its mouth around himself so that no one enters that area. Then it curled its body around the werewolf quickly and crushed it to death. He swiped its tail over it, throwing it far away in the forest.


    It was the time for wizards and witches. All of them pointed their wands at him when suddenly Adrianna shouted, "Stop!"


    She had been watching his tactics from behind because Dmitri had picked her up and put her behind him to save her from the attack. But she knew that his efforts would go in vain since Rhys was a very powerful serpent. However, at this point of time had she stopped him, he would have felt extremely insulted.


    "I would like to deal with him Dmitri," she communicated mentally.


    "Are you mad? I won''t let you go near him," came the reply. Dmitri had seen how easily the serpent had thrown the werewolves around him. He looked as Liam and Nate tried to climb his back.


    "It''s no use climbing his back. For God''s sake, he has huge scales that are impenetrable. And do you think he would allow you to harm his soft skin?" tried to convince Adrianna.


    "Adri, stay away. He is dangerous!" Dmitri replied with anger.


    Adrianna rolled her eyes at her stubborn husband. She was not in a position to tell the Palace secrets to Dmitri and so she couldn''t even tell him that the serpent was Ziu''s elder brother. She had to take things in hand.


    She noticed how everyone had become embroiled in the battle and slid past them. As soon as she came near Rhys, she waved her hands in air and formed an invisible wall around the two of them.


    "Adrianna!" yelled Dmitri when he realized what she had done. "Come out. He is dangerous."


    Nate, Liam, and all others were stunned at this brave gesture of their Queen.


    "Can you listen to me once?" yelled Dmitri on top of his lungs disregarding others around him. His skin lined with goose bumps when he watched how close Adrianna was to the serpent.


    Everyone waited with their bated breaths as to what would happen next.


    Inside the circle, Rhys hissed again at Adrianna and said, "You are intelligent but slightly foolish. You have voluntarily given yourself to die. It had never been this easy for me." He started laughing again. The wound that had formed below his mouth had healed completely.


    "Rhys, I will offer you the negotiations for the last time," she said.

 Chapter 403 - Break This Field Now!

    "There will be no negotiations. Haven''t you heard me?" said Rhys and blew fire on her from his mouth.


    Adrianna was standing only ten feet away from him and the fire that he blew was so severe that it could have easily burnt a large tree to ashes. However, Adrianna was quick to throw the aqua spell and extinguish the fire in air. Lots of water poured on it out of nowhere.


    "How did you do that?" he asked and then he attacked her by opening its mouth and launching it on her with his bare fangs. One bite and she would be dead with the venom he had in them. He had paralyzed, killed and eaten many of his prey like that. Eating Adrianna would be a pleasure.


    Quickly, she dodged his attack and jumped to the side. He turned to her and launched the attack baring his fangs, but this time Adrianna jumped in air and climbed his body. She started running towards its head avoiding all the scaly thorns, but it was really difficult and she kept slipping. When she reached the top of his head, she folded her right hand in a tight fist and pounded it on his head with so much force that the serpent came to a standstill. It stopped moving completely.


    The sphere in which the two of them were inside was filled with gray and black smoke and soon no one could see anything inside.


    "Adrianna!" shouted Dmitri as he ran towards the circle but an electric current threw him back.


    ---


    Adrianna had made her way to Rhys'' cell. She looked inside and found herself in an ocean of blackness. It was so dark inside that she took time to adjust her vision. She was surprised. Walking further into his cell, she noticed that it was getting only darker. How could a person be so dark inside? Was his persona like that or did he know that she had entered his cell and was cautious about it?


    Time to test.


    "Where are you Rhys?" she asked.


    The serpent that he was at the moment froze. He couldn''t move a muscle. It was as if someone was forcing him to stay in that position. Suddenly, he heard her inside his head. He wanted to open his mouth and breathe fire but he couldn''t twitch a muscle. Anxiety grew and his only option was to speak to her.


    "How the hell are you in my head?" he asked.


    "That is none of your concern," she replied with a scoff.


    "What do you want?"


    "I already told you. Negotiate with me."


    Adrianna could see the darkness around her dissipating. A man walked from the side in the cell. He was too handsome but he had a deceptive look on his face that was easy for her to interpret.


    "In what way?" he asked with an unwarranted smile.


    "I know that Ziu is the favorite choice of the King of Serpents as his heir but you are the eldest and you are the rightful heir. I can help you with ascending to the throne. Would you want that?" She threw a carrot in front of him.


    Rhys became quiet for a moment. He tilted his head as if contemplating what she offered. After a while he said, "Do you have any idea about how powerful Ziu is? If he comes to know about this conversation, he would make sure that I go to the deepest cracks present in the ocean and never see the light of the day."


    "Of course I know about him otherwise why would I offer you this deal," replied Adrianna pointing her finger at him in anger.


    Rhys walked towards her and then walked past her. He was amused to see her in his brain and talk to her like that. This was how Ziu talked to him often so he was well aware of this method of conversation. However, he thought that only Ziu was capable of this kind of magic. It was like exposing his deep, dark secrets to him, which was what he was afraid of. This was why he was very scared of Ziu. That is why he had tried his best to keep his mind as dark as possible.


    "Well I have my conditions," he said after thinking for a while.


    Adrianna smiled. She was expecting that.


    ---


    On the outside, Dmitri had become extremely anxious. He was twisting his wedding ring constantly and fidgeted. He walked around the circle testing its periphery. He had a wooden stick in his hand that would burn at the tip the moment it touched the electric field. The black and gray smoke that had filled the invisible bubble was pretty large. He was giving exasperated sighs as he waited for this to end and see his wife. He looked at all the wizards and witches and yelled at them, "Break this field now!"


    All of them including Fleur flinched but didn''t dare to go against their Queen.


    "If you won''t break the field, I will ensure that you people get skinned alive. You have no regards to your Queen''s safety and so none of you deserve to be in her personal safety team," he threatened.


    "It''s not like that Dmitri," Fleur tried to reason.


    "Then break the circle! I want to go inside and get my wife out," he shouted.


    Seeing that none of them was ready to take action, he said to Fleur, "You cannot take a single decision when it comes to your Queen''s safety. What kind of a personal guard are you?"


    Liam growled warning him to speak properly with Fleur but Dmitri ignored that warning.


    "You are of no use Fleur," he continued feeling all the more agitated.


    "Dmitri, stop it," warned Liam.


    Dmitri rolled his eyes. "You are feeling horrible with the way I am speaking to Fleur. My wife is trapped in that Goddamn circle with a serpent who could take so many werewolves single-handedly. What do you think I should do?"


    Exasperated at his panicky behavior, Fleur said, "We have to wait since those are Queen''s orders."


    "Just great!" shouted Dmitri and resumed his walk around the periphery with the wooden stick hoping that the field would disappear soon.


    ---


    "State your terms and conditions," Adrianna narrowed her eyes at him.

 Chapter 404 - Moron But Usable

    Rhys smiled as he crossed his arms across his chest. "My terms and conditions are not simple. However, there is one thing I expect from the Wizard Queen."


    "What is it?" asked Adrianna lifting her shin and narrowing her eyes at him.


    "Once I get the throne, your people and the werewolves, none of them will even interfere or enter the realm of the serpents."


    "Done, but that won''t stop me from taking action against you people if you harm any of the two realms," answered Adrianna. She had to keep an upper hand at all costs.


    "Second, if I need your help, you will give it unconditionally."


    Adrianna gave him a tight lipped smile. "Rhys, that is something you know I will never agree to. Unconditional support is given to someone who has been known and loyal. I have met you for the first time and you are asking for unconditional support? I don''t agree with that!"


    Rhys narrowed his eyes at Adrianna and then pointed his finger towards her. "It is you who wants to negotiate, so you better agree to my conditions."


    "Of course, it is me who wants to negotiate but I will definitely not agree to conditions that I will not be able to fulfill."


    "In that case I will not negotiate with you. You need to give me unconditional support in my future endeavors," insisted Rhys.


    Adrianna threw her head back and looked at him with amusement in her eyes. "Judging by the way you are going it seems you have never talked to the kings and queens of other realms. Your negotiation skills are poor and hence this talk is over." She was sure that Rhys had been subjected to only commands and hence his reasoning was terrible. No wonder his father wanted Ziu to be the king of the Serpents. He was weak and foolish. Having Rhys as the king would be a better option than having Ziu over there. Basically she had to finish Ziu no matter what.


    Rhys face became paler. Although he was scared of Ziu, he was also interested in Adrianna''s offer. How could he continue now?


    "Wait!" he said. "What is it that you can offer?"


    Adrianna smiled.


    ---


    Thirty minutes later, the bubble that was formed around Adrianna and Rhys burst into brilliant lights that lit the night sky.


    Everyone ran away from the sphere fearing that even if a single spark would fall, it would be enough to char them to death.


    What emerged from the bubble was surprising. Adrianna walked out of it followed by Rhys in his human form. Immediately everyone was up in arms again. This was totally shocking.


    Dmitri was shocked. Adrianna had spent a good thirty minutes with a man so handsome that even the fairies would blush.


    All the witches were stunned at the handsome man who was walking behind Adrianna. He was wearing a black cloak that was flowing behind him blending with the night. His face was masculine and black hair that was falling till his neck. His luscious lips were kiss worthy. The black eyes against his marble white skin were deep.


    One look at Dmitri and Adrianna rolled her eyes. "I have no interest in foolish men like him!" she communicated mentally.


    Dmitri laughed aloud. All his tension dissipated the moment he heard Adrianna. He had been so worried about her and the baby that he was dying of anxiety. He must have circled the periphery of the sphere multiple times and burnt a whole lot of wood sticks. He went to her and picked her up and in front of everyone gave her a deep kiss on her lips. She responded by circling her arms around his neck. He groaned in her throat. He carried her like that inside the mansion without bothering a penny for what the world thought about him.


    This display of affection was so shocking for all that they shook their heads at the King of two realms!


    Rhys simply followed them inside with a large number of security including Liam, Nate and Fleur in tow.


    "Why were you so bothered?" She asked mentally.


    "How is my baby?" he asked staring deep in her eyes as he placed her on the ground.


    "Never better!"


    "Don''t take such risks Adri. I get very worried."


    She patted his arms and said, "I can handle myself nicely." Then she looked at Rhys and continued, "I was in his cell. He is a moron but usable."


    "Hmm��" Dmitri was still suspicious. "You should know that foolish people are all the more dangerous because they don''t know how to take risks."


    "We''ll see," she said with a faint smile.


    Rhys was not in the mood to sit. He knew that Ziu must be timing him and it was possible that Ziu might have entered his cell.


    Adrianna stared at him and knew what he was thinking. "Don''t worry, as long as I am around you, Ziu won''t take those chances."


    Rhys was genuinely surprised. "How come?" he asked with wide eyes.


    "I have my ways," she replied with a deceptive smile. Then she looked at everyone in the room and commanded, "I need to be alone with him."


    Everyone except Dmitri left. She looked at Rhys. "Here''s what I have to offer."


    ---


    Adrianna wanted to sleep in the werewolf realm but she knew that the celebrations in the Wizard Kingdom were nearing end. She also had to go back and show Ziu that she was unharmed by Rhys. The only thing that bothered her was that too many wizards and werewolves were present when Rhys decided to show his human form. It was possible that one of them might leak the information.


    So when she reached the Wizard Kingdom, she asked Mihr to extract the recent memories of every one who accompanied her except Fleur.


    Cora and Pierre were sent back to the Werewolf Realm with safety.


    When they had retired to their bedroom, Dmitri poured a glass of wine for himself and walked to the balcony. He looked at all the glistening lights of Level three from above. There were intermittent clouds floating below the palace obstructing the view of the third level. Adrianna followed him there and watched the breathtaking view with him.


    "I have a plan for Fleur," said Dmitri.

 Chapter 405 - Cannot Break The Protocol

    The celebrations in the Wizard Kingdom were continuing and Adrianna was finding it difficult to leave the realm. She knew that once Rhys had been compromised, Ziu would do anything to know what went in between all of them. This was also because everyone returned with no memories whatsoever. The people who had memories included Dmitri, Fleur and herself.


    Dmitri sipped his wine while viewing the beautiful third level that looked as if it had been adorned with stars from the sky. Adrianna touched his back and the muscles inside the shirt rippled with pleasure. "Ziu is going to interrogate Rhys," he said turning his soft gaze at her.


    "I know," she replied as a smile lingered on her lips. She continued stroking his back and she could swear that he enjoyed the pleasurable moment. Her mate.


    Dmitri continued to sip as he studied the contours of her face, the full lips, her golden yellow eyes, high cheekbones and the neck that he wanted to nibble at so desperately. "Don''t you think he would shred his mind to extract the last of information? Rhys might just become a victim of something he hadn''t even planned."


    Adrianna turned her attention to his hips that she had cupped slightly and even squeezed. "Yes, that can happen but he wouldn''t be able to get anything. I have planted exactly what he would have thought of with a little variation in Rhys'' mind."


    Dmitri gulped the content of his glass and turned his complete attention to his wife. The tease. He took his hand to her lips and traced them. As soon as they were in the center, she opened her mouth and took his finger in biting it at pleasure. He hissed. "What variation?" he asked as he slid the finger to her cheek and then to the middle of the collarbone and down to the center of the chest avoiding her breasts.


    Adrianna''s chest heaved for the want of cupping her breasts but he didn''t do it. "That we chased him out with much difficulty."


    Dmitri''s hand reached her stomach and he slid his hand inside her nightshirt. He created small circles on her skin and he knew that she was ready to take him. In one swift motion he lifted her and took her to the bed. "Clever," he said and placed her on the bed.


    Adrianna shifted back and snapped her fingers. The clothes that they were wearing vanished immediately. She turned her left leg to the side and with a guttural roar he came on to her. After that it skin to skin and soon they were a tangled mess of limbs and breath and sweat.


    "My beautiful, fearless and intelligent wife," he admired her lying on her stomach and viewing her chin that he stroked with his fingers.


    She let out a soft laughter.


    Next day Dmitri sought Isidorus. He called her for a meeting and even asked Fleur to attend it. In the morning when they had their breakfast, they heard Isidorus entering the palace and there was quite a commotion outside.


    The servants informed that Isidorus had been extremely angry with the gardeners of the palace for not taking care of the rose ramblers he had been so generously donating to the palace. "One of the servants has been transformed into a tortoise for pruning it wrong."


    Adrianna''s mouth dropped.


    "The rambler died."


    "So that is only one rambler which died. What about the rest?" she asked.


    "The rest are fine."


    Dmitri raised his eyebrow at the Prime Minister of the Royal Court.


    "Let''s go," said Adrianna as she took a deep breath. She knew that with Isidorus being so passionate about his flowers, this was indeed a grave mistake.


    Fleur and Isidorus were waiting in the main hall and they bowed to the royal couple.


    "What is the news my queen?" he asked.


    "Dmitri has something to say," she replied not knowing about her husband''s agenda. She didn''t want to interfere with his plans.


    Isidorus turned his full attention to the man he often didn''t like and had to tolerate because he was his queen''s mate.


    "In the werewolf realm, this time I wasn''t happy with what Fleur did," said Dmitri.


    Fleur''s head flinched back slightly. She couldn''t understand what he meant.


    "She could not make a decision to protect Adrianna when she was inside the bubble all alone with Rhys."


    "I did make a decision," she countered, "By not entering the bubble as the queen had desired. I cannot break a protocol."


    "That is not enough," said Dmitri in a cold, ruthless voice.


    "Adrianna was a grave danger and all of us didn''t know what was going inside. You should have broken the bubble''s periphery and let us enter to help Adrianna."


    Adrianna sent a message to Dmitri. You know that she couldn''t have broken the wall I had created. Why bully her?


    He disregarded her. "As a person who is so closely associated with her queen''s safety, if you can''t take such decisions on your own, then it is sad. You had risked Adrianna''s life just because you wanted to maintain a certain protocol!"


    Fleur''s eyes became wide. She stammered, "I- I was following the queen''s orders."


    "To what? She could have died inside. Rhys is a powerful serpent, an heir to the throne of the Serpent Kingdom."


    Slowly, Dmitri was weaving his words.


    "It''s not that I am not concerned about her safety. But yesterday if I had broken the safety net Adrianna wouldn''t have liked it. How could I go against my queen? I have made my decision."


    "That decision was flawed," replied Dmitri flatly with his arms crossed across his chest.


    Oh please! Adrianna shouted through their mental bond. She was doing the right thing.


    No, she wasn''t! He shouted back with a roar.


    "So what are you implying?" interjected Isidorus who had been quietly listening to them until now.


    "She is not fit to be her personal guard."


    Isidorus'' eyes bulged.


    "I demand her removal as my wife''s personal guard with immediate effect."


    What? Are you mad? She would cease being a witch!


    "Instead of her, appoint a Mozia, whosoever you want," continued Dmitri pointing at her.


    Fleur fell back on her seat in stunned silence.

 Chapter 406 - Discharged From Her Duties

    Adrianna glared at Dmitri. He was well aware of the fact that if Fleur would be ousted as her personal guard, she would lose her immortality. Yet he was giving such a horrible solution.


    She tried to prowl in his mind, but he had blocked her. She was frustrated now and heat flared up in her neck. She looked at Isidorus who was sitting there staring with a face as hard as stone. His expressions were unreadable.


    Fleur blinked her eyes and her throat bobbed. "I- I don''t think that you can use that as a basis to remove me."


    The leaf of the tattoo in her hand burned with pain as if Isidorus was getting mad at her silently. She clenched her hand tightly as the pain seared.


    "You didn''t have the guts to do what it takes to be her personal guard. You should have fought her or talked her out of it, but all you kept talking about was protocol. As the queen of the Wizard Kingdom, Adrianna doesn''t belong to me or to you, she belongs to Isidorus, to Mihr, and to all the citizens of this place." Dmitri was unfazed by her shocked expressions as he continued, "You should have thought about all of us. However, all you did was to leave her there inside that bubble, while all of us on the outside wondered whether she was even safe or not."


    "I know I could handle myself Dmitri," said Adrianna trying to reason with him. Did he think of her to be any less powerful than Rhys? She coughed slightly in a muffled way to show her shock.


    "It''s not that you can handle yourself Adri. We all know that you can handle yourself, but you are not answerable to yourself. You are answerable to all of us here." Dmitri crossed his arms across his chest and asked, "Tell me Adrianna, aren''t you?"


    "Y- yes," she stuttered.


    Isidorus was listening with rapt attention, not moving even an inch around. If he was raging inside, one couldn''t feel it on the outside. He broke his calm and in a with a cold, calculated voice said, "You do realize that if Fleur opts to not be Adrianna''s personal guard, she would cease to be a witch."


    Fleur turned her head sharply to look at Isidorus. She had a tight feeling in her chest as if something bad was about to happen. She struggled to find the right words as her mouth opened and then closed. Eventually she lightly held her neck in order to soothe herself from the onslaught of the emotions that were about to choke her.


    Dmitri''s face was a mask of cold calm.


    Adrianna braced herself before saying, "She is Liam''s mate Dmitri."


    "That''s not my problem," he replied. Flat, cold words. With a threat simmering beneath his calm. He looked at Isidorus who matched his cold demeanor. "Remember, Fleur is not opting out. We are removing her because she is incapable of being Adrianna''s personal bodyguard. Because I as the King of the Wizard Kingdom wants her to be replaced by a Mozia, who is bound to the ruler of the Kingdom and not to Adrianna."


    Fleur kept her hands on her mouth. Her face had paled. She had argued countless times with Liam not to leave her job. She had made her decision to marry Liam and that way, she would cease to be a witch but that would have been her decision. She would have exited in a dignified way. But this �C this was outright insult. They doubted her capabilities and her reasoning. This was so debasing.


    "You are just biased because Adrianna is your wife!" argued Fleur. "Just because you couldn''t get into that bubble! Just because your fury kept rising while circling the periphery of that bubble." She stopped to look at Adrianna with eyes that held rage in them. "You have to stop him from dishonoring me in such a way."


    But Adrianna ignored her and looked at her husband. Fleur is not opting out. We are removing her�� She knew what he was doing, so she kept quiet.


    "Silence!" Isidorus deep voice boomed in the hall.


    Fleur cringed.


    He looked at Fleur and said, "You should have broken the bubble to see Adrianna. Although this is extremely subjective, I have to look at the circumstantial evidence to come to a decision."


    Dmitri and Adrianna nodded while Fleur got up from her seat, bowed and walked out of the hall �C her walk of that of a confident warrior.


    Isidorus also left soon after.


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri and softly squeezed his hands. "I am sorry," she replied.


    Dmitri slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes. "That was not as easy as I had thought."


    By the time it was evening, the news came that Fleur had been discharged from her duties and Mozia had been appointed in place of her. Isidorus was quick with his decision.


    When Adrianna came to know about it, she made a hasty visit to meet Fleur. Dmitri stopped her from going to meet her so soon but she didn''t listen to him. She didn''t even bother to ask as to who was her new bodyguard and while going to her house in the royal carriage she didn''t even take a look at him.


    When she reached her home, all the people inside were immediately alerted. There were two layers of security �C one on the inside of the house premises and one on the outside.


    Fleur''s mother bowed and guided her to her room.


    Her room was encased in darkness. Her mother waved her hand and dim lights burned from the corner. Adrianna found Fleur sitting on the yellow carpet with her head tucked in her knees as one finger tugged the soft threads. Her mother left.


    "Fleur��"


    "I was only following the protocol��" came a sad, distant voice.


    "I know��" Adrianna walked to her in small steps.


    "Why did he insult me like that?"


    "Can I take a look at your hand?"


    Fleur looked up at Adrianna. Adrianna''s heart wrenched when she saw her red, tear-stricken face. She went and sat beside her and slowly lifted her limp left hand. The tree tattoo had disappeared. Her chin trembled. She hugged Fleur.


    What happened to her existence as a witch? Was she a mortal now?

 Chapter 407 - You Get To Remain A Witch

    "I am sorry," whispered Adrianna as she hugged Fleur. "I am sorry that it ended like this��"


    "I am sorry too��" said Fleur in a flat, depressed voice.


    Adrianna felt her shoulder getting wet with a fresh onslaught of tears. She stroked Fleur''s hair and the two of them sat together for a long time.


    Fleur''s mental shields were down and so it was easy for Adrianna to know what all transpired between Isidorus and her.


    More because of the fact as to how she took a decision in handling the situation with Rhys, Isidorus acted on the orders of the King of the Wizard Kingdom.


    Since Fleur hadn''t opted out but was removed from the position of Adrianna''s personal head of the security, there was no way that her curse would work.


    As the first born of her parents, she was pledged to be the ruler''s personal security guard, but there was nothing that mentioned what would happen if the kingdom removed her on their volition. Had she chosen to give up her position, the curse would have come into effect.


    Even though she ceased to be with Adrianna, she still remained a witch. She was still an immortal.


    "You get to remain a witch," said Adrianna in a low tone.


    Fleur got up from her shoulder and pursed her lips. "Yes, but what an undignified way to live."


    "You will forget it in time��" Adrianna assured her. "Plus you can always help Liam with his work."


    "Liam��"


    "Yes, you should look forward to spending the lifetime with Liam."


    Fleur stared at Adrianna and then narrowed her eyes slightly as if doubting her intentions. "Did you? Did you and Dmitri-?"


    Adrianna shrugged and asked, "What?"


    Fleur shook her head. How could she doubt her queen? "Nothing��."


    Adrianna held her face in her hands and said, "I would suggest that you leave the Wizard Kingdom as soon as possible and go to Liam. It would be a good change of mind."


    "I don''t think I can even forgive Dmitri for what he did to me��"


    "Whatever he did was right and I don''t doubt him at all." Adrianna replied confidently not wanting to hear about her husband.


    Fleur bit her lip and nodded. "I want to go to Liam��"


    "You should." They sat there together without speaking for some more time and then Adrianna left. She was sure that this was a momentary depression. As soon as Fleur would be with Liam her tensions would get over soon.


    ---


    Meanwhile in the Serpent Kingdom, Ziu was anxiously waiting for his brother, Rhys but he hadn''t returned. It had been more than a day and Rhys hadn''t given him the report. Earlier he had thought that he would enter Rhys''s cell and see what all happened but even though he had sent the feelers, there was no response. He came to his father''s kingdom and was surprised to hear that Rhys hadn''t come back.


    This situation put him under all the more anxiety because Adrianna and Dmitri were already there in the Wizard Kingdom and they looked as if nothing happened. He had tried to get into the cell of all the wizards who had gone with Adrianna but their memories were coming clean. It was as if they all had rather gone on a beautiful, pleasant journey �C kind of a break from their duties.


    Only Rhys could give him the best report and he was missing. Did Adrianna kill him? He couldn''t even discuss it with anyone, which frustrated him even more.


    He had gone to the Serpent Kingdom to find Rhys twice but to no avail.


    ---


    When Adrianna returned, she found that Dmitri wasn''t there in the Royal Palace. The servants informed her that he had gone to the markets.


    Fifteen minutes later Adrianna joined him. When she appeared through the vortex beside him, he smiled. "You don''t like to stay without me? Huh?"


    "I have come to see the starry kingdom and not because I was missing you."


    "Ah!" he replied. "But I was missing you," he said as he intertwined his fingers around hers.


    She chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulders. They walked together like that in the midst of three layers of security around them. Since it was late in the afternoon, the warmth of the sun was mitigating the cool breeze blowing across.


    Suddenly, the ground rumbled. The security around them immediately surrounded them and lifted them slightly in the air. Adrianna''s eyes became wide and her eyebrows raised when she looked up at the new person shielding her with his wand.


    He bowed to her, "I am Haldir, your new personal security head."


    She had never seen that elf in the training grounds of Mozia. Her skin lined with goose bumps when her eyes fell of the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. With long white hair, pointy ears and full lips, he was standing taller than her husband at seven feet.


    "I was in charge of training the Mozia. However, now I have accepted my position. The information was sent to me yesterday," he replied looking straight in her eyes.


    She clasped Dmitri''s hand tightly but there was no response. With a gaped mouth, she somehow willed to shift her gaze to her husband and saw him staring at the elf intently. This was either good or very bad.


    For a moment she started fearing the outcome.


    Just don''t come to conclusions, okay? This man is handsome, no doubt, but unfortunately I cannot fall in love with him or get attracted to him. She communicated through her bond.


    Dmitri gulped. Yes, he is devilishly good looking��


    Adrianna''s eyes popped out at her husband''s reaction.


    So you don''t have any problem with him being my security head.


    Dmitri shook his head. No�� Besides, you are no match for him.


    The ground beneath them rumbled once again.


    "You should go and sit in the Royal Carriage now," suggested Haldir.


    The mesmerized Royal Couple quietly went and sat in the carriage.

 Chapter 408 - Interrogation

    Haldir sat on his broom and stationed right next to the door. Along with others, he flew the couple back to the palace unaware that he was being ogled at.


    As soon as they reached the palace, there was another earth shattering jolt that was so loud that Level One shook.


    "I must go and see what has happened," said Adrianna with concern etched on her face.


    "No, my Queen. I am sending a team of security personnel first to inspect what is happening," suggested Haldir.


    "I will go and see now!" Adrianna insisted. She asked the carriage man to take the carriage to the first level. She looked at Dmitri and saw the approval in his eyes.


    Haldir couldn''t say anything against his queen''s wishes and so they all went to Level One.


    Adrianna instructed not to touch the carriage to the ground. She took her wand out and stepped out of it midair to mount the wand. Dmitri sat behind her and together they flew to the source from where the noise was coming. The security flew around them tightly.


    They must have gone some hundred yards on the left where there were few buildings standing closely and were shocked to see the scene.


    A huge serpent had risen, shattering the earth and was now swaying. The wizards and witches along with kids had run to take some cover. He was whipping his tail on the road, splintering it, sending stones flying in every direction.


    Rhys!


    From the corner of her eyes, Adrianna saw Ziu flying towards him. Before he could take his wand out and do something to Rhys, she raced to him.


    The three of them were now in front of the serpent.


    Adrianna took the wand out and immediately cast the spell, "Sila Corundis!"


    Rhys froze. His mind froze.


    Ziu pursed his lips for being a second late. He had recognized Rhys and wanted to take him to a lonely place to extract his memory he was so desperately hunting for.


    "How did he manage to escape?" asked Adrianna.


    "I have no idea," replied Haldir with a stone cold face.


    "Adrianna, please remove the spell so that I can take him in custody and interrogate him," offered Ziu.


    "What do you know about him?" she asked with narrow eyes feigning ignorance.


    Ziu was thrown back with the question but he recovered immediately. "Nothing. I just wish to interrogate him."


    On an afterthought, she nodded and removed the spell. By the time all this was happening, she had already entered Rhys'' cell and had wiped clean all the memories. She had planted the same ones that she had planted in the security personnel with a small difference �C Rhys seemed to slither around in an underground dark cave. A little more spicy details were added.


    As soon as Adrianna removed the spell, Ziu cast a spell on Rhys and both of them disappeared.


    Adrianna and Dmitri laughed as soon as they reached the carriage. "He would be busy devouring his brother''s mind today." Dmitri tittered.


    "Yes, but if he vents his frustration, I am afraid that he could even mentally impair Rhys."


    "In that case we need to give Rhys some protection," said Dmitri with a frown. He knew that Ziu was notorious.


    "Hmm��"


    Adrianna summoned Mihr when she reached the royal palace and asked him to monitor the interrogation. "Do not interfere in what he does to him. Just check that he doesn''t harm Rhys."


    "Yes, my Queen," bowed Mihr and left.


    ---


    When Ziu took Rhys with him, instead of going to the prison facility, he took him to his office. Rhys was back in his human form and looked around with stupidity in his eyes. He couldn''t believe where he was.


    "What did you do in the Werewolf Realm?" asked Ziu. Slowly, he entered his cell.


    Rhys stared at his brother for a long time and blinked. "I don''t remember��"


    Ziu traversed his entire mental landscape but all he found was dark cave and mountains and bushes. Frustrated, he came out. "Didn''t you go to the Werewolf Realm as I had asked you to?"


    Rhys shook his head. "No�� I think I was kidnapped and kept underground��"


    Ziu seethed. So that was why he was not able to track him for two days. He looked at his brother and felt like twisting his brain forever, but what use would that be. Either his memory had been severely tampered with or he was just too stupid. In anger, he raised his wand to send him back to the Serpent Kingdom but Mihr arrived just in time.


    "Why is the prisoner here?" he asked with anger on his face.


    Ziu was taken aback at Mihr''s sudden entrance. "I- I was interrogating him. He would have lost his mind in the Wizard''s prison." He stuttered.


    "This is not the protocol. Even if you have to cross-examine him, you have to have some more ministry people around," replied Mihr as he went to hold Rhys by his arm to make him stand. "I am taking him to the temporary prison in the ministry where the Queen would also talk to him."


    "Okay, I will come with you," said Ziu.


    "No, it is not required," Mihr said and immediately disappeared.


    In rage, Ziu pounded his office table.


    Things were becoming difficult for him. He needed a new strategy. Perhaps a full-fledged war on the Wizard Kingdom was the last resort left now. He had to gather the army of serpents. He had to call his father''s minions. He had to talk to his father.


    ---


    Back in the ministry, Adrianna was sitting across Rhys. She had entered his cell in order to repair his memory. She had anticipated Ziu''s actions and had taken the risks accordingly.


    When it was all done, she said, "I am sorry for erasing your memories but it was necessary."


    Rhys rubbed his neck and said, "I am happy that you kidnapped me else Ziu would have shredded my mind by now."


    Adrianna smiled. She remembered when just after she had talked to Rhys, he was being called by Ziu mentally. She had created a shield around him and prevented Ziu from tracking him. The kidnap was necessary so that Ziu didn''t suspect their agreement.

 Chapter 409 - It Was Time To Strike

    Sitting right across her, Rhys was in awe of Adrianna. She could so easily repair or remove memories of a person that it was incredible. A witch as powerful as her was a rarity. If she wanted, she could have joined dark forces and take over the world, if she wanted she could rule various realms and no one would be able to even rebel. He marveled at the fact that she was not lured by the dark forces or was it that she wasn''t aware what dark forces were like or what was it to be on the dark side. All she was interested in was saving her Kingdom from evil forces. Perhaps, this was necessary for her to consolidate her position as the Queen of her kingdom.


    "What should I do next?" he asked with a faint smile.


    "Go back to the Serpent Kingdom. I am sure that Ziu would come back to you and it is possible that he would slither in your mind to find out about us. However, as he has already interrogated you, he would be wasting time doing that. Also, since I have repaired your memories, he will know exactly what happened. So when he is there, try and avoid him as much as possible," she replied leaning in forward.


    "He might try to send in another of my brothers to attack the Werewolf Realm."


    "We have to take precautions, so you needn''t worry but keep us posted."


    "I will," he replied. "But how are we going to communicate?"


    "On the south side where we had met Vikra''s army, the terrain is barren and there is no soul. The lake in the center of the forest extends a few miles away from that land towards the Werewolf Realm. I will be regularly sending my messengers there and you will give them updates."


    Rhys nodded. "I would like to leave now." He appeared tired.


    "Sure," said Adrianna and called Haldir to create a portal for him.


    Once Rhys left, she smiled.


    When the portal closed behind Rhys, Haldir asked with his usual stone cold expression, "Did you tell him that you would send messengers to the south?"


    Adrianna''s gaze shifted to Haldir and she stared in his eyes. That instant she knew that Haldir was a reservoir of powers she couldn''t even imagine. How did he know of her plans?


    "Yes, just a small caution��" she replied acknowledging his powers. He was going to be extremely useful in future.


    ---


    Ziu was fretting over the fact that his plan was futile. He was also afraid that if Adrianna had kidnapped Rhys, there was a chance that she had entered his cell. But she wasn''t showing any signs of knowing things about him. So either the whole thing worked out very wrong or if she knew what was going on, Adrianna was playing it cool and dangerous.


    He was also battling with the dilemma that if Adrianna knew about his plans, she would have imprisoned him soon �C not that he was an easy person to be prisoned, but nonetheless. Or was it that she was laying a trap for him?


    For the next week he attended the noble court and watched Adrianna from far as she executed the day-to-day affairs wearing that crown. He didn''t find anything that would make him feel that she doubted him. Slowly over a period of month, he stopped suspecting.


    ---


    The Crown had talked to Adrianna and thanked her for saving the kingdom from Vikra''s attack.


    "You should have killed him," he said.


    "I tried but his energy was too dark. The last shred of soul was just too strong for me to send it to hell. The only option I had was to shackle that soul in a place that remains deserted forever." Adrianna looked helpless. Her powers were limited.


    The Crown didn''t reply. He walked with her in the garden he had created inside her cell alongside. Suddenly he stopped and said, "Congratulations! When is the baby due?"


    "Seven months." Adrianna flushed slightly.


    "The child is too precious. Even though the Wizard Kingdom chooses their ruler, there is no doubt that your child would be chosen and I would be proud to sit on his head. But you have to be very careful. You have kept your pregnancy a secret, which is good but I want you to monitor all those who know that you are pregnant, even Dmitri''s parents."


    "I don''t think Cora or Pierre would leak the information." Adrianna was amused at his suggestion.


    "As a ruler, the only person you can trust is Dmitri because he has marked you. Had it been a wizard who would have married you, I would have doubted him too."


    Shocked, Adrianna chose not to answer him. There was nothing he didn''t know about her��


    ---


    Fleur had gone to the Werewolf Realm and their marriage was announced within a week''s time. Everyone except Dmitri was invited.


    During the ceremony, Liam missed his friend''s presence and also knew that he was watching it all from somewhere. Adrianna would have ensured it.


    When the ceremony was over, Adrianna whispered to her side, "Sorry��"


    "It''s fine Adri. There is a price to what I did but it was necessary. I couldn''t let my friend suffer��" Dmitri communicated mentally. Adrianna had cast invisibility spell on him and he was present throughout the ceremony. How could he miss Liam''s wedding? His friend and one of the general''s of his army who had been with him through thick and thin.


    "I love you��"


    "Hmm�� me too��"


    Suddenly they heard a chuckle. "You know I can hear you, you bastard."


    The royal couple laughed. "That means even Fleur can hear us?" asked Adrianna.


    "No. Only after the blood exchange ceremony��" he replied. "Thank you Dmitri��"


    "I would have loved to say it was a pleasure��"


    "In time, my friend, in time��"


    ---


    After a month''s careful contemplation, Ziu had formulated his strategy. It was time to strike. He went to the Serpent Kingdom.

 Chapter 410 - The Murderous Glint

    Ziu was fretting in the palace waiting for his father''s audience. With the failure he had faced because of Rhys, he didn''t even want to see his face. However, ever since Ziu had come, Rhys had been on guard. He was not going in front of him but had sent his spies to be around him all the time.


    The King was having a meeting with the representative of the Human World, Niiya. A large portion of the ocean was allotted to them to dump the wastes but it seemed things were getting out of control and their wastes were now breaching that area. After prolonged conversations and meeting none of the parties were coming to an agreement.


    When Niiya left the place for the fifth time, he encountered Ziu on the way. Ziu was surprised to see him and bowed slightly, but Niiya''s rotten mood overpowered his reasoning and he didn''t acknowledge Ziu. Not that Ziu was offended, but he had to know what transpired between his father and Niiya.


    Ziu went to his father once the meeting was over.


    "Father," Ziu bowed respectfully and the King nodded slightly. His anger was clear on his face.


    "Would you like to tell me what happened?"


    The King opened his mouth and then closed it. He pursed his lips and turned away. With the wave of his hand, he asked everyone else to go out of the room. When everyone had left, clasping his hands on the back, he said, "We are having problems with the Human World." In the next half an hour, he voiced his concern.


    After listening to his father Ziu rose from his place. He went to the table on the corner of the room and poured knuckle length''s wine for himself. He took a sip, swirled it around his mouth and gulped it. A smile wormed on his face. He said, "Father, I think you are right. Let''s not yield to their demands so easily. After all, the ocean is not their dumping ground. They can use their lands for that."


    "Exactly! That''s what I told Niiya," said the King excited that at least this son was with him.


    Ziu nodded. "You should maintain your stance and in fact I will also go and talk to Niiya. He is a friend and I am sure he would understand."


    The King was pleasantly surprised. He went to Ziu and patted his shoulders. With a gleam in his eyes, he said, "That would be nice Ziu. I am happy that you are taking so much interest in this kingdom''s affairs."


    "Come on father, this is nothing. I just wish to help you in any way I can," Ziu smiled. "I will go in a week''s time. Please don''t worry."


    "Okay," the King relaxed. He paused for a moment and then asked, "How come you are here? I hope everything is okay in the Wizard Kingdom."


    Ziu circled his father and walked past. He shook his head. He walked to the sofa where he was sitting and sat down. "No father, things aren''t that good. Adrianna is making it difficult for many other worlds to live in properly. Other than the Werewolf realm, she is planning to wage wars against several other kingdoms. She is planning to rule the world!"


    "What?" the King was shocked. His eyes bulged and his mouth dropped. "What the hell are you saying? This can''t be possible!" He went to sit right in front of Ziu and watched him sipping wine quietly. "I didn''t know that Adrianna had become so greedy just after ascending the throne! She is just a few months on the throne and her desires are insatiable now?" The King was fretting by the end of it. He had just finished a meeting with Niiya in which he had declined giving the Humans more space and now this.


    Ziu pursed his lips and turned his gaze to the window. The water outside was flowing calmly. He could see various fishes and serpents swimming around the gardens his father had so beautifully created within the depths of the ocean. "You can''t imagine her gluttony�� Well, I am keeping an eye on her. However, in case something happens, I want to be the first one who will strike rather than her attacking us."


    The King stared at his son. "That is right Ziu!" His son was the cleverest of his descendants and knew what he was doing. "Let me know what all help you would be needing."


    "Sure father!" Ziu couldn''t believe that his father would be convinced so soon. Perhaps he was getting older.


    "I will also send my spies in other worlds to see what they are doing or what is happening."


    Ziu didn''t expect this. He promptly added. "No father. That won''t be necessary. I have done the needful. Just relax and leave it to me."


    The King sighed. He nodded with a slight doubt in his mind.


    "In my opinion you should start gathering forces of our world and also other worlds in the ocean, especially those who can shape shift," suggested Ziu.


    "Okay, I will start doing this soon."


    Ziu flashed his teeth in appreciation. He gulped down the remaining wine. They talked about the plans in detail and then Ziu left. He was now waiting for the right time to attack Adrianna, but first he had to meet Niiya.


    ---


    In the Royal Palace, Adrianna''s morning sickness was increasing. Her nausea would extend until afternoon. Whatever she would eat, she would vomit it. She had become weaker. Dmitri was extremely worried. The palace cooks had cooked exotic dishes that they had learnt from various realms, but she couldn''t digest anything.


    She didn''t know what to eat and would keep lying in the bed after attending the noble court. Dmitri called Cora, who ordered very simple dishes for her. One day in the afternoon, when Adrianna had retched and retched after eating the morning breakfast, the servant had come with almond cream soup. He was standing next to Adrianna to give it to her as Cora watched them from the corner of the bed.


    Adrianna was so repulsed by its smell that in anger she removed the soup bowl from front of her. The bowl flew in the air and landed on the floor. Cora was shocked, but understood Adrianna''s condition.


    The servant was so scared that he immediately started collecting the pieces. In his confusion, he cut his hand, which started bleeding. He didn''t bother about it and when he collected them all, he looked up. To his horror, he found Adrianna looking at him with a murderous glint in her eyes. Scared, he left the room as soon as possible.


    Adrianna couldn''t believe herself!

 Chapter 411 - My Plan Is Very Complicated

    The coppery tang of blood wafted through her nose. She wanted to drink it! She was losing control and started to get up from her place to chase the servant.


    Dmitri was aghast at her reaction to the cut on the servant''s hand. He shouted at her through their mental bond. "Adri!"


    Adrianna''s reverie broke and she gasped. Her gaze flitted between Dmitri and Cora and she felt ashamed of her actions. She bit her lip and lied back on bed.


    Cora left the room saying that she would get something else prepared. Dmitri came and sat next to her. Adrianna was looking at the ceiling, at the lights emitting from the chandelier. He picked her hand and said, "What was that Adri��?"


    "I don''t know," she replied unsure of what just happened. "I think it was just a passing thought."


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes at her but she avoided his questions in the gaze.


    ---


    A week later Ziu traveled to the Human Realm and the first thing he did was to contact Niiya.


    Niiya was pleasantly surprised to see Ziu.


    "How come you are here?" he asked on a glass of whiskey.


    Ziu looked out the window and watched the lights of town coming to life as the sun set in horizon. The street lamps outside Niiya''s plush residence were burning with bright yellow incandescent lights. He took a sip and said, "Niiya, I had gone to the Serpent Kingdom after you had left."


    "Yes, I saw that. Sorry, I was edgy that day," said Niiya remembering how he had avoided Ziu while coming out of the meeting chambers. "The King is being extremely unreasonable. The ocean has a vast surface and all we are demanding is just a few miles and that too far from his kingdom. If he can grant us that much, it would be a great favor. That would be more than enough for the next hundred years.


    Ziu nodded. "I agree��" he said, still looking at the night lamps.


    He continued, "There is a conference coming round the corner in which I have to send this proposal to the humans gathering there. These people have very strong connections and are looking for a way to get my position. I don''t care who gets this position. All I care for is that we get some space below!" he pressed his lips in a thin line. There was silence in the room.


    On an after-thought, Niiya tilted his head and asked, "But what were you doing there?"


    Ziu knew this question would come and he was well prepared for that. He paused, took another sip and shifted his gaze to Niiya.


    "Niiya, my problem is that I am not happy working under Adrianna." Being well aware of Niiya''s and Adrianna''s previous history, he had to be very careful.


    Niiya''s eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? She is a fantastic queen."


    "I know, I know. She is a good queen. But I am not attacking her personality as a queen. What I am saying is that I don''t feel I can do well in the Wizard Kingdom knowing all the powers I have. I feel I can do more. I feel that there is so much energy in me that I would explode with it."


    "So what else do you want to do?" Niiya understood what he wanted to say.


    Ziu pursed his lips and then sighed. "If I become the King of the Serpent Kingdom, I can easily help you with the underwater land that you are talking about."


    Niiya was shocked. "You are confusing me!"


    Ziu licked his upper lip after gulping down the remaining whiskey in his glass. He looked at the empty glass and said, "Niiya, the King of Serpents is my father." Ziu looked up to see Niiya.


    Niiya appeared to be stunned. His eyes bulged and he leaned his hand on the table next to him as if seeking support to absorb the information he had just heard.


    "And you are the first person who knows about it."


    Niiya''s mouth dropped. He steadied, sat down on the sofa opposite Ziu. He cocked his head and asked, "Why are you telling this to me?"


    Ziu kept his foot over his knee and rested on the back of the sofa. He loosed a breath. "My father has been asking me to take reins of the Serpent Kingdom for a long time. However, I am unable to do that because I am in the ministry of the Wizard Kingdom. Now I want to go back and help my father."


    He chuckled inside when he remembered what he had told his father. This was a perfect opportunity for him and he had to grab it.


    "So what''s your plan?" asked Niiya, picking his glass again. He couldn''t think of a better solution than getting Ziu to the throne of the Serpent''s Kingdom, so he pushed him.


    Ziu shook his head. "My plan is very complicated. If you want to listen to it, you can''t go back. This means that we only move ahead."


    "And what do you mean by that? Because all I can think is that you are planning some kind of a major unrest," Niiya laughed and held the glass in the air to joke about what Ziu had said.


    Ziu bit his inner cheek. "If you are interested, let me know. But I can guarantee you this that if you help me achieve my goals, you will get the land you want so desperately." He rose and started to leave.


    When he was turning the doorknob, Niiya said, "Wait."


    Ziu smiled. He closed the door, which was half opened and turned to look back at Niiya.


    "What''s your plan?"


    Ziu ambled back to the sofa on which Niiya was sitting. He sat there leisurely and opened his mouth. "I want to rule the Wizard Kingdom. If you will help me with getting that using all your powers, then you will have limitless land beneath the ocean to dump that waste."


    ---


    For the next few days, Adrianna was vomiting out everything. She was becoming frailer by the day and Dmitri had become worried. He was increasingly becoming aware of her lust for blood and that in turn worried him about the child that was in her womb.

 Chapter 412 - You Are Wicked!

    Adrianna tried her best to divert her thoughts from her desire. She couldn''t understand the mystery behind it. She wished she would turn into a rogue wolf in order to satiate her lust. Dmitri and Cora had secretly brought her blood from various animals but she couldn''t even stand the smell of that. Her condition was becoming miserable and her powers weaker. She had stopped going to the noble court.


    The royal couple had hidden this information from everyone including servants. Dmitri used to carry food for her inside the room.


    Noticing this, Isidorus came to visit her. She had to see him but instead of going to the main hall, she called him to her chamber.


    Isidorus was aghast to see her condition. "Why didn''t you tell me about it earlier?"


    Adrianna sighed and looked outside to the balcony. The sun had risen and the pale clouds were swirled around the palace. Soft, cool breeze was flowing.


    Isidorus could easily sense all the magic she had created around the chamber to stop the sneaky servants to see her or from talking about her condition.


    "I don''t know whether what I am experiencing is even right or not. This is unholy. I hate what is happening to me. I have no idea why I feel this horrible urge," she lamented.


    "We have a solution," said Isidorus nonchalantly.


    Adrianna turned her head sharply toward him, "What? What do you mean?"


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes at the old man. He was standing near the table at the far edge of the bed with his arms crossed across his chest.


    "There are in fact two solutions."


    Adrianna''s mouth dropped. How could Isidorus have a solution without involving killing real people?


    "Your sister Kayla had been our prisoner for a long time. Since she was the only family that has your genes, she had been preserved in order to help you with conditions that involve your life. With human help we have cloned her and in fact enhanced those clones using our wizardry."


    Adrianna''s eyes were wide open. Dmitri sat down on the bed and nodded, absolutely impressed by Isidorus. This old man was not to be trifled with.


    "You are wicked!" he blurted.


    Isidorus raised his eyebrows. His gaze shifted to Dmitri, the pest! ''What the hell did he think I was?'' Isidorus grimaced as he thought that.


    With a smug face, he looked at Adrianna and said, "You see we have about ten more Kaylas with us. As I speak our wizards might be working on their blood samples to make them genetically superior to serve you."


    Adrianna couldn''t believe what she was listening to. When she had gone to the prison, she had seen how miserable Kayla was and in fact asked Isidorus to end her life and free her of her misery. But he had insisted that they keep Kayla. She didn''t know that those were the intentions of keeping her alive.


    "Why wasn''t I told about this development?" she asked, questioning the secrecy of the mission.


    "I am sorry my queen, but this is a standard practice we had to put in practice for every ruler ever since Shira had gone missing."


    Adrianna bit her lip. She couldn''t say a word to deny the urgency of his decision. Her mother had gone missing to pursue her love.


    "Plus the science is much advanced now in the human realm, so we could take their help."


    "This is not correct. Human cloning is banned in the human realm," Adrianna almost spoke angrily.


    "It might be. It is not banned here in the Wizard Kingdom," replied Isidorus with a shrug.


    "Shut up Adri!" Dmitri shouted at her through the bond.


    "So how would this help Adrianna?" he asked. "Would you go around killing those Kaylas? Because they are only ten and Adri needs this kind of thing till she delivers." He cringed mentioning ''blood''.


    "I told you �C these girls are genetically enhanced. There is a lab dedicated to only this work in which both humans and wizards work together. I need to ask them if we have someone who could match this condition. It is possible that a bottle of blood once a day should be able to satiate the Queen''s lust for now."


    Adrianna could imagine ten Kaylas caged inside cells like lab rabbits. Her skin lined with goose bumps.


    Isidorus laughed as if he understood her predicament. "No, they are not held captive. They wander around the lab and in the garden around it. They all are engineered in a way that they know they have to sacrifice themselves for you."


    Adrianna and Dmitri stared and stared at Isidorus. He had planned for so many years in advance.


    To think of it, Adrianna was feeling extremely disgusted about it. "I want to know why am I having these unnatural cravings."


    "For that you need to visit the Elder. He might know the reason," answered Isidorus.


    "But they say that no one knows where he lives��"


    "Yes�� the Crown knows��" Isidorus took a deep breath. Elder was the oldest soul of the Wizard Kingdom. It was said that he knew the past, the present and the future. But none knew where he lived.


    Dmitri was getting impatient. "What is the second solution?"


    "We kill people in the human realm. We can ask Haldir to hypnotize them to sacrifice themselves for you." Isidorus said it so coldly that Dmitri couldn''t fathom his evil, his negative side. All this man was interested in was to keep the ruler alive and he didn''t leave a stone unturned to keep that promise.


    "Haldir can do that?" Dmitri said in a disbelieving voice.


    Adrianna was still fathoming the entire thing. It was shocking.


    "Well, you should drink some blood before you visit the Elder," suggested isidorus.


    After a while Isidorus left for the lab. He had to get the blood as soon as possible. He hated that the baby in her womb was suffering due to lack of nutrients. He had been getting nightmares of the baby being killed from a few days and so he had to go and meet the queen. The baby was his master. Someone he would easily die for.

 Chapter 413 - Other Than What, Dmitri?

    It was not long before that Isidorus was back with blood for Adrianna. When he brought it and served it to her, she couldn''t resist herself. She picked it up immediately and sipped it. Dmitri couldn''t watch her doing it, so he left the room. Adrianna was extremely guilt-ridden but things were not in her control��


    Once she had drunk a glass full of blood, she felt better and energized. Her appetite for normal food increased and the servants were ordered to bring in food.


    It took two days for her to recover completely and leave the bed. Whenever she would drink the blood brought by Isidorus, Dmitri would leave.


    "We must go and see the Elder as soon as possible," said Adrianna on the third day.


    "Yes, we must," replied Isidorus. "You may come to the noble court today, see the pending jobs, and then also talk to the Crown." Isidorus coughed a little and then added, "Life is like lamb steaks. It is not necessary for you to see the process of making the steaks."


    Adrianna sighed. "I will not be satisfied until I know why the child is demanding blood��"


    "Okay��"


    Adrianna had a strong urge to have one more glass of blood that day.


    It was the next day that she went to the noble court. After everything pending was taken care of, and everyone left, Adrianna talked to the Crown.


    "I see you are pretty guilty about what you want," remarked the Crown. "Like Isidorus said, you don''t have to feel guilty. Let life take you where you are supposed to go. Remember everything is destined. This child is too important for all of us to be born. So don''t jeopardize his safety even if it means killing others!" The Crown walked down the path of her cell, which was now a landscape of rising sun with a river meandering in distance.


    Adrianna pressed her lips. "I just want to know about my urges��"


    "Is it important?"


    "Yes, else I would stop having blood and that way my baby would suffer." Her conscience was pricking her.


    The Crown shook his head. "The Elder lives in the tallest peak of the Mountains of Tibris. He won''t allow anyone including wizards to enter his domain. You need to sacrifice something that is dear to you in order to gain access to those lands. So what is it that is dear to you, Adrianna? What will you sacrifice? Dmitri, Cora, Pierre or any of your friends or-" the Crown paused and stopped. He clasped his hands on the back as his white cloak pooled behind him. "Or your Grandfather?"


    Adrianna''s eyes became wide with shock. She gasped. The grounds that she was standing upon became shaky and rumbled. It was in fact her mind that was so shocked that it manifested into the rumble.


    The Crown stared at her through his deep black eyes. "Take care Adrianna. The route to the Mountains of Tibris is through the snow clad mountains where your Grandfather now lives alone."


    He left her to walk along the river while she stared at his back as her breaths became shaky. She came out of her cell. Isidorus was waiting for her.


    "We will go to my Grandfather''s place tomorrow in the morning."


    ---


    It had been a month and Niiya couldn''t come to terms with the fact that he had to go against Adrianna to help Ziu and in turn help his own people.


    "What? Are you mad?" shouted Dr. Tanaka across from the dining table. "Ziu has given you a fantastic option. With that kind of freedom, can you imagine how much cleaner would the land be? I had been doing my best to get half a mile of land for years. And now that you have an opportunity you want to walk away from it?"


    Dr. Tanaka had been very angry with Niiya for thinking of losing this chance.


    "Father, Adrianna is the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. I simply can''t go and breach her trust. Before being the queen she was my friend."


    "Yes, a friend who went and married Dmitri despite you showing interest in her. Don''t you remember those miserable days? Haven''t you already got your lesson?" Dr. Tanaka was so wild that he rose from his chair and threw a glass on the ground. "And you are even planning to quit your position? Do you know what that means?"


    Dr. Tanaka looked outside the window at the willow trees that were gently swaying in the cool breeze. Then he sighed and said, "This means that they will kill all of us once you leave your position because we know too many secrets. They will hunt each one of our family and kill us."


    He turned to look at him, pointed a finger and spat, "Listen young man. This is an opportunity you cannot let go. You cannot jeopardize your family''s safety and you cannot let your feelings for that girl interfere in your decisions for Humans!"


    Niiya bit the inside of his cheeks. Ziu had shared his secret with him and warned that there was no going back. His father had been forcing him.


    He got up without eating food and went to his room. Picking a photo from the mantle, he stared at it for a long time. It was of Adrianna and him standing in front of their department in the college. He stroked her face over the glass and then held the picture close to his heart.


    "I am sorry Adrianna�� There is nothing I can do��"


    ---


    Dmitri had been pacing the room ever since Adrianna had announced that she had to visit the Mountains of Tibris. He was seething with anger. "No Adri, you are not going anywhere in that state. If you are so keen on visiting the Elder, you can go once the baby is born."


    "Don''t tell me that Dmitri," Adrianna scoffed. "When I see your face every time I drink blood, it kills me. You are not able to come to terms with the fact that I like having it."


    Dmitri stopped and glared at Adrianna. He brought a finger to his chin as he placed another hand on his hip. He nodded and said, "Yes, you are right. I do hate it when you brink blood, but as far as I see none of us here have an option other than, other than-" his throat choked and he couldn''t speak further.


    "Other than what, Dmitri?"

 Chapter 414 - Mountains Of Tibris (1)

    Dmitri looked away from Adrianna as his eyes became hazy. "Other than removing the baby��" He lowered his face and sauntered to the balcony to avoid Adrianna''s hateful gaze.


    Adrianna didn''t speak a word. She was expecting his answer but didn''t want him to say a word. She picked her shawl from the bed and exited the room. She went outside to the gardens. The sun was setting in the horizon and the sky was washed in the hues of orange and purple. The garden mirrored the colors of the sky. It was as if the sky had gifted its magic, showing the fauna in its humble brilliance. The buttercups were golden, the grass was every shade of a meadow, and the trees lined the perfect lanes. In the center there was a pond where fish were playing hide and seek with the immersed rocks.


    Adrianna walked over the bridge that crossed the middle of the pond and looked down at the fish carp. All around the pond were the flowers, a riot of colors, weed free. She stared at the fish wondering about their peaceful life.


    You have to sacrifice someone who is dear to you.


    The thought was gnawing her soul. The question was to what lengths would she go to understand her child.


    Her gaze shifted to her bedroom''s balcony where she found Dmitri staring beyond the horizon. She knew he was scared �C scared the kind of child they had conceived. She knew even he wanted answers.


    She brought her hand to her stomach and lightly stroked it. "Let''s find a solution for you Ileus�� I need to know about you�� Either you come again to meet me or I go to find out about you��"


    She crossed the bridge and walked further to the edge of the garden from where she saw the third level. It was covered with a few stray clouds. She crossed her arms across her chest and stood there for a long time before going back to her room.


    There she found Dmitri lying on the bed with his eyes covered with his hand. His full lips were slightly parted and his sun-kissed cheeks were shining �C with tears.


    Adrianna walked to him and removed his hand from there. He looked at her. "I don''t want to part with our baby��" he whispered.


    She bent down and kissed his tears. "Then let''s find out about him," she said.


    He nodded.


    Lightly, she kissed his lips. Dmitri held her nape and pressed his lips against her. His mouth crashed into his. Soon, he removed her clothes and their bare skin was suffusing heat into each other. She gripped his face and kissed away the constant tears that were coming out.


    His hands found her waist and raised her legs on his shoulders. He handed over her set Adrianna on fire. She moaned and he hardened. Bending down he licked her and she gasped. "I want you."


    She wanted every inch of her husband. She wanted to release her anxieties. She wanted their souls to merge. With his ministrations, she went over the edge again and again.


    He got up and pushed at her entrance. Stilling inside her, he said, "Say it."


    I knew what he meant.


    "I love you," I said.


    He pushed further in her, faster and deeper. "Again."


    "I love you," I gasped.


    He pulled out and then slammed again. Dmitri came with a loud groan as release splintered through Adrianna''s body.


    When they lied beside each other, they kissed and kissed.


    "I love you, Adri��" he said once his nerves calmed.


    "Tomorrow morning we are going to see the Elder. Come with me."


    "Yes�� but who will you sacrifice Adri��?"


    Adrianna took a deep breath. "I don''t want to think about it��"


    "Hmm��"


    The two of them slept. Adrianna woke up in the middle of the night with horrible dreams of war and gore and blood. Unknown people, Faes, elves, werewolves, wizards �C all with blood-splattered faces were haunting her.


    "Sleep darling," Dmitri held her and gently helped her to lie on bed. He stroked her hair until she slept.


    Next day in the morning, Adrianna left along with Dmitri and Isidorus to visit her Grandfather.


    Isidorus had created the portal and they all stepped right in front of Ed''s inn. Some voices were coming from inside.


    When they stepped in, they saw three wizards having breakfast on a small table while Ed was preparing food for them. The fresh smell of meat with a mix of herbs wafted through the inn.


    Mun was sleeping as usual. The wizards got up to greet their queen. They were shocked at her presence.


    As soon as Mun sensed Adrianna, he opened his eyes and rushed to her side. He snuggled into her and complained like a lover, "Long time Adrianna. Where had you been?" He looked at Dmitri with jealousy.


    Adrianna cuddled him and chuckled. "Busy!"


    "I see you want to visit Elder," he replied.


    "Hmm."


    Dmitri didn''t like the private conversation between his mate and Mun. He interrupted. "Adrianna, we need to greet your Grandfather too!"


    Ed laughed. "Adri! I have cooked some great rabbit meat. Sit, I am getting it soon."


    Adrianna saw her Grandfather and instead of sitting, she ran to hug him. "Grandfather, I hate to see you cooking."


    He laughed at her and hugged her back. "How is my child today?"


    He held her back as she lowered her head. He frowned and asked, "Elder?"


    She pursed her lips. Her Grandfather could read her thoughts. She had lowered her mental shields for him.


    The wizards who were having breakfast were asked to leave. As soon as they left, Ed said, "Mountains of Tibris aren''t easy. They are a difficult place."


    They all sat around the table. Ed served them with the meat. None of them spoke and ate in silence.


    "I can take you there, Adrianna," said Mun breaking the quiet.


    She patted his head. "I know you can."


    "I will come with you." Ed smiled. "This baby is too important for all of us and I would happily sacrifice myself for him."


    Adrianna''s blood drowned from her face. She became pale, her lips became dry and her voice was shaky. "Grandfather, I-"


    "You don''t have to say a word," replied Ed with confidence. "Let us go! What are we waiting for?"


    Isidorus narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure Ed?"


    "Yes!"


    Adrianna closed her eyes and Dmitri held her hand. ''Since when did they become so cruel,'' he thought.


    As soon as all stepped out of the inn, Isidorus created a portal and they walked in it to find themselves on foothills of the Mountains of Tibris. Steep slopes greeted them ahead.


    The winds howled as the dark gray clouds surrounded them. There was snow as far as one could see. Not a shred of vegetation, not a semblance of life �C it was eerie. The snow-clad mountains arose from the ground as if they wanted to reach the sky. There was a narrow meandering way that climbed the Tibris.


    "Adrianna, hop on me," urged Mun.


    She sat on Mun and they all started walking. Adrianna cast a spell of her magic and gathering whatever warmth she could from the surroundings, she created heat around all of them.


    Isidorus took Ed and Dmitri on his broom.


    "We will reach the entrance in an hour," informed Mun.

 Chapter 415 - Mountains Of Tibris (2)

    The steep slope was posing a lot of danger but Mun was walking with ease on it and even if he was having a problem, he didn''t let that manifest in his stride. He was fully aware of Adrianna''s pregnancy and couldn''t help but feel a strange attraction for the baby.


    "Adrianna, I know that when you will reach the portal for entering Elder''s territory, you will have to sacrifice your dearest. How much close do you think I am to you?" asked Mun feeling a natural inclination to sacrifice himself for the baby.


    Adrianna was shocked at his question. Her grip over his antlers tightened. The weather was so cold, but her hands were clammy. How could she answer that question? Mun was one of her favorites. She pursed her lips and then took a deep breath. "Mun, you are very dear to me��" she spoke truthfully.


    Mun barked with joyful laughter. "I knew!"


    The broom could fly the trio to the top faster than Mun but the air was heavy. The gravity was weighing them down and the broom could only match the speed at which Mun was walking. It would try to steer forward with speed but a force always stopped it.


    The clouds and mist that meandered and shrouded the steep slopes only became denser.


    The path became narrower. It wound around the mountain. There was enough space for only one person to walk through it. On the left were steep slopes and on the right valleys far below. Above the clouds rose the blue-tinged peak, which was the destination.


    "I am unable to make out the path," said Mun. He was keeping pretty close to Isidorus who was flying ahead still the clouds marred the vision to a great extent.


    Isidorus conjured a warm glowing orb and sent it hurling in front of them. The orb spiraled and stopped a few feet in front of them, its yellow light burning dimly �C enough to show them the path.


    "Adrianna whatever you do, don''t look down at the valleys," requested Mun.


    "I can''t see clearly Mun, so don''t worry."


    "These valleys have mysterious dwellers who beckon you. They feed on your unhappy emotions. If you look down as much, you will start hearing painful voices," Mun warned.


    Adrianna shuddered. "Okay."


    They continued treading without speaking. Only the winds whistled along the bare slopes of the Mountains of Tibris.


    And the whispers��


    Look at me


    Come to me


    Free me from this anguish


    Mun''s breathing became labored. "Adrianna��" he said and his foot slipped slightly. There was a sudden clattering of rocks falling near them.


    Adrianna held him tightly. "Mun!" she shouted. "What are you thinking?"


    Isidorus stopped. The light orb came and stopped in front of Mun.


    "Mun!" shouted Adrianna again.


    "I can- I can hear them. All those who were sacrificed," he replied as tears fell from his eyes. "I can feel their pain."


    Adrianna stroked his thick brown fur. "I want you to look up, okay?"


    Suddenly the light orb shone brilliantly. It was so bright that Mun''s thoughts snapped. Everyone else covered their eyes with their hands.


    A few seconds later Mun shouted, "You foolish orb! Go away. Let me walk."


    Isidorus breathed a sigh of relief while others giggled as Mun continued to climb gently.


    An hour later they reached and stopped a few feet below on the slope. There was a small crescent shaped plateau on the top flanked by blue-tinged jagged icy peaks that glowed dimly.


    Isidorus flew ahead very slowly but was met with resistance. It was as if there was an invisible glass wall that stopped them from going any further. He put his hands in the air and Mun stopped.


    "What is it?" asked Dmitri.


    "I don''t know��"


    Suddenly, as if disturbed by the sounds other than the winds created in this eerie place, the wall began to ripple. A large wrinkled face with sockets instead of eyes and skin as pale as death broke through the ripple.


    Isidorus receded immediately and shielded Adrianna.


    "Who is this?" asked Ed.


    "The spirit of the Mountains of Tibris," whispered Mun. "It will demand a sacrifice."


    The face turned from left to right and then laughed bitterly showing its toothless mouth. "If you wish to enter, give us the blood of your dearest." He pointed with his chin the place where the sacrifice had to take place.


    Adrianna felt nauseated. She started regretting her decision of coming to this place.


    "Only a wizard can enter this place and only one wizard will enter." The spirit said with a bone-chilling coldness.


    Dmitri became nervous. "No, even I want to enter with my wife!"


    The face turned to Dmitri. "Why don''t you sacrifice yourself for your wife?"


    "Let''s not waste time," said Ed, ignoring the words of the spirit. He got down from the broom and went to Adrianna. "Fast Adri��"


    Adrianna couldn''t move from her place. Her mind became numb. Her limbs refused to move.


    Ed knew that she would waver. "We don''t have time Adri. Come, I am ready for this."


    "No, I am ready for this," Mun interjected.


    Ed pulled Adrianna down from her ride. "Come child. I am old and I am happy to be of any service to you. Let us finish this."


    Adrianna shook her head, "No, I can''t." She shivered. "I love you Grandfather. You are my only family."


    The face started laughing again. It repeated, "The family, only family."


    Ed dragged her to the place of sacrifice that was an odd black rock, which had turned deep red because of all the blood it had drunk due to eons of sacrifices that were done there.


    Ed went and sat on it and took his dagger out. He handed it to Adrianna.


    The face rippled back inside only to appear above them. "Quick," it hissed dying to drink that blood.


    Adrianna took the dagger. She looked at Ed. Something possessed her. She felt she could see herself from the eyes of Ed. She could see herself, her golden yellow eyes, the black hair tied in a braid over the crown of her head, the white fur cloak she wore and the dagger that she was holding.


    She was not Adrianna, she had become something else �C with red eyes that lusted for prey, with lips as red as wine and blood flowing through her nose.


    She raised the dagger to kill him. Only one emotion she could feel inside �C mercilessness.


    Suddenly the clouds gathered around them and thunder broke with electricity crackling somewhere near.


    She brought down the dagger to plunge inside Ed when instead of Ed, Kayla appeared �C her face papery white.


    At that moment, she left Ed and entered her own body.


    "Kayla!" she screamed in agony. But it was too late. The dagger had found its way inside Kayla''s heart.


    Adrianna left the handle of the dagger and staggered behind. The blood had splashed on her white cloak spotting it like someone had sprayed the ink with which he was writing. There was blood in her hand. "No, no, no." She covered her mouth with her hands. The metallic tang of blood wafted through her nose. She had killed her sister. She had become a murderer. For what?


    Dmitri rushed to Adrianna''s side bewildered at what just happened. Ed was standing there with his hand on in his hair stunned at the fold of events. Only Isidorus smiled.


    The face''s laughter boomed in the mountains.


    "Queen of the Wizards, you can now meet the Elder." It disappeared along with the wall.

 Chapter 416 - The Elder

    "I- I have kill- killed my sister-" Adrianna stuttered. Her face was smeared with blood. She looked blankly at Dmitri who held her tightly in his embrace. She was quivering so much that he stroked her back, held her head against his chest and pressed his lips on the crown of her head.


    "Shh��" he tried to calm her. "Adri�� I am so sorry darling."


    Adrianna''s eyes went to her sister who was lying on the black rock with blood dribbling out from the heart. She remembered her wide eyes when she drove the dagger into her heart. She had gasped and the blood spilled on the black rock like rain splattering. Kayla''s lifeless body was slumped there.


    Adrianna shuddered and then with a loud noise started howling. "How could I kill Kayla?" She could never understand that in that last minute how she saw herself through the eyes of Ed.


    Everyone else stood there on the slope of the mountain silently waiting for her to calm down.


    "Adrianna, I am very sorry for what happened but we must complete the task that is ahead of us else our mission would fail. The sun sets soon here. If you don''t go to meet Elder, we might get stuck in a killer blizzard with no resources to help us. Your magic is limited in these grounds," Mun warned.


    She looked at Mun with teary eyes. How would he understand her misery? Dmitri cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tears, the way she had kissed his away. "I love you��" He wanted to convey that he was her strength. She felt that through their heart beats that were in tandem. "Go darling��" He removed her from his embrace and held her shoulders


    Adrianna composed herself and nodded. She wiped her hands on her white fur coat. Dmitri used his gloves to wipe the blood on her face. She looked up at the blue-tinged peak and took a deep breath.


    With Dmitri''s help she climbed up the plateau. The wall around her appeared again sealing her inside. Panic rose in those who saw her locked on the other side. Dmitri extended his hand to the wall and so did Adrianna from the other side. "I''ll be right here Adri. I won''t leave until you come out."


    She nodded with a faint smile. Her mate. He would never leave her��


    She turned and walked to Elder''s abode �C the blue-tinged peak that was glowing like a jewel.


    From afar she couldn''t see any entrance but when she reached near the foot of the peak, she saw three small blue birds flapping their wings around a jagged rock. They would circle the rock, peck on it and then take to flight. It seemed they were trying to talk to the rock or urging it to move from its place.


    Adrianna smiled when the birds came and flew in a circle over her head. One of them pecked her. "Ouch!" she skittered her hand to remove them and looked at the peak to find the entrance.


    "You have to turn this rock," came a shrill voice from behind.


    Skittered turned to look at the source of voice. One of the birds was staring in her direction. She pecked the peak again. "You need to turn this rock for entering Elder''s abode."


    Adrianna''s mouth dropped. She blinked her eyes, went to the rock and turned it clockwise. With a roar that could create an avalanche, the door, which was the part of the snow clad peak earlier, opened.


    Adrianna walked in. As soon as she entered the door closed and the rock went back in its position.


    It was pitch dark inside and she tried to conjure her magic to create light but it didn''t work. Scared, she took a step forward and a torch on the wall lit throwing some light on the pathway. Relieved, she walked further inside until the light could take her and then just before she stepped in darkness, another torch lit. The process continued until about a dozen torches lit and she entered a room that was full of snow and icicles. Large icicles that hang from the roof, and jutted out of the floor. When she reached the center she looked up. She was standing right beneath the blue-tinged peak.


    "Who seeks me?" a heavy voice echoed inside.


    Adrianna flinched as she darted her eyes around to see who was speaking. Her eyes settled on a very old kind-looking wizard with a very long beard sitting on an ice throne that was located at the far corner of the room. His body was covered with tiny crystals of snow that were slowly circling him while making a dim whirring sound. Only his face could be seen and the beard that fell till the ground.


    She gulped.


    Adrianna walked to him and bowed. "I- I am Adrianna," she curtsied. She was feeling slightly panicky.


    Elder watched her intently. He waved his hand. "You shouldn''t have taken the risk of coming here. You have the ruler of the Wizard Kingdom in your womb." He sounded annoyed.


    She pursed her lips. "Surely you know my reason for coming here, Elder," she pleaded.


    "Don''t doubt that child ever. Ileus is the most powerful being that will be born on this earth. If he demands blood, give him."


    Adrianna was horrified. Her internal chest pressure made her forget to breathe.


    "Ileus has the power to walk in the past, present and future."


    "Holy wolf spirits!" she loosed a breath.


    "Most wizards and witches are born with a channel that connects them with the source of magic they perform," said Elder. "Some wizards and witches are born with a larger channel, which means they have access to a strong flow of magic. Imagine that this channel is going to be unlimited for Ileus, therefore he would be the most powerful wizard."


    The whirring snow came to a stop. Adrianna didn''t even notice it.


    "A normal wizard would need to go to the academy to hone their raw skills. In the case of Ileus, he will only become more powerful just by exercising his magic."


    The snow crystals started to melt slowly.


    "Right now Ileus is fighting a battle in future along with Faes to ward off Demons from their lands. He is seriously injured and needs help. Perhaps he has reached out to you for helping him out. And he has demanded blood from his mother."


    Adrianna''s skin lined with goose bumps. She felt guilty �C guilty for coming and asking about her child when all she should have actually done is drink blood and save him.


    A layer of snow crystals around Elder blasted and some of the pieces landed on Adrianna. She covered her face with her hands.


    "Go back Adrianna, else the child in you will kill me. He is trying to save you from agony."


    Adrianna touched her tummy feeling the pleasure of having someone so powerful as her child. There were tears in her eyes and her head was held high. She felt safe and whole �C whole as a mother, as a wife and as the Queen of Wizards.


    "Thank you," she bowed and walked out. The door behind her closed in a way as if it was never there.


    When Dmitri saw her coming out, he rushed to the edge of the slope and held her hand to help her.


    She smiled at her mate and thanked him internally for giving her this chance to bear Ileus.

 Chapter 417 - We Would Like To Meet Him

    The ice reflected the colors of the sky as the sun dipped segueing the horizon with pale shades of gray, blue, purple and orange.


    Adrianna looked at the black stone where she had sacrificed Kayla. Her mind became dizzy when the body wasn''t there. "Where is Kayla''s body?" She had thought of burying her with respect.


    "It disappeared�� merged with that rock��" replied Ed with eyes that conveyed his sadness. He looked dejected.


    She rubbed the heel of her palm against her chest and in monotonous voice said, "At least they should have allowed me to bury her��"


    "Let us hurry back," Mun said impatiently.


    They started descending the Mountains of Tibris.


    The descent was more difficult than the ascent and took longer. After they had descended halfway, Mun requested Isidorus to put blinders because he was distracted by the voices that were coming from the valleys below. Isidorus tore the fur from his cloak and created blinders for him.


    They reached the foothills safely. Ed invited them to come to the inn in order to have dinner but Adrianna wasn''t in a mood. All she wanted was to go back and rest in her room. The journey to the Mountains of Tibris had been strenuous, painful and mentally drained her.


    "I want to go back," she said and Dmitri supported her.


    Isidorus said, "Adrianna I will stay here with Ed and Mun. The two of you can go back. Tomorrow I need your audience before you attend the noble court."


    "Sure," she replied.


    Isidorus created the portal for them and they stepped in their bedroom.


    Adrianna called upon her servants to arrange a bath for her. She wanted a bath. She wanted quiet and a hot water bath.


    She had somehow braved to look at the black rock where Kayla''s lifeless body was sprawled, the wild and shocked look in her eyes, and the blood splattering �C it made her knees buckle. The bathtub was filled with hot water mixed with lavender and rosemary. After the servants removed her bloodstained clothes, she staggered towards it. As she immersed, exhaustion hit her. She closed her eyes and rested her head back.


    Dmitri walked to the bathing room. He stood at the door and leaned. "Adri, you did great."


    Through the rising steam, she looked at her mate and smiled. "Join me."


    As if waiting for the invitation, he entered the bathing room and closed the door behind. In a moment he took his clothes out to step beside her. Although the bathtub was big enough to accommodate five people, he picked his wife and made her sit on his lap.


    Without speaking, he picked up the soft blue loofah and scrubbed her back in circular motion. Slowly, he brought it to the front on her chest, her breasts, neck, shoulders and hands. She buckled under the massage and rested her head on his shoulder. He went down to her thighs and rubbed them softly.


    Adrianna turned her head to face him and after a long lingering kiss on his lips, she looked at his square jaw and nibbled at it. Her eyes, golden like the yolk of the egg were his call.


    His breath became ragged. "I don''t want to tire you Adri." His hands went to cup her breasts.


    "Mhmm."


    He closed his eyes. "What do you expect from a Supreme Alpha whose Luna is��" he hissed. He squeezed her breast with one hand and took the other down tracing a line.


    He didn''t want to hurt her. He only wanted to comfort her and that is what he did. He willed himself and asked, "What did the Elder say?"


    Adrianna wrapped her arms around his neck. "I need you."


    He cradled her, "I am there for you always."


    The couple came out after a long time taking their share of quietness and calm.


    When Adrianna had worn her peach silk nightgown and Dmitri was lying with his white muslin pajamas and bare torso on the bed, he asked her again, "What did the Elder say?"


    The flower canopy grew and covered them from all sides. The yellow blossoms were in abundance and looking fresh, as she had drunk a glass of blood for her child.


    Adrianna rested her head on his shoulder. She narrated everything without leaving a detail. She added, "Thanks Dmitri for giving me this chance to bear our baby in this world."


    It was the first time he came to know so much about his baby. His eyes burned. A shiver of excitement ran down his spine. He couldn''t even imagine the powers of his child and wished him success in the battle he was currently facing. He slid his hand over her stomach and kissed her forehead. "Stay safe Ileus," he whispered.


    "Ileus has the power to walk in the past, present and future."


    "Now I am even more concerned about your safety Adri."


    "Nothing can happen to me, so don''t worry."


    He stroked her hair but his mind was restless. Ileus was no ordinary baby and it wouldn''t be too long before Adrianna''s pregnancy would show.


    ---


    Ziu was sitting with Niiya at his residence. "I am getting impatient about you Niiya! Why aren''t you gathering human forces? We need to strike the Wizard Kingdom as soon as possible."


    Niiya had taken to drinking a lot. It was impossible for him to go against Adrianna. Whenever he started making plans, his knees would become weak. Attacking his love was like trampling his soul. Picking his third glass of whiskey from the table, he sauntered to the window and opened the glass. A gust of icy cool winds calmed his nerves. He shook his head and cursed the moment he got himself into this mess. He hated Ziu more than ever.


    "Niiya, when will you call the meeting with the military?" asked Dr. Tanaka. "We need to make the strategy as soon as possible." His gaze shifted to Ziu. "What about your people?"


    "I have gathered the forces of my brothers. My father is more than ready." Ziu didn''t tell them that he had fed wrong information to his father.


    "We would like to meet him," said Dr. Tanaka with narrowed eyes.

 Chapter 418 - Eliminate The Enemy While You Can

    Ziu was slightly surprised by Dr. Tanaka''s request. He nodded, took a sip of whiskey and said, "Right now he is busy with the Kingdom. When you are ready with all the preparations, I will call him." He played on the fact that his father was the King of the Serpents and that he wasn''t just any person who would come to meet them anytime.


    "Okay," replied the doctor and looked at his son. He knew that Niiya hated this whole idea. He picked his glass and left the room seeing Niiya''s reluctance to answer his question.


    "So when are you going to call the meeting?" insisted Ziu.


    "This is a bad idea Ziu," murmured Niiya. "This is going to lead to doom."


    "You overthink a lot. Imagine a world where you humans don''t have to deal with the waste. Everything is going to be dumped in the ocean."


    "But that is scary. What about the fish we eat? It will poison them."


    "No, it won''t."


    Niiya frowned as his gaze shifted to Ziu.


    "We will create a perimeter on that side, so don''t worry about it."


    He walked back to the sofa. "Adrianna is not an enemy we can trifle with. She is a powerful witch. Her powers know no bounds."


    A smile played on Ziu''s lips. He turned the glass and held it against the light. The whiskey in it looked clear and refracted the beams falling inside. "Yes, that is why we will have to kill Adrianna."


    The hair at the back of Niiya''s neck rose. "Why can''t we hold her captive?" He wanted to know all his options.


    "Because as you just said �C she is a powerful woman. There is no guarantee that if we capture her, she wouldn''t escape."


    "Once the Wizard Kingdom is in your control, she wouldn''t be able to do anything if you are in power, Ziu."


    Ziu emptied the contents of the glass and said, "Leave that to me Niiya. I know Adrianna. I watch her everyday. She is like a splinter under my skin. If I won''t kill her, do you think she would spare me? That constant fear will affect me. You must eliminate the enemy while you can."


    "I need more time to think." Niiya looked away. He hated Ziu. The fact that his father wasn''t on his side was gnawing at his soul. His father''s reasoning was affecting him.


    Ziu got up angrily. His eyes became red. He spoke in a menacing voice, "I have given you enough time Niiya. I need your answer in a week''s time. Remember you have given me your word. If you back out, I will ensure that you meet an excruciating end."


    "You are in no position to threaten me. It will take exactly a day to wipe out the serpent kingdom with the help of human military equipment. So keep your threats to yourself," Niiya scorned. He pointed his chin to the door and said, "Now get out! I will tell you my answer in a week."


    Ziu clenched his jaw and left.


    ---


    Next day Isidorus went to Adrianna in the morning. She looked fresh and pretty as ever.


    "That was the most horrible thing you did Isidorus." Adrianna was sitting on the sofa. She retorted the moment he entered.


    "I am sorry my Queen." He bowed and sat opposite to her.


    "Explain."


    "I had heard that the spirits of the Mountains of Tibris demanded blood of the near and dear ones and that could be any person you were close to."


    "But I wasn''t as close to Kayla as I was to Grandfather. How did the wall disappear?"


    He took a deep breath. "The spirits sense the emotion in the person who is sacrificing. When Ed sat there to be sacrificed, your misery was heightened. I needed that sentiment from you. Had I told you about my plan, your judgment would have marred. I doubt that if it had been Kayla, you might have just killed her without feeling twice. This way when you plunged the dagger in Kayla''s heart, you felt disgusted at yourself."


    Adrianna flinched remembering that moment. "So you switched the bodies?"


    "Yes, I did that as soon as you reached that state."


    "That was a gamble you played. It would have been possible that the spirits wouldn''t have allowed me in."


    "I agree, my Queen, but I need you to answer my question �C was going to the Elder worth it? Because if it was worth it, then what I did is justified."


    Adrianna pursed her lips. "Yes, it was worth it," she answered after a pause.


    "Let us go to the court, my Queen."


    Adrianna nodded. There was a lot she had to focus on now.


    When the carriage reached the noble court, she saw from the corner of her eyes that Ziu had just entered. He was staring at her. She looked straight and walked to her throne.


    As soon as she wore the crown, the first thing she did was to see the energy glowing around everyone''s body. Everyone except Ziu was as usual. Ziu''s energy showed glints of red and purple.


    "Do you know what that means?" the Crown whispered. "Get your spies on him immediately."


    "Yes."


    Ministers presented their cases. She discussed them all in detail. When the Minister of Defense spoke, Adrianna interrupted him. "Have you repaired the wall that was breached by Vikra?"


    "The work is going on my Queen."


    "How long will it take?"


    "Another month. There are a lot of spells that have to be reworked and we are doing our best to make it like before."


    Her eyes drifted to Ziu. "I want you to take Ziu with you to work on that wall. With his help you will be able to complete the work within a week."


    Ziu jumped in his seat. His eyes bulged at this sudden decision from the queen. He couldn''t say no to her. He stuttered, "O- okay." He had to wriggle out of this situation. There was a lot of planning to be done.


    Only a week and the Wizard Kingdom would be his. He knew Niiya would buckle.


    When the court was adjourned and she came out, Haldir opened the carriage door for her. With his long white flowing in the cool breeze and jagged cheek bones, he looked epitome of beauty. He spoke in a low voice, "I would like to spy on Ziu."


    "It is not necessary." She managed to keep her surprise contained. She was always impressed by his powers. "But we have to meet Rhys."

 Chapter 419 - The Travelers Inn

    "Meeting Rhys wouldn''t be enough, my Queen." Haldir closed the door when Adrianna sat inside. He mounted the broom and ordered the journey to the palace. "You should allow me to send spies to the Kingdom of Serpents, the Human Realm and also to the Werewolves Realm."


    A muscle feathered in Adrianna''s jaw when she heard ''Werewolves Realm''. "I trust my husband''s people."


    "Except your husband, you shouldn''t trust anyone. Even me."


    "Don''t be preposterous, Haldir." Worries gripped her mind. She fingered her necklace.


    Haldir became unusually quiet. When they reached the gates of the royal palace and Adrianna was about to alight the carriage, he said, "I would like to meet Rhys if my queen would allow."


    Adrianna created a mental tally of what could go wrong if he met Rhys. "Send a message to him. I want to meet him today whenever possible." She didn''t answer his question. Haldir stared at her as she walked to the palace. He pursed his lips at his inability to help her.


    After twenty paces, she turned. Haldir''s eyes stirred with excitement. "You may send a Mozia to the Human Realm. Although I don''t think you would find anything there."


    Haldir bowed, "Thank you Queen."


    Adrianna went inside while Haldir started calculating who would be the best fit for the job as he mounted the broom. He hated the broom and longed for his beloved horse �C Avasha, a black stallion with giant wings. He had to abandon him in the elf lands.


    When Adrianna went to her room, she found a fresh glass of blood ready for her. Dmitri wasn''t there and she came to know from the servants that he had gone to the werewolf realm to meet his parents.


    ---


    Cora and Pierre were sitting in the main hall with Dmitri, Liam and Nate.


    "How is Ookashi Nate?" asked Cora, taking a cherry in her mouth.


    "She is doing good. Just that she has become very temperamental," he smiled with so much love in voice that Cora laughed. Werewolves were known to bear all the temper their mates showed.


    Nate turned to Dmitri and reported in a serious tone. "There''ve been a few cases of disappearance of werewolves from adjoining territories. Liam and I have been investigating for a few days now but there hasn''t been any concrete findings."


    Dmitri frowned. "Disappearance? How can that be possible? And where have these instances occurred? Have these werewolves gone to hunt in the deep jungles?" Werewolves being killed and eaten by wild animals wasn''t new. But that being the case, the werewolves had changed their hunting grounds.


    "Most of the disappearing is taking place on the edge of the jungle from where the human realm begins with a few on the lake side." Liam said. "I went to investigate on the lake side. We had camped there for two days but nothing untoward happened." He paused before adding, "But it''s the other edge of the jungle I am worried about."


    "Why?"


    "I saw three werewolves coming back from the town in an inebriated condition. They were accompanied by people who were not humans."


    Dmitri stopped eating the cherry he had in his mouth. "How can you say that?" he asked with rage building in him.


    "They smelled of ocean, of salt, of seaweeds."


    Dmitri''s mind raced. His eyes narrowed. "Liam, you said you didn''t find anything happening on the lake side. Do one thing �C get some werewolves to station secretly at the lakeside. No one should know that they are patrolling the area. I will ask one of the wizards to be with them in order to cast invisibility spell."


    He turned to his father who was listening to everything. "Father, do you have any contacts in the human realm? Like really discreet ones?"


    Pierre sighed. "I had a few but that was a long time back. If you want I can revive them."


    "Yes, go to the town and activate them. I want to know all activities taking place over there," suggested Dmitri.


    Nate and Liam discussed other issues about the Werewolf Realm.


    "We would like you to come and take a walk with us through the Blue Moon territory. Everything is in order but something isn''t fitting well." Nate was suspicious of a group of travelers from another pack although he didn''t have reasons to pinpoint his suspicion.


    "What is it Nate?"


    "It is better you come and take a look. Liam feels that my suspicion is baseless."


    "What are we waiting for? Let us go now."


    While Dmitri went to inspect his territory, Pierre left for the town.


    The four wizards sent for his protection accompanied him.


    Nate took them to a travelers'' inn that was located on the east of the territory. Set in a busy area, it had a pictorial sign hung over the door. Dmitri asked the wizards to wait for him outside.


    "Disguise us," he commanded.


    The three of them entered the common room where the patrons were served as tawny, sun-kissed laborers in very ordinary clothes. The smell of wood smoke from fire, rich scent of meat pie and some brothy soup wafted through their nostrils. They sat at the nearest wooden table that was made from flimsy planks and creaked.


    The patrons were drinking, gambling and talking loudly and garishly to each other and with the girls who were serving them.


    Dmitri ordered for the local liquor. A girl who placed the mugs in front of him winked and jiggled her boobs while doing so. He ignored her and when she was gone, he asked Nate, "So what are we looking for?"


    "My spy reported that there are two men and a woman here who are staying here for almost ten days. Now I wouldn''t have had any problem if they were here meeting a friend or relative. My spy says that they are generally mingling with the local people here and seem like vagabonds. I doubt they are werewolves."


    "Are they here?" asked Dmitri scanning the room. His gaze passed over the usual rabble of werewolves.


    "Yes," Nate pointed to his right with his chin.

 Chapter 420 - The Chase

    Dmitri looked in the direction Nate had pointed. There were three of them, a woman and two men. Something about them was odd. He had that feeling��


    Along with Liam and Nate he sat there long in order to notice their behavior. They were not the normal clienteles. The woman got up. Tall and slender, she went towards the far corner of the room to the lavatories. When she came back, Dmitri noticed that her clothes were wet. Once she sat down, the two men rose. One was short and thin, the other being heavier and taller than the woman. Their eyes scanned the crowd. Dmitri immediately lowered his eyes and chugged the drink from his glass. The two men went to the lavatory. This cycle continued every now and then.


    "What do we do? I have never seen werewolves pouring so much water over themselves," said Liam. "And how is it possible that in so much water, their skin is not harmed. It is cold after all."


    Dmitri stayed quiet for a moment and then rose. "Let''s go and find out," he commanded. The three left their glasses and sauntered towards the odd ones. When they were only a few feet away, their snake-gaze snared on them and their eyes widened as if they had recognized them.


    They jumped to their feet, pushed the table towards Dmitri and shoved their way out through the crowd.


    "I will take the tall man," shouted Dmitri. "Nate, you take that woman and Liam, you go after the shorty!"


    The two betas nodded and the chase began.


    Dmitri raced after the tall man. He pushed, slipped and shoved the bodies using his maximum force as an alpha.


    The tall man headed straight for the kitchen. As Dmitri followed him, the man hurled every utensil that came his way at him. Dmitri chased him out of the back entrance. As soon as he was out, a cool breeze whizzed across his face. He rushed after the tall man who ran into the darkness of the dark abandoned alley.


    For a moment Dmitri stopped. He couldn''t make out the direction the man had gone. Suddenly there was a cracking noise, and a mouse squeaked as though it was crushed under someone''s foot. The tall man had gone to the right of the alley. His movement caught Dmitri''s eye.


    Dmitri raced after the man and grabbed his collar at the back. He slammed him into the nearest wall. The man got up again, hissed and tried to run again but Dmitri caught his shirt and slammed his once more in the wall.


    The man winced in pain. The light above them glowed dimly on his sickly face. Dmitri went near him and kicked him in the stomach. He shoved him against the rough wall. Even though the man was taller than Dmitri, Dmitri was much stronger.


    He licked his pale lips, as a snakelike tongue darted out of his mouth. He hissed again trying to threaten Dmitri.


    "Who sent you?" Dmitri pressed his skull further into the wall and asked with rage boiling inside.


    The man didn''t answer, only let out a hollow laugh.


    "You bastards were chased from our territory, yet you dare to come here. So tell me who sent you, else I will smash your skull."


    "Wait till you are killed. My master would love to wear yours and your mate''s skin," replied the man.


    Dmitri smashed his skull into the wall. Blood trickled from his nose.


    "Who is your master?" The fire in Dmitri was building.


    "My purpose would be unfulfilled if I tell you his name." The man laughed again.


    "Then you are of no use to me," whispered Dmitri.


    Suddenly, his legs started to convert into a tail that lashed violently. Before he could shape shift completely into a serpent, Dmitri held his neck and twisted it, cracking the bone that connected the head. The serpent stilled there in the dark alley half as a man. Dmitri brought a torch burning nearby and set it on fire.


    He turned to face the dark alley and headed to the inn. When he reached the front entrance, he found the four wizards standing there with shocked expressions.


    "What happened?" asked Dmitri as a muscle feathered in his jaw.


    A wizard stepped forward. "Liam is severely injured. We had to use our magic to kill the man he was chasing."


    "Where is he?"


    "He has been sent to the healer."


    "Where is Nate?"


    "We don''t know."


    Heart pounding, Dmitri ran his fingers through his hair. With a creased brow and tight jaw, he looked around for some traces but found none. He mentally communicated with Nate. There was no answer.


    "Take me to the healer," Dmitri commanded the wizard.


    Immediately a portal was formed and Dmitri walked into the healer''s hut. Liam was lying on a bed. Blood was splattered around him dying the white sheet into crimson red. The blood had caked around his mouth and nose.


    Fleur was standing beside him, her face white as death. The healer was mixing herbs in a solution.


    "What is the extent of injury," Dmitri asked the healer.


    "I am afraid there are internal injuries. It would take a few days before he recovers fully."


    "Then we must take him to the Human Realm. It is an emergency."


    "We need to give him a few days rest and he should be able to revive," said the healer pounding the herb on the side.


    "It wasn''t a suggestion," Dmitri snarled.


    The healer stopped pounding the herb and looked at him.


    Dmitri didn''t pay attention to him. He turned to Fleur and said, "Create the portal." He gave her the coordinates.


    Fleur created the portal and they entered a lonely sidewalk of the hospital in the town. Dmitri asked one of his securities to stay with Fleur and Liam after ushering them to the emergency. Once doctors took Liam to the operation theater, he walked back with the rest of them back to the Werewolf Realm.


    "Where are you Nate?" Dmitri shouted mentally. No answer.

 Chapter 421 - It Coiled And Coiled

    There was no answer. Once Dmitri was inside the manor, he called upon Cora and asked whether she had communication with Nate, but she shook her head.


    "Alpha, I heard noises in the forest that is bordering the manor on the north."


    Dmitri turned his head to look at the servant who informed him. The elderly servant was standing at the entrance of the main hall. He was sweating and out of breath.


    "What kind of noises?" asked Dmitri with narrowed eyes. He was irritated at this intrusion. He didn''t want to be thrown off the trail of finding Nate.


    The servant cowered at the fierceness with which Dmitri spoke. "There- There were bizarre no- noises at that end," he stuttered.


    "Would you mind explaining?" yelled Dmitri unable to control his anger. The blood of the serpent had now caked beneath his fingernails and he was ready to attack the servant.


    Everyone present in the room including Cora became quiet fearing his temper. The servant was tongue-tied and began quivering. Dmitri slowly walked to the servant, held his collar and in a lethally soft voice asked, "What kind of noises?"


    The servant gulped. Finding his voice somehow he said weakly, "Screams of pain."


    Dmitri''s eyes became wide. "What were you doing there and why didn''t you go to check it out?"


    "I did go there, but I found lots of blood splattered on the ground. Scared, I ran back to the manor as fast as I could to give information to you regarding this incident."


    Dmitri left his collar and shoved him away. He looked at his mother. "Keep a watch on him till I return."


    Cora nodded. She instructed two other servants to hold him and imprison him until further notice.


    Along with the wizards, Dmitri flew to the north end of the manor gardens.


    ---


    Pierre reached the town to find his contacts. It had been a long time since he had remained out of touch. He wondered if anyone would even recognize him. When he entered the streets of the town along with a young werewolf that was his security, he realized that the town had changed to a great extent. There were modern buildings and though there weren''t too many people on the streets, he noticed new flower shops, diners, a movie theater, and a small farmer''s market. His eyes scanned the area and there it was �C his favorite deli. The wind chime hung above the door rang as he opened the door and stepped inside.


    The familiar smells of the spice mustard with cayenne, yeast from freshly baked bread and cured meats wafted through the air. His lips curved and he looked at the counter where the owner''s head was buried in calculating the previous day''s money in front of his computer.


    Pierre''s bodyguard went to take a seat while he went to stand at the edge of the counter. Pressing his chest on it while leaning in, he placed an order, "I would like a pastrami and roast beef."


    "Sir, please take your seat. A waitress will come and take-" the owner stopped counting the money and looked up. His mouth fell open and his posture became stiff.


    "Pierre!" he exclaimed. "Oh my sweet Jesus!" His eyes bulged as he recognized that voice and stared in those brown eyes of the handsome face, which was now slightly older. He pushed the cash register inside and rushed out of the counter.


    "Pierre, my friend." His voice choked as he gave a bear hug to his old friend whom he thought had died long back. "Where have you been?"


    Pierre responded by hugging him equally tight. "Gary."


    Gary removed himself and placed his hands on Pierre''s shoulders. "Where have you been my friend?" He guided Pierre to the nearest table and called the waitress. "Get two sandwiches with smoked chicken filling and hot peppers, two beer and coleslaw over here and give the same to that man over there." He pointed to Pierre''s bodyguard. He was accustomed to Pierre''s security from the past.


    The waitress smiled and left to get the order.


    Gary took a deep breath. "Tell me."


    Pierre looked out at the empty street. "It''s a long story Gary but to cut it short, I was imprisoned by my enemies when my son was only seven. It was my daughter-in-law who helped me get out of that hell hole."


    "Dmitri is married now?" Gary chuckled remembering the sweet little child.


    "Yes!" Pierre replied with excitement.


    The food came and the two friends warmed up a little more. Over the course of the meal, Pierre said, "I need some important information."


    "Sure, tell me about it," replied Gary relaxing back in the chair holding the beer can in his left hand.


    "Is there any activity happening around here that might catch your eye?" Pierre paused. "Anything that doesn''t normally happen here?"


    Gary cocked his head. He twisted his mouth and looked at the ceiling. He nodded slowly. "I heard that some military people had come to meet Niiya and Dr. Tanaka."


    Pierre''s chest tightened. "What else?"


    "My son informed me a day back that a small battalion of the army was camping at the edge of the town."


    ---


    Dmitri was on the broom of the wizard who had informed him about Nate. They flew over the area as indicated by the servant. There was a lot of blood sprayed around the woods.


    "Get down," he ordered the wizard. The broom came down and Dmitri alighted, as did the other wizards.


    Anxiety gripped him. He blamed himself for putting Nate into a difficult situation. His insides quivered thinking of the worst-case scenario. He couldn''t think what would happen to Ookashi.


    Along with the wizards he followed the blood trail. The dark blood was sprayed on the ground, on the leaves and barks of the trees. It spoke about someone''s struggle to an attack. After a few minutes, they reached ground covered with thick foliage and beneath that was a serpent. Coiled tightly, green like pond slime and scaly like a dragon, its flesh was ripped at few places. But to Dmitri''s horror, it seemed to coil and coil.

 Chapter 422 - Both His Betas

    Pierre wanted to know more. Such kind of military activity was happening for the first time on the borders of the town. "That is strange," he commented.


    Gary sipped the beer and said, "What is it that you want to know?" He looked outside and then narrowed his eyes. "It is rumored that Niiya is a jilted lover. Now I don''t know much but his lover was granddaughter of Ed." He turned his gaze to Pierre. "Do you remember Ed?"


    Pierre''s mind became blank, as if it had stopped functioning. All blood drained out of his face. "Y- yes, I remember him well."


    Gary chugged the contents of the beer can. He called the waitress for another can. He continued, "Niiya was in love with her. I forget her name��some Arianna. I heard that she left him and married another one of your fellows, a male from the Werewolf Realm. Niiya hasn''t been able to get over with the fact."


    The waitress came to give them another can. When she left, Gary opened it and pointed it at Pierre, "My son informed me that he still loves her and is unable to get over her. The sad part is that since he is unable to get her back, he wants revenge."


    Pierre didn''t know how to react to that statement. His thoughts were swirling so quickly that it was hard to follow them.


    "My guess is that it seems that the girl is happily married and doesn''t want to do anything with him. So it irks him a lot."


    Pierre collected his thoughts. It was a shocking revelation. "What has it got to do with the military camping in the area?" he Pierre.


    "The gossip is that Niiya is planning to attack the Werewolf Realm with their help."


    "What?" Pierre''s eyes bulged in surprise.


    "But, this is gossip," Gary shrugged. "You should know how these young people talk. So take it with a pinch of salt."


    "I need you to find out about this situation, Gary." Pierre rested his hand on the table to lean forward. "Because if there is even a grain of truth in what you said, it is a grave situation that would harm everyone in the end."


    "I surely will," answered Gary with a smile. "Give me a day."


    "Sure." Pierre picked his beer can and took a sip. He said, "That girl''s name is Adrianna, not Arianna. And she is my daughter-in-law."


    Gary''s mouth dropped to the floor.


    "Cheers!" Confidently, Pierre clinked his can with Gary''s with a gleam in his eyes.


    ---


    The serpent was coiling around something horizontally as if wrapping around a tree. From the outside only its huge, thick green body could be seen interspersed with blood and exposed flesh.


    "Stun him," ordered Dmitri with veins standing out on his neck in panic.


    The three wizards drew their wands out and sent blasts of spells on the serpent. White lethal electricity emitted from the wands. It struck the serpent but it spread over its skin crackling and then dying out. No matter how hard they tried, the serpent''s skin was too thick for their magic.


    "Trap it, stupefy it, do something!" shouted Dmitri.


    Whatever spell the wizards sent its way, only recoiled. The serpent was immune to them. Dmitri couldn''t understand how that was possible.


    On a quick thought he said, "I need two swords."


    A wizard produced two swords and handed them to him. "It would be very dangerous if you near it."


    "I don''t think so," he said and ran to the serpent. "Take your swords and start chopping this beast from the bottom. I want it minced." His voice was spiked with anger. "But wait for my order."


    Using its body, Dmitri climbed up and reached its head. The serpent darted its tongue out and lashed it towards the attacker. Dmitri dodged it deftly but he knew that one impact of that powerful forked tongue and he would die. It was laced with poison.


    On the inside of the deadly coil, Dmitri saw his beta��unconscious with face white as ghost.


    "Nate," he yelled hoping that his beta would listen but there was no response. Only a slight noise as if a bone had cracked somewhere inside.


    Angered, Dmitri plunged the sword deep in its flesh right below its neck. The serpent lifted its head screaming in pain. He threw his tongue out again towards Dmitri spraying more glue-like poison. Dmitri had to jump down from there to save himself.


    "Attack!" he ordered the wizards.


    As the wizards came to the serpent''s side, Dmitri climbed back again. This time he thrust the dagger near the last wound he had made. The serpent let out a blood-curdling noise and uncoiling its tail, it lashed it around.


    "Now!" Dmitri shouted.


    The wizards took their swords and rammed it in its tail.


    "Cut it!"


    The wizards were trying their best but it was impossible with the constant lashing of its tail. They managed to give it deep gashes.


    Dmitri positioned himself on the second coil beside the serpent''s head and stabbed it with full force. The tongue came out. Dmitri was waiting for it. Using his other sword, he sliced it through the tongue. The serpent loosened immediately. Dmitri climbed up its head, held both the swords in the air and plunged them into its head. The serpent dropped dead unfurling Nate.


    The wizards had sliced its tail off.


    Dmitri picked Nate. He looked at the sliced body of the serpent with hatred.


    "Create a portal to the emergency ward," he commanded.


    Dmitri walked out with Nate in the side alley of the hospital. Nate was immediately ushered to the intensive care unit.


    Both his betas were in the hospital that day. As he waited on the outside, bitterness overcame him. He would never forgive those who did it. He had to talk to Adrianna about Ziu. His jaws clenched. Ziu was getting out of hand. He had to be shown his place or sent to his place.


    He looked up and found Ookashi running followed by Cora. She was five months pregnant��her face pale as a ghost as if all negativity has seeped into her body.

 Chapter 423 - News From The Hospital

    Ookashi ran to Dmitri. Her skin was flushed, legs were shaking and eyes full of tears.


    "H- how- is he?" She gulped. "S- survive?" She grabbed Dmitri''s collar and stared in his eyes, "Nate��survive?" Her sentences were choppy and she was speaking too quickly.


    "He is in the intensive care unit. They have put an oxygen mask on him." Dmitri saw her panic-stricken, sweaty face. He felt extremely sad. Her pink dress clung to her body and the bulge showed.


    She darted a gaze in an attempt to see and absorb everything around her. Slowly she left Dmitri''s collar and stood in front of him with slumped shoulders. A sob ripped through her. Dmitri embraced her tightly. Fleur came over and stood next to her and she hugged Ookashi. Dmitri enveloped the two girls in his arms. They were too young to be left without mates.


    The sadness sucked him in a vortex. He couldn''t cry in front of them. He had to stand as a pillar of support not only for the two girls but also for his betas. In that moment he realized that if two insignificant serpents could create such havoc on his betas, what would a load of them do to his packs, to the Werewolf Realm.


    He remembered Adrianna with all his love and affection. He had to protect his people, he had to protect her and his unborn baby.


    As if on cue of his sadness, he saw his wife walking down the corridor towards them flanked by Haldir and Isidorus. He smiled. He left Ookashi and Fleur whom Cora patted to quiet.


    Dmitri covered his face with his hands and sank on his knees. Adrianna walked up to him and knelt right before him. Gently, she removed his hands and cupped his cheeks. She brushed away the tears that had formed unknowingly.


    He didn''t care that there were people watching. He had so much concern on his face. There was love in those eyes. She stroked her hands in his hair and the next moment, he hugged her tightly. Without looking at anyone, he said, "Take me somewhere."


    Adrianna looked at Haldir who created a portal immediately for them. She got up with him and they walked through it into their bedroom in his manor.


    "Do you want to tell me what happened? She asked as she helped him sit on the bed. She studied his face.


    "There is something else I would like first." The curtains on the window moved as the cool breeze from outside filled the room carrying the scent of fresh blooms and lush greens. Dmitri held Adrianna close to him and set her on his lap. He felt powerless in front of her��powerless to resist touching her. She stroked his hands and his throat tightened. She held his shoulders and he gently caressed her every part of the body while looking at her face. For a long moment they sat quietly. He inhaled her smell.


    Finally he murmured, "My mate."


    "I tried calling you mentally, but there was no response," Adrianna said. "I came here and terror overtook me. I thought��" There was fear in her eyes.


    "I had to mentally shut myself out otherwise I would have not been able to function properly. The two serpents were too powerful. Liam has internal organ injuries while Nate is unconscious due to lack of oxygen. The doctors suspect that two of his ribcage bones have cracked." Dmitri rested his head on the crook of her neck.


    Cold rage flickered through Adrianna''s eyes. "Are they dead?"


    "Yes."


    "Good."


    "But I am scared, Adri, scared of what they might do to our people. They are too powerful to be taken lightly. We have to contain Ziu. He is getting out of hand."


    "Yes��" she replied. She held him in her arms and kissed the crown of his head. "I will make sure that he is stopped and that too once and for all."


    She knew it was time to start tightening the noose around him.


    The couple stayed there for a long time. They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.


    "What is it?" Adrianna asked.


    "News from the hospital."


    Adrianna rose and opened the door. Cora was standing beside the servant.


    "Nate''s breathing has restored but due to lack of oxygen his brain has swelled a little. The doctor says he will make it. As for his ribcage bones, he has to stay with fractured ones for life. I am hoping that since he is a werewolf, he will recover as soon as he is here with the healer."


    Adrianna closed her eyes and thanked the wolf spirits. "Has Ookashi met him?"


    "Yes. She is better now. I can''t say the same for Fleur though."


    "What about Liam?" came Dmitri''s voice from behind.


    "His operation is still going on. They have already given him three bottles of blood."


    "What? Whose blood?" Dmitri was panicky. Liam couldn''t handle human blood.


    "Relax. Three of our men are standing there who have donated their blood," Cora informed.


    Dmitri took a deep breath. He turned back.


    "Dmitri," his father''s voice boomed in the hallway.


    He turned back and walked past Adrianna and Cora. He went down to meet his father. Adrianna followed him.


    "There is something really wrong happening in the Human Realm," said Pierre. He was standing near the fireplace looking at the logs that were burning. "A military unit has been stationed on the border of the town."


    He turned to look at Dmitri and found Adrianna standing right next to him. "Your human friend, Niiya, is planning an attack on the Werewolf Realm with the help of the military."


    Adrianna''s eyes widened. Her mind raced. "This is not possible," she whispered. She brushed her hand through her hair. She staggered back and sat on the sofa behind with shock registering in her mind. All events were unfolding at a fast pace.


    Was there a connection between Ziu and Niiya? Why would Niiya plan to attack the Werewolf Realm out of blue? What was the motive?

 Chapter 424 - The Blood Bond

    Adrianna looked at Dmitri. "I want to go back to the Wizard Kingdom. There is something very important for me to attend."


    "We need to curb this as soon as possible Adrianna," said Dmitri. "Why don''t you confront Ziu?"


    "I told you already. If I do that, he would become cautious. We need to tread carefully. We cannot take the risk of letting him know what we are thinking." She let out an exasperated sigh.


    "So do we just sit back, cross our hands across our chests and watch this display of terror? Are you out of your mind?" Dmitri said with clenched jaws.


    "Do you think Ziu is an easy enemy to win? If I remember correctly, he was the one who guided Vikra into attacking the Wizard Kingdom. So that one thing makes him even stronger than Vikra. If I don''t think with a cold, objective mind, I won''t be able to calculate his next move," she countered.


    Dmitri pounded his fist on the table next to him. Pierre shook his head. "So it was Ziu who was directing Vikra all the while?"


    Adrianna pursed her lips.


    "You should kill him now, Adrianna. Else he would become a demon. His lust for power is unimaginable," Pierre insisted. He went and stood next to his son as if showing support to what he said earlier.


    "And then what?" she asked.


    "What do you mean?" Dmitri looked at her with rage cruising through his body.


    "Once Ziu is killed, the Serpent King would come and simply destroy all the Werewolf Realm. It would be very easy for him," pointed Adrianna.


    Dmitri picked a small glass statue of a horse and threw it on the wall behind her. Adrianna jumped as the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces. "This is nonsensical! Do you think I am so powerless Adrianna? In your opinion I do not have even the power to save my people?" The veins on his neck were throbbing.


    Adrianna took a deep breath. Both the father and son were blinded. "Look at the larger picture. Okay?" she said. "Also I am done talking here. I am going back to the Wizard Kingdom. Don''t do anything stupid until I return."


    "I am not a child who you can govern like that!" Dmitri shouted, able to contain his rage any more. She didn''t understand the gravity of the situation. Ziu had attacked his betas and he wanted to get revenge.


    "Dmitri!" Adrianna looked at him with fear and pain. "You must trust me."


    "I want to, Adrianna, but you are not being reasonable," he retorted.


    "Stop it, all of you!" Cora said. "Don''t stress Adrianna anymore."


    Pierre and Dmitri became quiet.


    She went to her daughter-in-law and held her hand. Then she looked in her eyes and said, "Adri, whatever you do, don''t harm my grandchild. I trust you but make my faith in you worthwhile."


    "Thank you mother," she said as her anger reduced. "I shall leave now. Please take care." Cora nodded.


    "Haldir," Adrianna summoned. "Now!"


    A portal was created.


    Before she walked through it, she turned to look at Pierre, "Father, is there any treaty between werewolves and humans?"


    Pierre''s eyes widened.


    "Wait for me before you set up the meeting with Niiya," said Adrianna and walked through the portal. Pierre looked at her with a glint in his eyes.


    Isidorus was waiting for her in the palace. As soon as Adrianna walked out of the portal with Haldir, she commanded, "Call Mihr now. Also call the Minister of Relations��the wizard who told me about interchange of humans and wizards."


    "Yes, my Queen," Isidorus bowed and left.


    "Ziu lives in level three." She turned to Haldir. "I need five Mozia to always be stationed around his house. But they should be cautious. He can easily find the invisibility spells."


    "I have already done that Adrianna," replied Haldir standing stiff as a ramrod.


    Adrianna''s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to say something when Haldir interrupted her. "Remember Adrianna, I am an elf. My powers are much more than yours. I can foresee things. Currently all my thoughts are aligned with you. In order to block me from knowing what you are thinking, you need better shields. For me it is extremely easy to break your barriers without your knowledge and enter your brain."


    Adrianna became angry. "How dare you?"


    Haldir sounded so lethal. She shuddered inside to think what he would be as her enemy.


    "When we elves protect someone, we don''t leave a stone unturned to do so. Hence, it is said that elves are the most dangerous bodyguards." He circled her. "Now the question is �C do you want me as your bodyguard?"


    Adrianna was mad with fury. "So you know all the details?"


    Haldir nodded. "Everything."


    "If you dare to speak anything, I will ensure that you are beheaded." She paused. "Make a blood bond with me."


    Haldir smiled. "That would tie you also."


    "I want you to make a blood bond with me," she insisted, anger roiling her guts.


    Haldir took out the dagger from his baldric, which was adorned with five more various sized daggers. He took it in his right hand and sliced his left palm. Blood started dripping on the floor. He handed the dagger to Adrianna.


    Adrianna accepted the dagger and sliced her palm. Pain flared but she was in control. "Give me your hand," she demanded.


    Haldir held her hand and when their bloods met, energy zipped through them making them both shudder. Adrianna''s yellow eyes burned and glazed. Haldir''s skin became numb. His eyes became wide, his face pale.


    "Argah." His voice rasped low when he voiced the vow. Their hands were fixed as though by glue.


    Adrianna looked at him. Hazy smoke rose around their hands as the blood mingled. It started swirling around them. As the smoke swirled, the spell worked. "You vow to protect my baby without divulging any secret."


    Haldir''s eye bulged through the pain he was experiencing. He expected that Adrianna would ask him not to divulge what was there in her mind. But this? This thinking was ten steps ahead.


    Adrianna stared at him waiting for his answer.


    "Yes," he whispered. His life forever belonged to Adrianna and her baby.


    The smoky haze around cleared and the two stumbled back leaving each other. All traces of blood cleared with the smoke. They were sweating by the end of it.


    Isidorus appeared with Mihr and the Minister of Relations.

 Chapter 425 - The Plans

    Isidorus narrowed his eyes when he looked at Adrianna and Haldir. Adrianna had clutched the nearest table with one hand and her other hand was gripping the fabric over her stomach. She was panting. There were sweat beats on her forehead. Her pale lips were parted as exhaled shallow breaths. Haldir on the other hand had sunk his knees to the ground. His eyes were fixed on the ground.


    Isidorus took his sword out and kept it at the nape of Haldir. "What happened over here? Tell me now or your neck would roll down." His nostrils flared.


    Haldir didn''t look up and kept rooted to the ground.


    "It is none of your concern, Isidorus," said Adrianna in a hoarse voice. "Remove that sword."


    "Yes, my Queen," he replied and encased the sword in its sheath.


    Mihr went to Haldir. He held his shoulders and gently helped him to stand up. Adrianna sat on the nearest sofa. Isidorus snapped his fingers and a few servants appeared with beverages to calm down the nerves. As Adrianna took the glass of green fuzzy liquid, the servant wiped her forehead with a clean cloth.


    "Would you like anything else, my Queen?" he asked.


    "No, you may leave."


    The servants disappeared and the four of them sat down to talk about what to do next.


    "Isidorus, I want you to go to the human realm and meet Niiya. Talk to him about the treaty and remind him everything in it." She turned to Mihr. "You have to get Rhys safely in and out of the Wizard Kingdom. I want to meet him tonight."


    Haldir seemed so pale. He was resting his head on the sofa. But he knew what the queen wanted. He simply waved his hand and one of the Mozias who were stationed outside Ziu''s palace appeared.


    The Mozia bowed and reported, "My Queen, Ziu is currently in the palace. Haldir had cast a spell for us to detect whether he would disappear from inside the palace premise. However, till so far, he hasn''t. We are keeping a close watch on him."


    "Okay," Adrianna replied and Mozia left.


    "I will be leaving the kingdom for two days under disguise. Mihr, Haldir and two Mozia will go with me." She looked at Isidorus. "I need you to keep a watch on the kingdom for these two days."


    "Where do you plan to go?" Isidorus couldn''t let the baby get in any danger. "You are not well."


    "Just pack my stuff nicely for me. Rest I will take care," she replied. She meant that he should pack blood for her.


    Isidorus took a deep breath. He wasn''t convinced. "What if someone detects you?" I can''t take the risk. You should tell me what it is and I will arrange."


    "No, I have to do this and no one else can. As such we don''t have much time." Adrianna took a deep breath and took out a long exhale. "Whatever it is that Niiya is doing, stop him for two days. Threaten him if possible, but stall him."


    She smoothed her dress and then grimaced, "If nothing works, tell him that I have requested that he listens to me."


    "It would be nice if I know your plan," Isidorus was angry.


    Adrianna didn''t utter a word. "Arrange everyone in the south gardens of the palace near the big fountain. We would vortex from there." Saying that she got up and went to her bedroom. She changed into black leather pants and jacket. She reached her table and picking up a glass of blood from the table, she started to write a letter addressed to Dmitri. Once the letter was written, it folded itself and entered a yellow envelope. The envelope slipped inside the drawer.


    She walked to the balcony and gazed at the vast expanse of starry sky under which the Wizard Kingdom had brightly lit. She smiled at the thought of how her people trusted her and vowed that she would do all she could to maintain the trust.


    The curtains moved in the soft breeze and her broom flew right outside the balcony. Adrianna climbed the parapet and mounted the broom. Immediately the broom took her to the south gardens. There was darkness everywhere. The lamps had been switched off. Everyone was waiting for her. She alighted the broom.


    The five people held each other''s hand and along with their brooms, were sucked in a vortex.


    ---


    Next day Dmitri reached the hospital in the early hours of the morning. He saw Fleur. She looked disheveled and Howard was standing with her. There was only one more person in the lobby. A nurse was sleeping behind the nurse-station.


    "Did you stay here throughout the night?" he asked quietly.


    "Yes," Fleur whispered.


    "How is he?"


    "Yesterday, the doctor had said that there was a sharp injury in his lungs since a bone of the rib cage had pierced the upper part. They had operated upon him and removed the bone from the lungs. He has lost a lot of blood." Fleur looked away.


    "What happened? How is he?" Dmitri asked in fear.


    Howard stroked his daughter''s back and said, "The problem is that Liam has shown extremely good improvement overnight. Being a werewolf, his lung has healed tremendously."


    Dmitri sucked in a quick breath. He was so overwhelmed that he felt that the room was closing in. That was one good news in the past forty-eight hours. "Isn''t that nice?" he said excitedly.


    "That is indeed very nice, but we would like to take him back to the Werewolf Realm before the doctors conduct the X-rays. They will surely see the improvement in his condition and this would lead to other issues," replied Howard.


    Dmitri laughed. "Do what you can to get him out of here. If you need my help, let me know."


    "We do," replied Fleur. She snapped her fingers and Dmitri turned into the doctor who was attending Liam.


    Dmitri shook his head.


    "You know what to do," she smiled.


    Dmitri walked to the nurse-station, woke the nurse up.


    "Sir!" She woke up with a startle. "I- I am sorry. I don''t know when I slept."


    Dmitri sized her up and then said, "Give me the file of yesterday''s emergency patient, Liam."


    The nurse sifted through the various records and gave him the file.


    "Prepare his discharge papers."


    "B- but he hasn''t recovered," she opposed with a stammer.


    Dmitri stared at her and frowned. The nurse bit her cheeks inside. "Sorry doctor."


    It took her exactly ten minutes to prepare the papers. Dmitri signed and the patient was discharged. Liam was taken out of the hospital before it was 7AM.


    ---


    Niiya had set up a meeting with the military. But he wanted to talk to Adrianna urgently. He knew that Ziu''s spies and his father monitored all his movements. There was no way he could get past them. It was almost 9AM in the morning and the meeting was called at 11AM, when suddenly his phone buzzed.


    "The Supreme Alpha of the Werewolf Realm has called upon an urgent meeting. They have also asked Dr. Tanaka to join you," one of the officials informed.


    A smile wormed on his lips. "Okay. Ask them to meet me at 10AM."

 Chapter 426 - Meeting Again

    Niiya looked at the sign that said, ''Blush Mushroom''. The bell chimed as he opened the door. A mix of musty roots and barks, heather, wood smoke and bitter smelling teas wafted through his nose. The room was divided into rows of shelves each of which had bottles of resins, pastes, oils, smoky liquids and dried herbs. There were odd shaped leaves that were clipped together and drying at the window.


    He walked ten steps inside when he saw a man wiping his hands on an apron, rushing towards him. He extended his hand when he approached Niiya, "Good morning. I am Kantha, owner of this shop."


    "Niiya."


    "Yes, yes. I know. Please come this way," the herbalist guided him through the shelves. "I don''t know why Gary chose this place for the meeting. He is very mystic." Kantha let out a soft laughter. Kantha opened a heavy door into a room that looked like his lab. Steam was hissing out of a kettle. There was a small cauldron of sizzling purple liquid against the hot embers. A book was lying right next.


    Kantha walked past through the equipment up till the end of the room. He opened a frost glass door and they walked into a small, beautiful herbal garden where few chairs were neatly arranged in a circle around a table.


    "Please sit here. Others will arrive soon," said Kantha and left. Niiya sat down with a glow in his eyes. He was eager to meet Adrianna. He leaned forward and picked up the small ashtray that was kept on the table. He fiddled with it, as his mind became occupied as to what all he would say to Adrianna. He hated Ziu so much. He blew a long breath and smiled anticipating the future.


    Niiya gazed at the patches of colorful flowers, which he knew were poisonous cherry laurels. There were several mulched beds with decorative borders. A gentle breeze stirred the blue fescue. His gaze settled on an arch that led to a small cottage. It was covered in vines and creeping flowers. The porch of the cottage was decorated with fancy patio furniture. Niiya''s attention was diverted by clinking of glassware.


    The door of the cottage opened and a girl walked outside with a tray. Niiya''s breath was caught in the throat. He stared at the girl who was stepping down the stairs of the verandah with caution. Wearing an ice blue dress with black wave patterns, she looked lovelier than ever. Her brown hair was falling till her waist. She had become thinner than what Niiya remembered.


    Pryce entered the garden and Niiya noticed that she was barefoot. She turned her gaze with a smile to the guest and froze on the spot. Their gaze locked and none of them seemed to breathe.


    Suddenly, a sprinkler set off and the reverie broke.


    Pryce gulped. "H- hi."


    Niiya couldn''t even answer, his throat refusing to function. He nodded. Seeing his reluctance in answering her, Pryce bit her lip. She nodded too with a faint smile. Taking a deep breath in, she walked to him and placed the tray with steaming hot tea on the table. As Niiya continued to stare at her, she took her hand to the nape and said, "Father said that few guests would be arriving. He asked me to make tea for them."


    ''Father!'' Shocked, Niiya nodded again. He was meeting Pryce after such a long time that he didn''t know where to start. He was well aware of what she did during Adrianna''s wedding and her problems with Ookashi. It had been more than a year ever since he had met her last. She had just disappeared from the college. And because of that she was out of mind.


    Pryce was crestfallen when she found him too quiet. She understood his reasons for his silence. She had been too mean with Adrianna and Ookashi. "See you," she said and turned to leave.


    "How are you?" he asked almost in a whisper.


    Pryce turned to face him excitedly. "I- I am fine," she spoke softly.


    "Where have you been?"


    "My father has asked me to learn his business. He is a herbalist and this shop is running from generations," she replied circling her finger towards the shop. "So I have quit college�� I spend all my time here."


    "What about your brother?"


    "He has gone overseas with his wife."


    Niiya looked down at the blue fescue grass as another wave of breeze passed over it.


    A flurry of movement caught his attention and he looked behind Pryce. Isidorus, Dmitri and Pierre were standing there. He rose from his chair.


    "Thank you," Niiya said immediately. He knew that Dmitri hated her. "You may go to the shop. I think your father was looking for you urgently."


    Pryce''s face registered a slight surprise. "Oh, thanks. Perhaps he needs more wraithsweets for the medicine." She said and rushed away from there unaware of the three people behind.


    They came to sit next to Niiya. Pierre and Isidorus greeted Niiya but Dmitri didn''t even look at him.


    Pierre poured tea for all of them. Isidorus was the first to speak. "I have come to talk about the treaty that humans have signed with wizards."


    "And we have come to talk about the treaty that humans have signed with the werewolves," said Pierre.


    Niiya smiled. "Where is Adrianna?"


    His question irked Dmitri. "What has Adrianna got to do with this meeting?" he hissed.


    "Stay within limits!" Pierre chided him. Then he looked at Niiya and frowned. "Why is the military stationed outside the town?"


    Niiya leaned forward. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He had to tell them everything. "That is one thing that I wanted to talk to you about. You see��" His tongue froze mid-sentence and the next instant he was looking at himself through the eyes of Pierre.


    A voice whispered through his mind, "It''s not so easy Niiya." Ziu was smiling in his body.


    "What?" asked Isidorus looking at Niiya with furrowed eyebrows.


    "You see I have no idea why they are stationed here." Niiya narrowed his eyes. He twisted his mouth. "What about the treaty?"


    Isidorus looked at Pierre to answer and found his gaze oddly fixed at Niiya.

 Chapter 427 - Point Taken

    Pierre''s eyes were fixed oddly at Niiya. He wanted to speak but found that his tongue had frozen. He couldn''t move a muscle. His mind became muddled.


    Ziu had possessed Niiya''s body. He shifted his gaze to Isidorus, "What about the treaty Isidorus?" he asked softly.


    Isidorus couldn''t understand why Pierre behaved like that, so thought of entering his cell. But his ability to enter anyone''s cell came with a limitation �C he had to become distant from the surroundings. That was a chance he was not ready to take especially because he didn''t want to miss even a minute of what they talked.


    "You cannot wage war on the wizards. If you break the treaty, it will not be taken kindly."


    Ziu crossed his arms across his chest and he gave a half-smile. "I know that." Then he looked at Dmitri who was watching him as if he got the chance, he would rip him apart in a thousand pieces. "And why are you here?" he asked with a scorn.


    Dmitri rasped, "Your treaty with the wolves binds you not to harm our race in any manner. According to the treaty we have lived peacefully for thousands of years and now if you dare to breach it, you should know the consequences."


    "What are the consequences, Dmitri?" asked Ziu as his smile disappeared and his cheeks flushed with anger.


    "Don''t you know what happens to humans who are bitten by werewolves?" A muscle in his jaw feathered as he answered the question.


    "I know it. You don''t have to remind," said Ziu calmly lowering his voice. "There is no need to worry about these things. There is no breach of treaty and so you people should relax." He lied through his teeth. He couldn''t let them know of his plans. "If we are over with this, I would like to go."


    Inside Pierre, Niiya was feeling utterly helpless. He couldn''t in his life believe that he had agreed to help a serpent like Ziu��a true serpent. A snake up his sleeve. Niiya was trapped. There was no way out. He wanted to explode. He wanted to tell everything to Dmitri and Isidorus, but all he sensed was captivity. He searched for something to get out, anything, a crevice, a window from the body he was in, but the walls around him were solid and gray with no clue as to how he got in there in the first place. "Leave me," he whispered inside.


    Pierre''s disoriented mind could only see blurred things. He heard the whisper inside him. "Who are you?" he whispered back.


    Dmitri pounded his fist on the table. "Do you think that we are fools who have just come here with our apprehensions? Do you know what happened in my pack? Back in our kingdoms we have numerous problems and you are trying to make us look like fools? How dare you?"


    Ziu had to get out of there as soon as possible. "I am not concerned with what happens in your pack Dmitri," he answered with a clenched jaw. "You people have come to me and I have already answered your question. Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."


    "No! You better sit down," Isidorus spoke in a very serious voice. He created a magical sphere around all of them, a wall so solid that none could leave.


    Ziu could have broken the spell with his magic but then he didn''t want to raise suspicions. "You cannot stop me against my will," he protested.


    "Then you better listen to us," said Isidorus, beginning to doubt Niiya''s behavior. When he had last met him in the party that he had hosted for Adrianna after she had ascended the throne, he seemed like an ally.


    Without waiting for Niiya to answer, Dmitri said, "Three serpents shape shifters were in my pack from the last few days. They attacked Liam, Nate and me."


    Ziu squirmed in his seat. He didn''t want Niiya to listen to Dmitri''s encounter with the serpents because Nate was attacked badly. "You are wasting my time!" he shouted. "Like I said, I have no interest in what is happening in your kingdom." Then he paused and cocked his head. "Or unless the mighty Supreme Alpha is asking for help against serpents from humans?" He sneered, sarcasm dripping in his voice.


    Dmitri could believe the man in front of him. He rose from his chair to punch Niiya, but Isidorus stopped him. "Nate was on the brink of death. The infiltrator serpent had wrapped him tightly when Dmitri saved him. As for Liam, he is still fighting for his life."


    Inside Pierre, Niiya was fuming with anger. How was Ookashi? The last he heard was that she was pregnant with Nate''s child. Angry as he was, he was unable to even move a finger.


    "Haven''t you killed those serpents?" asked Ziu.


    Isidorus frowned and said, "Yes, they were killed mercilessly. One of them was the daughter of the King of Serpents. We sliced her body into several pieces and threw them to feed the sea creatures." He paused to look at the contorted face of Niiya. "But that is not what we have come to discuss."


    Inside Niiya, Ziu cringed. He had sent his sister to spy the Werewolf Realm. She was a sweet child and more than twenty years younger than him. "So what is it?"


    "We have come here to warn you. If we suspect that the humans are trying to harm us, we will not sit quietly." Isidorus gave him a final warning.


    And this is what Ziu wanted��a war. "Point taken." He replied patiently. "I would like to leave now."


    Isidorus lowered his magic shield and allowed Niiya to leave.


    Pierre kept staring at Niiya and then suddenly fainted.


    When Ziu had come out of the herbal shop, he left Niiya''s body.


    Niiya was shocked to find himself outside the shop. A moment back he was inside. He turned to open the door and rushed to the garden taking Pryce and Kantha by surprise.


    The garden was empty. There was no sign of the three men who had come to meet him. Exasperated, he leaned on the table and sat on the garden chair. He was so helpless after what he had heard about Nate that his breathing became accelerated. He wanted to cry.


    "Niiya," he felt the warm hand of Pryce on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?" she asked.


    Niiya held her hand as though it would save his life. He brought it closer to his heart and cried. At first he cried softly and then it turned into sobs. Pryce couldn''t understand what was going on. She was flustered but kept standing beside Niiya, the man she had loved so deeply that she had refused to marry anyone else. She patted his back to reassure him.


    "Poor Ookashi," he murmured. He had to tell this to his father�� or maybe not��


    Isidorus had created a portal for Dmitri to carry Pierre back to the Werewolf Realm. Dmitri carried his father to his bedroom and ordered the servants to fetch the healer.


    Cora was frightened to death. "What happened to Pierre?" she asked hoarsely.


    "I don''t know mother. He seemed so disoriented in the meeting." Then he looked at his father. "But his breathing is normal. I think he is exhausted."


    Cora shook her head, "It can''t be. He was as fit as a fiddle in the morning."

 Chapter 428 - This Seemed To Be The Beginning

    The healer came in the next ten minutes. However, Pierre had become conscious by then. He simply gave him a glass of green liquid and left after checking.


    "Father you should rest now," said Dmitri. "Don''t go out anywhere. I will ask others to help me."


    Pierre propped up on the bed with the help of Cora. He looked at Dmitri and said in a low voice, "I don''t know what happened to me there. It was as if suddenly my body was possessed by someone else."


    Isidorus cringed. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" This was dark magic. Wizards who practiced dark magic were expelled from the kingdom or imprisoned.


    "I heard someone whispering inside me," Pierre answered hoping that he sounded normal. He looked at Cora who was listening to him with wide eyes.


    "Pierre, you need more rest," she said, keeping her hand on her chest.


    Pierre lowered his head. He knew he sounded insane.


    "What did you hear, Pierre?" insisted Isidorus.


    He shook his head and then said slowly, "The voice said ''Leave me''��" Once again his eyes shifted to Cora. He immediately added, "I think you are right Cora. I need rest."


    Isidorus stared at Pierre. After a short pause he looked at Dmitri and said, "Who chose that meeting point, the herbalist shop?"


    "Gary," replied Dmitri twisting his lips. "He is my father''s old contact in the town."


    "Don''t go there again," said Isidorus. He walked out of the bedroom after giving the warning.


    Dmitri followed him. "Don''t go where? To the shop or to the town?" Everything was too complicated at the moment.


    "Issue a warning to all the werewolves not to leave their territories." Isidorus said. He walked to the main door of the hall and created a portal. As the snow of the portal swirled quietly, he turned and added, "In fact ask them not to leave their packs. They should prepare themselves for any untoward incident. But ask them to stay low profile."


    Dmitri brows furrowed. He didn''t ask any questions. "Okay." He nodded.


    Isidorus left and the portal closed. He walked right into his palace.


    ---


    Niiya''s breathing was ragged and gasping. He felt that the strength had left his legs. He didn''t want to get up from the chair.


    Pryce walked in front of him and sank on her knees not caring about the slightly wet grass that would dirty her knees. She removed Niiya''s hands from his face and cupped his cheeks. With her thumb she wiped his tears and looked into his red eyes. Niiya''s breathing was hitched. "Would you like to tell me what happened?" she asked softly.


    Niiya bit his lip as he stared at her. How could he say anything to her? She didn''t know anything. Ziu was like a splinter under his skin. Emotions swirled inside him, the agony of the burden shook his body as each emotion cruised through his frame. There was fire, shame and anger boiling in his gut. The emptiness filled his heart as the emotions brewed over and over. "What do I do Pryce?" he said, feeling weak.


    Pryce stood from there and held his hand. She tugged it a little and Niiya got up from his place. "Let''s go inside," she whispered.


    All Niiya needed at this time was reassurance, and so he followed her to wherever she took him��across the grass, through the flowery archway, on the porch and then up the stairs into her room.


    Inside, soft music was playing from a device on a table that was set near the window. A large oval mirror with a wooden frame, hung on the wall right in front of the bed. A dressing table that sported her makeup was placed there. Her room was extremely tidy��not a thing was out of place. Towards the headboard of the bed there were framed pictures of family and friends. Pink sheets on the bed matched the curtains that were softly blowing in the breeze.


    He stared at her all the while not wanting to think anything else. He wanted someone to guide him, to take him out of his mess, to be with him��


    Pryce made him sit on the soft mattress of her bed and gently removed his shoes. "Why don''t you rest for a while?" She got up and brushed away the long strands of his hair from his forehead. They were so straight that they fell again. Niiya looked deep in her eyes. "I will go and get hot coffee for you." She turned to walk but Niiya had tugged her towards him. She stumbled towards him and kept her hands on his shoulders to balance herself. Her hair fell in front covering Niiya''s face from the sides.


    Niiya held her hands and pulled her closer to him. His eyes shifted to her cherry lips. He kissed them softly. Pryce blinked as her heartbeat raced. Niiya wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. The next moment she was beneath him. He stared at her. His hands were on the side of her face. He traced the blush that formed on her cheek and then kissed her again. He took his hands to her soft hair and watched them tumble around her face like a halo as he released them. His hand moved down her cheekbones to her lips. He licked them slightly asking her permission to enter her mouth. Pryce opened her lips. He entered his tongue and moaned. He explored every nook and corner. Pryce moved with him in a waltz of love. They fitted in the natural rhythm.


    He pulled out her dress and removed his shirt. He took her legs over his shoulders and slowly kissed her toes upwards, he started making his way down �C to her legs, and then slightly higher.


    Pryce arched her back in anticipation. Niiya''s hands reached her there. Her head rolled back against the pillow and the first moan escaped, as his lips sealed her entrance between the thighs.


    Niiya got up to remove his jeans. Once again he went up and their tongues entwined in a kiss. He squeezed her breasts. And then before she knew, he was inside her. Her breathing became heavier with every thrust. She turned her face in the pillow and moaned.


    "Look at me," he demanded as he moved above her.


    Pryce looked at him. Her eyes heavy with the pleasure her body was experiencing. He thrust into her again and she moaned. And those moans were his undoing. He pushed inside harder and harder.


    This seemed to be the beginning.

 Chapter 429 - To Meet The White Witch

    Adrianna took her team of Haldir, Mihr and two Mozias to the outskirts where the human realm met the ocean. They had appeared on the uneven shoreline. The moon was shining above reflecting its soft, pristine rays on the waves below that were rolling inland to dissolve into foam as they touched the shores. In the far distance on the right there was a small thick green forest that looked dark and uninviting.


    "We have to travel through the cave inside that forest," said Haldir pointing to the right. His voice was interrupted by a crash of waves as they swept ashore and spread across the land leaving a giant turtle.


    Mihr gestured a Mozia and went to the animal. He caressed it with a smile, picked it up with the help of Mozia and then walked back to the ocean to leave it.


    "Ask this foolish man to stop."


    Adrianna''s eyes bulged like a soccer field. She stared at the turtle who was flapping its giant fins to free itself from Mihr who was only acting out of kindness.


    "What the hell are you staring at? Ask him to stop," said the turtle again. "It is so difficult to come on land. I have to lay eggs."


    Adrianna gulped. "Mihr, stop."


    Mihr looked at her and hesitated. "This turtle needs help."


    "No, this is a female turtle that has come to lay eggs. You should let it go," she emphasized.


    "How would you know?" his voice was cracked up a little. Then suddenly he remembered. "Oh!" he said. His queen could speak to the animals. He bent down to leave the turtle. The sea creature flared its fins and with one big push moved away from Mihr.


    "Let''s go. We don''t have time to waste," said Haldir and turned towards the forest. The others followed.


    "The cave that you are searching for is not in the forest." The turtle said casually.


    Adrianna stopped in her tracks.


    "Why have you stopped Adrianna?" Haldir was getting impatient.


    "Do you see those jagged peaks in distance?" the turtle turned and pointed towards the ocean.


    In the dark Adrianna could see some rocky outcrops inside the ocean. The peaks were tall and jutted out of water steeply. She wondered where the cave would be and how did the turtle know but there was no time to ask. She trusted the animal.


    "The cave in the forest was destroyed a hundred years back." The turtle continued on its journey.


    "Wait!" Adrianna shouted. She ran to the giant animal. "Where is the entrance of the cave?"


    "It is hidden by vegetation somewhere in the middle of the slope on the far side. But remember, the doors of the cave would open and close only when the moon rays hit it." The turtle said while walking slowly to its destination.


    "Thanks."


    "It''s okay. Now leave me."


    Haldir and Mihr stopped when they heard Adrianna talking to the turtle. They came near her. "What do we do?" asked Haldir.


    "Let us go to those rocks," she replied.


    The troupe mounted their brooms and all of them flew over the tidal waves to the rocky mountain as the breeze became harsher and colder.


    They circled the rocky hill and went to the other side to find the cave''s entrance. There was nothing that would give them a clue about it. One of the Mozias flew upwards towards a thick vegetation area as the others watched him while sitting on their brooms. As he cleared the branches in front of him to reach the rocky surface beneath it, two white giant birds came out flying from their nests that were perched inside it. They cawed so loudly that other birds joined them in protest. Mozia had to retreat.


    The birds came out in large numbers to attack them, but before they could, Adrianna formed a shield around all of them. The birds pecked the solid air but couldn''t get near any of them.


    "Go away intruders!" shouted one of them.


    "We have come here to find the cave''s entrance. Please help us," Adrianna communicated with it. "We mean no harm."


    The bird flapped its wings and slowly flew away. Rest of the birds followed it. It became eerily still. The moon had shifted and its rays were now falling on this side of the steep slope of the hill. Adrianna became desperate when the birds didn''t help her. "All of us are going to move together now," she ordered.


    She started inspecting the hill for any signs of the cave. A few minutes later the bird came back. "Come this way," it said and dived. The wizards, witch and the elf followed it.


    The bird perched itself on a small tree that was projecting out. It turned its white head towards the moon. Everyone watched with bated breath. As soon as the rays fell on the tree, its leaves swayed in a wave and it tilted a little revealing the cave''s entrance. Adrianna smiled.


    "Thanks!" she said to the bird. It bobbed its head and crooned before flying away.


    The team entered the cave one by one. Haldir led them. He lit a torch right on his broom''s head and slowly they flew across the cave. "Whatever happens, don''t walk on the ground," his voice echoed. There was a rustle of dead leaves as something passed over them.


    The cane smelled cold and as they proceeded further, the cold only increased. The air became stale with the smell of decaying animal carcasses and rotten vegetation. The cave winded to the left and suddenly there was ice on the walls all around. The flicker of the torch reflected its yellow on the ice. The cave became narrower to the extent that at one point of time their bodies were scraping sides in a tight part.


    Cold wind seeped through the cracks. And then suddenly there was a gust of snow blowing inside from the other side.


    "Where are we going?" asked Mihr for the first time shielding his face with his hand.


    "To the north, to meet the white witch," replied Adrianna.

 Chapter 430 - Enya

    Mihr''s mouth fell open. He touched his parted lips as he incredulously stared at Adrianna. He jerked his head back and said, "Surely you know about the white witch?"


    "Not much��" she answered. She had read about Enya in the Ministry''s library. There wasn''t much information.


    "Why are we going there?" asked Mihr, trying to balance himself on his broom. The gust of wind from outside had increased. "It is going to be difficult, my Queen."


    The only stuff that Adrianna knew about Enya was that at over seven feet tall, she was an extraordinarily beautiful, tall and imposing witch who was known to enchant anyone on first encounters. Her powers were limitless.""Yes, I know that," replied Adrianna with determination.


    Haldir extinguished the torch as they neared the cave''s exit. They stepped into a flat landscape. The cold wind was forcing the snow into drifts slicing their exposed skin. The streaking clouds covered the snow-capped mountain peaks far off. In the distance they heard a bear''s roar.


    Haldir was scared that if they were exposed to this weather, their bodies might freeze. He motioned everyone to stop, as they tightened their clothes around their bodies and shifted closer. Mihr covered his ears as pain started to set in. "I feel my breath is sawing at the throat," he complained.


    Haldir brushed away the ice crystals that had formed over his brows. He brought his hands forward. He circled them over each as though forming a snowball inside his palms. Slowly he brought them apart. A thin layer of crystals of snow started to gather around his hands. They swirled in a circle and attracted more flakes to join them in this dance. Gradually the circle was big enough for him to pass through it. Suddenly he threw his hands out and the circle spread over all of them in the form of a sphere covering them on all sides in a thick layer of soft, slowly moving ice crystals. The air warmed up around them. They moved forward as a smile came on Mihr''s lips. He looked at Haldir with appreciation.


    "Why do I feel you are about to fall in love with Haldir?" said Adrianna looking with a raised eyebrow at him.


    Haldir shuddered.


    They flew for more than an hour, but all they met with were animal footprints in the snow. Adrianna got impatient. "How far?" she asked.


    "Another hour," replied Haldir without looking back. In his heart he was getting deeply concerned about the baby. "Adrianna, Enya is a selfish witch who thinks about her benefit first. He is arrogant, cruel and a very cunning strategist. Legends have it that she had killed her sister and then tried to enchant humans around her. They pushed her away from their land and so she created a land of her own and her land is into perpetual winter." Haldir waved his hand in a circle. "In this place only her magic works best. You may be the strongest witch in your realm, but she is strongest in hers."


    "I know," said Adrianna with a sigh. It was going to be difficult. But this was needed.


    "Your magic is going to be limited here, so be careful in what you talk to her."


    Adrianna nodded.


    As they neared the white witch''s realm, they saw several sculptures in ice �C of animals and humans.


    "These uninvited souls tried to cross into her realm," said Haldir with a layer of warning.


    "We are also uninvited," said Mihr, trepidation seeping from his voice. His body trembled as he looked at the two Mozia who were flying on his sides. Their faces looked as cold as stone. When Adrianna didn''t answer him, he turned to the Mozias and said, "What are your names?"


    "I am three," said the one on the left.


    "I am ten," said the one on his right.


    Mihr looked at thirty and ten with wide eyes moving his head from left to right.


    Their brooms flew in between those frozen figures and came to a stop about five hundred meters in front of an icy castle that had pointed tops. It looked as though its jagged roofs were piercing the skies. It looked eerie.


    Adrianna alighted her broom and so did the others.


    "What are you doing?" asked Haldir with narrowed eyes.


    She didn''t answer and continued to walk. Her broom flew beside her. It nudged her to sit on it but Adrianna refused.


    Suddenly, she felt the air ripple around her. "This is it," she said. "We need to break these walls to enter her realm."


    Haldir jumped off his broom and walked to stand beside her. Mihr followed.


    "I want both of you to feel the ripple in the air and push the wall, while I force it to create a hole for us," she ordered.


    Haldir and Mihr worked in tandem. They pushed the wall. Adrianna chanted her spell. Her yellow eyes gleamed. She took her wand out and touched the wall with it. A hole was formed as the wall rippled and separated. Immediately they passed through. The wall closed behind them.


    "Hello Adrianna," the honeyed voice of a woman echoed.


    "Enya." Adrianna nodded in acknowledgement. She could feel the magic in her getting suppressed. She felt distressed but didn''t say anything.


    A tall woman with papery white skin walked out of air in front of her. Her white gossamer and gauzy gown made her look pale like a ghost. The silver hair was softly falling to her waist in waves. Her crown consisted of a white silver band across her head with a single blue sapphire in the center looking like a deep night sky. Haldir stood tall despite her imposing presence while Mihr and the Mozia cringed.


    Enya flicked her fingers and all of them found themselves inside her castle. She walked to her throne that was carved out of ice and pointed chairs for them to sit.


    "What is it that you seek from me, Adrianna?" asked Enya with a scoff, as she examined her long fingernails.


    Adrianna smiled politely. She put forth her proposal and waited for Enya to answer.


    Enya took a deep breath. Her pale lips broke into a smile. "Okay, I will. But what would I get in return?"


    "My solidarity in case of human invasion," answered Adrianna.

 Chapter 431 - That’s Just A Bargain

    Enya tapped her fingers on the armrest of her icy throne.


    Adrianna looked around the entire court. Unlike hers, which bustled with activity whenever she held it, there was not a soul to be seen. Only the five of them and Enya. Adrianna suppressed her urge to ask Enya about it, but she remembered that Enya was different from the rest, so she chose to remain quiet.


    "That isn''t a very good deal, Adrianna," replied Enya.


    Adrianna held her head high and replied confidently, "That''s just a bargain."


    Enya became stiff. With an air of hostility, she narrowed her eyes. Everyone became quiet fearing her disposition. Mihr mentally chided Adrianna for speaking too fast. He wondered if they would survive the wrath of the ice queen. She was pretty temperamental.


    Enya cocked her head and looked at Haldir. "What about you Haldir? What can you offer?" Haldir was a prized possession she could keep.


    Haldir knew of her intentions very well. Part of Enya''s strategy to help Adrianna was to keep Haldir in her kingdom. He raised his hand up and said, "Can you see the scar in the middle of the palm?" Enya''s gaze shifted to his palm and her face contorted. The scar in his palm glowed reddish-orange.


    "I am bonded with an oath to Adrianna. I will be of no use to your kingdom because if I leave her side, I will cease to exist. I am bound to serve my queen for the rest of my life," he replied confidently.


    Enya''s nostrils flared. How could she not detect Haldir''s magic bond with Adrianna? Her eyes became red with anger. She got up from her throne and walked to him, her white gown trailing behind her. Taking his palm in her hands, she glared at the scar, which glowed faintly now. Then she went to Adrianna and held her hand. There was no scar there but a similar patterned line glowed in her hand.


    Adrianna smiled and got up from her place. "Enya, I have already told you what I could give to you. Only my saying those words to you locks me in a promise with you. That''s a code of conduct between the rulers of the wizard kingdoms." She looked at Haldir. "He is the last thing you would need in your kingdom now."


    Enya gathered her white gown in hands and walked out of the room. Before leaving she said, "Be my guest for lunch."


    As soon as she left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "What do we do now?" asked Mihr feeling stupid sitting in a room with no one attending them. His attention was diverted by two boys who walked in the room once Enya left. They looked so alike that he was stunned for a moment.


    "Please come this way," requested one of them.


    They stood and followed the boys. They walked through the icy corridors of the castle to reach the dining place. A large table that could have seated sixteen people was decorated with beautiful flowers and aroma candles. Meat, fish, herb infused dishes, various fruits and beverages stocked up in front of them. It was a give-in that a queen would have such a lavish lunch, but what was striking was the fact that every person who stood there to attend them looked the same, just like the ones who guided them.


    The Mozias and Mihr were stunned. They sat down looking at them with wide eyes.


    Once Adrianna and Haldir were seated, Enya came. She had changed into white leathers. The crown was missing. They had lunch in silence and then at the end of it, she said, "I am ready for the adventure." She washed her hands and cracked her knuckles.


    Adrianna bowed her head slightly in appreciation. "We have to find Shang Kui," she said.


    Enya rotated her neck. "I know where you can find him. He is a kind wizard. After seeing how his people were treated at the hands of the humans, he decided to build his own village. All his loyal people live in that village."


    "In that case please guide us," said Adrianna.


    ---


    Pryce was sleeping beside him. Niiya tucked her naked body in the blanket. He propped up the pillows and turned to look at her. He traced his hands from her face to the inside of the blanket, to her breasts. Softly, he squeezed them and traced his fingers to her hips.


    It was funny the way he connected with her after all that she had done to Adrianna. But at the moment he didn''t feel any grudge towards her.


    She looked so cute and vulnerable as she slept beside him that he bent and kissed her. All his anxieties had taken a backseat and he his heart relaxed. He cherished every moment of this feeling. Slipping back inside the blanket, he held her waist and brought her closer to him. He closed his eyes and slumbered. There was nothing he wanted to think of.


    Niiya stayed with Pryce until the evening. When he went back to his home, he went to meet his father in the study. Dr. Tanaka was not in a good mood because Niiya had missed the meeting with the military. "Where the hell were you all this while?" shouted Dr. Tanaka the moment he saw him opening the door. "How can you skip an important meeting like that? These people mean serious business and they are here at our request, yet you dare to not even meet them?" Dr. Tanaka stood from his place, his face and neck becoming red.


    Niiya took a deep breath. "I was in a meeting with Isidorus, Dmitri and Pierre."


    "What?" Dr. Tanaka fumed. "Are you mad? Do you realize what you are doing?" Dr. Tanaka looked at him in disbelief. His stupidity would cause friction not only with the military but a person as powerful as Ziu.


    "Father, you have to listen to me," said Niiya calmly. He sat down on the chair opposite him.

 Chapter 432 - Tomorrow, At Night

    Along with her team and Enya, Adrianna embarked upon the journey to find Shang Kui. Enya created a portal and they all stepped into the desert of Far East. Enya shook her head and again created the portal. "His magic is too dangerous and it is not easy to find his abode," she muttered.


    This time they stepped back into her land even though the coordinates that she had entered in the portal were different. Somehow every time she would enter the coordinates they would change the moment the portal was created. Adrianna could see it clearly how the coordinates would move and overlap.


    "Enya, create a portal," Adrianna said. "Haldir, stand on the right side of the portal. I will stand on the left. We are going to use our powers to stop the numbers from moving."


    Once again Enya used her powers to create a portal of blizzard like snow that whirled in a circle. There was so much movement of wind around it that it looked like a vortex of snow. Haldir went to stand on the right while Adrianna stood on the left.


    "Now!" shouted Adrianna.


    The two of them used their wands to stop the numbers from changing. At first they faced a lot of force that threatened to push them back but within a few minutes the numbers stopped moving. The portal steadied.


    "Mihr, enter!" Adrianna ordered.


    Along with the two Mozias, Mihr entered the portal. Haldir, Adrianna, followed them and then Enya entered. They stepped out in a forest that was covered with mist. Enya smiled. Eager to go ahead, she broke into a run. Others hurriedly followed her. As the wind rustled through the leaves, the mist became denser. There was a soft hum of the insects. The visibility wasn''t good. Enya threw a ball of fire to illuminate the path and suddenly there was a cacophony of birds calling and squirrels chattering. Branches crashed to the ground in front of them. The stones or acorns got kicked as the group ran. The air was laden with smells of rotting wood, wildflowers, herbs and wild mint.


    Enya stopped in front of a tall mountain that rose higher than the clouds. The fireball cleared the mist around them. Enya pointed to the top of the mountain. "That''s where he lives with his people."


    Mihr became impatient. "What the hell is this place? Then let us go there. What are we waiting for?" His broom became ready for him to mount it. "Or how about we create a portal again?"


    "We are somewhere in the Far East. There is only one way of reaching that place," said Enya pointing at something. "There''s a rope stairway there. We need to climb that."


    Adrianna walked ahead. "Let us find the staircase. We are running short of time."


    "Wait, my Queen," said Haldir from behind. "I will create till the place I can. Please mount your broom."


    "No. First let us find where the rope staircase begins. Once we know that, you may create the portal," replied Adrianna.


    "Okay," agreed Haldir and the team moved forward.


    ---


    Ziu had watched how tightly he was being spied a day after he had performed the ritual in his gardens. So when the meeting with Isidorus and Dmitri was over, he took the opportunity and went to the lake where his father had gathered a large number of serpents from his kingdom. They were all waiting for him to give a signal. It was night but he was wary that Dmitri might have planted his spies around the lake, so he flew through the forest quietly along the lake. When he had flown almost two miles from there, he shape shifted and slithered into water.


    Under the surface of the water it was dark and silent. He glided a mile back and then heard the buzz of activity. For the next mile that he glided, he saw thousands of serpents gliding over each other �C his warriors who would sacrifice themselves for him.


    At the helm of it was his father. When Ziu went to him, his father asked, "When do we attack? My serpents are getting impatient."


    "Tomorrow, at night."


    ---


    After circling for about an hour, the team found the rope stairway. It was falling straight down, steeply from somewhere higher. Haldir immediately closed his eyes and started feeling the extent of Shang Kui''s magic. He created a portal and all of them flew inside it to appear almost five hundred feet below. They found the rope stairway and Adrianna was the first one to start climbing. The climb was steep and dangerous. Haldir remained right behind her. He was scared more about the baby.


    The darkness of the night around the mountain was making it extremely difficult. All of them created a small ball of fire that travelled with them lighting the way dimly. The problem was that it caught attention.


    They hadn''t climbed more than hundred feet that they heard leaves rustling and wind whooshing. Suddenly a dozen men surrounded them, with wands pointing at them.


    In the dim light that flickered from the fireballs, Adrianna could see that they were masked.


    "We have come in peace," she said immediately. "I am Adrianna and she is Enya. We are here to meet Shang Kui."


    The masked wizards looked at all of them. They swished their wands in the air and created a jail of strong tree roots around the group. Once the entire group was trapped, the jail started to move up.


    "I would love to break this jail. What the hell do these minions think of me?" hissed Enya.


    "There is no point in showing off our magic Enya. This is Shang Kui''s territory. He is the King of Wizards here. Please be patient," whispered Adrianna.


    Enya pounded the floor of the jail and looked away.


    They reached the top of the mountain in ten minutes and were surprised to see that there was no fort there. It was a plain, simple village �C so silent that it looked eerie.

 Chapter 433 - Shang Kui

    The masked men started leaving when Adrianna called, "I demand to meet Shang Kui." She sounded like a Queen.


    "You have to wait for the dawn to break," came a reply.


    "No! I don''t have time," Adrianna replied.


    "Sorry." The men denied her.


    Adrianna and Enya snapped their fingers and the jail broke. The masked men took their wands out and immediately attacked them from all sides sending bolts of red and blue lights their way. As her team countered the lightning bolts, the first thing Adrianna did was to raise her wand above her head. Her wand emitted white light that fell around them like glistening spider webs forming a sheath of protection.


    Enya scoffed. She sent a shockwave through that sheath. It hit two masked men and with massive force, they were thrown outside the periphery of the plateau.


    "Stop!" shouted Adrianna. "We are not here to kill them."


    "This was only self protection," answered Enya as she blew the smoke at the top of her wand.


    Adrianna rolled her eyes. She wanted this entire thing to go smoothly. She needed all the support that she could get and didn''t want to take a chance to annoy Shang Kui. He was a vital link of the chain.


    "Keep your temper in control," snarled Adrianna.


    By this time, other masked men were already throwing fireballs towards them. "Stop it!" Adrianna yelled. But the men didn''t stop.


    As Enya stood there in defiance, she watched them silently. Her patience was wearing out. Anger cruised her system and it manifested in bursting out from her body. A flurry of snow formed and it swirled around the protective sheath Adrianna had formed. It was so intense that small vortexes were created at intervals on the surface. Four masked men got sucked into them. Mihr thought that the men would come inside their cover, and stepped away but to his shock the men got sucked and disappeared.


    A loud, blood-curdling roar in the distance stopped every one of them. They stood rooted to their spots. A dragon emerged from the darkness. It walked with lethal grace towards them. As it walked, they realized that the dragon was huge. It towered upon all of them. In the night, they saw its scales standing on its skin. The dragon was the color of the night. His eyes were red-hot flames. It thumped its way. Adrianna noticed its claws��large enough to lacerate even the strongest to flesh and bones.


    It came to a stop in front of the visitors to his realm. With teeth as sharp as icicles, it ripped the only armor that was protecting them.


    "What do you want?" the dragon asked, his face right in front of Adrianna''s.


    Adrianna bowed and introduced herself. "I am the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom in the West. I have come to seek your help."


    "We will talk tomorrow," replied the dragon and turned. He flapped his gigantic wings in the air and flew away in the darkness of the night.


    There was nothing Adrianna could do. The team was escorted through the deserted streets of the village to a small house.


    Each and every minute was precious for her, but in this situation she only felt desperate. Her thoughts wandered to Dmitri. She knew she would be spending a restless night. All others made themselves comfortable.


    Although he didn''t show it, Haldir was satisfied internally at this pause in their travel. He wanted her to rest.


    ---


    "What is it Niiya?" Dr. Tanaka was in a pathetic mood. Anger from his eyes showed how scared he was inside.


    "I hate the way Ziu treats us. What is the guarantee that after he takes over the Wizard Kingdom, he wouldn''t attack other realms? Do you want to be a part of this massacre? In my opinion we should hold a meeting with other humans and find a solution to our problem ourselves. Why do we need help from other realms?" reasoned Niiya.


    "You know the extent of our problem, Niiya! I don''t want to discuss this with you again. So leave me for now. The General will come back to meet us in an hour again. So stay here."


    "What?" Niiya was aghast. Everything had suddenly catapulted.


    "Yes, we can''t wait anymore."


    "Father, you are not being reasonable!" Niiya barked.


    "Shut up!" Dr. Tanaka raised his hand but stopped mid-air.


    Niiya stood from his chair. He looked at his father''s raised hand and said, "Ziu attacked Nate to the extent that Nate could have died if Dmitri hadn''t intervened."


    Dr. Tanaka''s expression changed. He wasn''t talking to his daughter and her choice of mate, but he was concerned. He brought his hand down.


    "Ookashi is five months pregnant with Nate''s child."


    The blood from Dr. Tanaka''s face drained.


    "I simply can''t fight against Adrianna. I won''t. It takes such a toll on my mental wellbeing." Niiya paused. "Now you have to make a choice whom you have to side with."


    "There is no choice left, Niiya," said Dr. Tanaka in a hoarse voice. He sat in his chair, his knees feeling weak.


    ---


    Adrianna was up and pacing the room at the break of the dawn. She couldn''t wait to meet Shang Kui. Haldir was sitting by the window. He watched the quiet village outside. There were very few pedestrians on the streets. The wooden shutters of the homes and shops were closed. Morning mist hadn''t lifted its veil from the air. His gaze shifted to the movement in the room and settled on his queen. She had stopped in front of a study table that was exquisitely crafted with gold filigree.


    "When will I meet him?" She said holding the table''s edge and leaning forward. "We need to return today."


    Haldir didn''t have an answer to that. He knew that Adrianna would return back to her kingdom without Shang Kui''s answer if he didn''t show up on time.


    Time was the key here.


    Mihr and the two Mozias were sitting on the chairs watching their queen''s anxiety when suddenly a familiar roar filled the air.


    Enya was sitting and brushing her hair gently, casually.

 Chapter 434 - Inyanga

    Adrianna rushed to the window and looked outside towards the sky. A gigantic, brilliant green dragon against the backdrop of blue sky was flying towards the village. As he flapped those huge, leathery wings, he turned his neck to a side and roared again. In a few moments, the dragon landed on the plateau. Adrianna couldn''t help watching the grace and pride with which he was standing on the ground. His scales gleamed in the morning sunlight. There were streaks of blue interspersed through the entire scales, which shone every time it moved. Powerful, lithe and graceful, the dragon walked towards the village. In a few steps, it shape-shifted into a tall man with green hair wearing brilliant green armor. His green eyes with yellow slits met Adrianna''s golden yellow ones.


    Shang Kui walked to the house they were staying in. When he reached inside, everyone stood from their places. Adrianna watched him intently.


    "We��" started Adrianna but Shang Kui stopped her by holding his hand forward.


    "Let''s sit," he said and walked to the only chair that was vacant. Others followed impatiently. Adrianna was fuming with anger on the inside.


    Once he was settled, he asked, "Now tell me."


    Adrianna took a deep breath. "I need your help. We are on the verge of a war here and I don''t want it to happen. I need to contain a dangerous wizard called Ziu. He belongs to the Kingdom of Serpents."


    Shang Kui frowned, "Ziu��" He looked outside the door. People had started opening the shutters of their establishments. "Last month I had gone to the West Ocean to meet my clan and they had told me about some unusual activity in the depths of the ocean. Upon investigating, I came to know that a lot of the serpent population was moving towards a lake, inlands. Now, I don''t have the proof, but if this is what you are mentioning, then I think I know about your predicament."


    "So, will you join us?" asked Adrianna.


    "Yes, I will," he replied.


    Enya, who had remained seated all this while, leaned forward and asked him, "What your deal Shang Kui?" There was a smirk on her face as if she knew the dragon wizard in front of him.


    Shang Kui roared with laughter. "You know me well Enya," he said. Then he looked at Adrianna. "I am interested in the clones that you have made from your sister, Kayla."


    Shock registered on Adrianna''s face. How did he know about the clones? But this wasn''t the time to ask questions. "Okay," she replied. She didn''t want to ask his reasons to ask for Kayla''s clones. "You have my word for it."


    "Great," he said and got up from the chair. "I will accompany you."


    A smile broke on Adrianna''s face. Everyone in the room got up.


    "I will go and create the portal, my Queen," said Haldir and started to walk out.


    "Wait," said Adrianna. "Before we go back, I have to meet the Witch Queen of the South."


    Enya shook her head. "I think we are more than enough, Adrianna."


    Adrianna sighed. "I have read a lot about her. We need her," she said and motioned Haldir to create the portal by giving him the coordinates.


    The team, which now consisted of two more members, walked outside on the backside of the house. Haldir created a portal and they all walked in one by one. As Adrianna stepped inside, she joked, "We had a really tough time getting your coordinates right, Shang Kui."


    Shang Kui smiled. "Yes, my people had been hunted for a long time. I just want to give them a safer place to live."


    Adrianna could fully understand. She nodded and stepped out of the portal into a dense forest to find Queen Inyanga.


    They mounted the brooms. While Enya sat with Haldir, Shang Kui was with Mihr. The brooms traveled through the forest making its way as it passed over the fallen trees that leaned against each other like drunken men. The air was thick with moisture. It made them sweat immediately. The wind rustled through the leaves. They entered deeper into the forest and soon came near a clearing where there were small cottages built in neat rows.


    "This is where Inyanga lives," said Haldir.


    They all alighted their brooms and walked to the gardens that surrounded all the cottages. Small children were playing around. Adrianna grinned at them as she remembered her baby. She called one of them and asked, "I have come to meet Inyanga. Can you tell me where she is?"


    The child looked at her with surprise. He kept his hands on his hips and said, "Inyanga is studying in the college. She will come back during summer vacation."


    Adrianna blinked several times. "Which college?" she managed to ask.


    The child snapped his fingers and the entire group found themselves in front of the college.


    It was still morning and classes hadn''t started. The group was looking so queer in their attires that a few passersby remarked, "Halloween is month away."


    Mihr requested them all to enter an empty alley where they disguised themselves as students to blend in. They waited for an hour sitting and walking around the garden in front of the main administration block before the first student appeared. Thankfully that was someone Adrianna recognized immediately.


    The young, vivacious Inyanga had parked her bicycle in the bicycle rack. She couldn''t help creating her magic. She waved her hand and a lock appeared on the bike. She took her bag on her shoulders. Wearing blue denim jeans and orange shirt, her hair was tied in a pony. She tried to look simple but her beauty was something that made her stand out.


    A student of law, Inyanga was in the second year. However, she was a brilliant student and Adrianna knew that Inyanga knew about all the laws of this world, whether human or any other realm. The university was just an excuse to study law.

 Chapter 435 - I Expected Better!

    Adrianna smiled at the girl who was about the same age as her. Her chocolate brown skin glowed as the morning rays fell on it. Exuding confidence and charm Inyanga walked to her academic block. She had spotted the odd group standing and staring at her. Her bag was on her shoulders and there were three books that she had held across the chest with one hand. It was her free hand that caught Adrianna''s attention. Suddenly there was magic crackling between the fingers. Violet light flowed around it in waves, as though trying to give a warning that she knew about the oddity of the group. Inyanga continued to walk to the block.


    "I am going to talk to her," said Adrianna and she started to walk to her.


    Haldir stopped her. "No my Queen, I will go and introduce her to you."


    Adrianna stopped instantly knowing what he meant. He didn''t want to create a panicky situation in the college because other students would begin pouring any time. "Okay," she nodded.


    Calmly, Haldir walked to Inyanga. "Good evening, Queen Inyanga," he said politely as soon as he reached within five feet distance from behind.


    Inyanga immediately turned, her eyes glowing red with warning and the magic extending to her forearm. "Who are you, elf?" she asked. "Why are you here?"


    Haldir introduced himself and then pointed to Adrianna. "She is my queen." Then he pointed to the rest of the group and when he introduced them one by one, Inyanga''s anger had vanished like vapor. It was replaced by curiosity. She couldn''t understand what such a strong group would want from her but it was obviously something interesting. Her eyes went to Enya and her face became cold. She snapped her fingers.


    To Mihr''s irritation, they all found themselves in the same clearing of the forest from where they had come some time back. The child who had made them disappear from there was present and his gaze locked with Mihr''s. The two of them looked at each other like sworn enemies. As if bored of the man in front of him, the child jerked his head away, "Hmph!" his curly black hair dancing with the movement. Mihr was left gaping at the child''s attitude.


    While Shang Kui and the rest bowed to her in curtsey, Enya didn''t. She stared at Inyanga and said, "You and I have a lot to talk."


    Inyanga didn''t reply to her. She shrugged and turned to Adrianna to look at. "Welcome to my world," said Inyanga, greeting them with the same politeness. She walked ahead of them. Ignoring Enya''s words, Adrianna looked around the place. It was so serene and scenic that she wished her world stayed the same. Her stomach roiled at the thought of the imminent attack. She focused on the young witch in front of her.


    The group followed Inyanga to a small thatched cottage. They walked into a room, which looked like a student''s room. There was only one small cot in the center. A table on which more than a dozen books were kept neatly was placed near the window. There were no shelves but there were numerous other books that were floating in neat rows one over the other near the wall.


    There were no chairs and as soon as the group entered, the room looked too overcrowded. There was not enough space to stand without bumping into each other, let alone sitting on chairs. The red-bricked walls gave the room a rustic feel.


    "Is this how you have started living?" scorned Enya. The way she remarked, it seemed there was something in the past that was between them. "I expected better."


    A muscle feathered in Inyanga''s jaw. She exhaled and went to the wall where a painting of a man was hanging. "Please open the room for me," she whispered to the painting. The bricks besides the painting started moving, one at a time. They folded into each other creating a hole that became wider and wider until a door was formed.


    Mihr''s eyes were wide with surprise when he found himself looking into a palace beyond the door.


    Inyanga looked at them, smiled and waved towards the entrance. "Welcome to my humble abode."


    She walked through the door and as she walked, her entire appearance changed. The student who was wearing jeans and a shirt was now dressed in an off shoulders stately gown that draped behind her. There were so many sequins and stars on the gown that they created a glow around her. Her hair was braided over her crown and a gold tiara with five rubies was sitting on her head. Haldir caught his breath and walked behind her. The rest just�� followed��


    The palace had architecture like no one had seen earlier. Instead of the roofs, there was glass through which clear blue sky could be seen. Edges of the walls were lined with gold. Numerous plants of various types were present with birds chirping through them. Air was filled with aromatic herbs and flowers. There were so many exotic artifacts that were on display that it was difficult to even estimate the value.


    Inyanga walked with grace as the palace guards bowed to their queen. She led them to the main hall. Unlike what they had seen in Enya''s main hall, this was just the opposite. Inyanga looked at Enya from the corner of her eyes and found her rolling her eyes.


    "Dramatic!" Enya said in a low voice.


    "Please make yourself comfortable," she said to them and walked past Haldir to take her seat.


    Adrianna ''s anxiety increased. She didn''t want to waste time, but then there were certain things that were not in her control, and amongst them one was royal curtsey. Once they were all seated, Adrianna stated her purpose of visit. "My kingdom needs your help. We are currently in a very tricky situation." She went on to explain the scenario. In the end she said, "If there is anything in return you would want, let me know."


    Inyanga nodded. "Right now I don''t have anything that I would need but I will take a rain check on that."


    "Sure," replied Adrianna. "We have to leave immediately."

 Chapter 436 - The General

    "Is there a way that you can gather more elves?" asked Inyanga, looking at Haldir.


    Haldir gasped. He shifted in his chair slightly. He couldn''t speak for a fraction of a second as he stared at the young girl sitting in front of him. "No, I can''t," he replied in an unnaturally quiet voice.


    "How can that be possible?" Inyanga frowned. "You are the master spy of all the realms combined."


    Haldir''s expression turned that to surprise and then shock. But once again those fleeted across his face so quickly that no one could notice. Inyanga raised her eyebrow. Haldir cleared his throat. He wondered how would this girl know anything about him?


    "Your mental shields are too low. At the moment I can read almost anything about you," came a reply as soft as a caress he missed hundreds of years ago. His lips parted slightly. His knees felt shaky and there was a quiver in the stomach. How could this be possible? He looked at Adrianna. Even his Queen couldn''t pass through those mental barriers. He was too strong for anyone to get past him. Immediately, he concentrated to create a stronger barrier around his mind but howsoever he tried, that gentle feeling that was as smooth as feathers remained.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She couldn''t fathom the sudden changes in Haldir''s expressions but what surprised her was "Master Spy."


    "What do you mean ''master spy''? I''ve never heard that term."


    Inyanga shifted her gaze to Adrianna. She didn''t know that Adrianna did not know this thing about Haldir. Regretting her words, she had two options: One to tell her the truth or two, hide Haldir''s secret. She went for the former.


    "Haldir is the master spy of all the realms, although surprisingly he had been sitting dormant for a few hundred years now," she replied. "He has the sharpest spy-brain and has completed many successful missions. I am sure their are way too many people who would want him."


    "How do you know that?" asked Adrianna fury rising inside her. Why did Haldir hide that information from her?


    Inyanga realized that she had gotten inside Haldir''s mind so easily. Embarrassed, she squirmed in her place. "I had heard about an elf entering the wizard realm from my queen who had ruled our kingdom for over a thousand years before retiring��" Inyanga had to lie.


    Adrianna cocked her head towards Haldir. There was something not right about his expressions. She really wished to talk more about it, but she didn''t have the time. Perhaps later, when one day they would all sit together��


    "Let us hurry in that case," she insisted controlling her anger.


    Inyanga breathed a sigh of relief. "Allow me to create the portal to your kingdom," she said and rose from her chair. She led them all to the garden outside the palace. Adrianna gave her the coordinates. Inyanga created a beautiful portal. As she brought her hand forward, the leaves and flowers from her garden flew towards her. They exploded softly into thousands of fragments. They swirled around in a circle, which became bigger by the second. The circle slowly formed a picture of a world unknown to them �C it looked like a village, only too mythical.


    Haldir''s skin tingled, and his eyes bulged. This was impossible.


    Suddenly, the circle was blasted with a splash of water and a hole was created in the center. The water traveled to the sides to generate waterfalls near the tiny homes.


    Everyone in the group gasped. This was the most beautiful portal they had ever seen. The first one to walk through it was Mihr. He took his finger to touch the edge of the portal when Inyanga shouted, "Don''t! You will get sucked in it."


    Mihr withdrew his finger in shock and stepped in it. Mozias followed. Shang Kui, Adrianna and Enya went after them. Too numb to think anything else, Haldir kept on watching the portal.


    "Let''s go," said Inyanga. Haldir nodded slightly as though in a trance and stepped inside. Inyanga followed him. She stepped inside the portal as a queen in her gorgeous gown but stepped out as a teenager wearing her black jeans, orange shirt and sneakers.


    Haldir stopped to turn back and look at the portal she had created. He watched it until the portal disappeared and then walked to the royal palace of his queen.


    ---


    Niiya and Dr. Tanaka was sitting with the General in the study to discuss how to take the action forward.


    "This is unfair," reasoned Niiya. "You cannot use modern day weaponry with the people from other realms. The treaty cannot be breached. And if you will use your armory against them, it is going to be catastrophic."


    "It can''t be more catastrophic than letting waste rot on our own lands when we know that we can use the vast oceans and that too for the next hundred years without any hindrance," replied the General as he swirled the wine in his glass. "And as for the people of the other realms��I don''t have time to bother about them. We need to bother about us." His voice was as cold as a thousand shards of ice.


    "What if they retaliate in ways you can''t even think about? They are powerful people," said Niiya.


    The General gave a piercing look to Niiya. "You forget one thing Niiya. Ziu is with us and so is every ally of Ziu."


    "So?"


    "So with strong allies like Ziu, we don''t have to worry anything about the ''powerful'' people you are talking about," said the General taking his hand up in the air to form an apostrophe on the word powerful.


    The meeting with the General was interrupted by when the door of the room opened and Ziu entered. Niiya was stunned to look at him. He mentally berated Isidorus for not having any control or watch over Ziu.


    Dressed in black pants and a black shirt, with golden hair combed back, he looked dangerous. "Good evening gentlemen," he said and extended his hand to the General. "I am Ziu."


    The General kept his glass on the table, rose from his place and firmly shook Ziu''s hand. "Welcome," he said with excitement.

 Chapter 437 - The Recipe Of Disaster

    The General was too excited to meet Ziu��the man who would make him the hero of the Humans and a force to be feared, once the war was over. His name would go down in history. He couldn''t even imagine what all this would bring him��fame, money, power and then some of his own hidden agendas that he never told anyone. His smile increased as he caught Ziu''s hand. "Please sit!" he said. He wasn''t hoping to meet Ziu but perhaps Dr. Tanaka had this surprise for him.


    Everyone sat and all eyes were on Ziu. The General and Dr. Tanaka were the ones with a gleam in their eyes, while Niiya only watched him with hate and disappointment. His frustration only increased.


    Ziu looked at Niiya and scoffed. Niiya was in his hands. He couldn''t do anything against him. Looking at the disturbance his mind was going through only made him feel better. Niiya''s disappointment had become Ziu''s food for fun.


    "How are we going to proceed now?" asked the General. "Since you are already here, please let us know about your plans."


    Ziu shifted his gaze to the General. He crossed his legs, brushed an invisible speck of dirt from his pants and replied, "My plans are very simple General but what are your plans?"


    "My plans?" the General asked with a jerk of his head. It was as though his hidden intentions were caught. "I- I am waiting for you. We will do exactly the way you would want us to attack. All my men are standing at strategic locations. The moment you will give us the signal, we will start. But you must tell us where we should start from first?"


    Ziu exhaled loudly and shook his heads. He waved his hand and the next moment the General found himself surrounded by three tanks each of which was facing him. He was in the center of a battlefield. There was gore, battle cries, injured men, corpses that were now meat for birds, smoke, smell of burnt flesh and crumpled forget-me-nots. The General was aghast. His face became pale white. He staggered and stumbled on his feet falling on the soft, bloody mud, which splashed on his starched white shirt and pants. He panicked.


    "What is this?" he asked thinking that this was indeed magic and that he was being tricked.


    "This is your mind," came a reply. Suddenly someone appeared in front of him through smoke.


    "What have you done to me?" barked the General. He was a supreme living being amongst his people. How dare a man like Ziu play with him? "Get me back to the room we were in or get me out of here."


    Ziu laughed and came near him. He towered over the General and said with a sinister smile, "You see currently I am in your mind��your cell. I am here to warn you."


    General''s eyes became wide with shock and then there was fear in them. "M- my mind?"


    "Yes," said Ziu, turning his back. He went and stood in front of a tank. "On my cue, one of these tanks will fire their cannons and you will be exploded into pieces."


    "But what have I done?" whined the General. "And nothing can happen to me. This only means that none of this is true. You have tricked me."


    Ziu looked at his fingernails and brushed them with his thumb softly. "All this is in your mind. I can trick you into killing yourself. It''s not that hard."


    General''s mind became numb. He was unable to respond. It was the first time he was in such a strange situation. The man in front of him was a powerful wizard.


    "I just read all your devious plans that you have once the war is over. Trust me, once the war is over and you as much as move a finger against my realm or any other realm, I will find you even from the bottom of hell and kill you." Ziu sounded so dangerous that the General was shaky. "So do what you are asked to do and after that don''t show me your face."


    General nodded weakly. "You h- have my w- word," he stammered.


    Ziu took a deep breath and waved his hand. The two of them were back in the room where Niiya and Dr. Tanaka was sitting watching intently the two men in front of them who had frozen for a moment.


    The General was sweating profusely when he came back to senses and found himself in the room. If Ziu was like this, he couldn''t imagine what other wizards would be like.


    Ziu was merely watching him with a raised eyebrow. "Shall we begin?" asked Ziu very quietly like the dark moonless night outside.


    "Yes," answered Dr. Tanaka.


    Niiya sat back on his sofa, as the recipe of disaster was about to unfold in front of him.


    "Tomorrow, you will station your men on the east of the wizard realm. I want ten fighter jets to be ready to fly over the kingdom on my command. They should be ready to drop bombs. The spells are weakest on the west side of the realm where it is most difficult to go. So you must command the pilots to fly there tomorrow, early morning at 3AM. I will give you the coordinates."


    "Ok."


    "What about your people?" asked Dr. Tanaka.


    "They are ready. They will attack the werewolf realm first��the pesky creatures," sneered Ziu, as he looked outside the window.


    Dr. Tanaka shifted in his seat. "I need a favor from you," he said gently.


    Ziu laughed knowing fully well what he was about to say. He replied very coldly, "If you want Nate and Ookashi to live, you might as well get them here before the war begins because once my people attack, they wouldn''t know whom to prioritize before killing."


    Dr. Tanaka''s breath was caught in the throat as his voice choked. Did he have to sacrifice his daughter? If he went to talk to her, she would ask the reason and that would mean that he would have to spill it out. He looked at Niiya with a helpless expression. Niiya bit his lip as though telling ''I had warned you.''


    "I will try to bring them out," he said and hid the tear that was about to come out.

 Chapter 438 - The Escape

    Adrianna reached the palace and went to her bedroom. Even though her anxieties were at peak, she had to take rest. Her quench for blood was slowly diminishing but she still wanted to have it once in a while. To her relief the bottles were placed on the table for her. She walked to the table, picked up one and poured its contents into a glass. She sat on the chair and opened the drawer where she had left a letter for Dmitri. It wasn''t there. Instead there was another letter from him, which stated only one sentence��''It''s done.'' She smiled. She folded the letter and placed it back in the drawer.


    She looked towards her bed and saw the inviting silk bed sheets. Picking her glass, she walked to the bathroom for a much needed soak in warm water. As usual the servants had already prepared for her bath. The Jacuzzi tub was filled with bubbles and petals of flowers. Fluffy towels were arranged in a row and aroma candles were lit at various places for her to relax mentally. She stepped into the tub and put her head back to rest as she closed her eyes. Sensing some movement around her, she opened her golden yellow eyes only to gaze deep in his arctic blue ones. Before she could react, he had picked her gently and placed her on his lap, her face towards him.


    "It''s difficult to stay without a wife," he said nibbling her earlobe softly. He dipped his head to her neck and kissed her


    Adrianna stretched her neck for him. She placed the glass on the edge and curled her arms around his perfectly chiseled and muscular shoulders. "Difficult to stay without a wife or your wife?" she asked.


    "Missed you," he whispered.


    Adrianna kissed his hair. "I missed you too."


    Dmitri''s hands went under water to touch her breasts that were becoming heavier as her pregnancy grew. He caressed them and moved his lips up to her lips. At first he gave her a light kiss and then as the kiss deepened, her breasts lifted in his hands. He squeezed them softly. After a while he left her and rested his forehead on hers.


    "How will this pan out, love?" he asked, breathing heavily.


    She stroked his hair. Even she didn''t have an answer.


    ---


    Isidorus was keeping a watch on the movements of the wizard who was the source of the current conflict, but Ziu was devising new ways to escape his watchful eyes. Even the Mozia couldn''t handle him. The night he had gone to meet the General, he had actually escaped. He had called his Head of the Guards to his chamber and possessed his body. Ziu''s own body was lying still on the bed. He used the guard to pick his body from the bed and then made him create a vortex, which sucked him out right into the forest that was on the periphery of the Human Realm.


    As soon as he reached there, he left the guard''s body. The guard was stunned as to how he reached there. He looked at Ziu with questions in his eyes.


    Ziu took his wand out. Before the guard could even react to what was happening, Ziu cast waved his wand and cast the spell on him "Nuyyn!" His movements were arrested and he fell on the ground.


    The stunned guard looked up at his master with fear and helplessness. He couldn''t understand the reason as to why he was being tortured in that way.


    Ziu waved his wand in the air. "Ponos," he hissed.


    A beam of strong red light emerged from it and hit the guard on his head exploding it into thousands of pieces. Moments later the body disappeared leaving no traces behind.


    Ziu walked out of the forest.


    ---


    "Who are these people?" asked Dmitri as he walked along with Adrianna into the main hall of the palace. Isidorus was sitting with the group. He was so much in awe of the entire lot except the youngest one that apart from ordering the servants to take care of their food. He wasn''t speaking much.


    "These are the people I need at the moment," she replied. She walked to them and introduced Dmitri. Enya''s lips twitched again into a faint curl upwards.


    "What is the latest update?" Adrianna asked Isidorus.


    "Ziu is missing. He has escaped the Wizard Realm, it seems. The Mozias are hunting him but he is nowhere to be found," answered Isidorus. Inside he was extremely happy that his queen had returned safely with the child but on the outside he appeared sober.


    Haldir pursed his lips at the inefficiency of the Mozias. Maybe he had to talk to those five Mozias who were stationed outside Ziu''s house again. Were they compromised?


    Adrianna lowered her head in disappointment. She could feel rage inside her head.


    She waved her hand and a map appeared on the table. She took a quill out of the stand from the side-table and made a cross on the map. She said, "We need to place some of our army on the east side of the kingdom."


    "You should place them inside the realm," said Inyanga.


    "Why? We need to place some on the outside too. Otherwise how are we going to know about their positions?" countered Isidorus. He knew she was simply too young and immature to think about war.


    Inyanga sensed his hostility the moment she met him. She wanted to react but she wasn''t there for him. She ignored Isidorus and saw Adrianna who was focusing on the map in front of her. "Humans and their weaponry outnumber us. We cannot let the wizards be a victim to their weapons. As long as they stay within the Wizard Realm, they are safe. We have to take very calculated moves."


    "Hmm, what else?" she asked.


    For the next one hour, the group formed their strategy. When the meeting was over, it was already noon.


    Shang Kui went out in the garden along with Haldir. "Create the portal for me a hundred feet away from here," he said.


    Haldir nodded. He went to the garden on the west and created a portal.


    Shang Kui started walking towards it. His walk soon erupted into a marathon and then he ran. He ran at a high speed. When he was about twenty feet away, he jumped inside the portal, shape shifting into the dragon he was.


    Haldir watched him fly away on the other side of the portal.

 Chapter 439 - Are You Testing Me Here?

    Adrianna sent Dmitri back to the Werewolf Realm.


    Ziu was divided as to which side of the army he should lead��the serpent army that was ready for the attack from the lake or the human army that would launch the attack from the ground.


    After the meeting he flew to the lake to talk to his father. As usual he was extremely wary of entering the area. He cast an invisibility spell and walked to the lake. Other than the gentle lap of water hitting the shores and the buzz and whine of the winged insects, the surface appeared quiet��in fact too quiet. The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees that lined the lake making a creepy noise.


    He knew that the spies were somewhere near and it was too risky to make a noise. Even if he was invisible, entering the water would create ripples and that would attract unwanted attention. So once again despite being tight on time, he flew several miles inside the forest and then entered the lake.


    Sitting in his father''s makeshift chamber beneath the surface of the lake, he weighed his pros and cons. He trusted his father and knew that he would help him to his best with very little instructions. It was not too complicated. The three spies that he had sent to the Werewolf Realm were more than enough to prove his race''s supremacy over the werewolves. They would get crushed easily. And with thousands of serpents��they would cease to exist. That would automatically weaken Adrianna. He had heard from his spies that Dmitri was seen in his pack''s territory.


    He was very confident. He had planned this attack for a long time and slowly his dreams were coming to fruition. He had been so good with his planning that it was time for him to reap the rewards. Ziu felt proud of his careful planning, of his evil mind and beautiful integration of his plans. There was nothing that would stop him now. He roared with an evil laughter when he realized that he had planned this attack since the time so many years and if he had raised a suspicion that would be so miniscule. Adrianna must be wondering about his whereabouts while sitting in the noble court with that crown on her head. And here he was - planning to attack her the same night. He had hardly given Isidorus any time to think about his activities.


    In the end he planned to attack the werewolves first. They were no match against him and it wouldn''t take any time for them to be wiped off from the face of the earth. He imagined how it would be to control those wizards, those Mozias and their queen. She was pretty and powerful, and he might allow her to live, if she agreed to marry him. "After all she was the only woman who affected me," he admitted to himself with a scoff. He was about to give them the surprise of their life.


    He decided to lead the humans because that needed more tactics and strategies as compared to simple attack on the werewolves. He called his father.


    ---


    "Call all the Mozias and station half of them on the boundary wall of the entire south and east side of the realm," barked Adrianna at her General of Military.


    Mihr nodded with a grave expression.


    "The remaining Mozia will guard the north and west walls," she said.


    Adrianna had called the ministry people for a meeting in the Ministry Block. Everyone was shocked to hear that a war was looming. They had just finished a war with Vikra. Not even two months had passed and there was another one.


    "How much are we going to suffer, my Queen? This is simply preposterous. Why do you think that Ziu will attack us? There hasn''t been any breach of conduct from his side," said the Minister of Relations. "Ziu is one of the most esteemed members of our realm."


    "Being the Minister of Relations, submit me your report about other realms. I would like to know about each and every activity that is going on in other realms," demanded Adrianna as her gaze pierced the wizard in front of her.


    The Minister was taken aback at this sudden demand of a report. "I- I have a report," he replied to his Queen fumbling with the folders in front of him. He dug out the latest document to read it.


    Adrianna stopped the Minister of Relations. "You must be knowing about things in other realms on an everyday basis since maintaining relations with other realms is not easy. So I am sure you know about an incident that occurred in the Werewolf Realm a few days back. Without looking at that document, please tell me about that incident."


    All other Ministry members gasped. This was weird.


    "What do you mean?" the minister became defensive. "Are you testing me here?" he asked a little loudly.


    Adrianna crossed her arms across her chest. She tilted her head and replied, "Yes."


    There was a flurry of movement amongst all those who were present around the table.


    The Minister of Relations had to reply. His dignity was in question. "There have been no reports of any disturbance from the packs. Everything is going well with the humans too," he replied with confidence. "In fact we have also identified students who we will exchange with the humans in our academy."


    The Ministers of Defense and Magic and Isidorus closed their eyes and shook their heads.


    "I want you to pick those documents, go to your home and read them in peace," said Adrianna in a menacing voice. Her face was red with anger. She turned to look at Mihr and continued, "Put him under house arrest."


    "What? What have I done?" asked the Minister of Relations with a confused look on his face.


    "You are not the minister to have fun or enjoy the powers associated with that title," Adrianna grunted.


    "But this is unfair! You cannot misuse your title as the Queen to give biased judgments," shouted the Minister of Relations.


    Every other minister shifted in his or her chairs.


    Seeing the situation going out of control and considering the paucity of time, Isidorus waved his hands. The minister disappeared. What others didn''t know was that the minister was being transported to the prison.


    "Does anyone else have questions?" asked Adrianna.

 Chapter 440 - Douse The Fire!

    Adrianna looked around at her council members. Some of them shook their heads while others sat with fixed gazes. No one went against their queen. One of the ministers picked the latest document that was in front of him and started reading it.


    At first, Adrianna could feel fury roiling inside her stomach. Her irritability increased and then she barked, "We need all the wizards and witches present in this realm to help the kingdom against this attack. Give them orders to create spells around their houses, streets, locality and then finally around their levels. The spells should be so strong and multi-layered that anyone passing through them should feel the ripple of the effect and should be fried by the time they move even two steps. No one would be allowed to move out of their houses. If anyone needs to come out, they would be given special passes and then you have to make sure that they can walk through that labyrinth of spells." She demanded immediate action. "Once you have created the spells, test them."


    "Yes, my Queen," murmured a few of them.


    "We are expecting the war anytime now. So I want you all to alert the residents as of now. Ask every wizard who is out of the realm to transport back as soon as possible and tell those who cannot come that we won''t be able to save them if anything happens to them. So it is a must that they come back."


    "What about the spies?" asked Mihr.


    Adrianna pursed her lips. Sometimes Mihr could really show signs of a thickhead. "They will continue to do their jobs," she replied, clenching her jaw.


    "Yes, my Queen," he replied and shifted in his seat under her glare.


    "Open the palace''s armor and weapons unit for everyone," she ordered.


    The meeting concluded and Adrianna flew back in her carriage to her palace. Suddenly Adrianna stumbled on her seat. The caravan stopped mid-air. Adrianna looked out of the window with wide eyes.


    "What is wrong my queen?" asked Haldir with a grave expression.


    "Nothing," she replied at first. Then her face became serious. "I can sense the presence of a huge serpent underground in a cave," she said. Goose bumps appeared on Adrianna''s skin. Was that an attack? But one serpent?


    "Allow me to go and find out?" said Haldir. "Do you know it''s exact location?" he asked.


    "I can feel it slithering in a cave somewhere just outside the Wizard Kingdom," she replied, her gaze fixed somewhere inside the carriage.


    "What are your orders?"


    "Get that serpent inside the kingdom under the veil of invisibility now!" she said and gave him the exact location.


    In all things that followed, there was one thing everyone had forgotten about��Rhys.


    "Yes, my Queen," said Haldir and directed his broom to the right.


    Adrianna closed her fists tightly as her body tensed.


    ---


    The town felt a small rumble in the ground and then somewhere in the far corner, near the military base, fiery balls of yellow flame, billowing out of the hanger filled the control room with thick smoke. The blast had reverberated over the town in the middle of the day like a thunder''s clap on a rainy day. Police sirens wailed trying to find the source of the explosion.


    "Are you mad?" shouted the General as he slapped a young lieutenant who was stationed right next to the tanks'' hanger. "How did this occur?" He wanted to keep everything under wraps until the night fell and this was something that would garner unwanted attention.


    The lieutenant was as shocked as the General. "I am not sure," he replied looking at his injured arm that was bleeding profusely. "I just came back after having lunch and this tank exploded."


    Somewhere in distance, a Mozia disappeared into smoke brushing dirt off his hands.


    "Douse the fire," he yelled. There was no way he would allow the authorities to see this mess.


    From the corner of his eyes, the General saw Ziu walking out of thick smokes of the control room. His shoulders became tight and he gripped his holster so hard that his knuckles became tight.


    Ziu took his wand out while walking towards the crowd that had gathered over there to douse the flames. He waved it and the sky was slowly covered with dense clouds. It started to rain heavily much to the relief of the soldiers. They all ran inside. Within a few minutes the burning tank was soaked in water. But the local police had come by that time.


    It took a while for the General to talk to them and ward them off. "It was just a small accident by a young, freshly recruited soldier," he covered up. "No one has died."


    The police were taken to the site. They questioned the lieutenant who was injured and when they left, they took him.


    Ziu was shaking uncontrollably with rage. His face was red and there was fury in his eyes. "How did this happen?" he asked.


    "I have no idea," came the shaky answer. "Everything looked fine��"


    "Shut up!" roared Ziu. "We are attacking in four hours from now," he said looking at his watch. "I will be leading the war from the Human Realm."


    The General was shocked. This was like a nightmare.


    ---


    Haldir brought Rhys to the palace. He was rolling his shoulders and bouncing his foot when Adrianna came to meet him in the main hall.


    "You said that you would help me," he hissed. "And yet you forgot me."


    "I haven''t forgotten you," she replied smartly.


    "Then why didn''t you contact me?" he asked, tension visible in the cords twanging in his neck.


    "How do you think we would have contacted you? We had been busy preparing for a war your brother is raising against us. You should have contacted us," she gritted her teeth. Tension rose. She wanted to kill the serpent in front of him.


    "It''s not that I asked him to do so," spat Rhys.


    "My Queen," came a soft mental voice. "Calm down," Haldir pleaded.

 Chapter 441 - The First Attack (1)

    Adrianna calmed down her temper. She turned her back to him and walked to the garden outside. "What''s the news?" she asked while walking.


    "First you tell me what is the state of affairs?" countered Rhys. "I hope you don''t backtrack," he said with sarcasm.


    Adrianna stopped and gazed at him furiously. "It depends whether you are able to survive or not."


    "I have come to ask for an asylum in your kingdom," stated Rhys.


    "What?" Adrianna was bereft.


    "Yes, I need refuge. You heard that correctly."


    Shocked at the gut-less serpent in front of her, she couldn''t think for a while. This shape shifter was seeking asylum without even fighting his battle. He wanted her to fight his battle and then make him wear the crown.


    "Your demand is ridiculous," she said, narrowing her eyes.


    "Why?" he asked with a frown. "I will give you all the information about our army. I don''t want to return back to them unless this mess is sorted."


    This man added to Adrianna''s mounting frustrations. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds and then said very quietly, "Fight for the crown you are so desperately seeking. It is not a candy that I will give you. Show me that you deserve it."


    "This is a breach of the agreement between us," he said in a loud voice.


    "No, it isn''t! The agreement was to put you on the throne and not to give you refuge in my kingdom," she pointed a finger at him. "So you better fight for it."


    "This is not acceptable. You are going back on your words," grumbled Rhys. He didn''t want to be a part of a battle that was useless.


    "You must go and fight along with your people to show them that you are the king they should root for," she tried to explain to him.


    But Rhys was blind in the power he was about to achieve. "No!" he shouted back at her. "You are obligated to give me that throne. After all it is your kingdom that is under threat from ours."


    Adrianna clenched her jaw in anger. "Enough!" she shouted. "I respect those who fight for themselves and not use deceitful ways to go to the top." She snapped her fingers without waiting for his answer and Rhys was back in the cave he was found by Haldir.


    "But what about the information he was supposed to give?" asked Haldir with astonishment.


    "I had visited his cell while talking to him," she said coldly.


    ---


    When Ziu had come out of the lake that afternoon, it was very silent, in fact too silent. If there were spies, how come he couldn''t detect them ever? So this time when he went to the Human Realm, he asked his father to conduct a thorough search in the forest��comb it in order to find any spy. Since they were on the last stages just before the war, he didn''t want any spy to report back to the enemy about him. What actually surprised him that all the while he was traversing, no one reported any activity even once.


    His father complied with his orders and sent five serpents to scan the periphery of the lake. He ordered them to kill anyone they met. The serpents slithered out and shape shifted into humans. They split into five different directions and entered the forest. The darkness was drawing closer and they had to find the spies.


    It was more than an hour but none of them spotted any activity. This was actually not a good sign. Four of the serpents decided to return back to the waters, while the fifth planned on staying and cruising through the forest more. As he stepped deeper inside, the darkness increased. The trees were so densely packed that even though it was dusk, the thick maze of the woodland pressed him. His skin craved for water. He decided to return to the lake when in the distance he heard a soft growl. Werewolves! He knew they were the spies.


    He squinted to see the path in front of him. He advanced further inside. The growl came again as if to warn him not to get any closer. He cleared the branches that fell in front of him and trudged further towards the source of the sound. Soon, he was standing in front of huge animals that walked out of the darkness in front of him.


    Immediately he started shape shifting. But the wolves were quicker and they pounced on him. They were four in number. Two of them buried their fangs into his neck, which arrested his motion.


    "Who are you?" he asked, trying to swat them off with his tail.


    "I am Alex," replied the largest wolf amongst them and then he pounced on his target.


    "I will kill you all," hissed the serpent lashing its tongue out.


    Alex clawed him on the belly creating deep gashes. The serpent made a shrill sound.


    "How many of you are there in the lake?" asked Alex.


    "Only me," came the reply and a sickening hiss.


    Soon the serpent was shredded into pieces.


    Alex was the same wolf in whose cave small Adrianna was found when Kayla abandoned her and was rescued by Pierre.


    It was Alex''s pack that was spying. They hadn''t been able to track anyone all the days that they had scrounged the forest near the lake. This was the first time. He looked at his pack''s werewolves and said, "You all go and inform Dmitri about the serpents in the lake. Meanwhile I will go and alert our pack."


    The three wolves growled in agreement and turned to leave. The darkness had grown further. Alex ran as fast as he could to alert his pack. They were the ones in the deep forest and he regretted that.


    The three wolves hadn''t gone even a mile when four serpents attacked them. The attack was so lethal that all three of them died within ten minutes. The serpents slithered back to the lake quietly.


    The night had fallen and the moon was shining in full over the lake. It was time. Ziu''s father gave orders to his army, "Attack!"


    The first attack was to take place on the werewolves.

 Chapter 442 - Ambush

    The first batch of the serpents started to crawl out of the lake in numbers��the green and black long, thick bodies slithered towards the Werewolves Realm as though they had awoken from a slumber. It was as if they were looking forward to being satisfied with the food that was awaiting them. They twisted like roller coasters on the ground with no tracks.


    While some marched ahead as the serpents, some shape shifted in human form. An army consisting of serpents and shape-shifters forged ahead in the dark of the night eager to swallow, in a frenzy to kill.


    On this side of the town, Ziu changed his plans slightly.


    The General stood in front of him shaking inside. "Keep a unit of soldiers ready with their modern artillery to ambush a place inside the forest of which I will give you the coordinates."


    "Which place?" asked the General. He couldn''t imagine how many protocols he was breaking.


    Ziu wanted to kill any werewolf that would try to escape the siege laid by the serpents. He had to set up the perfect trap. He gave the General the coordinates and created a portal for the soldiers.


    The militia stepped out of the portal and ran as far as they were ordered to. Upon stationing themselves, they assembled the rifles in less than thirty seconds in the dark. They were supposed to fire on any wolf in its human or natural form. Everything was under control, perfect. No one could circumvent the plan.


    Ziu smiled at the faultlessness of his strategy. He would ambush them when they were least prepared. He would fry them when they would try to run out of their territories. His brothers and sisters would eat them up. He couldn''t wait to hear the news of their deaths. Impatiently, he broke into a fast-paced strut and went to the shelter where the tank had exploded.


    As the serpents neared the wolves'' packs, they could see dim lights of the houses turned on in the distance. The leader held his hand up and hissed. The entire group stopped behind him. He made signs in the air for them to split up. A group slithered its way to the South, which was a long way. Most of those in the crew shape shifted to traverse the forest speedily to reach that end. Another other group headed North, while the rest of them followed the leader.


    The leader smiled remembering how he killed the spies. There was no way the werewolves would even anticipate this attack. Slowly he led his team to the territory with confidence. If it had been for him, he would trap them alive and then imprison them for personal feast to be devoured when need be.


    In the next half an hour the group reached the outer edge of the Blue Moon Pack, the pack that belonged to the Supreme Alpha. They stopped about fifty meters away. The leader sneered. He strained his eyes and ears to look at the territory. There was loud music coming from somewhere and several lights were on. The town was alive. He signaled his crew to move forward. All of them shape shifted into human form and tread on the soft grounds.


    They stepped inside the territory. In order to kill the unsuspecting werewolves, the serpents entered the houses quietly. The leader kept on moving ahead and then suddenly something about the place hit him. Although the music was playing in the distance, there was an unusual quiet. The quiet was like cold icy drips on their skin. He stopped and strained his ears. When he had visited this place last, the streets were livelier. They were not like this, like an empty toy town. He turned around and saw his team coming out with strange expressions on their faces.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked quietly.


    They shook their heads and shrugged. The group of serpents moved forward into the pack''s territory. A gust of cold wind passed through the maze of brightly lit houses making the windows sway beating against the walls. The streets smelled fresh of the home-cooked food. The gardens were neatly trimmed. An occasional roar of a bear in far distance could be heard easily. Everything fitted so well, that it was odd.


    "Check into the homes," barked the leader.


    The serpents started entering the homes one by one.


    ---


    The group that had traveled to the fringe of the southern territories entered in hoards. They systematically raided the carefully ordered territories and homes. The houses were destroyed and contents thrown out on the streets. The furniture was shattered, papers strewn across, glass smashed and gardens wrecked only to find werewolves. They were desperate.


    The team that had headed to the North met the same fate.


    ---


    The leader of the group became frustrated. He instructed his rhumba to charge the town with no inhibitions. And that is what they did. They destroyed whatever came in the way and razed it down in the flames. They ransacked the houses, shops, and everything that came their way and set it on fire. This action continued until they came to the east of the town, where the territory ended.


    But there was no one to be found. Not a werewolf in sight. Not a wizard with them. Not a single shape-shifter. It was as if the town was just an illusion.


    Suddenly the night became more chaotic. The riflemen present on this side of the territories carried out their orders. Rifle shots broke and hit the serpents who had infiltrated. Seeing this sudden attack, the leader became mad. He was told that the humans were the allies. Then how come they were shooting? He raced towards them to inform them that they were firing on the wrong targets, but the moment he ran, five rifles aimed towards him and shot him brutally.


    In the night, one could see the massacre that was happening inside the forest with red fiery lights emerging every now and then across the entire length of the werewolves'' territories. The only exception was that the enemy was killing its own.


    The Supreme Alpha had evacuated all his people to safe locations, hours back.


    As Dmitri guided the last batch of his people to one of his safe haven, he heard the gunshots in the distance and smiled remembering the letter Adrianna had left for him.

 Chapter 443 - The War (1)

    "Alpha!" shouted one of the werewolves.


    Dmitri looked in his direction. "Yes?"


    "How far do we have to go?" he asked. "It is getting chilly and my wife is pregnant."


    Dmitri couldn''t help thinking of his pregnant Adrianna. She was fighting not only for her kingdom but also for his. Ever since Ziu had toppled their world, life had become one restless journey. Even though he was helping his pack, he felt helpless for not being able to stay with his wife. The werewolf in front of him had held his wife''s hand. She rested for a moment.


    "It is not very far," replied Dmitri.


    The werewolf shape shifted, made his wife sit on his warm fur and ambled away.


    Half an hour later, they entered the cave where Dmitri brought Adrianna during their honeymoon. This was the last cave they had visited just before Cy had attacked them. He sighed.


    Once they were all settled in the cave, Dmitri went out and crested on a small hill that was adjacent to the cave. Under the moon, he stretched on the cool grass as the wind rustled. He remembered that he had gone to the werewolf realm after attending to Liam and Nate. Meeting with Niiya was a failure. Out of anger and desperation he went to meet her in order to discuss the strategy. He didn''t find her there. In the bedroom, when he was lying down, a letter floated to him. He opened it and read it.


    Dmitri,


    This battle may continue longer than I had anticipated. Hence I am going to gather support from various realms. I want you to stay calm. With a person as deceitful as Ziu, anything can happen. Although I couldn''t understand his intentions when I was new in the academy, it was only after I had borne the crown that I came to know about him. His aura was far different from all others. When I wear the crown, my world is changed. I don''t see you all as people are, but there are a lot of things that I can see, visualize and think about them. Ziu was one such person, who struck me as too dangerous.


    I had been in his cell various times and I know most of his plans, but he is true to being a serpent. He can change his plans, his strategies and his nature according to the situation.


    With that being said, I don''t trust him at all. Please take all the werewolves to a safe location. There is no point in fighting with an enemy that clearly outnumbers us. There are other ways to fight it out.


    Don''t get mad at me.


    Adrianna


    PS: I love you from moon to earth.


    Dmitri chuckled at how he was actually pretty upset at her letter because he wanted to participate in the battle with her, for her. But then he thought about it and knew Adrianna must be having her own plans.


    He rested for a short while and then shape shifted. He had to go back to her. Adrianna had told him where he would find the portal to enter the Wizard Kingdom. As he raced deep inside the jungle, Liam and Nate joined him. While Nate had fully recovered, Liam was still recovering.


    "Why have you come?" asked Dmitri with a growl.


    "You don''t expect me to sit on the fringe and watch this," came an equally angered reply.


    Nate laughed and pounced on his friend. The two rolled on the ground as they pawed each other in fun and then sprinted to catch up their Alpha.


    It was not long when they entered Alex''s territory. He was waiting for Dmitri. Without a word exchanged, Alex along with his pack of werewolves joined Dmitri. Known for the fierceness, brutality and coldness, Alex and his pack were the best warriors of all the packs. They never submitted to Dmitri''s supremacy. However, in the current wake of the situation, it was Alex who approached Dmitri to help him fight against the serpents.


    The serpents had slyly come to the land. Over the last one month, they entered his territory and dragged several men, women and children with them in the waters of the lake. He had to avenge his people.


    The pack of werewolves stealthily sped towards the destination and under the moonlit night only their dark furs could be seen.


    From distance, Dmitri saw a small gleaming circle of fireflies on the verge of the creek that fed the ocean. He directed his pack to it. As the pack raced near it, the circle grew bigger and bigger as more fireflies joined it. The werewolves jumped into it one by one. When the last of the wolves had crossed the portal, the circle shrank again. No one could even think that this was a portal created for emergency purposes. On the outside it just looked like a nest of insects in the grass and water.


    ---


    The shooting continued for a long time until all the serpents were killed. After the operation the lieutenant who led the team informed the General that all the occupants of the territories were killed. The General was extremely excited to hear that. He rushed to update Ziu with the news.


    ---


    It had been more than two hours but none of the serpents had come back. Ziu''s father was getting impatient. He paced the chamber that was built for him under the water. There was no report from Ziu either. In the end he commanded another of his troopers to go and check.


    The trooper came back soon. He was shaking uncontrollably. His voice was a mere whisper when he said, "All serpents have been shot in cold blood."


    Ziu''s father''s eyes bulged, "What do you mean?" he struck the informant with his hand across his face so tightly that he fell on the bed of the lake. "What about the werewolves?"


    "There were no werewolves," he replied in a subdued shrill voice. "Not a single."


    "How is this possible?" the king was confused. He was mad.


    When this information was passed on to Ziu, his anger had no bounds. He became frantic. He picked the table and threw it to the ground, shattering it.


    "We need to attack them from the air. Prepare your fighter jets," he said to the General in a cold voice.

 Chapter 444 - The War (2)

    The General was shook. He was standing only a few feet behind Ziu and watched the action going on. He cursed himself for the twentieth time that day for getting into this war that wasn''t even his. It was between two species he wouldn''t have considered until Dr. Tanaka had approached him. Shifting his focus back to the man in front of him, he thought if this man had gone mad? "We need to rethink our strategy," he replied with his lips trembling slightly because making a suggestion was dangerous in front of this madman.


    Ziu turned sharply to look at him, "What do mean?" he asked in a low voice. "Do you doubt my plans?" He sounded so cocky and arrogant.


    The General started shaking. "No! I don''t doubt your plans," the General stated quickly with his hands forward. "The thing is that the enemy is not as foolish as Niiya and Dr. Tanaka had pointed out." He dare not mention the name of the madman standing in front of him. "They obviously had it planned even though they didn''t know about our plans."


    Ziu''s eyes bored into his as if trying to burn him with his stare.


    The General had a fleet of twenty fighter jets at his disposal for the moment. Being the General of the Army he had access to more if need be but the thing was that he didn''t want to take chances and destroy his jets that carried a huge price tag. He knew that the area shown to him on the map a few days back where he had to do the bombings was very small��not even equal to the size of a small town. So what was the point in sending all the fighter jets at one time? That field could be taken care of by two fighter planes only. But he wanted to first test the grounds of the battlefield because they were the wizards.


    "Then what do you suggest?" asked Ziu, folding his hands across his chest trying to calm down.


    "I think we should send two fighter planes loaded with bombs for now," came a quick suggestion. "That way we would test the opponent''s strength."


    Ziu stepped closer to the General. He was standing half a foot taller than him. He lowered his chin, looked directly in his eyes and said, "Who made you a General? Sending only two jets? The enemy would fry them within seconds. In case those jets are taken down, they would come to know about our next move and be more prepared." Ziu cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Do you realize that?"


    The General gulped saliva down his dry throat. His breathing became ragged. "I- it doesn''t matter if they would be more prepared. I will have twenty more jets to send in the next line."


    "Don''t use your stupid brain in this war," warned Ziu. "The reason why I am here rather than being with my father is that humans need more guidance. With all the artillery you have, we can win easily if we are well coordinated."


    "O- okay," replied the General meekly. No one had dared to belittle a General of the Army so blatantly. His ego and pride was hurt but he could do nothing about it.


    "Send ten the fighter planes now!" commanded Ziu. He considered the General''s point but didn''t admit it.


    "Okay," responded the General and hastily strode out of the room. Once outside, he wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead and wished the war to end soon.


    ---


    Ziu''s father was fuming with anger. Dmitri and Adrianna were too clever. They had moved members of all the packs under his nose and none of his people could even detect it. What would his son think of him?


    His commander was standing in the chamber watching him pacing the room and pounding his fist on the table every now and then.


    "My King, may I speak?" he asked slowly.


    "What is it?" barked the King as he stopped and stared at his commander.


    "The werewolves are mainly the creatures of land. They must be hiding somewhere in the forest only. How about we comb the forest? We will find them somewhere and considering our numbers, we will be able to do that fast."


    The King''s lips twitched. This sounded like a plan. He could actually unleash his entire army on the land to hunt the werewolves. Suddenly he remembered that a few days back some of the serpents had brought a few dead werewolves to feast. His face beamed with satisfaction and hope. "Where did you find those werewolves that were served as dinner?"


    "We found them deep inside, on the west of the forest. There is a secluded community of werewolves that lives on that side," replied the commander. He knew what to do.


    "Take some serpents with you and kill all of them," came a cold order.


    "Yes, my King," came a soft reply.


    "Once they are killed, I am sure the news will travel to wherever Dmitri is hiding and the werewolves will come out in retaliation."


    "Yes."


    "By that time, we should be able to close in on their hideouts."


    The commander nodded.


    "Drag each one out and kill them, butcher them. Leave their Alpha for me," hissed the King gritting his teeth.


    "I will," said the commander and left. This was going to become entertaining.


    ---


    Ten fighter planes took off one after the other and within a few minutes they were circling around the land that looked like moor to them from the outside. In the dark of the night, there were dark rolling hills and plains for as far as the eyes could see. The leader informed the General about their visuals.


    "Just fly over the expanse," directed Ziu, "And drop bombs even if you don''t see anything."


    "Okay!" came the answer.


    ---


    Inside the Wizard Kingdom, Adrianna was informed about the fighter jets. She just didn''t want the humans to be hurt. She clenched her fists and hated Ziu for manipulating the humans to this extent.


    Enya was sitting along with the rest of the team in the main hall. Adrianna looked at her. "Can you handle this?"


    Enya interlocked her finger, cracked them and gave a lop-sided smile. "Would be more than happy," she said and rose from her place. She walked out of the palace followed in heels by Haldir.

 Chapter 445 - The War (3)

    The fighter planes circled the vast expanse of the moor. They tried to find a way to go inside but every time they came near a certain point, there were thick clouds awaiting them. It''s not that the planes couldn''t find their way through the thick clouds. They were laced with modern warfare technology and equipment. But the problem was that as soon as they would enter the thick clouds, they were welcomed by thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain. The leader of the group sent one of the pilots in his team to check the situation while the rest continued to circle the periphery.


    As soon as the pilot entered in the thick clouds, it was as if the sky was consumed with shades of black and grey and the moon had given up on trying to break through the blanket of clouds.


    The pilot thought of dropping the bombs despite the rough weather. He was about to press the command for that on his control panel when a shot of lightning struck the tail of his jet sending it into a spiral. The rear of the plane caught fire. The pilot shouted, "May Day, May Day," from his headphones to the control room.


    "Evacuate now!" the leader yelled. The leader of the group asked him to come out of the place immediately, but the pilot had already lost complete control. Soon the plane started to nose-dive. Scared, he ejected from the plane. And in a few seconds the plane touched the ground somewhere very far from the Wizard Kingdom. It exploded into a huge ball of flames.


    ---


    Inside the Wizard Kingdom, Enya and Haldir were on their brooms circling the air space above. The weather was absolutely quiet and it was a perfect moonlit night. When they heard airplanes whizzing on the periphery, they created an illusion of thick clouds right on the boundary for the pilot who they saw was trying to enter the kingdom. For Enya, it was like playing a game. This was just a child''s play for her. At first she created a thick blanket of clouds around the circumference of the kingdom and then she kept snapping her finger to create thunderstorms and rains interspersed with lightning. It was merely ten seconds when she decided to hit the plane with one of her creations.


    She brushed her hands. She raised an eyebrow at Haldir who was flying next to her, when he gestured as to why she struck the plane with lightning. She yawned. This was�� boring��


    ---


    The leader of the group informed the General that a plane was down. "What do we do?" he asked.


    Ziu who was listening to them on the radio, snatched the microphone from the General and snarled, "All of you fly to a higher altitude until you see the moon and then fly over the zone and drop all the bombs." This was his chance to create havoc. This was the golden opportunity.


    "Yes Sir," came the answer.


    The leader ordered the rest of his planes to climb higher. He led the group.


    Ziu was extremely angry. He loosened his collar. His eyes were cold, hard and flinty when he looked at the General. "This is what I wanted to avoid and this has exactly what has happened!"


    "What?" the General rasped.


    "Now they are informed about the attack. What was the point of entering that space all alone?" Ziu yelled.


    The General''s face became ashen.


    ---


    In the Wizard Kingdom, Enya and Haldir had guessed that more aircrafts would come.


    "This should be fun," she muttered and pointed her broom higher. And true to her estimate, she saw a few more incoming.


    Haldir followed her.


    The fighter jets were entering at a very high speed and suddenly there were nine of them, each carrying tons of ammunition.


    Enya and Haldir watched them from almost a hundred feet below. She looked at Haldir and he nodded. The two of them directed their brooms to the opposite directions.


    Enya conjured energy to create a layer of thick ice in the sky. She would gather energy from the surrounding in her hands, grab it in her fist and throw it backwards. The layer of ice formed behind her was almost ten meters thick and hard just like the icy kingdom of hers. Haldir was surprised to see how fast she created that tier of ice.


    Haldir knew that the bombs that would drop would easily pierce the thick layer because of their sheer speed and weight and they might explode as soon as they touched the surface of the ice.


    He had to slow them.


    He closed his eyes and concentrated on his inner energy. He wanted to bring his inner manna to the outside and so he dug deeper in his mind. However, he was shocked to see a different presence inside his cell. It was something he couldn''t define. He couldn''t touch or understand it �C he could only feel its presence. It was soft like dandelions and soothing like the lullaby he had heard from his mother. All his fears evaporated at that moment.


    The baby��


    Haldir drew in a lung full of air and when he opened his eyes next, they were white with a golden core. He threw his hand in the direction of the fighter planes. A large circle consisting of rings of faint yellow light was created up in the air. Every ring rippled with the movement of air.


    ---


    Up in the planes, the pilots were aghast to see that the mysterious moors and hills were now covered with a blanket of ice, glistening blue in the dark of the night. They were extremely confused. They had never seen such a bizarre occurrence in their lives.


    And then all of them entered the circle of the light created by Haldir. They came out crossing the ripple of the force field, which bended backwards when they left it. When they came out of the force field, the world appeared to move in slow motion. It''s as the time itself had slowed down for rest of the world.


    The leader exclaimed, "I can''t believe it! Look at that!"


    "Should we drop the bombs?" asked one of the pilots in the team.

 Chapter 446 - The War (4)

    Before the leader of the team could even respond, something unbelievable happened.


    The time had slowed down for them inside their aircrafts but what they couldn''t even imagine was that the space and time had both warped for them. Their two-seconds travel in space was equal to five years on earth. Time dilation had occurred. In those two seconds the world changed rapidly for them.


    All the pilots were glancing around them trying to take in things that occurred so fast. It was like a movie that was fast-forwarded. The world beneath them changed its shape rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the modification of the world cascaded rapidly like lightning.


    It was at this time Haldir and Enya got sucked in a vortex only to appear closer to the jets. They had to take advantage of this situation.


    Enya took her wand out. She held it high towards the moon and softly under her breath said, "Collient��." The thin, brightest, shimmering beam of moonlight entered her wand. The wand got encased in white spiraling light that curled around her hand and meandered around her body like a silver scarf dancing in the wind.


    For a moment, Haldir''s breath was caught at the sight that was rarely ever witnessed by anyone in the world. Enya looked like a Goddess on her path against the cruelty of the world. Her pale white skin glowed. Her eyes were focused on the wand.


    Suddenly she directed her wand to the planes. In a split second thin silvery light strands surrounded all the planes from the outside. The lights sparked and zapped over the outer core of the aircrafts. It resulted in something disastrous.


    Their navigation system was tampered.


    The planes turned in a different direction. The leader rubbed the glass on his eyes in disbelief when he saw the mountain peaks on his display panel in front of him instead of the empty space. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand what had happened. When he realized the aberration, it was too late. He had to make a decision at that moment.


    So seeing untoward things taking place, the leader shouted, "Drop the bombs now!"


    Upon the command, his group opened the fire and unloaded the arsenal.


    However, relative to them, the bombs disappeared the moment they were dropped because the time had moved too slow for them and had moved too fast on space below them.


    Their minds became numb to experience such a display of power. The best fighters pilots of the country, who had years of training were simply pawns of the wizards in this game of power.


    They were like playthings for the wizards.


    They were nothing in front of the elf.


    Their connection to the main base cut off. They kept shouting in their headphones, but everything was dead.


    Haldir and Enya chased the aircrafts freezing them one by one as they neared the mountains. They could see the bombs dropping out but now they were not worried because the aircrafts had flown way past the wizard realm. Seconds later, the explosives blasted amongst the high mountains and valleys of the west.


    The aircrafts were frozen just before they crashed in the mountains.


    It was the leader''s jet that crashed first. On the impact it was smashed to smithereens. It looked as if a child had thrown his glass toy on the floor in anger. The rest of them crashed in a similar manner, fragmenting into a million pieces. Even the bodies of the pilots were frozen and then shattered.


    In that moonlit night, Haldir and Enya watched the fireworks from a distance as the explosions occurred from within the deep valleys of the snow-clad mountains. Balls of fiery red, green and yellow flames rose igniting the surrounding white ice. Geysers of hot ash and molten lava erupted outwards.


    The successive explosions shook the ground and the snow erupted into avalanches.


    While Haldir and Enya were watching the game of fire, Adrianna came. She flew her broom right next to Enya who was still covered with the rays of moon. The entire event finished in less than half an hour.


    "What are we going to do with so much ice that Enya has created?" asked Haldir. He had sensed his queen''s presence.


    "It needs to be melted," Enya replied. If the ice wasn''t melted, it could turn this wizard realm into one that resembled hers.


    "This kind of ice would flood our kingdom," said Haldir with a shock on his face.


    "It won''t," replied Adrianna. Saying that she pointed her broom to the south. She had decided a point for the sheet to be demolished.


    Haldir followed her. No, he followed her baby. It was a silent submission to the unborn child. Yes, he would rip the world apart if it had to be for the child.


    Enya on the other hand went to the north of the ice sheet. Adrianna and Haldir pushed the layer of ice. It was heavy even for their collective power. It moved slowly. It was at this point of time they realized how long it must have taken for Enya to create her icy kingdom and how impenetrable it was.


    When the ice sheet was dragged to face the mountains near the forest, it was made to slam into the rocky surfaces. The ice burst and splintered into small and large boulders. The boulders tumbled across the slopes right into the mountains that had surrounded the source of the creek, which flowed through the forest. The boulders smashed and flowed with the water current to the two waterfalls that were feeding the creek. They dropped fragmenting into smaller pieces inside it and cascaded with the water until they reached the lake.


    Some of the remains of the frozen jets and parts of the bodies of pilots joined this naked dance of destruction.


    ---


    The King of Serpents was in a frenzy. He sent a large number of his army to search for Alex''s pack and also to comb the forest area. The team that had gone to search Alex''s territory returned empty handed. The members had already shifted to an unknown location.


    When the commander of the team reported it, the King fumed with anger.


    ---


    The General barked on the microphone, "Where are you? State your coordinates!" There was no answer. The General shouted again, but the communication went dead in a second. He looked at Ziu who was standing right next to him.


    Ziu snatched the microphone and growled in it, "What are your coordinates? Answer me!" There was no response.


    Without a warning the ground below them trembled slightly.

 Chapter 447 - The War (5)

    Ziu stared in the microphone and the monitor in front of him, which had satellite imagery. There was nothing he could make out in it. "What does this mean?" he pointed at the screen, turned his serpent-yellow slit eyes towards the General and asked.


    The General was shocked. For a moment his body movements froze and he became speechless. His breath became shaky.


    Ziu asked again, this time louder than before, "What does this mean? Answer me!"


    The General''s snapped back into sense. He shook his head and cursed himself again for falling in a war against the wizards. He had grossly underestimated their potential. He thought that all he had to do was send the fighter jets and drop some bombs, and that''s it. It would get over even before it would begin. But with the current situation, the war had just begun and he could see where it would go. "This means that the aircrafts have either crashed without trace or they have disappeared completely as though they have entered the Bermuda Triangle."


    Ziu refused to believe him at first. He glared at the blank screens again. The aircrafts'' positions were tracked like dots on those but now, not a single dot was present. He rushed out of the room suddenly realizing that his plans were thwarted. Now Adrianna would have become completely aware of his intentions. But how could she stop such a large scale of attack? How could ten fighter jets that flew at high speeds disappear so soon? He walked in the garden out wondering if she got any help other than the wizards out there. Did she already know of his plans? "No, it can''t be," he muttered to himself. Though inside his heart he knew that his activities had raised suspicions. He put his fist inside his mouth. At first all the werewolves had left their territories without leaving a trace and then she managed to foil his air strike.


    "Oh! But these are humans who are attacking her," he said aloud with a gleam in his eyes. "Adrianna must be thinking it is Niiya who is conducting all these air strikes." He smirked. He went back inside the control room. "Prepare another ten jets to attack," he gave orders to the General and turned back to leave. As the General, speechlessly looked at the monster in front of him Ziu stopped at the door. "No, send twenty jets this time," he said and marched away. Twenty jets would give him enough time. In an hour, he would order the General to give command to the recruits on the ground to open fire.


    Only ten more jets were there left with the General. There was no space to keep that many. He decided not to get more.


    ---


    "Where are the rest of the serpents?" shouted the King.


    "They are still combing the forest, my King," replied the commander. "But it has been almost an hour and not one werewolf could be spotted."


    "This is impossible! They must be hiding in some cave, some pit, or some tree. Find them," he growled.


    Their conversation was interrupted by a huge turbulence in water that wobbled the chamber. "What is it?" he asked his commander. In his experience this kind of turbulence meant a dangerous level of rain or thunderstorm.


    "Commander!" suddenly a shout came from outside the chamber.


    "What is it?"


    "There is massive commotion towards the far end of the lake, where it meets the sea," replied the informer.


    "Explain," demanded the King coming forward and glaring at the serpent.


    "Our army is being killed by an unknown creature. It is so gigantic that we are unable to understand its size. It has a serpent like body but walks on legs. It keeps disappearing every now and then in smoke and shadows and strikes us with lethal force. From the past fifteen minutes, we are tackling it. Somehow I managed to escape to come here and inform you. I thought that I would take some serpents to help us with its attack, but now I am seeing that there are hardly any over here!"


    The King of Serpent''s eyes bulged. More than half his army was combing the forest above. He had heard of such a creature only in stories. "Is that a dragon?" he rasped.


    As if this information wasn''t enough, the chamber swayed again �C this time so violently that it threw them on the bed of the lake.


    The commander helped the King back on his feet. The King was shaky now. Everything was beyond reasoning. "Go and check what is happening up there," he asked the commander. Then he looked at the informer and said, "You go back to your waters. I will send more serpents there."


    "Yes, my King," they both said and left.


    ---


    Shang Kui had entered the sea and glided all his way up to the lake under water, after the night had fallen. The water was his domain. And currently he had a target - to kill the serpents who had waged war for greed. He had always hated people who would go to any length to harm or kill others for their own benefits, who would sneak on others and stab from shadows in collusion with those in power. They were dogs, sinners. They had no subconscious. They were demons reincarnated on earth. But they belonged to hell after death and he was going to send them there.


    Long back, when he lived amongst the humans, some of them attacked his people mercilessly. All he wanted was to live peacefully. He came to know that those humans wanted to capture the wizards to use their power for their advantage. Under the garb of goodness, they carried out nefarious spy activities, and because they couldn''t capture wizards for their advantage, they burnt them alive. One day when he couldn''t take it anymore, he went to their secret house of meeting and branded them all with a dragon. "You have such black hearts." He had said and disappeared with his clan.


    It was for this reason amongst others that he had taken his tribe to live peacefully so high up in the mountains where no one could ever approach them.


    He swam in the lake and went closer to the army that was still waiting for the orders to attack. As soon as the night became darker, he attacked them.


    The enemy was caught by surprise. They didn''t know what was attacking them at first. It all happened too quickly. He was so gigantic with thick, pointy scales that it was impossible to get near him. He would lash his tail, throw balls of fire under the lake, and vanish from one place only to appear on the other, creating so much havoc that after a few minutes the serpents started to swim away from him. With one lash of his tail, he would seriously injure or rip apart at least twenty serpents. When they charged at him, he would send fire their way and disappear. Because of the fire, the water became heated up to the extent that it was boiling. Many serpents were unable to sustain the heat and their skins also boiled.


    Karma was a bitch.


    ---


    The commander slithered out of the lake to find his people. What he saw on the surface of the lake was frightful.

 Chapter 448 - The War (6)

    Large boulders of ice were tumbling down in the lake. The lake had flooded and the water had risen to dangerous levels. It was now overflowing the banks and had entered the surrounding forest. The current of water was so strong that it tore down everything that stood in its way. The boulders of ice smashed into each other with deafening noise and disintegrated into thousands of shards as if an explosion had occurred. The commander''s fear darkened like the night. He realized that this continuous onset of chunks of icicles was the reason behind flooding of the lake. And because of this the King''s chamber also rocked. The soft mud of the banks had been eroded. As the water entered the forest, it uprooted trees bringing them down with loud creaks. Because of this some of the serpents that were in the forest region were washed to the shores or got buried under the trees. The forest area around the lake was filled with screams and cries of the serpents.


    The water swelled and gushed towards him with force and he was hit by something sharply. That thing fell and got stuck on his shoulder and a metallic blood-like smell hit his nostrils. He lost balance. He took his hand to remove it. When he brought that thing in front of him, his eyes became wide with fear. It was a human hand ripped apart from the shoulder. As shock registered his mind, he couldn''t help thinking as to where that part of the limb came from? As far as he knew, there were no humans in the vicinity.


    He ducked under water to save himself from the fresh onslaught but the turbulent flow eddied its way inside the lake bringing a massive amount of ice. The commander was hit by a huge ice chunk and suffered a deep laceration on his skin. The blood flowed out. Suddenly another shard of ice came and lodged itself in his tail. He shrieked in pain. After removing it, he dived deeper into the lake. With his tail bruised badly, he somehow managed to make his way down.


    Over the surface of water, all the serpents who were combing the forest were flustered. They retreated from the forest in order to run back to the lake. That was much safe. But when they arrived at the lake, the scenario was frightening. Where the hell did the ice come from in the lake?


    Still they all dived inside.


    The onset of icy water only increased. Many serpents drowned, many were washed away with strong flux and many were mashed.


    While on this side of the lake, it was strong current of water that created havoc, on the other side it was Shang Kui.


    The wounded commander dived deeper to go to save his King. When he reached the King''s chamber, he saw that it had been dislodged from its place. The chamber was tossed far away and the King was hurled unconscious half, beneath it. His limp limbs swayed with the water current. The commander rushed to him. Using his strength, he removed the iron chamber and pulled the King out from there.


    At this point of time all he had to do was save the King. So he picked him from there and swam deep inside a secret cave below water that was only meant for the royals.


    The large army of serpents was completely crushed. Their morale was low. The one who could run came to seek advice from the King, but he was nowhere to be found. His chamber was flung away. They couldn''t even find their commander.


    As the serpents escaped from Shang Kui in the opposite direction, Shang Kui charged them further. His killer actions continued for the rest of the night. The strong current of water affected him the least. The dragon created mayhem.


    The ice layer that Enya had created along with the shattered remains of the fighter jets��all had come to the lake.


    ---


    Adrianna watched the entire layer of ice colliding with the mountains. Once it was over, she turned to leave. Enya joined her.


    "What do we do with the time circle, my Queen?" asked Haldir.


    "Let it remain hung in the air for the entire time until this battle is over," she replied. "I am sure that Ziu won''t stop here." Saying that she pointed her broom to the palace and flew.


    All her way to the palace, her mind was not at rest. There was frustration mounting. She had to meet someone and clear up the matter.


    When she reached the palace, she was surprised to see that Dmitri was present there along with Nate, Liam and several other werewolves whom she didn''t know. She narrowed her eyes at them.


    Except Dmitri, everyone bowed to their Luna.


    "I am Alex." Alex introduced himself.


    Adrianna tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "I have heard that name," she said.


    Alex smiled. "Pierre found you in one of my caves, when your sister Kayla abandoned you."


    Suddenly a memory flashed in front of her eyes - bats, darkness, and a small girl. She became still. Her throat bobbed up and down. It was painful. Those days were painful, those memories were sore.


    Dmitri came to hold his wife. "Adri��" he said softly. "It is over."


    Adrianna nodded immediately.


    "Alex helped us to spy upon the serpents and some of his pack members were even dragged to the lake and killed."


    She couldn''t believe it. Her limbs became shaky. So much destruction for the selfish reasons was beyond comprehensible for her.


    "I have come along with Dmitri to take avenge upon the serpents and the humans. Please let me know what to do," said Alex with determination.


    "Hmm. But first I have to meet someone in the human realm," she declared.


    "What?" Haldir protested immediately. "No! I won''t allow you to go there."


    Isidorus stepped forward. "You are not going there, Adrianna," he said with anger.


    "I will," she shot back. "I must meet Niiya!" She walked away from them. "He needs to answer my questions."


    "Niiya will never be able to help you," answered Isidorus.


    Adrianna swung her head in his direction as her face became red with anger. "Why do you say so?"


    "Because there has been a promise between him and Ziu. He cannot breach it."


    "Then I just know the way to talk to him," she spoke with a clenched jaw.


    ---


    The General walked out of the control room. He went to the group lieutenant of the remaining fleet of jets.


    "You have to fly to the same coordinates as the previous group went to."


    "Yes Sir," came back a firm acknowledgement.


    The General knew deep inside that he was sending his crew to the suicide mission. He watched the young faces of all those men out there. They were hardly over thirty. Some had wives and children while some weren''t even married.


    "But I need you all to do something," he said on an afterthought.


    "Sure Sir."


    The General explained to them in detail what had to be done and left. He decided to meet Niiya and Dr. Tanaka. The father and son duo never mentioned anything about the powers of the wizards. He had many questions to ask. And if he survived all this, he would ensure that Niiya was removed from the post of being a human representative for other realms.

 Chapter 449 - The War (7)

    The General stroked his hair and exhaled. He had to meet Niiya. He called his secretary to call Dr. Tanaka and fix the meeting as soon as possible.


    It was past midnight. Ziu was strolling outside in the cantonment waiting for the fighter jets to fly when one of the serpents who survived approached him and informed him about the massacre that took place in the lake. When he heard about it, he was enraged. Was the informer telling him that he was defeated already?


    He grabbed the collar of the informer and lifted him in the air. He spat, "What do you mean that serpents have been killed? Who killed them?"


    The informer''s breathing became ragged. He felt Ziu''s hands around his neck. Somehow he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Your Highness, we were caught in between a dragon like creature and flood. There was this gigantic animal who was breathing fire, killing so many of us in one time that none of us had time to even think about what was going on. We were finished in numbers before we could plan out any strategy."


    Ziu''s angered expression changed. His eyes became wide. He left the informer''s collar, who fell on the floor with a thud. Ziu stared at him for a few seconds. His mind was unable to process the information. "Dragon-like creature?" he asked as if trying to convince himself that he heard the informer correctly. He had heard about dragons, but they were extinct. In fact, they were extinct for so long that they were mythological now.


    He bent down and slapped the informer hard across his face. "Did you see that beast?"


    The fork-mouth whimpered. "Yes, I saw it. It was appearing and disapp��"


    Before he could complete the sentence, Ziu had entered his cell. And there he saw the dance of destruction, the boiling, the fire and then��the Dragon himself. At first Ziu was awestruck by the sheer force and deadly nature of the beast and then he was horrified by the devastation it was able to do. All his brothers and sisters and other kinship were ripped apart or boiled.


    The thing that he couldn''t understand was the flood part. How did the lake flood all of a sudden in the middle of the night and that too without any rain or thunderstorm?


    He came out of the informer''s cell and stumbled back a little. His knees became weak.


    He steadied himself again. "A royal serpent never stumbles," his father had said when he was young. They were a family of strong breed. He wondered where his father was now. "Where is the King?" he asked.


    "I- I don''t know," replied the informer who was still on the ground.


    Had he failed? "No!" roared Ziu. "I can''t fail!"


    "Go back and find my father," he hissed.


    "Yes, my Lord." The informer stood shakily.


    "I will come and investigate this matter myself."


    "Yes."


    "Now leave!"


    The snake left immediately.


    Although Ziu really wanted to go to the lake and find out about it, he decided against it. If his army was already killed to such an extent, there was no point in going there and inviting death. It was better to use the humans now.


    Inside, he started to feel unsettled. His father''s army was a strong backup. He was not able to understand as to how a beast came and destroyed everything and that too a dragon. Did Adrianna already know about his plans or was it merely a chance?


    With so many disturbing thoughts, Ziu went to meet the pilots of the jets. He was not confident about the General after the way he behaved in the control room. He looked so dazed and doubtful of the whole mission that Ziu couldn''t take any chance with him. He gave the pilots different coordinates to enter the airspace above the Wizard Realm and he had also instructed them on what to do once they infiltrated it.


    After all, Ziu had only one night to prove himself and to defeat the Queen. He was determined to overthrow her at all costs.


    It was an hour later that Ziu was waiting in the airfield for the fighter jets to take off. As they flew one by one, he watched them patiently. But he was dismayed to see that only ten aircrafts took off.


    Ziu became mad as hell. He rushed to the control room to find the General to scold him. He was surprised to see that there was no one else other than a young boy present in the cabin.


    "Where''s the General?" he asked.


    "I don''t know," replied the young lieutenant as he took the headphone off and looked at Ziu.


    Ziu brushed his hand through his hair. His face was red and he could feel heaviness in breathing.


    "Where are the rest of the fighter jets?" Ziu asked again. He was sitting on his chair and scheduling the airplanes to take off from the control room.


    The young boy shrugged. "I don''t know. I have been asked to fly these and this is what I have done."


    Ziu''s rage was now uncontrollable. "You imbecile!" yelled Ziu and kicked the chair on which the boy was sitting. The chair tumbled and the boy fell on the floor.


    "Hey!" retaliated the boy wiping the blood that trickled from his forehead. "Why are you angry at me? I am not the General. Go catch him. I only follow the orders."


    Ziu went to the boy, grabbed him by his shirt and made him stand. With a clenched jaw, he said, "Instruct your main military base to send ten more fighter jets or I will smash your skull."


    "I can''t man!" said the boy as he struggled to get free. "And you look like a demented soul!"


    Ziu stared at him for a second and then hurled him across the room like a maniac. The boy hit the wall and became unconscious.


    Then he swung to the monitor and got hold of the microphone. He switched on the red button on which ''Emergency'' was written. There was slight noise in the headphone. Immediately, he barked in the microphone, "This is the General here. I need ten more fighter jets now!"


    There was a flicker of noise in the headphone and his hopes were raised. Suddenly a voice said, "Sorry, authentication failed. This is not the voice of the General." And the line went dead.

 Chapter 450 - The War (8)

    Irritated as hell, Ziu rushed outside the control room to find the General. He opened the doors of all the rooms that surrounded the control room, but he was nowhere to be found. In fact there was no soldier there. He dashed to the field outside.


    The entire area, which was an hour ago bustling with human activity, was vacant with only three soldiers going back to their cabins after they had taxied off the aircrafts. An hour ago he was making various plans on how to trample and overthrow Adrianna and now the place was as quiet as a ghost town.


    He went to the enclosure where the tanks were standing. Once again he noticed that there were only two troopers standing. They were talking while smoking a cigarette turn by turn. One of them was leaning against a tank''s closed door.


    Ziu went to them. The two of them were pretty perplexed when they saw him standing so near to them.


    "Good- good evening Sir," said one of them hiding his cigarette behind him as the other boy waved the smoke in front of his face to disperse it.


    "Where is the General?" he asked with a serious expression. His eyes were pointed and his fists were closed as if he would punch them on hearing anything negative.


    "We don''t know, Sir," came the reply.


    Ziu''s expressions changed to something so deadly that the boys started quivering. "The lieutenant inside the control room keeps the track of the General and maintains his schedule. That boy is his secretary in the office too. He will tell you."


    Ziu punched the door of the tank on which he was leaning hard. That boy was lying unconscious in the room. A dent was created in the iron. The boys became afraid of the man. Slowly, they moved out and stood at a distance.


    "Tell all those who are responsible for driving these tanks to be ready for the order to leave from here. Tell them to get dressed appropriately. These tanks will leave in the next thirty minutes," Ziu commanded.


    "Yes Sir," said the boy with quivering lips.


    Ziu went back to the control room and entered the cell of the boy who was still unconscious. However, to his surprise the last memory that the boy had of the General was when the screen had turned blank after all the previous lot of fighter jets had met with the accident. He came out of his cell and kicked the lifeless body. It flung across the room. Ziu punched his fist in his hand. "I will crush you, Adrianna! Watch me!"


    ---


    Inside the dark waters of the lake Shang Kui swum everywhere. He crawled into each and every space to find the serpents. The ones that had somehow managed to hide from his wrath were extracted from their hideouts and killed mercilessly. Shang Kui clawed each one of them and shredded to pieces. He pelted their skins with his talons and ripped their bodies with his sharp teeth. He left a path of destruction as he reached the part of the lake, which was near the werewolves'' territories. To his disappointment, there was no one there.


    He glided his way back searching for the enemy but the lake was flowing quietly with skins, flesh and corpses of serpents. The water had become darker, murkier and crimson.


    Shang Kui slithered all his way back to the end of the lake. As he emerged from the lake, his body shape shifted into the wizard. Half of his body was in the human form outside the lake''s surface and the other half in the dragon form beneath the surface when he noticed fireworks in the far distance. The horizon was covered with faint flames of fire. He came out of the water, fully shape shifted as the wizard. He swam to the shore, wore his clothes and mounted his broom that was already waiting for him on his side. Shang Kui flew to the coordinates given by Adrianna for the emergency portal to her kingdom. She had asked him to specifically use only that portal.


    The fireflies were flying in a circle. More fireflies joined them when they sensed someone. Shang Kui entered the portal, victorious and satisfied to the core.


    ---


    Within thirty minutes the five tanks that were standing had the soldiers in them, ready to launch the attack. But their leader was skeptical. He asked Ziu who was overseeing the operation personally, "How are we going to reach the field? We cannot just drive through the town and wake up the people. We are not authorized to do that. It will create panic amongst the residents."


    "You don''t have to worry about that," snarled Ziu. "When you reach there, launch your bombs on the wall immediately."


    "Okay," grunted the leader. He had gone inside the tank and cussed Ziu. This entire war was so not needed. He had to talk to the General.


    Ziu snapped his fingers. He disappeared from there only to appear on the highest rock that was on the ground near the building. Taking his wand out, Ziu waved it towards the tanks. White sparkly lights zapped around all tanks and suddenly all of them vanished from there.


    The leader was shocked to find themselves amongst the rest of the troupes that were stationed on the east side of the Wizard Kingdom.


    ---


    The aircrafts had taxied off and they had flown to the same coordinates as the General had asked them instead of the ones that Ziu had mentioned. The General had explained to them well that no matter what, they should follow his command. When they reached the desired location, they all saw a gigantic circle of concentric golden yellow rings that floated inside it.


    The team was flying in a way that they harmed a ''V''. The leader was at the helm. When they were a hundred meters away, the leader shouted in his microphone, "Eject!"


    All the pilots ejected together.


    The abandoned fighter jets entered the time circle.


    The pilots landed safely on the ground outside the Wizard Kingdom.


    The jets once again witnessed a time warp. Once again the jets were made to crash against the rocky mountains by the wizards.


    And the resulting explosion was what Shang Kui witnessed when he emerged from the lake.

 Chapter 451 - The War (9)

    The skin near Isidorus'' eyes crinkled a little more when Adrianna announced that she would go and meet Niiya. His neck muscles strained. His first thought ran towards the baby. "My Queen, you need to reconsider. If Ziu would come to know that you are there in the Human Realm, he will come after you. In these times of war, you cannot be so precarious."


    The group was sitting in the main hall. They were discussing the next strategy after the new developments. They wondered how many more fighter jets were going to come. Adrianna disliked the fact that Ziu was manipulating the General and Niiya into sending militia that weren''t even fighting their battle.


    Adrianna gazed at him for a second and then said, "I don''t want human lives lost. What Ziu is doing is pure madness. I need to know why Niiya is into this." She had decided to meet him.


    Isidorus rubbed his forehead. This was one stubborn queen he had ever encountered. But then she was the youngest one also. Perhaps it was something with her age. He cleared his throat to say something when Haldir interjected, "Adrianna, do you realize the risk of going there? This is preposterous. You cannot put yourself in danger and��"


    "And who else?" asked Mihr. "And what?" he suddenly became inquisitive.


    Dmitri walked to his wife. He sat down beside her and held her hand. Looking at the prying soul whose interest had suddenly peaked, he said, "And me."


    Mihr''s interest suddenly died. He muttered under his breath, "I am so hoping that we soon get an heir."


    Haldir''s gaze flitted from Mihr to Adrianna. Then he took a deep breath to calm down. He was about to reveal to everyone that his Queen was pregnant. But his feeling for protecting the child was beyond words. It was as if he was clinging to the loved one. Since he couldn''t convince his Queen, he said, "Okay, I will accompany you."


    Isidorus was relieved to hear that.


    At this point, Inyanga said, "I will also escort you."


    Although Adrianna nodded, all others were slightly surprised at Inyanga''s declaration.


    Adrianna looked at Mihr and said, "As per the report, there is a lot of army standing on the border of the Wizard Realm. They are equipped with modern warfare. Our spells can only work as much. I want you to station the entire wizard army of our kingdom to stand on the inside and face the soldiers."


    "Yes, my Queen," replied Mihr.


    Adrianna instructed, "Isidorus, you should go and guard our west and south frontiers. Take a team if you like."


    "But I can do much better on this side," came the protest.


    Adrianna tilted her head. "Trust me, you will be of better use on that side."


    Isidorus'' head hung low. He didn''t want to counter her but he couldn''t agree with her. "Okay," he replied grumpily.


    "I would also like to come with you, Adri," said Dmitri.


    "Sure."


    I will make sure that the path to Niiya''s house is clear," said Haldir and rose from his place.


    "There won''t be any serpents out there," Shang Kui declared as he got up from his place and stood tall with a gleam in his eyes.


    "So can I take the werewolves back to their territories?" asked Dmitri.


    "No! Dmitri, let this get over. I feel they would be safer at the moment in the hideouts because Ziu is still out there," Adrianna counteracted.


    Dmitri exhaled and pursed his lips. He nodded eventually.


    Haldir left. He had gone with Inyanga to check out all the streets that were present around Niiya''s house. When he appeared in front of his house, he saw a car halting in front of his house. The door of the car opened and a man stepped out. "The General," he murmured. He noticed that as soon as the General walked out, four more soldiers followed him as his bodyguards and positioned themselves in front of the main gate.


    "Do you want me to freeze them in time?" asked Inyanga. She was standing so close to Haldir that her proximity affected him. Haldir gulped. He distanced himself from her a little. He licked his lips and said as though he was unaffected, "No. Let us call Adrianna after checking the streets around."


    Adrianna and Dmitri arrived soon after.


    It was past 1AM now and she walked inside the compound. Haldir had already informed her that the General was inside the house in a meeting with them.


    Under the cloak of invisibility Adrianna stepped in the main compound so as not to arouse suspicion of the soldiers that were guarding the main gate.


    Adrianna decided not to ring the bell this time. She simply walked through the front door without opening it. Others followed her heel.


    ---


    The General was extremely worried. When Niiya received his request to meet, he agreed immediately.


    "Niiya, this is getting out of hand!" exclaimed the General as soon as he saw him on the front door.


    Niiya led him to the study and closed the door behind. He had informed his father of the General''s arrival.


    Dr. Tanaka was tying the belt of his black nightgown when he arrived at the study. He saw that the General was in deep conversation with Niiya. "Why didn''t you tell me that Ziu was a maniac?" he growled at Niiya. "He is giving berserk orders to us. The wizards out there are too strong to be dealt with. We are humans."


    "I had warned you a long time back, General. You can''t blame me," Niiya retorted. "The other day when Ziu made you promise the alliance, you were pretty excited," Niiya pointed out.


    "What?" The General snapped. "It''s not like I knew about his actual strength! Why didn''t you ever tell me about it?"


    Dr. Tanaka came and stood there with his arms across his chest. His face became red with anger. "General, now you are talking like a wuss."


    General swung around to face the doctor. His face contorted a little. He narrowed his eyes. Pointing at Dr. Tanaka, he said, "Really? If it were not for your false reports and hopes about getting a vast field below the ocean''s surface for our waste, I wouldn''t have ever participated in this madness with you."


    Dr. Tanaka clenched his teeth and spoke through them. "I never gave you any false hope and reports. Everything was very clear to you right from the beginning."


    "No, it wasn''t! It was your greed and lust to stay in power. You wanted to continue as an emissary of the humans to all the realms. And that is why you thought that this display would make you powerful in front of all the realms," the General yelled without considering the quietness of the house.


    "Yes, that is partially true," replied Dr. Tanaka. He walked to the couch in the corner and sat down on it as the General watched him with wide eyes. He crossed his legs and stared at the General.


    The General squeezed his eyes shut and then covered his mouth with his hand. When he opened his eyes, there was mistrust in them. "So you tricked me into it."


    "No, it was your choice," replied Dr. Tanaka coldly.

 Chapter 452 - The War (10)

    Dr. Tanaka gave the General a cold look before giving an even more icy gaze to Niiya.


    Niiya studied his father''s demeanor. His heartbeat became high. The doctor looked so vicious at that time that Niiya couldn''t fathom the level of his wicked mind and heart.


    The General clasped his chest and sat down on the nearest chair with a thud. He stared at the doctor. "You tricked me, you bastard!" he shouted. "Because of you that filthy wizard entered my mind and has bound me to some sort of promise. He has threatened me that if I ever break this promise, I will cease to exist and die a painful death." The General remembered how Ziu had entered his mind. Just before exiting he had created a pact in which if the General backed out, he would face dire consequences. It was because of this reason that he had to give orders to the second set of fighter jets to go and attack the Wizard Realm. But at least he saved human lives.


    Dr. Tanaka scoffed. He looked at the General and said, "We all are bound by the same promise��you, Niiya and me." He paused. Then he added, "Don''t you tell me that I tricked you into it. You were given the options. You could have backed out but you didn''t because of your greed. Now that you are in this deal, you better cooperate."


    "Cooperate?" The General shouted. He got up from his chair. "Because I cooperated, we lost so many human lives in this useless battle." The General emphasized on the word ''cooperate''. He stopped for a moment. All of a sudden, he narrowed his eyes and then on an inner feeling, he asked with suspicion, "Somehow why do I get the impression that I was just a pawn in this game?" with a frown he pointed at the doctor and said, "What are your ulterior motives?"


    Dr. Tanaka roared with laughter. When he calmed down, he looked at him and then said with pride, "I am glad your peanut sized brain finally deciphered the mystery." Then his gaze shifted to Niiya. "My motives, you ask? They are to make my son the ruler of all the realms."


    The General felt like a stupid who was nothing but a patsy in the hands on Dr. Tanaka. Looking back all he saw was what a fool he had become. He was chasing his ambition and here, the man in front of him was even a bigger player. His heart rate accelerated in his chest as if it would explode like the bombs that the fighter jets had carried. His skin became flushed and hot. He stumbled and walked to the window. He opened it to get some wintry air. He was giddy and sweating. This was the biggest face slap of his life. He could hear its echo in this deafening silence.


    Niiya was aghast. What was his father even thinking? And when did he devise this plan? And how did Ziu never come to know about his plans? Suddenly he felt coldness and heaviness expanding in his core. His muscles became weak. His mind refused to believe the truth of his father. "F- father?" he managed to speak in a shaky voice. "What are you even saying?"


    Dr. Tanaka had been at the helm of the Council of all the Realms for so many years that he knew what exactly it was to be so powerful. He had developed and learnt how to be extremely cold, calm, manipulative and at the same time hide his thoughts from the ones who were present in the council. They were all too mighty and being their head was something not a normal human brain would have achieved. He considered himself to be the epitome of human intelligence. He had been in that position for a long time and when the time came, he gave it to his son. He had heard of his growing affection with Adrianna and he wanted her to marry him but then Niiya was abducted. Till today he couldn''t come to know as to who kidnapped Niiya. When Niiya was released, it was too late. Adrianna was married and marked.


    His hopes dashed and he started to hate Adrianna. He had heard about the entire discussion about dumping the waste on the land from close resources. When Ziu came to Niiya with the idea, Dr. Tanaka saw this as a great opportunity. He roped in the General and the rest was history.


    There was no backing out now. The General was tied with the promise. Howsoever terrible he felt, he had to do exactly what Ziu had asked him to. Dr. Tanaka was quite sure that Ziu would defeat Adrianna. After all he had the force of an army with him.


    Dr. Tanaka smiled at Niiya��his prized possession. "You heard what I said," he replied softly. He loved his daughter a lot but she had taken a different path unfortunately. Had she been with him, he would have married her to a strong ruler of another realm. He had plans for Niiya��an alliance that would make him invincible.


    Niiya promptly came back to his senses. "But this is insane, father," he said as he felt tingling on his skin. "Why would I go against Adrianna anymore than we are already going?"


    "You are just too blinded by her infatuation, Niiya," replied his father.


    "No, I am not!" Niiya retorted. "I think I have moved on." He remembered his day with Pryce. It was so peaceful and soothing. His life changed in that moment. "I am not in love with Adrianna anymore."


    "Oh! That''s good then. It would make my work easier by eliminating her without you feeling bad."


    "Eliminating Adrianna? You are out of your mind. I won''t allow that," Niiya called out and got up from his place in rage. His fists were closed tightly. Adrianna was his best friend.


    The General interrupted. He looked at the old man with disbelief. "Adrianna is such a strong witch. You think it is easy to wipe her out? You really have gone mad, Dr. Tanaka. Because of you, I am in this mess. Do you even know what has happened to the fighter jets that I had ordered for attack? They have all been destroyed��all at once. Not a single machine or human was alive after the first batch was sent."


    Dr. Tanaka shrugged. "It doesn''t matter. Ziu will take care." What Dr. Tanaka didn''t say was that there were more people who were after the entire game. People, who wanted him to be at the helm. And he wanted his son. So even if Ziu failed, he had a different plan.


    "Stop with this madness father!" Niiya pushed.


    "Sit quiet Niiya," Dr. Tanaka hushed him as though talking to a toddler. His plan was perfect. "You just watch your rise as a ruler of this world." There was an evil smile on his lips and a malicious gleam in his eyes. He knew way too many things to take advantage of.


    Suddenly, the door of the room opened. Everyone jumped in their places as their heads turned to see the uninvited guests.


    Adrianna entered the study followed by Dmitri.

 Chapter 453 - The War (11)

    Niiya, Dr. Tanaka and the General looked at Adrianna and Dmitri with wide eyes. They were shocked. How could they even enter this house despite all the security? And these were the very people they were plotting against? Dr. Tanaka blinked his eyes rapidly to process what he had seen. His mouth fell open. For a moment his body froze.


    Although Niiya was shocked to the core, he drew his head back quickly and raised his eyes. His mouth stretched into a smile. He looked beyond them and noticed two more of the team standing outside the door as if guarding the royal couple.


    "Adri!" he exclaimed.


    The General was standing near the window. He wondered how could any intruder enter the house without his security knowing about them. He stared at the girl in front of him with disbelief. She was wearing a knee-length black leather jacket with black leggings and black ankle-length boots. Her hair was tied in a neat pony. Her golden yellow eyes looked like warm sun in winters. The man standing behind her was in one word �C handsome. He looked royal in his black pants and white full sleeves shirt that had gold cufflinks. He wore a cape around his shoulders. But he looked so ferocious and lethal that the General got scared a little. He stepped back to create space between them. Struggling to find words, he stuttered somehow, "Who- who are y- you? And h- how did you break the security?"


    "Good morning General, I am Adrianna," she introduced herself gently with a calm and cool composure.


    The General totally forgot what to say next. He was as white as chalk. He licked his dry lips. So this was the mighty Queen whom Ziu was fighting against. His eyes and his mouth froze wide open as shock registered in his mind. He couldn''t believe it.


    It was the first time he was meeting with the person who was the cynosure of the storm. This young girl was the Queen of the Wizard Realm. This girl who was so young, perhaps she was younger than his daughter. Was she so indomitable that she qualified to be the Queen?


    His gaze shifted to the man behind her.


    "I am Dmitri," he answered even before the General could ask.


    Now the General was really shaky. He feared for his life. ''If Ziu was so strong and puissant, the powers of this girl must be immeasurable,'' he thought. ''And combine with those of her husband, who was the Supreme Alpha of the werewolves.'' The General felt as though he would faint. His breath caught in his throat. He wanted to speak something but only air blew out of his mouth.


    "What are you doing here?" snarled Dr. Tanaka breaking the introductions. "How dare you trespass my property? Get out of here!"


    "Father!" Niiya yelled to quiet him. Then he looked towards his best friend with a smile that stretched to his ears. He was extremely happy to see Adrianna. He had been waiting, wanting to meet her for a long time. "Adrianna, how are you?" He looked at Dmitri and nodded. Dmitri returned the favor.


    Adrianna returned his smile and said, "I am good Niiya." Then she noticed how red faced his father was. "Should we sit out in the living room?" She waved her hand around and added, "This room is too small for all of us."


    "Sure," replied Niiya and walked to the door immediately. He bowed with a small smile at Haldir. But as soon as his eyes settled on Inyanga, he stopped. The black woman in front of him was stunning beyond words. "H- hello," his voice was almost a whistle.


    Inyanga was wearing a sky blue fur coat with blue denim and sneakers. She looked hot as hell. "Hello," she replied with a frown.


    Somewhere in his mind, Niiya heard a very low snarl, "Back off." He looked around to find the source of the male voice, but there everyone was quietly watching him. Haldir'' expression were stone cold. A muscle feathered in his jaw when Niiya looked at him again.


    Shaking that moment, Niiya guided them all to the living room. Adrianna and Dmitri came out and sat together. Dr. Tanaka came out reluctantly but the General followed them eagerly. This was a golden opportunity for him to get out of this mess. In fact, if need be, he would change sides.


    They sat far from the group. Niiya was the only one excited. He sat close to Adrianna. Haldir and Inyanga chose to stand near Dmitri, behind the sofa.


    "Why have you come here, Adrianna? Don''t you have an iota of self-respect?" growled Dr. Tanaka again.


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She sneered and said, "You shouldn''t talk about self-respect Dr. Tanaka for you are the one who has hidden plans. Not me. You were the one who needed help in order to bring your plans to fruition. You were the one who fanned this crisis because of your personal gains. Had you refrained from your wayward thoughts, this problem wouldn''t have occurred."


    "Shut up!" Dr. Tanaka barked. "You cunning girl. You sneaked upon our conversation? Now a nineteen-years old girl is going to give me advice? What do you know? You are nothing. So get out of this place. Or else��"


    "Or else what?" asked Adrianna with a raised eyebrow.


    "Or else, I will call the General''s soldiers and get you killed. You will be roasted with bullets. Then I will personally throw your body for the dogs to feed," Dr. Tanaka said ferociously with so much hatred that it showed upon his face. His facial muscles had contorted.


    "Tanaka!" roared Dmitri. "Stay within your limits."


    Adrianna stopped Dmitri by holding his hands that were rolled into tight fists. She knew that he was raging to rip him apart. She ignored the doctor, looked at the General and addressed calmly, "You know what has happened to all the fighter jets that you had sent to attack us?"


    The General shook his head.


    "They were all made to crash in the mountains after passing through a time circle."


    The General was speechless. He had heard about such things only in theory.


    "The army that you have so ostentatiously stationed around the Wizard Realm��I want you to remove that before any of those soldiers lose their lives."


    This was his opportunity. "I w- want to r- r- r-" he tried to speak those words, but they wouldn''t come out of his throat. He tried very hard again, but the words failed him. After a few moments, he looked desperate and said, "I can''t speak what I want to." He looked at Niiya for an explanation.


    Niiya lowered his head.


    Dr. Tanaka scoffed, "General, you have made a promise with a wizard. How do you think you can break it? You will never be able to give away our plan or speak against Ziu."


    The General gaped at the doctor. This was not told to him earlier. What was this promise bond? Till now he kept thinking that it just a normal way of promise that they hand amongst humans.


    "If you make a promise with a wizard, there is no way you can break it," said Dr. Tanaka looking too relaxed. He sat back in his sofa.


    "The bond can be broken," came a soft voice from behind.

 Chapter 454 - The War (12)

    Everyone present in the room looked at the source of the voice.


    There were two pairs of eyes that stared at her. They looked so stunned as if an ancient secret had been revealed, which would lead to their salvation, their freedom. How could a bond be broken? Niiya held his breath. He raised his eyebrows and gave a questioning gaze. He muttered under his breath, "Could you please repeat that?"


    "Yes, the bond can be broken," came the soft assurance again.


    There was a pin drop silence in the room and then��


    "Meet Inyanga," said Adrianna waving her hand towards her. "She is the Wizard Queen of the South." Adrianna gazed at Inyanga gently. Inyanga nodded and said a polite ''hello'' to all.


    "The man standing next to her is Haldir. He is my personal bodyguard," Adrianna continued.


    Niiya bit his lip gently. The hope that Niiya nurtured from a long time rekindled. Then he smiled, the shine of which reached his eyes. Internally, he was already celebrating. He wanted to get out of this bond from so long that even a small ray of hope was enough to breathe life into his mundane existence.


    As for the General��he was in awe of the mighty, dynamic royalty present in the room. His hopes rose as though he was shooting for the stars.


    Dr. Tanaka narrowed his eyes. His heart skipped a beat. ''No, no, this can''t happen,'' he thought. If the bond could be broken, then all his plans would fail. And not just now, even in the future all his plans would fail because then everyone would know that the bonds made by the wizards could be broken. He thought that he had to immediately stop this secret from becoming popular. He had to nip it now.


    "Oh really," he scorned. "If that is the case, then wizards are big liars. They make bonds and promises that can be broken so easily? What is the veracity of those who call themselves the witches and wizards? The powerful people who can change the world?" He stopped for a moment to notice any reaction from Adrianna but she sat there quiet like a piece of ice, not revealing a speck of what was going on inside her mind. So he continued. "So please don''t make such baseless claims and get out of my house," he said blatantly.


    General''s spirit sank. He was beginning to get hopeful. If this would happen, he would immediately change his sides. Or better he would leave all of them to fight against each other. He was not interested in this battle anymore.


    "What do you know about the wizards?" asked Haldir. He was raging with anger but he held it inside. He was controlling it a lot. This kind of insult was not acceptable.


    "Breaking a bond is very subjective and not all bonds can be broken, but yes they can be made to break if you know well about them and if you have read laws related to the bonds," said Inyanga softly.


    "Please explain it properly," urged Niiya.


    "No, this is enough," scowled Dr. Tanaka. "Just leave, else I will call the police and file a report against all of you. We will see how you hide your identities then."


    Inyanaga started laughing. She shook her head and bit her lips.


    Dr. Tanaka watched her laugh with anger on his face. He perceived that she had caught his plans because she was the only one who knew how to break the bonds. He rose from his place and walked to her. "You insolent girl!" he shouted. "You dare to make a joke out of me." He raised his hand to slap her but was instantly pushed back to his place by an invisible force. He sank back on the place he was sitting magically. He tried to speak again but realized that all his body muscles had frozen.


    "Sit quietly. I have had enough of you," said Haldir with wide eyes that were full of hatred.


    Dr. Tanaka just sat there immobile.


    Inyanga thanked Haldir and then she continued. "You see the bonds made by the witches or the wizards are subjective to the laws of those realms. In fact they are based on the laws of the realms you belong to. If a human has taken the initiative to make a promise with the wizard, then the human realm laws will govern the bond, which in this case are only your words. If a wizard initiates the bond, then laws of his land will influence the bargain."


    Inyanga looked at the plate, which had fruits she hadn''t seen in her realm but had only heard of them. Niiya noticed her gazing at the blueberries. He rose from his place to offer her the fruits, but suddenly the berries were already in her hands the next instant.


    She chuckled slightly, a little embarrassed. She looked at Haldir as though chiding him. Niiya sat back in his place feeling a little awkward.


    "Please continue," said the General, angry and impatient at this slight interruption.


    "Now, every bond is different and it is not possible to break the bonds so easily. Also not many wizards can break them. Only a few who are well versed with all the laws of various realms can break it. This is because each and every aspect of the pledge is seen and then it has to be shredded one at a time."


    "So does that mean that the promise that Ziu made is complicated? And who are the ones who can break it? Please take us to them," said the General eagerly. He was already shifting in his place.


    Inyanga watched his edginess and replied, "As of now I only know one person who can break them."


    "Who?" asked Niiya and General together.


    "Me," she replied.


    Niiya''s mouth fell to the floor.


    The hold on Dr. Tanaka drifted off. He could feel it.


    "But there''s a condition. You might get killed if you are not true to your intentions or your body may get severely damaged.


    Dr. Tanaka stood up and protested. He yelled, "Get out of this place. Do you want to kill us?"


    But the General was already sitting on his knees in front of Adrianna. "Please help me and I will help you."


    Adrianna''s eyes furrowed. She already had inkling that the man in front of her knew a lot of secrets. He was a man whom she wanted to use. She entered his cell. And true to what she had thought, every little part of his brain that contained information about the attack on the Wizard Realm was sealed. Yes, that was what the wizard''s promise did. That information was only for the individual or for the one who made the promise. Inyanga had to open these seals by going inside the cell. It was indeed very tough.


    Dr. Tanaka went to the General and pulled him to stand up. "How can you stoop so low? You are the General of the Human Army. You have all the modern warfare with you. You can defeat these creatures easily. Also didn''t you hear that you might get killed? If you want to live, just flow with our previous plans."


    The General freed his hand from the doctor. He growled, "Leave me." He had made up his mind.


    Dr. Tanaka''s hand went to his revolver.

 Chapter 455 - The War (13)

    "You traitor!" shouted Dr. Tanaka. "You said that you will be our ally and now that you are seeing these enemies, you are backing out? You have no guts? Or are you as scared as a mouse? What kind of a General are you?" Swiftly, he took the revolver out of his holster that was strapped on his waist and pointed it on the General''s head. "It''s better you don''t live," Dr. Tanaka growled. He looked like a maniac. It was as if the mania, the sickness, the greed and the lust of his mind had manifested in his hands like the revolver he was holding. It was like his poison that he wanted to inject in the General, and poison would be so lethal. His knuckles were white as he gripped the revolver tightly.


    Everyone in the room froze. Adrianna stepped out of the General''s cell She was too agitated by this interruption. She had to know which was the most important seal that had to be broken. She was investigating that when the commotion on the outside brought her back to the outer world.


    The cold metal of the revolver''s barrel made the General quiver. His blood drained from his face. It wasn''t the first time that anyone had pointed the gun at him. In fact he had been a distinguished war hero. But at this time, he was in a vulnerable position. He couldn''t explain himself clearly to the mighty powers in front of him, nor could he go against Dr. Tanaka. It was as if the revolver took his soul as a hostage. A cold sweat trickled down his back. Somehow he managed to speak. His voice came out as a whisper, "Look, this won''t do us any good. You must understand that this war is n- n-." The General couldn''t speak further. It was the bond that was holding him.


    "I don''t want to hear anything! I am giving you the last chance. Come back and I''ll spare you," Dr. Tanaka scowled.


    Niiya was further shocked by his father''s behavior. He rose from his place. "Father, please don''t do this," he pleaded. He couldn''t imagine that his father had fallen into such an abyss. "This greed will cut sharply through your soul."


    "Shut up, Niiya!" he gnarled. "Don''t preach me the lessons of sins and purity. I am way past them. I have seen these people up and close and I know exactly what is going to control them. These creatures think that they are too powerful to be controlled, but no, they are too foolish to think like that. It is we humans who are the mighty ones."


    Niiya shook his head. "Father, no one is here to prove how colossal they are. This is just a war that needs to be p- p-." He couldn''t speak further. He wanted to say ''prevented''. He bit his lips feeling hopeless.


    Adrianna was getting extremely annoyed. There was no time for this drama, this delay. There were lives at stake��her kingdom was at stake. And here this stupid doctor was doing everything in his power to impede her plans.


    "Why don''t you kill him?" Dmitri communicated mentally to Adrianna. "This is a great opportunity to get rid of him." He could read her inner feeling so well, it was as if she was literally shouting at him.


    "I can''t take that chance Dmitri. Look at Niiya," she replied mentally.


    "Dr. Tanaka, ease down," Adrianna said in a calm and controlled voice. She sounded so dangerous that for a moment the doctor became scared.


    "You ease down," he spat. "And get out, else I will press the trigger now and you will never come to know about our plans!"


    Unnerved by his thread, Adrianna crossed her arms across her chest and said, "So you do agree that those plans are sealed in your minds and that we can know them?"


    "Yes, but so what? You will be the last person to know about them."


    "Take that down, now."


    "No, you scram," came the insult.


    "I tried to warn him," she muttered mentally to Dmitri who growled back, "Go for it!"


    Adrianna sighed. She brought her right hand in front of her, ran her thumb over the nails and said, "Tsk, tsk, doctor. You really are such a fool. I was considering you all this while only because you are Niiya''s father, but I think you are just one greedy man who has to be taught manners." She paused for a moment and then without looking at him, she said, "The hand who pulls the trigger will be yours, but the hand who twists the revolver will also be yours."


    All of a sudden Dr. Tanaka felt as though the muscles of his hand were working against him. His hand twisted towards him in a way that the barrel was now pointing, no it was touching his chest just near his heart. The fingers were on the trigger.


    "What are you doing, you witch?" he shouted even though he was now shaking with fear. He was scared. He looked around everyone who stared at him. All the forces were converging against his plans. No one was ready to help him or take him out of his situation, even his son. "Are you going to stand like that Niiya? Look what your dear friend is up to?" he reprimanded him with sarcasm.


    "You are beyond help father," he replied as a tear rolled out of his eyes. He sat down and sank on the sofa. He covered his face in shame with his hands.


    Adrianna continued to speak without any remorse or inhibition now. She had shown enough respect to Niiya''s father. Now it was time that she showed him his position as a human. "This revolver is going to stay the way it is until Inyanga breaks the seals in the General''s mind. It is for you to pull the trigger if you like. I won''t stop you." Her face was cold as ice. She looked merciless and cruel. Her golden yellow eyes burned with flames of her anger.


    There was no time to waste now. Inyanga walked to the General and politely said, "Follow me."


    But Haldir interjected, "Do you need to break Niiya''s bond first or the General''s?"


    "We have to break the seals in General''s mind first," said Adrianna as she looked at him. "He has the maximum number of closures related to this war."


    "Okay," nodded Inyanga. She turned to face the General and said, "You may suffer some pain and it is possible that your body may bleed. So before we enter that room, are you sure you want to go through it?"


    For a moment, the General was scared to death. This was worse than a nightmare. "What do you mean?" he asked. This was getting more complicated with time.


    "You will die, you fool!" shouted Dr. Tanaka. "Don''t go in there."


    The General wavered like a small child. His retirement was within a year''s time and all he now wanted was to play with his grandchildren rather than be a part of the mess that the doctor had created and lured him into. He was never so resolute. "Take me in," he said with determination in his eyes. With Inyanga, there was hope that he may live more.


    Suddenly, a Mozia appeared.

 Chapter 456 - The War (14)

    He was panting and breathless. "Ziu has attacked us on the western frontier," he said looking straight into Adrianna''s eyes.


    Adrianna got up from her place. She clenched her hands into tight fists. She had sent Isidorus to take care of that part. "Where is Isidorus?" she asked.


    "He is manning the western borders but there are very few wizards with him," came the panicky reply.


    "I will take Alex and his men over there," said Dmitri. He moved his chin up to indicate the Mozia to create the portal.


    "Dmitri," Adrianna called. "Don''t take the werewolves out of the border until I give you the instructions. There is something very sinister that Ziu has planned."


    "What is Adri?" asked Dmitri with a worried frown. Adrianna shook her head. He went near her and took her hands in his. "Tell me darling."


    "I don''t know. It''s just that I have a feeling." She watched the General stepping inside the study. "We will know once his oath breaks."


    "I hope that happens soon," Dmitri sighed. "Until then I will take care. And you also take care, okay?"


    "I will," she said and he pressed a kiss on her cheek.


    ---


    Dmitri stepped out of the portal in the royal palace. He called Alex and his men. Nate and Liam were there too. He explained the situation to all of them. "Let''s go," growled Alex. He was twitching to get his claws inside that wizard.


    Upon reaching the western periphery of the Wizard Kingdom, they observed huge flames of fire on the other side. The flames were so high that they were devouring every tall tree in the vicinity within seconds.


    "What is he trying to do?" asked Dmitri.


    "He is going to burn the forest around this area. This way all its inhabitants would either get killed or run away. He is doing that because he knows that Adrianna can talk to the animals. They are her silent spies, whom he is killing," replied Isidorus with sadness that crossed his eyes. "Plus no werewolves would be able to come around or attack them from behind."


    "That bastard has become a lunatic!" Dmitri snarled. "How do we prevent him from creating the fire?" If he sent his werewolves, they would be burnt alive.


    "For now we are trying to conjure as much rain and thunderstorm as possible on the other side."


    "Why can''t we seek help from Shang Kui?" asked Dmitri.


    "He is standing on the eastern front along with Enya. Besides, we don''t want him to breathe fire here. This is already an illuminated place. Can''t you see?" chided Isidorus rolling his eyes at his Queen''s husband. She certainly deserved better than him. Suddenly he imagined how much enhanced the baby would have been if Adrianna would have married someone more intelligent than Dmitri. And then he felt sorry for the baby and pursed his lips. He also cursed the fact that werewolves choose mates. He rolled his eyes again.


    ---


    Inyanga was about to close the doors behind her gently when Haldir walked towards them. "Do you want me to assist you?" he asked. "I can make him numb while you perform the magic."


    "No, if you make him numb, we would lose his memory. It would go so far behind his brain that we won''t be able to retrieve it," she replied.


    "Okay," he murmured unhappily.


    Inyanga closed the door gently. "Please sit down General," she said pointing at the chair, which he had previously occupied. She waved her hand in the air and all curtains were drawn stopping any street light or air from entering the room. "Illuminabante," she said under her breath and a small ball of soft white lit on the tip of her index finger. The room glowed in dim light.


    The General sat down in the chair as Inyanga sauntered to the table and lit a candle. She brought the candle and placed it on the table. "I want you to focus on the blue of the candle, General," she said very sweetly. Her voice was like a lullaby. The General relaxed immediately. He focused his attention on the blue flame. In a few seconds, he felt that his body was being engulfed in that blue flame. He was walking in it but he couldn''t feel its heat.


    "General," a sweet voice came from behind. He turned to see and found himself facing Inyanga. "What is your name?"


    "Richard."


    "Richard, what is your best memory?" she asked and held his hand.


    The flames receded and they walked barefoot into a backyard. A woman was hanging clothes on a washing line. The backyard opened into the jungle. The grass beneath his soles was soft and warm. The cushions of green gently tickled.


    Richard left Inyanga''s hand and ran to his mother. He grabbed a mug of water and threw it on his mother. The child roared with laughter as he ran when his mother ran after him to catch him. Once he was caught, she hugged him tightly and played with him in the puddle until he was tired.


    "Let''s go Richard," said Inyanga. "I want you to hold that memory. It will act as a key to all the seals."


    "I don''t want to go," he said. He had seen his mother after so long that he wanted to hold her forever.


    "We have to go. I will bring you back here, don''t worry."


    Reluctantly, Richard walked out of that door. Soon they were walking on the flesh. There were thin wires that crisscrossed all around. There were so many doors all around. Some were open, some locked tightly. Inyanga took him to the furthermost door. "Open it," she said.


    "How?"


    "Check your pocket."


    When General put his hands in his pants pocket, a golden key came out. He took the key to insert in the keyhole. The door opened but the pain he experienced was so sharp that he shouted. "Ahhh, I can''t bear it!" On the outside, his nose bled a little.


    Inyanga took the opportunity and slid inside the door. She saw a military control room with Ziu being seated in front of Dr. Tanaka. There was a map spread out in front of them.


    ---


    Shang Kui was arguing with Mihr. "I want to go past this boundary."


    "No, I am sorry. The Queen has asked us all specifically to stay within the Wizard Realm until further orders," refused Mihr flatly.


    "Don''t forget that I am the wizard king and I can break these barriers."


    "Don''t forget that I am also a wizard and I will see that you stay within limits according to my Queen''s orders." Mihr was stubborn.


    Shang Kui paced the cobbled street in front of him. He was longing to get his hands on the humans outside, to show his powers, to subdue them.


    "You should refrain from going against Adrianna in her kingdom," Enya reminded. "She knows her terrain and you must follow the decorum."


    "I only know one thing��these humans have to be suppressed," he snarled at her. "I am going."


    ---


    Inyanga was horrified with what she saw inside that door. She relayed her message to Adrianna. "Ziu has created booby traps with the help of the soldiers."


    Adrianna panicked.


    "The worst part is that even General doesn''t know where these booby traps are because Ziu never mentioned where he would create them. If anyone gets lured in them, he or she would be killed for sure."

 Chapter 457 - The War (15)

    Mihr glared at Shang Kui. There was tightness in his facial expressions. He pursed his lips and stomped to Shang Kui. "You may be the king of your realm, but you need to follow the instructions of my Queen in her Kingdom," he said as though threatening him with dire consequences.


    Shang Kui returned the favor of staring him hard with a lethal glare through the slit of his dark green eyes. A vein twitched his neck and in a deep, intimidating tone he said, "You think you can stop me with whatever wizardry you know? Are you challenging me?" His dragon blood boiled. After all he had done for these people, they come and defy his intentions?


    Mihr''s body tensed. He knew that Shang Kui was no ordinary wizard. "Stop being impetuous. I am asking you to refrain from going out of the kingdom unless you have orders from our Queen."


    "I think he is right. You shouldn''t go," supported Enya. She was standing at a distance from them watching the two as they argued. "There must be a reason why she has put us all on hold. We don''t have any outside support for now. All the werewolves have been shifted to a safe location," she pointed. "We are on our own."


    Shang Kui laughed with an edge. "So do we just stand here and watch them bombard us? Huh?" he asked with sarcasm dripping in his voice and his hands on his waist. "I can easily go out and wipe them off with one damn swish of my tail." His chest was beginning to explode. He wanted action. He wanted termination of those pests.


    "I am sorry but I will not let you leave," said Mihr in an agitated tone giving his final order as the General of the Wizard Kingdom. Then he looked at the Mozias who were all standing in a neat line some fifty meters away from the boundary. In the next moment five Mozias came around Shang Kui to prevent him from going out of the wizard realm.


    "These are going to make sure that you don''t leave," snarled Mihr and turned around to walk away.


    Shang Kui''s nostrils flared on this dismissal. "How dare you?" he shouted. How dare he even thought of constraining a wizard like him.


    Mihr ignored his anger and continued to walk when suddenly he heard a loud thud. One of the Mozias was flung in the air and had crash-landed right in front of him stopping him in his tracks. Fury raged inside his stomach. He closed his fists and turned around with a grunt. He ran to him with rage. "Shang Kui!" he exploded. After that it was all muscles and teeth and fists flying, and then they were rolling on the ground. It was not long before Shang Kui could take control over Mihr. He roared and kicked Mihr so hard that he flew across and landed in between the Mozias.


    Seeing trouble brewing up, Enya moved her hands forward and a ring of electricity formed on each hand. She went to stand in front of Shang Kui. "Stop it! We are fighting amongst ourselves. This is not done." She tried to reason with Shang Kui.


    He gave her an angered look and in an instant his body was all smoke. He had gone.


    "Stop!" she shouted but to no avail.


    Enya''s eyes became wide with unknown fear.


    ---


    "What do you mean booby traps?" asked Adrianna, horror running through her veins. This was going to be disastrous. In a way she couldn''t let her army go out because they wouldn''t know where to even step on the battlefield outside the kingdom. At the same time, the soldiers would keep hurling their bombs towards the wall. Although even she didn''t know how the spells would be able to withstand the bombing.


    "Ziu has laid some very high-tech booby traps. Anyone can get murdered," replied Inyanga in a worried voice.


    "Where are they?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Try and find out," said Adrianna.


    "Okay, but I would rather find out about his other plans," said Inyanga. "Since we know that they all are outside the Wizard Kingdom, you should prevent going there."


    "Yes," Adrianna nodded.


    Inyanga continued to walk to the next door. Communicating with Adrianna from within the General''s cell was very difficult. She had to keep her voice low, almost in whispers so that her sound frequency didn''t affect the nearby nerves. Every time she spoke, a nerve twitched inside. She couldn''t even communicate mentally, as that would simply blast his brain since telepathic communication needed a lot of energy.


    ---


    Enya looked around with wide eyes. The smoke dissipated.


    However, the next instant, a loud clash boomed. Everyone''s eyes turned up to the sky.


    ---


    Adrianna left Dr. Tanaka''s house leaving behind Inyanga and Haldir. Niiya''s mother came from the inside. When she saw her husband, she was aghast to notice that he was holding a revolver against his chest.


    Niiya''s mother was a wise woman. She had seen how he had changed over the years. Only she knew his truth and had never conveyed it to Niiya. Her intentions were not to hurt her kids or make them go against their father. She kept things to herself. But today after she had watched the whole incident from the corner of the living room standing in the shades of the curtains, she thought how wrong she was to withhold information from her kids. She longed to meet Ookashi but it was Dr. Tanaka who had stopped her from meeting.


    She ignored her husband who was staring at her and went straight to Niiya. "When all this is over, we will go and meet Ookashi," she said softly as she stroked his hair.


    Niiya turned his face up to look at her. She wiped his tears. "Yes mother. I want to meet her too."


    ---


    Adrianna got sucked into the vortex to come back to her kingdom when she observed a trail of smoke and energy flying to the border. She snarled and rushed to follow the trail. "Shang Kui!" she called him. She had caught him while he was getting sucked in the vortex.


    Shang Kui heard her and increased his speed of traveling through the vortex. Adrianna matched him and caught up soon. "What are you doing?" she shouted. "You cannot go out!"


    "Stay away Adrianna!" he gnarled back.


    She didn''t have the time to explain to him anything, so she caught his hand. She saw the edge in his eyes. She pulled him back. He resisted and fought with her. In an attempt to stop him she slammed a fist into his face. He spitted blood. Panting, he retaliated, but Adrianna ducked.


    In the sky, wizards could see two comets of smoke trailing after each other. It was a sight to behold��two wizards fighting in a trail of black smoke and fire and shadows. The clouds roared with thunder and lightning that Isidorus was creating on the western frontiers.


    On a quick decision, Adrianna cast a spell and Shang Kui was caught in a spiral of white light. Before he could break it, she pulled him to the ground, landing him with a blasting sound.

 Chapter 458 - The War (16)

    The two of them were panting and sweating. Adrianna removed the light from around him and kneeled on the ground. Shang Kui stayed flat on the ground for a while, his breathing was ragged.


    Adrianna pulled her hands over her face. Her shoulders slumped. She expected more coordination from these wizards. Enya came to her and held her from behind. "I am sorry," she whispered.


    Shang Kui got up and sat on the ground near her. Blood was trickling out of his mouth. He spat some near him. His temper seemed to control a little. This path of life had always been challenging for him. He wiped the blood with his shirt''s sleeve and got up. He ambled away and took a deep breath. Only a Wizard as powerful as Adrianna could bring him back, else he was unstoppable. He admired her strength inside but didn''t show that on the outside. He was clearly pretty upset with her.


    Adrianna caught up her breath, removed her hands from her face and said, "Instead of creating a high drama here, I expected you to use your energy to something more constructive. If you feel you can''t control yourself, please go to the palace and soothe down. Perception is everything at the moment. I need a lot of coordination from all of you."


    Shang Kui stopped walking. He swung around and said reproachfully, "Adrianna, I am only trying to help you out. Let me go there and kill them all. Don''t you even believe in my strength as the King of the Eastern Wizard Realm?"


    Adrianna got up to her feet with Enya''s help. She revealed, "Ziu has laid a large number of high-tech booby traps. If you step even on one of them, not only you will be killed, you might trigger a chain reaction for all around you and those in the kingdom to be killed."


    There were mixed reactions from everyone present out there. A mixture of repugnance and fear arose. Things were beyond comprehension. Ziu had really gone mad. Shang Kui grimaced. He wanted to look away but couldn''t. "Is he-?" His word dried up mid-sentence as terror roiled in his guts. He shook his head as though in denial of what he just heard. He placed his fingertips against his open mouth. "Oh, so that was the reason you stopped me?" he said in a slow voice. He brought the back of his hand to his nose and looked away.


    "Yes," she replied. "An ill-timed footstep or a sudden movement of a seemingly mild object can trigger something lethal."


    "So are we going to just sit here and wait for Ziu to keep using his powers to destroy us?"


    "No. But we have to be careful," she replied. "I need Enya on the eastern frontier right now."


    "Okay," he answered. "And what about me?"


    "Just wait. I want to see how events unfold."


    "Hmm." Shang Kui walked away.


    Adrianna briefed Mihr, "At present the soldiers on this side haven''t been given orders for action by Ziu. I am waiting for Inyanga to break open all the seals in the General''s cell. When that would be done, he would be able to instruct his troops to get out from there. Until then stay quiet and don''t do anything."


    "Yes my Queen."


    "Let them be the first ones to open fire because I am hoping that they would wait for the orders from their General, which would delay them." She really counted on that because she knew that the soldiers were now taking direct orders from Ziu. However, the only hope was that Ziu was fighting on the other side and so she had to stall him as much as possible.


    "Let''s go Enya," she said. Enya held her hand and the two got sucked in a vortex. They appeared on the eastern border. Adrianna watched how Isidorus and other Mozia were creating thunder and storm and rains to douse the fire. Dmitri was standing behind along with other werewolves. The rains had drenched them all to the skin.


    "Are we able to extinguish even a little part over there?" she asked walking up to Dmitri.


    His face was contorted with worry. He kept his hand across her shoulders. "No. There''s no luck so far." He paused for a moment and said, "I feel for all those who live in that forest."


    Adrianna''s heart went out for them. They were her silent supporters. She vowed to take revenge on this wizard for them. She looked towards Enya who nodded. Her broom came right next to her.


    "Do you need help?" Adrianna enquired.


    "Not for now. But I am going to stall him for now. I am going to hold the show for as long as necessary. Try to create as much water as possible for I can use only that for my magic to work." Enya was aware of the limitations of her magic.


    She brought her hand forward and using the water that was pouring around her, she created the portal. She vanished in a second under the spell of invisibility.


    When Enya reached outside, she noticed that the forest was burning a ghastly orange and red. The flames had turned loose. They devoured everything hungrily that came in the way charring and killing them. There were painful shrieks of animals. The trees that once loomed large with pride, now fell with loud creaking sounds. The fire stripped them of their visceral beauty. It filled her with anger. She flew above the fire and smoke, and noticed how Ziu had created a bubble around him and the soldiers that were assisting him. They were not large in number.


    She looked above and realized that no amount of rain would decrease the intensity of fire. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the droplets of the rain that were falling in front of her. She focused on the one that was most important, that was the largest. As soon as she identified it, she opened her eyes. Time went in slow motion for her. She could see every droplet of water now, the biggest one right in front of her eyes. She narrowed her eyes. Using the surrounding energy, Enya froze that drop. All other drops started to merge with this one. Soon a small pellet of ice was formed. This action triggered a sequence. While everything was extremely slow for Enya, in reality the water around her converted into sheets of ice within a few seconds. The sheets cracked not able to bear the weight and they fell in large chunks on the ground.


    ---


    When the huge ice boulder hit the bubble in which Ziu and the soldiers were standing, the soldiers crouched in fear as if the boulder would hit them. However, it fragmented into hundreds of pieces as it bounced off the bubble. It fell on the ground and was engulfed by fire. However, the intensity with which ice fell started to increase. Ziu was shocked. He thought that Adrianna had come to counter his spell on the outside. He scorned and muttered under his breath, "You are clever Adrianna. I never taught you this magic. But don''t worry I won''t back down with this puny stuff. In fact, I am going to catch you or kill you." Saying that he held his wand high up to the dark grey skies. The wand leashed deadly orange light that pierced the next ice rock that was about to fall of them and sped upwards.

 Chapter 459 - The War (17)

    "I am going to make you pay for the wrong that you have done to me. I was supposed to rule the Wizard Kingdom and you came in way out of nowhere!" Ziu muttered. He stared at the orange beam of light that was flowing through his wand. He clenched his jaw in tension. He knew that the light ray would penetrate through the shield he had created around them and this could make them vulnerable. But there was no way that Adrianna would come above the bubble and attack them. He increased his focus to collect the energy from the forest fire and direct it in his wand. Ziu wanted to create so much lethal energy that it would blow up the wizard flying above them. "Die, you bitch!" He shouted.


    What he didn''t realize was that the fire was extinguishing at a fast pace. It was not only because he was drawing power from it, but also because the witch flying on the top was creating a large number of icy crystals, which were showered around his shield of protection.


    ---


    For Enya, the sea of flames beneath her was so intense that it was difficult to make out where Ziu was. She was using her inner manna to create the crystals and drop them wherever there was fire. Her aim was to snuff out the flames that were spreading rapidly. Once she created the first ice chunk, the rest of them fell into a pattern of coalescing and all she did now was to glide above the flames and guide those coalesced particles to the blazing ground beneath.


    Enya was thankful that Adrianna was creating a lot of rain and thunderstorms. Black clouds sprawled throughout the sky as they billowed from the Wizard Realm. The scent of rain made Enya feel at home. She was comfortably creating her magic. The sound of the fire crackling beneath her was mixed with the growl of the thunder overhead and the splatter of heavy rain. In the stormy winds her hair was a complete mess, some blowing around and some sticking to her cheeks. The flames had begun to reduce slowly.


    The ferocity of the winds increased and the sky was split with a streak of hot, silver band of lightning. It lit the black sky brilliantly.


    Unexpectedly, there was a loud boom behind the white witch and a large ice rock exploded into a million pieces. The explosion was so loud and so near that it was deafening. Enya''s mind became numb. Her eyes became wide with shock and for a moment she lost balance. Her broom shook violently and Enya passed out. Her broom struggled to keep her stable. She tumbled from her broom and began to fall rapidly, her limbs splayed in the air like that of an eagle. Gravity was pulling her down at a rapid speed and soon she touched the highest swirl of flame. Her broom dived with her. Enya kept falling, as the red and blue fire burnt around her. As she fell, a trail of white smoke followed her.


    It was the explosion created by the light coming from Ziu''s wand. And it was a chance that it hit a boulder that was right behind her.


    ---


    "What is that?" shouted one of the soldiers pointing in a direction in the sky.


    Everyone except Ziu looked in that direction. "It seems a comet is about to hit the earth," said another soldier watching the trail. It was so white in between the flames around it that it almost looked ethereal. All soldiers were mesmerized at this display of power, and now the trail of white smoke. This was something they would never forget in their entire life. This was even better than the real battles they fought in their realm.


    Ziu stopped creating the magic and followed the line of their gaze. He was ecstatic. He had finally struck his nemesis. She was falling dead on the ground. His joy knew no bounds. He removed the protection sphere and immediately flew in the direction. "This is going to be my prized possession!" he announced joyfully. There was no need for any war now. If his opponent were dead, he would simply take her to the Wizard Kingdom and declare his candidacy for the throne. If she were unconscious, he would make her his prisoner for life. So many thoughts passed his mind that for a second he couldn''t believe that victory was so near.


    He rushed to the trail of white smoke speedily to collect his prize. The fire around him was dousing slowly. He chuckled with excitement thinking that the fire must have charred the body by now.


    Ziu was about fifty meters away from his bounty when a broom emerged from the flames. It was diving at a high speed towards the ground very as though trying to reach its owner. Yes, he recognized that this was an attempt to save her. But he wouldn''t let it happen. He pointed his wand in the broom''s direction and whispered, "Intissaah." An iridescent green light emerged from it. The spell was to break the broom of a wizard. And this wasn''t just any broom. This was the broom of the Wizard Queen. It needed special treatment. It had to be shattered into a thousand pieces according to Ziu.


    The brooms of the wizards were created from the trees that were nurtured with spells and potions right from the sapling stage to understand the wizards and read their minds. Those trees were grown in a special environment. Once a wizard needed a broom, a tree would automatically start drying up. There would be a match of the wavelengths between the wizard and tree, which the wizard would be unaware of. A single broom would be crafted from one tree. For the broom of the king or the queen, sometimes the trees grew up to hundreds of years. They would refuse to wither away even if there was paucity of brooms for the wizards who needed it urgently.


    Adrianna''s broom was crafted from a tree that was almost as old as Isidorus. It was Isidorus who had planted the tree. Unbeknownst to Adrianna, it had withered the moment she was announced as the Queen of the Wizard Realm. There were so many stories that revolved around it but it was Ziu who knew the truth. He hated Isidorus and breaking the broom would be his revenge upon him. He increased his speed further. A large ear to ear smile formed on his lips.


    But what happened next stunned him.


    Sensing the light, the broom wiggled its way. It spun avoiding the light.


    Ziu was only thirty meters away. He threw another spell at it. The broom dived down and suddenly it was below the trail of the white smoke.


    The fire around her burnt her skin a little. Enya felt the growing heat around her. She opened her eyes. The broom swished by her side. She grasped it with her hands and it raced upwards with its owner avoiding the near-death impact only five meters away from the ground.


    Ziu''s eyes bulged. He was stunned. The witch in front of him wasn''t Adrianna. His mouth fell open. He stopped casting the spell. This was someone else. His mind couldn''t decipher what was happening. He had come there to collect his prize and this wasn''t even what he thought. This was the white witch. He had read about her long back. His facial muscles became slack. His breath became shaky as he watched the white witch climbing high up in the air. This was impossible.

 Chapter 460 - The War (18)

    Ziu glanced upwards at the white witch who had grasped the broom as though her life depended on it. His mouth pursed and his eyes were fixed on her. Soon the object of his confusion became a tiny speck and then disappeared into the darkness of the night. He blinked his eyes to refocus. Just a while back he thought that he was about to capture the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom and the woman. He speculated that he was so near to his victory. He was longing for this juncture in his life. But the one who literally sped away in front of him was not even her. She was the legendary Enya �C the white witch of the North Realms. He was confused. It was a real slap in the face.


    When did this development take place? He had so carefully formulated his plans that no one would have come to know that he was going to attack the Wizard Kingdom, and here Adrianna had brought Enya as her ally? If that wasn''t enough, a dragon-like creature massacred his entire race. Was that the famous wizard from the east, Shang Kui? What else was there that he didn''t know? Internally he admired her cleverness and intelligence.


    He licked his dry lips. His heartbeat accelerated. Adrianna was prepared for this war from a long time back. While he kept thinking that he had laid his plans pretty well, it was actually Adrianna who had thought ten steps ahead. She had planned the strategies so far ahead that he couldn''t comprehend what all had gone wrong or what all could go against him. The thought of losing the battle without even fighting Adrianna plagued him. He was angered beyond words. He looked hopelessly around him. The flames were dying mirroring his internal aspirations. The forest that was burning earlier was nothing but a manifestation of his own desires. Now the charred trees were lifeless sticks of coal and some faint embers. They looked like the old lamp posts that he used to watch outside the window of Niiya''s study. The ground was scorched and the smell of burning lingered heavily in the air. He stood mute before those flames as a fresh onslaught of ice pellets rained.


    Ziu roared with fury. He had a new enemy to take care of.


    The soldiers ran from there to find shelter from the fresh assault of nature.


    ---


    Adrianna created a lot of rain for Enya to take advantage of. There was a loud blast and she noticed from afar that a lethal orange beam had cut through the black skies and then there was an explosion.


    "What is that?" asked Dmitri. "Did that hit Enya?" he asked with worry on his face.


    It didn''t take much time for Adrianna to understand what it was. She rushed forward to mount her broom and go for Enya''s but Isidorus stopped her.


    "If the deathly beam has hit her, she is already dead," he stopped her by bringing his hand forward in front of her.


    "I need to rescue her," she growled and jerked his hand away.


    "You should understand that this is not the time to go and look for her because if you do, you might get embroiled in it. The rescue may turn into a death trap. Let us wait and watch."


    Adrianna pursed her lips. She stopped, as she felt sad inside her heart. She had gone to the North to bring her to join the war. Her body jolted with unknown fear. Dmitri walked to her immediately. "How many times have I told you that you have to fight wars with a cold and calculative mind?" he scolded her telepathically.


    Her shoulders slumped and she stumbled backwards a little.


    ---


    As soon as Enya had opened her eyes, she saw her broom. She grasped it with her hands and on a cue the broom lifted her. When she had held her broom, she saw a wizard in front of her. Mounted on his broom, he looked like a God of Fury with his drop-dead handsome looks. Their eyes locked for a while and then she was pulled up. So this was the wizard who had created so much havoc. It was his nefarious ambitions that led to manipulations of humans. She was filled with loath and rage. He was the one who had sent the deathly beam of light towards her. She was not going to take it lightly. She would take her revenge. Now this had become personal to her. She mounted the broom and gained as much height as possible. When she neared the black skies, she stopped. All her wrath concentrated in her wand.


    This time the chunks of ice were elephant-sized. There was no way anyone could stop her.


    Ziu had to flee from there in order to avoid getting injured. He rushed to the soldiers to gather them. There was no point in staying there now. The wild witch had gone crazy. The western forest was soon going to resemble her icy kingdom. It was better that he escaped to the eastern side. There was a lot more he could do on that side.


    ---


    "Those are gigantic blocks of ice," a Mozia suddenly announced loudly, pointing towards the sky. "I have never seen this kind falling before." His eyes were wide as he gave an incredulous stare to them.


    Everyone looked towards the sky.


    A smile wormed on Adrianna''s lips. "Enya is fine!" she yelped with joy. But looking at the large lumps falling at great speed, she was slightly scared. If her wrath continued, this part of the forest would soon be covered with layers of ice. "I need to go now," she said.


    Isidorus didn''t stop his Queen.


    ---


    It had been more than thirty minutes and Inyanga was still opening the seals inside the General''s cell. There was nothing very important that was coming up. Her patience was thinning. "Richard, is there anything that you would want me to reveal," she asked in a soft, polite voice.


    "Yes," he replied.


    "What is it?"


    The General couldn''t speak much except, "A sinister plan."


    "Hmm. What is it about?" she asked.


    "The Wizard Queen."


    "Can you give me a hint?"


    The two of them were now walking on the soft grey of the brain. He turned his face and thought that he was just a speck in this vast expanse that was his brain. His eyes fixed on Inyanga. "He will- will-" he paused. "Ah!" he winced in pain. On the outside blood started to trickle from his ears.


    Ziu had made sure that the seals were tight. His secret was secure with the General.


    "Okay, don''t worry. We will find it with you. Let us walk to the deepest memory you have about Ziu. When did you first meet him?" she asked realizing that he was suffering on the outside.


    He nodded. She held his hand and two of them sauntered to find that part of memory.


    ---


    "Stop the rain now," she instructed everyone. All of them lowered their wands.


    Adrianna sat on her broom, which whooshed like a bullet from a gun into the sky. She reached where Enya was conjuring magic after magic like a maniac.


    "Enya," she shouted on top of her lungs.


    "Don''t stop me Adrianna," growled Enya. "I am going to kill that power-hungry blockhead."

 Chapter 461 - The Trap (1)

    Enya was on a spree to kill almost anything that she saw on the ground.


    "Ziu must have escaped by now, Enya," Adrianna reasoned. "There is no need to waste your energy on a futile mission. My estimate is that he has already left to join the militia on the eastern wall."


    The white witch clenched her jaws. Her face muscles stiffened. She took a deep breath and lowered her wand. "In that case, we should go there. I will freeze him to his death!" she spoke with vengeance.


    "Let us go back to the base. Inyanga might have sent Haldir back with information," said Adrianna.


    Enya didn''t say anything. She calmed her mind for a while and looked around the ground that was blazing with flames. It was very quiet now. Soft blue flames rose from between the ice chunks. Their blue and red reflection on the ice told the saga of destruction, which was contained. She flew to Adrianna. "Let''s go."


    Adrianna gave her a faint smile and the two Queens of the West and North Wizard Realms flew together. On her way back, Enya couldn''t help saying, "I am sorry Adrianna. This was horrible." She couldn''t imagine the pain in Adrianna''s heart. She had heard that Adrianna could talk to the animals, which meant that she must have heard their cries when Ziu had created fire. She didn''t want to imagine what it was to listen to so many animals crying for help. A tear in her left eye blurred her vision. She wanted to hold it but it wouldn''t stop. It rolled out.


    "Don''t Enya. Hold those tears for me. I want to feel the pain to the extent that it runs like poison in my veins," Adrianna said in a deadly calm and cold voice. She was waiting to execute the serpent.


    Enya gulped and the two of them reached the Wizard Realm. Haldir was waiting for her. "What is the latest?" asked Adrianna as she alighted the broom and walked to the makeshift room for the leaders to rest. "Has Inyanga found anything about the booby traps?"


    "No, but she had delved deep into the General''s cell. There was something strange she saw," Haldir said with urgency in his tone.


    "What?"


    "There is a thick red book in Ziu''s palace. It is present in his study. She saw him opening it in front of the General. Inyanga thinks that the book contains his blueprints for the attack and possibly the layout of the booby traps."


    Adrianna stopped in her tracks, wrinkled her brow and shot a glance at Haldir. "How can that be possible?"


    "This means that Ziu had brought the General to the Wizard Realm and that too in his study." Adrianna evaluated Haldir''s information. Mihr, Isidorus, Dmitri and Liam were standing with them.


    "What was he doing here? In fact how did the General enter the Wizard Kingdom? And how come none of the Mozias that were stationed outside Ziu''s palace find out about it?" asked Dmitri.


    "Although Inyanga couldn''t speak much, I don''t think that he risked bringing General in the Wizard Realm. There is a higher possibility that Ziu had taken the book outside the kingdom and discussed his plans with the General. The book is there in his study now." He paused for a moment for her response. When she didn''t speak anything, he said, "Inyanga must have seen him opening at some other place."


    "Then we need the book as soon as possible." Adrianna became impatient. "But I wonder why did Ziu leave an important stuff like that behind. I mean if the book was so important why didn''t he take it with him?"


    Isidorus weighed her words and then replied, "He must have forgotten Adrianna. He is a very intelligent wizard. Every plan must be imprinted on his mind already."


    "I agree with Isidorus. He wouldn''t have even imagined that a witch like Inyanga who is a specialist in breaking bonds made by wizards is currently opening the deepest memories of our General," chuckled Mihr with enthusiasm. "My Queen, you must allow me to retrieve that book. Once those records are with us, we can easily defeat him."


    "I smell a trap here," warned Liam. Something didn''t fit well.


    "Trap? What kind of trap do you think is there?" Mihr dismissed Liam waving his arms grandly. "You are too immature or foolish to even say that." He was too excited to let anyone get in his way. He let out a throaty laughter and clasped his hands. "Let me go. I will come back as soon as possible."


    "I don''t think there is any trap there, Adrianna," Enya supported Mihr''s views. "We should hurry and get the blueprints of the booby traps. That was we would be able to take him down in a planned way."


    Adrianna walked past all of them. Before entering the room, she ordered Mihr, "Get the book and don''t touch anything else."


    "Yes, my Queen!" Mihr almost jumped with happiness. Once he had his hands on the records, the war would end quickly. He was longing to see his children and his wife. There were two battles back to back that he fought. He traveled a lot and was super busy. His wife had been angry with him and he had promised her that he would take her to the human realm once things settled. His daughter, Nefasky had healed completely and she wanted to get into a college in the human realm. Although he had clearly indicated that he wouldn''t let her go, in his heart he knew that she would join the college.


    "Remember, Ziu''s palace is like a maze. The rooms keep changing their positions. If you feel that you have forgotten the winding routes inside as to where they lead, just come back, okay?" Adrianna cautioned.


    "Yes, I will." When Adrianna gave him the orders to go, instantly he got sucked in the vortex not giving anyone else a chance to argue over it.


    Haldir left to join Inyanga.


    Adrianna went inside the room and Dmitri followed her. She sat on a cushioned chair. There were dark circles under her eyes. Dmitri walked to stand in front of her. She buried her head in his thighs. He stroked her hair gently. "Do you want to have blood?" he asked gently.


    "No," she replied. She just wanted to stay like that with him. "I want to wipe Ziu from the face of the earth."


    "I know," Dmitri answered softly. He kneeled in front of her. Holding her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her lightly on her lips. "When all this gets over, let us stay in our home and have our baby."


    She nodded. "I want a safe world for him."


    "And he will get a safe world."


    "I am scared Dmitri."


    "About what?" he asked, tucking a lock behind her ears. She didn''t reply. He squinted at her and asked again, "What is it, love?"


    "I am scared that the world that we are in, the world we are going to give our child, how free from danger it is? There have been constant wars ever since I have been crowned. I fear for our child''s life. Will he stay secure here?"


    Dmitri tilted his head. "I don''t know about the Wizard Realm, but if anyone dares to touch even the pinky finger of my child, I would shred him or her to pieces." The way he said, he meant every word.


    Adrianna giggled.


    Suddenly an explosion ripped the stillness of the air.

 Chapter 462 - The Trap (2)

    The explosion was earth shattering. The walls of the room, its windows and the furniture in it started shaking. Adrianna and Dmitri ran outside.


    A Mozia rushed to her and informed, "It looks like they have fired a cannon."


    Adrianna looked towards the boundary. Although it looked translucent from the inside, she could see a gigantic ball of fire burning in the hole it had created outside. The impact of the explosion was huge enough to create a crater on the magical wall. If this continued, the wall would fall down soon. She had already formed a strategy according to the impact the cannonball would create on the wall but she wasn''t ready for this. Hurriedly she took a decision. There was no point in forming a strategy.


    Her broom came swishing in the air and she jumped on it to mount it. "Shang Kui, Isidorus, Enya, come with me." All of them immediately grasped their brooms, threw them in the air and leaped on to join Adrianna. Twenty Mozia joined the group.


    "Adri, Wait! I have to come with you," Dmitri shouted from behind.


    She looked at him fondly and replied, "I want you to take care of the Wizard Realm along with Alex and his team." Suddenly she turned her broom in his direction. She reached where he was standing and kissed him hard. "Wait for me."


    Dmitri''s knees became wobbly upon hearing her. The look in her eyes was as if that was her last kiss. His heart rate accelerated and his mind replayed her words. "What do you mean Adri?" his voice was almost a whisper. He clutched his black pants and stared in her deep golden yellow eyes. He repeated when she lowered her head slightly, "What do mean by that?" his voice was a bit louder this time.


    He raised her chin for her to look in his eyes. She replied softly, "I am going to finish this once and for all. I will return when Ziu is dead."


    Dmitri shook his head, "You will stay safe. And you will return safe. And I will go with you."


    She held his shoulders. "Dmitri, please darling, don''t make it tough for me." Dmitri became so uncomfortable as his chest tightened with a sense of unknown fear. He shifted in his place.


    She assured him. "Don''t worry dear. I will be back soon." She turned and flew.


    "No! Adri!" Dmitri shouted as he ran after her. "Take me with you." But Adrianna was gone. The dark skies turned silver at times due to the occasional lightning that was desperate to escape them. He stared at the woman against that silver light. Soon she mingled with the background. He curled his knuckle and held it on his mouth as he gulped saliva down his dry throat.


    After a while, he steadied himself. All the Mozias were now looking at him for instructions. He was their King. Dmitri swung sharply and commanded, "The first batch of Mozias will start repairing the wall now." Then he commanded his people. "Alex, you will station yourself behind the Mozias along with your pack.??? He looked at his betas. "Nate, Liam, you will accompany me to the farthest end. We will position ourselves behind Alex''s pack."


    The army of a hundred Mozias flew near the wall. Dmitri moved back along with other werewolves to accommodate them.


    Alex positioned himself along with his pack wolves. He howled and others joined him. He was longing to take the revenge. Dmitri, Nate and Liam went to stand in front of the remaining around three hundred Mozias.


    ---


    Inyanga wanted to get out of the General cell as soon as possible. She wished to join Adrianna. Haldir was also not comfortable. As Adrianna''s personal bodyguard, he felt utterly restless.


    "Richard, I would love you to take one last peep at that door," said Inyanga in a very soft voice. She pointed at a door that was hidden in a maze that was formed from a network of nerves. The nerves were too delicate to be touched.


    "Sure," he replied with a smile. He was happy that almost all his bonds were broken. This last one remained.


    Inyanga walked carefully through that mesh of nerves along with him. They crossed it without any damage to the nerves. They easily walked to reach the door. It was a tiny one. Richard opened it using the key made from his memory. He let Inyanga walk into the room. She saw the same blue book on a table and a device lying next to it. "What is that device?" she asked.


    "That''s a very high-tech booby trap," he replied. "It hasn''t come on the market." He realized that now he could speak freely. This was the last bond that broke. He was filled with excitement. "I had given it to Ziu when he had asked for the best way to kill the enemies. This trap is still under development. However, even in this stage it is highly potent."


    "What does that mean?" asked Inyanga, her eyes becoming wide with fear.


    "It means that it can blow up an entire building."


    Inyanga''s limbs became numb. "This is a disaster."


    "Don''t worry. I haven''t explained Ziu on how to fit this booby trap," said the General with confidence.


    Inyanga noticed Ziu picking up the device with an evil look in his eyes. "Don''t you know him by now?" she said, feeling helpless. "We need to leave your cell now."


    "Okay," he nodded. He was eager to go back to the normal world.


    Together they rushed out of the room. In a hurry, Inyanga tripped over a nerve and fell down. Outside the General shouted with excruciating pain. His eyes had started bleeding.


    "No!" Inyanga rasped. The General fell right beside her. His face became deathly pale. She caught his hand and came out of his cell.


    Although the seals were broken and the General was now free, he was lying unconscious on his chair.


    "What did you do?" Haldir asked with worry etched on his face. He was standing in the study on the door.


    Inyanga took in a deep breath. "There were bigger things at stake."


    ---


    Mihr didn''t know that Ziu was a master of con. The rooms of the palace he lived in moved constantly. It had been more than twenty minutes and he had opened the door of Ziu''s bedroom twice. He grew impatient. In those twenty minutes, he had seen many rooms but only his study was somewhere hidden. He poked his tongue lightly into the cheek and inhaled a long breath. "Where is it?" he asked himself. He flitted his gazed around the room he was in. It looked like his main hall. Everything was in order. There was a single servant out there. "Ah! The servants." The servants in the Wizard Kingdom appeared only when something was demanded, else they stayed hidden. Mihr raised his voice and said aloud, "Get me a glass of wine." Immediately a servant appeared.


    "My Lord," the servant who was a young boy curtsied and bowed as he presented the wine to Mihr.


    Without picking the glass, Mihr asked, "Where is the study?"


    The servant looked alarmed. "I assure you that Master Ziu is not in his study. When he will come, I will let you know," he replied.


    Mihr narrowed his eyes. He gritted his teeth knowing fully well that the servants never betrayed their masters. He dug his hand in his coat''s pocket to take a small hardbound book out. "This is a book that the Queen has sent and I have to keep it personally in his study. If you want you can keep it. However, if the book disappears, you will be sent to the guillotines."


    The servant became jittery. He licked his lips. "It is behind that oak cupboard," he said.


    Mihr smiled. He picked the glass and sauntered to the study with the book in his hand. The servant followed and opened the door by turning a fairy bronze statue. The statue danced and the cupboard coalesced revealing a small room.


    Mihr walked inside. The blue book was placed on the table as though it had never been opened.

 Chapter 463 - The Trap (3)

    Haldir watched Inyanga, as she stood there panting and sweating profusely. Her jaw was clenched as she looked at the General''s unconscious body that was slumped on the chair. The blood had caked near his mouth and nose but it was still flowing from his eyes and ears. His clothes were covered with crimson blood. He had endured a lot of pain. Inyanga realized that he was willing to brave it because he really wanted to get out of the bond. He wished to become free from the clutches of Ziu. Her mind became numb.


    "What bigger things are at stake?" asked Haldir. He waited for her to speak but she looked like a ghost.


    "We have to take him to the hospital," she whispered. Her face was pale. The small study had become so stifling that she needed air. "I hope he gains consciousness soon. He has to order his troops to back out from the war," she was almost on the verge of a breakdown. The rough exit from his cell could have been prevented. She bit her lips. Her eyes became glazy.


    Haldir watched her feeling her nervousness. "Don''t worry I will send him there. You have to help Niiya and Dr. Tanaka too. I am going with him to make sure that he is at the right spot for instant treatment. Until then be patient." He observed that she wasn''t saying anything about what she saw in the General''s cell, so he goaded her again. "Inyanga, tell me what you saw in there." He spoke a bit sharply this time to bring her back to the senses.


    Her eyes shifted from Richard to Haldir. She stared at him with fear remembering it. "The book is the trap."


    Haldir''s skin tingled with goose bumps. "Put it down in plain words," he said as fear seeped in his body.


    "I think there is no booby trap outside the wizard realm. It is inside."


    Haldir looked as if someone had poured fuel over his worries, his fear. Inyanga''s words were like a knife that cut through his belly. His face turned pallid. He couldn''t move feeling rooted to the spot. He stared at her but wasn''t seeing her. His mind thought of all the possible things that could happen. Finally when he found his voice, it was shrilly, "How is the book related to all this?"


    "I am not sure, but I think that the book might act as the booby trap." Inyanga''s lips quivered as she spoke.


    "Holy Spirits!" Haldir said. He looked at the General who needed immediate attention but he also had to go to the Wizard Realm. He had given them exactly the opposite information regarding the ploy. He walked to the General and held his hand. "Okay, here''s what you have to do. Go to Niiya and Dr. Tanaka to break their bonds. I don''t think it would take long. If it does, then leave them. We have to go back to the Wizard Realm." Haldir paused as if struggling to find words. His breathing became ragged. "I- I- I am taking the General to the hospital and will be back in less than ten minutes."


    "Okay," Inyanga said.


    "Be ready. We will go there together." Haldir shook his head. "I hope everything is okay in the kingdom."


    ---


    There was nothing else on the table. The study was small with only a chair, an uncluttered table and a bookshelf that covered the south wall. Mihr stared at the blue book. It was placed right in the center of the study table. The predominant colors of the study were blue and silver. Thick and hardbound, its outer cover was that of royal blue velvet. A dried blue rose was lying next to it.


    Mihr looked at the servant and chuckled, "Your master has something for the blues."


    The servant glared at him for ridiculing his master. The wizard servants had a tendency of being extremely loyal to those whom they served. "You may keep the book on the table. I will let the master know when he comes back." They were not very powerful wizards or witches. They couldn''t perform magic on their master or wizards of higher level. Their magic was very limited and on top of that their masters branded them on the palms in order to know about their locations all the time. Each master had his or her own unique seal. In Ziu''s case the seal was the blue rose.


    Mihr cast a spell on him suddenly, "Obtsfacio!" The servant was stunned. He froze in his place now knowing what happened to him. He couldn''t even understand what was going around him.


    Mihr hurled the notebook he was holding into the air. It vanished in thin air. Giving an evil snare to the servant, he ambled to the table. He lifted the blue rose and stroked its soft petals with his finger. He sniffed it. "Lovely," he said. Its smell was intoxicating. He placed it back on the table and reached for the book. The book wiggled a bit sensing the unknown presence. Mihr pressed his hand on it. It wiggled beneath his hand. It wanted to slide but Mihr pressed it harder. "I need you, so don''t show your tricks to me. After today this war is going to end. We are going to kill your master," he addressed the book. "We have had enough of his presence in the Wizard Kingdom." Mihr picked the book. "Adios Ziu!"


    Beneath the book, he noticed a red button that clicked and popped out.


    Suddenly Ziu''s palace was rocked with an enormous explosion with a deafening sound. It was as if the red and orange flames had punched their way out of the ground.


    His death was instant. There was no pain.


    Adios Mihr.


    The book was the booby trap.


    Ziu''s palace was located on the west side of the Level Three. This level floated majestically in the air with only four palaces. When the explosion occurred, that part of Level Three was ripped in a way as if someone had torn apart limbs of a body. The ground on which it stood along with the parts of the palace, all was shattered. The entire Level shook violently. Flames billowed from everywhere.


    A deadly rainfall of thousands of glass pieces, slabs of the building, wood, flesh and soil showered upon the lower levels. However, as they fell to those levels, they were burnt by the numerous spells that the wizards had cast earlier around every house before the war began. Only ashes fell on the ground.


    The night sky became a mixture of grey and orange with ear-splitting explosions.


    From the first level, few wizards witnessed pillars of smoke and dust of the Level Three. Scared, they went inside their homes and shut the doors.


    ---


    Ziu had brought that booby trap inside his palace. He had at first thought of planting it inside the royal palace but later decided against it. The General had explained the process of assembling it together. It was still under development. The General had said that it was something really dangerous. A day before he had slid out of the Wizard Kingdom, Ziu had assembled it and fixed it in his study hoping that a servant would come to clean and pick the book. Unfortunately, it was Mihr who picked it.

 Chapter 464 - War Of The Wizards (1)

    Staff from other palaces were helter-skelter when the explosion occurred. The ground shook violently. Some ran outside to see the source while some hid in their rooms. The ones, who had run out, witnessed fire and smoke bleeding out from the broken South Palace. The roofs had caved in and the balconies had ripped off. The water sprayed from the inside. It flooded the entire palace compound. Overall it was a maze of slabs, brick, dust and debris. Destruction was written everywhere.


    Some of the debris had landed in the adjoining palaces. Isidorus'' palace was right near Ziu''s and it was affected majorly. The rubble from the explosion had stretched across to his palace. Especially his garden. All the ramblers that he had planted so affectionately had splayed on the ground.


    ---


    Adrianna and her team had just reached the boundary of the Wizard Kingdom when they heard the explosion. It was ear piercing even at that distance. Shocked, they stopped and turned to look back. Some seventy miles away, the skyline was a riffed with a brazen flash of lightning in the black skies, which was a backdrop to the huge ball of red, orange, blue, white and grey fire that spewed upwards leaving a string of rings of fire and smoke that rose swiftly. At the top this gigantic ball of fire reduced its intensity but from this more balls mushroomed. They overtook the smoke rings. The fire torturously coiled and curled and gnarled its way all over.


    Adrianna was so shocked that her sensations numbed. She was containing the fear inside her heart��fear of something known to her. But soon the fear ripped through her heart and it came out through her throat. "Mihr!" she shouted as she realized what might have happened. There was this maelstrom of horror amongst everyone.


    She couldn''t believe her eyes. Her mind went to his family, to Nefasky. Her skin was lined with goose bumps. Ziu had successfully created mayhem in the Wizard Kingdom. Horror converted into anger. Initially she had swallowed the anger when she heard about Ziu. She had been very patient, calm and controlled as she formed strategies upon strategies. The anger was like fire in her belly, billowing softly. Her only calm was when she was with Dmitri.


    After she saw the explosion it made the seed of anger erupt in her belly to the extent that it became a fiery dragon whose fire blazed in her eyes. Her entire body shook uncontrollably. The fusillade she viewed created the inferno she couldn''t manage.


    "Ziu!" she shouted his name in a way that if he were near her, she would have wrung his neck. Her hands rolled into tight fists until the knuckles became white. "I will make you suffer, Ziu. And I will make sure that you die painfully and slowly. I am going to kill you and enjoy killing you. Wait and watch!" Adrianna turned her broom and ordered. "Let''s go!"


    The entire group was in coherence with her thoughts. They turned to leave. Although it was night, the sky was lit with an orange light of fire. Another cannon was fired and hit the wall. Another crater was formed in it. The light from it flashed across and the entire wizard army could be seen.


    Adrianna was leading them. As soon as they reached the periphery, she shouted, "Cast the invisibility spell."


    Everyone took their wands out and immediately they all became invisible. But they were stunned to see that Adrianna hadn''t cast the spell. She was still proceeding to the frontiers, flesh and blood. Isidorus waved his wand at her to cast the spell but the magic knocked. She wasn''t letting anyone do that. Before he could do anything, they were all over the bounds and then across them. They all were flying at a higher altitude so that the cannon balls wouldn''t harm them.


    Isidorus'' heartbeat raced. It was nearly exploding. He wanted to rush near her to protect her, but inside he knew that something inside her had snapped. She was not going to hold her wrath anymore. He braced himself for the show holding his breath, almost gulping it down to stay quiet. Images of what could happen next flashed through his mind and his hands became clammy.


    ---


    Ziu heard the noise of the explosion. He was ecstatic. One of his plans had succeeded. It gave him a sense of confidence. His eyes shined. He was on his broom positioned near one of the tanks that was firing the next cannonball. Suddenly his face broke into a smile and then he broke into laughter. "Adrianna, you are so gone!" the laughing lines on his face showed prominently. This was the time to increase the attack. The wizards must be all rattled, he thought. He clasped his hands to his chest feeling buoyant. He felt he would be on top of the world. He would now conquer the Wizard Kingdom. He would rip the crown from Adrianna''s head after beheading her. He could almost imagine it. "Yes!" he muttered. "You are so gone now. You are nothing in front of me. I am the most powerful wizard and I will prove that."


    Ziu sat up, straight and alert. He had gone ahead of the game by not only creating a state of unrest inside the Wizard Kingdom but also on the outside.


    Like a champion he went to the next tank to order it to fire the cannon. He was about to order it when he noticed that the winds had grown. Disregarding it as a weather phenomenon, he shouted on the top of his voice, "Fire it!" He had a plan in which he had thought of firing two tanks simultaneously, and at the same time instructed the soldiers to fire their automatic machine guns at the same point.


    The tanks started to load their cannons.


    "Open fire with your guns just after the cannonballs have hit the wall!" he yelled from behind.


    The soldiers took their positions.


    The winds had picked more velocity. The soft rumble had grown to a gnarl as the trees susurrated. The soldiers loaded the tanks and were ready to fire when the winds became all the more powerful. A small swirl developed in the midst of them. The soldiers ran to the back to stand with the tanks in order to protect themselves from the howling wind.


    The velocity of the winds picked up. They started to whirl in a dangerous way making a howling sound. Soldiers were unable to hold their weapons properly as they couldn''t keep steady on the ground. The trees creaked, crying to stay intact against the onslaught. The soldiers took a few steps back.


    All of a sudden, the swirl gathered more winds that gyrated around it and they saw a woman who had leapt out of nowhere and landed in the center. She crouched low as she pressed her hand to the ground creating a tornado like field.


    The velocity of the winds looked so high, that no soldier dared approach it.


    "Adrianna!" Ziu exclaimed with excitement. So many good things were happening in one day. He would kill her this instant.


    "Ziu!" Adrianna snarled, baring her teeth. Did he forget that she was a half werewolf? Her eyes with golden yellow slit stared at her prey.


    Their eyes locked. They looked at each other with hatred that consumed their bodies.


    "Fire now!" came the order.


    The bullets started rolling out of the barrels. But the soldiers couldn''t steady themselves any further. They found it difficult to hold the weapons.


    As if the disaster in front of them was any less, they heard a soft rumble behind them, which grew into loud thumps.


    They became scared. Were the beasts of the forests��


    Ziu clenched his teeth.

 Chapter 465 - War Of The Wizards (2)

    The wind around the Queen swirled so strongly that the trees broke into half and were blown down. The debris, dust and wild grass and leaves flew through the air and rolled along the ground. It became difficult to stand. The soldiers had to put down their guns and shield themselves with their hands to protect their faces. A large tree came and fell right over a tank. It fell right on the hull of the tanker where the crew was sitting. The crash caused deafening noise and a large dent was formed. The crew was stuck inside.


    All the soldiers turned to make a break to the nearest spot that would hide them but they were extremely terrorized to see the sight behind them.


    A large number of various types of beasts were running towards them. The thumping on the ground was that of these beasts running to the aid of their Queen.


    Adrianna had communicated with them the moment she had crossed the Wizard Realm. The news of helping her spread like wildfire amongst them. The animals wanted revenge and there was no way they would stop. They came in large numbers. The front line came and stood to a standstill but behind them, the animals kept pouring in.


    They stood and glared at the soldiers. Wolves, hyenas, bears, coyotes, and moose amongst other smaller ones��all were poised as though waiting for a command.


    The soldiers were scared. So scared that they became panicky. They had been to so many battles against humans but this one was different��it was against the beasts of the forest. Beasts who would attack and rip them into pieces. The fear sat on them as if someone was trying to throttle them with a gag on the mouth and nose. They were struggling to find air. Behind them there was a swirl of storm and in front of them the beasts. In panic they picked their guns and began shooting blindly without thinking.


    "Attack!" shouted Adrianna when she heard the guns fire.


    And the animals attacked. They leapt on the militia. The bullets killed many but they kept coming. Soldiers were mauled and dragged. The animals dug their fangs in them and ripped their flesh and bones. The atmosphere was filled with growls and cries of pain.


    Ziu didn''t look behind him. His focus was the woman in front of him.


    The Mozias, Enya, Isidorus and Shang Kui were all around looking at the blood curdling scene happening in front of them.


    Their Queen didn''t need any help. She was powerful enough to deal with the enemy on her own. Enya and Shang Kui held their chins high. There was a gleam in their eyes. They were the rulers of the Wizard Realms.


    ---


    "Please wait for ten minutes," said Inyanga. She wanted to go back with Haldir. She was panicky.


    Haldir wanted to wait for her but his instincts said that the baby was in danger. He had to go to his Queen. He was torn apart between Inyanga and Adrianna. He made a quick decision. The blood bond seethed in his flesh.


    "I am creating the portal for you. Once you finish with Niiya and Dr. Tanaka, you leave this place. I have to go to Adrianna," he said. The blood bond won.


    Inyanga bit her lip. "Okay," she replied.


    Haldir brought his hand forward and created a small portal. It looked like a small whirl of wind swirling clockwise. Haldir walked out of it and the portal shrank in size.


    Inyanga turned to Niiya who was sitting with his mother. Dr. Tanaka was still sitting with his revolver pointed to his chest.


    It took less than five minutes for Inyanga to break Niiya''s bond. When she came out, Niiya felt much better. He could feel lightness in his mind. "Thank you," he expressed his heartfelt gratitude. A huge burden was taken off his shoulders. He vowed never to go against his best friend. He vowed to move on with his life, with Pryce��


    When Inyanga was walking to be with Dr. Tanaka, he spat at her. "Don''t even think of getting inside my brain. That son of mine was a traitor. He betrayed my trust by letting you enter in his cell but you won''t enter mine."


    "Dr. Tanaka, let me help you. This is simply too poisonous for all of us," she replied softly.


    "No!" he shouted at her. "Do you think that this is going to end? Even if Ziu dies, there is someone who will come for Adrianna. If she survives and manages to give birth to her baby, there will be someone who would come to kill that baby. There will be someone out there always that will be a threat to the mother and the baby. We all hate her." Dr. Tanaka''s eyes were dark. He spoke with so much animosity and bitterness that Inyanga was sure that there was more to this entire war than just Ziu.


    "Baby?" Niiya asked with wide eyes. Adrianna was pregnant? How did his father know that she was pregnant and he didn''t? When did this happen? Suddenly he became so happy to hear about it. He closed his mouth with his hands. He was going to become an uncle and that too twice over? Suddenly he had an urge to meet his sister.


    Inyanga was also shocked when she heard about Adrianna''s pregnancy. Her admiration for the Queen of the Western Wizard Realm increased. She was fighting for her people even though she was expecting. And her hatred for Ziu doubled. "Let me get into your cell," she coaxed Dr. Tanaka. She wanted to see all the conspiracies that were there in his cell.


    "I would rather kill myself than let you enter," he replied acerbically.


    Inyanga''s dedication to solve the mystery only increased. She knew that if Dr. Tanaka pulled the trigger even by mistake with her in his cell, she would never be able to come out. She would be trapped forever. But she had to take her chance. She never felt this purposeful in her life. Her reverie broke when the doctor said, "Oh! And it won''t stop here. We are going to defeat and take over all the realms. All of you with special powers will bow to the humans."


    "Father!" shouted Niiya. He rose from his place. "You are just being unreasonable. Who the hell are your allies? And what is your purpose of creating mayhem in an orderly world? Why can''t we just live peacefully?"


    Dr. Tanaka roared with laughter. "I tried to show you the world you could rule, Niiya, but you chose to be a tool in their hands," he said cynically.


    "You are filled with delusion," his wife said. "Let Inyanga enter your mind. She will free you."


    Dr. Tanaka looked at his wife and scoffed. "How many seals will she break? There are way too many for her to be in my cell for more than hundred years."


    Inyanga was aghast. The man in front of her was a walking maze of bonds. She snarled at him and readied to enter his cell. She would make it out no matter what.


    All of a sudden there was a loud sound. Dr. Tanaka pulled the trigger. The sound pierced the still air of the house. The noise reverberated in the ears of those present inside. Dr. Tanaka slumped on the sofa back with his limbs splayed. The warm blood drained his nightgown. Everyone froze in shock.


    ---


    Ziu decided to take her head-on. He moved his broom towards the hurricane.

 Chapter 466 - War Of The Wizards (3)

    Adrianna''s face twisted and she looked daggers at Ziu, her eyes seething with animal rage. "You have done enough damage. I will destroy you," she spoke as fury concentrated in her belly and twisted her features. "I will destroy all those who are with you, and everything that you cherish. I will kill you and make it slow so that you suffer the pain."


    Ziu charged at his opponent with a snarl. "You can''t do a thing, you bitch!" he shouted with a reddening face. "I am going to take you down." He invaded her circle of deadly winds. But the force was so strong that he couldn''t even go near. Bringing his wand forward, he tried to gather energy from the same wind in order to cast the spell but realized that the winds were not listening to his wand. He cringed a little and then turned to the tanker. "Why have you stopped? Load and fire now!" he shouted at them on the top of his lungs but his command fell on deaf ears. All the crewmen of the tanks had hidden inside the hull. Ziu looked around. The scene was that of devastation.


    The animals were still pouring in. None of the soldiers were in view. They were all dragged and killed with their limbs ripped off and scattered on the ground. Wild beasts were feasting on them. They were on a rampage. Adrianna was looking for any animal in the close vicinity to communicate her requirements. The eagle who was perched on the branch denied her any help because he saw the devastation carried out in the forest. "We will not help you, witch," he screeched. "It is your kind who has torched our habitat."


    "I am going to kill the wizard who did this to you," she replied with conviction. "So even if you won''t help me, I will do it on my own." Saying that Adrianna had flown away with her team. She was not expecting them to help her and she partially understood their dilemma and predicament. However, when she heard the ground rumble under their feet, her confidence rose.


    Ziu was utterly peeved. Enraged, he turned his wand to the loaded tanks and cast a spell for them to fire the cannonball, "Impetign!" The loaded barrel quivered a little and then settled back in its position. He cast the spell again, this time with more energy and force. "Impetign!" The barrel trembled and rattled like a small child throwing tantrums in fear but it again became still. He couldn''t believe that his magic didn''t work. What he was unaware of was that there was a hundred Mozias stationed about forty feet above the ground who were constraining the barrel with their magic. In fact they had woven their magic around every barrel. The drivers of the tank couldn''t move an inch.


    At the same time, the hurricane''s radius increased. Angered and exasperated beyond words, Ziu moved his wand up and concentrated on his internal dark energy to fuel his spell. Suddenly he directed the wand towards Adrianna. The wand emitted a lethal beam of yellow lightning. It pierced the hurricane around Adrianna but the force of the wind was so high that the light started to travel in a swirl around her. Ziu was unable to hold the power for a long time as it consumed his inner energy. His body tensed as heat flushed through it. His irritability increased and then he jumped inside the hurricane with full force. "Adriannaaaaaaa!" he exploded like a mad man. He was now looking for immediate action. He fantasized about killing his nemesis��the girl who was just not backing down.


    Entering the hurricane was extremely difficult. It wasn''t the periphery, but the winds on the interior that were so intense that for a moment he felt his skin would break away from the flesh and burst and shred into pieces.


    Adrianna continued to create the hurricane. She stared at him waiting to pounce on him.


    When Ziu entered the ring and came face to face with Adrianna, she shape shifted and leapt on him, not giving him a chance to settle down. Ziu brought his wand forward to cast another lethal spell to scare her away. The wand emitted a green light but before it could hit her, Adrianna had turned into shadow and smoke. Ziu watched a werewolf''s dark shadow springing up from the ground and pouncing upon him. He bent backwards as unknown fear gripped his mind. His eyes bulged. All he felt was a cold wave of energy passing through his body. Shocked, he spun around with his broom to check upon it. He had never seen this kind of magic. What was it?


    The stately fiery yellow werewolf stood there growling��all shadows and smoke rising from its fur. It was something surreal. He could never use his magic on the unearthly creature that she had become. She was nothing but an umbrage of energy. The wolf howled and then stamped its foot on the ground ready to attack its prey. It bared its teeth.


    All those present above them watching the events unfold were surprised.


    Ziu gawked at her. Internally he trembled. His veins throbbed and he could hear the thumping of his heart. Whatever she had become, it wasn''t good. His body felt hot and broke into cold sweat. He gripped his wand tightly. He twisted it and tried to remember a spell, any spell but the more he twisted it, the more terrified he became. Was she going to possess him? That couldn''t be possible because you needed a dark ceremony for it in which you had to feed the spirits flesh of your own.


    Her eyes were fixed on him. Once again she jumped on him.


    He pressed his hands over his face to prevent the attack. His breath quickened and then suddenly everything receded into darkness as icy cold, dark waves passed through him.


    He had lost balance and tumbled from the broom. Ziu had fallen onto something very cold and soft. He coughed heavily lying on the ground and clutched his wand to his chest. When he got control, he pushed himself from the ground. His broom wasn''t there. He turned his head to inspect the place. The entire place was like a gigantic blank white page of snow with tall, white mountains in distance. He rose from his place and brushed ice off his clothes.


    He had landed into the thick blanket of ice that was the signature of the Northern Mountains. Their snow clad white surface reflected the moonlight making it appear powder blue.


    "Adrianna!" he shouted. "You deceived me."


    ---


    Haldir reached the battlegrounds and saw Adrianna into the ring of the hurricane. He tried his best to communicate with her but she had blocked everyone out. He felt desperate. He wanted to be with her, be with the baby but there was nothing that would help him. He pleaded with Isidorus, Enya and Shang Kui but none of them could help. "Each Wizard Ruler has their unique magic Haldir, which no one can understand. It seems that Adrianna has discovered one of her strengths today. We cannot interfere," replied Enya. "She is on her own."


    "No!" he shook his head. "I have to go to her."

 Chapter 467 - War Of The Wizards (4)

    Ziu didn''t know which direction to go in that blanket of snow. He walked through the mesh of snow and ice aimlessly. He didn''t know where he was or what to look for in this wilderness. Yes, the great wizard Ziu was completely lost and at mercy of the Queen who brought him here. Were these the notorious Northern Mountains? Tufts of snow fell from the night sky brushing past him. Wherever his gaze went, he found tall mountains rising on the horizon. There were scanty pines that dotted the base of the mountain on the left. Angered at Adrianna''s trick, he continued to walk in that direction. He badly missed his broom and cursed Adrianna with every step he took forward.


    In the Northern Mountains, you had to get a special pass to fly on your brooms. This was where the council headquarters were located. Ziu had never been there but he knew all the protocols. However, he knew that Adrianna could use her broom since she was the representative of the Wizard Realm and the representatives didn''t need any special permission. Had he even had the slightest inkling about her plans, he would have stopped her from bringing him here. He tried to delve in her cell, but he was cruelly shut out. Plus after she had converted into a shadow of herself, there was no way he could even feel her physical presence, let alone get into her cell. It was magic beyond comprehension.


    He ambled on. Using his wand, he created a yellow orb of light that glowed to show him the way. He was extremely exhausted and out of breath. He was in need of rest. He must have traversed that terrain for an hour but the scenery was just the same��there was no change. The same white snowy mountains at a distance rising against the black sky.


    Not knowing where to look or go in the pitch-dark night, his Adam''s apple bobbed in agitation. He gritted his teeth and called her out again, "Adrianna, where are you? Come forth. If you have the guts, fight with me." The wild wind blew like an answer to his question tousling his hair. According to his calculation, it was still a few hours from the dawn. He wanted to reach the pines to take some cover.


    In the Northern Mountains, the magic was limited. Strange creatures inhabited it. He wished not to encounter them. Ziu picked up his pace as anger roiled in his stomach for the want of his broom. The winds became harsher, whipping past him as if screaming through the cold atmosphere. He created a bubble of air all around him to keep safe from the lashing winds. He was extremely tired and desperately needed to rest. He noticed that the pines were looking bigger now.


    ---


    It was Adrianna''s anger that made her so mad at Ziu that she couldn''t control herself. Her body''s heat rose and for a moment she thought she would become the rogue wolf again. She controlled herself from bursting into a fit of anger and casting spells at him when he had entered the hurricane ring because she knew that if she would start right there, more harm would be caused. So she controlled herself all the more. But the rage in her was challenging her werewolf. In all possibility she had thought of creating a portal and leaping in with her opponent. But before she could create a portal, Ziu had brought his wand forward to kill her. She could no longer take it. The hot burning rage inside her wanted to harm him. So she leapt at him and perhaps it was a biological button that triggered her to shapeshift into the feral wolf that she was. The wrath destroyed her from the inside and she exploded into energy as she leapt. She didn''t realize what was happening after that. All she knew was that she had to strangle, suffocate and slaughter him and that too, not in this place.


    This time when she jumped, she took him with her in the lands of Mun.


    Adrianna found herself crouching on the ground, panting, sweating and gasping for breath. She was soaked in her sweat even in that cold icy atmosphere. She sprawled on the soft snow to squench the heat emanating from her body. Her eyes became hazy with tears. She took her hand to her stomach and addressed her child, "I am sorry darling. Stay strong inside. Stay with your mother. We will eliminate him for life. I want you to have a safe future." He tears rolled out. She held her hand on her eyes. After a short while, when she felt better, she sat up. She wiped her tears and investigated her surroundings. She looked up at the moon and the constellations of stars. It took her precisely five minutes to understand her location. She got up on her feet. It was time to find Ziu. She knew he was trapped here along with her forever. He would never be able to get out or create a portal. A vicious smile tugged her lips. She closed her eyes and opened her mind. She was searching for her friend, Mun. And for any beast who was near her.


    She kept walking to the horizon where the moon was now beginning to set. The moon''s rays cooled her, soothed her and healed her. Her broom flew beside her quietly. It didn??t nudge her even for a second to mount it as if understanding the gravity of the situation.


    All the while she walked she kept sending her messages so that anyone would pick them. She hadn''t walked much, when suddenly she heard a night owl screech over her as it flew away, "Yes, I saw a man going to the pines on the west."


    Adrianna''s mouth curled into an evil smile.


    ---


    After walking for a long time in the snow, Ziu''s legs were numb. He had somehow managed to keep himself warm using whatever heat he could gather from the surroundings. Frost started to gather on his eyebrows and his fingers became slightly numb. The pines were now only a few feet away. They stood tall like ballet dancers against the dark backdrop of night, as if they were about to dance and present their show. His feet picked up the pace and he reached there quickly, ice crunching under his foot.


    Ziu used his wand to break dry branches. He wanted to build fire as soon as possible. When enough of them were gathered, he took a few and created a bonfire. With the rest of them he quickly made a small shabby hut right next to the fire. It had just enough room for him to curl and sleep. When he had seated down, he warmed his hands and as the warmth cruised through his body, his eyes began to close. Sleep overtook him.


    A creaking sound disturbed him sleep slightly. He opened his eyes and flitted his gaze around but it was just the wind that made the nearby tree creak. He slept again. Few minutes later more trees creaked. The ground near them sunk a little and the ice crackled.

 Chapter 468 - War Of The Wizards (5)

    Adrianna estimated that she had crash-landed on the south of the Northern Mountains and Ziu was in the west. Creating a portal wasn''t an option in this land. She kept her mind open in order for Mun to find out about her, although she was cautious about Ziu too. If he came to know that her mental shields were low, he would take a second to enter her cell.


    The inn was located towards the north and so that meant that Mun must be with her Grandfather. It was impossible for her to send signals to Mun from so far off. Even though she was tempted to go to the north only as far as she could communicate with Mun, but at the same time she didn''t want to give any time to Ziu to recover. Time was the essence of the night. So she decided to go to the west to find Ziu.


    As she neared the mountains in the west, she realized that the mist had swallowed their entire base. The land rose to the brutal mountain peak that was covered with layers of ice. The moon had dipped down a little more. As she entered that terrain she shivered at the curtain of mist that wafted past her as she glided through on her broom. The mist was thick and the visibility was poor. Even the trees were hidden behind the grey and white haze that swirled around the area so densely. She reduced her speed. The chill of the mist was soothing her skin as the remnants of heat inside her body still remained. She had to tread carefully for she didn''t know where Ziu might be hiding and she didn''t want to bump in a tree or any other formation for the fear that he would get alarmed. And this was the reason why she wanted Mun. He knew everything about this terrain. But she didn''t have the time. She closed her mental shields.


    The west side of the Northern Mountains was spread over miles and miles. In the dense mist there was no way to know as to which direction Ziu had gone. The darkness swallowed the silence to the extent that it was eerie. As she traversed ahead, she realized that the physical formations could be made out by the rough outlines that looked as though they had been erased on the edges.


    Adrianna must have traversed for about half an hour taking each cautiously as like a red fox, but there was no sign of Ziu. The stillness of the air was stifling her. The wasteland of white ice was only adding to her impatience. Suddenly her broom bumped into something soft and a growl emanated. Shocked at her tardiness, she brought her wand forward to protect herself. An image of a mountain fox appeared in front of her. It growled baring its fangs. There were more growls, as more mountain foxes gathered to feast on the meat that had travelled to their territory.


    The herd surrounded her from all the sides. "I am here to find a wizard," she communicated immediately with the fox who seemed to be their leader.


    "We don''t know anything," replied the leader in a gruffy tone as it closed upon Adrianna.


    "Kill her. Her meat smells good," said the other behind her brusquely.


    They howled together.


    "Look, I don''t mean any harm," said Adrianna slowly rising further from the ground. The dense mist was not helping her. It impeded her view to the extent that she had to use her mind to find out about all of them. She knocked at each one''s mind and found that there were no less than five. And these animals were well versed with the surroundings.


    With a loud gnarl, the leader lurched at Adrianna. On a quick reaction Adrianna moved to the right avoiding the clash but the claw of the animal razed through her leather jacket and tore the skin inside. She stifled a scream of pain as the blood oozed out, the smell of which only attracted the beasts around her. On an instinct her broom nudged her to gain height. But she knew that another fox would leap at her from the backside. When it leapt on her, she raced forward a little and then moved up. Turning back, she moved her wand in front of her and whispered, "Obstufacio!" The spell hit the fox and it fell on the ground paralyzed. If she wanted she could have paralyzed all of them, but she could barely see their physical forms.


    More hounds leaped on her at the same time. She threw her body to the side avoiding the beasts. Her broom kept in sync with her movements. She rose and rose up in the air, in the opaque mist. The foxes howled loudly as they kept screaming at each other for missing the prey.


    Adrianna was about to dash away from there when she heard the leader grunting, "Let us wait for the man to extinguish the fire." She had protected herself merely guided by her instincts.


    "Fire?" Adrianna thought. That meant that Ziu was somewhere around. The pain in her arm was stinging but the news of Ziu being somewhere near subdued the ache. She had already traveled the fields behind her and Ziu wasn''t there, so she decided to move forward.


    She navigated through the mist with her arm seared in blood. She knew that being a werewolf, her arm would heal within a few hours.


    The moon was about to disappear completely. The mist was slowly turning from dark grey to soft white tufts wafting past her when all of a sudden she felt a miasma of stale smoke as that of fire burning the tinder. Bit by bit, she moved closer stealthily like a mountain lion. From a distance she noticed a small fire that struggled to penetrate the wintry mist. She inched closer. Her eyes glowed with inner murderous thrill. Biting down a smile she swallowed excitement.


    The soft yellow light emitted from the lit the surroundings as if a painter''s brush had smudged the outlines. Adrianna flew nearer and saw the sparks from the burning wood were flying into the freezing air only to wither mid-flight. Ziu was fast asleep.


    ---


    The crackling of ice spread to other trees. But Ziu didn''t notice. He had been awake from past three nights preparing for the war and now it was not possible for him to even move a finger.


    The crevices in the ice spread like a spider''s web. The sound of crunching pierced the air to the extent that he couldn''t sleep. He jolted his head when he heard that the crunching had increased. Was the ice cracking? He got up from his place, irritated as hell. The ground shuddered a bit and he lost balance. He clung onto the wood of the hut he had built. Then with a loud sound as if something had snapped, a tree creaked. Ziu spun his body to see the source of the sound. The tree whose branches he had cut and had made the hut, was falling. And it was falling right above him. The ground on which it stood had cracked. On a reflex, Ziu dived forward and ran on the crackling ice. The tree behind him fell to the ground with a roar demolishing his tiny hut, extinguishing the fire completely and surging the place into darkness.

 Chapter 469 - War Of The Wizards (6)

    When he lunged forward to escape the falling tree, Ziu''s foot plunged into a crevice and it got stuck. The dense mist was not dispersing and hung in the air like a stubborn mule. He heard water gushing nearby as if a stream had found its way out of a fissure and was now filling a hole. He held his leg to pull out the foot. When he looked back he noticed that he was barely five feet away from the fallen tree. His temporary abode had been destroyed completely. Fear of the unknown gripped him. Was there an earthquake? Would an avalanche come? He held his breath and gulped down to stay quiet for the fear that he might attract wild animals even though his adrenalin had spiked. There was sweat on his lips. The foot was badly jammed in the crevice. Since it was fluffy snow where he was standing, he was unable to properly balance his body, which made it harder to pull his leg out. He tried harder and this time he grunted loudly. He stumbled and fell.


    All at once his foot became wet because water had found its way to the crevice. The cold water entered his boot making his leg go almost numb. The gap started filling with water. In an attempt to rescue himself, his mind raced to his wand. He left his leg and took it out. "Vitasia!" he hissed. The spell worked. As the magic pulled him out of it his foot was yanked out so forcefully that he felt it would rip off his limb. The yanking resulted in a terrible spasm. "Holy Spirits!" he cussed as he stumbled back and fell near the broken trunk. But by now he could hear growls of wild beasts. And they were getting nearer. Gripping the trunk, he managed to stand but with a limp. There were beads of sweat on his forehead. The gushing sound had increased forcing him to look down. Water had begun to flood that area. All his firewood was soaked.


    "No!" he shouted. "No, no no! This can''t be happening."


    Something snarled. He strained his ears. It was coming from his right. "Snakes be dead!" he cursed loudly again and then shut his mouth quickly for the stupidity he just did. He had to stay quiet. Ziu was now forced to go to the left towards the mountain. Ziu limped his way out from there. Every step he took filled him with excruciating pain from the spasm and every step splashed water around him. The soft snow also no help. Somehow he managed to break into a trot when he realized that the snarls were getting closer.


    But the animal knew more about the terrain than him. A red fox jumped right in front of him some three meters away blocking his way. It bared its fangs. Ziu brought his wand in front and fired some spells on the fox. The wand stirred weakly and let out a few electric beams, enough for the fox to wince in pain. Ziu took the opportunity of the dark and went further towards the mountain slope in order to avoid the water, which would have undoubtedly trickled downstream.


    He hastened from that place on his foot, limping, jumping, panting and gasping. When his injured foot couldn''t take anymore of it, he simply held his stomach and knelt on the snow. His breathing was ragged. Desperate to find a hideout, Ziu looked around. His gaze settled on an inconspicuous rocky outcrop that seemed dull with so much haze. He rubbed his eyes. Hope rose inside and he lit a torch on his wand. It was a black rocky outcrop. It could mean nothing but he had to take a chance. Even if that was a small cranny where he could simply rest, it was worth it. He limped his way to it.


    The small grey rock jutted out of the mountain rather strangely. Tufts of snow had settled on its top surface. The wet, glossy, slimy stone was not even a meter long. Ziu touched it and some of the snow glided down. It was nothing more than that. He was disappointed. He licked his lips exasperatedly. Holding his waist, he rested against the rock. More snow fell, but this time it dropped near-at-hand. Ziu''s eyes bulged at what he saw. A sort of entrance of a cave came into view. He walked in front of it and cleared the rest of the snow. He couldn''t hold his excitement when he became aware that it was a small hole into a cave. "Ah! A place to hide!" He said aloud. He needed rest to regain his energy and fight against Adrianna. He envisaged how he would take her down, how he would kill her.


    He entered the chilling blackness of the cave. He shone the beam from his wand ahead. The cave was so dark inside that the weak beam from his wand got lost in its gloom. He stepped onto the loose pebbles and jagged stones, shifting and twisting his ankle even more.


    This was a great place to lay low. The rocks of the cave would arrest his body heat also. Ziu saw a small clear surface and perched there, resting his head on the wall. He was extremely exhausted, in pain and of course in anger. He removed his boot. After draining water from it, he rubbed his ankle grunting in pain. "You bitch!" he hissed. "I am going to get you and wring your neck. What gave you the right to wage a war against me? I am the rightful owner of that crown, of the Wizard Kingdom. Adrianna, you are weak, you have no dignity. You stole my right and now I am left with no choice but to slay you. Wait for me." He panted as he spat those words. "If my magic is weak, in the Northern Mountains so is yours. Ha! It is going to be so satisfactory killing you, making you bleed to death."


    He winced in pain and tapped his coat to check if there was any potion he had kept in it as usual��a habit he had developed recently. Something inside clinked.


    He was about to find out what it was, when suddenly the entire cave was lit with bright shimmering and blinding white light. His brain stuttered for a moment and he covered his eyes with his hand. Slowly, he shifted his hand and his eyes took in more lights than he had ever imagined in a dark cave. Every part of his body paused as his brain raced to catch what was happening.


    There were light footsteps approaching. He sat upright with eyes wide. He waited for a minute. Once again his adrenalin kicked in. In a frenzy he dug deeper in his coat while looking in front of him. Was that a magical beast of the cave? Of the mountains?


    While his mind was thinking all sorts of things, a black shadow emerged from the light��a familiar silhouette.


    "Welcome Ziu!" she said in a murderous tone. She had grasped her wand tightly in her right hand.


    Shocked to the core, Ziu forgot to breathe for a moment. The shock was so impactful that it whacked every wisp of air from his chest. He was unable to speak, completely stunned at the new development.

 Chapter 470 - War Of The Wizards (7)

    "Adrianna!" The name bounced around his brain but he couldn''t speak it out. She was standing there in black leather pants with knives strapped on its side and black leather jacket that hid her baldric. Her black hair was loose, falling to the side on her shoulders and her golden yellow eyes burnt with fury.


    "How about I wring your neck?"


    How come she was in the cave? Did she lure him here? Was this a trap? What about all the ice that cracked and crackled outside forcing water to gush out from beneath the ground? What about the beasts that attacked him?


    Adrianna laughed bitterly. "Yes, I lured you in here."


    In his shocked state he had forgotten to shut his mental shields and Adrianna took the opportunity to enter his cell. But it was only for a brief moment because Ziu recovered his senses quickly and blocked her.


    Silence engulfed the cave as Adrianna watched him, her rage guttering into her belly creating a revolting throe that kindled flames of murderous intent in her heart and mind. She said in a low menacing tone, "I will torture you until you beg for death, but I won''t let you die." She stepped closer to him.


    Ziu cringed. "So it was you who created the fiasco outside?" he asked, still sitting, stuck to the wall, not moving an inch. His mind raced as what to do next. He had to get hold of the potions he was carrying inside. "I am extremely disappointed and displeased by you," he said to buy time. "I expected my disciple to do better," he scoffed.


    "Yes, I created all that. See, how easily you ran into the trap?" came the prompt reply. "I expected my teacher to be better."


    Ziu''s face twisted. "You��" He lunged at her with whatever energy was left in him. He had brought his wand forward but the moment he dived at her, his wand got transformed into a sword that threatened to slice her armor.


    Adrianna dodged his attack deftly. In that split second, she moved her torso back managing to evade the strike of his sword. She rose up with anger bursting inside her and exploded into shadow and smoke. She appeared behind him and taking out a knife from the sides of her leather pants, struck him.


    Ziu''s coat was slashed on the back. The slice wasn''t very deep, only enough to slash through his coat and give him a thin line of wound that stretched five inches. Blood oozed out and stained the shirt and coat crimson with a black tinge.


    "You serpent," Adrianna commented sarcastically.


    Extremely furious and jealous at her ability to convert into smoke, Ziu was in a frenzy. All through his life he had read a lot and amassed so much knowledge but he had never ever got that ability. It was rare and the legend was that the first Crown King could do that. So was it possible that since the Crown had injected its metal in her brain, Adrianna''s genes mutated and her abilities enhanced?


    He turned to face her with a mad glare. He attacked her again enraged at the sharp pain she gave him. His ankle was throbbing in pain but he had no choice. He had to somehow drive her away in order to get hold of his potions.


    Ziu was not just any wizard. He was the darkest of them but he didn''t know that he was facing a witch who was darker than him. In the next few moments there was a pandemonium of shadow and smoke and blades and Ziu. Adrianna would turn into smoke and strike him. He would evade her sometimes but she kept on lunging at him with all her might.


    Ziu''s attack was that of a master swordsman��meticulous, nimble and sudden. He fought with alacrity. But there was something in his attack that baffled Adrianna. His strikes were not aggressive. Was he buying time? What did he want to do? She narrowed her eyes to stare into his when she came down with another strike and he saved himself by bringing his sword forward. She promptly understood that he was waiting for her to tire because he knew that she wasn''t able to use her magic completely. The fight would make her tired soon and he would get the advantage.


    Somehow she had retained the power of converting into smoke in this land but her magic was limited. She realized that he was aware that if she could use her magic to the full, she would have killed him already. She wouldn''t have banked upon her weapons. And so he was buying time.


    When she attacked him next, he blocked her and then Ziu pushed her back with all his power. She stumbled back and fell on the rocky surface. This was all Ziu wanted for the moment. Immediately he took out the vial out and drank the potion. Before Adrianna could rise on her feet Ziu had regained his energy. He felt better. His ankle pain vanished and his body felt energized. Ecstatic at his efforts, Ziu took the chance and his wand reappeared. "Ponos!" he cast a spell on her. The magic floated weakly into the air in the form of dull yellow lights in Adrianna''s direction. She jumped to the side and the lights went straight to hit the rocky wall behind her. The stone shook and cracked. Some pieces fell down on the floor. In order to balance her body while falling down, she left her knives, which clanked away from her on the stony ground.


    Adrianna had noticed his actions, so she struck the place that he was protecting the most. She took another knife and threw at his coat''s pocket that contained the rest of the vials.


    Ziu screamed as a sharp knife slammed into his abdomen. In reaction, he threw another spell at her. It hit her on the head and she became slightly dazed. Ziu lost all his concentration in pain. The vials of potions that he had stolen from Professor Lane''s class with difficulty were broken. The entire potion drained and got absorbed in his coat''s fabric. Ziu pulled the knife out. "Aarrgh," he grunted. Without wasting time he grabbed the area where the potion was absorbed and pressed it in his belly. The wound healed within seconds.


    "You bitch," he yelled at her.


    Adrianna sneered. He was so busy in striking her that he forgot the first rule of war��never to give your enemy any pointer about your strength.


    Ziu lunged at her again thinking that she had weakened but Adrianna jumped back and brought up two more knives from her pants to stop his sword��the blades meeting right in front of their faces. Each felt vibration of the blows in every inch of their bodies.


    "You hoe! You have destroyed my vials," spat Ziu as he swirled and launched another attack at her.


    Adrianna stepped back. His sword whooshed in front of her with speed creating a silvery arc. She turned and made a swift dash to the wall. As soon as she was near the wall, she scaled it two feet, pushed her body away from it, twirled in air and lunged at him with her knives. Ziu barely had enough time with him. Her knives shoved forward to the extent that they would have rammed in his throat on either sides had he not ducked slightly and prevented the blow with his hands. The impact was harsh. The knives scrapped through his skin, split open the white tissue, which glided along with the blades out of his hands. The steel bathed in his black and crimson blood.


    Ziu screamed in pain, pushed her and dashed towards the cave''s entrance.

 Chapter 471 - War Of The Wizards (8)

    The way Adrianna was attacking him, Ziu had to buy time. He had to make sure that her energy burnt out fast. She was defending herself extremely well and it was impossible to break through cover. So the best approach for him was to tire her. The last attack was deadly. If he hadn''t defended himself, the knives would have pierced his neck. He was in excruciating pain when the knives slid into his flesh. He had ducked to protect himself. He took advantage of that position and bumped his head in Adrianna''s chest. As soon as she staggered a little, he dashed out towards the entrance of the cave, with his hand bleeding profusely.


    Adrianna balanced herself. She chased him. Before he reached the cave''s hole, Adrianna hurled her knives at him one after the other. While one knife rammed into the wall, the other touched Ziu''s thigh and fell on the snow. He shrieked in pain as his pants got covered with blood but he didn''t stop. He simply kept on running. Ziu knew that his only chance of survival was out in the open.


    The dawn''s early beams had started to crack up the mist. The visibility had become clearer and Ziu continued to run as far as he could. He rushed higher up in the mountains. While running he used his wand to heal his wounds. They didn''t heal but the blood stopped gushing out and it caked on the surface.


    When Adrianna came out, all she could see were the red drops of blood on the snow. She pursued that blood trail through the mist but it disappeared after some time. Angered at her lack of timing she wished the fog to clear up as soon as possible. The sun was rising slowly.


    She started moving in the direction of the blood trail slowly. These last hours had been extremely tiring for her and she was exhausted. Climbing the mountains was a gargantuan task. She panted heavily and her feet ached. Suddenly she noticed that some ice had fallen about ten feet away from her. Adrianna took her wand out immediately. At first glance she thought that some ice had fallen off from the pines. She went near to see it better. When she actually saw what that was, she almost knew that Ziu was in vicinity. Those were large chunks of ice that had fallen. There was a sudden movement behind her, and so she spun around on her heels. She cast her gaze wide to stare through the mist. There was silence again. She pulled a knife in another hand regardless. She liked surprises but certainly not from Ziu. Gnashing her teeth, she tread the ground trying to make least noise when without warning something happened that made her drop her knife.


    "Mun!" she squealed.


    It was Mun who emerged from the mist. Adrianna was so happy to see him that she rushed to greet him. She sat down in front of his face and hugged him.


    "Adrianna, why didn''t you warn me when you entered these lands?" he chided her affectionately, loving the way she held him. "Thank the spirits that I was out hunting for my food when an owl passed the message that a girl was calling me."


    Adrianna laughed and cried at the same time. She was ecstatic to see him. "It''s good to see you too," she replied.


    Mun let her pat him for a while and when she calmed he said, "Sit on me. I can carry you up. It won''t be difficult to track Ziu."


    Adrianna''s eyes were wide with surprise. How did he know that she was hunting Ziu? As if he had read her mind, he said, "I told you last time also. These are my lands and I know everything about them. Your magic won''t work much here."


    "Then let''s go," she replied.


    Adrianna mounted him and held his antlers and Mun took off. The way he climbed up the slope so swiftly, it looked as if he was made for these mountains. He galloped despite the soft snow. After they had gained some height, Mun said, "It seems that instead of going any higher he has followed this path." Adrianna looked at the fresh footsteps that were going horizontally now. She was surprised as to how fast Ziu had come so high.


    Mun started to trot in that direction slowly flitting his gaze around. They must have walked not even for five minutes when Adrianna noticed a beam of thin yellow light coming in her direction. "Run," she shouted. Mun rushed away from there just in time to avoid the spell. Once he had run a few meters, he turned around to charge at Ziu.


    "Mun, don''t go anywhere near. His magic can still kill you," Adrianna warned. But Mun was very angry. He didn''t listen to her and kept charging. "Mun, stop!" Adrianna commanded. But there was no stopping him.


    Ziu had alimbed to a comfortable altitude and thought that he had lost Adrianna. However, when he heard her coming after him, he threw a spell at her. He was taken aback by the sight of the animal she was riding on. Mun became his new target.


    "Die! Die! Die!" he kept saying and throwing whatever spells he could conjure.


    Adrianna on the other hand was in line of those spells. She picked her wand and conjured her spells with as much force as possible but every spell came out weakly. At the same time Mun was charging at Ziu.


    The sun was up and had lit the snow-clad mountains in its yellow light. Ziu held his wand towards the sun, pulled as much energy as he could from there and directed it through his wand towards Adrianna and Mun.


    Suddenly, Adrianna saw a huge flash of light coming in front of her. "Nooooo!" shouted Adrianna. She closed her eyes waiting for the impact when everything went silent. Everything was in slow motion. Instead of high heat, she could feel the cold wind whipping her hair and grazing her cheeks. She opened her eyes and shouted in glee. Mun had leapt ten feet in the air and avoiding that lethal blow he had landed behind Ziu. He had landed so gently that Adrianna felt a slight jolt.


    Ziu was shocked. He spun around and once again sent the same killer spell her way. "Ponos!"


    Agitated to hell, Mun clucked his beak. Adrianna, on the other hand, was quick to respond. She took her wand out and directed the same spell at the one coming towards her. The two strong yellow beams met mid-air and formed a huge ball of fire that exploded. Ziu retreated a few steps.


    Seeing the situation, Mun said, "Adrianna, now listen to me."


    "What is it Mun?" she asked in an angry voice.


    "Get down from me and when I say "Now," hurl the wand in the air."


    "What? Why?" she was confused.


    "Because that is the only way you can defeat him. So just do what I am saying."


    "Hurling the wand away means inviting instant death." How could he even think of such a ridiculous idea?


    "No, it isn''t. Trust me."


    Mun sounded so sincere, that Adrianna nodded reluctantly.


    After another explosion, when Ziu had stumbled far more, Adrianna got down from Mun. She looked at him questioningly.


    Ziu in the meanwhile had steadied. He raised his wand to the sun.


    "Now!" shouted Mun.


    Adrianna hurled her wand in the air. Mun ran towards it and leapt as if to catch it in its beak but what happened next was beyond words.


    Mun merged with Adrianna''s wand.


    And then��

 Chapter 472 - War Of The Wizards (9)

    And then it swirled in the air falling right into the hands of its owner.


    ---


    As Mun darted towards Adrianna''s wand that she had hurled in the air, Adrianna stared at him in awe. She admired how one so strong and lithe could be so mesmerizing. He leapt towards the wand with so much grace that it seemed as though he was pouring a surge of emotions through his nimble movements. Not only his body in motion was beautiful, but him moving against the backdrop of white pristine snow was pure amazement. Adrianna''s gaze went to his eyes and that was when she shuddered. They were filled with tears and pain��pain that was focused on alleviating hers rather than his own.


    She couldn''t understand his outburst of emotions at first. She thought that Mun would hold her wand in his beak and her wand would get some of his magic powers but what happened next was completely unexpected. Suddenly, it dawned on her. "Noooooooo!" she screamed in the knowledge of what was going to happen next. Her tension became a blinding pain of realization.


    In that last leap of faith, Mun conveyed to her, "It is my honor to give away my perfect immortality to you and be with you always Adrianna. I cannot practice my magic the way you do even though I am the most powerful beast of these lands. And that is why I am bounding my body and soul into your wand so that you can unravel my magical potential through your inner energy. Use my power in tandem with yours. Now your wand is going to be effective in every nook and corner of this realm and others. Accept me Adrianna and I shall remain loyal to you forever." And Mun converged into her wand leaving a thin wisp of white smoke trailing behind it.


    Adrianna''s mind became numb for that moment. She went completely still. Seeing Mun merge in her wand reminded her of her pet Dmitri who had become her wand. That was the most painful episode of her life and now this. It opened an emotional wound. Her mouth fell open and her skin tingled with goose bumps. Tears glazed her eyes. He had sacrificed himself for her sake. She remembered how much he had helped her in difficult times. He had been at her side protecting her against odd conditions. He had saved her once and this time he had forfeited his life for a greater cause.


    As the coiled beneath her skin, she extended her hand up. The wand twirled through the air and came to her. She caught it with burning grace��with fire that smoldered deep inside her, which was visible through the glaze of her golden yellow eyes.


    This was the cost to defeat Ziu. The air was silent. She was silent. Nothing moved.


    She clutched the wand firmly close to her chest. She stuttered, "Mu- Mun." There was a knot in her stomach. Amazement, heartache��that didn''t even cover what she felt inside. It was as if someone had extracted the spark of those emotions from her and poured kerosene on them. Her tears ran down her cheeks.


    The sun bloomed on the horizon. Its rays stretched into the clear blue sky and filtered through the shoals of clouds to kiss the snowy slopes, which were now streaked with yellow and gold. Nature seemed to pay its last respects to Mun.


    Wiping her tears, Adrianna went after Ziu as she looked ahead with animosity and burning rage. There was no time to waste and she wouldn''t let Mun''s sacrifice be of no avail. She explored the ridge of the slope above her but he wasn''t there. So she climbed up there. She noticed him walking far in the distance. He had run down the slope of the mountain on the other side.


    She closed her eyes and felt the energy of the wand reverberating through her body. When she opened her eyes, instead of pointing it at him, Adrianna pointed to the peak of the mountain. A thin swish of wind gushed out her wand and it drifted up. Within a few seconds, the snow on the peak moved. It started coalescing and taking the shape of a beast. And then the animal rose. It looked like Mun. More of those rose from the snow as though waking from a slumber. The herd roared in union and then they started racing downwards on the mountain slope in the form of an avalanche. It was incredible. She watched them with deep focus as they bolted down with a rumble. It was a sight to behold��it was a tribute to Mun.


    ---


    After he had sent a lethal spell her way, Ziu was almost sure that it had damaged Adrianna and the beast she was riding to some extent because they did not retaliate for a long time from their side. He took the chance and fled from there. This side of the slope was downhill and he could traverse fast. He hoped to find another shelter to hide as soon as possible. In the distance down the slope, he saw there were more conifers. His aspirations raised and he made his way to them as if he had found a lifeline. His hands were numb with pain because of the deep slashes that Adrianna had given, but at least his life was intact. If he managed to hide from her even for a day, he thought he would heal.


    While he was running ahead weaving his thoughts on what to do next, he heard a soft rumble. It sounded as if the mountain was razing down far away. He looked up at the source of noise and to his horror he saw snow tumbling��no racing towards him. But he was all the more shocked when the rumble became a roar and the snow was in the form of animals. He narrowed his eyes to see it. He could distinctly make out the antlers. When he realized, his eyes were wide with awe and fear. Was this possible that the snow had taken the shape of the animal he had tried to kill a while back?


    The avalanche moved down at a great speed, roaring and thundering. Ziu was shocked. He spun around and tried to increase his speed but he could go only as much. He panted and huffed looking backwards. The icy beasts sprinted towards him like hungry predators. There were hundreds of them �C all coming down to him with pointed antlers.


    Ziu brought his wand to send a wave of the sun''s energy their way. But the moment few were destroyed, more took their place. It was never ending. He couldn''t manage the pace of casting spells and running at the same time. Soon the beasts approached him. They tossed him on their horns. He was flung in the air. He did not know how this happened. His eyes went to a figure standing on the ridge of the mountain - Adrianna.


    "Stop!" Ziu shouted. "Stop!"


    The animals leapt at him. "Spare me, please!" he shouted his plea.


    But the creatures took him down the slope with them for several meters and then they all merged with the snow, scattering like dust over it as though nothing had ever happened. Ziu was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 473 - War Of The Wizards (10)

    Adrianna watched Ziu getting buried deep down in layers of snow. She stood there still, watching the rhythmic percussion of the snow that scattered everywhere. Her eyes were fixed on the place where Ziu was pulled down. Her face was glowing with the new dawn of light that fell on her white, porcelain skin. Her lips twitched into the semblance of a smile mimicking her inner feelings of satisfaction. The fire that was burning in her heart, cooled down a little.


    Ziu - the wizard who was a nightmare ever since she had worn the Crown, a parasite and a traitor to the Wizard Kingdom was put several feet under the ground. All the fear that inhabited her chest until now and was waiting to engulf her settled. Now her kingdom didn''t have any danger. The fear had escalated into flames that were fueled by her anxiety. But now she didn''t need all that.


    Adrianna stepped down the slope. But even as a feeling a calm washed over her, there was a speck of doubt in her mind. She thought she saw something black vanishing below the ground. However, she swatted the doubt from her mind. perhaps it was just a mirage.


    The weather was fine. The sun bloomed in its full, spreading its golden petals in the clear blue sky. A large flock of Lapland Longspurs flew past �C their distinct red necks and yellow eye stripes looked magnificent against the wintry mountains. A group of Longspurs broke away from the flock and came flying towards Adrianna. They circled over her head a few feet away, merrily for a while. "Goodbye Mun," they chirped and then flew back to join their flock. Adrianna saw them with tears of wonder and joy. She held her wand close to her chest as though hugging her two beautiful pets whose debt she would never be able to pay. She moved forward.


    The day had never been brighter. She longed to go back home, to go back to Dmitri, to just take care of the baby in her womb. But she wanted to ensure if everything was okay or not. She battled whether she should go and check the place where Ziu laid. She wanted to make sure that he never ever saw the light of the day. So even if there was one percent chance that he was alive down there, she wanted to ensepulcher him in these lands forever.


    The place where he lay was several hundred meters away. At first, she sauntered down at a slow pace keeping her wand in front but going downhill so far would have been a waste of time, so she thought of creating a vortex. However, instead of creating a vortex, her wand automatically created a portal for her. And to her utter surprise, the portal wasn''t that of gold. When she thrust her wand forward, she noticed that a flurry of tiny ice crystals rose from the ground and softly and slowly they started to form a portal. Tiny yellow sparkling beams of sunrays mixed with them and circled around with the pristine crystals. She was taken aback. Her confusion was multifold. She was stunned that she had created a vortex and instead a portal was being formed. Then her portal was always made of pure solid gold, so how come it was snow and sunbeams that appeared. While she was looking at it completely mesmerized, another thing happened. The corner of her eye caught something sparkle brilliantly, something very tiny. She moved her gaze to catch what had sparkled and she was even more stunned when she saw that a thin layer of gold dust entered the components and it flowed inside as if it was its blood.


    Adrianna was awe-struck.


    "Enter it," came a soft voice from behind.


    Adrianna jumped back to see who spoke those words. "Haldir!" she exclaimed. "How did you enter these lands?" She was shocked.


    ---


    When Adrianna was fighting with Ziu on the war ground outside the Wizard Kingdom, Haldir was watching her. He asked everyone about her and was feeling forced to go inside the ring of hurricane. However, no one could answer his question. When Adrianna disappeared along with Ziu, he jumped inside the ring without thinking about the consequences. He just had to follow and protect the child.


    Upon entering the Northern Mountains, Haldir didn''t know what his location was. For the entire night he traveled up and down the slopes to find Adrianna. His magic was working perfect there. He could create portals and cast spells as before. There was no change. And his only desire was to help Adrianna, be with her, and protect her. But however hard he tried he could not find her or Ziu. The Northern Mountains was a vast territory.


    He was almost exasperated and too tired and thought of returning when suddenly he heard a loud rumble in the place he was standing. Shocked, he looked whether the mountain was about to burst into a volcano? The scene that he witnessed was surreal. Just a few meters below him, snow rose slowly as though waking up from a deep sleep and molded into a beast. Another one rose beside it as soon as the first one took its first leap in the air. Soon an army of snow-beasts rose. They all raced down the slope with a huge roar. Haldir''s shock was beyond words. He had never witnessed such a beautiful occurrence in his entire seven hundred years.


    "Adrianna," he muttered. His excitement was like that of a horse winning a race. He watched the entire event unfold in front of his eyes. There was something going on. He rushed away from the avalanche immediately and when everything went quiet, he sucked into a vortex and appeared some meters away. It was at this time when he saw Adrianna standing near the portal she had created. He pursed his lips feeling so happy and satisfied. He let out a soft chuckle and walked up to her. He was surprised to see the portal because he had heard from others that she was asked not to create one since they were made of pure gold.


    "Enter it," he said from behind encouraging her for whatever purpose it was there.

 Chapter 474 - War Of The Wizards (11)

    Adrianna''s confidence boosted and she entered the portal. Haldir followed her. There was no time to ponder and think about the portal''s appearance. The two of them stepped through it and appeared right next to where Ziu was buried. It was very quiet.


    "Do you want me to create a crater of fire here? It would burn him," asked Haldir.


    Adrianna shook her head. Something was odd. From the corner of her eye, there was a suggestion of movement. It was as if some snow shifted. There was nothing above the ground. It was faint. Something squirmed, slithered like a piece of shadow. It moved deep inside. Adrianna retreated a few steps. She warned Haldir, "Go twenty feet away, up over there," pointing up to the slope.


    "Why?" he argued.


    "Just do as I say," she snarled.


    Haldir gritted his teeth and using his wand, he swooshed higher up.


    More ice from the upper crust moved.


    Adrianna extended her right hand to the side. Her broom swooshed from far like a bolt and came right there. She gripped it hard and mounted it immediately.


    And then something that she anticipated happened. All of a sudden the ground cracked and burst open.


    The giant serpent that was lying unconscious under the ground came out of it with a hiss and tongue forking out. Ziu had shape shifted the moment he noticed that this was an avalanche that could kill him. He had dug a hole and slithered inside as the ice kept pouring on him building the pressure on his body. Soon he had lost consciousness.


    Adrianna flew far from it. Haldir was shocked. He should have created the crater of fire, he thought with regret. Anger cruised through his body.


    The serpent rose some fifteen feet above the ground. Its stone-like green eyes watched every movement of Adrianna. His bright green body looked like overgrown moss on the white background. His sheath scales susurrated and stood up. Ziu slinked his way towards Adrianna, towards the scent of his enemy, its prey. He was armed with his most lethal weapon��the venomous fangs. All he had to do was to hook his teeth in his prey and wound his body of nothing but pure scales and muscles to constrict and choke her. He couldn''t wait for it. As the sun''s rays fell on him, he could feel the warmth on his otherwise numb scales. He was dying to swallow her. He tilted his large face as he watched her move with unblinking eyes.


    Adrianna was on her broom several meters away from him. Her doubt that Ziu had shape shifted confirmed. As expected the serpent lunged at her and attacked.


    Furious as hell, Haldir came from behind and taking his sword out of its sheath, he landed right on his back. The scales on Ziu''s body were cold as the ice, hard and pointed. Haldir caught hold of them and tried to make his way to the top of his body, holding the scales and using them to jump forward. He tried to make his way through that mesh. But Ziu detected his presence and swayed violently throwing his tail on the ground. Haldir lost his balance and was hurled in the air. Ziu turned his body and stretched his sword like claws to hold Haldir, but Adrianna flew by and Haldir caught her broom. He held it until Adrianna was at least forty feet away from the serpent. She lowered the broom and commended, "Stay here." Haldir jumped off to the ground. She had saved him just in time. Although he shuddered a little, his anger built up. He swallowed it down the throat but it only made him worse.


    As for Adrianna, the anger that had boiled up inside her came out as rage that was as lethal as fresh magma pouring out of the volcanic crater to destroy the world. It consumed her. Her finger curled around her wand. She flew towards the serpent again. "This time you are mine to kill!" she said under her breath.


    The serpent swished its tail and attacked her again with its bare fangs. Adrianna shot up evading the blow. Then she closed her eyes. Bringing the wand higher up in the air, she focused on all energy that she could muster in herself��every little speck of sun''s energy, every gush of chilly wind, entered her wand. She opened her eyes that were a slit of golden yellow.


    The serpent lurched for the next strike but��


    Adrianna brought her wand forward and directed the spell on him, "Ponos!" she whispered.


    The wand emitted a fatal beam of white and purple light and started circling around the long body of the serpent. Within a few seconds the light had spiraled around it.


    Ziu noticed the beam. He tried to shape shift in order to escape it but it was too late.


    Adrianna pulled the wand back as though she was pulling a leash with a jerk. The light penetrated the serpent''s body and sliced it into a number of pieces. A loud blood curdling scream echoed in the mountains as the mutilated body of Ziu who had shape shifted lied everywhere. His head had rolled down the slope. His legs were thrown somewhere.


    Haldir quivered when he saw Adrianna. The Queen had single-handedly taken down the most powerful enemy of the Kingdom. He looked at her awe-struck. He could never imagine a witch with such powerful magic. She was indeed the supreme witch of her supreme Alpha. He looked at Ziu. He couldn''t envisage a better and fitting end for him.


    He remembered Dr. Tanaka''s threat. There were seals that needed to be opened in Ziu''s cell but that was the least of his concerns now.


    He noticed that she was still in the air with her broom hovering in that position. The wand was still emitting the beam. She seemed to be in a trance. "Adrianna," he yelled from his place, not daring to go to her.


    Adrianna''s reverie broke. She gave a dangerous look to him through her bloodshot eyes. "Pick his head," she ordered.


    The beams that were still coming out of her wand started to thin down and eventually disappeared. Adrianna gasped and bent forward on her broom to breathe in a large amount of air. Her lungs needed to be filled with oxygen, her mind was screaming for the want of it. The gargantuan task was finally over. Sensing her emotions, her broom slowly came down. Adrianna alighted it and knelt on the ground before Ziu''s dismembered head.


    His face was a void and his eyes were still open as if filled with fear��fear of death. She gazed into those eyes and closed them with her hands, which were as steady as the rocks. Haldir came next to her. The silence hung in the air.


    Adrianna leaned forward to grab the head with its golden hair. She picked it up from the ground and held it high in the air. Power oozed out from her as she collected some blood in her palm and poured it over her wand, over her leather jacket. She looked as if she had again gone into a trance. "This is my prize," was all she managed to say in a hoarse voice.

 Chapter 475 - War Of The Wizards (12)

    Haldir shuddered inside. What did she mean by that? He knelt beside her and said softly, "Adrianna, we must go back."


    A cool gush of wind blew. Adrianna looked detached from the universe, she was nowhere. She looked so unconnected. There was magic around her, in the air around her that Haldir could sense it. He knew it would take a long time to settle. This was victory but at the cost of so many lives. He goaded her again, "Shall we go back?"


    "No, I want to visit my Grandfather," she said in a firm voice. Ed must be expecting Mun anytime. After all he was missing since the previous night.


    Haldir didn''t say a word. He created the portal and Adrianna stepped into it. Before entering he looked behind and saw parts of Ziu body scattered everywhere ruining the place with its almost black blood. He snapped his fingers and all of them combusted leaving no trace whatsoever. The place looked as beautiful and clean as it was earlier. He stepped into the portal after Adrianna.


    They walked out of it right in front of Ed''s inn. The inn looked deserted. Adrianna ambled to the door and opened it. She noticed that Ed was sitting there with his face resting on his palm. He was stirring his soup with a spoon very slowly. He didn''t seem to notice the soup or had interest in eating it. He looked up at the door with excitement in his eyes and said, "Mun!" But he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the visitors. His eyes became wide with surprise.


    "Adri, how come you are here?" he asked, getting up from his chair not able to control his delight in seeing his granddaughter. He stopped right in front of her as she gazed in his eyes. She looked disheveled. There was blood everywhere on her dress, her cheeks and hair. "What happened to you?" he asked in shock and looked at Haldir.


    Adrianna''s lips quivered. She held her wand and showed it to him. "M- Mun," was all she managed to say. There was no exchange of words. Ed''s eyes glazed with tears and he became sappy and languid. His shoulders slumped as he stared at her.


    "I am sorry," Adrianna lowered her eyes and said in a whisper.


    He read her mentally. "It was his choice," Ed''s voice cracked. "He was the most loyal pet I had ever had. He took such good care of me." Ed went to sit on his table again. He appeared to be in shock. "He would get food in these wild mountains whenever there was shortage. In fact he never let me go out and hunt for food. He always used to say that I am too old for all this and that I should keep the inn going." He looked at Adrianna. "Did you know that he had a beautiful female who used to come here every other day and visit him? The two of them would go around with each other and come back after days. I was thinking that he had gone to meet her."


    Adrianna''s tears were not stopping. How would her Grandfather now survive? "Come with me Grandfather," she said in a cracked voice.


    Ed shook his head. It was simply too much to see him mourn like that. "I don''t think I can come back Adri." He waved his hand and said, "This is my life. All this wilderness is my life now."


    Adrianna gulped. "I understand," she replied. She had to think how to help him out.


    Then he turned and went to his room.


    Haldir was watching them from the door. "I don''t think he is in a mood to talk, Adrianna. You must come here some other time. We should go back to the Kingdom."


    Adrianna nodded and handed over the head to Haldir. "I want you to hold it up in the air so that everybody sees it when we enter the Wizard Kingdom." Haldir didn''t understand why she wanted that, but he nodded. "I will."


    When Adrianna walked out, Dmitri was the first one to see her. She appeared dazed. He rushed to her and hugged her as though clinging to his life. He kissed her head and suppressed the tears that choked his throat. But Adrianna didn''t react.


    Haldir walked out with Ziu''s head. Everyone present out there including the three rulers of the Wizard Kingdoms, the Mozias, Isidorus and other members of the ministry were stunned. They all watched him with silence. They couldn''t believe their eyes. It was Ziu''s head he was holding high up in the air.


    Adrianna removed herself from Dmitri''s hug. "We will march through the two Levels and you will keep holding this head high up in the air for everyone to see," she said in a low, menacing voice.


    "Yes, my Queen," Haldir replied.


    And Adrianna started to walk. It was broad daylight. The sun had risen up on the horizon. She embarked on her journey to display.


    The ministry members got sucked in the vortex to enter the Levels in order to remove all the spells before their Queen arrived. All the spells were quickly removed.


    As Adrianna set foot in the first Level, the habitants of the Wizard Kingdom came out of their houses to watch her victory march. They watched their Queen whose cheeks were stained with blood.


    Haldir was close on heels holding Ziu''s head with his golden hair, with blood still dripping out. Yes, it was a show of triumph, of mission accomplished, of the power that coiled beneath her skin, of terror that she wanted to instill in her enemies. She wanted to convey the message to each and every witch and wizard that she was their Queen and that no one would mess with her. The way Adrianna gazed in front without looking at anyone of her subjects was so evil that her subjects cringed. In fact they cowered. Her message was loud and clear. The traitor would suffer. She wanted them to know to their core that she would not allow it. They would meet the same fate or perhaps worse.


    Dmitri was beside Haldir and the rest were behind them.


    The march did what Adrianna wanted. The residents were filled with fear, honor and loyalty to the Crown, to her.


    When she had visited the last lag of her march on Level two, the royal carriage came. Along with Dmitri, she climbed in it. She turned to address Haldir, "Get the head to the palace."


    "Yes, my Queen."


    Haldir flew with them to the palace.


    When they reached there, Adrianna took the head from his hand and using her wand, she hung on the left wall at the gates of her palace. "This head will always remain here," she announced.


    Dmitri flinched. This was hideous. But he didn''t interfere in her decision.


    Adrianna looked at Inyanga who had just stepped out of her carriage and asked, "Can you enter his cell?"


    "No, I can''t," she replied. "If I do, I may get trapped there forever."


    "I need the information locked in there."


    Inyanga pursed her lips. "I can try to extract some of it."


    "Hmm," replied Adrianna.


    They all went inside.

 Chapter 476 - Struggles And Skirmishes

    Adrianna directly went to her room. The servants had already prepared her bath.


    Dmitri knew that she wanted to be alone, so he didn''t accompany her to the bathroom.


    She bathed for a long time scrubbing every part of her body over and over again to remove the blood until her skin chaffed. Dmitri had to stop her. He picked her up from the bathtub, wrapped her in a towel and brought her out. He placed her on the bed. Adrianna curled in a fetal position and lay there until sleep hit her.


    The man was absolutely quiet when it arose from deep within the snow. His face was void of emotions. He stared at her with heavy deep blue eyes and a slack mouth. His cheekbones were slighted pointed with cheeks having sunk inside. He looked like a skeleton with long pointy fingers. Adrianna''s breathing became ragged when he drifted above her and touched her forehead with his cold metal fingers. Her body became frigid with fear. "Who are you?" she whispered.


    "You just killed me Adrianna," he hissed. "And now the Queen must die." His mouth opened and a huge forked tongue came that attacked her face.


    Adrianna screamed. In the darkness around her, she caught hold of anything that was within her reach and threw it at the ghost who haunted her dreams. "Go away Ziu!" She flung her arms in the air and shoved more things at the ghost.


    "Adri! Adri!" Dmitri shouted trying to hold back his wife who had woken up from yet another nightmare that haunted her throughout the day. It was almost the middle of the night and she hadn''t been able to control her nightmares. He held her strongly as she clawed at something in front of her. He was feeling so sorry for her that he didn''t know what to do. He had called the healer who only advised him that she had to fight her own nightmares because they had cluttered her mind for a long time now. He felt helpless watching her suffer like this. The amount of bitterness Ziu had caused had filled her body and soul with cold malice. She was so bitter. Even though her anger was over, it was her bitterness that abused her body.


    Adrianna opened her eyes and looked around in daze. The canopy that had surrounded the couple was still blooming with flowers. "He was here, Dmitri, he was right here throwing his forked tongue at me." She was panting and sweating profusely.


    Dmitri held his wife close to him and kissed her crown. "Shuushh," he calmed her. He stroked her hair and caressed her cheeks for a long time till her breath settled. "He is gone and gone for good." He pulled her on his lap.


    Adrianna settled her head on his shoulders. She remained curled on him and clutched him. She refused to get out of his lap for the fear that she might see the nightmare again. And for the rest of the night she stayed there, on her husband''s lap, curled in him, refusing to leave him. Dmitri didn''t move an inch. He held her close to his heart.


    "Do you want to talk?" he asked her.


    She shook her head, not wanting to even think about Ziu. "I just want to sleep," she answered. Her cheeks were flushed.


    "Okay," he replied softly.


    It was in the wee hours of the morning that Adrianna and Dmitri slept. She would shudder a little every now and then but later settled. When the royal couple woke up, it was almost afternoon. Adrianna decided not to go to the noble court. Instead she called Isidorus and Inyanga for a meeting.


    After the meeting was over, in the next one hour a raid was conducted in the Wizard Kingdom. Everyone who was closely associated with Ziu was captured. His friends, family and close acquaintances��none was spared. They were taken hostage and prisoned. Those who resisted were killed. The entire Wizard Kingdom was in terror. And it was something that Adrianna wanted to instill in the minds of her subjects willingly. It was the time to show her power to them. She wanted to engraft so much fear in them that anyone would think multiple times before even thinking of killing her or messing up with her.


    "What about Mihr?" Isidorus had asked her.


    "One thing at a time," she had answered after an ominous silence.


    Isidorus stopped himself from asking as to whether he should ask other Wizard Rulers to stay back or not.


    Inyanga had a big task in front of her. Adrianna had asked her to visit each and every prisoner''s cell and extract as much information as possible. This was because Inyanga had informed her about Dr. Tanaka''s expos�� that there were others who were after her. She had to know about all the schemes that were taking place against her. She had to create a safer world for her child.


    Dmitri watched her commanding her people, giving harsh instructions but he didn''t comment. When he noticed that she was better by the evening, he said, "I have to go back to the Werewolves Realm and get them all back in their territories."


    "I will go with you," she replied.


    "But your presence is important here," he reminded her.


    "I want to see the lake," she said looking in the distance.


    "Okay."


    Haldir had come to the palace and was waiting for his Queen. When he saw her that afternoon, she looked as pale as a ghost. Her white skin was even more pallid. Her expressions had hardened and there was something sinister that seemed to crawl under her persona. He had heard all the orders she had given. He thought that it would be better for her to take a break from there. He was creating the portal for her to step into the Werewolf Realm, when she stopped him.


    As if on an instinct, Adrianna went to the garden outside and stood near the fountain. She looked at the evening sky and watched the sun setting on the horizon. It has spread its generosity in the form of various hues of red, orange, blue and grey mingled together. Adrianna brought her hand forward. The colors from the evening sky got siphoned towards her. It looked as if she was stealing Nature''s canvas. They congregated and formed a swirl, which was intermingled with drops of water from the fountain. A thin layer of gold dust also interjected into it and the portal now swirled in full speed. It all happened in no more than three seconds.


    Adrianna realized at that moment that some of Mun''s powers had somehow also transferred to her. It was such a blessing.


    Dmitri was astonished when he saw the beautiful portal she had created. "B- but your portal was pure gold?" he asked, bewildered. His mouth fell open.


    She looked at him and said, "Mun died."


    "What? How?" he asked, shocked to the core.


    Adrianna became silent. She stepped into the portal. Dmitri walked after her and so did Haldir. His Queen didn''t need that part of his services anymore.


    By the time they all came out and walked to the lake, Dmitri knew everything. He hadn''t talked to her about what all happened when she was gone but now that she had opened her mental shields, he slid into her mind. He had held her hands firmly. He caressed her and stopped her. "I am sorry that you had to undergo so much."


    She nodded. They walked hand in hand to the lake''s shore when suddenly��

 Chapter 477 - Meeting Rhys (1)

    On that wintry day at the end of the year the lake looked like a mirror. There was not a single ripple over the surface in its waters. It was as if the time had stopped. Except��


    The water had turned slightly crimson. Far in distance parts of snake skins floated that marred its otherwise serenity. The entire place was so quiet that not a sound came from the adjoining forest, not even a tree creaked its branches, not a bird chirped. Adrianna expected the birds to feast on the flesh of the serpents but perhaps they detested to even come near them. The animals worked in tandem with each other. None of them came to eat the flesh that was scattered along the shores of the lake. Adrianna and Dmitri were horrified for a moment at the scene in front of them. The putrid smell of the meat was stifling.


    "We need to do something about this lake, Dmitri," Adrianna said as she walked with him. "It is after all the main source of water to the packs'' territories."


    "Yes," Dmitri replied quietly, not able to think so far. "At first I have to bring the families back."


    Nate, Liam and Alex and his team had all been assigned to bring the wolves back.


    Haldir was behind the two of them following them quietly. He broke his silence and said, "Professor Lane can help."


    The royal couple stopped. They turned to look at him. Dmitro asked, "How is that?"


    Haldir replied, "If we spill refined potions in the lake, most of the smell would go. Also if any of your packs'' members know how to refine chemicals, then we can sprinkle them in water. Basically we need to see how humans purify their water before sending it for drinking to homes. And if you wish, we may even take Niiya''s help in doing so."


    "Can''t we simply use pur magic?" she asked.


    "Magic would not be able to purify water, although it can make the water toxic with your spell. This is a vast lake. It would be impossible to cleanse it just with a snap of fingers," Haldir explained.


    "In that case, it would be best if we take Niiya''s help," Adrianna suggested.


    "But that would mean that humans would come to know about this lake and then they might just construct roads to make it a picnic spot," Dmitri became worried. The werewolves were living around the lake and they often came here for the sake of fun. If humans invaded this place also where would the werewolves go?


    Adrianna smiled at his concern. "That''s no issue Dmitri. I can make humans forget things easily. Don''t you remember my powers?"


    There was a glint of joy in Dmitri''s eyes. "Yes, that''s right."


    They walked along the periphery for some time. During that walk, Adrianna communicated with all the animals to help clean the lake. She knew that after the fire had spread in the jungle, they had come to know who was responsible for it. The beasts of the jungle refused to even touch the flesh of the serpents as if it was venom itself. She reasoned with them that it would benefit them too but whichever herd of animals or flock of birds she came into contact with, they denied her their help.


    While she was returning back, she saw a herd of deer running towards her. The herd stopped right in front of her. The leader who was a male with a handsome body stepped forward. He said, "You have to banish all the serpents from the werewolf realm. If you won''t do it, we all are going to kill them. They cannot thrive in our waters and then try to kill all of us. If you try to ally with any of them, you can consider us as your enemies."


    Adrianna''s mouth fell open. She realized that hatred was all that was left. All that the forest animals could now focus on was revenge. The hate ran so deep in their mind that they warned Adrianna also not to ally with the serpents. But she had already made a promise with Rhys. She felt jammed between the two things. At one side there were the forest animals and on the other side Rhys.


    The herd of deer left when she didn''t answer them. The leader stopped, turned around and said, "We are watching you." And then they were gone.


    Adrianna''s mind was clogged. She was so badly wedged between them.


    She started to walk again. This time she closed her arms against her chest. There were far too many repercussions of the war. While she was in her thoughts, all of a sudden there was a ripple in the lake. The three of them halted and strained their eyes to see what was happening. The evening sun had set down further down the mountains. It was almost twilight.


    The ripple increased when they heard a sound as if someone had slapped the water. Haldir immediately came in front of them and stood there with his wand.


    "Hisssss!" A giant serpent emerged from the lake.


    "Step back," Haldir said as he directed his wand to the serpent with one hand and the other he held in front of Adrianna and Dmitri.


    Adrianna clenched her jaws. "Rhys," she snarled. It couldn''t have been a worse time. She looked at Haldir and said, "Lower your wand. That is Rhys."


    Haldir narrowed his eyes and lowered his wand. "What do you want?" he shouted.


    Rhys hissed darting his forked tongue out and in. He shape shifted as he made his way out of the lake. When he had completely shape shifted, he approached Adrianna and said, "Remember your promise."


    Adrianna scoffed. "What about my promise?"


    Rhys was mad. He gave a dirty look to her. "Now that you have won the war, are you backing from the promise that you would make me the King of the Serpents?"


    Adrianna laughed. It was a laugh that was so wicked, so cold and bitter that Rhys was stunned for a moment.


    With a clenched jaw and teeth grinding, she asked, "How many of you are even left?" "Whose king do you want to be?" She pointed at the lake and said, "That''s where all your kith and kin and friends lie��that too dead. Do you wish to be their king?" She gave him an intense, fevered stare. Her stiff posture, square shoulders and red face spoke all about it��her hatred for that species. She bared her teeth and continued, "If you want to be the king of these dead ones, who is stopping you? Go ahead!"


    She laughed again. This time all of them watched her. Her laugh was riddled with so much bitterness that no one could fathom it.


    "Adrianna!" Rhys shouted after a moment of watching her. "There are other clans too amongst us. If I become the King, all other clans would bow to me."


    Adrianna shrugged. "Then go and declare yourself as the King. Who is stopping you?"


    "What about your support?" he asked as his eyes bulged at her apathy.


    "What about it?" she brushed her fur coat as if something dirty had fallen over it. "Remember your father still lives. Kill your father and be the King. Once he is killed, you are the only heir left to claim the title."


    "What?" Rhys shouted. "You must kill my father. You are now backing down from your commitment."

 Chapter 478 - Meeting Rhys (2)

    "Lower your voice, you serpent," she lashed at him as cursing him by calling him a serpent. "If you cannot kill your father who is old, alone and helpless and without anyone to protect him, then you shouldn''t even dream of getting the throne." She turned her back to him and said, "Also from now on, do not, and I warn you �C do not come anywhere near the Wizard Kingdom or this lake, else, it will take less than two seconds to slice you into pieces and feed them to the ravens."


    Rhys'' eyes bulged with terror. He looked at the Queen of the Wizard Realm unblinkingly. He gulped and became speechless. His lips and chin trembled slightly. He shook his head in denial. He found himself to be such a fool. Not only did he not fight with the people, he betrayed them by hiding all this while in a cave, waiting for Adrianna to come and crown him the next king. Who would even consider him as their king? He actually had only one option left, which was to kill his father if he had to at all stake claim to the throne. But he was shocked that Adrianna wasn''t helping him at all. "Who would help me to kill my father, Adrianna?" he asked completely shocked. "You were the one who committed," he managed to say his throat was choked.


    "No, I never made any commitment to kill your father. I said that I am going to make you the king," she replied. She turned back and walked near him. She brushed his leathery skin and added, "When you are going to claim the title, I will come to crown you." She paused and then glared at him. "And that too if I have time."


    Rhys felt his muscles tensioning. His nostrils flared. He swatted her hand and yelled, "Adrianna! You are a cheat!" Suddenly he lunged at her.


    Both Dmitri and Haldir spun and were about to hold him.


    But Adrianna had anticipated his movement. She brought both her hands forward and pushed him in the lake with all her might. Rhys fell into the lake with a thud.


    "Go, and never come back!" she yelled at him. "If I find you anywhere near this realm or mine, I will personally kill you. You are good for nothing!" It was a primal scream and it made Dmitri and Haldir look at her with fear in their heart.


    Rhys didn''t know what to do. Insulted and threatened by the Queen herself, he had only one option left. He sank his body in the lake while staring at her. Just before he disappeared, he said, "Wait for me Adrianna. I will harm you so badly that you will cry for life."


    In anger, Haldir sent a beam of electricity from his wand. The beam hit the surface of the water and electrified it. The serpent wiggled and swished his tail around feeling the current and then soon dived deeper.


    "Keep a watch on him," instructed Adrianna. "And kill him at the first opportunity if he tries to even come near these realms." She was trembling with fury.


    "Yes, my Queen," Haldir replied. He was raging inside and if it had been for him, he would have killed him already.


    "Let''s go back," Dmitri proposed. Once again he held her hand.


    "Yes," she muttered. "I want to meet Niiya."


    "Now?" Dmitri jerked his head.


    "Hmm��"


    They continued to walk back. Although Haldir proposed that he create a portal, Adrianna refused. She simply wanted to take a stroll and release all her pent up energy.


    As they were walking, they heard a rumble. It was as if a large herd of animals were running, their hooves thumping together.


    Dmitri smiled, "Werewolves."


    They turned back and waited for them. In the twilight of the day, from amongst the dense trees, emerged the werewolves��running in the direction. It was a beautiful sight. So many of them in various hues of white, black and grey, all so lithe and agile on their feet, that it was a view to watch. Led by Nate and Liam, all of them were coming back to their homes. Adrianna didn''t have words to say. Wizards and witches were still in their homes when the attack took place, but the werewolves were dislodged. They had been staying for the past two days in makeshift caves.


    When the werewolves neared their Alpha and Luna, Nate, Liam along with other leaders of the packs shape shifted. They walked to the power couple and bowed.


    The leaders all bowed to them together. The tallest one said, "Supreme Alpha, thank you for your help. You evacuated us in time and so we were all saved. We can''t imagine what could have happened if you had been late. Your timely action led us to safety. We salute your Luna too, who stood by you."


    Dmitri bowed back slightly as he grasped Adrianna''s hand tightly. "You are welcome but this was my duty."


    The leader nodded and then they all merged with their herds. Every one of them went in different directions. Soon the place became clear. Nate and Liam stayed there.


    "Where is Ookashi and Fleur?" asked Adrianna.


    "Fleur is getting Ookashi slowly," Nate replied. She can''t walk fast at the moment.


    "Where are my parents?"


    "They were the first ones to be carried back to the mansion," said Liam.


    "Then what are you two doing here?" Dmitri chided. "Your job is done. Now go to your wives. We will meet in my home in an hour from now."


    They all laughed in unison.


    While Nate and Liam ran back inside the forest, Haldir created the portal for them to meet Niiya.


    They stepped outside in the alley near Niiya''s house. As they were walking towards his house, they noticed that a large number of people had gathered.


    "They must have come for Dr. Tanaka''s funeral," Haldir whispered. He swished his wand and the three of them had changed into black funeral dresses. They walked amongst the throng to Niiya''s house. And as they walked there were several eyes that followed them, especially Adrianna.


    The eyes saw how well covered she was to hide her pregnancy.

 Chapter 479 - Dark Forces?

    Adrianna walked inside Niiya''s house with her head held high, with confidence. She was certain that there were enemies around her, but she was also sure that they wouldn''t do a thing to her for now.


    As the royal couple made their way through the crowd and reached inside the house, they found Niiya sitting with his mother. She was sitting in a corner accepting condolences from the guests while Niiya was sitting quietly beside her, holding her hands. Pryce was also there. She was taking care of the guests. Adrianna was a little surprised to watch her being so friendly. When Niiya looked up, his eyes met with that of Adrianna''s. He looked away from her. Adrianna understood that after all, his father shot himself because of her. She felt guilty. Her chin dropped to her chest and her posture slumped. She bit her lip and in order to avoid Niiya, she tried to take a detour, but Dmitri stopped her.


    "Give your message to him," he said plainly. "This is not your fault."


    Adrianna curled her hands inwards. "Yes," she replied with her chin quivering. The three of them reached Niiya and his mother. His mother looked so grief-stricken that Adrianna didn''t have the heart to say anything. Somehow she found her voice and said in a cracking voice, "I am sorry for your loss."


    Niiya''s mother shook her head. She looked directly into Adrianna''s eyes. "Sit here Adrianna," she requested, politely patting the vacant seat next to her on the sofa. Niiya was surprised but remained quiet. Adrianna sat near her and Dmitri left her to go and stand near Haldir. She could feel Pryce''s eyes boring through her.


    Haldir hadn''t gone anywhere near them. It was just a day back when Inyanga was here trying to break the seals of the General, Niiya and Dr. Tanaka and today there was a prayer meeting. He took a deep breath. The turn of events was so fast that it was really astonishing. But like the perfect bodyguard of his Queen, he crossed his hands across his chest and kept a watchful eye on all those who were present there.


    Mrs. Tanaka''s eyes were red and swollen due to crying a lot. Then in a very low and soft voice she said, "I have no idea when did my husband turn so vicious. All I knew was that he was the Council Head and he had given up that position for Niiya. But there is something that I wanted to tell you. It was a secret that I chanced upon when he was talking to one of the people who had visited our house as his patient."


    Adrianna''s eyes became wide. More secrets. More heartburn. She wondered if her chalice of tensions was ever going to get full. It was as if the tensions and mysteries kept pouring in and it never overflowed. There was always space left for more to come. "What is it?" she asked.


    Mrs. Tanaka exhaled a tired breath and then flitted her gaze around. "Let''s go into my room."


    "Sure," said Adrianna.


    She got up from there as quietly as possible leaving Niiya to attend to the guests and walked to her room. Though Niiya wanted to protest at her mother''s actions, he just sighed and pursed his lips. Pryce came and placed her hand on his shoulder, lightly pressing it.


    Adrianna followed Mrs. Tanaka into her bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and sat on her bed. There she could safely talk to Adrianna. What she didn''t know was that Adrianna had created a shield of air around the room so that none of the talk could be heard outside.


    Mrs. Tanaka started to speak. "He met with a man two weeks back. The man came as a patient but something was very odd about him. Doctor gave papers, you know those medical reports to that man. I don''t know what were those medical reports about at that time but when yesterday Dr. Tanaka revealed that you were pregnant and that there are more who know about it, I kind of added up the things."


    Adrianna''s head reeled. She wasn''t prepared for this information. This was pretty unexpected and her posture stiffened. Her cheeks flushed red. She had kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone, then how did her enemies even come to know about it? Did that mean that they would again strike her? How did the doctor know about her pregnancy? She smacked her head when she remembered that she was the one who suggested going to the human realm to confirm about her pregnancy. Getting her medical reports from there wouldn''t have been a problem for Dr. Tanaka. He was a well known medical practitioner of the town.


    "What else do you know?" Adrianna croaked.


    Mrs. Tanaka could understand her condition. She placed her hand on hers and said, "I am so sorry about all this. Although I do mourn my husband''s loss, I am truly worried about your state." She caressed Adrianna''s hand and continued, "My husband went away after that for two days out of town and when he came back, he wasn''t the same. He talked very less. He seemed to stutter a lot and he spoke very carefully as if measuring each and every word. He was in some sort of dilemma always. I even told him if he would go and show it to another doctor, but he opposed my idea." Her eyes became wet with tears. "He was such a nice man." The tears came out and she sobbed.


    Adrianna put her hand on her shoulders to comfort her.


    Mrs. Tanaka spoke after a short pause. "I don''t know- I really don''t know what possessed him? Why did he become so power hungry? That day when Inyanga wanted to get into his cell, he vehemently refused her saying that there were hundreds of seals in his mind that she would never be able to open. I am so scared of him, for him that I pitied him also. He was suffering. And then- and then he shot himself. He didn''t even give me a proper chance to talk him out of it."


    She looked up at Adrianna with eyes that were full of guilt and remorse. "I think he had met some dark forces that bound him with promises which he couldn''t dare to reveal. And that is why he suffered so much."


    Adrianna removed her hands from her shoulders feeling numb. Dark forces? What did that mean? Everything was hazy. "Do you know anything about the dark forces?" she asked.


    Mrs. Tanaka shook her head. "He never said a word about it."


    Adrianna knew what to do next. She had to get Dr. Tanaka''s head to Inyanga. Somehow, Ziu wasn''t as important to her now. If those forces did not attack her then, then it was apparent that they were waiting for the right time to strike her. She shuddered. Were they waiting for her to deliver her child? Or were they planning to kill her before she delivered. Suddenly she realized that she shouldn''t have come there. She felt that she should get out of Niiya''s house as soon as possible when the door opened with a thud.

 Chapter 480 - The Trident

    Adrianna and Mrs. Tanaka jumped when the door opened unexpectedly. They became quiet instantly. There was no one on the outside. Shocked, Adrianna walked to the door clutching her wand tightly. She looked to her left and right but there was no one. Suspecting something foul, she quickly closed the door.


    "Who was there?"


    "I don''t know," replied Adrianna with a shrug. Her anxiety rose.


    They were about to start talking again when the door opened again. Mrs. Tanaka narrowed her eyes when she saw that it was Pryce who was standing on the doorway.


    "There are some guests waiting for you," she said looking at Mrs. Tanaka. "You should probably come out and talk to them."


    "You go. I''ll be there in five minutes," said Mrs. Tanaka.


    Pryce''s gaze shifted from her to Adrianna and then after a pause she nodded and left, closing the door behind her.


    Adrianna turned to Mrs. Tanaka, and said, "Will you be able to recognize that person if he is here today?"


    "Yes, I can easily do that but for now I would advise you to leave the house immediately. In fact you should not come out of the Wizard Kingdom until you deliver the baby," she advised. "That is your safe haven." Saying that she got up from there, kissed Adrianna on her forehead and walked to the door.


    Just before she opened the door, Adrianna said, "If that man is here, I would like to see him."


    "That person has already gone," she replied and walked out leaving Adrianna in a bind. The only way for her to find out about that man would be to ask Inyanga to enter her cell or maybe she could enter and at least come to know about the face of the person. With that idea in mind she followed her to the main hall. She noticed that Niiya was talking to humans and Pryce was standing with him. They had held their hands tightly. Adrianna smiled. She was genuinely happy that Niiya had moved on but she was sure of one thing �C she wouldn''t let him be the Council Head anymore. She was planning to stake a claim to that. If the council members didn''t take her as the head, she would get Dmitri but definitely not Niiya. It was time that he went out of the equation.


    Adrianna noticed that Niiya''s mother had gone to attend to guests. She entered her cell without her knowing about it. But she was surprised that there was not one person who was unfamiliar to her. All of them were people from the town. And she knew most of them. She saw a group of five girls talking to Haldir. They were acting as though they were his fans.


    "Are you a model?" asked one of them. "You are handsome."


    Haldir''s face was as stiff as a stone. He didn''t reply.


    "Oh! I remember. You came in that movie in a cameo role," she exclaimed and even mentioned the name of the movie.


    Haldir gritted his teeth. Dmitri was only too happy to come to his rescue. He sauntered to him with a plate of cheesecake and circled his shoulders with his arm. "I see you have taken fancy for my friend here," he gave a sexy smile and look. A crumb was stuck on his lower lip.


    And when the girls saw the two of them standing together, they swooned. "Are you guys related to each other?" asked the cutest one. She was so starry eyed that she went on to remove the crumb from Dmitri''s lip.


    "Ah! Thank you," he bowed slightly with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.


    The other one was not able to resist the perfect bow-shaped lips of Haldir. She licked hers and said, "Would you like to take a walk outside?"


    Adrianna had come out of Mrs. Tanaka''s cell and her eyes shifted to her husband who was unnecessarily flirting. He was laughing softly while Haldir was standing with him with his arms across his chest, stiff as a ramrod. As she walked towards the two of them with narrowed eyes, she heard Dmitri say, "Well if you like, I can walk with you outside."


    The girl rejected him, "But you are Adrianna''s husband. I mean I wouldn''t mind walking with you outside, but she might." The girl looked away from his crestfallen face and addressed Haldir. "I really love those long soft hair. You are the most beautiful person I''ve met. Please, can I just walk with you? Can we meet after this?" she begged.


    Haldir pursed his lips. His pointy ears that were hidden beneath his hair twitched.


    Suddenly he saw Inyanga walking inside the main hall. He was shocked and his eyes became wide. He so wanted to make those girls disappear.


    Inyanga spotted Adrianna. She approached her and whispered, "You need to leave this place now."


    "What happened?" asked Adrianna with a frown. She was just as surprised.


    "I will explain to you later."


    Inyanga went to Haldir and Dmitri. Haldir thought that Inyanga had heard that girl flirting with him.


    "I am not going for a walk with her or meet her either," he addressed Inyanga all of a sudden with a serious expression. "She is clinging on to me. I have nothing to do with her."


    Inyanga blushed heavily. He spoke so fast that except that girl who was highly embarrassed, none of them could even laugh properly. Adrianna suppressed her chuckle but it was Dmitri who couldn''t control. He laughed and he actually guffawed. And everyone looked. And then Adrianna pulled him out. Haldir appeared like a fool. "I am sorry, my Queen," he muttered, his cheeks becoming red like an apple.


    "Oh my God! You look so cute," exclaimed another girl seeing a flushed Haldir.


    Haldir literally ran out from there after Inyanga, Adrianna and Dmitri.


    Inyanga was unnaturally quiet. She kept her head low all the while until the four of them stepped in the royal palace. Haldir muttered under his breath when he caught up with her, "I don''t know who that girl is."


    "So?" she asked. "What can I do about it?"


    Haldir stopped, his facial muscles were slack and he licked his lips.


    Inyanga raised her eyebrow. "What?"


    "N- nothing," he answered slowly with a knot in his stomach.


    Adrianna had walked into the main hall. She turned to look at the two of them. Seeing Haldir in an unpleasant situation, she called out, "What was so important, Inyanga?"


    Inyanga hurriedly left a stunned Haldir. She approached Adrianna with a caution in her eyes. "I have inspected the cells of all the prisoners we had taken in and there''s only one thing that came up."


    Adrianna looked at her, the yellow of her slit constricting.


    "Two of them knew about your pregnancy and it is related to something in the human realm."


    "How is it related?"


    "These two wizard prisoners were part of your spying team in the human realm. They have a tattoo on the back of their neck, which is an inverted trident." Inyanga picked a cherry from the fruit tray and continued, "They had met two more people in human realm who also have trident tattoos but the difference is that their tattoos contain tridents that are on a beast''s neck��it''s like they are killing that beast."


    None of them could understand the connection. "I think it''s just a fancy to the tattoos," Adrianna said with a shrug.


    "Or, it has something to do with a cult," said Inyanga looking past Adrianna.


    "Cult?"

 Chapter 481 - Cult?

    Adrianna raised her eyebrows and said with a chuckle, "Inyanga, a cult means that there are very few people who like that belief. So I am sure that even if what you are saying is correct, there are very few people who might be following it. Also, having a tattoo is very common amongst the wizards. In fact I have seen several in this kingdom who have all their bodies covered in tattoos." She scoffed, "It is nothing new. It is possible that these two must have gone to a tattoo parlor together and got it carved on their skins." Adrianna shrugged her shoulders. "I cannot take decisions on the basis that two spies have the same trident tattoo as humans." She sounded irritated thinking how childish Inyanga was. There were more pressing matters to handle. Especially Niiya''s removal as the Council Head and the fact that in all the excitement that took place at his house, she forgot to ask him about water purification of the lake. Adrianna pinched the skin in the middle of her eyebrows, a mild headache was beginning to form.


    But Inyanga continued. She got up from her place and walked to the window to look at the mountains far in the distance. Her black eyes were focused beyond those when she said, "You see trident is the weapon of Poseidon, the God of Sea. He used it to kill his enemies. Not only that, trident is a weapon of many Gods and deities in mythologies across the world. Its spears symbolize magical powers, wisdom and dominance. It is a symbol of power that is associated with seas and waters and thunderstorms." She paused and twirled a loose strand of her hair. "Now imagine this in a malevolent sense."


    Dmitri and Haldir immediately stiffened. Inyanga''s theory was getting too dark.


    "What do you mean?" asked Dmitri.


    "What I am saying is why was the trident inked inverted in these four? Usually, if people ink it on their skin, they get the one, which is pointing up. That is the symbol of power," she emphasized on ''symbol of power''. "It doesn''t make sense to draw it upside down!"


    She walked up to Adrianna''s sofa, made a circle and walked past it. She sat back in her place and looked at her intensely. "A cult has few people not because few people like it, but because those few like to keep things mysterious. They can''t go around in public talking about their beliefs. The trident does represent all those powers but those powers can also be associated with a person who actually has magical powers and thinks that he or she is powerful."


    Adrianna was getting a headache now. She just wanted to stop it. "This is nothing Inyanga. You are reading a lot between the lines. There are many people who have that inked on their skin," Adrianna said with indifference. She was expecting more intricate information. A group of people with trident tattoos was not important. "I can''t understand the importance of your cult theory." She was on the edge and wanted to dismiss her completely. She wanted to know where Shang Kui and Enya were.


    But Inyanga overlooked her statement. "The thing is that often cults have this rule. In order to recognize each other, they will have similar tattoos��a kind of a brotherhood tattoo. And amongst the cult members also there is a hierarchy. So while the element of the tattoos is going to be the same, it will have variations in depictions. In this case the tridents were all the same. They all had three lines on the staff but there was a variation. In two members, it was just an inverted trident on the back of their necks, while two others, the same trident was stabbing the beast''s neck."


    Adrianna shook her head and sighed. She was wondering how to tackle exposing her pregnancy. She remembered how Niiya''s mother had seen Dr. Tanaka talking about her condition to someone. This meant that the news must have been already floating there. So if the spies knew about her pregnancy, it was fine because as spies they were supposed to know a lot of things. But it was something else that bothered. Who in the human realm knew about it?


    The cult theory had its effect on Dmitri who was horror-struck by now. He interjected, "This is very unpleasant, Inyanga. I am worried about the fact that the two wizards were still quiet about Adrianna''s pregnancy? They knew it for some time now."


    "Of course, they were quiet. If the Queen hasn''t declared that she is pregnant, then how can they say," Inyanga reasoned. "But that''s not the thing." She paused to rub her chin. "If they knew about your pregnancy, I feel that there is someone out there who will definitely try to harm you and your baby."


    "Then what should we do?" Dmitri was panic-struck.


    "First, you cannot move out of the Wizard Kingdom. Second, suppress your enemy at all costs," Inyanga replied like a ruler.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna. "You should''ve entered the cells of all who were present in Niiya''s home." He chided her, "And from now on you are not allowed to go out of the Wizard Realm."


    Adrianna rolled her eyes.


    "Oh! I entered," said Inyanga excitedly.


    Everyone was shocked that she did that in such less time.


    Inyanga pursed her lips. "I couldn''t help it."


    "Did you find anything?" Dmitri asked.


    "Yes," she nodded watching Adrianna''s agitated looks. "I didn''t find anything in the cells but my gaze flickered to a girl standing close to Adrianna who had a similar tattoo on the back of her neck, only this time a man was holding the trident with the beast''s neck impaled."


    Dmitri''s eyes bulged larger than a football field. "Who was this girl?" he asked in a cracked voice.


    "I don''t know, but her back was turned to Adrianna. I saw the tattoo when she removed her hair aside."


    There was silence in the hall.


    Adrianna shifted in her place. This was enough. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked at the garden from the window. The sound of water falling from the fountainhead was audible. She exhaled deeply and said, "Thanks Inyanga. I will take it from here now." That statement stopped Inyanga from speaking any further and she lowered her head.


    "Adri, I think that you should take this theory seriously. Even if it is nothing, there is no harm in investigating it," said Dmitri with a grave expression.


    "Dmitri, I don''t have time to work on theories. I need proof! Has there been any killing associated with the cult members? Has any abduction taken place?" She lashed at him. "Maybe all of us are overthinking a lot after the war. Maybe we should just relax!" Then almost on an impulse, Adrianna summoned Isidorus. He came there within a minute. "Yes, my Queen."


    "Arrange a grand feast for all the subjects as victory celebrations. Make sure that each and every wizard and witch visits."


    Everyone was stunned. This was a precarious thing she was ordering. What if someone attacked her?


    But Adrianna was determined. "This celebration should take place in two days."


    "Yes, my Queen," Isidorus replied. Then he asked slowly, "The position of the Military General is lying vacant. I was in a meeting with the ministry people and they were asking about it."


    "I will announce it during the grand feast," she said with a poker face.


    There are many ministry members who are interested in talking to you regarding the position.


    "Let them."

 Chapter 482 - The Ministry Positions

    Isidorus was in a meeting with the ministry members when Adrianna summoned him. Most of them had only one thing in mind, which was to fill Mihr''s position. Isidorus was dejected with the way everyone showed his or her greed for the position. It had not even been three days since his death and the ministry people were behaving like hawks who had their eyes set on the post of the Military General. He wanted the Queen to interfere in the matter and quiet them. However, he wasn''t saying much to her because he knew that even she needed some rest.


    Apart from that Ziu''s residence had exploded. The damage had been huge. It would take some time to build it up. Since a lot of ground of Level Three that was under his palace had blown, Isidorus was searching for a similar kind of soil that would float in the level and sustain construction. That kind of soil was only available in the moors outside the Land of Gaira��which was where the spirits resided. And no one dared to even go there.


    So when Adrianna summoned him, he thought he would take the opportunity to discuss the matter with her. When he appeared before her, he found that she was already in deep discussion with Inyanga and the rest.


    "They were asking about it," he updated her.


    "Let them," she replied with nonchalance.


    Isidorus drew his head back with a slight jerk. He was shocked at her answer. Either she was taking it too lightly or she didn''t want to address that situation at the moment.


    "What about Ziu''s position?" he asked in a very low voice not wanting to attract her wrath. Although none of the members had asked about it, he knew that they would soon.


    Adrianna looked sharply at him and bared her teeth in a low snarl as if that was the most hateful word she had ever listened. Except Dmitri who understood her well, everyone cringed. "Let that position remain vacant for as long as I feel the need to fill it." She spoke like a tyrant.


    "Yes, my Queen," Isidorus replied as a thin line of sweat appeared on his forehead.


    When Isidorus mentioned the name ''Ziu'', it was like a thousand needles had pierced her body. Adrianna''s face flushed red. After a pause she ordered, "Arrange a meeting with the ministry. I will be there in an hour."


    "Yes, my Queen," Isidorus replied with respect and immediately left.


    "This is a bad decision Adrianna," Dmitri noted. "What kind of victory celebrations are you talking about? This was a victory which cost so many lives."


    Adrianna stared directly in Dmitri''s eyes, "You are right Dmitri, the celebrations are to celebrate the dead��those who gave up their lives, those who were willing to give up their lives, those who stood with me." She said all that in one breath. She was extremely agitated. Her fists curled tightly.


    Dmitri had only one thing in his mind��his baby. He walked to sit next to her and placed his hand on her tummy. He stroked her hair and lightly kissed on her cheek. "Relax baby. I am saying that only for our child. These past few months have been extremely worrisome. There was a lot of mental pressure on all of us."


    Adrianna kept her head on his shoulders and nodded. She needed to relax.


    "Now that you have already declared to host a grand feast for the subjects, go for it, but after that I want you to unwind, take a breather, okay? You will not step out of the Wizard Kingdom. Whatever you want will be presented to you right here. In fact you won''t go anywhere else other than the palace, ministry block and noble court."


    "What?" Adrianna was shocked. "No! I will visit Level One and Two and if need be, I will go out of this realm."


    "No!" Dmitri rebuked her. "You are not going anywhere else."


    Adrianna sighed. Her husband was as stubborn as a mule sometimes. She conceded with slumped shoulders. "Okay, if you say so."


    Dmitri smiled. "Thanks dear."


    Inyanga watched the two of them with a faint smile and then got up to leave. She said, "Adrianna, I think my work here is over. I would like to take my leave."


    Adrianna understood that she wanted to go back to her kingdom. She raised her head from Dmitri''s shoulder and said, "Please wait for the grand feast. It would be my pleasure if you could attend it."


    Haldir felt as though his heart had lurched out. Every wisp of air left his lung when Inyanga announced that she had to leave. Promptly he added, "But what about the cult theory? I think you should help us in finding more about it." He sounded too convinced.


    Even Adrianna was shocked. She raised her eyebrow again. She communicated mentally to him, "Why don''t you simply open up with your feelings?"


    "What feelings?" came the answer back.


    Adrianna smacked her head.


    "Well, if Adrianna isn''t interested I don''t think there???s any point in developing or finding about it," Inyanga replied to Haldir''s dejection. She turned to Adrianna and said, "Do you remember the rain-check I asked you about?"


    Adrianna nodded with a smile. "What can I do for you?"


    "I have come to this part of the world for the first time and so I was thinking of going as a tourist to visit places. And I would prefer to drive."


    "That is wonderful," Adrianna answered with a grin. "Would you like me to send someone with you?"


    "I can go!" Haldir reacted quickly before Adrianna came with someone else''s name. At the risk of not sounding eager, he added, "I mean even I haven''t visited anywhere in many years, so if the Queen allows, I can accompany Inyanga. Plus it is only out of protocol that I am saying so because after all Inyanga has helped us in the war." Haldir didn''t know how silly he appeared to be. His face was red till the neck. His ears were twitching and his heartbeat was so loud that everyone in the hall could hear it.


    Dmitri''s mouth fell open. Inyanga didn''t know where to look while Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She was literally holding her laughter to the extent that tears came out. "Do you have a license to drive, Haldir?" she asked suppressing herself.


    "I can get one," he replied and waved his hand in the air. A pile of licenses appeared in the air dropping around him.


    "See that they are valid or not. You may accompany Inyanga but you better be here for the celebrations."


    "Yes, my Queen."


    "Then just be careful," Adrianna rose from her place. "I have to go to the ministry. I will come back soon," she said.


    "I am waiting," Dmitri replied with his trademark lopsided smile.


    Adrianna got sucked in a vortex.


    When she reached the ministry, she saw how eagerly every member was waiting for her. She sat down in her chair at the head of the table. Even before she could speak, the Minister of Transport, a witch named Yanga, interjected, "My Queen, Mihr''s position is of utmost importance, which should be filled soon. My son, Kenai was only a few years your senior at the Wizard Academy. He is a young, strong wizard and the fact that he is the son of a ministry member, you should consider him to make your Military General."


    ---


    A ritual was taking place in a remote area of the town that was surrounded by heavy vegetation. A werewolf was being sacrificed.

 Chapter 483 - The Sacrifice

    "What are you all doing?" asked a frightened Deba. His face was ashen white. He was blinking rapidly and his breath was bursting in and out. "Please, leave me. I will never come back to this side." He was tied to a wooden post in a dark room that had no ceiling. Men and women in black cloaks with hoods were standing around him.


    Deba had come to the east side of the forest along with his wife. They belonged to the Red Moon Pack that was once Adrianna''s father''s pack. He had come to visit the town with his wife who was about to have a baby. He wanted her to have her baby in the human hospital instead of having it at the healer''s place. He had admitted her to the hospital. She had undergone labor and the doctors had asked him to go back. It was at this time, when he was returning that a group attacked him. He noticed two of them taking their wands out and throwing a spell on him. He got paralyzed and was abducted. "Please leave me," he would utter hoarsely but soon passed out. When he opened his eyes, he found himself tied with a rope to a wooden post. The people around him were chanting, "Provbis, Oh the Great Soul! Provbis."


    Deba smelled gasoline around him. Although he was tied very tightly, he was finding it difficult to stand because his feet couldn''t find a proper ground to stand. So he looked down to where he was standing and his eyes bulged. To his horror, he was standing on a pile of logs, which were freshly sprayed with fuel.


    "Leave me! Leave me!" he shouted on top of his lungs.


    A woman in the hood stepped forward with a sword and attacked him on the leg.


    "No! No! What are you doing?" Deba shouted. He saw a trident tattoo on her wrist as she raised her hand with a sword. In one fast motion, she brought the sword and struck his right leg slicing it from below the knee. It fell on the logs amidst Deba''s excruciating screams. The blood sprayed on her hands and cloak. Calmly, she gave the sword to a man standing in the front who then came forward and sliced Deba''s left leg. Deba kept shouting in harrowing pain. He kept telling them about his new baby. He pleaded with them to spare him for his baby but his cries soon became a hoarse whisper as he got covered in sweat and he felt dazed. And the last he saw was that someone had lit the logs. The group watched him crying out in pain as they chanted Provbis until Deba was completely consumed in flames.


    ---


    Adrianna listened to Yanga with narrowed eyes. Yanga went on saying, "My son had topped the Wizard Academy and was in fact one of the best wizards." What she meant was that her son, Kenai was better than Adrianna too. "He is a pure-blooded wizard and being one of the youngest, toughest and very sound academically, he is the best choice for being the Military General."


    Yanga went on to create her son''s image in the air in front of everyone to see and recognize him.


    Adrianna heard her blabbing about her son and then said. "I never saw him during the war."


    Yanga jerked her head slightly and licked her lips. She stuttered, "Well, he- he- he was protecting the-"


    "Oh, I wasn''t asking about his whereabouts," Adrianna said with nonchalance. She knew that Yanga wanted to say that he was protecting the house.


    Yanga was embarrassed. She quickly added, "You can test him out in any way you like and I am hundred percent sure that he would fare best." She said as though throwing a challenge to Adrianna only.


    Adrianna sighed. She thought how stupid Yanga was sounding but she couldn''t stop her because after all she was a minister. So she pursed her lips and held her hands close to her chest. "I would be glad to test him," she replied with a sneer.


    Yanga gulped. "Yes, you must. After all that is the position of the Military General." She paused and looked at other ministry members for support. "I think it is important that we have this post filled by someone amongst us only rather than finding it in the entire Kingdom."


    While some members nodded, others stayed quiet. As usual Isidorus imparted an impartial expression. His face was cold as ice.


    Adrianna turned her gaze around. "Is there anything else?"


    "What about Ziu''s position?" asked another minister who was sitting across her. He was the Minister of Relations who had replaced the earlier one. He stared at her directly into her golden yellow eyes as though trying to intimidate her but her gaze was so intent that he lowered his.


    Adrianna exploded inside with anger hearing Ziu''s name. She curled her hands into tight fists until her knuckles were white. She clenched her teeth to restrain herself from shouting. A muscle feathered in her jaw. When she found her voice, she hissed, "That position will be abolished."


    Everyone around the table looked at her with wide eyes. How can she just take a decision like that? "This position was created long back. You can''t simply abolish it one day because the person who held it was a traitor," he countered.


    The Minister of Relations was quick to enter his cell and read whom he had to offer as a candidate for the position. "So do you also want another of your kin to take that post?"


    "No!" he replied with a shock. "I mean, why not-"


    They were messing with her, with someone who had so many wars and had strategized them well. She scoffed, "Why do you want his post? You want to enter his palace? You want access to his files, his secrets or only his post?"


    The Minister couldn''t answer properly. "I- I-"


    "The thing is that everything associated with Ziu has been seized. His palace, his friends, his family and even his servants have been thrown into jails. So that is one very delicate position. So whoever is willing to fill it, understand it very carefully��every movement of yours will be monitored. In fact I will be personally monitoring every movement of yours. Every breath that you will take will be mine to command," said Adrianna with a dangerous tone. Her nostrils flared and she bared her teeth as she spoke those words. It was as if her body''s entire hatred was being spit out.


    All those around her, quivered in terror. Some ministers clasped their hands in their laps because of tension.


    She pointed at the Minister of Relations and asked, "Do you still have interest in it?"


    "No, my Queen," came a terse reply.


    "Then the post stands abolished. You have other questions?"


    "No."


    Adrianna rose from her chair and walked out of the room. The Ministers were left behind trembling under her threats.


    When she reached the palace, she found that Dmitri wasn''t there. Enya and Shang Kui were waiting for her. She greeted them. Then she asked the servant about Dmitri.


    "My Queen, he has left for the werewolf realm on an urgent basis."


    Adrianna frowned. What could be so urgent? Her mind went to her parent-in-laws. "I must visit them," she thought and then started to talk to the two wizard rulers.


    ---


    Deba''s wife gave birth to a baby girl a few hours later.


    The group watched Deba burn to death. Once only his charred body was seen, they left the place quietly.


    A man walked in front of the woman who had sliced Deba''s leg and said��

 Chapter 484 - It Is Necessary

    In a cold icy voice, the man reminded the woman, "This is just the first sacrifice. We need three more in order to get the master here." His white hair came out when he removed his hood. He looked deathly cold.


    "You don''t have to tell me. I know that," she replied in an equally cold voice. Her pale white face looked like that of a ghost in the moonlight that filtered through the trees.


    "In that case you better bring more of these beasts, else-," the man warned.


    The woman''s heart jumped with terror but she kept her emotions well hidden. "Why don''t you go and get them?"


    His eyes became cold, hard and flinty with her curt answer. "Don''t make me sacrifice you next," he threatened her in a nasty tone.


    The woman exhaled deeply and walked past him. She was dead scared on the inside.


    The man watched her leave in her car and then got sucked in a vortex. There were too many kinds of people in the cult that he had to manage��wizards, witches, humans and werewolves. Each was necessary for the mission and had been handpicked by him.


    ---


    "I would like to go back to my Kingdom, Adrianna," Shang Kui said. "It has been quite a few days now."


    "I understand," Adrianna replied with a nod and a faint smile. "However, it would be an honor if both of you can stay back for the grand victory celebrations." She looked at Enya.


    Enya took a deep breath. "I can''t say no to that because it has been a long time since anyone invited me for a feast like that." Inside she was planning to stay over for a few more days and enjoy the country like Inyanga.


    Shang Kui nodded. His eyes were glowing. He leaned forward and said, "Thanks Adrianna but there is one thing I would like to mention."


    "Sure?" she asked, maintaining a strong eye contact.


    "I had asked me if you could give me one of the clones of Kayla," he reminded her.


    "Yes, Shang Kui. I remember that very well. In fact why don''t you go to the lab where the clones are developed and choose one? I believe there are more than ten over there," Adrianna offered.


    Shang Kui smiled and sat with straight shoulders and back. "That would be nice! When can I go?"


    "You can go anytime you feel. I will send someone to assist you." Adrianna smiled at his eagerness. "But if you don''t mind, may I ask why are you so interested in Kayla''s clone?"


    Shang Kui became absolutely quiet and stared at Adrianna. He quirked an eyebrow and then lowered his head. She understood that he didn''t want to share the reason and it was none of her business. She changed the topic again.


    ---


    Dmitri had gone to the Werewolf Realm to meet his parents. Although they had been brought back first, he hadn''t had a chance to meet them. He was looking forward to his betas gathering with their wives, but the turn of events was too quick and at the moment he wanted the safety of his wife.


    They discussed how to clean the lake water and what all precautions to take next. "Father, please send an instruction on my behalf to all the packs that they should not leave the Werewolf Territory for the next few days until I give a green flag."


    "Why is that so Dmitri?" asked Pierre as he stood to make himself a glass of whiskey.


    Dmitri blew out a long breath, "I have a vague hunch that things aren''t over yet. There is something in the shadows that is waiting to jump out. And when that will happen, it might be too late. So I want all the werewolves to not venture out. We will be sustaining all the territories with whatever supplies we have in store."


    "Okay," said Pierre looking in the distance. "How is Adrianna doing? We would like her to come here."


    "She is doing good. I have asked her to stay in Wizard Kingdom strictly. There are going to be grand victory celebrations in two days. So she will not be able to come. However, the two of you have to be there."


    Pierre chortled. He said, "Dmitri, that is nice, but I want another victory celebration in our realm too. After all it has been a collective win. All the werewolves are looking forward to it. They want to see their Supreme Alpha and his Luna. It is important to display your strength at this time."


    Dmitri''s face became as hard as a stone. "If it isn''t necessary, I would like to pass."


    "It is necessary," Pierre replied coldly. He took a sip and went to sit with Cora.


    "Okay, let me have a talk with Adrianna," he answered. After a pause, he said, "I have to go back father."


    The messengers spread Dmitri''s message throughout the packs the next day. However, Deba and his wife had already left for the hospital before they heard the message.


    ---


    Deba''s wife got discharged from the hospital a day later. She waited for her husband to come and pick her up but he didn''t come. At first she was angry with him for neglecting her but her anger soon turned into worry. She got herself discharged from the hospital and with the baby somehow managed to reach her pack. She didn''t find him at home so went around searching for him in that condition. An hour later the entire pack knew about it. A massive hunt was launched for Deba but he couldn''t be found.


    She became too anxious. With a small baby and a lost husband, she was on the verge of panic. It was then she heard the message that none of the werewolves were allowed to go out of their territories but for her it was too late. She decided to go to meet the Supreme Alpha.


    ---


    Haldir was enjoying his time with Inyanga. The two of them toured to various cities in the country. He remained by her side all the time but never demanded anything. She reveled in her holiday. She drank in a lot, ate a lot, flipped and freaked, got high, and lived it up. Because of the fact that she was so pretty, there was never a dearth of men around her. And this peeved Haldir the most. Every time he would see them wooing her, he would hate them, feeling angry at their banter. All Inyanga did was to stand up with a grin that would light up the world and all boys would make a beeline for her attention. It took him a while to realize that those feelings were becoming his problem. Was he envious of them? In the end, he decided to talk to her about it, to understand himself in her eyes. What he never realized or even took care of was that wherever he went, his perfect, out worldly features were becoming popular with the girls. A girl even took his video, which she later discovered that it was a corrupt file.


    So just before the holiday ended, he called her for an exclusive dinner in a private, resplendent dining area.


    Sitting across him, Inyanga looked seductive in her blue dress. Her hair was open and the only jewelry she wore was diamond earrings. They had dinner in silence. During that time Haldir garnered courage to tell her about his feelings. Over the desert he opened his mouth, "Inyanga?"


    She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.


    "I- I wanted to say something."


    "Sure."


    "I-"


    Suddenly a wizard servant appeared.

 Chapter 485 - The Victory Celebrations (1)

    Haldir and Inyanga jumped on their chairs at this sudden intrusion.


    The wizard servant was from the royal palace. He had folded his hands in front as he stood there. He bowed to them and informed, "The Queen has called you on an urgent basis."


    Haldir gritted his teeth out of frustration, which he didn''t let manifest the face. His blue veins popped up on the neck. The servant stood there well aware of the awkward situation. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Inyanga chuckled upon seeing Haldir''s clenched jaw.


    Although he didn''t ask as to why the Queen called, the servant explained, "Victory celebrations are going to take place from tomorrow and the Queen has to talk to you on some critical matter."


    "She wants to see me now?" asked Haldir, with a serious expression wondering about the gravity of the situation.


    "Yes," the servant replied.


    "Okay, thanks," Haldir said as he rose from his chair.


    The servant got sucked in the vortex leaving the two of them alone.


    Haldir took a deep breath. He didn''t like the timing because he was about to ask Inyanga something really crucial but since it was the Queen who had asked him to come personally, he couldn''t avoid it either. He looked at Inyanga, who had rested her head on her palm and was smiling. "Can we continue this conversation later? I have to go."


    "Sure," she replied with a nod. "Let us both go back," she suggested.


    Haldir was happy that she understood him so well. The two of them went back to their rooms, packed their things within a few seconds by waving their hands in the air to cast spells over the belongings and left within five minutes.


    Haldir saw Adrianna sitting in the main hall talking to Dmitri.


    "Father is insisting that we commemorate the victory in the Werewolf Realm too," he said. He was sprawled on a couch opposite Adrianna looking very exhausted.


    "I think he is right, Dmitri. After all, even the werewolves were a part of the war. We deserve this festivity just like anyone else," replied Adrianna.


    Dmitri turned his head to look at her. He smiled at the way she thought herself as a werewolf more than being a witch even though she was more of a witch.


    Hearing his internal thoughts, Adrianna grinned, "You forget that my wolf is stronger than yours and that I was a werewolf at first."


    Dmitri raised his eyebrow. "Now that''s a questionable point. I am your Alpha."


    Adrianna couldn''t hold her laughter. "Now that is condescending."


    It was at this time that Haldir appeared.


    "My Queen," he bowed.


    "Oh! Hello Haldir," Adrianna said with a jerk.


    "You summoned me," he informed her.


    "Yes," she nodded. She picked a fruit from the tray in front and said, "There is a very important event that you have to attend tomorrow."


    ---


    Yanga had gone back home after the meeting was over. He wasn''t there in the house. She was getting worried about him because lately he wouldn''t return home for several nights in a row. She knew that he was a talented boy and didn''t get a good start in his profession, but she had always told him that wizards live very long, and he was too young to worry about a steady profession. He blamed her for not helping him at all. When Mihr died, it was him who gave her the idea of filling up that post and using her position as a Minister to influence the Queen.


    Kenai came pretty late that night. However as soon as he came, Yanga approached him. Kenai looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes. When he saw his mother, he scoffed and ignored her.


    In order to cheer him up, Yanga burst with good news, "I have mentioned your name to Adrianna in regards to the post."


    Kenai was about to retire to his bed but he stopped. Without looking at her he said, "That''s good. Has she agreed?" There was a contemptuous look in his eyes.


    "She said that she would like to take your test," Yanga informed. "Isn''t that good? You are one of the ablest wizards in the kingdom," Yanga asked in a voice that wavered a little because she was afraid of his reaction.


    Kenai narrowed his eyes and then turned to look at his mother. "What kind of test? And why should I undergo a test? I am much more intelligent than that bloody bitch!" He lashed at her with a flushed face.


    Yanga tried to pacify him. "You are definitely more intelligent, Kenai. And that is why you should prove it to her. Most likely, she is going to challenge you in a combat of spells. This is your chance to put her down and show her that you are a pure-blood wizard while she is the filthy one."


    Kenai moved his chin up. He straightened feeling better and muttered, "Tomorrow I will show her that she is nothing in front of me."


    Yanga smiled and Kenai left.


    ---


    Next day the entire Wizard Kingdom was submerged with festivities. The wizards and witches wore fancy costumes. There was an explosion of colors that could contend with a fairy''s garden. There was music in the air, and the festive pulse lifted the emotions of the people as they sang and danced and had fun. It was as if the entire kingdom was in some kind of a heavenly rhythm. They celebrated the victory, they celebrated the Queen. At every corner there were mini stalls where Queen''s servants distributed delicious food. The air wafted with a pleasent smell.


    It was morning 10AM and Adrianna was getting ready to receive guests. She wore a blue gown that fitted through her waist and fanned out in lovely waves behind her. The gown was comfortable to accommodate her three months pregnancy. The maids fastened the buttons down her back. Her hair was tied in a bun on top of the head and pearl pins bedecked it. Large tear-shaped white pearl earrings were added. She was made to wear a necklace that had so many pearls in it that it seemed as if stars were floating on her skin. When Adrianna was done, she wore a sequined, black velvet cloak and walked out of her chamber, ready to meet the guests.


    Dmitri''s breath was caught in his throat. That was her prettiest self he''d seen so far. Although in his white, golden-embroidered shirt with black pants, he too was looking dashing.


    Enchanted, Dmitri went to her and she curled her hands around his arm. The two of them walked to the main hall where all the distinguished guests were waiting. It included the Ministers and their families.


    All of them greeted the King and Queen of the Wizard Kingdom. A silence fell as they bowed. As she walked to the two luxurious high sofas where the two of them were supposed to sit, her eyes went to Yanga and a tall black-haired boy standing right next to her. The two of them immediately bowed to her, but what surprised Adrianna was presence of a fat girl who was standing right next to Kenai. She gave her a smile, which was returned sweetly.


    When they were seated, Yanga was the first one to come to her. "This is my son, Kenai and daughter, Lenny."


    Adrianna ignored the mother and son and looked at the daughter, "How are you Lenny?"


    "Who is she?" Dmitri asked telepathically.


    "Lenny was in the same class with me in the academy."


    Before Lenny could speak anything, Yanga exclaimed, "Kenai is ready for your test".

 Chapter 486 - The Victory Celebrations (2)

    Yanga was slightly taken aback when Adrianna ignored her and Kenai, and instead spoke to Lenny, but as soon as she remembered that Lenny was her classmate in the Wizard Academy, she gave a nervous chortle and said, "Oh! I completely forgot. Lenney was in the same class as you."


    Lenny blushed slightly out of embarrassment. Their group had always ridiculed Adrianna or sometimes even went against her in the Academy but Adrianna always showed her intelligence and patience in dealing with them. She replied softly, "I am good, Adrianna."


    Adrianna noticed that Lenny hadn''t reduced at all. She was as chubby as she was way back in the academy. Wearing a knee length green chiffon dress that was covering her arms fully, she was looking just like any other student. In a way Adrianna envied her. She thought what a carefree life this girl must be leading. She looked at her with interest and said, "It is nice to meet you after a long time. Please enjoy the party."


    Lenny bowed again. This was her cue to leave from there. "Thanks," she said and left.


    Adrianna''s cold gaze shifted to Kenai. "It is a pleasure to meet you Kenai," she said with a gentleness that was unnatural. "I have heard that you were the top student in your batch."


    "Yes," he replied proudly with his chin held up.


    "Well, in that case I am sure that this test would be a breeze for you," Adrianna encouraged.


    "Yes, of course! No one can create spells like me," he said.


    "Is he trying to challenge you, Adri?" Dmitri said mentally with a frown, anger visible in his twitched lips.


    Adrianna chuckled at Dmitri. "Who knows?" she answered.


    "Then please have your lunch and proceed to the gardens in the south of the palace. We have made a small arrangement for your evaluation," she said with a wide grin.


    "Sure," replied Kenai as if Adrianna had thrown down the gauntlet at him and as if it was an abomination to call her his Queen.


    Yanga was very excited. "Thank you for giving this opportunity, my Queen."


    "It was necessary," Adrianna replied with nonchalance.


    The mother and son duo took their leave from there and went to mingle with the crowd. Yanga was so excited that she went around chirping to everyone how the Queen had asked Kenai to appear for the test in the south gardens of the palace. She went on to say that Adrianna was seriously considering Kenai to become the next Military General. Inside she was all the more enthusiastic to see Kenai defeating Adrianna. She knew that he could easily do so. At the same time Kenai had proceeded to eat his lunch. Lenny stood next to him and said, "Are you sure you can take her down?"


    "Lenny, what do you mean? She is nothing in front of the pure-blood wizards," he replied with a clenched jaw looking down at his sister.


    "She is a cunning witch, Kenai. You never know what would be her next move. She can easily delve into cells." Lenny was genuinely concerned.


    "Every wizard or witch is taught to get into cells and then they are also taught how to shut down or block the cells," Kenai scolded her. "So don''t teach me. I can take care of myself. You should take care of the task I have assigned to you."


    Lenny bit her lip. She continued to have her lunch. She hated the assignment he had given her but she was bound.


    While Adrianna was talking to other members of the ministry, she saw a familiar face poking out from the back. Adrianna gave a huge smile and called the girl in front, "Nefasky! Come here in the front."


    Everyone turned around to look at the girl. Nefasky''s face flushed slightly. She gave a wide smile and walked slowly in the front.


    "How are you doing?" Adrianna asked warmly as she rose from her chair to hug her.


    Nefasky hugged her back warmly and said, "I am fine. Mother is�� disturbed�� She didn''t know that this could happen."


    "I understand. I will visit her as soon as possible," replied Adrianna rubbing her back. "What about you? Have you recovered fully?" She asked removing herself from her embrace.


    "Yes, I have. The doctors say that my skull has cracked slightly but it is okay. I will survive for as long as I stay healthy," Nefasky said with a nervous smile very softly so that no one else could hear. Her illness was still a secret.


    Adrianna smiled back. "Please have your lunch and proceed to the south gardens. There is something you should witness."


    "Yes, I have heard about it," said Nefasky with a glint in her eyes.


    Adrianna nodded and Nefasky left after bowing to her.


    Nefasky spotted Lenny and automatically her feet went in her direction. She couldn''t believe that she would meet her batch mate in the party. She was feeling so proud of Adrianna already and now Lenny was a big surprise.


    "How are you, Lenny?" asked Nefasky, making Lenny jump.


    Lenny''s eyes bulged. "Nefasky," she exclaimed. She kept her plate on the nearest table and hugged Nefasky. The two friends were meeting after so long that both were teary for a while. Lenny held Nefasky''s shoulders and looked at her from head to toe. "You look nice!"


    Nefasky chuckled and said, "You too!"


    "Come, have lunch with me and we will talk," Lenny offered and picked her plate.


    Something caught Nefasky''s eye when Lenny picked up her plate again. "That''s a weird tattoo," she pointed at Lenny''s wrist. An inverted trident came into view on her wrist as her sleeve pulled up slightly. "Since when have you shown interests in tattoos?" Nefasky raised her eyebrows and chuckled with surprise at her chubby, sensitive friend who was scared of slightest of the injuries. She remembered how Lenny had passed out in the Northern Mountains when the red foxes had attacked their group from all the sides.


    Lenny covered her tattoo quickly and shirked the remark, "Ah! It''s nothing. Something that took my fancy. But I swear it was painful getting it etched on my skin." The two laughed.


    "What does it mean?" Nefasky questioned eating her oyster in hollandaise sauce.


    "It''s nothing really. I just liked the design while walking down the mall one day and sat down to get it inked."


    "You shouldn''t have. That design is cringe-worthy," Nefasky remarked honestly.


    Lenny took a deep breath and didn''t say anything.


    Seeing her reticence, Nefasky said, "You know it has been so long since we have all met because of all the wars that I would love to sit again and chat about old times." "And Adrianna has really emerged as a strong woman. I didn''t know of her capabilities. Now when I think of it in retrospect, I feel that she had outdone herself brilliantly and that we were a bunch of jealous kids."


    Lenny rubbed her nose. She pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah, maybe��"


    Nefasky looked at Lenny for a second. She sounded iffy. She immediately remembered that her brother was about to go into a test with Adrianna. Her lips were pressed in a thin smile. "I wish Kenai all the best," she said gently.


    "Thanks," Lenny replied. It was an awkward situation. The two of them continued to eat their food in silence only interrupting it with small comments from here and there.


    When the lunch was over, the main hall looked empty with only a few people remaining. Adrianna and Dmitri had left before the guests. Most of them had already gone to the south gardens.

 Chapter 487 - The Victory Celebrations (3)

    A large ring, the size of a football stadium was created in the center.


    It was surrounded with a thick air shield from all sides that had a maze of spells of all kinds to protect the spectators. Guests were seated around comfortably. All eyes were on Kenai. There were whispers and gossips in the crowd. "Kenai is doomed." Some said, "Today Adrianna will know what a pure blood is." Some went on to say, "This is ridiculous."


    Inside the ring Kenai waited like a tiger ready to pounce on his target and kill it. He had been waiting for this opportunity every since there was hope that his master, Vikra would resurrect.


    Suddenly the wall merged on the sides and someone appeared. Kenai gave a half-smile and looked up but to his horror, it wasn''t Adrianna. Shocked, he looked up and saw the queen who was sitting amongst the spectators. What did that mean? He wasn''t even able to register the shock when the person who emerged from the wall was Haldir.


    She is cunning. He remembered Lenny''s words. He looked at Adrianna with bloodshot eyes with a thousand questions in them. And then his gaze shifted to Haldir.


    "Why isn''t the Queen here for the test?" Kenai''s question was almost a growl.


    Haldir laughed and then replied, "Do you expect that the Queen would contest you for the post of the Military General? Are you so comical? How dare you even think that the Queen would come and fight with you and lower her status?"


    "You-" Kenai yelled closing his fists tightly as blue veins popped in his temple. His only chance to kill her was slipping out of hand. Suddenly his face became relaxed and he addressed Adrianna with sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Are you so scared of me that you couldn''t even step inside the ring to have this small competition?"


    "Mind your words," Haldir snarled. "You can be taken to the gallows for belittling the Queen."


    Kenai didn''t pay attention to Haldir. He had to challenge Adrianna and bring her inside. "You were so afraid of me that you sent your minion to fight me? I will crack his neck within five minutes."


    Adrianna stared at Kenai and then looked at his mother Yanga, who was shivering with fear the moment Adrianna''s eyes, locked hers. Adrianna took a deep breath and thought what a fool this boy was. She replied, "Then do so. That is what I expect from my Military General. I give you five minutes to crack his neck and kill him. However, if you can''t, you will accept defeat." Saying that Adrianna sat back and relaxed in her chair. She placed her hand on Dmitri''s lap. "And as for me, you are not worth my time. I am doing this for Yanga." This way Adrianna meant that she respected the words of the Ministry Members but she also meant that they could not use their power to influence her. If they would do it, this is what she would do.


    Kenai was never insulted so much in his life.


    Suddenly Adrianna took her wand out and the area resembled a tropical island with sandy beaches and tall palm trees. Kenai was astonished. In front of his eyes, the ground under him was filled with lush green undergrowth including ferns, small pineapple bushes and wild banana trees that sagged with the weight of their fruits. The small island was surrounded by salty, ocean water from all sides. The rippling water was shining with varying blue and green shades. The temperature was high and Kenai took off his cloak. He was sweating profusely. All of a sudden his eyes caught dark shadow of a huge dragon like creature passing beneath the water. His mind became numb. He hadn''t expected this kind of a thing. He thought that there would be a battle of spells but this was something else. This was as if he had been thrown into a live situation emulating a battle. He watched up at the audience. They looked more like people on a beach lying on towels or recliners and had come to sunbathe. This show was a bonus to their trip.


    He heard the screeching sound of birds and was stunned to see that they were pelicans that were diving to catch the creature in the water.


    His opponent, Haldir interlocked his fingers and cracked them. He looked at Kenai as if he was a lost animal. He was standing on sand, which was hot due to sun overhead.


    "Fine," he muttered and took his wand out. He closed his eyes and took his wand up in the air. "Ponos!" he hissed and a lethal blue beam was emitted from it that was directed in Haldir''s direction. But at that instant, he felt someone had tightly squeezed the lower part of his torso and pushed him down on the ground. The beam of light went straight up towards the sky and melted when it met the air shield. The push was so hard that he lost every wisp of air from his lungs as he fell on the hot sand. His body, his hair, all got covered in the prickly sand granules. He started to cough. Stunned at this sudden change of events, Kenai needed to sit down or lean against a support.


    When he had closed his eyes, Haldir took the advantage and knocked him down on the ground sending his spell to the sky and sending his wand knocked far on the ground.


    "You cheat," Kenai said as he tried to get up. "You are supposed to cast spells."


    "Who said so? Was there any rule regarding it?" replied Haldir as he pinned Kenai on the ground. He intertwined his arms around his leg and twisted it. Kenai shouted in pain. But he recovered soon and kicked Haldir with all his might on his face leaving him with a bruise under his left eye. Haldir lost balance. Kenai quickly got up to fetch his wand. The moment he caught hold of it, he threw another spell at Haldir, but Haldir had already created whip of crackling yellow electricity that he swirled and swirled until it became as big as a portal. It caught Kenai''s spell. Haldir shoved the spell in water. The force was so high that high waves were formed in water and the dragon was forced to jump out.


    Along with the rest of the crowd, Kenai''s eyes bulged at the sight.


    "Will you stop throwing the spells in water?" The dragon chided Haldir and crawled back.


    Haldir grinned. He shrugged, used that swirl of electricity and propelled it in the air. He hurled it towards Kenai. The hot current spiraled around Kenai within a few seconds leashing him tightly. Kenai''s mind became numb at this sudden turn of events. The electric around him was as if it would cut him into pieces.


    The audience fell into complete silence. It was a view to behold. Haldir had so easily managed to bind Kenai.


    Adrianna stood from her place and started to clap. Everyone else followed the Queen. Soon the crowd exploded into cheers. With cheers came fists in the air. Some laughed as they cheered while some applauded. When the cheers died, Adrianna used her wand to bring back everything back to normalcy. She walked up to Kenai who was dirty, disheveled and looked like a sewer rat who wanted to scurry into the hole.


    "Do you want to know who is capable of becoming my Military General?" she said in a calm rage.

 Chapter 488 - The Military General

    Kenai was breathing hard. There was tightness in his facial expression as he watched the crowd cheering his defeat. He glared at Adrianna as she walked towards him with a reddening face. A vein engorged in his forehead and he suppressed an urge to snap at the wizards and witches who continued to clap at Haldir''s win. His mother, Yanga, looked back at him with a pained stare as skin bunched around her eyes. She had clutched her gown and her shoulders had curled over her chest in anguish. She wanted him to become victorious in this contest but he was further shamed. How could Adrianna do this? Her eyes fixated on Kenai who had lost in less than five minutes. She had no face left to even look at people around. She heard someone remark, "Kenai doesn''t have two brain cells to even rub them together." Others laughed at the joke.


    Lenny didn''t know what to do. She stood transfixed in her place. Her brother had made such a fool of himself. Inside she smirked at him for leading the cult, which was formed to resurrect Vikra. Her brother was such an ardent follower of Vikra and he forced her too into joining the cult. However, she very well knew about his intelligence. He was more temperamental than being intelligent. He was, in one word, ambitious.Sometimes she wondered if he would be able to carry out his task well.


    Yanga lowered her head and followed Adrianna to the place where Kenai and Haldir were standing.


    Haldir bowed to the Queen and moved aside. With a wave of his hand the electric leash that was around Kenai disappeared.


    "You cheated," he whispered as soon as Adrianna was within hearing distance.


    Adrianna returned the favor of glaring him back. She clenched her teeth. "Kneel," she seethed at him.


    "What?" Kenai spat but to his surprise his body did just as he was asked to do. Every muscle was out of his control. It looked as if his body was under a spell too strong for him to handle. He knelt reluctantly, he was on his knees without wanting to be there. She was insulting him further.


    When he had knelt on the ground in front of everyone, Adrianna said, "Do you want to know who will be my Military General?"


    Kenai fell silent.


    Adrianna turned her head around and announced to the audience, "My Military General is the person who has fought wars with me. He had stood by me every time. He never left my side and even came after me when he didn''t know where I was in the Northern Mountains." She held Haldir''s hand and picked it up in the air. "Haldir will be the new Military General of the Wizard Kingdom."


    Haldir''s eyes were wide with surprise, a shock registered on his face before he could even hide it. A smile wormed on his lips. This wasn''t what Adrianna had told him. Yesterday night when she had summoned him, all she said was that he had to fight Kenai in the ring. When Shang Kui heard about the plan, he wanted to be a part of it but Adrianna denied him the opportunity. So when she created the tropical island for the fight, he sneaked in the waters.


    Haldir had no idea about Adrianna''s intentions. He looked at the hushed crowd and then his eyes went to Adrianna who was watching everyone with hawk eyes. It looked as if they all challenged her decision.


    Isidorus stood in the front row right next to Dmitri with folded hands and actually chuckled. "I have to say that Adrianna did some good thinking over there. Not only did she communicate to the ministers that they cannot influence her, she had thrown Haldir in the ring to take down Kenai on purpose. Now all of them know how powerful Haldir is."


    Dmitri stared at Isidorus. The old man sounded so honest.


    "Although I have to admit that this display was nowhere near to the power Haldir is really capable of," Isidorus let out a throaty laughter, which others listened to.


    Adrianna continued, "Haldir will be the new Military General." She left his hand and beckoned Isidorus. "Get the armor of the General," she ordered when Isidorus went to her.


    Isidorus snapped his fingers and a servant appeared with the General''s armor��a black shiny plate armor, which looked robust. It was so smooth after being polished it shone. Made from special leather that was merged with steel on the outer side, it was extremely light. The servant made Haldir wear the armor amidst all the surprise that everyone was rife with.


    Haldir licked his lips after he wore it. He looked like the perfect knight with white long hair that reached his back, strong muscular body and features to die for. He wanted to ask Adrianna about all this but refrained. Instead he bowed and was on his knees before her. "Thank you, my Queen. It''s an honor."


    Adrianna smiled and he rose.


    Kenai, on the other hand, looked like an ass. His drive to kill her only increased. He wanted to hurry up the process of sacrifices. But how? His only chance to prove himself was gone. His mind raced on what to do next.


    There was a murmur in the crowd. Everyone questioned the Queen''s decision to make an elf the Military General of the Wizard Kingdom. Talk about being a half-blood or pureblood, he was entirely different��a man who had come to the kingdom after abandoning his own. And the way he rose to be the General, to be so close to the Queen was something that was pricking them. However, no one had the courage to question her.


    Yanga was all in tears. She suppressed them and in a choked voice said, "I am sorry my Queen. I had no idea that Kenai would be facing Haldir in the test. Haldir is the strongest man in the kingdom. He is an elf. There is no way that any wizard or witch can defeat him. Even you."


    "Yes, and that is why he deserves to fill this position. Because his life is sworn to his Queen," Adrianna replied with a voice as cold as ice. None of them knew about the blood bond between Haldir and her and she didn''t even want to expose it.


    Lenny had come next to her mother by that time. She interjected, "I am sorry Adrianna. Please don''t be mad. I think it all went very well with the way you announced the Military General''s position."


    Adrianna warmed up at Lenny''s intervention. She turned her face to Kenai and said, "You may leave." She had tried to delve into his cell but he had smartly blocked everyone out. She had to give him that. A quality she didn''t appreciate.


    All of a sudden, the pressure that Kenai was feeling on his body, lifted. He got up and stomped out from there with Yanga following his heels. Lenny stayed back. Nefasky had joined them by that time.


    Haldir was at a loss of words. He had vowed to protect her, protect the child. This wasn''t the reward he even sought. In fact on the inside, he became slightly nervous about her safety. And what about Inyanga? This position would tie him down.


    While he was wondering about all that just happened, Adrianna approached Nefasky and said��

 Chapter 489 - Another Announcement

    Adrianna had been thinking for a long time about Nefasky. She wanted to visit Mihr''s palace to meet his wife and children to pay her respects, but with everything happening too quickly there was no time. She knew that there would be a lot of inquisitiveness about the posts of the Military General because without the presence of a General, there could be a widespread fear of having a weak kingdom. Plus it also sent a vibe to the enemies that the Wizard Kingdom was not able to find someone to replace Mihr reiterating its shaky foundations. With the General in place, the situation was controlled inside as well as on the outside. And when Yanga came up with this proposition, Adrianna''s mind raced to combine the situation in order to hit two birds with a stone.


    However, there was a problem. Who would be her personal bodyguard after Haldir? She had thought of many in the kingdom as one of the candidates, but wasn''t convinced. Then she thought about one of the Mozias, but the problem with them was that they were trained in the army for the kingdom. They were nothing but a number. They were like robots and a personal bodyguard had to be more. He or she had to be connected to the ruler on an emotional basis, had to know what the queen wanted even before she spelled it out. It was at this time that Adrianna thought about Nefasky. She had invited her for the victory celebrations to the palace.


    Many eyebrows raised as to why she was called because now that her father was no longer a part of the Ministry. However, Adrianna ignored all that.


    That was the reason why she even asked about her health. It was a different matter that Adrianna had already asked her spies to bring her medical records copy from the human realm. She had even talked to the Healer of the Wizard Kingdom about Nefasky. Once she had done her complete investigations, Adrianna knew what to do. Although she wasn''t very close to Nefasky��that was one thing she wasn''t bothered about. As a ruler she knew that sometimes things propelled due to emotions as well.


    Being Mihr''s daughter, Nefasky was the best candidate for the position of being her personal bodyguard. No one other than Adrianna, Dmitri, Isidorus and her family knew about her condition of having a slight fracture in the skull.


    In front of everyone present out there, she asked Nefasky, "Would you grace me as being my personal bodyguard?"


    The crowd in the South Gardens was in for another overwhelming astonishment. Ministers, their wives and their children became suddenly still. Hands were pressed against the chest of those who felt that this was the best tribute the Queen could pay to her past Military General and those who thought that this was an incorrect decision sucked in a quick breath with lips parting in another surprise.


    As for Nefasky, this was unexpected. A feeling of joy and wonder cruised through her body. She could never imagine that Adrianna would even consider her for any ministry job after the kind of relation they had in the Wizard Academy and here she was��standing in all glory as the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom, requesting a subject like her, who was physically not perfect to be her personal bodyguard. Was it because of her father? Her eyes were glazed with unshed tears as her gaze fixed on the person with whom she started on very shaky foundations. This person��her Queen had proven to her and to the world that personal agendas weren''t her thing when it came to managing the Kingdom. It was more than that��it was her greatness. And the greatness of the Queen came with the way she loved, truly understood with her heart, with her eyes and with her ears. Nefasky saw Adrianna as the person whom others did not. She saw her up and close. She saw her as an intelligent and patient ruler. When the fog cleared from her eyes, her vision became better. Nefasky respected Adrianna as the Queen.


    After a stunning silence, in a choked voice Nefasky nodded her head and said, "Yes, my Queen," and immediately knelt down with a bow. "I will be more than honored to carry out my duties as your personal bodyguard. And I shall do that until the day I die."


    Adrianna held Nefasky from her shoulders and made her stand. "I am happy to have you onboard."


    The crowd started to murmur and soon a short applause erupted.


    Adrianna looked at Isidorus. "Please do the needful."


    Isidorus was extremely happy with Adrianna''s decision. She had fared so well in the difficult times. She was so down to the earth and real. She showed how much she valued relationships and exhibited that she was indeed one of the best rulers the Wizard Kingdom had ever had. It was time that she went to the noble court. It was time that the Crown knew what all had occurred in the past few days.


    Isidorus went to Nefasky. "Give me your left hand," he demanded.


    Suddenly there was mist, which covered Adrianna, Nefasky, Haldir and Isidorus. No one could see what was going on the inside. This was a private ceremony that no one could watch.


    Nefasky did as told. Isidorus held her hand with palm up. He curled his hand into a tight fist and brought it down upon Nefasky''s palm with a thud.


    At first Nefasky was not sure what happened. It was strange what Isidorus did. But within a second, her hand became limp with pain. Her mind became numb as she saw that redness appeared on her palm. It was a searing pain like she was branded. She whimpered in pain and tears flowed. She knelt down upon the grass and pressed her hand with the other one and held it next to her chest. She remained like that for a minute. When the redness cleared and the pain subsided, she saw a tree emerge on her hand and amongst all the green leaves there was one golden leaf.


    "What is this?" she asked not because she was afraid but because she wanted to know what was happening to her.


    "That golden leaf represents you Nefasky. That will tell me about your whereabouts at all times," replied Isidorus looking coldly at her. "Even though you will be the Queen''s personal bodyguard, you will always be under my radar. You are now bound to serve the Kingdom with your life. If you try to betray the Kingdom, you will be taken to the gallows. Your position is effective right from this day and this moment. Go to the Minister Block to get the essential items needed for this post."


    Nefasky got up from the ground. She wiped her tears, bowed to Isidorus and the Queen and said, "My pleasure."


    The mist around them cleared immediately.


    The crowd was wondering what was happening on the inside. When the mist cleared they saw Nefasky standing there in front of Adrianna who was smiling. "You are most welcome," she said. This was the best tribute she could pay to Mihr��to the man who was the martyr of the war.


    Lenny was extremely surprised. With Nefasky as Adrianna''s bodyguard, there were little chances that anyone could even think of harming her. Nefasky was a natural born bully and leader. She was a terror back in the academy. Lenny had to think of a way to get closer to Adrianna.


    So she stepped closer to Adrianna and gave her a proposition.

 Chapter 490 - Sudden Turn Of Events

    Adrianna walked out of the South Gardens. After the two major announcements, the crowd could actually feel that these were the victory celebrations. They cheered yet again and all of them left the South Gardens.


    Kenai couldn''t even think of staying there for the celebrations anymore. He went away and Yanga followed him. However, Lenny did not leave. Meeting Adrianna was a rare thing and so she had to take advantage of this opportunity. And the only way was to be with her at every time.


    Adrianna was walking towards the palace instead of getting sucked in the vortex or getting in a portal. She walked with her arms tucked in Dmitri''s. She watched the sun grow in the sky and the birds that chirped in the gardens. The water sounded welcoming in the fountains. Everything was going to be normal now, she thought and went closer to her mate. Suddenly she longed to run in the forests as the werewolf she was with him. She remembered the good old days when the two of them sprinted around with least care in the world.


    Dmitri chuckled at her thoughts. "Well, now you aren''t allowed."


    "Please only once," she begged. She so wanted to get out of the maddening crowd.


    "We will see," he replied.


    Rest of the troupe included Isidorus, Nefasky, Haldir and Lenny amongst others.


    Haldir, who was walking several paces behind, was still slightly shocked about the new development. His mind was racing on what had to be done next when suddenly Inyanga came from the side and touched his fingers softly. Electricity pulsed through his body. "Congratulations," she said softly and he couldn''t help squeezing her hand.


    "Thanks," he replied in a whisper. "What is going to happen now?" he asked. Inyanga didn''t reply. How could she? Even she didn''t know what would happen next. The two of them were in the most complicated situation. "Are you free tonight?" he asked after a pause.


    "Hmm," she replied. "But I am leaving tomorrow."


    Haldir''s heart crumbled. In the heartache that followed, the birds that chirped seemed that their melodious songs didn''t glide through the air. The comfort that he felt around her was about to go. If his feelings for her were described as an orchestra, then at that time sad music flowed out making him dejected. "Please, can you stay back for a day more? The celebrations aren''t over yet," he asked so softly that no one else could hear.


    "No," came a polite reply.


    Haldir simply held her hand tightly. He didn''t want to lose this chance. He realized he had wasted so much time only trying to tell her how it felt.


    Lenny was watching Adrianna and Dmitri from behind. She so wished to talk to Adrianna but she knew that Adrianna was in a good mood. She was cherishing the surroundings, so she didn''t interrupt but since she was in a good mood, she had to speak to her.


    When the troupe reached the palace, Adrianna and Dmitri were served lunch. Once they had their food, the guests started to leave. The next major event was going to take place in the evening and they left to take rest and get dressed. As they left, they congratulated Haldir and Nefasky.


    The two of them were standing close to the Queen. Haldir''s eyes flitted around to check upon Inyanga and he felt good seeing that she was talking to a group of witches. For some reason he didn''t see Enya and Shang Kui. Then he remembered that Shang Kui must have left to get his prize��the cloned Kayla. He smiled at the way Shang Kui had swum underwater to scare Kenai. But he couldn''t understand Enya''s absence.


    Once they finished the lunch, Lenny came forward, "Adrianna, can we speak?" She did not address Adrianna as ''my Queen'' on purpose to emphasize the closeness.


    Somehow, Nefasky didn''t understand but she didn''t like Lenny''s attitude, so she grunted, "Address her as your Queen." The golden leaf''s magic was kicking in.


    Lenny flinched.


    Adrianna giggled like a child. "It is fine, Nefasky." Then she turned her gaze to see Lenny and said, "What is it?" Adrianna patted on the sofa beside her to invite her to sit with her.


    Dmitri left after giving Adrianna a knowing wink, which conveyed that he was waiting for her in the bedroom.


    Lenny cleared her throat once Dmitri left. She found her voice and proposed to her an idea that she thought might work. "I know that Kenai failed miserably in the test but he is an intelligent man." She looked at Adrianna to see her facial expressions. But Adrianna didn''t let out any, so she continued all the more carefully. "If you feel that this would be correct, then could you give him a desk job at the Ministry under Haldir. That way, his pride wouldn''t be hurt and he would feel useful. Lately, he hasn''t been feeling good and thinks that he is good for nothing. Mother has been constantly worried about him. We all know that he is very brainy but because there is nothing significant he is doing, he is very frustrated and that is why he is behaving oddly."


    Lenny took a deep breath. She again looked at Adrianna to see her mood. When Adrianna didn''t speak, she continued to talk, "If you give him a desk job, he would be occupied and his frustration would reduce." After a short pause, she said, "Please, can you consider?"


    Adrianna canted. She exhaled a large amount of air and looked away. A servant appeared with a washbowl and she dipped her hands to wash her hands. Once she had wiped her hands, the servant disappeared. "Lenny, I don''t think that is a nice idea. Kenai is too arrogant for me." She remembered that he had blocked her from entering his cell. So she tried to enter Lenny''s cell, but found that even Lenny had her shields up. But she looked more trustworthy than her brother and she also knew her from the academy days.


    Lenny lowered her head knowing the fact fully well. Kenai did behave like a jerk back there.


    To her surprise, Adrianna asked, "What are you doing these days?"


    Lenny jerked her head back. She cringed. A thin line sweat slid down her back. Where was this conversation going, she wondered. "N- nothing. I just help my mother around the house. And I am planning to get a job soon. But ever since she had come out of the academy, her brother had haunted her to join the cult. She knew that Adrianna was an extremely articulate and cunning and intelligent woman. If she hadn''t her guards up, Adrianna would not take two seconds to kill her.


    The Queen gave her the counter proposition, "Then I''d rather have you for the desk job."


    "What?" Lenny almost squealed. She covered her mouth with her hands immediately.


    Almost everyone in the vicinity laughed.


    Adrianna smiled and said, "Yes, you heard me correct. I would rather have you for the job you are asking for your brother."


    Lenny''s eyes widened. She removed her hand from her mouth but she was still gaping. "B- but," she stuttered.


    Adrianna looked calm. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Would you like to?"


    This was the golden opportunity. How could Lenny deny it? One of the siblings had to get into Haldir''s office. She licked her lips and said, "I would love to. Thanks so much Adrianna."


    "Well, then��Congratulations! See you around," said Adrianna and got up to leave.


    Isidorus rubbed his forehead. There was a lot to do.


    Haldir once again turned his head to see Inyanga but she was nowhere.

 Chapter 491 - Haldirs Reward

    Adrianna walked up to Nefasky and said, "Welcome aboard, Nefasky."


    "My honor," Nefasky bowed to her Queen.


    "I would like to meet your mother today at your home," Adrianna said.


    "Yes, sure," Nefasky''s eyes widened with amusement that the Queen would even visit their home. So she suggested, "My mother can come here."


    "No, I will go and meet her," Adrianna insisted.


    "As you wish," Nefasky replied with a gentle voice. The golden leaf in her palm throbbed.


    When Adrianna retired to her bedroom, Isidorus addressed the new recruits, "Haldir, you have to move into the Military General''s Palace by the evening. I am sure there is not much to carry from the Army Training grounds."


    "Okay," he replied. He knew that Isidorus was impatient to show the subjects the new Military General.


    "Nefasky, that golden leaf on your palm will track you everywhere. So I will know where you are and what you are doing. There will be no privacy as long as that leaf is going to exist on your palm. The only way to get rid of that leaf is to cut your hand off your body," Isidorus explained the perils of the job in such a way that Nefasky''s gut wrenched with fear.


    She replied with conviction though, "I would never leave the Queen''s side."


    "Good," Isidorus said in a matter of fact way as if that was what he was expecting. "Also, you will all have to move back to your house in Level Two." He sounded so business-like that he didn''t know that he was on the verge of being rude.


    Nefasky gulped and nodded. There was nothing that she could argue. She took in a deep breath.


    Isidorus then turned to Lenny. He tilted his head and frowned. "Lenny, you can take your position two days from now. Some formalities have to be completed. However, since your mother is already a Minister in the Kingdom, it shouldn''t be a problem."


    Lenny couldn''t wish for anything better. She quickly bobbed her head.


    "Remember that once you will start working with the ministry, you will under an oath not to divulge its secrets. If you are found doing that, you will be prisoned and beheaded," Isidorus was going on with his rudeness but he couldn''t help it.


    Lenny''s throat went dry upon suddenly realizing the dangerous grounds she was treading upon. "Yes, I understand," she croaked.


    "Great!" Isidorus remarked. "You all have to report to the Ministry now."


    They all dispersed.


    It took the entire afternoon for Haldir to complete the formalities and by the time he came out, it was already 7PM. He was introduced to his new office and all those who would work under him. He couldn''t sense slight rivalry in his subordinates because he was an elf��someone not from their realm, and he was their superior. But he just let it go.


    He wanted to go and see Inyanga now, and so he rushed out. However, he was stopped by his staff who informed him that he had to go to his palace. His old home had been entirely moved to the palace. The next event he had to attend was to be attended in his full dress as the Military General of the Wizard Realm. Haldir gritted his teeth. He became impatient. He nodded and the staff created the portal for him to walk into his new place. When he walked out of the portal, he found that he had walked into the palace. It contained no sign of the previous owners. Just one big, vast place with decorated rooms upon rooms. The shiny, spotless hall consumed him. He wanted to be with her.


    The servants were waiting for him over there in two rows. One of them��perhaps the Head, said, "Master, would you like me to show you the palace?"


    Haldir was too irritated. "No! Show me the bedroom," he replied acerbically.


    The servant bowed and led him to his bedroom. Haldir closed the door behind him and walked inside to contemplate where he would be staying now. The bedroom was huge with a large bed that could accommodate five people. The light blue curtain fluttered in the soft breeze. There were three armoires and a dressing table that filled an entire wall. Suddenly feeling tired and sappy, he walked toward a wooden door, which he assumed was the bathroom. He was just halfway to it when the bathroom door opened and a woman came out wrapped in a white towel. His mouth dropped and eyes bulged.


    "Inyanga," he wheezed.


    Inyanga gave him a wide smile, "Hello Haldir."


    "H- how did you-?" he couldn''t believe it. Was he dreaming? He rubbed his eyes.


    Inyanga chuckled. "Who can stop me?" she asked walking past him. She went and sat on the bed��his bed and crossed her legs.


    God, she was hot.


    She was too hot to handle.


    Was this his reward after so long?


    Haldir slowly ambled towards her and sat down beside her. He looked at her as though hypnotized. After that his hands moved automatically. She bent his head and nuzzled into her hair. His head moved lower and he nuzzled her neck. He inhaled her fresh rose fragrance. "So beautiful," he said as though worshipping her.


    "Inyanga."


    She twirled her arms around his neck and caught his hair, bringing him closer to her. His lips touched her lightly first and then unabashedly he entered his tongue in her mouth. Their tongues played and entwined as Haldir pushed her on the bed and their bodies fused. His fingers dug into her butt as he pulled her closer��so close that she could feel his erection that was large. It was so hard and pulsating like mad. He grinds it against her.


    After so many years of staying cold and away from women, Haldir was now desperately begging for her touch, to be inside her. It was hard for him to even struggle and pull away. That wasn''t an option. He was insatiable, ravenous and demanding.


    Inyanga''s hands rushed over his naked back and she moaned. Haldir''s kiss deepened and it became rough. With one hand, he opened her towel as the other traced her in between her thighs. She moaned in surrender and wrapped her legs around him. He pressed his erection harder.


    "Haldir." She whispered his name.


    "Stay with me for a few more days," he begged as his fingers traced the flesh hidden between her thighs and without warning he shoved them inside her. Not one, but two. And Inyanga tried to scream but suppressed it in the pillow. She was so wet that her head exploded into pleasure. "Won''t you," he persisted.


    "Haldir, I-" she tried to say something, but he thrust his fingers again. Yet another moan escaped her lips. She shook her head side to side on the pillow as her body absorbed the throngs of pleasure.


    Haldir removed his fingers and went lower. He cupped her hips in his hands and picked her up to feast on her sweet spot��a place he had been dying to be into.


    Inyanga''s body jerked into orgasms one after the other. She had closed her eyes tightly. "Slow down Haldir," was all she could speak gently through their mental bond, which had snapped in.


    But he wasn''t listening. How could he? It was his unquenchable thirst for her that propelled him. It was as if he had waited for her his entire life. It was as if he had wasted his life for so long.


    Not able to bear it any longer, he��

 Chapter 492 - The Victory Celebrations (4) And Lingering Malevolence

    Not able to bear it any longer, Haldir positioned himself on her sweet spot and took her. The way he shoved himself in her, at first slowly and then picked up. It was carnal, it was cathartic, it was simply��indescribable. He had wanted her so badly that it seemed that his body was only doing what was right. His length savored every inch inside Inyanga. He didn''t want to come out of there. Every groan that she took made him want her more and more.


    When they finished, he was limp, he was on top of the world. Somehow, he managed to get out of her. He knew it by then��she was his mate. It was some bond that fell into place between them. He was shocked when he realized it.


    "Stay back for a few days," he insisted. He hid his face in her neck feeling comforted. He had never felt so much at peace in his six hundred years of living. All these years, he had lived with a bitter feeling of being abandoned by his lover. But he realized that he exhausted all those years in seclusion for nothing. Love in the form of Inyanga was waiting for him.


    "I can''t," she replied. "There are important things that I have to see in my kingdom."


    Haldir''s hopes dashed. He didn''t know how this relationship would continue because he was bound to Adrianna''s kingdom.


    Inyanga stroked his long white hair and said, "Don''t forget that we create portals."


    "But I want to stay beside you always."


    "I understand," she said.


    Moments later they had another round.


    ---


    When Lenny told Yanga that she got the desk job in Haldir''s office, Kenai''s lips curved into a half-smile. Yanga beamed at Lenny. After the fiasco that was created a few hours back, she had lost all hope and her reputation as a Minister was slaughtered. She didn''t know how she would even face others again. However, with Lenny''s news, Yanga became hopeful and her eyes glazed with tears. "That''s fantastic news Lenny," she said with excitement holding her shoulders with pride.


    "Thanks mother," Lenny replied with a little hesitation knowing on the inside the purpose of the job.


    Though Yanga was very happy for her daughter, she secretly wished that it were her son who had got that job. Shedding aside that feeling, she said, "Lenny, I am very happy for you. If there is any problem, you can always come to me. In fact we can now go together to the Ministry Block."


    "Yes, mother," Lenny answered. Going with her mother would make her less suspicious.


    With that assurance in her heart, Yanga left saying, "Get ready soon. We still have evening events to attend. I would love to show-off my daughter to everyone in the function."


    Lenny laughed nervously.


    When Yanga left, Kenai glanced at Lenny. "Now that is one fine thing you did. Although I don''t want to know how you managed it, this can be used to our advantage. You must stay with Haldir whenever he goes to the Werewolf Realm. We need three more werewolves for the sacrifice. We have to resurrect the master as soon as possible."


    "Have we found his soul?" she asked, walking to a chair and sitting on it.


    "Yes, his soul is very near to us. It will possess the body of the fifth person we will get for sacrifice," Kenai said with a dark expression. "And that fifth person can belong to any realm."


    "So even if we bring a human, that would do?"


    "Yes," Kenai said looking past her. After a pause he continued, "Whenever you go to the Werewolf Realm, let me know."


    "Yes," she replied. "I have to go and get dressed." She got up to leave. The brother and sister were thinking of the next step to take. Lenny wanted to get close to Haldir.


    ---


    In the evening Adrianna and Dmitri were supposed to go to Level Three with their troupe and mingle with the wizards and witches there. Once again they were all assembled in the community hall for the event. Adrianna remembered how Dmitri had danced with her in the hall during a competition. A smile wormed on her lips when she recalled how her dress was sabotaged and how Lile was the one behind that and how Fleur helped her out.


    Suddenly she asked Dmitri, "Dmitri, where are Cora and Pierre? I expect them to be here."


    ''They will join us shortly," he said holding her hand that she had comfortably tucked in his arm.


    "Oh, okay. It has been long since I last met them," she sighed.


    "Yes, more than you, they are eager to meet the baby in you."


    Adrianna chuckled. Grandparents. She shook her head.


    They walked to the podium where they were supposed to be seated amongst the rest of the ministry members. When they reached, everyone present in that vast hall, settled in their seats, which were placed in a circle around the main field. Adrianna had something very important to announce to her subjects and this was the best time.


    The sky was filled with magical orbs that burned with yellow lights. A mesh of flowers with confetti was floating in small circles forming different patterns as though they were imitating pattern-formation in a kaleidoscope. Lavender aroma wafted in the air and there was soft music playing.


    After the first event, which was a dance presented by young couples was over, Adrianna saw that Haldir was escorting two people at the far end of the hall. She beamed when she realized that they were Cora and Pierre.


    When they came to her, she got up from her place and hugged them tightly.


    "How is our grandchild?" asked Pierre.


    She laughed and said, "Should be fine."


    "I believe your third trimester starts today," asked Cora in a hushed tone.


    Adrianna nodded.


    "Good. That means your chances of miscarriage have reduced."


    "That''s right."


    "Well, you need to change your wardrobe now," Cora suggested as she smiled and sat beside her daughter-in-law. There was so much catching to be done.


    Lenny was sitting right beside Nefasky, about one row behind. At the sight of two more werewolves, she became greedy. If only she could get hold of them and sacrifice. If only she could get the entire family of four and sacrifice. Suddenly she wondered what if the son and parents were offered as the sacrifices while their master possessed Adrianna''s body. The thought excited her and she controlled herself from clasping her hands. She watched their movement closely and leaned forward to overhear the conversation.


    "When do you plan to come to the Werewolf Realm?" asked Pierre. "We need to celebrate there too."


    "Whenever you say father," replied Adrianna with a smile.


    Lenny couldn''t believe her ears. Going to the werewolf realm would mean an abundance of werewolves. If only she could abduct three from there, it would be simply wonderful.


    "How about next week?" she said, ignoring Dmitri''s grunt of disapproval.


    "You know that it is one thing I want to avoid. Why can''t you simply stay in the Wizard Realm?" Dmitri said with anger but in a hushed voice.


    Adrianna pursed her lips.


    Pierre interjected, "This is not the right kind of behavior one expects from the Supreme Alpha. Remember that Adrianna is the Luna of your realm."


    A crease formed on Dmitri''s forehead in tension. He took a deep breath and became quiet.


    Lenny couldn''t sit properly with excitement. She had to inform Kenai about the plan of the royal couple.


    Two hours later the function was over and the royals had to have dinner with the wizards and witches of Level Three. Before leaving, everyone was caught by surprise with something that occurred in front of Adrianna''s seat.

 Chapter 493 - The Yellow Flags

    For the evening function Adrianna had worn a pale yellow, silk evening gown with a plunging neckline. Her topaz necklace reflected the light from the orbs and seemed like a cluster of tiny suns on her neck. Her maids had parted her hair in two, with the top half being woven into a braid that was bejeweled with small pearl pins. She was wearing a white fur shawl to keep herself warm.


    When the function was over, all of a sudden, right in front of the first row of seats where the royals were sitting a line of yellow flags rose from the ground and fluttered in the soft breeze. All the flowers that spiraled over the guests near the orbs of light, turned yellow and their petals showered over the entire field. In a few minutes, the entire ground turned yellow and all the subjects started to cheer. This was an announcement about Adrianna''s pregnancy. The crowd went into a frenzy. The fists were up in the air. "Long Live the Wizard Queen! Long Live the King!" The eyes flung wide open. The gathering was electrified at the new announcement. The emotion amongst the subjects was unfathomable. Their spirits leaped out of their hearts and shouts of joy echoed around the entire field to the extent that it could be heard in Level Two.


    Two wizards flew over the royal couple and Adrianna and Dmitri were showered with yellow petals to the extent that they were almost half-covered with them.


    The crowd continued to cheer at this wonderful news. They applauded the Queen for steering them through the difficult times even when she was pregnant. Their love for her grew multifold.


    Although Dmitri had asked her to stay quiet about the pregnancy, Adrianna had made up her mind to share it with her people. She had a reason and she had discussed it with Dmitri a night earlier, before telling it to everyone. And that was the reason why she chose to wear yellow.


    The royal couple rose from their chair and came forward. They waved at the crowd cheerfully. Cora and Pierre couldn''t help feeling proud. Adrianna hoped her Grandfather was there too.


    All the Ministers stood up with the King and Queen. Even they were shocked to hear the news. Everyone except one was happy.


    Lenny''s face became pale. With Adrianna pregnant there was no way she could even touch her. All eyes would be on her and even if she got a scratch while carrying the next ruler of the Wizard Kingdom, the person responsible would be lynched. Lenny knew what emotion the wizards and witches had for their rulers and for their babies. All her hopes dashed. Sweat poured down her face. She looked at the crowd. A fresh wave of roars exploded and rose to a crescendo. And she knew that this wouldn''t settle down until Adrianna delivered the child. She had to do something and soon.


    Everyone exited the arena and walked towards the place where dinner was served. All the important people were immediately surrounded by the Mozia for the fear that they would come near them and may cause harm. The announcement had made everyone extremely excited. It had been a long time since any ruler had given this kind of news. The crowd swelled to the extent that three layers of Mozia and some spells were also difficult to stop them


    Adrianna and Dmitri laughed at the way they all reacted. It was new for them. Dmitri quipped, "I think we should have more babies."


    Adrianna rolled her eyes.


    They had to get there as soon as possible.


    ---


    Once the festivities were over, Adrianna had to go to the noble court. There were plenty of pending matters that she needed to discuss with the Crown apart from the daily issues that had piled up over the past few weeks. The Crown had been waiting for her. When the Crown came and settled itself on her head, immediately a thick mist surrounded her. He had to speak with her before letting her talk to the ministers.


    Adrianna found herself in a garden with yellow flowers blooming everywhere��her gift from the Crown. ???Take care of your pregnancy now that everyone knows about it." They walked amidst the flowers that bloomed at every step they took. Adrianna felt a lot of joy.


    "I will," she replied gently with a smile and then apprised him of the situation.


    "That was something I wondered about that man. He was always aloof and I didn''t like the aura," said the Crown. "But I am happy that the problem is solved now."


    "Thanks,'' she replied softly.


    "I see that you want to remove Niiya from the Council''s post," the Crown remarked reading her plans.


    "Yes, I don''t think he is the right candidate," she said.


    "Well, you need a lot of convincing to do, Adrianna. There are many who would never want you or Dmitri to become the Council Head." The Crown stopped. "There are many who want to harm you. In my opinion you shouldn''t go out of the Wizard Kingdom till you have delivered the baby. You should postpone any plans that are related to other realms."


    Adrianna bit her lip. "I will see," she replied.


    "Well then, I think our meeting is over," he said and disappeared.


    The mist cleared and Adrianna returned to the court''s proceedings.


    ---


    It had been two weeks since Lenny had joined her job. Since she used to come to the Ministry Block along with her mother, no one would stop her or question her. Things went very smoothly. In Haldir''s office there were several things that she came to know about and would often try to leak the information to her brother by bringing the files at home. But she was frustrated when every file would appear blank when she opened them. The files used by the ministry were made in a way that they would become garbage when carried out of the Ministry Block.


    She was desperate to take things forward but nothing was happening. She wondered when Adrianna would go to the Werewolf Realm. In those two weeks she had made it a point to visit Adrianna at least twice only to chat with her on friendly terms. She knew that Adrianna would allow her to enter the palace and spend time with her since back in the Wizard Academy she had helped her. Sometimes Nefasky also joined the two of them and the three friends would reminisce about their academy days. Over the friendly banter one evening Lenny said, "Adrianna, I would love to see the Werewolf Realm one day. I have never ever visited that Realm."


    Adrianna was quick to respond with a smile, "Oh sure! I am going there on Sunday for celebrations. You can always join us."


    "Really?" Lenny clasped her hands in excitement. This was the opportunity she was waiting for. Kenai would be so satisfied.


    "Yes, of course. It would be a pleasure," said an unsuspecting Adrianna.


    The three of them continued to talk about various other things and the hot topic of discussion was her wardrobe. Adrianna wanted to visit the Wizard Kingdom''s market and choose dresses like a normal girl would but things had changed drastically for her. The witch fashion designers had come to the palace instead. Adrianna was bored.


    The girls decided to secretly visit the market under a disguise.

 Chapter 494 - Smuggled

    Deba''s wife was able to meet the Supreme Alpha a week later. She told him about the entire situation. Dmitri called his betas to know what had transpired but they couldn''t come up with any explanation. No amount of search yielded positive results. They had searched the entire forest because that was where he was seen last. No one even thought of going to the human realm. His sudden disappearance made Dmitri implement his orders all the more strictly. No one would go out of the Werewolf Realm and if they had to, it had to be for very urgent matters and that too after they had taken special permissions.


    At the same time according to what Adrianna had said, Dmitri went to meet Niiya to talk about cleaning and purifying the waters of the lake. This time he didn''t go to his house but a formal meeting was arranged and that too with tight security. No one was informed about it and only four people attended the meeting��Dmitri, Nate, Niiya and a biologist who didn''t know anything about the Werewolf Realm. All he knew was that he had to help the residents staying near the lake to cleanse the lake. Interestingly, even though he was a government assigned person, he demanded money, and a lot of it.


    "One million dollars only to clean the lake? That is a lot," Dmitri retorted in anger.


    "I am the top biologist in this field. If the area of the lake that you are talking about is that huge, it is going to cost you. It''s not that I am going to do it alone," he replied calmly.


    Dmitri stared at him but ultimately had to agree. That was the most essential thing to do.


    The meeting got over soon. The biologist said he would send the contract within the next two days.


    When Dmitri and Nate were about to leave, Niiya said, "How is Ookashi doing?"


    "She is good?" Nate replied.


    "Mother and I wanted to meet her."


    "I don''t think that would be a good idea, Niiya," Nate said.


    He had told everything about the war to Ookashi and also about her father''s treachery. When Ookashi heard that, she felt so ashamed of her father that for two days she was under depression. There were many in the pack who looked at her with suspicious eyes and had stopped talking to her. Women would gossip about her and her family. She had become a traitor''s daughter overnight even though she hadn''t done anything, even though she wasn''t a part of any of the schemes. Ever since she had become pregnant with Nate''s child, she had only focused on her baby and her husband. But the last few days she had confined herself to her house. And Nate was dejected to see her in this state. There was nothing he could do for his mate that would cheer her.


    Niiya lowered his head. After a pause, he said softly, "Is it possible that she meets mother? Mother has been asking me for a long time now."


    "Okay, I will ask her," Nate said.


    The two of them left.


    ---


    Inyanga had left the Wizard Kingdom after that night with Haldir. Haldir was extremely disappointed. In the end he begged her to stay back but she declined.


    Enya and Shang Kui also left for their kingdoms. Adrianna asked Enya as to what she would need as a return of the favor. Enya shook her head. "I don''t need anything Adrianna. It was such a pleasure to be with you and see you all. It was a great break from my daily duties. However, I would love to visit your place again."


    "Anytime," said Adrianna and hugged her. No one could imagine this side of Enya''s character.


    Before going Shang Kui said, "I am glad that four Wizard Kingdom rulers came together. At least now we know better about each other."


    Adrianna nodded with a smile. She knew she would miss all of them.


    ---


    In the Wizard Kingdom, one evening Adrianna along with Nefasky and Lenny disguised as commoners and went to the Wizard Mall in the center of the realm.


    Although Nefasky walked with Adrianna casually, she was extremely cautious. She had brought the entire security along with her who was walking at a distance and was watchful.


    The entire time Lenny stayed with Adrianna and advised her on what to buy for her wardrobe. She had done her research nicely in order to impress Adrianna. Her brother had brought several magazines from the human realm on this matter. Adrianna did take her advice. They bought a lot of dresses and ordered a few, which Lenny said that she would pick them later for her. Finally, the shopping got over in three hours and Adrianna went back to the palace. She was so happy and relaxed that she spent her time like a normal person. She cherished those three hours with her friends. Those were the kind of memories she wanted to make, even if they were a rarity.


    Weekend came soon and Adrianna had to go to the Werewolf Realm for the celebrations. Her troupe consisted of her personal security guards and Lenny. Dmitri had informed her that only the werewolves were going to be present in the festivities and there was already a large circle of his guards, so it wasn''t necessary for her to bring much security. She was his Luna and he would protect her with his life. But Adrianna had invited Haldir and Isidorus too out of formality. However, Haldir bowed out. He was dying to meet Inyanga and took this opportunity to go to her kingdom.


    Lenny informed Kenai about the entire program.


    "We will be leaving with Adrianna''s personal bodyguards in the evening at 5PM. This is our only chance to abduct a few werewolves. We will not get this opportunity again. I hope you have something in your mind," Lenny said.


    Kenai nodded with a wide grin. "Yes Lenny, I have prepared everything. Just let me know where the portal is being created."


    "It will be created in the front gardens of the royal palace. But how will you come to the palace? It isn''t easy. Also I have heard that they have become extremely strict about entry into the werewolf realm. Also the Mozias in her security team are a ferocious lot being specially picked by Haldir."


    "I have an idea," said Kenai. "But once we reach there, we need to be quick."


    When the time came to go, Lenny met Adrianna in the garden. She was carrying a small suitcase in which Kenai was lying unconscious as a small rabbit wrapped in layers of clothes. Lenny had to bring him to consciousness as soon as possible else he risked dying inside. She had only thirty minutes with her. Her hands were clammy when Kenai had told her about his plan but that was the best possible way to smuggle him out. The siblings had alerted their team on the outskirts of the forest to wait for them and keep everything ready for the sacrifice ceremony.


    The portal was created and Adrianna stepped in. Others followed the Queen with Lenny being the last one to enter. A thin line of sweat trickled down her spine when she walked out of the portal.


    They all straightaway walked into the Manor''s gardens. Lenny kept her distance to be as insignificant as she could be. Once they reached inside the main hall, she enquired about the washroom quietly. A servant guided her to the guest room.

 Chapter 495 - The Sacrifice (1)

    Lenny closed the door as soon as the servant left. She rushed to open her suitcase in order to bring her brother out. Only ten minutes remained and if she didn''t help her brother back to consciousness, he would die. As she was opening the suitcase, a knock on the door disturbed her. Her eyes became so wide that the white inside them showed around the entire iris. She zipped the bag quickly with shaky hands cursing the person under breath who knocked on the door. Lenny nearly ran to the door and opened it in anger. To her utter surprise she saw Adrianna standing there. Her eyes became fixated on her. She wondered if Adrianna had somehow discovered about her schemes.


    "H- Hi Adrianna," she stammered.


    "Is everything okay?" Adrianna asked, her brows forming a crease.


    "Oh yes!" Lenny replied with a nervous tone. Her hands were so clammy that they were slipping on the handle of the door.


    "You look as if you have seen a ghost!" Adrianna remarked. Lenny was looking so ashen faced that Adrianna thought for a moment that she would faint.


    "It''s nothing. I think I need a shower. It had been a busy day with mother and Kenai," replied Lenny waving her hand and letting out a tense chuckle.


    "Okay," Adrianna said with a smile. "I came to check upon you. If you need any help, you can tell the servants here. See you soon for the function."


    Lenny bobbed her head vigorously. "Yeah! See you soon."


    Adrianna left and Lenny closed the door quietly. Once again she rushed to the suitcase, unzipped it and took the rabbit out. She removed all the layers of clothing around it, placed it on the bed and brought her wand forward to bring Kenai back to his original form. The wand emitted black smoke and covered the rabbit on all sides. It swirled around it and soon Kenai was up on the bed coughing and choking. He sucked in lots of air in his lungs and wheezed.


    Lenny sat on the edge of the bed with relaxed muscles. There was lightness in her chest as she left her arms loose. She reclined on her arms with closed eyes. "Phew! That was close," she said remembering that she had only five minutes to bring him back to life.


    "What took you so long?" Kenai scolded her after settling down.


    "I did whatever I could as soon as possible. Adrianna was there on the door moments ago and we were this close to being exposed," Lenny retorted.


    "That bitch!" Kenai clenched his jaws. "After today, I will make sure that she dies."


    "Kenai, do what you have to do fast. We don''t have much time left. The function will start in two hours from now and I need to be present there. I don''t want her to be suspicious about me. So take all the werewolves you can from here and get out!"


    "What do you mean? Won''t you join us for the sacrificial ceremony?" Kenai''s eyes narrowed.


    "I will, once you give me the signal," she said. How could she miss the sacrifice? With three werewolves at stake, the master would resurrect.


    Kenai gave a half-smile and got sucked in a vortex. He appeared on the rear side of the garden where the cooks were preparing meals for the feast.


    "Hazio!" he hissed casting the spell on himself as he brushed his hands from from top to bottom. He converted into one of the cooks and joined the group. A large area on the rear of the mansion was converted into a makeshift kitchen. There were many werewolves working. The place was a buzz of activity.


    "Who are you?" asked the head cook seeing him for the first time.


    "I am Kena," he replied in a low voice. He pointed to a werewolf who had stopped working and looking in their direction. "He brought me for additional work," said Kenai as he cast the stupefy spell on him by sending a wave of energy towards him.


    The head cook looked at the direction in which he was pointing and asked that cook, "Did you bring him here?"


    That cook blinked his eyes idiotically under the effect of the spell.


    The head cook didn''t have the time to say much so he simply said, "Okay go outside the Manor and get all the meat inside. We are pretty late now. The butcher is standing with his truck for a long time."


    "Sure," Kenai replied and headed outside. He met the butcher and one by one helped him in getting the bags of meat inside. As he did that he marked three werewolves who could be easily trapped. He asked them to help him to bring the bags inside.


    While two of them agreed, one denied and went back to his work. Kenai gritted his teeth. Once the last few bags were left and the two werewolves were unloading it, Kenai shoved them inside the truck casting the "Nescius!" spell. The two of them immediately fainted. Kenai went to the butcher asking him to help take them to the healer as soon as possible without creating any rucus.


    Knowing that it was a function for the Alpha and his Luna, the butcher agreed and he started the truck to take them. Kenai hopped in the passenger seat.


    As soon as the truck left the main area and sped towards the border of the pack, which was pitch dark, Kenai attacked the butcher with a sharp knife piercing it in his neck. The werewolf slumped.


    The truck swiveled but Kenai managed to control it and bring it to a halt. He picked up the body of the butcher with the help of his wand and brought it to the back where the remaining two were present.


    He wanted to create a portal and take them through it but that could create attention. So he held their hands in his, created a vortex and was about to suck out of it, when something hit the truck with a loud thud. The jolt was forceful and one of the hands slipped. Kenai got sucked in the vortex with two werewolves. The third one remained in the truck. He cursed whatever hit them so violently.


    He appeared with them outside the cottage where the sacrifices were supposed to take place. All the cult members were waiting for him eagerly.


    "Where''s the third one?" asked one of the cult members.


    Kenai''s nostril flared when he related the incident. He so wanted to finish this sacrifice ceremony today and all his efforts were wasted.


    "Let''s take them inside," said the member without another word.


    As the others lifted the two werewolves and took them inside, he turned to Kenai and said, "If you would have brought three werewolves, our Master would have resurrected. However, with three werewolves sacrificed, the Master''s soul will come very near to us. And if we are able to provide him a vessel, the fourth werewolf, at the time of sacrificing these, the Master would be able to possess the fourth one." He paused.


    "So you mean that the Master can still come back in someone''s else''s body?"


    "Yes."


    Kenai''s mind raced and he said, "Okay, I need to inform Lenny about the ceremony. I will be back soon."


    The man nodded and walked inside.


    Kenai walked through the portal right into Lenny''s room. "I could take only two werewolves, he said with a twisted mouth. "You have to bring one more with you. The ceremony will start soon."

 Chapter 496 - The Sacrifice (2)

    Lenny looked at her brother incredulously. "What? How could you do that? Do you realize that this is once in a lifetime opportunity? I have been working on it from such a long time and all you say is that you could get only two werewolves?" She rasped with fists closed so tight in anger that her nails dug in her palm. Sometimes she really wondered if Kenai was a moron.


    He narrated her the entire incident that took place near the border of the Blue Moon Pack. Lenny remarked with anger, "You are always so careless. You just don''t think of your plan before executing it."


    Mad at her statement, Kenai glided to her on the floor and caught her neck in his right hand. "If you think you are so intelligent Lenny, why don''t you prove it by bringing another werewolf for the ceremony," Kenai retorted. He was already in a foul mood. "Just because you managed to get a job in the ministry doesn''t mean that you can deride me so easily."


    Lenny''s face became red for the want of air as she tried to pull away his hand from her neck. "Leave me," she wheezed.


    Kenai left her and she coughed heavily. "I am leaving," he said with a scorn. "Get another werewolf or else I will kill you with my own hands and burn you at the stake myself." He paused. He turned to leave but stopped. "The high priest said that if we can get the fourth werewolf while the sacrifice is going on, the Master will be able to possess it. So even if he is not resurrected, he will have an entity. Once the Master is here, we can easily get another werewolf for sacrifice and rouse him from the dead." Saying that Kenai got sucked in the vortex.


    Lenny was shaking uncontrollably after he had gone. Tears ran out of her eyes and she clutched her chest. She stumbled back to sit on the edge of bed. She held her hair in her hands and pulled them. She couldn''t believe that Kenai had become such a vicious and repulsive character. She could understand if he was purely ambitious, but lately his ambition had taken a backseat. He was converting into an abominable wizard who was using his mother and sister for his villainy. She bit her lip as a tear trickled down over it.


    She had to soon find a way to get the fourth werewolf and if what Kenai said was true, then it was important that she got up to hunt for it as soon as possible. And who would be best for the Master to possess? A thin smile appeared on her face and she wiped her tears. She blew out all the air from her lungs. She was excited. All she had to do was form a plan to take down her target and she had to do it quickly.


    She went to the bathroom to wash her face. She came out and unzipped her suitcase. She picked the grey dress that she had bought with Adrianna in the Wizard Mall. It was a very simple dress with white pearls decorating its neckline and hem. It wasn''t something that she had liked, but bought it only because Adrianna liked it. She chose to wear that dress. After wearing it, she propped her hair in a bun and applied a little makeup. The function was supposed to take place an hour later.


    Lenny stepped out, all dressed up. She walked to the garden to assess the situation. She saw that Nefasky was present there. She was instructing Adrianna''s personal security to be stationed at all the crucial places.


    "That''s a lot of instructions," Lenny chuckled from behind catching Nefasky''s attention.


    Nefasky grinned. "Yes, I have become apprehensive ever since I am in charge of her personal security. I find every other person suspicious."


    "Even me?" Lenny mocked.


    "Yes, even you!" said Nefasky as a joke and the two of them laughed. "You have got ready so fast?" she asked looking at Lenny.


    Lenny let out another chuckle. "I couldn''t help it. There was nothing to do, so I decided to take a look around."


    "You are lucky," Nefasky stated with a droopy expression.


    Lenny''s eyes wandered around to check where all the wizards were placed. She observed that there were some werewolves who were roaming around and questioning every person who stepped inside the manor. "Who are they?" she asked pointing at them with her index finger that was stuck close to her chest.


    Nefasky saw in the direction she was pointing. "Those are the guards for the Manor and its residents."


    Lenny nodded carelessly. "I am going and taking a walk."


    "Okay, see you," Nefasky waved her goodbye and walked to a wizard.


    Lenny sauntered her way to the gardens trying to look casual. She spotted a small lake in the center and walked towards it. The evening air was filled with the fragrance of lavender. Workers were giving last touches to all the lights and decorations. All the chairs were neatly placed around several round tables. Lenny crossed all of them and walked right to the lake aware of the fact that Nefasky was looking in her direction every now and then.


    So in order to look carefree, she stepped closer to the lake and crouched down. The surface was blue and she could see the plants and life below the water. There was a large cluster of Japanese Koi. They were big and numerous. The lily pads were blooming in abundance, their petals fluttering gently in the breeze.


    On the inside she was hoping to get out of this situation as soon as possible. She turned back to look at Nefasky and when she found her immersed in some conversation with four other people she sneaked out. Her next stop was the backyard where cooking was taking place. Over there she didn''t do anything but simply walked on the border of the makeshift kitchen and then made her way back to where Nefasky was standing in the front garden. This time she had a nervous expression on her face. She is called Nefasky.


    "Nefasky, could we have some private conversation?" she said, trying to sound as full of suspicion as possible.


    Nefasky became worried with the way she asked. "Sure, what is it?" she asked, hurrying towards her.


    When Nefasky reached her, Lenny caught her hand and took her next to a small bush that was lit with yellow lights. Lenny looked around and then whispered, "Nefasky, I just walked back from the backyard where they are cooking meals for the guests and I heard something really out of the line."


    "What is it?" asked Nefasky in a strained voice.


    Lenny put on a frown. She answered, "They were talking about two werewolves missing for a long time. The Head Cook was angry at their absence and even shouted to find them as quickly as possible. I heard him saying not to mention about their absence to anyone."


    Nefasky stared at Lenny. She wasn''t sure if this was of any importance. Two cooks missing wasn''t a very big thing. "I don''t think there is anything to consider about it. They must have wandered off somewhere. Don''t worry."


    "No, that isn''t possible because I heard them also saying that they found the dead body of the butcher on the pack''s periphery," Lenny almost squeezed her hand.


    "Let''s go and meet��," Nefasky said.

 Chapter 497 - The Sacrifice (3)

    "Yes, let us go and meet Adrianna right now!" Lenny bobbed her head vehemently and pulled Nefasky to walk in the manor.


    Nefasky couldn''t agree more. "Are you sure about this information?" she asked before going.


    "Yes, do you doubt?" Lenny asked with wide eyes as if reproaching her for lacking in the only job she was supposed to do.


    "I don''t doubt but then we would look ridiculous if we go there without any concrete information. If it is a bogus call, then I wouldn''t know how to show my face."


    "But Nefasky, in my opinion, even if it is a bogus call, you need to take a stance. Plus you can always say that you reacted to my report." Lenny was hoping so hard on the inside that Nefasky took the bait. She looked at her watch. "There is very little time for the function. We should hurry up before this becomes a large issue." In her heart she was counting minutes for the sacrifice.


    Nefasky inhaled a deep breath and then in a panicked voice said, "Okay, let''s go."


    The two of them went inside the Manor. Everyone was so busy that none of them noticed the two girls. Nefasky stopped a servant who was carrying trays of water in a room. "Where are the Alpha and his Luna?"


    The servant recognized them. "They are still resting in their room."


    "Where is the room?" asked Lenny immediately.


    "It''s on the first floor, on the left of this staircase," he said pointing at the stairs. "But if it is anything special, let me know and I can convey them."


    "We would like to tell them ourselves. It is none of your business," Lenny snapped.


    The servant pursed his lips and then bowed. "As you like it," he said and left.


    The two girls hurried up the stairs. On the left there were some werewolves standing outside the door of the couple''s room. They stopped them. "What do you want?" asked one of them with a stern face.


    "I am Nefasky, the Queen''s personal bodyguard. "I have to meet her urgently. There is��" she was about to complete the sentence when Lenny pinched Nefasky''s hand. Nefasky stopped mid-sentence biting her tongue.


    Lenny interjected. "It is a matter of the Wizard Kingdom."


    The werewolf narrowed his eyes and then let the girls go.


    Lenny knocked on the door softly. No one answered. Lenny was losing time. So she continued to knock softly.


    "I think they are sleeping. Let''s go back. We will inform them later," Nefasky suggested, already feeling embarrassed.


    "No, this is important," insisted Lenny. "Do you think Adrianna would be able to take any action during the function?"


    After a minute, when the door opened, she saw Dmitri standing in a bathrobe, his eyes were red as though he had just woken up. He looked extremely irritated.


    ---


    After Adrianna had returned to the Werewolf Realm all she did was to sleep and sleep. She missed her bed, her corner of the bed so much that she snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes. She smelled the pillow, which was rich with Dmitri''s scent and relaxed.


    Dmitri laughed at her. He leapt right beside her on the soft mattress making the bed bob up and down lightly. He turned her body towards her and embraced her tightly. It had been ages since they were there together. He looked on the outside only to find that workers were scattered everywhere to decorate the house. He got up and drew the curtains. When he was back, he heard Adrianna snoring softly. He chuckled and said, "No baby, you can''t. I need you madly." With that he clapped his hands and the lights had turned off. He started to take out her clothes.


    "Noooo," she protested and turned around. "I have to sleep."


    "You sleep darling. I will do the needful," he replied as he unbuttoned her pants.


    "There is no need," she replied with anger.


    "Oh! How would you know the needs of an Alpha? An Alpha who is not satisfied can actually go and look for other girls and keep them as mistresses," Dmitri threatened. "Unless��"


    "Unless what?" Adrianna was awake and watching him with narrow eyes.


    "Unless he is given his wife''s love," he completed the sentence.


    Adrianna rolled her eyes. "Get out," she said and went back to her pillow.


    But Dmitri was insistent. Once he took her pants out, it was a matter of a fraction of a second that her lacy panties were out.


    "Dmitri," she disapproved.


    "You lie back darling," he said and kissed the flesh that was hidden between the thighs.


    Adrianna shuddered. Her bud became pert for attention.


    "See how much you need me," he addressed the bud. He kissed it again and this time Adrianna arched her body in response. "It is difficult to be gentle with you, Adri."


    Adrianna shuddered again and her eyes closed. Her body became taut at his sentence.


    "I am going to make you moan for a very long time," his hot air tickled her flesh.


    She grasped her pillow. His lips caressed at all the places. He didn''t let go of her being ferocious as hell, being territorial like a werewolf and being as demanding as he could be. There was so much fire between her legs that she exploded. Dmitri jerked away from there and slid up her body. He ground his body against hers, against her mounds and she moaned.


    "See how much you like me," he purred against her ears.


    Her hands went to her face. "Give me more," she demanded as the hardness of his body pressed her. She wanted him badly.


    Dmitri let out a soft growl, low and feral and dangerous. He kissed her and pushed his tongue inside. They kissed as if there was no tomorrow. He deepened the kiss as he took one hand to his member and then pushed it into her.


    Adrianna glowed. He pushed deeper inside. She shone. Her joy knew no bounds. A tear ran down her eye. Dmitri left her lips and slowly reached his climax. It had been ages since she felt so carefree and happy. Their hearts beat in tandem. Her mate. Her lover. Her life.


    Once he finished, he looked down at his wife whose black tousled hair surrounded her like a halo. She looked so beautiful. "Look at you. You are glowing."


    She smiled and brought her hands to his hair. She caught them and pulled him closer. "Thanks," she said and kissed him lightly.


    Soon the two went off to sleep in each other''s arms. None of them dreamed.


    It was a continuous soft knock that broke Dmitri''s sleep. He got up from the bed and turned to see Adrianna. She was still sleeping. He wore a bathrobe and went to open the door.


    "What is it?" he asked in a gruff tone.


    Nefasky wanted to disappear right then. She bit her lip. "It''s- it''s-"


    "The butcher who was giving meat for the manor??s function is found dead on the pack''s border," Lenny said, interrupting Nefasky.


    Dmitri''s eyes flared wide open. He raised an eyebrow and rasped, "Dead?"


    "Yes!" Lenny nodded like a bobbing toy. "You need to look into this as soon as possible, Dmitri."


    Dmitri''s brows creased together when he looked at Lenny as though questioning who was she to give him instructions.

 Chapter 498 - The Sacrifice (4)

    Lenny held her breath hoping that he would act. When she saw him looking at her with skepticism, she lowered her eyes. "I heard all this when I walked to the backyard. The Head Cook was narrating talking to his assistants." She went on to narrate whatever Kenai told her. Once she stopped, she looked up at him again with all naivety. "I thought I should have informed you."


    "Thanks Lenny," Dmitri replied politely. He looked at his wife who was sleeping all cuddled up and smiled. Then he turned his face to Lenny. "Wait for me outside. I will join you in a moment."


    "Sure," she said. After that the two girls went to the front door to wait for him.


    "I hope that this news is false, Lenny. I just don''t want anything to mar the happiness of Adrianna. She had been through a lot."


    Lenny lowered her eyes and said, "Yes, I agree." She had a sad expression on her face.


    ---


    Dmitri ambled to his wife. She looked so beautiful in her sleep that he didn''t want to disturb her. It was a matter that concerned his realm and he would take care of it. He bent to kiss her lightly on her forehead and went to wear his clothes.


    He joined the two girls.


    "Where is Adrianna?" asked Lenny.


    Dmitri ignored her statement. He looked at Nefasky and said, "Nefasky, you should stay here while I go with Lenny to check the problem." He knew what he would do if this was false news. His eyes shifted to Lenny. The gaze was filled with so much displeasure that Lenny cringed.


    "Okay," Nefasky replied.


    Dmitri directed four werewolves in his security to accompany him to where Lenny said. He was in a hurry to dismiss the issue.


    "We need to go to the Healer''s hut," he said and shape shifted as soon as he was outside the manor.


    One of the werewolves made Lenny sit on him and they bolted. Lenny could have created the portal but she didn''t know the coordinates. She thought about the time being wasted. However, to her surprise the werewolves charged at such a high speed that she was impressed. They reached the Healer''s hut within five minutes. All the werewolves shape shifted and searched for the truck. It was found a kilometer away. It had skidded and was now lying on the ground on its side. Dmitri rushed to the driver''s cabin, but there was no one. The four werewolves pulled the truck back to its position. Lenny gaped at their sheer strength.


    Dmitri hopped in the backside.


    Lenny took the opportunity and on a quick thinking cast "Nescius!" The three werewolves, who were hit by the spell, fell on the ground unconscious.


    Dmitri was shocked to find the butcher dead. "How did this happen?" he asked. "Come inside," he called his security. But no one answered. Instead Lenny jumped inside the truck.


    "Where are the others?" he asked as soon as he saw Lenny.


    "They are unconscious," she replied with viciousness. "Let''s go Dmitri."


    "What?" Dmitri retorted with hands on his waist. "What nonsense are you spouting?" Sensing something wrong he charged at her. Lenny created a portal immediately and instead of grabbing her, Dmitri landed inside the portal. When he looked back, to his horror, he saw Lenny walking out of it and closing it. "What are you doing?" he shouted at her.


    Suddenly five wizards appeared around him. All of them were wearing cloaks. Dmitri couldn''t see their faces behind the hood.


    "You did good Lenny," Kenai laughed. "What a lovely vessel for my Master?"


    Dmitri charged again on them, but his movements were immediately arrested. The wizards took him inside. "What the hell are you bastards doing? If Adrianna will come to know, she will kill all of you."


    "How will she come to know?" Lenny asked and then burst into an evil laughter.


    Dmitri could smell the flesh burning. There were three charred bodies that were still tied to the post. He remembered Deba. Her husband wasn''t found anywhere. His body trembled. He had goose bumps everywhere.


    "Why don''t we sacrifice him too?" said one of the cult members.


    "No way!" snapped the old priest. "If he is sacrificed, then the Master would resurrect but he will have to find his way inside the Wizard Kingdom yet again. If he possesses the King himself, then he will get access to the kingdom without any delay. Adrianna would never be able to suspect." His plan was too good. He couldn''t believe that Lenny had found such a fantastic bounty.


    "Are you all mad?" Dmitri shouted.


    The old priest ignored him and addressed his cult members. "Join me in chanting Provbis." He had been waiting for this moment for so long that now he was too excited. The members came closer and closer.


    Suddenly, Dmitri got a familiar smell. He was shocked. Someone known to him was there. Pryce.


    He said aloud, "Pryce, wherever you are, help me out of this." But he didn''t know that Pryce was also chanting "Provbis!"


    Dmitri kept shouting but his voice drowned in the chanting. He struggled to become free but the more he struggled, the more the light beams around his hands tightened.


    Ten minutes after intense chanting, Dmitri was surrounded with grey smoke. He choked as the smoke got into his lungs. His eyes welled with tears. Suddenly he felt as if his chest was getting crushed. Every bit of oxygen was being squeezed out. He started sweating and everything froze. There was nothing. His mind became blank, black. He felt being pushed to the side. In front of his eyes a ghost with hollow eyes emerged. He watched it inching closer to him. Vikra. He kicked his legs towards him. "Go away!" Was he dreaming? He tried to shout but there was no energy left. He felt as though he was being pushed out of his body but he held on to himself. He shut his eyes. Soon he lost all consciousness.


    ---


    When Adrianna opened her eyes, she found herself alone in the bed. Her eyes went to the clock and she smacked her head. It was already 7PM. She had to get dressed. Where was Dmitri? She thought. She removed the blanket and remembered the lovely time spent with him. A blush rose on her cheeks. She bit her lip and then left to take a bath. Before leaving she took a look at the dress she had planned on wearing. She had bought the grape green gown along with Lenny and Nefasky from the Wizard Mall. She smiled. She couldn''t wait to get inside it. When she came out, there was a soft knock on the door. She wore her bathrobe and opened the door hoping to see Dmitri but instead of him a servant was there.


    "Madam Cora has given this dress to you. She has instructed that you and Alpha have to wear the dresses present in this bag," he said as he handed her a blue bag.


    Adrianna frowned and then closed the door. Her hopes dashed. She opened the bag only to find that the dress that she had to wear was the traditional one that she had worn for her wedding. She became excited again.


    "Where are you Dmitri?" she muttered under her breath. "You have to change into these."

 Chapter 499 - Purpose Fulfilled

    Adrianna changed into the wedding dress that her mother-in-law had sent. Consisting of a long brown skirt made from rare deer leather, it had a side slit that was open till mid thigh. The bustier with it was strapped across her chest. The problem was that the bustier was now not fitting her well. Her breasts had swollen due to pregnancy. She so wished that Dmitri was there to strap it from behind tightly but he hadn''t come. She was getting irritated by the minute because of his absence.


    When for a long time she wasn''t able to tie her bustier properly, she picked a long bead necklace, put the bustier inside it and positioned it in the center. Then she wore the necklace. The trick worked and the blouse fitted perfectly on her bosoms. Later she wore ornaments made from beads of different colors. There was a headdress too that was adorned with feathers of various rare birds. She picked it and wore it. Giving a last look at herself in the mirror, she walked out the room.


    Dmitri was still nowhere to be seen and it aggravated her. She enquired the servants and even they didn''t know. She strolled out to the garden where she saw Nefasky talking to a team of personal security guards. She walked to her and everyone in the group became high on alert. They surrounded her.


    "Have you seen Dmitri?" she asked Nefasky.


    Nefasky''s mouth dropped open. "Hasn''t he come back?"


    Adrianna frowned. "Come back? From where?" She jerked her head back slightly.


    Nefasky was so scared that her eyes flitted everywhere as if to find someone.


    "What are you looking for?" asked Adrianna, raising an eyebrow.


    "Lenny," came an anxious reply.


    "Tell me what is going on," Adrianna demanded with a low growl.


    Nefasky related the entire incident to her.


    Adrianna''s eyes bulged in shock. "If that is the case, they should return by now. Why didn''t you come and tell me everything?" she lashed at Nefasky.


    Why didn''t Dmitri wake her up when this happened? Her mind became numb with all kinds of negative thoughts. She closed her fists tightly as blood drained from her face.


    "Take me that place, now!" she snarled.


    ---


    Dmitri was pushed back in his own body to a remote corner by a powerful force. It didn''t take him long to realize that Vikra had possessed his body. He was shocked. Adrianna had killed him and tied his soul to her sword in a desert. Then who released him? Who gave him the hope of coming back? He fought with the soul of Vikra initially but he realized that Vikra was too powerful.


    Within a few minutes of possessing him Vikra had silenced Dmitri.


    The grey smoke around him receded and Vikra removed his ties. He looked at the old priest through his dull black eyes and said in a voice that echoed, "You did a good job, Haephus. Had you not found me in the desert, I would have never come back."


    Haephus was extremely happy to see his Master waking up. He had increased the intensity with which he chanted Provbis. Haephus knelt on the ground in front of his Master and felt grateful that he was recognized for his efforts. "Master, you are back," he said with quivering lips. "This slave''s purpose is fulfilled."


    "Yes," replied Vikra. "Your job is finished now and you can join your ancestors."


    "What?" Haephus couldn''t understand what his Master even meant. Next moment he heard a crack, which was his own spine cracking from the neck. His body fell to the ground with his head rolled to the side of his neck.


    All others standing around trembled in fear. Vikra killed the man who worked so hard to bring him back, who collected all of them one by one and created this cult over months of hard work. They all stood rooted to the ground. They were extremely scared of the wizard in the body of a werewolf who walked past them. They didn''t even dare to look up now.


    Vikra ambled to Lenny and said, "Take me where Adrianna is."


    Lenny gulped. Although she was happy her mission was successful, Vikra''s nearness was creeping her. His body was so cold that she could feel its icy demeanor. "Y- yes," she said and guided him outside the cottage. Everyone followed the two. Lenny created the portal and Vikra stepped in the portal and they walked in the Werewolf Realm.


    Once the Master was gone, everyone dispersed.


    ---


    "Take me to them," Adrianna snarled at Nefasky.


    "Yes, my Queen," Nefasky replied with fear. She knew that Adrianna was super angry. "They have gone towards the periphery of the pack''s territory towards the Healer''s hut."


    Immediately Adrianna created a portal using the energy around her. The portal consisted of thousands of green leaves intermingled with gold dust. The portal grew and the group stepped in it. They noticed several footprints and followed them. When they found the truck, Adrianna went to the back where she picked up a metallic smell. Fearing, she hopped in the truck only to find the butcher''s body. But Dmitri wasn''t there. She bit her lip in anxiety as she rubbed her neck with her hand. Her mind was drawing a blank as to where he went and that too with Lenny.


    She instructed the werewolves with her to take care of the butcher''s body and went back to the manor. She walked in to sit in the main hall to understand the situation.


    All her thoughts only offered her pessimism. Her heartbeat accelerated and she decided to tell Dmitri''s absence to everyone. She had to cancel the party and find her husband. She was on the verge of panic when her attention was diverted by a shrill voice that belonged to Nefasky.


    "Lenny!"


    Adrianna turned her head and caught the sight of her husband walking in the main hall along with Lenny. She rose from her place and ran to him. She hugged him tightly, as a tear dropped from her eyes. "Where did you go?"


    He hugged her back gently and replied, "I am here."


    Adrianna looked at Lenny with red eyes. Lenny flinched. "I am sorry Adrianna but Dmitri insisted that we find the murderers soon in order to have a smooth function."


    Adrianna smiled and then looked in her husband''s eyes. "I was on the verge of a panic. Next time tell me when you leave like this, okay?"


    Vikra nodded, staring at her intensely as though trying to focus.


    Feeling that something was odd, Adrianna touched his forehead. It was cold as if a slab of ice had been rubbed over it. "You don''t look good," she said.


    "I am fine," came another monotonous, dull reply.


    "I think he is very tired," Lenny suggested. "Maybe he needs rest."


    Adrianna blinked at her. She had a thousand questions to ask, but she decided against that and nodded. "You are right." She held his hand and said, "Let''s make you sleep for half an hour. There is time for the guests to arrive. You also need to change into your wedding dress." Adrianna chuckled at the thought of seeing her husband in his wedding attire.


    "Yes," he said in a strange voice.


    The two of them walked to the couple''s bedroom.


    "But I want to be alone," said Vikra as they neared the bedroom.


    As they were walking Adrianna couldn''t decipher what was amiss. There was definitely something wrong. Why was he so cold? And there was one thing that worried her the most��why couldn''t she feel his heartbeat?

 Chapter 500 - The White Lotus Act

    Adrianna walked with Dmitri until the staircase and stopped at his request for being alone. Suddenly she had this heaviness that expanded to her core. Her skin tingled with uneasiness at his disposition. A few hours back they had such a lovely time together and so her mind refused to believe what he asked her. Her mind tuned out everyone other than Dmitri. In order to feel the situation she said, "Dmitri, I don''t want to leave you alone. You should take rest and let me call the Healer for you. I also wanted to discuss about the butcher who was found murdered. Things are not normal and we have to talk."


    Lenny swallowed her saliva to dispel her nervousness. She pitched in, "Adrianna, Dmitri needs rest. I think you should allow him to be alone for sometime." She wanted her Master to acclimatize to the environment and the body he had possessed in order to function fully well.


    Adrianna stared at Lenny. She couldn''t help thinking as to what had transpired between the two of them that she could even speak like that.


    Lenny flinched. "I mean he clearly looks disoriented. It may be because of the spot that we were in a while earlier."


    Dmitri nodded. "Yes, I need to be alone. I will ask the servants to dress me up," he said and held the railing of the stairway to climb up. He careened a little while taking the step up but got the firm grip of the railing and started to climb up slowly and carefully.


    A servant rushed to him and held his arm across his shoulders. Slowly, Dmitri climbed up and went to the bedroom.


    Adrianna and the rest watched him with complete shock. He behaved so weirdly that they wanted to talk to him but he had asked to stay alone, so no one dared to invade that order.


    Lenny looked at Adrianna who was watching him going up. She had to keep her away from him. "Adrianna, you are worrying too much. I think he will be fine soon. Now if you will excuse, I am planning to take some rest as well,?? she said in a subdued voice and she turned around to leave as her head dropped and hands hung limply on the sides. She seemed to be exhausted. She wanted to put up the act that she was too tired so that she could easily get out of that place. She planned on going to her room, bolting it from inside and then going to Adrianna''s room from the balcony to attend to her Master. She had already filled her Master with the plan.


    Vikra had possessed the human body after a long time and hence he was finding it very difficult to adjust to it. That was the reason why he couldn''t even walk properly. After staying as a wizard who would glide on the ground instead of walking on it, adjusting to the feet was also an issue. He could have started to cast spells but coordinating his soul to the new body needed time. In Addition to that, his soul stayed tied on a sword for so long in the desert that a werewolf vessel was difficult. However, this vessel was worth all the difficulties. All he had to do was buy time. And Lenny was with him to do that.


    As soon as Lenny had walked a few steps, Adrianna''s cold, controlled and a crisp voice halted her, "Wait!"


    Lenny shuddered and stopped. She turned to look at Adrianna with wide eyes and puffy cheeks as if Adrianna was doing a horrible thing by not allowing her to rest. She clutched the nearest chair and muttered, "Yes, Adrianna."


    Everyone present in the hall �C Nefasky, the werewolf security guards and Adrianna''s personal security guards that consisted of Mozias, immediately became alerted. Lenny knew that one mistake might cause serious damage to her plans. So she put on expressions, which showed as if Adrianna was trying to bully her. Her eyes glazed with tears.


    Adrianna crossed her arms across her chest and asked, "Tell me what all happened once you left with Dmitri."


    Lenny bit her lip. "Adrianna, I wished I had rested and then told you everything," she said in a soft voice. She looked at Nefasky for support.


    Nefasky could feel her tiredness. She felt bad at how Lenny was being interrogated. After all she only helped them all out in a dire situation like this. If the news regarding murdered werewolves escaped, it wouldn''t have been a good thing, especially because all the pack''s Chiefs were attending the function. It would have shown lack of security. However, Nefasky didn''t utter a word of her apprehension. She couldn''t go against her Queen. She could have opposed Adrianna if she was standing there as her friend but the situation was different. Nefasky dropped her head low to avert her gaze.


    "You can rest later," said Adrianna as she tightened her arms and narrowed her eyes.


    Lenny started, "We went to the border of the pack where we saw some beasts. They were mauling the werewolves. Dmitri and I chased them to the interiors of the jungle but the chase was futile because the animals had run away. So we decided to come back. The two werewolves who were with Dmitri and me were also missing. They didn''t even run with us to the forest to find the beasts. We climbed the truck only to see that the butcher had been attacked. He was lying dead there. Suddenly something hit the truck and we thought that it was a beast, so we again ran in the forest to check but it had run away too fast." She spoke all that in one breath. She had crafted her speech very carefully.


    Adrianna walked to her and when she was inches away she asked, "Why is Dmitri unwell?"


    Lenny had to quickly cover that up, so she feigned ignorance. "Well, that I don''t know. Maybe, he is just too tired after the entire chase. And in my opinion you should let him rest so that he recovers for the event."


    "Okay, thanks," Adrianna said sternly. "You may go."


    Lenny breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Adrianna," she said and turned to leave. She hated Adrianna for acting like a Queen whenever she wanted and hoped that her Master took over the throne as soon as possible. The first thing she would do is to slap Adrianna tightly on her face before throwing her to the dogs. "Bloody, impure blood," she muttered under her breath. But for now she looked forward to going to her Master. So as soon as she was in her room, she bolted it. She opened her suitcase and took a blue potion out. It was to give her Master the much needed energy. She opened the bottle, mixed its contents with rosemary herb and poured it into water. She warmed the water using the magic in her hands and then packed it in a bottle again. She shook it vigorously.


    Once the drink was prepared, she opened the window of her room. The guest room was on the ground floor and her target was Adrianna''s bedroom. She knew which direction to take. Under the cloak of invisibility, Lenny walked all the way to the garden just below the balcony of her room and then got sucked in the vortex to appear on the terrace. Through the glass window, she saw that the curtains were fully drawn. The room was dimly lit and the yellow light filtered through the curtains. She placed her hand and the handle of the glass door and opened it as gently as possible not to make any noise. She was about to step in when she heard Adrianna saying lovingly, "Dmitri, please have this drink. It will help you."

 Chapter 501 - Suspicions

    Lenny''s movements froze momentarily as she peeped through the glass, rapidly blinking at what she saw. She had told Adrianna to leave the Master alone and the bitch was with him and that also not alone��there were about ten servants who stood around the bed. She couldn''t believe this was happening. She clung to the potion she was carrying. She didn''t know what to do next because it was important for the Master to have the potion in order to energize himself. His body was icy cold, which meant that if he didn''t feel warm soon, he wouldn''t be able to perform magic. Lenny peered inside once again. She rubbed her eyes to reaffirm what she saw. Lenny stroked her throat in a self-soothing gesture as her mind raced on what to do next.


    Adrianna drew her eyebrows together and moved closer to Dmitri. He was lying on the bed in a state of dizzy. She leaned in to observe him better. "Dmitri, please have this drink. Look, the Healer is here to treat you."


    Vikra let out a long exhale. He was agitated at Adrianna. He wanted Lenny to be there. He was feeling so weak that his limbs were sprawled on the bed. Lifting a finger drained his energy. He closed his eyes in order to give a message to Adrianna to not enter his personal space, to go away but she was insistent. He was all the more angry that there were ten servants apart from the Healer standing all around him. Even if he wanted, he couldn''t create ruckus or else she would suspect. He had to wait for the right time to strike her. So he stayed quiet and withdrew in himself.


    "Are you okay?" came another question. She held the glass in front of him and said, "Have this drink. It will warm up your body and give you more energy. The Healer has specially prepared for you. You have to attend the grand feast and it won''t look nice if you look ill. If the Chiefs see that their Alpha is unwell, they might start making plans about dethroning you."


    Vikra gave a vicious smile on the inside. He needed to become warm and that is what Adrianna exactly was providing. He nodded faintly. With the help of the servants, he was seated on the bed with pillows propped up behind him. Adrianna offered him the drink, which he sipped slowly.


    At the same time Lenny was happy that Adrianna had offered him a drink to energize his body. She chuckled on the inside and stepped back but something happened that shouldn''t have. She stumbled upon a small pot that she didn''t notice. It was too dark on the outside. The sun had completely set in the horizon and few strayed stars shone across the inky sky.


    Adrianna turned to look towards the glass balcony door immediately. "Who is there?" she asked loudly in a stern voice.


    Lenny smacked her head and immediately got sucked in the vortex to go to her room.


    Adrianna rushed out and looked around but there was nothing. She closed the door behind her and went back to check upon Dmitri. When Dmitri finished his drink, Adrianna asked the servants to help him change.


    An hour later the guests started pouring in the gardens to gather for the grand feast. The party looked like a grand festival of lights. There were thousands of lights that illuminated brightly on the top. Aroma candles flickered wafting thick fragrance in the air that relaxed the mind. Werewolf Chiefs and their wives had come dressed in traditional attires. Soft music was flowing like a warm breeze in the spring. In various corners painters were sitting who called upon the guests to get their faces painted in traditional tattoos that could be washed away. Soon the music shifted to the conventional tunes and the crowd went to the musicians only to sway their limbs with the beats. The aroma of food perfumed the air.


    Adrianna and Dmitri came out fully dressed along with Cora and Pierre. Lenny watched them from the corner of her eye. She wanted to go to the Master and make him drink the potion as soon as possible. However, the problem was that there were way too many people who gathered around the royal couple.


    They sat on the high cushioned chairs that were specially crafted for them and which were placed under a pergola that had blue bell creepers climbing all around. The Chiefs would come along with their spouses and present the couple with the gifts. They praised Adrianna for saving them all from the war that could have wiped all their packs.


    Lenny thought of an idea to go near her Master. She stood in the line of werewolves who wished to give them gifts and waited for her turn. As she neared the couple, she wondered as to why her Master was still looking drowsy. It made her nervous. It was possible that the drink Adrianna gave wasn''t sufficient. She became impatient. After a long fifteen minutes, when her turn came, she immediately walked to him avoiding Adrianna. She shook his hands and said, "Please accept my gift also, my King." She handed him a pouch that contained the potion. There was a lot of noise around her and taking advantage, she leaned in closer and whispered, "This contains drink for your vitality."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. She snatched the purse from Lenny and said, "I am sorry but you are out of line here. You cannot simply go around giving drinks to the Alpha."


    She was aghast as to how Adrianna could listen to her whisper. "B- but Adrianna, this is just a small gift for Dmitri. After all he has done so much for the werewolves and I just wanted to commend his efforts," she said loudly in a slimy way so that others could listen. She wanted to gather some support for herself. So she looked around all those who became silent and watched the commotion. "Since we have had such grand celebrations in the Wizard Kingdom about your victory, it is appropriate to dedicate these festivities to Dmitri," she said waving her hand in the air.


    Adrianna scoffed. She relaxed on her chair while maintaining a strong eye contact with Lenny.


    Lenny was hoping for some support but to her astonishment, no one said a word against her or in favor.


    And why would they?


    Adrianna was not only their Luna, she was too powerful a woman to be trifled with. They had seen too many instances of how she wielded her power.


    Lenny gulped. Her hands became sweaty. She cleared her throat and gave a quick, high-pitched laughter. She babbled, "I think we all like our Alpha here, don''t we?" She tried to fire the crowd again but the flames she thought she would generate doused the moment they were out of her mouth. Her gaze turned to Adrianna who tilted her head to the other side still watching her like a hawk. Lenny pursed her lips and stepped sheepishly down the pergola, her face red with anger and discourtesy she faced.


    The line continued to give their gifts, the music continued to flow. However, Vikra couldn''t move his limbs at all. He was sitting like a puppet there, staring at everyone. Adrianna had made him drink a potion that arrested his movements completely. She suspected that something was wrong the moment she went near him. He was cold, she couldn''t feel his heartbeat and when she entered his cell, it was blank, it was black.

 Chapter 502 - Dmitris Cell

    When Dmitri had come back home that evening, Adrianna could sense that something was off about him. Although Lenny was showing her support for him and which she liked in the beginning, she became suspicious when Lenny put on an act as if she was the biggest benefactor of Dmitri and she, his wife, wasn''t thinking well about him. So she questioned Lenny more to understand her. She wanted to give her a benefit of doubt but when Lenny kept insisting that Dmitri needed to be alone to rest, that didn''t bore well. Why would anyone ask her to stay away from her husband, and in this case Lenny?


    Adrianna tried to delve into Lenny''s cell, but she knew that Lenny had blocked it. And she had done that only because she was taking advantage of closeness with Adrianna and also the fact that her mother was a minister in her court. Those were indeed very powerful backings.


    So the only option left was to intimidate Lenny but in a manner that she wouldn''t become suspicious. Adrianna asked Lenny to go to her room and when she was sure that Lenny was in her room, she called ten servants and the Healer to attend to Dmitri.


    Dmitri was looking very disoriented. His skin was cold, his eyes were not focused, he was blabbing something incomprehensible and couldn''t even walk properly. Adrianna was utterly confused as to what could happen to a healthy man like him in just an hour. She left Dmitri outside the room but summoned Healer. Then along with ten servants she went inside their bedroom.


    She saw that Dmitri was lying on the bed. His limbs were splayed on the mattress as though he had no energy. The room was shrouded in darkness and an unpleasant smell was floating in the air. The first thing Adrianna did was to switch on the light.


    Dmitri grunted and his body arched. He had shut his eyes as if the light was hurting him. The Healer rushed to his side and held his hands. Then he felt his forehead and his mouth fell. How could this happen? He looked at Adrianna with wide eyes and said in a jittery voice, "It seems that the Alpha has been possessed."


    Adrianna blanched. She stared at the Healer. Her brain couldn''t process the information he had given. "Wh- what are you saying?"


    The Healer observed Dmitri again. This time he put his finger near Dmitri''s nose and then opened his eyes. Once he had examined, he reiterated his findings, "The Alpha is possessed and I am affirmative about it. The spirit that has controlled him is very powerful because it is trying its best to suppress him. The spirit wants to gain control over him and the Alpha is resisting him otherwise if it would have any other werewolf, the spirit would have gotten complete control by now. You have to get the spirit out of his body before the spirit latches itself in him forever."


    Adrianna''s body started to quiver. She kept her hand on her tummy and tears welled in her eyes. She swallowed those tears and then asked in a choked voice, "Why is he so cold?"


    "He is cold because the spirit is not able to feel his heart. It is still adjusting to his body. The moment it adapts to the body, the body will warm up. It seems that the spirit had not had a human vessel ever and so it is not used to it. However, beware that it won''t take long for it to adapt," the Healer warned.


    Adrianna looked up and then towards all the servants who heard him. They were all aghast. How could this happen to their Alpha? Would he continue being the Supreme of all the Packs?


    Adrianna sat on the edge of the bed holding her head. She had fought so many battles but this was on a personal front and this was the most demanding, most agonizing. What would she do if the spirit possessed Dmitri forever? Who was this spirit? Did she have to kill her soul mate? Would she be able to live without him?


    Adrianna watched her husband whose eyes were rolled in their sockets and he was speaking in whispers. She took in a deep breath and asked the Healer, "How much time do we have?"


    "Looking at the spirit, maybe another day or less," came the reply.


    She took in a deep breath and said, "Make a concoction for him so that he is not able to move his limbs for the next few hours."


    "But that wouldn''t stop his body from warming up."


    "I know, but that will stop his movements," Adrianna replied.


    The Healer nodded and went to his hut to prepare the concoction.


    Meanwhile Adrianna slowly crawled to Dmitri''s side and called him. "Dmitri, if you are there give a sign. If you can listen to me please give an indication."


    Nothing happened.


    She entered his cell. It was so black inside. She could feel his anguish. Her heart reached out for him. "Dmitri, are you there?" she shouted inside his cell. She knew that it must be hurting his ears on the outside, but she didn''t have an option.


    Suddenly, the floor beneath her kind of shook, but very faintly. Adrianna was excited. He could hear her. Encouraged, she shouted again, "Dmitri!" This time the floor shook more. She stumbled on it. "If you are there, say something darling," she pleaded. She wanted him to give her a sign that he was there.


    Nothing happened.


    "Dmitri," she called him again, this time a sob ripped through her heart. "Please darling, come out. You can defeat this spirit. We can together defeat this ghost." Her sobs pierced the darkness around her. She felt shaky, inept for not being able to help him. She was planning on leaving his cell, when she heard a faint voice, "Pry-". Adrianna stopped. She held her breath and strained her ears to hear the voice.


    "Prrr-yyy-ce." The voice was feeble but audible.


    Adrianna''s thoughts swirled so quickly that she got vertigo. With fidgety hands, she clasped her skirt and bit her lip. "Dmitri, can you say that again."


    Dmitri had been fighting the power of Vikra over his body. Shunned in a corner, he could feel that his spirit was cruising through his body to acclimatize itself. There was no hope left until Adrianna visited his cell. With whatever energy was left, he gave her the clue. That was the last person he had smelled. So once again when Adrianna asked him, he garnered all his strength and shouted, "Prrr-yyy-ce!" After that he collapsed.


    Adrianna''s brain stuttered.


    Prrr-yyy-ce.


    Pryce.


    PRYCE.


    Her breathing became ragged. Dmitri was hanging in there. "Don''t worry darling," she assured him and left his cell. Pryce was on her on her list now.


    As soon as she was out, she ordered the servants to dress him up. While the servants dressed him, she went in their cells and erased all their memories regarding the current incident. The Healer was there with the mixture of herbs. Adrianna took it from his hand and made Dmitri drink it by force.


    It was at this time that she heard a noise in the balcony. She hurried to check but there was no one. She knew what was going on.


    The first person she had to get hold of was Lenny. The function had started and so she couldn''t do much because her presence was required there. She wanted Lenny to be there to keep a watch on her. She had already alerted Nefasky and the Mozias to keep an eye on her.


    Adrianna looked up at the sky and said, "Screw you author!"

 Chapter 503 - Queens Wrath (1)

    Adrianna followed Lenny''s every movement when she was sitting with Dmitri on the dais and receiving guests. She had to think strategically on what to do next. Her mind was already into looking many steps ahead. She reminisced about the information she had. Inyanga had talked about some cult theory. She had mentioned inverted trident tattoos with three staffs on it. Adrianna closed her eyes for a moment and shuffled the pages of her memory. She went back to the time when Inyanga had offered her explanation. She had also mentioned that there was a woman she saw in the gathering at Niiya''s place who had the same tattoo on the back of her neck��a human. Adrianna opened her eyes with fire raging in them when she realized that it could be none other than Pryce.


    Now she had to solve the problem meticulously and identify all the patterns and forecast the problems. She knew that if she wasn''t highly logical this time, she would lose Dmitri��and that was unacceptable. She would bring a mountain down if that happened.


    Unbeknownst to Lenny, Nefasky had formed a group of five Mozias who were watching her.


    Adrianna had called Cora and informed her of the problem just before coming to the party. Cora was in a shock. She looked at Adrianna as her body teetered and her knees were wobbly. Adrianna caught hold of her and said, "I will get Dmitri back as soon as possible in the bedroom so that no one notices his problem. They should, at the max, think that he is having fever."


    Cora gulped and nodded.


    Adrianna assured her, "Let''s hope for the best."


    ---


    In the function, when Lenny talked about giving Dmitri more importance than his Luna and tried to gain support from the audience, she failed miserably. No one dared to come up against Adrianna. Such was the power she wielded on her packs. Lenny sulked immediately knowing by the dagger looks Adrianna shot her way. She stepped down the dais quietly as others watched her with dubiety and walked away to a far corner where she picked a strawberry shake from the counter. As she sipped it nervously, she watched the royal couple receiving gifts. At the same time she hoped that her Master would keep well.


    It wasn''t long when she observed that there was a flurry of movements on the dais. With the help of servants, Dmitri was being walked out of the stage. Lenny held her glass tightly as she followed the activity closely. She saw that Adrianna was still on the platform receiving the guests. Cora and Pierre flanked her on both the sides. Their faces were stone cold.


    She ambled her way to a group of werewolves who were speaking in low tones.


    "What happened? Is something wrong with the Alpha?" she asked with curiosity.


    The group eyed her with wariness. They didn''t like the way she spoke on the stage. Was she trying to get in between their Alpha and Luna? One of the boy''s dismissed her, "It is none of your concern. He is just having fever and will be fine soon."


    Lenny nodded slightly and distanced herself from there. This was her chance. She watched the servants helping Dmitri to the manor. She waited for five minutes and then slipped away from there slowly. Once inside the manor, she ran to her room, and prepared the red potion again. Once again she rushed to Dmitri''s chamber from the balcony. This time she was relieved to see that the room was dark on the inside. She opened the glass door of the balcony. It was pitch dark inside.


    "Master," she called Dmitri softly.


    She took her wand out and lit a very dim light just enough not to attract attention from the outside. In the light, she saw Dmitri lying on the mattress with hands on both the sides. His body was cold. She had to make him drink the potion otherwise she was scared that the coldness might affect the body. Slowly, like a cat, she tiptoed to reach him. As soon as she was near him, she took the potion out. She was about to open the bottle when the lights of the room came alive.


    "Hello Lenny."


    Shocked, Lenny turned around sharply.


    Isidorus and Haldir were standing there with their wands pointed towards her.


    "Hello Lenny," said Isidorus again.


    Lenny grabbed her wand but she was too late.


    Haldir had already cast a spell on her. Each and every muscle of her body froze. She couldn''t even move her tongue. He walked to her, took the red potion and emptied its contents in the bathroom.


    "So would you tell us about it or do we enter your cell?" asked Isidorus.


    "No, she is mine!" Adrianna''s voice boomed from behind.


    Adrianna stomped all the way to her and with the back of her hand slapped her tight on the face. The impact was so huge, that Lenny fell on the floor. There was a stinging sensation on her lips as they split and the blood oozed out. Lenny couldn''t do a thing except bear the pain. Adrianna caught her with her hair, pulled her up again and slapped her on the other cheek. Her hand got imprinted on Lenny''s fair skin.


    "I am going to kill you slowly," said Adrianna with vengeance that flowed out of her mouth like molten lava. "I am going to make you see how I kill you." She picked Lenny and held her chin so hard that her nails dug inside her flesh. "You have blocked your cell so that no one can enter it. Don''t you think I know? I respected your decision. But guess what? Now I will break your mental shield and get inside your cell. Can you think what will happen? You will experience pain beyond imagination." Adrianna snarled.


    Lenny''s tears fell on her hand.


    In her fury, Adrianna picked up Lenny in the air with her neck and thrust her on the floor with a bone-crushing sound. When Lenny crashed on the floor, some bones must have cracked inside as one could hear the sound.


    Haldir and Isidorus watched her. They flinched. They hadn''t seen Adrianna going on such a rampage on anyone. It was like she was on a personal agenda.


    Adrianna removed the spell from Lenny and the room got filled with a blood curdling scream that came from Lenny.


    "I am going to skin you alive," Adrianna lashed in a dangerous tone.


    Through her red eyes, Lenny glanced at Adrianna. "You won''t be able to do anything. My Master is too strong."


    Adrianna took her wand out. She lit fire on its end and etched "Traitor" very slowly, very agonizingly on Lenny''s broken hand. Lenny cried as Adrianna tormented her by burning her skin. "This is just the beginning," Adrianna growled.


    Then she looked at Isidorus and asked, "How much time do we have? When do we start our journey to the Land of Gaira?"


    "We cannot start before an hour. The portals of the Land of Gaira open twice during the day��once when the sun rises and once when it sets."


    "So I have an hour," she said with a twisted mouth as a vein popped in her forehead.


    ---


    Adrianna had summoned Isidorus and Haldir after the Healer had made the potion.


    Haldir was with Inyanga when the wizard servant appeared and informed him. Once again Haldir jumped. He was half naked. Inyanga chuckled while he was dressing up. When he reached the intended location, Isidorus was in conversation with Adrianna.

 Chapter 504 - Queens Wrath (2)

    An hour was what Adrianna needed. In that little time, when she couldn''t feel her mate''s bond, she looked as though she had aged so many years. There were wrinkles around her eyes. She was so willing to put herself in harm''s way to bring him back that it was the only emotional relief she could think of. Her soul was scratching her, cutting her on the inside. She wanted to scream her mental agony. No one knew the uncontrolled shivers and tremors her body would experience. No one knew how she was holding back the whimpers and the moans. One look at Dmitri, and a muscle would jump beneath her skin. Without him, she would be a living corpse.


    Adrianna turned her attention back to Lenny. She asked in an icy voice, "Who all are with you?" She already knew about Pryce and she had an inkling that Kenai was also involved in it. She had her doubts about Yanga too. Why was Yanga pushing her son so much to be the Military General?


    Lenny was suffering from a lot of pain. She coughed blood from her mouth. She pulled herself up and dragged to the corner of the bed near her Master''s feet. With bloodshot eyes she looked at Adrianna and sputtered, "You think I will tell you?" Lenny started laughing like crazy. "And if you think you can enter my mental shield, then forget it. No wizard has been able to enter through the mind block."


    "Then watch me!" Adrianna said with a guttural roar.


    "No!" Isidorus shouted. Breaking a wizard''s mental block meant harming oneself. "You can''t do that." But Adrianna had already entered Lenny''s cell.


    She took her wand out which converted into a sword. She found herself outside a thick brown wall. Adrianna spiraled and jumped over it. She landed with her sword pointed towards the wall with so much force that the sword pierced the barrier. It shattered and splinters that flew from it on all the sides came flying towards Adrianna. She tried to save herself from them by crouching down but several gashed her through her armor making her bleed on the outside.


    Adrianna could have got all the information she needed from Pryce, but she had to avenge Lenny for what she dared to do. She overlooked the danger.


    When the shield broke, on the outside, Lenny let out a spine-chilling scream. She could feel something inside her mind snap. As her wall shattered, Lenny lost her mental balance. "Stop! Stop!" she begged. "I will help you. Please Adrianna. I can''t bear this pain. This will cripple me." Lenny wailed, holding her head on both the sides with her hands and shaking it violently.


    At the same time, Haldir could see that Adrianna''s blood flowed from her hands on the outside. "Adrianna, come out!" he shouted on the top of his lungs.


    Adrianna pushed her sword deep inside and punctured the blockade completely. The wall melted away. She came out of Lenny''s cell. She noticed that Haldir was applying bandages to her hand. She jerked her hand off him and snatched Lenny''s wand Lenny looked at her with all the craziness in her eyes. She looked insane. She rocked her head back and forth and said, "My wand, gimme my wand. That''s my pet. That''s my kitten."


    Adrianna took her wand and snapped it into two pieces. "This is going to be your final punishment," her voice was rough and rowdy.


    That was the final straw. Lenny started banging her head and cried out loud. "Take her to the wizard prison," Adrianna ordered Nefasky.


    Lenny had become an inmate of her misery for life, there was no chance of liberation.


    Haldir stood there watching her going mad. Her anger, pain, sadness �C they were intertwined and flowing out of her body like fury of a volcano, the lava of which was about to ashen all those who dared to cross her path.


    "Haldir, come with me," she said in a heavy voice.


    "Where?" he asked with wide eyes. What was she up to?


    "We are going to meet Pryce," Adrianna said in a chilling voice.


    She turned to look at Nefasky. "Get all the Mozias here. Keep your wands ready just in case Vikra shows his features on Dmitri''s body."


    "Yes, my Queen," replied Nefasky. She was in awe of Adrianna.


    "Isidorus, you will have to make sure that even if I don''t return, you reach the outskirts of the Land of Gaira."


    "Adrianna, I would suggest that you don''t go there. I can manage," Isidorus cautioned her.


    "That''s out of question Isidorus," Adrianna snickered. "Leave the portal open here in case I don''t return in time." Then she mumbled, "I will return in time." She took one last look at Dmitri and got sucked in a vortex with Haldir.


    They appeared in front of Pryce''s house.


    ---


    That night after the gathering Niiya had visited Pryce. She had invited him. He wanted to forget about Adrianna, about his father and all that had happened in the past. Pryce was so perfect that she surrendered herself completely to his demands. He didn''t get out of Pryce''s house for two days. They had sex as if they had never wanted anything more. Ever since Niiya stayed over at Pryce''s place or would call her at his place.


    However, Pryce had been extremely busy with her father for three days in between and she had told him that she would be visiting her aunt''s place in the neighboring city. Those three days, Niiya didn''t know what to do. He missed her a lot. He would call her, but her phone was switched off.


    In those three days, Pryce was in the house where cult meetings were taking place non-stop. They had burnt three werewolves and on the third day, the Master possessed Dmitri. She was ecstatic that everything happened under the nose of Niiya and he didn''t even know about it. Ever since she had joined the cult, her purpose was to entice Niiya so that these tasks could be carried out smoothly.


    That night, she was sleeping soundly in Niiya''s arms with a smile on her face. Her Master would resurrect by tomorrow. Tomorrow the world would see a new day. Adrianna would be dead.


    ---


    Before Adrianna entered the house, Haldir said, "Think about it carefully. We can do this once we are back from the Land of Gaira."


    Adrianna snapped. "I know what I am doing," she said.


    When they appeared inside Pryce''s room, Adrianna switched on the lights. Both Niiya and Pryce jumped up and woke. Before Pryce could decipher what was going on, Adrianna held her by hair and dragged her out of the bed. She shouted in pain, as her body trembled in the thin white shirt she was wearing. Niiya was shocked at this intrusion. At first he stared blankly as to what just happened and then, she yelled at Adrianna, "Adrianna, are you insane? What the hell are you doing?"


    But Adrianna was in a frenzy. Her fingers went around Pryce''s neck. "Tell me who all are involved," she hissed.


    Niiya tried to get out of the bed to stop her but Haldir cast a spell. He created a wall around him.


    Pryce laughed. "You will be dead by tomorrow Adrianna."


    Adrianna lifted her and banged her head against the large oval mirror. The glass broke into hundreds of pieces. Pryce''s head started to bleed. She cried in pain. "Niiya!" she called him with lots of agony. Her hands went to her head as she felt warm blood gushing out.

 Chapter 505 - Queens Wrath (3)

    Niiya watched Adrianna in horror. He shoved his blanket and rushed to pick Pryce who was lying on the floor, crippled and in tremendous pain. For a human this kind of torture would kill her. However, he couldn''t cross the wall created by Haldir. He looked at Haldir with pleading eyes. The wall was lowered.


    Upon reaching her, Niiya raised her body and placed her on his lap. Then he looked at Adrianna and said in a heated voice, "Have you gone insane? Get out of this place! For once I found happiness and you want to take that away from me? I can''t even fathom that you could be so vicious. You are always after my happiness. Can''t you let me be happy for once!" Niiya''s eyes were red.


    "Stay away Niiya!" Adrianna growled. "You don''t know what she has done."


    "Pryce is a human and what could a human do to a wizard like you?" he lamented. His heart was breaking inside upon seeing Pryce in so much pain. He hated Adrianna this time.


    "Speak the truth Pryce and tell Niiya about your sinister plans before I kill you with my own hands," Adrianna said with loathe.


    Pryce winced in pain and cried. "What have I done to you Adrianna? All I have ever wanted was Niiya. Ever since the college days you''ve been like this��vindictive. You always wanted bad things for me and you insulted me so often. But I gulped down those insinuations. You are jealous that Niiya is now interested in me. You are way out of line now," she rasped now that Niiya could hear her. "You think-"


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes at the nonsense she spouted. So she simply put a truth spell on her.


    Before Pryce realized, she continued to say, "You think that I am interested in Niiya. I am only interested in using him. He is spineless. It was so easy to entice him. He was desperate for your love but with me, he forgot about you when I offered myself completely to him." Pryce''s eyes bulged at what she was speaking. She looked at Niiya with shock on her face as Niiya stared right back at her.


    "Speak," he said in a jarring voice.


    Pryce closed her mouth. She shook her head and pointed at Adrianna, "S- she is v- vi-." Pryce couldn''t speak any further. Her tongue refused to lie.


    "Speak or your tongue will shed," Adrianna looked at her with so much animosity that she trembled.


    Out of fear she started to speak, "I needed Niiya so that no one could raise suspicions on our cult''s activity. With him in my grasp, no other realm could question us. I was given this task by the cult''s head, old priest, Haephus. But the day our Master came, he killed Haephus. After that his energy became very low. But he will become strong within a few hours. Lenny is there with him," Pryce started to laugh feeling joyous.


    "Lenny is now in the wizard prison," Adrianna said.


    Pryce looked at her with wide eyes. "Doesn''t matter. Our purpose will be fulfilled! Provbis!"


    Niiya''s breath became shaky. His mind refused to believe what Pryce just said. She played him. He had a sudden heavy feeling that expanded to his core. He left her and with a numb mind walked out of the room. Before closing the door, he looked at Adrianna and said, "Kill her." He closed the door and walked outside��alone in the street. It was a cold night, but he didn''t feel it because of the rage cruising through in his body and the numbness in his mind. With Adrianna it was different��he had not had physical intimation with her, but Pryce�� her connivance bore like drill in his heart. He had given up himself to her completely, no questions asked �C and this is what she did. He walked away to wherever his feet took him. There was no direction, there was no hope, only loneliness, darkness that gnawed his soul.


    Adrianna had already entered Pryce''s cell when she had cast the truth spell on her and found out about the seven humans besides her who were part of the cult. There were five wizards and two werewolves. She was not shocked when she came to know about the wizards, but the two werewolves dismayed her. After what Dmitri had done for the all the packs, there were two who were so much against him. But she couldn''t say much, because they were none other than two members of the Red Moon Pack, which she belonged to �C Uncle Claus and Meina. Meina was Reinjie''s girlfriend and Uncle Claus was the same man whose Rufus tried to attack her.


    Pryce shouted behind Niiya, "You unfaithful arrogant bastard. How dare you leave me alone?"


    That was more than enough for Adrianna. She brought her wand forward and hissed, "Cutica Igniesis!"


    A flame blazed near the foot of Pryce''s leg that was fractured. Slowly it crept over her body like a snake coiling around its prey. She tried to lift the foot, but the unbearable pain made her cry loud. The orange flame made its way up. It slowly devoured the skin it came in contact with. It looked as if the flames had developed jaws for they gnawed her skin like a critter who enjoyed its fresh meat. The flame was eating only the dermis leaving the burnt flesh underneath and it was doing so lazily. It coiled and coiled and coiled like a snake and Pryce shrieked in trauma.


    "I won''t take your life. But if you survive this, let this punishment forever remind you never to think of messing with people who are beyond you," said Adrianna in a heavy hateful voice.


    Adrianna and Haldir left her and in the next fifteen minutes, all the humans were brought to the cottage where the cult had made sacrifices. Each of them was horror-struck when invisible forces took them out of their comfortable warm blankets, out of their homes to the cottage. At first they thought that it was their Master who had resurrected but later when white beams of lights tied them to the stakes, they were baffled.


    "Who are you?" asked the priest''s son. "Master, is that you?" He looked around in the darkness that had swallowed the surroundings. "Why are you tying us Master? Do you need more power? What do you want to do?"


    "Yes, Master. We can chant for you. Do you want to create any spell?" came a soft voice of a woman. "We can help you?"


    In the dim lights, one could see seven stakes similar to what they had created for sacrificing the werewolves. All of them were in one circle. They looked at each other, bewildered.


    Suddenly Adrianna appeared in the center of the circle. The eyes of those tied bulged, their muscles stiffened involuntarily as they gaped at her in disbelief and terror. Some of them slipped over the logs beneath their feet. The two women started trembling.


    "You!" shouted the priest''s son. "Do you think you can kill us?" He swayed slightly but his voice was steady. "Wait till our Master will come and save us."


    Adrianna conjured a ball of fire in between her palms while looking at him.

 Chapter 506 - Queen Wrath (4)

    "You cannot scare us with any of your stupid tricks Adrianna. You were a sissy before and you are one now. You never deserved the Wizard Kingdom. You never deserved to be the wife of the Alpha. And yet you killed our Master? You should have been killed!" He spat at her.


    At that moment Adrianna threw the orange ball of fire at the logs on which he was standing.


    "No!" the man let out a piercing scream in the Cimmerian shade of the night as the flames engulfed him completely.


    Others flinched. They cried, "Adrianna, we are sorry! Spare us." They whimpered and whined and yammered but Adrianna was in no mood. Her wrath had no limit.


    Adrianna was living, existing in her anger. She was totally lost in that moment as she thought about the torment her husband must have gone through, those werewolves whom these cult members had brought and burnt right there.


    In the fire that broke around the priest''s son, the room had become brighter and all of them could see Adrianna in her black leathers. They saw the pain and anger in her eyes, the tension of her facial muscles. "Adrianna, have you tossed your rational?" shouted a man. She turned her head to look at him sharply. "Are you going to be so primitive in your thinking? You should pardon us."


    "Pardon you?" she said as she conjured another ball of fire. "Where did your ability for nuance go earlier? Where was your emotional generosity when those werewolves screamed to spare them? What had Deba''s husband done to you? He had just left his pregnant wife in the hospital and you people killed him. Deba is without a mate, and with a baby girl. Do you even know what it is to be without a mate?" Her palms furiously conjured the fire. Her voice choked when she said through that gravelly rage, "Can you even imagine an iota of connection the mates have? And you dared to take away my Dmitri from me? Do you know what Dmitri is for me?"


    She hurled the ball of fire towards him and within moments, the man was charred to death. It was fitting tit-for-tat treatment.


    Haldir watched his Queen without interfering.


    Even though she was blinded by her rage, she was surprisingly satisfied. Amidst the protests and cries, Adrianna made a huge ball of fire and hurled it in the air. The orange ball travelled like a tornado in the cottage burning everything that came in its way, blazing down the wood and the entire structure within seconds. Adrianna and Haldir walked out of the burning cottage that was filled with blood curdling screams of the humans who were a part of pushing her soul mate to this condition.


    No one in the town came to know about it because on the outside, it appeared calm. It was just like any other night. Not a fraction of flame was seen on the outside.


    Adrianna and Haldir got sucked in the vortex and appeared before Isidorus. Lenny wasn''t there.


    "We have taken her to the wizard prison," Nefasky informed when she saw where Adrianna was looking.


    Adrianna turned her attention to the Healer and asked, "How is he doing?"


    "His body is warming, albeit slowly," he replied. "Whatever it is that you are planning, do it now."


    Isidorus clenched his jaw. He knew that if Dmitri ceased to exist, so would Adrianna and so would the baby. That was a risk he didn''t want to take. He quivered thinking that every time. "We need to go now, Adrianna," he insisted. "We must go to the Land of Gaira."


    "But you said we have an hour, and right now I am left with half an hour. I need to take care of two werewolves here," she replied with a twisted mouth. She was going to take their guts out and give it in their hands.


    Isidorus shook his head. "No, Adrianna. I don''t want to take chances."


    "It is not the question of taking chances. We cannot enter the Land of Gaira unless it is dawn. You said that," she pointed. "So it is better to be here then at the edge of that land."


    Isidorus gritted his teeth. She was so stubborn. "Okay, you have fifteen minutes," he said. If you don''t come I will leave."


    "Agree," she said and immediately got sucked in the vortex along with Haldir.


    When she appeared on the periphery of the Red Moon Pack, all her old memories rushed in. She closed her fists. This place had only given her miseries. Her first thought was to raze it down and kill all those who belonged to this place. Then her mind went to Deba. She was innocent. Dmitri had mentioned about her and Adrianna had felt so sorry for her. They had offered to support her child in case anything happened to her. But Deba had said that she would take care of her baby till she can. Once she wouldn''t be able to manage, they would know. The news was that Deba was withering away in her mate''s loss. She was like a walking corpse, dead inside. The pack members had already saved her from one suicide attempt.


    Adrianna gulped. She made her way to Meina''s house. As she walked, she turned her head to Haldir and said, "Get Uncle Claus out of the house to the border of the pack. Get him in a way that no one comes to know."


    "Yes, my Queen," he replied and disappeared into a portal whose coordinates were given by her.


    Adrianna got sucked in a vortex right in Meina''s room. She was sleeping soundly. Her brother Reinjie was still in the werewolf prison and here she was, sleeping like a baby. "Get up Meina," Adrianna said softly sitting right next to her bed. Meina rubbed her eyes and jumped up when she felt someone''s presence near her. She growled like a werewolf upon smelling the familiar scent. Next second she jumped out of the bed and stood at the far corner of the room. She switched on the lights. She looked at Adrianna''s weary face. Her eyes were red as though she had cried buckets. She looked sullen. A satisfying smile spread on her face. "What a wonderful chance to meet you Adrianna," said Meina in the most evil way. "How is Dmitri doing?"


    Back when Adrianna had met Meina, she seemed to be such a lovely girl, so calm, so sound, unlike her brother. What had happened to her?


    "He is doing fine," Adrianna returned her smirk. "How are you doing?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and crossing her legs.


    Meina laughed gently. "Me? I am doing fantastic! In fact, never better."


    "How about you and me take a walk outside?"


    Meina shrugged. "Why would I want to go out with you? So, no, thank you. You may leave," she said waving her hand towards the door indicating Adrianna to leave.


    Adrianna took a deep breath. She snapped her fingers and in the next second a bewildered Meina found herself out of the Red Moon Pack''s territory. She saw a man with white hair preparing stakes. On one of them Uncle Claus was tied, not in ropes, but in white beams of lights. "Where am I?" Meina snarled, about to shape shift.


    "Run, Meina!" Claus shouted. And in the next second Meina shape shifted. She dashed towards the nearby forest.

 Chapter 507 - Queens Wrath (5)

    Adrianna scoffed, "Rufus, tried to force himself on me and Dmitri saved me from him."


    The fire had started to work its way up. It was already chewing the logs at a rapid speed and had reached Claus feet. He tried to jump and use his brute force of a werewolf to break those chains of white beam but he couldn''t. The more he tried, the more they tightened. "My son could never do anything like this," he coughed and said in a hoarse voice. "You are lying. You charged him with a crime he never did in order to become a damsel in distress in front of Dmitri."


    Hearing his baseless accusations, Adrianna gut roiled with anger. She looked at it with cold, hard and flinty eyes. Suddenly she was airborne. She glided her way to him and punched him on his face. "That''s for accusing me and calling me a liar."


    The skin beneath Claus'' eyes ruptured and a deep gash was formed. He raised his voice and yelled at her, "You witch! You are taking advantage of the fact that I am tied. Open me and then you will see what I can do to you."


    Adrianna''s voice deepened when she said, "I was in trouble because of your son that day but defended myself as much I could. But I have no intentions of clarifying things with you. You are not worth it and right you look like a damsel in distress." She laughed with an edge. Claus stared at her. She looked like a dangerous beast. All of a sudden Adrianna poked her finger in his forehead. His head jerked back slightly. The air around his head rippled and all of a sudden everything that happened that night when his son had charged Adrianna, started playing like a reel.


    "This can''t- this is not true," he said in a shaky voice as heat flushed through his body. "You are manipulating me," He said in disbelief.


    At that instant Adrianna slapped him hard on the other side and he was brought back to reality. "You are conning me," he said in an urgent voice.


    "I don''t have the time to con you," said Adrianna and dismissed him. She flew back to near Haldir and sent a fresh wave of fire to logs. Within seconds red, orange and blue flames consumed Claus'' entire body as if they were starving from a long time.


    Adrianna was about to leave, when Haldir asked, "What about Meina?"


    Before she could answer, a loud distressing howl pierced the night and they saw Meina running back to the area where they were standing. She was being chased by five huge brown bears.


    Haldir''s lips twitched into a smile.


    As soon as Meina came near Adrianna, she shape shifted. She clung to her and said in a jittery tone, "I am sorry Adrianna. I will never do it again. Please don''t kill me. What will happen to Reinjie? Think about him. He is my mate and your brother. Last time also you left him because of me." She was on her knees as she pleaded Adrianna. She kept looking at the bears who stood there patiently in the distance growling and grunting at her.


    Adrianna looked at the bears and communicated, "Thanks. I don''t need her. You may take her."


    "Anytime Adrianna," said the largest one. "My young one is hungry and she would make a good feast."


    Adrianna chuckled. She saw Meina who was quivering with horror. "Yes, I was considerate. I asked Dmitri not to kill Reinjie because of you. I convinced him that he was your mate and killing a mate was one of the worst things you could do. He took my advice and till today Reinjie is alive. But what did you do? You gave back this to me? You tried to kill my mate? And now you are using that stale card to play me. No way!" Adrianna was shocked at her pretense. "People like you should never be pardoned. So get lost," she said and snapped her fingers.


    Meina found herself in between the bears. "Adrianna, no! Help me!" But her high-pitched shrieks faded into the night as the bears mauled her and then dragged her away deep into the forest.


    Satisfied, Adrianna breathed in. "Let''s go," she said to Haldir and they got sucked in the vortex.


    When they reached her bedroom, she saw that Isidorus had created the portal. Nefasky and two Mozias were holding Dmitri who was now staring with his black eyes open wide. "He is beginning to warm up," said Isidorus.


    "I want all of you to enter that portal. We are all going to the Land of Gaira," Adrianna commanded.


    "Yes, my Queen," came a solid assurance from all.


    Cora and Pierre were also there. "I want to go with you," Pierre said in a tone that Adrianna could not dismiss.


    Cora nodded. "Yes Adrianna, take him with you."


    "Okay father," she replied with glazed eyes. How could she stop a father?


    Then she turned to all and said, "Remember, it is going to be difficult. It is possible that one of you may get sucked inside Gaira. Stay alert and stay calm. I will try my best not to let anything happen to you."


    "Yes, my Queen."


    One by one all of them entered the portal. Dmitri glared at Adrianna and hissed, "Don''t."


    Vikra had quickened his travel around Dmitri''s body. Only a few more hours and he would have completely possessed him. He protested with whatever might he could. Dmitri''s body shook uncontrollably. "Don''t," he hissed again in order to scare Adrianna. But she ignored him. She knew that the effect of the Healer''s potion was wearing off.


    One by one all of them stepped inside the portal and walked outside the periphery of Gaira, the Spirit Realm. When they reached there, Isidorus said in a loud voice, "The Land of Gaira consists of portals to four realms �C the Dorzi, where only irredeemable immortal souls are found, the Bodak, where souls of thieves and murderers from the mortal and immortal worlds are imprisoned, the Efevar, where nature spirits and Fae souls are found and the Seozia, where spirits of the dark creatures reside. Vikra''s destination is Seozia."


    He held Dmitri by hand to make him stand near the border. Dmitri''s body shook so violently that for once Adrianna felt terrible. She felt she could nauseate. "Stop it!" she shouted.


    Isidorus could see how strained she was. "Shush, Adrianna. Vikra is trying to scare you." He turned his attention to Dmitri and cast the spell, "Obstupefacio!" His body stopped quivering. Isidorus pushed him close to the border. A large Aspen tree was standing tall on the left. "That is the entrance," he pointed.


    From the outside, the Land of Gaira was nothing but rolling moors. But when Dmitri was pushed further inside, everyone could feel an invisible airfield that billowed behind him.


    Isidorus walked to Adrianna and said in a very low voice, "You know that no one can enter their physical bodies in this world?"


    "Yes," she replied with a stone face.


    "So do not think of entering this realm, whatsoever happens," he warned her.


    "I will go where my Dmitri goes," she replied with determination.


    "You are pregnant. If you enter, you have to leave your physical body on the outside and that means your baby could be harmed," he reasoned.


    Adrianna didn''t reply. She stared at Dmitri.


    Isidorus gritted his teeth. "Adrianna-"


    "I know what to do," she snapped.

 Chapter 508 - Saved

    Isidorus was very angry at her and reminded her, "You know that one second inside the spirit land Gaira is equal to one year of our realm?"


    "I know."


    "Even if I preserve your body for that one year, what will happen to the baby?"


    Adrianna didn''t answer as she clenched her jaw. Preserving a wizard''s body wasn''t a problem. That could be done in a hut that was hidden right behind the Aspen tree. She had read about it in the library of the Ministry out of interest. She never knew that it would become a reality one day.


    Isidorus could never change Adrianna''s mind. Speaking to her was futile. In a few minutes the Land of Gaira would be unveiled from the blanket of the night. As soon as the sun''s first rays would fall upon the entrance, they all had to come to action. "Let us all go to the Aspen tree," he ordered. "Everyone keep your wands pointed at Dmitri. He should be forced to stay near the wall and glide on it until we reach the entrance."


    Everyone took their wands out and directed at him.


    Dmitri looked at Adrianna with the black of his eyes expanding and said in a daunting and vibrating voice, "If you enter the Land of Gaira, I will take Dmitri with me."


    Adrianna replied in an equally waspy tone, "Come what may, you will meet your end Vikra." Saying that she was the first one to emit a beam of sparkly white light from her wand. The light traveled to Dmitri. They surrounded him like tiny wisps that floated lightly.


    Haldir, Nefasky and the Mozias followed the suit.


    Dmitri''s body convulsed. Vikra was making sure to harm Dmitri''s physical body. Suddenly his hand moved and he clawed at Dmitri''s abdomen tearing his shirt. The claws went right through his shirt, inside his skin and made a deep laceration. Blood started oozing out. "See what I can do to him," his voice reverted in the night.


    Pierre was standing at the far end. He raced to his son. He shouted at them, "Stop, all of you stop! Dmitri must be in pain." Pierre''s face was red. How could he let his son suffer so much?


    Vikra screeched with laughter.


    "Father, move away from there," Adrianna roared. "Vikra is scaring us. Have you forgotten that Dmitri is a werewolf? His body will heal soon."


    Pierre looked at Adrianna with pain in his eyes. He said, "Adrianna, this better be good else I will hold you responsible for the rest of your life."


    Adrianna pursed her lips as emotions choked her. "There would be no life for me, father. You can hold responsible whomsoever you want, but for now let me work." She looked towards the horizon. "See," she pointed at there, "The sun is about to come up. This is our only chance."


    Everyone was desperate by now. If it had been for Isidorus, he would have frozen Pierre for the rest of his life. He gritted his teeth for Pierre''s lack of reasoning.


    Pierre''s shoulders slumped. Looking at the way she was begging, Pierre moved out from there. He walked to the spot where he already was. "I will be waiting for the two of you," he said with agony.


    Seeing that the things have settled with Pierre, Isidorus instructed everyone as they started to take Dmitri towards the entrance making his slide on the wall, "As soon as we reach the entrance, all of you are going to cast ''Expello Animamea!'' spell on Dmitri with power. That will force Vikra''s soul out. He will try to clutch on Dmitri''s body or take him with him while coming out. But you have to be insistent and cast the spell again."


    "That is a very powerful spell, Isidorus," said Nefasky with wide eyes. That would separate his physical body with the astral one. And there were two souls in that body. She shivered internally.


    Isidorus looked at her with anger and said, "Do as I say."


    "Yes," she muttered in fear.


    In order to waver them, Vikra clawed Dmitri''s chest. There was blood all over. However, none of them stopped. They continued to glide him to the entrance.


    Dmitri was now entirely encompassed by the white sparkly lights. Vikra''s soul hated it. The white sparkles were actually the healing orbs. They brushed past Dmitri''s skin and healed his wounds. Vikra shook the body again as if to scatter those orbs, but they kept circling with the same steadfastness.


    The sun was about to come up. It was only a matter of minutes. Dmitri was now positioned on the entrance. Adrianna was waiting for the moment. She knew that as soon as the spell would be cast, she would leave her physical body and take Vikra inside the Land of Gaira with her. She was ready to sacrifice herself if that was the last chance to bring back Dmitri. She was consumed in her inner thoughts. "Hang on Dmitri! I will get you," she mumbled.


    As soon as her words came, the sun rose behind the mountains filling the sky with its warm gold, bright rays amidst the inky blue sky as though bidding the stars to go and be with the moon. Adrianna gasped. This was the moment. The first ray fell on the Aspen tree making its green leaves shimmer. Slowly the ray lowered itself on the entrance and it shone in a blinding light.


    "Now!" shouted Isidorus.


    "Expello Animamea!" all the wizards and the witches cast the spell with all the force they could gather in their body.


    Suddenly, Vikra''s soul came out with a screech. It looked as if white smoke had come out of Dmitri''s body. But immediately it started to go back inside. The wizards shouted the spell again. This time Vikra''s soul was forced out inside the Land of Gaira. It clutched on Dmitri to try to take his soul with him. But he had already pushed Dmitri in the corner of his body. He was not approachable. Dmitri''s soul was lying unconscious in his own body surrounded by the eternity of darkness Vikra had created for him.


    Adrianna was now ready to force herself near him when Isidorus shouted, "One more time!"


    The wizards did it again and this time the last clutches of Vikra''s soul left Dmitri.


    Dmitri''s body slumped.


    Adrianna was about to leave her physical body to force Vikra inside Gaira because he was refusing to enter it when she noticed something bizarre. Her mouth dropped and she gasped. Everyone over there was shocked. They saw Isidorus leaving his physical body. His soul screeched and latched itself on to Vikra''s soul. In a fraction of a second, Isidorus soul pushed Vikra''s in the Land of Gaira. The two of them disappeared. He would make sure that Vikra never returned. This act was the epitome of his dedication to the throne.


    Everyone on the outside was completely surprised and shaken up.


    Adrianna jolted. She didn''t know what to say. She lowered her wand and ran to Isidorus, whose old body was now lying in a lifeless heap. "No!" she shouted in pain.


    Haldir came to her and instructed the Mozias, "Lower you wands now." On the inside, he was happy that Isidorus was the one who pushed Vikra inside and not his Queen. He feared for the baby. He realized that Isidorus too had the same attraction for the child. He looked at Adrianna and said, "I know what to do next Adrianna. Go and take care of Dmitri. He needs you."


    As soon as the wands were lowered, Dmitri slipped down the wall onto the ground. Pierre darted to his son.


    Dmitri was saved.

 Chapter 509 - Middle Of The Night

    Adrianna had tears in her eyes, which she swallowed down the throat. Isidorus hadn''t even told her about her plans. He asked her various questions to know about her intentions, but she was so focused on getting Vikra''s soul out of Dmitri''s body that she didn''t even think of getting in Isidorus'' cell to know what he intended. And now he was gone. Through the haziness of her eyes, she saw Haldir carrying Isidoros'' body to the small hut that was hidden behind the Aspen tree. The body would be preserved there and a Mozia would be on duty until Isidorus returned.


    There was one satisfaction that Adrianna could feel. Her body relaxed and she fell on the ground on her knees. She closed her eyes. When she opened them she tipped her head up to look at the sky that was beaming with a new dawn. The sun''s rays bloomed like marigold mixed with tinges of blue and white.


    Vikra was gone.


    Isidorus would take care of him.


    She just hoped that Isidorus returned back safely. If anything would happen to his spirit in the Land of Gaira, his physical body would wither away in the hut. Adrianna shuddered thinking that.


    "Adrianna!" Someone was calling her.


    "Adrianna!"


    She licked her lips and turned to see the source. Pierre was calling her. Nefasky had created the portal and except Haldir and the Mozia who had to stay with Isidorus, all were walking through it.


    "Hurry up! We need to bring Dmitri back to consciousness. His body is cold," Pierre hollered at her.


    A smile wormed on her lips. "Dmitri," she mumbled. Quickly she jumped on her feet and ran to the portal as fast as she could with vigor. It was as if her feet had springs beneath them. She looked like a deer jumping with happiness.


    "Adrianna, stop. You are darting like an arrow from the bow," Pierre laughed. "You are pregnant."


    Adrianna joined him in his laughter. She stepped inside the portal after her mate.


    They all walked in the royal palace. Adrianna summoned the Healers. She also called the Healer of the Werewolf Realm.


    Dmitri was taken to the bedroom where Adrianna created the same sprinkles of white light that danced around his body and covered him completely. The servants took his shirt out. Adrianna could see that the wounds created by Vikra weren''t deep. They would get healed within the next twenty-four hours but the main issue was something else. Inside his body, his soul had retracted itself to a corner. And she had to go in there and bring him back.


    The Healers had come. "Give him this red potion," said the Werewolf Realm Healer, Sangra. "This will warm up his body."


    "He is unable to open his mouth. His body is too cold," replied the one from the Wizard Kingdom. Dmitri''s skin was so pale as if there was no blood left inside.


    "Then we need to force it down his gut," came a stern answer. Sangra went near Dmitri and sat down near his head. He opened his mouth and poured in the potion drop by drop. As the drops slid inside him, the color of his skin returned.


    It was time for Adrianna to enter his cell.


    Inside his cell, it was very dark. She called out his name, "Dmitri." She waited for him to respond but there was no reply. She trudged further in the darkness. "Dmitri, darling where are you?" There was pin drop silence. His entire cell was closed. Not a single window of his memories was open. There was coldness, pain and regret that brushed past by. She closed her hands across her chest and rubbed them with her palms. "Dmitri, baby, please talk to me."


    The potion that he had had started to work. Dmitri could feel his hands and legs. He was surprised. He wanted to come out of all the blackness that surrounded him. Had Vikra gone? Was he free? He opened and closed his eyes. In order to feel his hands, he lifted a finger, and it was successful. Joyous, he tried to pull himself up. Suddenly he heard a feeble voice, "Dmitri, darling please come to me."


    "Adri," he called her back. His voice was so weak that he just wheezed it out. Dmitri''s eyes filled with tears. She had come back for him. She had saved him. He didn''t even want to imagine the lengths she must have gone for that. He loved her so much that he had to go to her. "Adri," he called her again, this time with whatever energy he had.


    All of a sudden, Adrianna saw that a window of his cell opened. She was jubilant. She walked to the window and when she opened its door, she saw that it was where Dmitri had stored his memory of their honeymoon. Adrianna started to cry and this time there were no barriers. She cried out loud. Her mate cherished those memories so much that that was the first window of his memory that opened. "Dmitri," she called him loudly. "Please baby, come to me. I have missed you so much."


    At that instant another window opened and when she opened that, it was the memory in which she could see herself in the college. That was the first time he had seen her in college. She was sitting alone on a bench under a canopy. She could feel his attraction for her. Adrianna closed her open mouth with her hands. She shook her head. "Dmitri!" she sobbed his name out.


    Slowly, slowly the windows started opening dispelling the darkness that had gripped his insides. Adrianna was exuberant. She started opening all the doors to find him. There were numerous. She kept calling his name. "Give me a sign, baby."


    "Adri," Dmitri pulled himself up and tried to walk, but he didn''t have the energy. He collapsed.


    On the outside, the Healers had maintained a sheath of white lights around him. They were satisfied with the progress his body was making. As for his consciousness, that depended on a lot of things.


    It was a long time after which Adrianna came out. She was crying uncontrollably. "I couldn''t find him," she said.


    "I am so sorry," whispered the Wizard Kingdom Healer.


    Sangra went to him and patted her back. He said, "Adrianna, it is a miracle that Dmitri is safe. Who would have thought that a soul like that of Vikra''s would leave him? I was not sure that Dmitri would come out of his condition. Give him time, he will recover. On the outside, we saw him moving his finger and tears shed from his eyes."


    Adrianna looked with wide eyes at the Healer. "Really?" she asked.


    "Yes," you can see for yourself. He pointed in Dmitri''s direction.


    There was a smile on Adrianna''s face. Yes, Dmitri listened to her when she had gone inside. She walked to him and wiped those tears. "I am waiting for you outside, okay?"


    The healers left the couple when the day started setting. Meanwhile Adrianna took a bath and she cancelled whatever appointments or tasks she had lined for the day. She wanted to spend time with Dmitri, and she was sure about that.


    In the night she curled near his warmth and slept out of deep exhaustion. The canopy of flowers surrounded the couple and pink flowers bloomed.


    In the middle of the night Adrianna''s sleep was disturbed. She opened her eyes with a jolt as she felt light hands stroking her hair.

 Chapter 510 - Feasting On Her

    "Dmitri!" Adrianna squealed like a baby.


    He chuckled weakly.


    She jumped up to sit on the bed. Immediately, she created a soft, yellow tiny orb of light that floated in the air near the flowers dimly lighting up the room. She turned her head to look at him. He was staring at her. One hand was beneath his head supporting it and the other was still entangled in her hair. His dark eyes looked at her as if absorbing everything that she had to offer. Adrianna couldn''t control her emotions and hugged him tightly. "Dmitri!" she exclaimed in a cheery tone. "You are back, you have woken up!" She had circled her hands tightly around his shoulders. Her heart was next to his beating in tandem and she was calmed. Her mate was back. She started to shine brilliantly as a soft cry ripped through her body. He was her source of light and love in this world. Her world had become dark when he had gone and now that he was back, his love was like a light that showered sparks of positive pandemonium in that darkness.


    Adrianna rested her head upon his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He continued to stroke her hair. All their thoughts stopped as the two reveled in each other''s presence. The time stopped. Dmitri squeezed her feebly as if to check whether everything was for real, whether she was there for real, whether he had actually got out of Vikra''s clutches. It was the most harrowing experience of his life. He kissed her crown and said softly, "I don''t think anyone feels the way I feel in your arms. You cannot imagine how I felt when I thought that I have lost you after loving you so much. I experienced pain that was making me hollow and killing me like poison slowly inside."


    Adrianna''s tears fell on his chest and none of them tried to wipe them. She had to cry. It was necessary for her cry because she wanted to let go of all the past evils that had poisoned her world. She whispered back, "Our kind of love spans more than one lifetime. It doesn''t belong to the mortal world."


    "Hmm." He held her cheeks and brought her face closer to his face. "You lifted me out of that cold, grey mist that was there around me, which I thought I would become a part of."


    Adrianna chuckled as she cried and glowed even more.


    "The way you are shining Adri, it seems you can light up the night sky and fire up every star," said Dmitri. He kissed her lips and the tears that were making them wet.


    "Don''t leave me ever," she said and kissed him back passionately.


    "Ah!" Dmitri winced in pain and laughed.


    Adrianna laughed back, "Sorry! I forgot you need lots of rest."


    She rested her head on his chest and brought her finger to make small circles. She would kiss him in between only to assure that he was there. Adrianna let her mental shields down bidding him to read her thoughts. He couldn''t enter her cell, but at least he could read her thoughts well. And she was in front of him like an open book.


    Adrianna didn''t know when she slept off but she could feel the gentle caress of her mate inside her brain. It relaxed her so much that once again the exhaustion of what she had gone through weighed heavily upon her and her eyelids closed.


    In the morning she woke up feeling as if someone was nibbling her. She opened her eyes wide only to find Dmitri in between her breasts. "You can''t do that!" she tried to push him, as she chortled sensing his desperation.


    "Of course, I can," he replied in between nibbling her nipples. "These have grown solidly," he gulped and grunted while sucking on them.


    Adrianna realized that she was panty-less. When did that happen?


    Red flowers had started to bloom in the canopy at a rapid rate.


    "You are unwell," she reminded him, not able to hold her laughter anymore. Her hands went to his face near his lips as he sucked her harder.


    "Who said that?" he replied with a grunt. "I am as healthy as a werewolf can be." He picked her leg and brought it to rest on his hips.


    Dmitri''s wounds had healed completely by the time it was morning. The white lights had done their work magically. Not only his wounds had healed, he was feeling energetic like before. With all the problems gone from their lives, he only looked forward to a brighter future with his wife. But currently he had a more pressing matter.


    He brought his hand to her bud that had swollen for his attention. He pressed it firmly making her body arch. Slowly, he took his fingers inside her and gently stroked her. Adrianna couldn''t take it and within a second she came. Her release was cathartic. She held his hair as she came and came. And before she could get hold of her senses, Dmitri had pinned her beneath him. He lay on her back lightly and kissed all the way down her midrib. His large, strong hands gripped her hips and he lifted her up until he was in between her thighs. And then he started to eat and lick and nibble her. "Ah! St- stop Dmitri," she begged him not really wanting him to stop.


    And he didn''t. After he had had her to his satisfaction, he got up behind her and entered. She pressed her face in the pillow to stop the servants from hearing her moans. However, as he pushed into her with firmness, she let go of herself. Her moans echoed in the room, perhaps they escaped outside the room also.


    The two of them lay on the bed in the afterglow of their lovemaking. They were sweating as hell. Adrianna turned her gaze to see him. He was languidly spread on the bed as though there was no hurry in the world. His hair was all tousled and when his eyes met her, they gleaned of wickedness. The man who appeared so satisfied just a moment ago immediately sprang up and kissed her hungrily on her neck.


    "I am so going to torture you Dmitri Volkov," Adrianna muttered. But moments later she was putty in his hands doing exactly what he wanted.


    There was no going to the noble court today either.


    ---


    Outside the Land of Gaira, Isidorus'' physical body was lying in the hut covered in thousands of small orbs of white light. His soul had entered the spirit world along with Vikra.


    Once the soul entered the spirit world, it could get out of it only if it had a physical presence. Those whose bodies were destroyed had to mandatorily remain in that land because they had nothing to possess. Hence some wicked souls never went to the Land of Gaira fearing that they would never return. Their lust for going back to the living realm kept them like ghosts.


    Vikra was one such kind of soul. His lust to acquire the Wizard Kingdom was extremely deep rooted.


    When Isidorus pushed him inside the spirit world, he pulled him inside along with him. "If I go inside, I will take you with me," he hissed as he held Isidorus'' hand.


    Isidorus laughed. He pointed towards the portal of Seozia. "That is where you belong and that is where I will take you."


    Inside the spirit land Vikra looked like an image of the youth he was and so did Isidorus - two strong, cold, giant males.


    "Try me," said Vikra and attacked isidorus.

 Chapter 511 - Seozia And Unfinished Errand

    Dmitri and Adrianna spent their time in the bedroom until noon. They actually took a day off from their normal activities and stayed with each other.


    Adrianna was lying lazily on his side. They had a great love making session and Dmitri had held her against his chest, no, he had tucked her all night against his body. There was a deep intimacy between them��it reached their souls, which intertwined and held onto each other. When Adrianna woke up that morning, she saw that Dmitri had continued to hold her throughout the night. His warm breath was caressing her cheeks. She looked up at his face and her throat choked. She brought her finger to his forehead and then lightly traced his cheekbones, lips and his square jaw. Her breath stopped as she felt the pain of her deep affection and yearning for him. She was wildly in love with him and as she looked more at him, she could feel her love consuming every part of her body. If someone dared to hurt him again, she would��


    Sensing her hand on his chin, Dmitri woke up. With his half open eyes, he brought his hand to her tummy. Stroking it gently, he asked, "How''s my baby doing?"


    "He is doing great," she answered, still looking at his square jaw.


    He stroked her hair so softly and smoothly that Adrianna slept all over again. They had had a wild night and it was only because none of them wanted to stop. He would have continued with making love to her longer but he knew that she was getting tired. And now all he wanted was to give her as much mental and physical rest as possible. Once they stepped out, they would get sucked in day-to-day activities.


    Dmitri slept again beside her.


    ---


    Back in the Land of Gaira, Vikra knew that his end had come. He would never be able to get out of there. He had been living on Earth for so long that it was difficult for him to accept the fact that Adrianna and Isidorus tricked him into entering the spirit world. His hatred unleashed and it became a sword that ripped his current state of being. "I am going to take you with me to Seozia," he roared as he lunged at Isidorus.


    Isidorus barked with laughter. "Don''t you know the rules of Gaira?" he said as he crouched and appeared behind Vikra.


    Vikra turned back to face him. "Adrianna and you tricked me in here. All I ever wanted was to rule the Wizard Kingdom. What was so wrong with that?" he said and made a fresh attack towards Isidorus.


    Isidorus wasn''t an easy soul to get hold of. He spat at him. "Your greed was what was wrong. When you were the ruler, you became so greedy that you brought the subjects of the kingdom to poverty. And for what? To fill the treasures of your palace? And then you siphoned that money to other realms. You became so selfish in your desires to make more money that you forgot your people. You were rightly banished from the kingdom. The throne rejected you and so your face reduced to becoming a skull." From the corner of his eyes he observed that the portal of Seozia wasn''t very far away. He had to push him to that side. There was not much time. Each and every minute in the Land of Gaira was like spending a year on the earth.


    Vikra was so blinded by his hatred that all he wanted was to capture Isidorus.


    Isidorus glided towards the Seozia portal speedily.


    The portal consisted of a small circle of fire that was smoldering. As soon as it sensed spirits coming near it, the circle exploded and more black smoke emitted from it. It was burning like hell.


    Isidorus had to take the chance. So he glided swiftly in front of it and suddenly stopped just a few feet away. The burning inferno had a lot of strength in it. It was throwing its flames towards him in order to suck him inside.


    Vikra followed him with the same speed. But he was not ready for what happened next. He was stunned by Isidorus'' sudden halt. He tried to stop himself from speeding, however, by that time he was already very close to Isidorus.


    Taking the advantage of the situation, Isidorus pulled his hand and fed him to the portal.


    "Noooo!" Vikra shouted. The flames of Seozia recognized the soul that belonged to it and they covered him from all sides. Vikra spiraled into a whirlpool of flames in the blink of an eye.


    Vikra had tried numerous times but was never able to the Wizard Kingdom after he was banished. His wish remained unfulfilled till his end.


    ---


    When Adrianna and Dmitri woke up, he said, "I wanted to go and meet Deba. I also wish to enquire about the other two werewolves who were burnt at stake."


    They had taken bath and were eating lunch in their chamber on their bed. "You should. Even I would like to come with you, but first I have a very important thing on the agenda."


    Dmitri read her mind. "I will accompany you there."


    "Sure," she replied with a smile. Her thoughts went to Isidorus and her heart was filled with agony for him. He was the one who had identified her. He was the one who had brought her to the Wizard Kingdom and was a pillar of support throughout her ascension to the throne. He believed in her when no one else did. She pursed her lips and kept the spoon back on the plate.


    Dmitri shifted to her. "He will be back, okay? Let''s complete the unfinished errand."


    She nodded with a heavy heart. In the next fifteen minutes, Adrianna walked in the main hall while brushing herself and Dmitri from top to bottom. New set of black leathers appeared on their bodies.


    She was in her carriage along with Dmitri. Her personal security consisting of Nefasky and some Mozias, surrounded her. While on her way, Haldir came along with his set of Mozias and other wizards and they all flew around her carriage.


    Their first stop was Yanga''s house.


    Yanga wasn''t at home because she had gone to the Ministry.


    ---


    When Lenny hadn''t returned, Kenai was desperate to know what had happened next. Kenai was eager to meet his master. After his Master had possessed Dmitri, he had come back to the Wizard Kingdom. Along with other wizards who had colluded with him, he was forming strategies on how to topple the Queen for the entire night and the day.


    No one knew that the royal couple had come back. Lenny had been secretly taken to the prison and even Yanga didn''t know about it. That day in the morning Kenai had asked his mother, "When will Lenny come?"


    "How would I know? She is, after all with the Queen," Yanga answered as she brushed her hair. She was so proud of Lenny accompanying the Queen that she had to boast it to others. That would only enhance her reputation. "I think she might come today because she told me that Adrianna has to attend the noble court.


    Kenai''s excitement increased manifold when he heard ''noble court''. That would mean that his Master would go there on his first day of return. He went to his bedroom and announced it to his partners in crime.


    "That is simply great!" said one of them with a wicked smile.


    Suddenly��

 Chapter 512 - Hello Kenai!

    "I will ask Mother to take me to the noble court as soon as I hear that the Master is in the Wizard Kingdom. I have already talked to a servant in the royal palace to give you a position in the kitchen if possible" said Kenai, excitement oozing out of his voice. "That way you will be able to make energy potions for the Master."


    The wizard who Kenai had pointed at was delighted.


    Suddenly, there was noise on the outside of the house. Kenai walked to the window and drew the gauzy blue curtain slightly to peep. His eyes became wide with surprise when he saw that his mother Yanga was hopping in excitement. She was squeaking like a child around the royal couple. He stared at them incredulously.


    "Adrianna and Dmitri are here!" he yelped. He shuffled two steps back and clutched his chest with his fists.


    Others looked at him in bewilderment.


    "What?" one of them exclaimed.


    They all got up from there and peeped outside in order to believe what Kenai said. Upon seeing Dmitri walking inside, the wizard grabbed Kenai''s arm and said, "Go and receive the Master."


    Kenai couldn''t believe that he was getting so lucky. At first Lenny was able to get Dmitri and today she had convinced them to come to her house. A smile built on his face as the surprise sank in. In a shaky voice he mumbled, "Yes." He was very thankful to Lenny for bringing Master so close to him. Once he would go to his Master, he would recognize him. He would ask him to come to the royal palace, and then�� and then�� he would stay by his side forever. He would serve him. Together they would rule the Wizard Kingdom. His heart raced and his skin tingled at the thought. His dream was about to become true. He gulped his saliva to contain his excitement.


    "All of you get out of here immediately. I don''t want any suspicions to be raised," he instructed the team. There was also a lot of security that had accompanied the royal couple. He didn''t want his partners to get into trouble. Everything had to be planned extremely carefully now, he thought.


    "I am going outside. You all should go to the bathroom and then disappear. Don''t think of doing it in my room because even a small movement will raise the doubts of the security. Even Haldir is here along with the Mozias. So you better be careful."


    They nodded. Kenai walked out of his room. There was a wide smile on his face. He noticed that Yanga was on her toes to greet the couple. Adrianna and Dmitri were already sitting on the sofa of the main hall. Nefasky was standing in the corner along with Haldir with a stone cold face. There was no one else. Perhaps the Mozias were stationed outside. On the inside, Kenai was happy. Less people meant he could easily get close to his Master. So the first thing he did was to bow at the Royals.


    "Hello Kenai," Adrianna said with a smile.


    "Hello," he greeted back gruffly. Now she was nothing in front of him, he thought. He turned his gaze to Dmitri and said very politely, "How are you, Master?"


    Dmitri frowned.


    Suspecting that Kenai had upset the King, Yanga jumped in the conversation. "I am so honored that the royals have come to my humble abode. What can I do for you? What would you like to have?" She snapped her fingers and four servants appeared with trays that were loaded with various snacks and wine and fruits. They placed all of the eateries on the table in the center and left.


    Yanga walked up and served the couple. She turned to Haldir and Nefasky and said, "Please come and have something." But the two were poker faced.


    Yanga turned her attention to Adrianna and asked, "What brings you here, my Queen?" She looked at Adrianna without blinking her eyes. She was about to leave for the ministry when she saw her carriage landing in front of her house. "And where is Lenny? Has she already gone to the ministry?" Yanga chuckled. "You see she is a diligent child." Her chest became wide with pride.


    Ever since the two of them had come, none of them had spoken a word. It became awkward.


    Adrianna took in a deep breath and looked at Kenai. He was staring at Dmitri. "Do you find Dmitri so good looking?" she asked.


    Kenai jerked his head and lowered his gaze.


    Dmitri crossed his legs.


    "So when was the last you actually met Vikra?" Adrianna asked with furrowed brows.


    Kenai''s eyes bulged at the question. He stuttered, "Wh- what do you mean? I- I have never met him. What kind of a question is this?" On a reflex his hand went to his wand.


    "It''s a straight question," she answered tilting her head.


    Yanga was confused as to what was going on.


    "I have never met him," he said confidently.


    It was her next that made him sweat.


    "And when did you join the cult?" she asked very casually.


    Kenai looked at Dmitri who was now staring him back. He had to protect his Master. Why wasn''t the Master saying anything?


    "I haven''t joined any cult," he snapped lying through his teeth. A low pain was beginning to form in his tattoo on the wrist.


    Adrianna nodded. "Do you know where Lenny is?"


    "How would I know? She went with you!" Kenai became restless. He left his wand and pressed his wrist slightly.


    "What is going on?" Yanga asked with worry on her face.


    "Tell us Kenai. What is going on?" Adrianna glared at him. "Answer your mother."


    The pain in his wrist increased. His forehead was now covered in sweat. His anger was about to burst.


    Dmitri leaned in front. Placing his elbow on his knee, he rested his head in his palm. "Tell about your plans Kenai or would you like me to spill them out for you."


    Kenai rubbernecked at Dmitri. He was aghast. "What are you saying M��?"


    "Do you know what I did to all the humans and werewolves who were with you in the heinous act?" Adrianna said as her face became red in anger. "I have burnt them all."


    Kenai''s mouth fell. The pain in his wrist was unbearable now. It was as if the trident had become alive and pricking his skin.


    "And I am going to do that with the wizards who did that to the King," she continued as she glowered at him. "I am going to shred your soul in so many pieces that you will never be able to collect yourself, exactly the way I have done with Lenny."


    Yanga rose from the chair. Her breath choked. She caught her chest and looked at Kenai with wide eyes. "What��?"


    Kenai looked intensely at Dmitri.


    Dmirti tilted his head and scoffed. "You Master has been transported to the Land of Gaira."


    "No!" Immediately, Kenai took his wand out. But he was too slow for Adrianna. She snapped her fingers and his wand forced its way to her.


    The pain in his wrist was excruciating. He looked at his wrist. Blood was flowing out from there. He saw the trident tattoo wriggling out of there as if trying to get out of the skin. In a moment, it ripped outside his skin and floated in the air in front of his eyes. He screamed with pain. The trident became larger and pointed at his throat leaving him with a bloodied wrist.


    Adrianna broke his want into two pieces. "Arrest him!" she barked.


    Kenai tried to run to his room, but stopped with a shock when he saw his friends gliding out, all leashed in barbed electric beams. Their bodies bled. He realized they were doomed.


    ---


    Isidorus came out of the Land of Gaira.

 Chapter 513 - That’s Ileus!

    When Isidorus came out of the Land of Gaira, he noticed that a Mozia was sitting right beside his body. His body was covered with wisps of white light that floated everywhere around him. His body had been well preserved. As soon as he was out, his physical body sucked him inside. He was so relaxed after the battle and victory over Vikra that once his soul entered his body, he felt his extreme exhaustion. His mind went blank and he slept. When he woke after an hour, he lazily opened his eyes and found the curious Mozia staring at him. The wisps of light around him had faded. He rose from the bed rather weekly. The Mozia came to immediately help him get up.


    "I am so excited to see that you have finally awakened, Isidorus," the Mozia said as he supported Isidorus'' shoulders on his arm and pushed him in a sitting position. "I had been assigned to keep you safe in this hut."


    "Finally awakened?" Isidorus slurred a little. His tone was quivering. "What do you mean by that? Did you have doubts that I wouldn''t come back? Besides, it''s just been, what? Like a few seconds?" He looked at the Mozia with a question in his eyes. "You lost faith in me for a few seconds?" Isidorus laughed weakly and shook his head. "But why are my muscles so weak?" he asked. "Did you do anything with my body when I was away?" He was barely able to lift his hands.


    The Mozia gave Isidorus and incredulous stare. "Isidorus��"


    "What? Why are you looking at me as if you are shocked to see me? Did you people think that this was the last of me you have seen?" Isidorus sounded irritated.


    "No, not at all!" came the reply.


    The Mozia had helped him sit on the small bed that he had been guarding.


    "Then?" Isidorus was exasperated. Without waiting for his response, he said, "Take me to the Wizard Kingdom. I do not wish to stay here any longer."


    "What about Vikra?'''' Mozia asked again. It was his duty to question and he didn''t hesitate.


    "Vikra is where he should have been," Isidorus chuckled. "He is now in Seozia."


    "That is wonderful," the Mozia replied enthusiastically. "But it took you long to fight the battle against him."


    It was Isidorus who stared at the Mozia this time. He had been inside the Land of Gaira for only a minute at the most. Suddenly the realization dawned upon him and his eyes widened to the size of the football. The time��it was different in different dimensions. "How long was I gone?" he winded.


    The Mozia pursed his lips and stepped back from him. "A year!"


    Isidorus'' eyes popped out. He gulped feeling extremely nervous. A year had gone by. He looked at the Mozia in disbelief. No wonder his body was so weak.


    "You need a lot of care before you can start walking again. Your physical body has lost a lot of muscle mass. It would take a lot of time for an old man of your age to recover," the Mozia said with sympathy. After all Isidorus was over six hundred years old. It was a miracle that his body didn''t shrivel up. He had been giving him healing orbs of lights everyday. Everyday during dawn he would steal the sunrays in his wand along with whatever energy possible and spread it over him. From a year ago that was what he had been doing. He had waited for so long that he wanted to go back.


    It was one day when he was perched on a wooden bench outside and reading an ancient book on wizardry that he saw other people coming to this side of the hut. He was astonished to see that they were Faes. There were two men and a woman. He had immediately become invisible. However, he realized that the Faes had disappeared a little distance away. They never came out and he was too skeptical to find out about them, so he stayed quiet. But that was a few months back and at present he had a more pressing matter at hand.


    He nodded at Isidorus, "Yes, you are waking up after a year."


    "Take me to the Wizard Kingdom now!" Isidorus got up to his feet in excitement but fell back on the bed. Was the baby born?


    The Mozia rushed to him. "Calm down," he said. After helping him to sit again, he went to the corner of the hut and brought a glass of water. "Please have this. It contains energy for your movement."


    Isidorus gulped down the sparkly water, which had tiny purple globules floating inside, in one go. He kept the glass on the side and said impatiently, "Let us go now!" He couldn''t wait to see Adrianna''s baby��the baby whom he had been awaiting from eternity.


    The Mozia smiled. He helped Isidorus up on his feet and then took him out of the hut. He created the portal and the two of them stepped inside it right into Isidorus'' palace. Even that little movement was too tiresome for Isidorus. The servants appeared immediately and they took over the charge of cleaning him. The Mozia disappeared right after, to report Haldir.


    ---


    Isidorus was too anxious to meet the baby. He couldn''t believe that so much time had gone by. His stomach churned and there was restlessness. His limbs tingled, and just at the thought of meeting the baby tightened his chest. He felt as if his insides were quivering. He chided the servants who were giving him a bath, "Hurry up! I have to meet Adrianna''s baby."


    The servants shuddered. Quietly they hurried the process.


    Looking at their faces, he asked with a frown, "Why are you looking so worried? What is wrong?"


    "Master, it is nothing," said one of them and pursed his lips while passing the white towel to him.


    Isidorus was all the more angry at him. How dare he think negatively of the baby? He snatched the towel from him and wiped himself dry. Since his muscles were weak, he had demanded a wheelchair for himself only so that he could go and visit Adrianna��no��only so that he could meet her baby. How old must he be now? Isidorus chuckled and hastily wiped himself.


    The servant looked at his Master with raised eyebrows. His Master was angry awhile back and now he was chuckling.


    In an hour Isidorus was informed that the Queen was conducting proceedings in her noble court. He couldn''t visit the royal palace without her being there, as he wanted to see her with the child. The servants wouldn''t allow him to see the baby on his own. Since he couldn''t go to the court or to the royal palace, he decided to go to the Wizard Kingdom just to feel the air, to breath in the air of his realm��and to feed his anxiety.


    He decided to take his carriage. A servant accompanied him. They went to the Second Level near the rialto. The servant took the wheel chair out and helped Isidorus sit on it. He pushed him along the marketplace. Suddenly Isidorus gaze went to a large display above a potions shop.


    "Stop!" Isidorus said.


    A kid with curly black locks that swayed on his forehead, bright golden yellow eyes, and dimple on the left cheek, moved on his knees that waggled back and forth before he fell on his round, soft and squishy buttocks. He clapped and giggled, then rolled on his stomach and repeated the act. The crowd watching him went mad, "Awwww!" "Cutie!" "We love you!"


    Isidorus stared at the child, dazed. His eyes became misty. He held his breath.


    "That''s Ileus!" the servant said affectionately.

 Chapter 514 - Octobre Night

    After what Isidorus thought was a lifetime of waiting, the warmth that flowed through his blood just upon seeing the baby, surprised him. It was like the warm sun rays on a winter day. His breath was caught up in his throat. The child on the display board became the center of his universe. He could sense that all the clouds that had lingered on the Wizard Kingdom weren''t dark any more��they were the fluffy white ones, the Cirrus. Isidorus beamed.


    The servant took Isidorus back to his palace. His patience was thinning out as he wanted to see the child as soon as possible. He waited until the noble court time was over and then rushed to the royal palace. The carriage was waiting to take him outside his palace, but in his enthusiasm, he asked the coachman to reach the royal palace, while he snapped his fingers and directly appeared in front of the palace gates.


    The guards of the royal palace were stunned to see the great Isidorus on the gates, in a wheelchair, with a servant. Seconds later, their eyes shifted to a whirlwind of motion in the sky. They saw his carriage flying after him with the coachman looking as bewildered and scared as the guards were.


    The guards turned to see Isidorus whose face was stone cold as if nothing had happened. He raised an eyebrow and immediately the guards opened the gates without a word. The servant wheeled his chair right to the main hall.


    Isidorus noticed that Adrianna was sitting and discussing something there along with Cora and Pierre.


    Upon seeing Isidorus, her mouth fell. She jumped on her feet and squealed, "Isidorus!" She rushed to him and hugged him tightly, ecstatic to see him safe. He returned the hug softly.


    "How are you Adrianna?" he asked.


    "There hasn''t been a day, I haven''t thought of you," she exclaimed.


    Isidorus gave a weak smile.


    She instructed the servant to get his chair towards the main seating area.


    Cora and Pierre got up to greet him. Their faces were beaming with happiness. "It''s great to see you Isidorus," said Pierre and shook his hand. He looked at Adrianna. "You must host a grand dinner in his honor."


    "Of course I will!" she nodded vehemently. Everything had settled in the Wizard Kingdom. With Vikra gone, there were practically no more threats. People were peaceful and safe.


    Pierre started to talk more but Isidorus was not able to keep his excitement any longer, and cut him, "I want to meet Ileus." Although his voice was cold, there was a glint of joy in his eyes.


    "Sure!" Adrianna said. She chuckled and left to fetch her baby.


    Ileus nursery was right next to their bedroom. She walked in there only to find Dmitri on the rug and Ileus tucked right in his arms against his chest. The two of them were sleeping like bears. An amused smile appeared on her face, and her gaze flitted around the room. The dim yellow orbs were shining from the ceiling. Ileus'' crib was floating in the air with numerous colorful toys, acquired from the human realm, hanging overhead.


    There was a wall lined with his dressers that had clothes filled to the hilt��mostly as presents from the subjects of the Wizard Kingdom, and almost one-fourth yellow in color. All of them were open with clothes strewn across the room. A soft night light that Adrianna had received as a present from Enya, was spilling a soft halo across the room in the corner. Magical stars would appear every now and then like white wisps in it. They would shine brightly and then burn like a meteor across the darkness. There were stuffed toys, pictures, numerous diapers and wipes��all thrown around. It looked as if the room had just experienced a tornado.


    Yes, Ileus was born with powers that no one could fathom. The room''s chaos was his doing.


    If that was not all, she heard a soft growl from behind. Her head turned sharply and she found Seashell slapping his tail on the ground to intimidate her. She couldn''t help but laugh loudly.


    Seashell berated her, "Keep your voice low. Can''t you see Ileus is sleeping?"


    She replied back, "Well, he needs to wake up. A special guest is here."


    "Ileus needs his sleep. Ask the old man to come later," Seashell was gruff. He got up and ambled to where the father and son were sleeping and perched himself right in front of Ileus. He sat down like ''over my dead body''.


    Ever since Adrianna had taken Ileus for the first time to the ministry, Seashell had followed him. As Ileus grew, he rode him, pulled his hair, his ears, his tail, slapped him, and nuzzled him but Seashell never minded. In fact, he grew overly protective. He acted like Ileus'' pet, which worried Adrianna because Seashell was already a pet of a previous ruler who had released him.


    Adrianna went to sit next to her favorite people in the world. She stroked Dmitri''s hair who looked so tired. He had played with his son since yesterday night only so that Adrianna could sleep. Dmitri never got tired of playing with him.


    Ileus stirred in his sleep and turned to the other side and on a reflex, Dmitri collected him and brought him back to tuck against his chest��all the while he was sleeping.


    Smiling at them she remembered when she was giving birth to him six months back.


    ---


    The werewolves wanted their Luna to give birth in their realm while the wizards were adamant that she should give birth in their realm. To mitigate this issue, the royal couple decided to give birth to their child in the human realm.


    Haldir had been on his toes ever since Adrianna was full term. He had personally arranged for her security overpassing Nefasky''s arrangements. He had gone over those plans hundreds of times to see if there was a minute loophole.


    When Adrianna''s labor pains started in the morning, Dmitri had rushed her to the hospital.


    That day there had been seven layers of security around the hospital. Invisible wizards manned the three outer layers while the four inner ones were all werewolves. Special permission was taken to station werewolves and wizards from the Head Council.


    As soon as she was in labor, the doctor came. Adrianna shouted like a mad woman during the labor. She cursed everyone who went near her. As a witch why couldn''t she give birth magically? Why did she have to endure so much pain? Dmitri had tried to comfort her by standing with her, but she had bitten him full on with her fangs in anger. His hands were bruised like hell.


    The Healer was there and really pitied Dmitri while applying lotions upon lotions on his skin. But Dmitri stood there patiently, remembering all the wolf spirits to be with his wife.


    "You bastard!" Adrianna had shouted at Dmitri. "You will get castrated after this!"


    Dmitri had gulped. Ignoring her statement, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Baby, don''t worry, next time the pain would be greatly reduced." He wanted at least four babies around him.


    Adrianna had thrown a flower vase at him. He ducked to save himself. "Adri, focus baby" he replied with a smile plastered on his face.


    Ileus was born after eight more hours. The doctor took him in her lap, mesmerized at the golden yellow eyes. He was the loveliest child she had ever held in her arms. She handed him over to Adrianna and he instantly clung to her chest. Dmitri was on top of the world.


    Outside, the full moon shone brilliantly on that Octobre night, just like when Adrianna was born.


    The Moon Goddess was waiting.

 Chapter 515 - Meeting With The Moon Goddess

    Dmitri was a proud father. He had always dreamt of what his child would look like. In his dreams he had heard his baby''s feet tapping the floor, his laughter echoing across the halls of the mansion, his giggles and burps on his shoulders. When the doctor handed him the baby, he said, "He is exactly what I had dreamt of in my dreams," whispered Dmitri as he held his first born in his arms. "What shall we name him?" he asked.


    Adrianna opened her mouth to say something when he said in a lilting voice, "He will be known as Ileus. Ileus Volkov. My son."


    Adrianna''s mouth fell. How did Dmitri know of the name? That was the name the Moon Goddess had given to him and Adrianna had been too careful to never leak it out from her cell.


    Ileus opened his golden yellow eyes and Dmitri was moved to the core. His eyes were just like his mother''s. Ileus, perhaps, looked at his father for a moment and immediately slept in his steady arms that wrapped him. Dmitri fell in love with his child since he was conceived but now that he was born, Dmitri''s eyes glazed with tears. "Thank you darling. I don''t wish for anything else in my life," he said to Adrianna.


    Adrianna smiled. Everything that he had told her during the labor pain evaporated in the air. The two men in her life looked perfect. Now nothing could go wrong.


    "He is so handsome," Dmitri said. He stroked Ileus'' tiny feet and chuckled. Ileus curled his toes and gave a smile in his sleep.


    The doctor stitched Adrianna, applied antiseptics and said, "You will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow."


    As soon as they were discharged, Cora and Pierre took them to the Werewolf Realm. Ed had been informed about his great-grandson and he had come running. His joy knew no bounds when he held Ileus in his arms. "Adri, he looks like you," he remarked as he cradled the tiny one who was wrapped in a blue comforter that had cute panda ears on its hood.


    Pierre raised his right eyebrow immediately and countered, "No! Only his eyes look like Adrianna''s. Rest he resembles Dmitri."


    Ed looked at Pierre. The two long-time friends stared daggers at each other. "Pierre, go get eye glasses," Ed scoffed and turned away.


    Pierre growled, "I think your vision has become horrible staying up in the Northern Mountains for so long. Come and stay amongst your own kind and you will again start understanding the different facial features. Ileus has clear cut Dmitri''s features." He took out a black bead anklet and gave it to Adrianna. "Make him wear that, okay?"


    "Yes Father," she smiled and accepted the gift. She knew that this was Dmitri''s anklet that he used to wear as a baby.


    "Oh, get out Pierre," Ed grimaced. The two friends argued until the rest of the people left the place.


    As soon as Adrianna had come to the Werewolf Realm, Adrianna could feel the attraction to the moon that she used to when she was under the curse of becoming a rogue wolf. She knew that the Moon Goddess was summoning her.


    She had to leave with Ileus that night after the party was over and it was dead quiet. She had gone deep in the jungles to meet her.


    Selena, the Moon Goddess was waiting for her in her chariot that was driven by seven white horses. She shone brilliantly as a thousand stars had converged.


    As if in a trance, Adrianna handed over her day old baby to her. The Goddess took him with care. She smiled. Both of them were covered with white brilliant light. Was she taking him with her? A tear dropped from Adrianna''s eye.


    The light around them dispersed. Selena said in a honeyed voice, "Your child will rule this world, Adrianna. But you have to make sure whether he becomes the Dark Lord or one who is loved by all. I will visit again." Saying that she gave Ileus back to Adrianna. She climbed back on her chariot, which took off and disappeared in the night sky.


    Adrianna was moved to the core. She was shaking with little Ileus in her arms. "Dark Lord��"


    Over the next few months, things started to change at a rapid speed. Ileus development wasn''t like that of a normal child. His mental cognition was much higher. His power was crazy. His magic was beyond comprehension and being a baby he didn''t know what he was doing. The first and foremost thing he demanded was his mother.


    Adrianna had decided not to give him outside milk and so she fed him. He demanded to be fed every two hours. For the first three months, Ileus was with his mother in her bed. Everything was under control. However, the problem started when Adrianna shifted him to his nursery. The moment he would become hungry, he would cry and his mother would find herself right next to him from wherever she was. If she was in her bedroom sleeping peacefully in the middle of the night, one cry and she was summoned before Ileus. If she were taking important meetings in the ministry, one cry and she would find herself right next to him. Meetings, functions, malls, inspecting the Third level, human realm �C nothing stopped Ileus from wanting what he needed �C his food, which only Adrianna could provide. The only exception was the noble court.


    One day when Adrianna was holding the court, she heard his cry. Her heart skipped a beat because she had fed Ileus just an hour before. She thought that she would disappear from the court much to her embarrassment but something strange happened. The Crown laughed inside her head. In front of all the ministers, a toddler was seen crawling up to his mother on the carpet. He was crying so much that a minister ran to pick him up. She brought him to Adrianna. "Please take care of our Prince, my Queen."


    Adrianna gritted her teeth. She was planning to fire his nannies. They were proving to be useless with all their fine magic skills. She surrounded herself with mist and had to feed him. The moment Ileus'' stomach was full he slept in her arms. Adrianna had to give him a burp on her shoulders in front of everyone.


    "Your child is special Adrianna," the Crown had said. "However, you have to channelize his powers, else he wouldn''t know what to do."


    "I know��" Adrianna remembered what Moon Goddess had told her.


    "I highly suggest that once he is five years, leave him in the human realm. There he would learn many things."


    Adrianna shuddered at the thought. "No! He needs my continuous guidance," she retorted.


    "Well, this is just a suggestion. Consider it."


    Adrianna lowered her head and stroked Ileus thick wavy curly black hair. Her son was born with incredulous powers. She choked. She would never part with him.


    "You will come to know about his real powers soon, Adrianna," he warned her.


    By the time Ileus was five months, everything around him moved according to his desire. His nurses, nannies, servants, everyone was simply too scared to be around him.


    Only Adrianna and Dmitri were able to calm down Ileus. These days Dmitri would walk into the Wizard Kingdom after spending his days in the Werewolf Realm and would straight walk into his son''s nursery.


    There was yet another thing that was worrying Adrianna. Ever since she had met Elder regarding her son, she suspected something about Ileus.

 Chapter 516 - A Shadow

    One day in the nursery, Ileus was with Seashell and had really troubled him. He was sitting next to him and pulling the lion''s hair. Seashell had patiently sat there but even he had a limit. He gave a low growl, and walked away. Adrianna was sitting next to him. She chuckled and had chided her son affectionately, "If you will keep doing that to Seashell, he will leave you and go."


    Ileus shook his head as he watched Seashell going out of the room. The toddler crawled after the lion. His knees wobbled and he sat down on his padded bottom. Suddenly he disappeared from there much to Adrianna''s shock. She became panicky when she found herself traveling with him to the past. She saw that Ileus was again sitting in the same position as he was with the lion and pulling his hair again. Ileus had time-traveled in the past and brought the lion back. Her mouth fell when she saw two Ileus at one point of time. Her skin lined with goose bumps. "Ileus?" she said in a hoarse voice. "What did you just do?"


    Her eyes bulged thinking whether Ileus was a time-traveler or not. She didn''t mention it to anyone for the fear that they might start disliking him. There was no wizard in the kingdom who was a time traveler.


    Anxiety gripped her. She picked up Ileus and hugged him tight. She looked in his golden yellow eyes and said, "Ileus, don''t ever tell anyone that you can jump across time." Adrianna shifted in her chair uncomfortably. She blew out short breaths. She could feel her stomach churning when she remembered what the Crown had warned her. How would she train little Ileus about not traveling in time? Her chest tightened and her insides quivered when she thought as to what could happen if Ileus did travel like that. She was thinking about the worst-case scenarios when she felt Ileus'' warm hands on her cheeks. He was staring with his golden eyes in hers. Suddenly it felt as though the time had slowed down. Adrianna became restless. "What is it Ileus?" she crooned cradling him gently.


    He seemed to convey something and unexpectedly she could feel a mental tug. He was forcing her softly to get in his brain. And Adrianna entered his cell. It was beautiful��like nature''s canvas. When she came out she was pleased. She knew that he had understood what she wanted. All she did was to tell him a few rules until he grew up and the most important one was that he shouldn''t tell anyone about his abilities. She could only hope that he would follow. That day she realized that Ileus was much ahead of his peer group and that he actually needed special training. But who would do that?


    Ileus had not time traveled ever since but he couldn''t help his other powers.


    ---


    As Adrianna stroked Dmitri hair, she snapped her fingers for everything in Ileus nursery to go back in its place. A chuckle escaped her lips when Seashell growled.


    "Well, this needs to be reset," she said.


    Dmitri woke up when he heard the things rustling around him, going back to their place. He looked up at his wife. "Adri," he whispered and she kissed him on his lips.


    "Isidorus is here. He wishes to meet Ileus," she purred softly.


    Dmitri looked at his son. "Isidorus is back? That''s great news!" Then he looked at Ileus. But he is asleep. I don''t want him to wake up anytime soon. Did you see the mess he created?"


    "Which baby doesn''t create a mess, Dmitri? After all, he is a wizard''s child. His mess has to match his capability," she replied laughing softly.


    Dmitri lifted Ileus. He sat down and cuddled him. "I wonder how of a werewolf he is going to be." In fact on the inside he shuddered. "Let''s go and meet him."


    Adrianna took Ileus, wrapped him in a soft blue blanket and together they went out.


    When Pierre saw them, he remarked, "That took you quite a while."


    Isidorus'' entire attention was focused on the baby. A smile came upon his lips. Adrianna walked to him and gave Ileus. Isidorus immediately nestled the baby in his arms. He lulled him as though he was his nanny. "He is beautiful," he whispered as a tear was forming in his eyes. He tried his best to fight it. All of a sudden Ileus opened his eyes. The toddler looked fixedly at the old man with white beard. Something inside Isidorus clicked��it was as if a bond had got in its place. It was as if he had become a slave to the child for the rest of his life. "I shall serve you till I die," he whispered. His whole existence suddenly found a goal to live.


    Ileus'' face was that of amusement. He took his hands to Isidorus'' long beard, caught his hair and pulled them.


    "Nooo!" Adrianna scolded Ileus. "He is not Seashell!"


    And he cried.


    "Why did you have to say that?" Isidorus rocked him. "I am fine with it." He was feeling so happy that this intrusion marred his joy.


    Seashell had followed them behind. He grunted at Isidorus as though a competitor had arrived.


    Pierre, Cora and Dmitri laughed. Adrianna shook her head and took Ileus from Isidorus. She rocked him back and forth.


    Dmitri took him from her and walked out to the garden to show the water in the fountain. The lion followed them.


    "Adrianna, you must give a grand party in honor of Isidorus'' return," Pierre said. These days Pierre just needed an excuse for a ''grand party.'' Every time there was something joyful, he would suggest Adrianna to host a party. Cora gritted her teeth but since this was Isidorus, she reserved her berating him.


    "Of course, I will," she replied. Then after a pause she said, "Isidorus, thank you for taking care of Vikra. I hope he never returns."


    "He won''t Adrianna. He has been pushed into the portal of Seozia and escaping from there is almost impossible. Long time back a soul tried to escape. It was split into seven pieces and only one part was able to escape. So that is equivalent to being non-existent."


    "Did that part escape the Land of Gaira?"


    "I don''t know much about that because this is what I heard from my seniors when I was in the Wizard Academy. So you can imagine how old that news is."


    Adrianna bit her lip. Souls tended to wander around for thousands of years.


    Isidorus understood her worries. "Don''t worry, my Queen. This is surely not a problem because what can a piece of a soul do when Vikra couldn''t do much?" He tilted his head. "And that too to our prince?" he shook his head. "Ileus is way too powerful. No one can harm him." He assured her.


    Adrianna lowered her head and smiled. "Vikra and Ziu have left a lifetime of scars on my mind. I don''t want Ileus to get affected by any of it."


    "He won''t, my Queen."


    ---


    Outside the Wizard Kingdom, a shadow lifted its deformed head from beneath a boulder and sniffed the air. It looked as though it had come straight from hell. He could smell the child. The message given to him by others in Seozia some few hundred years back was right. The shadow flew to thick foliage and peered at the moors that were in front of him. Although it was extremely dark for anyone to see, for him the blackness was perfect. He had to find an entrance.

 Chapter 517 - I Want To Buy A Ring

    The Shadow started his journey around the periphery. There had to be a way. He had to get to the child and then only the rest of his soul would be able to come out of Seozia.


    It had been roaming on the surface of the earth. He had been drifting around, waiting. He had witnessed many wars and conquests while he lurked quietly. They said that the child would be able to resurrect him. They said that the child would be able to bring all the souls of Seozia back to the earth realm. They said that he would become their Master. But one thing that bothered the Shadow was that they also said that the child might wipe out all the darkness from the surface of all the realms. He may never come to the dark side.


    The mere thought made his deformed face distort all the more. He started to encircle the kingdom''s wall with fervor.


    He remembered when in the last war with Vikra he was so close to penetrating the wall, but the Wizard Kingdom''s Queen had warded him off. He hated Vikra and Ziu for not being able to tear the wall. The Shadow didn''t know whose child it was. But he could sniff the presence. The child had never come out of the kingdom. He was waiting for him like a hawk. He had to latch himself on the baby the moment he stepped out. He missed the chance last time because of heavy mist that surrounded the Werewolf Realm. He didn''t know what was it, but he had seen a shiny star positioned right above in the dark skies. It disappeared after a long time and it was the presence of the star that didn''t allow him to go anywhere near the child.


    It was the rest of the six pieces of his soul that had pulled Vikra inside Seozia.


    ---


    Ever since her children had been implicated in the case of killing the King, Yanga had taken voluntary retirement. Rather she was forced to take retirement. No evidence was found against her that could link her involvement with the plot. Kenai had been taken to the Wizard Prison where he was thrown with his mentally deranged sister, Lenny. Over the period of time, the guards tortured him so much that even he lost his mental balance. His friends were made to see all the torture and they were terrified as hell. Each of them was stashed together in the prison.


    Yanga suffered everyday. She was not allowed to meet the King and Queen, and the general people of the kingdom hardly ever talked to her. She became lonely. She was lonely, sad and very bitter. Her bitterness arose from the fact that she was not allowed to meet her children. She had visited Lenny and had cried and cried upon seeing her condition. Lenny couldn''t recognize her. She looked insane, like a deranged girl whose mind was stolen or shattered. She couldn''t see Kenai because he was in the torture chamber.


    Seeds of hatred for the King and Queen started to grow roots, deep roots in Yanga''s mind. She started to form one after the other ideas on how to take her children out of the clutches of the guards. Her ideas started cascading out of control luring her further and further into a twisted path.


    ---


    Haldir couldn''t help himself any longer. He couldn''t wait more. Inyanga had not been so regular in visiting him because she had her University classes to attend. Her exams were approaching and she was busy studying. He was pretty annoyed with her. He wanted to go and meet her, but just because she was irregular, he became stubborn. But for how long?


    ---


    Adrianna planned on hosting a grand dinner in Isidorus honor and wanted it to be open for all the subjects, but Isidorus had refused. So the party was given on a small scale only to the ministers at the Northern garden of the royal palace. It was at dinner that Isidorus noticed Yanga''s absence. There was another wizard who had taken her position.


    Adrianna was cuddling Ileus when he came to her. "I don''t see Yanga here, which is good but I hope that she is being watched all the time."


    Ileus wasn''t sleeping. He was cranky as hell. All he wanted was his mother and that too inside her room. In short he was crying out of irritability. Adrianna rocked him and said, "Yes, she is being watched."


    "What about her children?" Isidorus was amused by Ileus. He expected him to be a calm baby.


    Adrianna clenched her jaw when she remembered Lenny. How easily she trusted her. She could never understand why she blindly followed what Lenny asked her to do. Perhaps she missed being with friends of her age so much, perhaps every friend of hers except Ookashi, was an enemy in disguise. "They are held in the prison forever," she replied with a stone cold expression.


    She decided on going and meeting Ookashi. She had given birth to a baby girl just before Ileus was born. The two kids mingled well. Although Ileus had not left the kingdom, it was Ookashi who would often come there with her daughter.


    A group of ministers walked up to them and they started talking about other construction issues that the kingdom was facing. They were planning on expanding their lands further into the jungle or towards the Northern Mountains.


    On the other side of the party Dmitri was standing with two ministers who were trying to persuade him to inaugurate the new water system that had been installed in the Second Level. Haldir came and interrupted their conversation. "Your Highness, I have an urgent matter to discuss."


    Sensing the importance of what a Military General could say, the ministers politely excused themselves.


    Dmitri took a sip of the wine and asked, "What is it Haldir?"


    Haldir''s face was cold as ice when he said, "I want to buy a ring."


    Dmitri''s mouth fell to the floor. He blinked twice at Haldir. Then he pinched his eyebrows and said, "What?"


    Haldir had garnered a lot of confidence to say it. He took a deep breath and repeated, "I have to buy a ring. Would you help me in choosing one? I have no experience in it in this realm."


    Realizing what he said, Dmitri scratched his chin and started laughing loudly. So this was his urgent matter? Haldir''s white face was flushed red. He cursed Dmitri. He was so embarrassed that even his ears turned pink. When Dmitri stopped laughing, he said with a wide grin, "Sure. I will become free tomorrow after 3PM. Let''s go to the market in Human Realm. They have some really nice jewelry shops."


    Adrianna had walked up to them by that time. "Even I will accompany you." She was dying to have that kind of fun. "And I want to meet Ookashi."


    "But we have hardly taken Ileus out of the kingdom. The last we took him was just after he was born," Dmitri replied. He was too concerned about his safety.


    "All of us are going to be with him, so don''t worry. Besides I think that the King and Queen of the Wizard Kingdom need a solid break!" Adrianna insisted.


    Dmitri blew out air. He stroked Ileus hair and then took him in his lap. "Do you want to go out?" he asked him softly.

 Chapter 518 - You Bad Boy!

    To Dmitri''s surprise, Ileus became absolutely quiet when he asked the question. He was so cranky a while back and now he stared at his father as though he was extremely interested in his proposition. So Dmitri asked him again, "Do you want to go out for fun, buttercup?"


    Adrianna frowned at ''buttercup'' and protested slightly. "That''s not a girl." She narrowed her eyes and said, "You can call me buttercup."


    Dmitri smiled and ignored her. "Ileus, tell me?" he coaxed his baby.


    Ileus took his tiny hand near Dmitri''s left cheek and opened his mouth exposing his two new teeth. Unexpectedly, Ileus giggled and said, "Dada."


    Everyone in the group was stunned. They stopped talking. Dmitri stared at his son. Adrianna''s mouth fell. The first word wasn''t momma or mummy or mom��it was dada!


    Dmitri couldn''t believe his ears. He opened and closed his mouth and blinked twice. "You- you called me-"


    Ileus giggled again and said, "Da- da-"


    "Oh my God!" Dmitri shrieked. "My baby!" He was so joyful that he squeezed his son. "My buttercup!" Ileus giggled and flashed his dimples. By that time everyone''s attention had turned toward him. "My son just called me Dada!" he announced.


    Everyone present laughed and chuckled at him. They raised their glasses and hailed, "Long Live the Prince!"


    At first Ileus looked at the crowd and then he hid his head in Dmitri''s neck. Dmitri stroked his curly hair and grinned away to glory. He looked at Adrianna and winked. Although Adrianna didn''t say anything in the crowd, she pursed her lips. Inside she said, "Ileus you bad boy. You didn''t call me mama!" Saying that she puffed her cheeks and went to talk to other ministers.


    Dmitri was so moved that he kissed Ileus'' hair and whispered, "Let''s go and have fun!" Ileus answered by rubbing his nose on his collar. Dmitri turned to Haldir and said, "Okay, let''s go tomorrow to the Human Realm. I know of a nice place to buy you couple''s rings. However, does Inyanga know about it?"


    Haldir lowered his gaze. He took a deep breath and said, "No!" He looked up at Dmitri. "I am planning to give her a surprise. She will be coming here tomorrow evening for two days."


    "Then why don''t you ask her to join us?" Dmitri suggested. "In fact, Niiya is back in town. We can ask him to join us for dinner in the newly constructed restaurant on the outskirts of the town. I''ve heard it has some great cuisine."


    "It wouldn''t be a surprise then," Haldir looked at the King of the Wizard Kingdom.


    Dmitri shook his head. "Haldir, do not use your logic in these matters. Trust me, you cannot. You are not human and you wouldn''t know what women want. So leave it to me." Haldir was dismissed.


    "She is coming here tomorrow evening," he asserted. "How can she join us to buy the rings?" He was confused at what Dmitri was even saying.


    Dmitri blew out a heavy breath. "Did I say that she will join us in the market?" He looked with a furrow in between his eyes. "But call her for dinner," he said as he poked Haldir''s shoulder. "You seriously have to learn a lot. In fact you should learn from me."


    Someone interrupted them from behind, "Don''t teach him your methods Dmitri. You abducted Niiya to marry me."


    Dmitri poked his cheek with his tongue as he gave a sheepish smile to her.


    "What?" Haldir almost squealed.


    Ileus giggled again and pushed his tiny, sponged shoes in Dmitri''s abdomen. He looked at his mother as if trying to tell her about his very existence.


    "I think Ileus needs to sleep now, so I am taking him inside," Dmitri said. His ears had turned pink by then. Saying that he walked away from there leaving a gaping Haldir. Adrianna couldn''t hold her laughter.


    Dmitri went straight to Ileus nursery where five servants were waiting for him to change his clothes. At six months, Ileus had a strong liking and disliking for his nannies. Dmitri knew that the servants were shuddering on the inside for the fear that Ileus might toss them out of the window or in the sky or in the fountain, just by thinking about it.


    Dmitri started opening his shirt buttons.


    Quivering like leaves on a cold, windy day, the servants extended their help to Dmitri. One of them said, "Your Highness, let me change his clothes."


    Ileus turned to look at her with his fierce golden yellow eyes. Next moment the nanny had disappeared leaving the clothes floating in the air. She found herself on a tree outside in the garden.


    "Ileus," Dmitri gave him a small loving warning. "Don''t do that, buttercup."


    Ileus chuckled, clapped his hands and shook his head. "Dada," he said again as if trying to cajole his father.


    Dmitri opened the child''s pants. "Let me change your diapers," he said and removed the old one.


    A nanny immediately came forward to give him a diaper. Dmitri instructed her, "You change it. I have to go and wash my hands."


    The nanny trembled as if someone had thrown chilled water on her. "O- Okay, Your Highness," she said.


    Dmitri left the nursery and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He wiped them dry nicely. He looked forward to sleeping in the nursery on the rug. With a huge smile on his face, he came out and when he saw what was happening in the room, his head started reeling. The four nannies were literally circling around in the air. All the clothes and other baby products were also spinning with them. And Ileus��he was sitting in his place, giggling and clapping his hands.


    Seashell was sitting quietly in the corner watching it all as if this was a routine thing.


    "Save us!" One of them pleaded.


    Dmitri shook his head. His son was simply impossible. He didn''t allow the nannies to touch him. For that reason he had to get Cora and Pierre because only they were the ones who could manage him apart from Adrianna. Dmitri walked to Ileus and said, "Let me spank you, you brat!" He lifted him and lightly slapped Ileus butt-cheeks.


    And then Ileus cried!


    "Dadaaaaaaa!"


    All the nannies came down on the carpet with a thud. As soon as they landed on the floor all of them scrambled out of the room.


    Dmitri laughed. Seashell growled.


    Dmitri placed Ileus on his changing table, made him wear his night suit and took him to his cradle. He mentally communicated Adrianna to come back and put everything back in order.


    ---


    The Shadow must have circled the kingdom at least a hundred times, but there was not even a single hole that could let him pass. His maroon eyes hung outside his face and rotated in order to see everything. There was no threat. The borders of the Wizard Kingdom had been extremely quiet over the past few months.


    Disappointed at his quest, he went near the boundary and pressed himself against it. The smell was strong. Almost out of greediness, the Shadow licked the wall with its scaly tongue.


    ---


    That night when Dmitri slept, maroon eyes haunted him. Wherever the eyes looked, rivers of blood followed. It was like an evil loose on the lands. But which land? Dmitri woke up with a start. A thin line of sweat had formed on his forehead. His gaze shifted towards Ileus who was sleeping soundlessly in his crib and Adrianna who was curled near him on the rug.


    He shook his head. "It was just a dream," he said and went off to sleep. He had a busy day tomorrow. They were taking out the royal baby for the first time out of the Wizard Kingdom.

 Chapter 519 - New Beginnings

    The royal court had been summoned again the next day. The ministers had called Adrianna to preside on the court proceedings. There were several pressing matters that needed to be handled. Two of the priority ones were regarding sending the wizard children to the Human Realm to mingle with the humans and develop better skills and the other was something that Adrianna hated to face, but she had to �C Yanga wanted to be heard.


    After attending to Ileus, Adrianna woke up Dmitri. The servants in awe of the royal couple who were sleeping on a rug in their baby''s nursery. As compared to other royal children that they had previously attended to, things were really bad with full of tension with Ileus. Amongst them they would whisper that the child needed to be controlled.


    "So what are your plans for the day, Dmitri?" asked Adrianna as she sipped her tea from the cup of the set that was sent by Shang Kui from the Far East. The cups were one of the most exotic kinds that had been created in his village. It had floral patterns based on tiny mauve flowers that were found only in the valley that surrounded his village. Shang Kui had been in touch with Adrianna. Once Adrianna had asked as to what he was doing with the clones, to which he had answered that their blood was used to heal other wizards and witches of his kingdom.


    "I will be visiting the orphanage, Adri. Those children out there are too young. They look forward to meeting with me. Although I have provided them with every facility, it''s the love they need. I was wondering if you could also join me in visiting them," replied Dmitri as he sipped his tea and looked at Ileus who was still sleeping peacefully in his crib. A flash of last night''s dream passed through his mind. Those deep maroon eyes were hideous. He shuddered when he remembered them falling out of their sockets and rotating on their axis.


    Adrianna took a deep breath in. "I would love to," she replied. "How is Deba''s child doing?"


    "Cara?" Dmitri laughed. "She is doing good. There is something about her that makes me curious."


    "What is it?" Adrianna asked with a fond smile.


    "There are nine kids in the orphanage from the age group of two months to five years and out of all of them, I find her to be the most protective. She is only one year old and I can see how much she shields the other children if they are scolded or she feels they are abused, which incidentally they aren''t." Dmitri laughed. "It''s like she wants to be the anchor of those kids who are there. She is warm, and very loving and if a caretaker is angry at any child, she runs to that child and shields him or her."


    Adrianna laughed. Then in all seriousness she said, "I feel sorry for her. Her mother just couldn''t bear the loss of her mate." Adrianna remembered her condition when Dmitri was in danger. It was harrowing. She pursed her lips.


    Dmitri took his hand to her cheeks and caressed her. "Don''t think about those days darling," he shook his head as he stroked her pink cheeks with his thumb. "They are way past us. Let us focus on the new beginnings."


    She smiled as she leaned in his large hand.


    "We have to buy the ring for Haldir," Dmitri continued by changing the topic. He is desperate to make Inyanga his wife. But how the hell are they going to sustain this long distance relationship? And how the hell are they going to have babies? And if, I mean if, they have babies, who would look after them?"


    His wife slapped him on his hand.


    "Ouch!" he let out a cry. "What was that for?"


    "Let them be as they are. Stop doubting them. Aren''t they in a relationship right now? They are maintaining it well and obviously it has progressed well. That is why Haldir is buying a ring."


    "The thing is that I judge them with my own situation."


    "Then don''t!" He was berated by his wife.


    "I hope Niiya joins us. He had become like stone ever since he had to come to know about Pryce," Dmitri changed the topic again.


    Adrianna clenched her jaw. She placed the cup back in the tray and got up. She walked to the window. She drew the light blue velvety curtains. Outside the morning sun had risen high in the sky. It was already 9AM. The cacophony of the birds chirping, fell loud and clear on her ears. Most of them were fighting for their territories in the garden and some of them were still feeding their babies in the nest. A smile appeared on her lips as she thought how small their world was.


    Dmitri watched her while pouring another cup of tea for himself. "Do you want more tea?" he asked, sensing her hesitation to talk.


    "Yeah!" her voice was breathy.


    "Pryce was a traitor, not to us but to his love. He loved her a lot and had completely surrendered himself to her but something inside him snapped when he came to know of her reasons to love him." Adrianna''s gaze shifted outside to the garden. She took the cup from Dmitri and sipped on it. He gave her a bite of cookie he was munching upon. "Niiya had left that night. He was so heartbroken that he left the town with the first flight he could find. When he landed, he found himself in the Eastern Realm of Humans. He spent five months over there. I had to talk to Shang Kui to keep a watch on him when his people reported that he was spotted there."


    "Yes, I recall that his mother was extremely nervous about his whereabouts," Dmitri said.


    "When he returned, he was a totally changed person. He has withdrawn a lot."


    "Hmm��" Dmitri nodded. "Unfortunately, he had to give up his position as the Head of the Council when he returned."


    Adrianna looked at Dmitri. "How do you think he will react when he will know that you are going to be the next Head?" Secretly Adrianna had been pushing the members of the Council towards making Dmitri the Head. She didn''t want it for herself but with Dmitri over there, she would know a lot about other realms. And that was important in order to have leverage.


    Dmitri shrugged. "That''s why I need to talk to him. His long absence was disliked by the members."


    "Well, we are all meeting in the evening for dinner. You can talk to him at that time. He has to understand that because of his reckless behavior he lost the position. And there is no guarantee that he wouldn''t repeat it," Adrianna pointed out.


    "Yes," Dmitri scratched his chin.


    "It''s good that he has diverted his attention to construction. I have come to know from my sources that his construction business is doing pretty good."


    "That''s right. Now that Nate is also his partner in the business, I keep getting information," Dmitri chuckled.


    Adrianna smiled when she looked at her watch. She jumped. "I need to hurry up." She kissed him on his lips. She went to Ileus and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and left saying, "See you in the evening. I will be at Ookashi''s place before joining you."


    "See you!" Dmitri waved her goodbye. "I am so lucky!" He said to himself, feeling invigorated.


    ---


    The sun rays scorched its body. The Shadow returned to its hiding place��beneath the boulder.

 Chapter 520 - Permission Denied

    Beneath the boulder, it sat quietly. The boulder was surrounded by thick dense vegetation. Poisonous tendrils and wild creepers had clasped it from all the sides. This place had been burnt and razed to the ground a few months back when there was a battle with Ziu going on. The Shadow lurked there beneath the rock and watched it all.


    He was once a ruler of the Wizard Kingdom. His wand was his favorite lion that he had found abandoned on the seashore. Before dying he had released him from the spell of being a wand forever. If he ever had a chance to go back, he would call his favorite pet, his lion.


    He had been sucked into the Land of Gaira and had tried his best to come out. After all those years only, only a piece of soul could escape but that piece demanded a lot of food. The Shadow was thirsty. His throat was dry and his eyeballs had shrunk. He looked at the tiny vials that had various colored smokes in them. A sardonic smile appeared on his deformed face. He picked one up that was red and drank its smoke.


    That smoke was nothing but cries and pain and sufferings��emotions of those who were wounded in the war. He had carefully gone near all the dying ones and drained their emotions in his vials. He had a lot of supply to last long. He wiped his mouth and tossed the vial out, which mingled in the sand slowly. When he sat back to relax, his eyes were the same as before. He tried to put them in their sockets but they rolled out. He waited for the night to fall.


    ---


    After getting ready, Adrianna had boarded her carriage to go to the noble court, when suddenly she found herself in the nursery again. Dmitri wasn''t there but she found that the nannies were having a hard time with Ileus. He was hungry. She shook her head and took him from his nanny. The old nanny was the only one who Ileus ever allowed to be with. She took him to her bedroom, fed him and when he was again sleeping, she made him sleep in his cradle. She went to the noble court, satisfied that he wouldn''t trouble for the next three hours.


    As soon as she sat on the throne, the Crown appeared from its case behind and floated in the air only to settle on her head. Immediately Adrianna was sucked in and when she opened her eyes, she could see aura around everyone.


    "Proceed," she ordered.


    The Minister of Relations stood from his place. "My Queen, as we had discussed earlier, we must look into my proposal of sending the young wizards and witches to the Human Realm. This is going to widen their perspective in life."


    The Crown inside Adrianna''s head whispered, "I don''t think it is needed."


    Adrianna took in a deep breath. She had to take a just decision. "Why do you even feel the need to mingle with humans? The human won''t like this. Who would like magic in their normal lives? I am sure the wizards would be attracted to use their magic at one point of time, and if that happens it could lead to chaos."


    "We are going to make them sign strict contracts," replied the Minister.


    "Are you going to make them sign a contract in which they will have to forego their magic? Then what is a wizard without magic?" she questioned.


    The Minister gulped. How could he make them sign that kind of contract? "But that kind of contract is not right," he said. "The idea is to control their magic amongst humans and also be with them."


    "And who will take the responsibility if they are not able to control it?" Adrianna narrowed her eyes as she sat back and tilted her head.


    The Minister lowered his head. That was one aspect he couldn''t answer. "If they will go to the human realm with such a rigid contract, they won''t be able to use their magic at all."


    "Yes, that''s what I am saying," she scoffed. "The Head Council will never approve of this plan. I am not going to present this plan to them unless you come up with a solid draft for it. I don''t want the humans to freak out. There has been a treaty signed by people from various realms that clearly states that we will never use our magic in the human realm unless there is a danger." She looked away from the Minister remembering how she had used her magic when she hadn''t discovered she was a witch and how much a problem it was. She didn''t want that to be repeated. "So find a solution to this problem and then come back to me."


    The Minister bowed, "Yes, my Queen." He went back to sit in his place.


    Several other Ministers who were backing him up were extremely disappointed. But they didn''t have the guts to go against the Queen. No one was powerful to stand up against her. Also, what she said was right because they really didn''t know how the children would control their magic. She was intelligent and was wise. Sometimes challenging her in arguments was also difficult. She always had something up her sleeve. Other than that ever since Kenai''s case, all of them had to lower their mental shields around her. No one wanted to end up like him and Lenny. Those two were made examples of what would happen if you betrayed the rulers.


    "What is the next case?" Adrianna demanded.


    There was silence in the court. All of them knew who was to come next. A guard opened the doors of the court and walked in along with Yanga. He left Yanga in the middle of the court and walked out.


    Yanga bowed and then looked at Adrianna. The Queen was staring at her unblinkingly ever since she had entered. The moment she entered the court, she could feel the pressure on her mind to lower her mental shields. The pressure was so much that it was agonizing. Her mind was numb with pain when she didn''t lower her shields. Although she was staring back at Adrianna, inside she was suffering.


    "Lower your mental shields or else you may get out," Adrianna scowled.


    Every other person present in the court was shocked at Yanga. Their skin had goose bumps even thinking about what she must be going through. How could she bear so much pain? How could she stand against Adrianna?


    Yanga closed her eyes and lowered her shields. Adrianna entered her cell immediately. For the next five minutes, no one spoke a word. They knew that the Queen was inside Yanga''s cell. The throne was covered with white mist to protect the ruler during that time. No one could see her. Even Isidorus who was sitting in the wheelchair right next to the throne''s podium moved away from there. Everyone waited with bated breaths.


    When Adrianna came out, the mist cleared. She crossed her leg. The slit of her red velvet gown grew wider and exposed her legs. She relaxed back in the throne and snickered, "Permission denied."


    "But you can''t do this Adrianna. My children have suffered a lot. Kenai has suffered a lot. Both of them are on the verge of insanity. Please release them," she pleaded.

 Chapter 521 - Adopt A Child

    Adrianna narrowed her eyes and grunted, "I am not Adrianna for you. You will call me ''my Queen''."


    Yanga gasped. "Yes, my Queen."


    "Also they are not on the verge of insanity. They are insane already. They tried to mess with me. They tried to kill the ruler of the Wizard Kingdom by siding with our greatest enemy, Vikra. How do you even seek permission to release them?" Adrianna''s body stiffened and she almost shouted. There was a lot of pain inside her that poured in her voice.


    "I am their mother and I really can''t bear to see them in so much pain," Yanga was on the verge of crying. "My husband died doing his duty for the Kingdom. Please consider that and give us one more chance to live. I will take my children from here and live in a secluded place."


    Tilting her head, she replied, "You had been given the position of a Minister only because of your husband. How could you not see what your kids were doing? And that makes me suspect you a lot. So don''t give that, Yanga."


    Yanga''s throat became dry. She bit her lip as a tear escaped her eyes. "Adrianna, please, there is nothing more than this. I am out of any excuses here. Please, I beg you. Release my kids," she said as she knelt on the ground and clasped her hands in plea.


    Adrianna relaxed back and said in a raspy voice, "Permission denied." She looked at Isidorus.


    Isidorus nodded. He looked at the oak gate of the court. The guard came back to where Yanga was standing and held her from her shoulders to make her stand. Yanga knew that no amount of pleading would help her case, so she left crying and weeping. All other Ministers present in the court shuddered inside. This was what they would have to face if any of them tried treason.


    Adrianna watched her leaving and as soon as the door closed, she said, "If there is nothing else, I would like to leave."


    "There isn''t anything," Isidorus replied.


    The noble court was adjourned.


    When she reached the royal palace, Adrianna straightaway went to the nursery. It was already 1PM and she had to go to meet Ookashi. She saw that Ileus was playing with Seashell. He was pulling his ear. Seashell patiently allowed him to do that. She chuckled and said, "We have to go out soon. Are you ready Ileus?"


    Little Ileus looked at his mother and giggled. Immediately, he left his pet and crawled to her as if to understand what she had proposed. Adrianna picked him and lightly hurled him in the air. When she held him again, he was laughing excitedly. "Let''s get you ready, buttercup!" she said and took him to the changing table. The nanny had taken out a yellow baby suit for him that covered him from head to toe. Though Adrianna was getting bored of the color, since this was the first time he was going out, she had to go with the color choice. He was the royal baby and would be noticed by all the subjects.


    When Ileus was ready she went to her room to get dressed in a pair of jeans and white shirt. She wore sneakers and tried her best to look like the next-door girl, but she was looking far from that. With her black hair brushed to the extent that each strand was showing and with a beautiful baby like Ileus on her side, she looked like a royal girl who had lost her way in the Human Realm.


    She created a portal and the two of them stepped right inside Nate''s house. The entire personal squad followed them. They stationed themselves outside the house in an invisible state.


    Ookashi was waiting there for her. As soon as she saw Adrianna, she squealed and jumped, "Adri!" She hugged her and Ileus tightly. The mother and son chortled together. "How are you?" she asked with enthusiasm. It was the first time Ileus had stepped out of the Wizard Kingdom.


    "I am doing good," she replied with a smile.


    Ookashi took Ileus in her lap. "How is my little baby doing?"


    Ileus gave a beatific smile to her and Ookashi hugged him. "You''ve got one beautiful boy!"


    "True! He looks like me!"


    Suddenly a voice boomed from behind. "Adrianna!"


    Stunned, Adrianna and Ookashi turned back to see who that was and found Pierre standing there. Cora emerged from behind him. They both looked very angry.


    "Father," Adrianna said in a tight voice. "I�� I��"


    Before she could say anything else, Pierre said sternly, "Our grandson has stepped out of the Wizard Kingdom after so long and you haven''t had the courtesy to bring him to his manor. Instead, you decided to come to Ookashi''s place?"


    Adrianna''s mouth fell open. It was a blunder she had made. In her enthusiasm, she had forgotten the protocols. Ookashi felt the heaviness in the air. She walked towards them and bowed. "I am sorry, I should have warned her. Sometimes I forget the rules of the Werewolf realm."


    Cora stepped forward and took Ileus from her. She walked out of the house and Pierre went behind her after saying, "When you are finished talking with her, you can come and pick up Ileus."


    Adrianna bit her lip. Things were very complicated when it came to Ileus. Not only was he an heir of the Wizard Kingdom, he was also an heir of the Werewolf Realm. His grandparents constantly reminded her about that part.


    The security team divided and half of them went for Ileus.


    "I am sorry, Ookashi," Adrianna said with a labored breath. She didn''t expect this.


    "I understand Adri," Ookashi said and the two of them walked to her daughter''s nursery.


    Adrianna picked her and the friends talked for about half an hour before she left. "We shall be meeting for dinner in the evening, okay?"


    "Yes," Ookashi replied with a smile.


    Adrianna went to the mansion and saw that Cora and Pierre were playing with Ileus. Pierre was his horseback ride. Adrianna chuckled and went to them. "I am sorry Father," she said softly.


    Cora picked a giggling Ileus who immediately extended his hands for his mother. Adrianna took him.


    Pierre got up and said, "It''s fine Adrianna. Also remember that he looks quite like his father''s family. In fact if you will see him closely, Ileus chin resembles mine."


    Cora narrowed her eyes. "Old man, not like you, but he sure has some of my looks." And just like that an argument started.


    The two servants who were standing around them shook their heads.


    "We have to visit the orphanage, Father. Dmitri had asked me."


    "Yes, you must go there. Take Liam and Fleur too. They are planning to adopt a baby from there," Pierre informed.


    Adrianna was surprised. "Sure," she said almost in a whisper.


    Dmitri hadn''t come by then, so Adrianna decided to go there on her own. When she reached the cottage that was built for the nine orphan kids a smile wormed on her lips. The place looked lovely. There was so much greenery around it. The staff was made to plant fragrant flowers and the vivacious combination was extremely beautiful.


    From the corner of her eyes she noticed Dmitri coming along with Liam and Fleur. When they came near her, the friends gave a warm hug. They were all looking forward to meet the kids and also spend the time together in the Human Realm. When they entered the orphanage, Adrianna asked Fleur in a low voice, "Why do you want to adopt a child?"

 Chapter 522 - Darla And The Ring

    Adrianna was curious as to why Fleur wanted to adopt a baby. When Fleur didn''t answer her, she prodded her, "Fleur, why do you want to adopt a baby?"


    Fleur stopped and so did Adrianna. Rest of them walked ahead.


    Fleur was pretty excited to visit the orphanage. She had been thinking about it for a long time but wasn''t sure what kind of a parent she would be. She collected her thoughts and answered, "Adrianna, when I got married to Liam, I had told him that I didn''t want to have babies so early. We have forever to live and so we can wait. Although he was a little unhappy earlier, he respected my decision. However, I know that he is not happy on the inside and at the same time I am not prepared to have a baby. So I came up with the idea of adopting a child."


    Fleur paused before continuing, "I am scared as hell when I think of having my own child. Maybe later when I am ready I will go for it. I come here often to play with these kids or to deliver supplies when needed. Dmitri has given the charge of this orphanage to Liam. I mingle with these children very often and there is one child that has managed to attract my attention to such an extent that I am always thinking about motherhood." She bit her lip. "I am deeply attached to the child and if Dmitri feels that I can be a good mother, I will adopt the baby." Fleur stopped and took a deep breath. She looked at her toes, which were already diffing in her sandal.


    Adrianna looked at Fleur''s nervous face. She smiled and picked her chin. "That''s a lovely decision Fleur and I am so proud of you. I am sure Dmitri won''t have any issues with it. But have you talked to Liam?"


    "Yes!" Fleur beamed. "He is also eager."


    Fleur''s chirpy demeanor made Adrianna chuckle. "Okay! Then let''s go inside."


    The two friends walked inside the room. Even though it was slightly chilly outside, the room was warm. The room was beautiful with a door-to-door green soft carpet. There were several small round tables on which students were playing or writing along with their teachers. Toddlers were being taken care of by the nannies. The room was equipped with numerous toys and books. A smile appeared on Adrianna''s face. Ileus was with Dmitri and the moment he saw other kids, his interest arose. Like the toddler girl who was on the carpet crawling towards Fleur, even he wanted to get down from Dmitri''s lap.


    "Put him down," Adrianna said mentally to Dmitri fearing that he might use his magic.


    Dmitri placed him down immediately. And just as Adrianna had thought, Ileus speedily crawled to the baby girl. The girl stopped for a while to see the intruder and then ignoring him, she giggled all her way up to Fleur. Fleur picked her up and cuddled her. "Darla!" She kissed her on her cheeks and said, "How are you baby?"


    Darla held Fleur''s ears and in order to imitate her kiss, she ended up biting her cheek. Fleur laughed.


    Adrianna''s eyes were wide with surprise.


    "That is Deba''s baby," came Dmitri''s soft voice in her mind.


    Adrianna pursed her lip.


    Liam had come up to the two of them and joined in talking to Darla. The way Fleur was bouncing and the way Liam''s face radiated with warmth, Adrianna was extremely joyful. She couldn''t imagine that such an easy answer was right there in front of them. In the morning Dmitri was so worried about her and the solution was so simple. Fleur looked at Adrianna and there was a glint of happiness in her eyes. Adrianna nodded slightly with a smile in approval to her gesture.


    "She wants to adopt Darla," Adrianna communicated again.


    "I know. Liam has filled me in with details," he replied.


    Ileus had tilted his head feeling very angry as he stared at the child he wanted to play with. Adrianna noticed him and picked him up. She chided him, "That''s not Seashell. You have to be patient, okay?" As if understanding his mother, Ileus became droopy.


    That day Adrianna wondered if it would be a good idea for her to send Ileus to the Human Realm to understand their ways.


    The inspection got over within the next half an hour. Adrianna and Fleur played with the toddlers all that while. When the time was to return, Dmitri had approved Liam''s application to adopt Darla. Darla couldn''t find better parents than these two.


    Adrianna marveled at the destiny. It was as if the child was born to be raised by Liam and Fleur. However there was more that she didn''t know that was written in Darla''s destiny.


    All of them left the orphanage soon after. It was 3PM and they had to go to the Human Realm to help Haldir to buy the engagement ring. When they stepped out of the portal in an alley, they found Haldir waiting for them impatiently.


    "You are late!" he said gruffly.


    Adrianna raised her eyebrow. She looked at her watch. It was 3:01PM. Before she could say anything, Haldir said, "I have been waiting here for an hour."


    Dmitri and Liam shook their heads. They sympathized with the man here. They had also undergone the same situation long back. Adrianna and Fleur rolled with laughter.


    "Are you mocking him?" Dmitri accused the girls. "Hmph! This poor soul has waited for an hour," Dmitri added, keeping his hand across Haldir''s shoulders. He had strapped Ileus on his front in the baby carrier sling bag.


    Adrianna knew it was no point in arguing and so she said, "Sorry Haldir. Let us go."


    The moment they started to walk, Adrianna again burst into a fit of laughter. "We were late by a minute!"


    The men found it too rude. They made a poker face and walked out of there. The girls followed. They had to tell the story to Inyanga.


    Dmitri led them all to the same jewelry shop from where he had bought the ornaments for Adrianna after marriage. On the way, so many girls stopped and swooned over him. In his dark goggles, blue shirt and black denims and a baby carrier, he looked smashing hot. He couldn''t help flirting back with them.


    Adrianna shook her head. "Wait till I punish you for this."


    "How will you do that?" he asked.


    "I will make you beg me tonight."


    "Ah! Then it''s worth flirting," said shameless Dmitri.


    As soon as they reached, the Manager of the shop came running to his esteemed client. "Good afternoon Sir, what can I do for you today?" he asked politely.


    Dmitri pointed at the white haired man and said, "We are looking for couples rings for my friend here."


    The Manager nodded without showing any signs of amazement, and guided them to the relevant counter. It took two hours and countless trials before Haldir finalized on two rings. And what were they? They were two simple gold bands. Adrianna and Fleur were shocked at his choice. The Manager was appalled, aghast and dismayed. He blinked a number of times and said, "Are you sure Sir? There are diamond rings here. Women like diamonds."


    "I am sure," Haldir replied with a straight face.


    When they had settled the bill, Haldir was extremely anxious. He looked at them and asked, "Should I even propose to her? Will she reject me?"


    Adrianna furrowed her brows. She said through her clenched teeth, "Should I strangle you?" They had spent so much time in the shop and this is what he said in the end? Others looked at him pointedly.


    Suddenly, Dmitri''s vision blurred. In his mind he saw the same deformed face with maroon eyes. His breath became ragged.


    "Dmitri!" Adrianna held him.

 Chapter 523 - The Surprise

    Dmitri staggered a bit. His vision cleared within a few seconds. Everyone around him became alert and surrounded him. The invisible security of the wizards started appearing one by one and surrounded the King.


    Dmitri''s throat was dry by the time he became okay. Adrianna took Ileus from him. He rubbed his throat and licked his lips. His breathing was ragged.


    Adrianna was extremely concerned. "What is it Dmitri?" she asked, knocking on his blocked mental shields gently. "Let me see what is making you so troubled."


    A security gave him water, which Dmitri gulped in one go. "I will tell you later," he whispered. Let''s go to the restaurant. Inyanga must be waiting." Dmitri straightened up and took in a deep breath. This was a horrible dream that bothered him last night and its vision in his mind was worrisome. At first he disregarded it, however, now that it was again there, his mind was into an overdrive of various kinds of thoughts. Was someone trying to contact him again? He had to discuss it with Adrianna.


    "Are you sure?" Adrianna asked again.


    "Yes," he nodded.


    Ileus watched his father with a fixed gaze. His golden yellow eyes didn''t leave him even for a second.


    The group walked silently into the portal with Haldir becoming extremely vigilant. Dmitri''s behavior was not normal and as the Military General of the Wizard Kingdom, he created a thin electric field of invisible protection around him. He warned everyone around about it. The guards became invisible again.


    Soon a portal was created in the alley that they had walked in. It was already evening when they all stepped out in front of the restaurant that was located on the outskirts of the town, on the verge of the forest. Niiya was already present there.


    "Niiya!" Adrianna exclaimed and went to him. She was extremely glad to see him because she was not sure that he would even come.


    Niiya hugged her and looked at Ileus. "So that''s him!" He couldn''t help smiling.


    Adrianna giggled and said, "Yes!" On the inside she was dreading how to tell him the news about the fact that he had been removed from the Council position. Her reaction was a mix of nervousness and happiness upon seeing him after so long.


    Niiya stroked Ileus'' hair gently and said, "He is breathtaking Adri."


    "Thanks," she replied while Ileus ducked his head inside his baby carrier like a turtle.


    Niiya looked at the rest and asked, "Where is Ookashi?"


    "She will be joining us soon," said Dmitri and shook his hands with him. Liam and Fleur nodded formally and so did Haldir. Haldir couldn''t forget the way Adrianna pulled out Pryce from the bed naked in front of him and killed her. He shuddered to even think about that. He pitied Niiya for having undergone so much in so little years of his life. But the gist was that when you held those positions, people were attracted towards you �C some as your flatterers while most as your enemies. Only a few remained your friends through thick and thin. And Adrianna was one such friend, which Niiya had to understand. Haldir wished him well internally.


    Niiya smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go in!"


    "Sure!" said Dmitri.


    The place was surrounded by thick foliage of oak trees whose leaves looked dark in the evening. The waning gibbous moon was hanging over the trees. It was still dull because the evening hadn''t set fully. Few stray stars had appeared in the sky near it and they looked as they were pulling the moon up to dazzle the night as it should.


    The restaurant was beautiful from inside. Adrianna gazed around and was captivated by its interior d��cor. "This is a lovely setting," she said as she walked inside. It was kind of a place that was so exquisite that she knew that it wouldn''t have been possible to get a place here had these people not booked in advance. The large mullioned windows were draped with white gauzy curtains that were drawn on the side with golden tassels. The dark oak tables with beautifully embroidered tablecloths looked splendid. Adrianna smiled as she recognized the origin of the embroidery. They screamed loud about the Orient. In a corner there was a piano on which a pianist was already playing soft Beethoven tunes. The long tables were arranged in the corners for groups to sit while small round ones were in the center. Plenty of golden pots with ferns were placed at regular intervals.


    Adrianna''s breath was caught for a moment and she asked, "Who is the owner of this place?"


    Niiya chuckled. "Nate and me."


    "What?" Adrianna was startled. "How come I don''t know?"


    "Yes!" Niiya grinned. He walked away to the corner where the table was reserved for them.


    "There is no one else?" asked Dmitri as he settled himself next to Adrianna. Ileus had started with his gimmicks. He took the spoon and banged it on the table repeatedly.


    "No. I have this for ourselves for the evening," Niiya answered.


    Impressed, Adrianna flitted her gaze around again. She asked Dmitri, "Didn''t you know?"


    "I knew," he said lazily. "But they wanted to keep it as a surprise for you and Ookashi."


    Adrianna jerked her head. She opened her mouth to ask something but closed it upon a second thought. She also wanted to indulge in the surprises today.


    Ten minutes later Ookashi came along with Nate and their baby girl. Niiya got up immediately. He looked at his twin sister with hope. They were meeting after so long that none of them moved for a while and then Ookashi started to cry. She was so overwhelmed by the surprise that her lips trembled and she couldn''t speak a word. Niiya rushed to her and gave his sister a bear hug. He said, "Hush, Ookashai, hush." He caressed her hair. "Good things are going to start now."


    Adrianna couldn''t hold herself and she went to her old friends after giving Ileus to Dmitri. The three of them hugged tightly. It was a moment of so many emotions that everyone else in the restaurant became quiet. Dmitri took out his phone and took pictures. "See that is how friendships work," he said. When he looked at his son, he found him staring at him as if reminding him that he was one of the reasons for the crack in their friendship. "Oh hush!" Dmitri harrumphed.


    The friends walked to the table and sat next to each other. Nate was grinning when he went to Dmitri and Liam. "Congratulations!" Liam said.


    "Thanks," he answered feeling so proud.


    "There''s another surprise for you Ookashi," Nate said holding his daughter''s hand.


    ---


    On the outside the Shadow had come out again as soon as the moon came up in the sky. He sniffed the air and was startled. Its maroon eyes rotated in its socket. The smell of the Master was so strong. It was as if he was outside the Wizard Kingdom. He couldn''t believe it. So he sniffed again. The scent of his Master was indeed too strong. He followed it.


    ---


    "What is it?" asked Ookashi. "I don''t think I want anything else," she replied with a smile at Niiya.


    Niiya shook his head. He said, "I have missed so many occasions that I was waiting for this moment." He dug his jacket''s pocket and took out a small blue box. He gave it to Ookashi and said, "Open it."

 Chapter 524 - Something Unexplainable

    Ookashi took the blue box with a bemused smile. The happiness on her face and the satisfaction on her face struck Adrianna. It had been ages since she had seen Ookashi so moves.


    With trembling hands Ookashi caressed the velvet of the blue box. "What is it?" she asked.


    "Open it," Niiya coaxed her with a chuckle.


    She licked her dry lips and opened the box. A small silver key glistened inside. Amazed at the content of the box, she plucked the key from its slot and brought it to her eye level. "What is this for, Niiya?"


    "This is the key to this restaurant," Niyya said affectionately.


    "What?" Okkashi put her hand to her mouth that gaped at him.


    "Yes, I wanted to give this to you for a long time. This belonged to me and Nate, but now it fully belongs to you."


    Ookashi screamed like a child and hugged Niiya. "Oh my God!" she shouted. "Thank you, brother!"


    Along with Niiya everyone around the table laughed in their happiness.


    Niiya patted her. "I love you, sis." If possible come over to meet mother. She misses you a lot."


    There were tears in Ookashi''s eyes. She nodded. "Yes I will."


    Adrianna stroked Ookashi''s back. This was a wonderful moment.


    "Shall we order something?" Dmitri asked. He suddenly felt very hungry.


    "Not needed. I have ordered everything according to Ookashi''s choice," said Niiya, removing himself from her embrace.


    Ookashi laughed again. She squealed again and almost jumped in her seat. She flashed the key in front of Nate, who shook his head at her as a wide grin formed on his mouth.


    There was a rare smile on Haldir''s face. He had been waiting for Inyanga and was pretty nervous. This small incident diverted his attention. When he heard Dmitri ordering for dinner, he winced. "Should we wait for Inyanga?"


    "Oh right!" he replied. "Let us order the drinks first," Dmitri corrected.


    ---


    The Shadow followed the scent at a lightning speed. It led him to the Werewolf Realm. But the scent faded as he circled its periphery. His maroon eyes rotated looking for signs but there were none. The people in the realm were on business as usual. He went to sit on a tree near the manor where the scent was still lingering. After waiting for almost an hour, he lost patience and flew away from there.


    It had suddenly become windy and the dusk was engulfed by the dark night. The leaves on the trees susurrated fiercely in the wind. The Shadow was afraid that the scent would drift away, so he picked up the scent again and backtracked. The gust of air current was so strong that it pushed its way through the dense trees and pummeled into the ground that was covered with dry leaves and twigs and whipped them into small whirlpools. The Shadow flew in order to go back beneath the boulder cursing and hissing at its luck for missing out an opportunity when all at once, he picked the smell again and this time it was coming from the East side. Because of the strong gusts of wind the scent wafted in a crisscross manner. He followed it nonetheless. The forests cleared and he entered the Human Realm. He sniffed and found it becoming stronger and stronger as he neared it. "My Master," he slurped.


    In less than a minute, the Shadow was on the oak trees that surrounded the restaurant.


    ---


    Inyanga was hurrying up the last minute issues in her kingdom. She had to meet Haldir because he had stated that it was an urgent matter��a matter of life and death. She was worried as hell about him. So as soon as the last problem was taken care of, she went to her bedroom, took a bath, changed into a black leather pants and pale yellow shirt. She adorned a white pearl necklace made from pure Basra pearls. Feeling satisfied at her appearance, she created a portal and walked out of it.


    She protected her face with her hands as she stepped out in the blast of wind. The trees were swaying so violently that it seemed they would get uprooted. There was nothing abnormal but there was something, which made her feel dreadful. She looked inside the restaurant through the glass door and noticed Liam and Adrianna sitting and talking to others. They were laughing, perhaps on a joke.


    She closed her chest in her arms and her hands trembled. Unexpectedly Haldir appeared in front of her. He had sensed her presence and her dread while sitting inside. He embraced her shielding from the wind and said in a honeyed, "What''s it Inyanga?"


    She clutched him tightly as her guts roiled. "I can feel the presence of something horrible, something unexplainable."


    Haldir tightened his embrace around her. He was confused. "It is the wind," he remarked and held her shoulders. "Let us go in." He was eager to propose to her.


    She turned her face to him and asked in a gravelly tone, "Is Ileus also here???


    "Yes," Haldir replied with a jerk. "Why?"


    Before she could answer, something moaned from distance. The sound was like a chilled gust of air passing over the mountains. The sound ebbed a little before increasing again. It was like a terrible screech becoming more intense and distressed as it came closer. The lights on the street lamps flickered. Haldir and Inyanga stood there, frozen to their spots. A sensation scraped against Inyanga''s skin. Inyanga turned and immediately blasted a ball of fire in that direction. Maniacal laughter could be heard in the distance. It receded and Inyanga threw another ball of fire that side.


    Haldir became extremely alert. "What is it?" he asked her, almost shouting. His gaze shifted inside the restaurant. Everyone was still in a cheerful mood unaware of what was happening outside.


    "I don''t know!" she gritted her teeth. "Create a shield around the restaurant now!"


    Haldir forced his hands and created an electric field that covered it from all the sides. The wind turned in gale, as the clouds above became dark and threatening. More and more billowed from the north. The trees swayed dangerously in the strengthening wind. Lightning passed through them in regular intervals. The rain poured down from the clouds as if it wanted to use its hammer to pound the earth.


    For a few minutes, nothing except the sound of raindrops and strong gusts of wind was heard.


    "Let''s go in and warn others," Haldir suggested.


    "Okay," she nodded.


    The two of them were soaked in rain. They walked towards the door when the electric field in front of it crackled with a loud blast.


    Scared for the royal family, Haldir asked, "Has it broken the shield?"


    "I don''t know!" Inyanga said. "I hope no one comes out."


    However by this time, Adrianna''s attention was already diverted. She heard the blast. Everyone else looked in that direction. "I need to go!" she got up from there. Only three people in the group were wizards. She warned, "None of you are going to come out." She became extremely worried about Ileus and others.


    She thought of opening the door but on a second thought, she got sucked in a vortex and went out. She was stunned to see Inyanga throwing a ball of fire on her left.


    "Adrianna, go back in!" Inyanga shouted.

 Chapter 525 - That Thing Is Here

    Adrianna shielded herself with her hands from the incessant rains and gale. She ran to Inyanga and Haldir and shouted so that they could hear her against the whipping and lashing sound of the rain, "I saw the blast of electricity on the door of the restaurant. Explain."


    "My Queen," Haldir said in a worried voice. "Please go back inside."


    "Yes Adrianna. Go and protect Ileus. There is something that is horrible in nature. It is floating around here," Inyanga persisted.


    Adrianna''s eyes grew wide in horror. Why was Inyanga relating the horrible thing to Ileus? There was heaviness inside her chest. "What is it?" she asked in hoarsely.


    "It looks like a spirit, and a powerful one at that."


    "How can you say?" she couldn''t believe it. Her legs became shaky at the word ''spirit''. Only a year back they had fought off Vikra and now there was another of the same instances. She felt nausea rising inside. She turned around in the deluge to check on Ileus. The group seemed frightful on the inside but they were fairly okay.


    "Because I could feel the sensation," she said. "It scraped off my skin and I could get the tingly feeling. It was creepy. I shivered. It moaned like a wounded child. There was so much pain and dread in its moan that it shook my heart. But then spirits are known to weave you in their web of lies. It attacked the moment it cried." Inyanga became quiet and shuddered as though she could still feel it.


    "What else? Is it still around?" she asked. Her voice was breathy.


    "It is right here," Inyanga said. "The blast that occurred was because it must have tried to penetrate the electric field created by Haldir."


    Adrianna brought her hand to her mouth. She was so drenched but the redness in her eyes, which were a manifestation of her worries, were clearly seen even under the flickering streetlights.


    The three of them stood with their backs facing each other and conjured magic. "Be prepared to attack it." She mentally communicated with Dmitri, "Don''t come out and don''t let anyone come out of the restaurant until I ask." But she didn''t get his affirmation. Worried, she pushed her thoughts again towards him. All she got was blackness once again. "Dmitri!" she shouted aloud as she also pushed herself in his cell this time.


    "Adrianna, what is happening?" asked Inyanga. "Why isn''t Dmitri responding?"


    Adrianna had entered his cell and the vision she saw left her shaky. She caressed him mentally and said, "I am there. Don''t worry, okay. Nothing is going to happen. Just focus on Ileus."


    "Yes Adri��" came a soft voice.


    "Tell Niiya to close all the doors and windows of the building and tell the entire staff not to step out."


    "Okay��"


    "Dmitri saw the vision of the spirit. It is a small fragment, with a deformed head and has its eyes rolled out of its sockets. So that???s what we are looking for." Adrianna informed the others.


    While they waited for the spirit to attack them, they noticed that the rains had reduced. It was only drizzling now. The lamps still quavered above. "Is it gone?" asked Haldir.


    Inyanga was about to say something when they heard someone clawing. The sound was like thin iron claws scratching over a rock. This was accompanied with unknown language, which was so crooked that it didn''t make sense. The sound picked up as if the spirit was trying to claw over the electric wall that surrounded the diner. Adrianna followed the source of sound and sent a full blast of ice in that direction. The ice banged with the wall and shattered into thousands of shards that flew in the air. The sound immediately subsided with a whimper.


    "I think it''s gone," Haldir said when they didn''t hear anything for the next few minutes.


    "The rain had stopped completely and the trees had stopped swaying. It was so windy just a few minutes back and now the sir didn''t even move. There was not a single noise except their accelerated breaths that could be heard. It wasn''t spooky. It was eerie. It was a kind of silence that fell just before a storm. It sent shivers down Adrianna''s spine.


    A door in the back creaked open tearing the silence. Adrianna''s blood chilled in her veins and a whimper was heard along with iron nails clawing the electric wall.


    The spirit immediately made its way to the door.


    Adrianna cursed the person who opened the door. Niiya couldn''t give even a small instruction. She gritted her teeth. "I am going inside," she declared.


    "I am also coming with you," Inyanga said holding her hand.


    "Haldir you stay out and keep attacking any source you see is shady, okay?"


    "Okay, My Queen," he replied.


    The two wizard Queens got sucked in a vortex and they entered the restaurant. They noticed that everyone was quiet. Ookashi had shrunk in fear. She was huddled in Niiya''s arms. Nate was holding their baby while Liam and Fleur were with Dmitri who had Ileus pressed against his chest.


    "Adrianna, that thing is here," he croaked.


    Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. What was he talking about? "What is it?" asked Niiya.


    "I can''t explain," he replied with a slight shrug.


    Fleur created a protection shield around the group and came to Adrianna. "What is it? Please tell me."


    "Fleur, come back," Liam shouted.


    "No, I will come after we have dealt with whatever is here," she answered.


    "There''s a spirit. I suspect that some stupid staff opened the door from behind and it might have entered inside," Adrianna explained.


    "But I saw an electric blast outside. That means that it couldn''t enter," Fleur said. Her answer surprised Adrianna. She wasn''t expecting anyone to know that.


    "I am also a witch, Adrianna. And I had been in your personal security. That means I am a highly specialized witch," Fleur winked.


    Adrianna nodded with a faint smile. "It''s just that I am suspecting. It is possible that I am wrong. It is possible that the electric force repelled the staff. But I don''t want to take the chances."


    ---


    On the backside of the restaurant, the Junior Chef had sneaked out for a smoke defying the orders of the owners. However, as soon as he had stepped out, a white crackle of beam appeared in the air in front of him and he stumbled back and turned away to protect his face. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He rubbed his eyes to affirm whether what he was seeing was not a dream. With shaky breaths, he extended his hand as if to touch the air that felt like a wall. As soon as his finger touched the wall, the light crackled again but this time his body jerked. He shivered uncontrollably. His finger was stuck to the invisible wall as if someone had glued it there. After a few seconds his body was thrown a few feet away and he slammed in the wall. The Junior Chef cocked his head and got up. The black of his eyes expanded. Throwing the cigarette, he walked out of that place with the back of his head bleeding. The blood dripped down his neck.

 Chapter 526 - Maesterrrr...

    The Junior Chef walked inside the kitchen where some staff was already preparing the dinner as ordered by Niiya. His white shirt was crimson on the collar and the hat that he wore was tilted. A junior ran to him and said, "Chef Clark, what happened with you? You are bleeding!" The Chef stopped and stared at the short boy in front of him. When the boy looked into his eyes, he was horrified. "Chef wh- what has gone wrong with your eyes?" The black engulfed the entire whiteness. It was so spooky that the boy stumbled back a little.


    Clark looked disoriented. He spoke something unrecognizable and raised his hand to the boy''s neck. He grabbed his neck as if it was that of a chicken''s. The nails dug into his flesh.


    "Arggh," the boy choked as he struggled for life and grappled Clark''s hands. Two others rushed to him to free him but before they could reach him, Clark had picked him up from the ground and thrown him at them. The boy crashed right on them and they all fell on their backs. Some utensils tumbled on the floor making a loud clanking sound.


    "What the hell are you doing Clark?" The Chef of the restaurant shouted at him from across the kitchen. "Have you gone mad? The owner of the restaurant is here. If you don''t want to get fired, get your ass right back here and get going!"


    But Clark seemed to be in a tizzy. He picked a cleaver knife and threw it at the Chef. The Chef screamed and ducked missing the knife with a hair''s breadth. Clark opened the door that led to the main dining area and walked inside.


    It took a second for Adrianna to realize that it was the spirit. Immediately, she threw a ball of fire at him. The spirit held the ball in its hands and shoved it aside.


    "Who is it?" Dmitri shouted from his place.


    "Whatever happens, Dmitri, save Ileus," Adrianna replied. "It''s the same spirit that you had seen in your vision."


    Dmitri''s eyes widened. His face became pale, as did others who were silent in horror. He looked down at Ileus and immediately shielded him with his arms.


    "Ookashi and Niiya, duck under that table," Liam shouted. Those were the only two humans that needed protection. Ookashi trembled and dropped the blue box on the floor.


    "Nate, come here along with our baby," she somehow rasped.


    Clark stared at Ookashi. It spoke something indecipherable.


    Inyanga conjured an orb of thick white mist and propelled it towards him. The orb crashed onto him, and cracked open to emit more white mist. Soon a thick layer surrounded him. "Everyone dash out to the nearest exit," Inyanga ordered.


    Flustered, they all got up instantly and ran for the door. Niiya, Ookashi, and Nate with their baby were the ones who could make it out to the door. When Haldir watched them coming, he removed the electric field. The four of them rushed out. Liam and Dmitri were about to run out, when the spirit came out of the fog. The lights of the room went out. Everyone became silent. "No one moves an inch," Adrianna said in a whisper. She marveled the fact that Ileus was absolutely quiet.


    In the pitch-black darkness, a sound came, as if a matchstick was being ignited. A small orange flame appeared illuminating the spirit. It had left the body of Clark who was lying slumped on the floor. It looked exactly like Dmitri had mentioned. The air became chilled like bathing in a tub of ice. Every warm feeling that they had was sucked out of them. It''s maroon eyes rotated sending shivers down the spines of the spectators. Gliding forward, it opened its crooked mouth to speak through whatever form of mouth that was with lips split into halves. Its voice was like shards of ice, "Maesterrr," it purred like a cat.


    Everyone was still but utterly confused. Who was the spirit calling its master?


    The spirit spoke as if wailing like a child. "Maester, I have come for you. I have waited for centuries to be with you. Take this slave in Maester and release my soul from Gaira."


    The word ''Gaira'' brought goose bumps to Adrianna. Thinking about last year''s incident, Adrianna thought that it had come for Dmitri. "I will not let you take my husband!" she said through a clenched jaw and cast a spell at him full of electric beams of light.


    Inyanga and Fleur followed the suit. They hurled beams towards the sickly thing that was gliding unharmed towards them. The maximum that would happen was that the soul would stumble a little and then again move forward. It kept hissing, "Maester��" It sounded so desperate. Others could feel its anguish.


    "It is not stopping," Inyanga said with worry. "What do we do?"


    All of them walked back while hurling spells upon spells at it. It just didn''t stop.


    "We need better protection," said Fleur. Something that can stop this creature from the Land of Gaira."


    "The only way to put them back to where they belong is to push them to Gaira, but for that we need Isidorus," Adrianna informed. For the first time she was so unhappy at Isidorus being sick. She hated to think that he had just come back from Gaira and she would have to ask him the favor of going back. She wondered if his body could even take it anymore.


    "Then let us go," Fleur barked. "I will take him inside that land."


    "No!" Liam shouted from behind.


    "Adrianna, make a decision now. I am a witch and I can easily take him inside. You are my Queen and Dmitri is my King. This is not a favor that I will be doing to you. This is my duty," Fleur insisted.


    "Maesterrr," the spirit kind of slurped on those words. It moved further ahead towards the only thing that it had waited. Once the Master would accept it, it would become his pet and would get its entire body from the Land of Gaira. It would be able to rule under him. The world would belong to the dark forces. This was the right time to infest him, to infect him. He was a clean slate and had not as yet fitted into the category of good or evil. He was just a child. But whether he would become good or bad? An angel or a demon? All it wanted was for him to feel the power of darkness, however painful it was. So it glided with its eyeballs rotating fast. It was excited to have finally found him after waiting for eternity.


    "Okay, let''s all send a blast of fire at him now," Adrianna shouted as fear gripped her heart by now.


    The three witches together conjured the spell and created orbs of orange fire. Suddenly Haldir appeared from behind and he joined them. Together they bombarded it with a large amount of fire. It shrieked in pain but didn''t deter. They were about to cast another spell when the spirit glided all over them and reached Dmitri.


    All of them had to stop, else it would harm Dmitri and Ileus. Adrianna ran and shielded them from it.


    The spirit looked at Ileus and gave the semblance of a smile. It extended its chopped hand towards Ileus and said like a slave, "Maesterrrr."


    What happened next was unimaginable.

 Chapter 527 - Blasted Back To His Land

    Ileus'' eyes became totally focused on the spirit.


    "No!" Dmitri yelled at the spirit and clasped his son tightly. He shuddered to think what could happen to Ileus and his throat choked. "Stay away from him," he croaked. A tear had welled up in the corner of his eye. This couldn''t be happening. His facial muscles were tense and there was helplessness in his eyes, which Adrianna understood so well. Dmitri had been waiting for the birth of his son like no one else. He had loved his baby when he was a tiny dot in her tummy. He had made numerous plans for him, with him. The pain that shrouded his mind was so palpable that Adrianna quivered with it. She only stood there as shocked and as pained as he was. The tear escaped and dropped on Ileus'' cheek.


    Suddenly, the time had stopped and not a speck of dust moved. However, even as the time stopped, the spirit could move. It wasn''t bound with the concept of frozen time. Bobbing its mutilated head, it said, "Yes, yes! Master, it is me. I have come to take you to our side. We have waited for you for so long that I don''t even remember. Please come with us. Please be with us. We are ready to accept you. Let us all become one. Once you accept this servant in your body, every soul from the dark side comes to you." The spirit lurched its ugly right next to Ileus'' face. But Ileus was unfazed. It held out its tongue greedily as if to lick the prize he was about to get. He had waited so long for it that he couldn''t wait for the child''s approval but knew that he couldn''t do a thing if he didn''t have the permission. In fact if he dared to enter his Master''s body without consent, his soul would be shredded into pieces or worse, he might be sent back to Gaira. So he cajoled Ileus, "Master, join us and rule the world."


    Ileus extended his hand towards the soul as if he wanted to check out his new toy. But what happened was shocking. Bright white light pulsated from his tiny fingers. The light flickered. The spirit became jovial. This was the time for celebration. He bobbed his head, "Yes Maester, show us your power. Accept us."


    The white light from Ileus fingers changed its color to yellow and then gold. His fingers were steady. The golden light crackled around his fingers, its color matching the yellow of his eyes. The light danced and sizzled around his fingers and then slowly twirled around his palm and wrist. He touched the spirit''s hand. His fingers sank through it. The light that crackled around his fingers, now traveled inside the spirit.


    "Master!" the spirit jumped with joy. The Master was connecting.


    The golden yellow light traversed throughout its body. When it had encompassed each and every part of the spirit, Ileus tilted his head. The spirit''s eyes rotated in its sockets. Suddenly it wailed in loud pain. "Master, what have you done? Remove this light. It feels like fire gushing through me."


    The golden yellow light crepitated inside the Shadow. It doubled over. Black smoke arose from its mouth. "No Master!" he moaned as one of his maroon eyes burst. The spirit wobbled back with a cry of excruciating pain. It wailed like a wounded child. "Master, I have waited for you so long. I want to be one with you. Accept me."


    Its face became slack, as the golden fire encircled it and gripped its head in its tight grasp. The golden beam cruised around the vein that had held his other eye. It entered the only eye that was left and gripped it firly.


    "Ahhhh!" the spirit cried. "No Master, you can''t do this to me." But his plea fell on deaf ears. The eye exploded. The spirit stumbled back. "Master," he said in a pained voice that could put a wailing baby to shame. "We all want to be with you. Let us make a connection. Let us all be on the dark side. We will ruuuuuuuuuu��"


    His deformed spirit blasted into innumerable pieces before he could complete his word "Rule".


    A loud cry was heard that would never reach the ears of those around him since they were all frozen in time. Ileus had controlled time. He was the Master of Time. It''s not that the baby realized what he was, but at that time that was his reaction. And to nature, it was normal. That''s how he was made, wired, created.


    The entire space filled with golden yellow shimmering light interspersed with black smoke that was slowly rising up as though trying to escape. But the light was too strong. It collected the smoke within by making small orbs around it. The orbs carrying the smoke, which was nothing but pieces of the shredded soul, were all carried out in the open.


    Some of the golden beams encased the Junior Chef, who was lying unconscious, slumped on the floor on the side of the room. They went to the back of his head where it was bleeding. The blood stopped flowing and caked. The lights shimmered and popped in that area until the skin was thoroughly healed. The eyes that were flung open, closed automatically.


    Soon after the blaze that glimmered around Ileus'' hands was withdrawn. Everything came back to normal. Ileus looked up at his father and wiped the tear from his face.


    Not knowing what happened, Dmitri went completely still when he noticed that the room was lit brightly. His mouth fell open as he turned his body around to check as to where the spirit had gone. There was no trace of it. Adrianna, Inyanga, Fleur and Liam also moved around to check but there was not a single trace of it. Everything was restored just the way it was.


    "Where is it?" asked Dmitri, confused. He had still clasped Ileus tightly.


    "I don''t now!" said Adrianna.


    "I can''t feel its presence," Inyanga pronounced. She brought her hands down. "It seems to have gone."


    "Gone?" Haldir was surprised. He kept his hands on his waist.


    "Are you sure?" Fleur asked.


    "Yes, I am," Inyanga answered. "It has vanished in thin air.??


    "What exactly happened? I just felt that I had frozen for a moment. It was right here in front of me," said a befuddled Dmitri.


    Haldir frowned and repeated, "Frozen?"


    "Yes," Dmitri relaxed a bit. He looked at Ileus who gave him a two-toothed smile.


    "Da-da!" came a giggle.


    Dmitri hadn''t realized but there were tears still in his eyes and had rolled out. Ileus brought his hands there and wiped the tears again. "Da-da!" came another soft voice. Warm feeling enveloped Dmitri. He sat down in a chair and embraced his baby. Adrianna went over to them and wrapped her arms around the two most valuable people she had in this world.


    Outside, as soon as the wind started to flow, the orbs carried the trapped soul to its destination��Land of Gaira. No one even came to know what had happened because everything occurred in a split second. Niiya, Ookashi, Nate rushed into the restaurant.


    The Junior Chef woke up and with the help of the staff, he was taken inside the kitchen. They heard him saying, "Why am I here?"


    The relief was tangible. Everyone went to sit in the chairs. "Would you all want to go to my place?" Dmitri asked.


    "No, we will have our dinner here," Adrianna stroked Dmitri''s hair while saying that. She mentally communicated that it would be rude and Ookashi would feel bad. Dmitri took in a deep breath. He looked at his son with pride and asked absentmindedly, "Can you tell me what occurred?" But Adrianna had the inkling as to what might have occurred.


    All at once, Haldir said, "If everyone has settled, can I announce something?"


    They all laughed as they settled.

 Chapter 528 - The Proposal

    The Shadow''s soul was shattered into so many pieces that he was not able to decipher what was going on. Soft wind blew on the outside and carried the orbs away to Gaira. As soon as they reached there, they adhered to the wall and opened on the inside. The smoke that was trapped in them, was absorbed by the wall as if it was thirsty from ages.


    The streetlamps shone brilliantly outside. The dark clouds had drifted revealing the perfect moonlit sky that was dazzled by its brilliance.


    Inside the restaurant, Ileus clung to his father''s chest like he was his momma. No one knew what happened in that split second but the things got back in order. Adrianna wanted to hold Ileus but he refused to leave his Dada. The heaviness in the air evaporated but the experience left them all shook from the core.


    Haldir went to sit next to Inyanga and said, "Thanks so much."


    "My pleasure," she replied in a soft voice.


    Niiya ordered the staff to bring wine. They had to celebrate big time. When the wine was poured in the glass, the celebration began. Ookashi took the blue box again and showed the key to everyone. Everyone congratulated her. Nate kissed her. He was so thankful to have her in his life that there was nothing he wanted more. He wanted to live with his human mate for as long as she lived. He knew that he would eventually wither away but he accepted that as his fate. He looked at his baby girl and embraced her tightly. She was a gift from Ookashi��his flesh and blood.


    Haldir cleared his throat. "Ahem!"


    All around the table shushed each other. It was high time he did what he was there for. There was excitement beneath everyone''s skin. Ookashi giggled. Fleur and Adrianna grinned. Only Dmitri sat there tight with his son. It was difficult for him to unwind.


    In a honeyed voice, Haldir said, "Inyanga, before you I had lovers and I was faithful to them. I didn''t even know that you existed in this world. However, ever since I have come to realize that I couldn''t survive without you, ever since our bond had fallen into place, I want to follow you wherever you take me. If you will evaporate and become a star in the sky, I will remain true to our love and follow you there. My soul has stopped searching for more. I don''t know how things will shape up from now on. I want to share every possible moment of my life with you." He paused to take the rings out of the box. Holding them in front of her, he went down on his knees. "Be mine, and I will vow to be yours for the rest of my life and beyond."


    Inyanga glowed as she beamed with love. Unconsciously, she parted her lips and moved closer to Haldir. She nodded her head as she tried her best to stop the tear coming out of her eyes. She gave her hand to him and he immediately slipped the ring in it. She laughed like a silly fool. She took the other ring from him and slipped it on his ring finger. Haldir''s heart hammered in his chest as his knees became weak. The tingling he felt on her touch ignited fire and passion in him. He arose and held her petite face in his hands. At first he kissed her and then they got tongue tangled. He felt so safe and whole with her. She was going to be his forever. They lost awareness of the surroundings. People were clinking their glasses and the sounds of ''awww", "so lovely," "hold on" just faded in the background. If it had been for Haldir, he would have escaped from there at that instant but Inyanga stopped him through her mental bond. "Let us celebrate with everyone."


    "Okay," he agreed.


    The two of them parted and held hands. When they turned to look at others, they were shocked. Adrianna had crafted her magic. Confetti from all the sides poured on them. It became very lively. Fleur did her magic and flower petals showered on the couple. Balloons, streamers and twinkling lights as tiny as specks, danced around them.


    Niiya ordered for champagne. When the bottle came, he corked it open. The cork popped out with fizz and banged on the roof. The waiters poured the wine in the glasses and the fun started. A dance floor appeared instead of the piano in the corner. Except Dmitri and Ileus, they all went over there and jived until their feet were too tired to carry them back.


    When they came back, they found that Dmitri was still cradling Ileus. Adrianna sat next to him. "I think he is fine now and there is no threat of the soul. You can relax."


    Dmitri looked at her with fury in his eyes. He blasted, "How do you know that the soul is gone? How are you so sure that this kind of incident won''t occur again? Can you take a guarantee? Do you realize how close Ileus was to being possessed? He is a baby. Can you even imagine what that soul would have done to my child? Adrianna, this is not what I had signed up for. I want my baby to be safe and if that means that I have to keep him in hiding, I will do that!"


    Adrianna gulped. She turned her head and saw that everyone was busy dancing on the floor. "This is not the place to discuss all this. And I think you are overreacting."


    "Then let us get out of here and discuss it," he said through gritted teeth.


    "Dmitri! Stop overreacting," Adrianna said. "We are going to discuss this but at a later time. I don''t want to spoil Haldir''s and Inyanga''s day."


    "Da-da," came a gentle voice. Dmitri looked at Ileus and stroked his thick black hair. A sense of safety encompassed him. It was as if Ileus was trying to reassure him that everything was okay. He took a deep breath and replied, "Okay Adri, but I want to be out of here in the next hour."


    Adrianna exhaled a long breath. Her husband was becoming paranoid more than required. "Okay, but for that one hour, let us unwind."


    Dmitri looked away. His mind was racing. There were too many things he had thought about Ileus'' safety. One thing that occurred to him was the Head Council voting. His eyes automatically went to Niiya and he mentally communicated to Adrianna, "Tell him about the voting at the Head Council."


    Adrianna shook her head. She said, "I will tell him at the right time. This is not the place nor the time."


    Dmitri once again clenched his jaws in anger.


    Dinner arrived and people settled at the table. The kids had fallen asleep tucked in their parents'' baby slings. While having dinner, Dmitri again prodded Adrianna to talk to Niiya, but she refused. Seeing her reluctance, Dmitri kept his fork and spoon down. "Hey Niiya, there was something I wanted to speak with you about."


    Niiya chomped on his lamb meat and said with a mouth full, "Sure, what is it?"


    Dmitri came directly to the point. "When you were gone�� I mean absent," he corrected himself, "The Head Council members were extremely agitated. They tried to rebel against you but Adrianna stopped them somehow by assuring them that you will come back soon."


    Adrianna was aghast at him. She stared hard and tried to communicate to him to stop, but Dmitri had blocked his mind.

 Chapter 529 - His Safe Haven

    Niiya stopped eating. What Dmitri just told him was so out of character that he stared at him with an open mouth. For a few moments his brain had frozen. No thoughts drew up. He became speechless and then his brain registered a shock. He peplayed all that he heard from Dmitri and his muscles became weak. Keeping his fork down, he blinked his eyes and then asked Dmitri, "What do you mean? Which members rebelled?"


    "Quite a few," came the answer.


    Everyone else became extremely uncomfortable in his or her places. Why was Dmitri becoming so rude? An hour back they had together chased a bad spirit and Haldir had proposed to Inyanga. Everyone was in such a festive mood, then why was he dampening the air with his temper?


    Sensing awkwardness, Adrianna interjected, "Let us talk about it later, Dmitri."


    "No, I don''t have all the time in the world, Adri! I have a lot on my plate. This is the best time to speak up," Dmitri countered.


    Adrianna bit her lip. She was the Queen of the Wizard Kingdom, but she was also his wife. Inside she was fuming with anger about his rude behavior but on the outside, she didn''t go against him. Moreover she knew why Dmitri insisted on bringing up the topic. With the Head position of the Council, he would know about every realm that existed there in the world. In her heart she knew that he was finding a place for him to hide from the dark powers until the child became powerful enough to stand up for himself.


    Dmitri shifted his gaze back to Niiya who was still registering the shock. "There were many members who had asked for your resignation from the Council. They want someone else to be the Head."


    Niiya exhaled a long breath and looked away. He knew that he hadn''t been in the town and had a tough time sewing his soul together after what Pryce did to him. When he had traveled to the Far East, he did think about the Council, but he also thought that unless he came back with a strong mind, he won''t be able to take decisions and that could affect so many realms. It was a position that came with burden. He poked his tongue in his cheek. "So what have the members decided to do?" he asked Adrianna. He didn''t want to talk to Dmitri. In the back of his mind he suspected that it was Adrianna who wanted him out. "And don''t enter my cell," he said warning her. "Talk to me like a human if you think you can."


    Adrianna was in fact about to enter his cell when he became quiet for a moment but then withdrew immediately as soon as he warned her. She bit her lip and said with a slight jitter, "The members want you to be out of the Council."


    "That is preposterous!" Niiya shouted, picking up his napkin from the lap. He crinkled it and threw it on the table as if he was done with eating.


    Inyanga growled, "This is not a place to discuss these things." She glowered at Adrianna and said, "If you think your husband cannot behave, we can take this party to my house." It was the first time Haldir saw her so angry. She had always been a very soft person, so if she was angry, then surely she was very pissed off. But then who wouldn''t be? This was such a happy occasion for her and Dmitri was allaying the moods.


    Dmitri stood up from his place with Ileus. "I am leaving," he said and stormed out of the restaurant.


    Immediately, Adrianna got up and rushed after him. She shouted, "Dmitri, stop!" But he had shape-shifted and with Ileus on his back, he ran in the forest. The six month old baby held on to his werewolf father while he dashed through the woods as expected from a werewolf child. Adrianna also shape-shifted and hurried after him. Since he wasn''t communicating with her, all she could do was follow him. When they passed through the various points, she realized that Dmitri wasn''t going to Werewolf Realm. Instead he headed someplace else. All the time he ran, Ileus had grasped his father calmly. What seemed like eternity when they came to a stop, it was in front of Dmitri''s one of the safe getaways. It was the same place that was hidden behind the waterfall, where they had come for the honeymoon.


    Once they reached, Adrianna shape shifted and picked Ileus from Dmitri''s back. The child, who had been utterly naughty in the Wizard Kingdom, was epitome of patience there. Not once had he demanded Adrianna to feed him. Thinking that Adrianna kissed him and then went to a rock that was jutting out from a corner of the cave. She reclined to sit and opened her shirt to feed him, and Ileus like a hungry baby sucked as much milk as he could. Feeling sorry, Adrianna stroked his hair. The child slept while suckling, so she tickled his ears to stimulate him to have more. Ileus sucked a little more and then stopped. Perhaps he was too tired. He slept in his mother''s lap with a smile on his face.


    Adrianna buttoned her shirt up. She wondered where she would even make him sleep. So she decided to stay like that until Ileus was asleep. She looked up at Dmitri and to her surprise she found that he had prepared a beautiful bed for the two of them on the ground. It was soft cushioned grass just like the last time. He had taken his shirt and used it to create a crib for his son that was tied on the two sides and hanging slighting up in the air.


    Dmitri picked up Ileus from her lap and placed him gently in there. Ileus stirred a little but when his father swayed the cradle, he went back to sleep. "Come here," he said looking at Adrianna with hopeful eyes.


    Although she was angry with him, she complied. As soon as she reached him, he pulled her on the bed and she fell right on him. Dmitri buried his head in her neck and smelled her for long until he was comforted. He wrapped his strong arms around her and embraced her tightly. "My family��" he whispered in his ears.


    Adrianna smiled and stroked his hair. After a while she said, "What are you so scared of Dmitri? We are going to ward off all the evil together. Please don''t worry so much."


    Dmitri lowered his mental shields. He removed her shirt and caressed her back. Slowly, he placed her on the grass next to him and placed his arms beneath her head. He circled her breasts, played with them and then took his hands inside her pants. He traced her lips near the sweet spot and then brought them back to her stomach.


    He allowed her to enter his cell. And all Adrianna could see was that he wanted safety for his family. He was tired of warding off the evil. He wanted to spend time in peace even if it was for a few days. She understood how protective he was. His fear for his child had grown multifold and the reason he had brought them all here was because he wanted to hide them from the world in his safe haven.


    "I just want a normal day, Adri," he said.


    Adrianna held his square jaw in her hands and said, "I understand." She kissed him on his lips and the next moment as if seeking comfort, Dmitri pushed open her lips to enter his tongue.

 Chapter 530 - The Council Head (1)

    Adrianna''s toes dug the grass beneath them. Every pretense fell in that cave where only the two of them were present. The outside world where they were the King and the Queen, where they had to maintain a fa?ade, melted around them. All she wanted was to let him take her. All he wanted was to fuck her brains out. As the heartbeats accelerated, their skin became hot. Every time Dmitri dug deeper in her mouth, not to explore, but to feel what was his. His kisses fell upon her with such raw intensity that her breathing became fast. He removed the last piece of clothing from her and pressed her against his skin. His hands went to her hips and squeezed them hard before making their way to her sweet spot. Her leg was on his and the juice had started flowing. It made her thighs so wet that when Dmitri slipped his finger inside, she groaned and entwined her tongue with his. He would slip out his finger in and out making her moan every time. He removed himself from her mouth and lowered himself to kiss her breasts. He took a mouthful of them, and nibbled them to his satisfaction, all the time keeping his finger inside. He brought his thumb to her bud and she came. He kissed her stomach, licked her and watched her writhe under his ministrations. Dmitri pulled her under him and as he thrust inside, all Adrianna could see was his face and broad shoulders. She dug her nails in them. Their breaths rose in short exhales. As he pounded her hard, he lowered himself to her mark and licked it again and again, making her want him more. She was insatiable at that moment. "I am going to make you beg baby," he whispered, and Adrianna could do was let out a groan of pleasure.


    Adrianna remembered that it was she who had told him that. Her mind was too occupied to even formulate a response. She smiled through her throngs of pleasure. As soon as he was over, he rolled over and started making love to her all over again �C this time harder than before.


    "Baby if you want me to beg you, you need to stop so that my mind functions," Adrianna said as she writhed with lust when he glossed his tongue over the mark. Once again they fell into throes of primal lust, consumed with desire.


    The only noise that came other than their huffs and puffs was the splatter of waterfall on the outside as it crashed onto the rocks. The night sky was inky blue and the moon a faded crescent, playing hide and seek with the clouds that were driven by the soft breeze of the woods.


    It was hours before the two of them rested. Once they were completely exhausted, they slept beside each other. Dmitri held Adrianna in his arms as she put her face against his chest. His family was there with him, well protected from the world outside. At that moment that was all that mattered to him.


    At night Adrianna fed Ileus and after putting him back to sleep, she went back to Dmitri and curled against him. There were too many things to discuss but this was not the time. She woke up in the morning with Dmitri staring at her with his trademark lop-sided smile. She stretched herself with a yawn and beckoned him to come to her. He slapped her butt cheek and said, "Lazy bum, get up! Because if you won''t, I will not let you get out of this cave for the next day too. I am too hungry for you."


    Adrianna chuckled. She got up and tied her hair in a bun. "I don''t mind staying back for the day if my Alpha promises to blow my mind out," she challenged him. And next moment, Dmitri pinned her beneath him with a growl. She laughed and they played for sometime until they heard a soft cry with a "Da-da."


    "Time you feed my child!" Dmitri ordered as he moved away from her to bring Ileus.


    "Even the mother needs to be fed," she complained as she watched him pick up the baby from the makeshift cradle.


    "I know," he replied with a smile at Ileus who was about to burst in a full-blown cry if not given food. "There''s deer meat for you." He gave Ileus to her who was smart enough to immediately grope his mother''s breasts and feed.


    Dmitri went and brought food for them. He picked up the juiciest piece and gave it to her. She took a bite and chewed it slowly.


    "I am sorry about yesterday," said Dmitri as he munched upon a piece of flesh. "But we need to deal with this situation as soon as possible Adri."


    "I understand Dmitri," she replied. "There are two options. First, Niiya gives it up himself, second, we try to bring him down if he resists." Adrianna stopped feeling bad about the second option.


    "I have a nice plan if you would want to listen to that," Dmitri said tilting his head.


    "What is it?" she asked not even bothering to get inside his cell.


    Dmitri spoke his thoughts freely, "The Head Council has only one position, which is of the Head. There are way too many realms that report to it and only one person takes decisions for them. The reason is that they all want to integrate their worlds smoothly with the Human World. But there is one thing that I realized being a member of the Council, which is that all these people want positions and more powers. They hate to depend on one person because of constant urgent matters that keep coming up every now and then. With Niiya gone things went awry and there was no one who could take decision for them."


    "So you mean that with more positions, the Council will function better?" she asked and stroked Ileus'' ears again to tickle him to drink milk.


    "Yes, with getting more influential and powerful people into the fold now, we can gain control over it," he suggested.


    Adrianna poked her tongue in her cheek. Then she took a deep breath as his idea sank into her. She took another bite from the leg-piece and said, "Dmitri, your idea is pretty good. Rather than getting powerful and influential people, I would suggest that we get people with the right skills. Powerful ones are often ambitious and unscrupulous."


    "Well, I don''t want any weak ones to be in powerful positions," he countered her.


    "Oh no! They would suck up to others in order to gain traction from their resources and connections. And this could mean disaster in the long run." She waved her hand and shook her head. "No way I would want them."


    "True," he said. "So how do we go about it? Because I think Niiya is going to oppose this. And it is possible that several others will also oppose it because this was a process they have followed for hundreds of years."


    "The trick is to float the idea amongst the Council members and then approach those who like it," Adrianna said. She removed Ileus from her breast, buttoned her shirt and let him sleep in her lap.


    "If you are going to tell it out in the open, you will tell them about our idea and even before we will be able to react, we are going to face opposition," Dmitri said with furrowed brows.


    "I have made some connections, Dmitri. I will ask them cautiously. However, we need to make sure that Niiya doesn''t feel bad about it. And so if you have a plan in which Niiya steps down from the position without feeling sad, do tell me."


    Dmitri lowered his head. "This cannot go smoothly Adri. One or the other person is going to get emotionally wounded. It is a very serious matter and has to be handled carefully."

 Chapter 531 - Allow Me To Pleasure You More

    Adrianna took a deep breath. "There is certainly a lot of resentment amongst the Council members." On the inside, she wanted Niiya to be removed from the position of the Council Head, but she wondered how he would take it. Another way was what Dmitri suggested��to convince the members to create more positions and then offer one to Niiya. For all this she had to work hard on first getting her husband in the forefront as the best candidate for the position of the Head.


    "Yes, there is a lot of bitterness regarding Niiya''s absence, and I feel this is the right time to suggest changes," Dmitri said. "Trust me, the changes are going to be good for everyone."


    "I hope so!" she replied. After a short pause, she said, "Let''s go back, Dmitri. There are way too many tasks that have to be looked into."


    Dmitri put the bone in a plate made out of leaves and while licking his fingers, went to his wife. She had Ileus in her lap who was sleeping peacefully. He smelled the child''s neck, which had the typical smell of mother''s milk. Lying next to her he caressed her back and said, "I don''t want to go. Let us spend the day here. We are the rulers of our kingdom and we can take a holiday any day we feel like."


    Dmitri sounded so childish that Adrianna chuckled. "Don''t tell me I have to handle two babies."


    He smiled blissfully and said, "I love you."


    Adrianna lowered her lips on his and said, "I love you, too."


    Dmitri took Ileus from her lap and placed him on his cradle. He held her in his lap and kissed her roughly. She knew that those were one of his tricks to seduce her into doing what he wanted at that time. He was about to lick her mark when she removed herself from him and said, "Dmitri, we need to go back, okay?" Saying that she got out of his lap and ran outside as if teasing him.


    The white water cascading through a series of rocky outcrops split into many waterfalls. Adrianna had reached one such waterfall when Dmitri caught her from behind. They were thoroughly drenched in the warm water. Adrianna''s nipples were puckered in her shirt and poked out when he caught her from her waist and pressed his hands there. Adrianna gasped. She wasn''t wearing pants. Dmitri wedged his leg between hers and parted them. He lowered his hand down to her lips and then something really hard pushed in her hips. Adrianna''s body was flushed with heat as all the muscles became taut. She held his hand and buckled. Dmitri''s other hand removed her shirt. He spread his palm on her stomach and stroked it. She inched closer to him, grinding up against his hardness hoping that he would touch her puckered breasts.


    "My greedy little wife," he purred in her ears. He took his hands to her breasts and squeezed them. "Do you want more?" he asked seductively.


    "Yes," she almost begged as an ache built between her thighs.


    His tongue went to the mark and he grazed around it. Adrianna tilted her head for him to have complete access to it. She had run away from him so that he wouldn''t lick her mark and now she was the one holding her head in a position that he licked her again over there. Give me more.


    Knowing how much she craved for him when he fondled and glossed with her mark, Dmitri teased her. Instead he nibbled at her earlobes.


    Adrianna yelped and fully arched against him. The water that fell over them only added as a catalyst. She growled. Dmitri stroked the lips between her thighs lazily and when she was fully aroused, he left them. His hand traveled up to her breasts and circled her swollen nipples. Suddenly he pinched them and a groan escaped, "Ah!" She ground against his erection making him growl in turn. "Adri, not so fast," he said with a chuckle. "Do you want to go back?" he asked.


    "You know I have to," she replied as her body writhed in the pain of wanting him. She wanted to turn and push herself over him, but he clucked his tongue and pushed himself very hard against her. He caught her so tightly that she couldn''t turn. "Please Dmitri," she winced as if begging him for mercy and hoping that he would understand her predicament.


    Dmitri took his fingers to the other nipple and at the same time glided his thumb down to her clit. He pinched them together. Adrianna gave a throaty groan and came. She was putty in his hands. He continued to circle her nipple and flick her. She cried and moaned with pleasure and pain.


    "You like that, don''t you my little cat?"


    She kept moaning and begging for him to continue. Slowly, his fingers slid inside and every cell of her body focused on what he was doing inside her. "Adri," he hissed like a beast when she moaned loudly. He plunged his fingers deep inside. Her body moved against his. Once he was satisfied with his heart''s content, he removed his fingers, made her grip the rock on the side and pushed his hard inside her from behind. He thrust inside and slid out slow, and stopped. "Would you stay back for the day?" he bargained.


    She showed her displeasure through a guttural roar. "Dmitri!"


    He thrust himself again dragging a moan from her. He stayed inside and then rotated his hips slightly. It was mind-blowing. "You didn''t answer," he said.


    "You know I have to go," she said. She was so irritated by him for wanting him so badly that she made a tough decision��she would make him beg like that one day.


    He came out of her and then slowly pushed it back in. "We''ll see," he said as he increased his pace. Adrianna cried out of pleasure. Since there was no one to hear their sounds, she moaned and groaned her loudly, which in turn aroused Dmitri to the extent that he matched her. Soon he came inside her and slumped over her leaning body.


    The gentle water fell on their backs until they stopped panting.


    Dmitri came out of her. She was so limp that he picked her up and carried her to a small hillock nearby that was covered with tall grass. He placed her over there and lied down beside her. He propped up his face on his hand and looked at her. She seemed very exhausted and had closed her eyes. "I expected my Luna to be fitter than that," he bantered. After plucking a grass blade he traced it on her stomach and thighs. He reached her bud and tickled it. "Come on Adri, you are the Luna of the Supreme Alpha. Allow me to pleasure you more."


    She laughed lazily, "I think it was you who was pleasured more than me."


    Dmitri jumped up and went to her swollen bud. Flicking it with his tongue, he said, "In that case how about you pleasing me again?"


    Adrianna bucked feeling his lips on her. He had become a master at arousing her. Her back arched more as he sucked on. He was in no mood of leaving her or going back. He continued to flick it, suck it and nibble it until she came again.

 Chapter 532 - The Council Head (2)

    Dmitri was unyielding. His fingers went in and out, as slowly as possible and Adrianna could feel her muscles tightening with every move. "Adrianna."


    Her name on his lips made her loose whatever little control she was trying to exert to lengthen her orgasm and a release ratcheted down her pelvic making her wolf yelp like the animal it was. Dmitri came above her and enclosed her lips with his in order to make her cry inside him. She kept on groaning as his tongue devoured her mouth. Her body trembled and her thighs clenched tighter. He brought his hand inside her again during the last spasms of her orgasm. Adrianna''s mind was numb with pleasure, with euphoria and she was panting by the end of it. He positioned himself and then thrust inside her. This time he made it quick because he couldn''t hold it.


    After the lovemaking, the two splayed on the soft grass of the hillock. The warm sunshine bathed their naked bodies as it came in woven strands and flowed around them dispelling the night. It fell upon the trees and every blade of the grass making them shine as if by magic. Wisps of clouds wafted in the sky creating art. The day was beautiful.


    When Adrianna caught her breath, she found herself coiled in the arms of her husband''s strong arms. She kissed him on his chest and said, "There is something I would like to tell you."


    "What is it darling?" he asked as he formulated an answer to not let her leave for the entire day. He wanted to steal her from the world.


    "I suspect that Niiya might have strong support from members of other realms. By the time we would seek support for us, we should know that some kingdoms would be always against us even if they are not with Niiya," she voiced her concern.


    "How do you know that?" he asked, leaving her and sitting by her side.


    "Well, let me ask you one thing��who do you think would the Serpent King favor?"


    A muscle in Dmitri''s jaw, feathered. Even if the Serpent Kingdom disliked Niiya, they would never favor Adrianna.


    "Let us have a secret meeting with the Heads of all the Realms and see who would like our plan. As far as I see, your plan to have more positions provides value and much-needed variety to the stale rules of the Council. However, this is going to be a gargantuan task."


    Dmitri scratched his chin and smiled. He brought his hand to her cheek and caressed it with his thumb. "I know." He pinched her lips. "Let''s do this. I need my son''s future to be secured and that can only be done if I have complete control over the Council. I need all that information, which Niiya has. I also know that he would never divulge because of a secrecy oath."


    "Then let us send invitations out as soon as possible. The next Council meet would be by the next full moon," she said with determination in her eyes.


    Suddenly, they heard a baby crying loudly. "Ileus!" Dmitri shouted with panic and jumped off the boulder in one large leap. He dashed inside the cave fearing that Ileus might have fallen down. Countless thoughts passed through his mind until he saw his son who was lying in his cradle and crying for his favorite pastime��he wanted to be fed.


    Adrianna chuckled as she took Ileus from his father.


    They discussed what to do for the next hour and then walked back to the Werewolf Realm right into their bedroom. Adrianna and Dmitri were so dirty with all the mud and grass smearing their bodies that the first thing they did was to take a warm water bath.


    By the time it was evening, they had worked on their strategy. At first Adrianna thought of including Haldir and Inyanga in the plan, but then she decided against it. Instead she only included Haldir.


    ---


    After the incident in the restaurant, Niiya was extremely shaken. His absence must have been a nuisance for the Council, but he needed that break. The way Dmitri attacked him the previous evening was unnerving. Ever since he had come back, he hadn''t called any meeting of the Council thinking that everything was quiet now that the news of his return must have reached the ears of the Council members. However, this was something he hadn''t anticipated. After returning from the dinner, he had locked himself in his study. Next day he called his secretary and the other few who knew about the Council''s existence. They had a long five hours meeting in which one thing was chiefly decided��call another Council Meeting as soon as possible in order to reinstate confidence amongst the members.


    An invite was sent out immediately to all the members.


    ---


    Adrianna and Dmitri were sitting with Haldir and Isidorus in the royal palace of the Wizard Kingdom when a servant appeared with a sealed envelope.


    He placed the envelope on the table beside his Queen and immediately vanished. Adrianna opened it. Her eyes became wide with excitement. The opportunity to meet all the members had landed right at her doorstep. "Niiya has called for the Council Meeting two days from now. We have to go to the Headquarters in the Northern Mountains to attend it."


    A smile appeared on Dmitri''s lips. "This is a perfect situation. Let us go there a day before."


    Isidorus straightened his neck. "Haldir and myself will also accompany you. We are going to stay in Ed''s Inn."


    "That is a great idea. I will meet Grandfather. It has been so long!" Adrianna said with a gleam of joy on her face.


    "Adrianna, there are going to be people from other realms too in the inn. You cannot openly discuss your plan with them," Haldir warned.


    She clenched her jaw.


    "But we can always hold meetings in our private room," Isidorus added quickly. "The rooms are soundproof, however we can still add a layer of protection around them."


    "What about Ileus?" asked Dmitri as his mouth down-turned.


    "We will have to take him with us! Grandfather wanted to see him for a long time." Adrianna said. "I just hope he doesn''t create havoc over there," she added with a sigh reading her husband''s thoughts.


    "We must reach there tomorrow right in the morning so that we meet as many people as possible," Isidorus advised.


    Adrianna took a deep breath. "Many Council members do not come to the inn. They reach the Headquarters directly. We need to talk to them also."


    "Yes, what do we do with them?" asked Dmitri.


    "Send them an invitation after the meeting is over. It is not that you are going to pull Niiya down in this first meeting," Isidorus rolled his eyes at Dmitri. "By that time we would also know how much support we are going to get for our plan."


    Haldir interjected, "It is risky to discuss our plan openly at the inn. If we don''t act quickly, it is possible that we face opposition." He looked at Isidorus and added with all seriousness, "We need to strike in two days to take them with a surprise."

 Chapter 533 - The Council Head (3)

    What Haldir said, was right because that was the perfect politics��not giving your enemy a chance to think about it much. At the back of her mind something was troubling her. It was possible that Niiya would sever the ties with her forever. It pained her to choose between her family and Niiya. Everyone was tied with each other some or the other way. Each person had his or her importance. Overthrowing Niiya would not be easy. The thoughts burdened her to the extent that while the men continued to talk, she got up from her place and trudged to the window to look outside.


    The Cirrus clouds floated over the Wizard Kingdom. Her eyes went to Level Three. People must be busy with their daily chores. She placed her elbow on the windowsill and placed her head on her palm. She mentally berated herself for wanting to overthrow Niiya. Sluggishly, she looked at Dmitri. Pessimism took over thinking what the future would hold.


    The meeting got over after two hours. Once the plans were laid, it was decided that Adrianna and Dmitri would go there along with Ileus right the next morning and Haldir and Isidorus would join later in the afternoon. In the meanwhile as ordered by Adrianna, Haldir was set onto a mission that he had to finish by the time the night ended.


    ---


    When Adrianna woke up in the morning she saw that Dmitri was already awake. In fact he was getting ready to leave. She stirred a little and the flowers petals beneath her crushed leaving their pink color on the bed sheet. Dmitri adjusted the cufflinks of his white shirt and went to her. She pulled the blanket up to her breasts and leaned back as he brought his face next to hers.


    "Yesterday night you didn''t do the right thing," he accused her.


    Adrianna poked her finger on his forehead to push him away from her. Just because she refused to have sex with him, he removed all her clothes and made her sleep with him while he had also removed his clothes. To make it worse for her, he held her back tightly against his chest pressing his erection that was hard as granite against her buttocks. She winced and moaned but didn''t yield to his request. "You have been so demanding for the past two days. I need rest!" she reproached him playfully.


    "If anyone should need rest, that is me. I am the one who is giving away my eggs to you," he said shamelessly. "I need to eat more food."


    "How wanton you can be!" she retorted with a frown. Removing the blanket, she tried to jump out of the bed, but was caught by him.


    He pressed her beneath him, kissed her all over, sucked at her breasts, sucked her swollen bud and then ground his hardness against her through his pants. "See how hard I am? Do you want to have it now?"


    Adrianna was slack by the time he finished his ministrations. For the sake of Wolf Spirits, it was only 5AM in the morning and her husband was so charged up.


    "Do you want it?" he asked, teasing her hoping she would beg him.


    Adrianna couldn''t hold herself anymore. She bit her lip and nodded. Her cheeks became red. So much she hoped that it was him who begged her but from the past two days, she ended up begging him. He was enticing her with all the charm he had. Dmitri grinned. He flipped her on her stomach, opened his pants and entered from the back. She had to press her face in the pillow to subdue her groans.


    When he finished, she was left for wanting more.


    Dmitri zipped his pants and slapped her butt cheek. "Get up or else I won''t be able to control myself. Seeing my naked wife is a big turn on," he snarled like a beast.


    Poor Adrianna��she somehow got up on her wobbly knees and trembled. Dmitri laughed and picked her up. "Let me take you to the bathroom," he said.


    "What are you eating these days?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Aphrodisiacs?"


    Dmitri broke into a loud laughter. "I am eating what you are feeding me."


    "With the rate you are going, I might become pregnant again."


    Dmitri put her down on the bathroom floor in front of the mirror and curled her waist from behind. The two of them looked at each other in the mirror. "I would love to have more babies with you Adri," he whispered seductively.


    Adrianna''s eyes became wide. She shouted, "Get out!"


    Brazenly, Dmitri licked and sucked her mark and before she could come out the craving that was generated in her body, he dashed out of the bathroom. "Dmitri!" Adrianna shouted as she threw a fragrance bottle at him out of anger, which crashed and shattered on the door that had already closed.


    Suddenly, a servant appeared. Without looking at her naked Queen, she cleaned the floor and vanished. Adrianna stepped into the bathtub.


    When she came out, she stashed some of their clothes along with Ileus'' belongings.


    It was 6AM when Adrianna created a portal for them to arrive in front of the tavern.


    Ed was waiting on the outside. As soon as he saw the three of them, he rushed to take what interested him��Ileus. He simply ignored his Granddaughter and Dmitri. He didn''t even greet them.


    "My grandchild!" he exclaimed so loudly that Ileus started jumping in his father''s lap. He kicked his father with his tiny toes repeatedly just to go to his Great-Grandfather. Wearing a yellow baby suit with a hood, it matched his golden yellow eyes. His black locks were not visible.


    Ed took Ileus from Dmitri and threw him up in the air. Ileus laughed and giggled when Ed caught him. Ed embraced him tightly and cradled him. "I missed you baby," he said and walked inside the inn with a care that two people behind him stared harshly as if they would bore holes. They looked like fools.


    With a sigh, Adrianna ambled after her Grandfather and Dmitri shook his head. Even their son wasn''t bothered that he was going away from his parents. He had very nicely gelled with his Great-Grandfather.


    As soon as Adrianna opened the door, her mouth fell. A creature that looked exactly like Mun was standing right beside Ed. "Who is that?" she asked in a hoarse voice as she pressed the wand that was hidden beneath her jacket.


    The creature turned its gaze towards her and in a nonchalant voice said, "I am Jun, Mun''s girlfriend."


    "Mun''s girlfriend?" Adrianna repeated.


    Dmitri''s jaw dropped. He didn''t even know what to say.


    Jun didn''t pay heed to the couple. Her new interest was Ileus. For the first time she had seen a baby in the inn and it was exciting. She nudged her head in Ed''s legs and goaded him to make the baby sit on her but Ed scolded her. "No! He is too small. Let him be at least two years old."


    Jun whimpered in displeasure.


    Before her Grandfather would forget about her, Adrianna blurted, "Hello Grandfather."


    Ileus had caught Ed''s face. So Ed didn''t turn to see her, instead said, "Your room is set at the back of the inn. You can go there and relax."


    "Who will be coming here next?" asked Dmitri.


    "We have two bookings at 8AM," said Ed. "The Elf and Lion-shifter representatives will be coming."


    ''It is going to get weird'', Adrianna thought. She collected her belongings and walked to the last room. She wished Haldir were there with her but he was on an important mission.


    He had gone to his realm.

 Chapter 534 - The Council Head (4)

    Adrianna walked to the last room along with Dmitri and when she opened the door, her eyes widened. That small room was converted into a luxury room. A small baby crib was in the corner right next to the main bed. Almost everything that they would have needed for their stay was there. "Grandfather is just too sweet. I didn''t expect this kind of hospitality. Where did he get it all from?" Adrianna laughed.


    Dmitri circled her shoulders and said, "Now that he isn''t here, how about we have another round? I think you were left for wanting more."


    Before Dmitri could say anything, Adrianna took her wand out and disappeared.


    Not everyone''s magic would work there, but because her wand had Mun''s powers also, it worked there.


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Adri, where are you going to go? You will have to come back here and when you come back, I will be waiting for you."


    Meanwhile Adrianna found herself outside the inn on the backside. She shook her head. "Dmitri!" she sputtered. "I am so going to take revenge of this torture!"


    "This is no torture darling. This is love," her mate answered her through their mental connection. "Now that I know you are very much around, tell me where you are."


    Shocked at hearing him, Adrianna immediately shut her mental shields and smacked her head. "This man!" she shouted. It was pretty cold outside and she wasn''t wearing her jacket. She shivered and brought her hands to her mouth and exhaled breath over them to warm them. She was sitting on a small flat bench that Ed had carved out of a small boulder. It was on the edge of the plateau on which the inn was built. Just a few feet away the plateau ended into a deep valley. There was a beautiful waterfall, which was now freezing slowly as the winter had started to set in. White snow crusted on the rocks and gathered in the crevices. She noticed a few blue tinged peaks in the distance and decided to go back in the inn when suddenly from the corner of her eye she noticed something red and orange on the wall of the valley in front of her. Adrianna focused on this strange activity.


    Wind whistled on the bare slopes and the red and orange lights increased in intensity lighting up the area that surrounded it encasing it with the reflection of bright colors. Adrianna''s eyes became wide with horror as she observed that it was fire crackling in a crevice. It smoldered and licked the sides of the crevice and the slope of the mountain like a hungry kitten. The plumes of black and grey smoke rose relentlessly. The embers glowed and leaped towards the outside, in the valley, as the fire threatened to grow. It was strange to see that kind of fire in Northern Mountain. These slopes were forever covered with snow and unless there was an active volcano, there was no chance that there would be raging flames. However, even the volcano would erupt from the peak and not like this. This was on the side of the slope in a crevice. Was that even a crevice or a small cave?


    This only meant one thing. Adrianna''s thoughts plunged for the worse when all at once she heard a muffled explosion. A large ball of fire escaped from the flames and it hit the side of the slope on which the inn was standing resulting in a very faint, almost negligible rumble of the ground.


    "What the hell was that?" Adrianna said aloud. Was someone attacking them? Was someone trying to sabotage the inn? Her thoughts went to her son and Dmitri and hair raised on the back of her neck.


    Another ball of fire was released from those flames and traveling at a rapid speed, it hit the slope on the same place where it had hit earlier.


    "Hell!" Adrianna shouted and took her wand out, ready to stop the next ball of fire. She ran towards the edge of the plateau and stood there with complete attention to the fire on the opposite side. Her mind raced as to who was doing it all. It couldn''t be a simple nature phenomenon. She had to go there to the other side and find out. Adrianna summoned her broom. The broom came flying and as soon as Adrianna held her hand out in the air, it came in her grip. She mounted it and flew to the other side of the slope in order to first stop the fire from emitting more balls. As she got nearer, she realized that the crevice wasn''t as small as she had anticipated. It was much larger and by the time she was only several meters away, she could see that it was actually a small cave. The fire covered the entire mouth of the cave and crackled intensely. Surely there was someone inside the cave, else how was it possible that two balls of fire were shot from there.


    Instead of going right inside it, Adrianna decided to fly above the mouth. When she reached the desired place, she heard a female voice chanting spells. She thought that she was imagining what she heard but when she concentrated, she heard the same voice again. Only this time the voice was louder and she realized that those were wizard spells. "Fircazzi!" came a loud voice filled with anger and the fire outside increased in intensity by burning higher with an explosion. Adrianna stumbled as the fire leapt higher as if to engulf her. Her breaths became shaky.


    Did someone from the Wizard Kingdom come here to destroy her? Who knew about her plan? Who was after her? In order to escape the leaping flames, Adrianna ascended in the air. She had to quickly come up with a plan to stop this disaster. She knew that only a wizard could perform such spells. They were easy ones but for a normal world they could pose a threat. There was one thing that she was shocked about �C when no one could practice their magic, how could this wizard perform this in the Northern Mountains? Things baffled her.


    "Prociattsn!" she cast the spell on the cave''s mouth. Large number of snowballs lifted from the snowy slopes and rushed to close the cave''s mouth. Within a few seconds the mouth was stashed with snow. The fire was completely doused. The voice coming from inside stopped as if now cautious about what just happened.


    This was the perfect time. Adrianna blasted the snow and entered the cave. She saw a wizard standing there in ragged clothes. The lights were so dull that she couldn''t make out who that was.


    "Illuminati!" Adrianna said and a bright light filled the cave. Standing in front of her was a haggard woman whose eyes were sallow. Her clothes were all torn and filthy. Her hair looked as if they were matted and not washed for ages. She smelled of puke and putrid meat. Adrianna''s gaze shifted to the small cave around her. It was filled with bones and flesh. She felt like nauseating.


    "Yanga?" Adrianna''s body trembled. "What are you doing here?" she demanded in a stern voice. On the inside she wondered how Yanga could perform the magic in the Northern Mountains?

 Chapter 535 - Inn Sabotage

    It had been only a few days since she had seen Yanga in the noble court. What was she doing here and that too in such a ragged form? "How did you gain entry to the Northern Mountains?"


    Yanga stared at Adrianna as if she had grown two heads. "You?" she shouted. "I am going to destroy your family the way you have destroyed mine!" Saying that Yanga forced a spell and threw a crackling beam of light at her. Adrianna dodged the beam by tilting her body to the right immediately. Had she not done that the beam was potent enough to burn her skin. The light went and hit the wall behind her. Some small rocks broke away and fell to the ground.


    Irate at her sudden outburst and unwarranted reaction, Adrianna produced electricity that crackled around her hands and propelled it towards her. The white electric threads of light that crackled and sparkled as they traveled through the air trapped Yanga from all sides. They were like barbed wire, only with small bolts that could kill a human easily.


    Yanga laughed as she didn''t even struggle to release herself. When she became quiet she said, "I was a Minister in your rule and before that in your mother''s rule, my husband was the Minister. All Ministers are given special passes to enter this place. I had come to the Council Headquarters two years back when your Grandfather Ed had appealed a case for you." Yanga started laughing again. When she settled, she continued, "I wish�� I wish I had known about you way back then. Then I would have killed you. I wish I could go back in time and kill you. You were so vulnerable that time. But that old bastard, Isidorus, kept you hidden so well that even Cy couldn''t find you. All of us were surprised, including Mihr, you see!" She closed her eyes and chanted, "Intermissium!" The light she was surrounded with disappeared.


    In defense, Adrianna took her wand out and pointed at her. While on the outside her expressions were stone cold, on the inside there was fire in her belly and heaviness in the chest.


    "You gave so much leniency to Mihr''s daughter and his family. Nefaski was your rival at the Wizard Academy yet you made her your personal bodyguard. And what did you do with my daughter?" Yanga was furious as she spoke. Her face became red with anger. He voice raised and she growled, "You imprisoned Lenny for a small mistake? Couldn''t you leave her with a warning? You have tortured my kids so much. Why didn''t you take my life also? You chose to leave me because you wanted to see how miserable I would become." Yanga was panting by the time she finished. With whatever little strength she was left with in her throat, she croaked, "I am going to show you exactly what it is to mess with a woman like me. I am going to destroy each and every member of your family and leave you to wither away." She cocked her head and with an evil grin that exposed her yellow teeth, she said, "I have heard werewolves wither away if their mates die." Saying that she started laughing like crazy.


    Adrianna shuddered. Did she mean that an attack was imminent on her husband and kid? The balls of fire she threw were not of much intensity. Unless there were a large number of similar attacks, the mountain on which the inn was built was safe. So what did she plan? She tried to delve into her mind, but Yanga was clever, she had raised her shields. Adrianna started thinking of ways to divert her. She said, "Your daughter was a first rate termagant. A harlot! And Kerai is a son of a bitch! Together they tried to topple me and get Vikra. And that too with the help of my husband? I am going to kill the moment I reach the Wizard Kingdom."


    "Adriannaaa!" Yanga yelled.


    Adrianna created a mirage.


    Yanga looked around her with confusion as five Adriannas surrounded her one by one. This kind of wizardry was either gifted or only Masters could perform.


    All of them spoke one after the other.


    "Tell us what you did by sending that fire."


    "You daughter is a tramp."


    "Your son is a traitor."


    "Tell us your plan."


    This was the moment when out of anger and confusion her mental shields lowered and Adrianna pushed her way in. She didn''t have much time, because if Yanga would pull her mental shields up, she would get trapped in her cell. She looked around frantically to search for clues. There was nothing except a dark cave and memories of her children and husband. Disappointed, Adrianna was about to come out when she heard a hiss. Out of the darkness, a forked tongue came out lashing at her. Adrianna stumbled back. She fell down. The figure came out and slithered its way out as if to trap her, but Adrianna closed her eyes and came out of the cell.


    Her shock was beyond the roof. Yanga had taken the support of the King of Serpents. He was out there with her to avenge his son and their defeat. He had been hiding for a long time. She had heard that Rhys was also hiding since his betrayal had come to be known by his people.


    Yanga was baffled at the number of Adriannas she was seeing. She turned around in order to make out which one was the real one. Her hands were surrounded with an orange beam of crepitating light. In a state of rage, she threw that light at all of them. However, all of them waved it away with a simple flick of their hands. Agitated, she said, "Adrianna you will never be able to win. Those balls of fire were no ordinary ones."


    "What do you mean?" they all asked together. They closed in on her to intimidate her.


    Yanga turned around sharply. Her filthy hair spread as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Stay away from me!" she shouted. "You dirty blood. You are not even a pureblood yet you were made the Queen. You don''t deserve the throne. You will be killed. I will make sure of that."


    "Tell us!" Adrianna''s voice rose. All her mirror images had leaping flames around them. Her eyes had glints of golden fire. "Tell us!" she pushed.


    When they all were five feet away from her, Yanga shrieked, "Those balls of fire had serpents hidden in them."


    "What?" Adrianna''s body jerked with terror. All her images coalesced.


    Yanga got up from the floor and she ran to the corner of the cave near a pile of bones. "You see I created that spell. It was very hard. I had to sacrifice a serpent to create the spell. This is where I did it." She broke into a fit of laughter. "You see the King of Serpent approached me. He offered me the much needed vengeance I was looking for. From the past two days we have been working on it."


    Adrianna could feel her chest tightening.


    "We were waiting for you to come to the inn. So when we saw a flurry of activity over there, we knew it was time." Yanga paused and looked at the cave''s ceiling. "Each of those two balls of fire contained a serpent hidden inside. I have blasted them off here and they are now eating the slope inside through the hole that was created by the blast."

 Chapter 536 - Wave Of Mun

    Adrianna''s body froze mid-movement. Her upper lip curled back. Her head recoiled as her eyes became wide. She stared at Yanga and said, "Those serpents have entered the slope of the mountain on which the inn is built?"


    Yanga nodded vehemently with an evil grin. "Yes, my Queen," she said with sarcasm. "One of them is the King of Serpents, whose son Ziu was killed by you. He will slither inside and swallow your people just the way you swallowed my happiness. Soon they are going to gnaw and create huge holes inside. That would make it shallow and the mountain will cave in." Yanga couldn''t hold her excitement. She clapped her hands and hopped from one foot to the other. There was madness in her eyes. "Dmitri and Ileus are going to get buried in the mountain deep inside." She looked at Adrianna and shook her head, "Tsk tsk. Now you will know what it is to be deprived of your loved ones." She jerked her head back with a hollow laughter. When she stopped she said, "My revenge will then be complete."


    The anger in Adrianna''s eyes showed the fear that she experienced at this time. She was the girl who was starved of love and finally she got it in the form of Dmitri and Ileus. And this woman was planning on destroying the love that she had craved for the life. Ever since she was a child, she only wanted to be accepted��by her father, by her siblings, but none of them liked her. They all ridiculed her, used her and even tried to sell her into a marriage. Eventually when she found her soul mate, she had started living. They had a baby. She had sacrificed so much for the Wizard Kingdom. She had fought for these people and saved them from dark forces. Wouldn''t they ever realize that? Wouldn''t they ever realize that she had risked her life, her husband''s life just for them, for their betterment? When was it going to be enough? It was time she acted selfishly.


    There was so much pain in her eyes that she felt her whole body drowning in the wave of it. Tears pooled in her eyes but she stopped them from coming out. She had to fight the tears and act. She couldn''t let herself be pushed in the dark. At that moment she became aware that Dmitri was not wrong in being paranoid. His anxiety to save Ileus was justified. She had to fight for her sunlight, for her right, for those she loved.


    She closed her eyes. Her throat choked. In the background Yanga was still laughing like a mad. When she opened her eyes, they were furious golden yellow. Magic crackled ferociously around her hands. All she did was to bring her hands forward and the magic flowed. It surrounded the woman in front of her. The beams of white light sparkled like a firecracker, splitting, emitting and crepitating with yellow, orange and blue sparks that flew around.


    "Noooo!" Yanga screamed. "Stop it! Stop it! It hurts!"


    Adrianna was relentless. The magic flowed continuously until the woman who was surrounded by it was charred to death. Her body fell on the ground, stiffened in a pained posture. Yanga was dead. But Adrianna''s fury was so uncontrolled that the magic continued to flow out of her hands. It went and hit the ceiling of the cave, which shattered with a loud explosion and the debris that splintered covered Yanga''s body burying her there and then.


    Adrianna withdrew, her breathing ragged. She looked at the debris and said, "It is you who will be buried in these mountains."


    After that she came out of the cave. Her broom was waiting for her. As soon as she mounted it, the broom took her Master to the destination she had in mind��the slopes of the mountain on which the inn was standing.


    Her broom came and stopped right in front of the large crater that was created by the blast. It was wide enough for five men to enter together and tall enough for people with Haldir''s height to easily get in.


    The moment the ball of fire hit the rocky slope it created an explosion forming a large hole in the rock. The serpents were then pushed inside the hole. From there, they would have gnawed their way in. The hole in the mountain looked like a gaping mouth. Ringed by white snow from all the sides, the opening was pitch black, exposing the bare rocks.


    Adrianna entered the newly formed cave. It was like a huge worm. She thought that there were two explosions, which meant that there would be two serpents. It didn''t make sense for two serpents entering the came worm-cave, so was it that the other serpent created another hole. The thought sent tremors in her body.


    She started to go further inside and the deeper she went, the darker it got. Suddenly her broom struck something solid. She became afraid. Did she stumble upon the serpent? Immediately she took her wand out and lighted the tip. She frowned when she noticed rubble of small rocks��all in a heap. The heap extended inside and so it was not possible for her to go any further.


    She realized that if this was the speed of the serpents, then within a day they could create unimaginable havoc. They started masticating the upper part of the mountain, which was narrower than the base. This clearly meant that they knew that by doing so that part would crumble fast. She had to stop it. Suddenly she heard a rumble, mixed with a hiss. It was subdue as if coming from deep inside. The mountain moved very slightly. On a second thought instead of going after the serpents, Adrianna did something interesting. She hurried out. Once she was outside, she took her wand out. She pointed it towards the white snow-covered mountains that flanked it. Slowly, the snow rose from there. It started forming a shape. Adrianna''s eyes followed the first shape that emerged and a pained word escaped from her mouth, "Mun!" The snow had transformed into Mun. It started running towards the place Adrianna was standing. Within a few seconds more of her favorite animals sprung up from the snow. They all followed the leader. A wave of them rose, and within a few minutes hundreds of Mun were running across the mountain slopes only to reach their Master, only to do as the Master bade them. This wasn''t an avalanche��this was a swell, a tide of white snow in the form of Mun that surged like a wave.


    It was so fast that Adrianna chuckled with a tear in her eyes. Mun never failed her. She was sitting on her broom that hovered around the cave''s opening.


    As soon as the first animal reached her, it stopped for a second, bowed at her and entered the worm cave. Rest of them followed it. Soon the cave was flooded with thousands of snow beasts.


    The miracle continued for a long time. Adrianna kept standing there with her wand pointed to the mountain slopes to generate more and more of snow beasts.


    Loud rumbles were heard as the serpents inside swished their tails and tried to escape but Adrianna could well imagine that the snow must have stuffed around them freezing their movements, freezing their bodies to the extent that they would eventually die.

 Chapter 537 - The Council Head (5)

    The snow stopped filling the worm-cave as soon as it was completely stuffed. The two serpents who were inside were the King of Serpents and his General. All opposition from the Serpent Kingdom that Adrianna had ever thought of was now over. Who would have known that the King of Serpents would be frozen to death in the Northern Mountains? More than taking revenge from Adrianna, he wanted to avenge the death of his son Ziu. His ego was hurt, his pride was smashed and his people were killed. He was so blind to take his revenge that he didn''t realize that it was ultimately because of Ziu that his downfall occurred. If he had stopped Ziu or not helped him to further his greed, things would have been different now. Only a handful of people remained in his kingdom. His children were all killed or not found. Only Rhys remained whom he detested to the core. He had banished him from the kingdom when Rhys tried to stage a coup against him. He had lost complete interest in his kingdom and in his life. Only one thing was in his mind��revenge.


    It wasn''t easy to hit back unless he found an insider to know what was going on. He found Yanga outside the Wizard Kingdom in a pitiable situation.


    Yanga was so mad after she had left the noble court that she went to her home and in a fit of rage threw everything around her. The servants came to help her but she attacked them too. All of them scrammed. Hours later when the servants came back to help her, they didn''t find her. Yanga had left the Wizard Kingdom. She had lost her mental balance. For two days she wandered outside the Wizard Kingdom in the dense forest. She didn''t have any mission. She would spend her nights in caves amongst beasts and reptiles. None could harm her, as she would create a protection bubble around her. It was on the second day that she found herself surrounded by strange men who were half serpents and half men. They took her to their King.


    The King had received an invitation from the Head Council. He knew that even Adrianna and Dmitri would come there. Since their child was too young, he was certain that they would bring him too. "Would you help me in killing Adrianna and her family?" he asked directly.


    Yanga''s eyes that were dull, gleamed with new hope. She nodded vehemently. "What do I have to do for that?" she asked.


    The King of Serpents gave her the plan. They had planned on entering the Northern Mountains and masticating the rocks beneath the inn within those two days. That much time was enough for the mountain to become hollow and the inn to cave.


    Yanga was taken to the small cave opposite the plateau where the in was located. The King of Serpents had killed two of his men and offered them to her to create the spell. That night Yanga stayed awake and worked on the spell. She had to use all the fresh flesh for the spell. And when she succeeded, he wanted to be the first one to be blasted there.


    But their plan failed. They hadn''t anticipated that Adrianna would come in two days before. Her timing coincided with the time when Yanga blasted the two serpents inside the mountain.


    ---


    Adrianna was on her broom. The harsh cold wind tousled her hair, which slapped her cheeks. Her face was pale. The hole was plugged with white snow. Only its outer black ring was visible. She had killed the King of Serpents, father of Ziu. "How many more?" she muttered. "How many more?"


    Understanding her gloom, the broom slowly moved from there. It brought her to the inn on the front side. Dmitri and Ed were standing there looking as nervous as cats. The moment they saw Adrianna, they rushed to her. She looked so pale and disheveled that they became alert as to what happened to her. Adrianna dismounted her broom and immediately stumbled on the ground.


    "Adri!" Dmitri said and ran to her. He picked her up in his arms and she clung to his chest. She hid her face inside.


    Ed was totally worried. "What happened, Adrianna? Tell me. I heard rumbles in the ground."


    But Adrianna didn''t speak a word. She only clung to Dmitri and hid her face because she was crying. When Dmitri''s shirt became wet, he understood. He took her inside the room they were given and closed the door.


    Ed on the other hand, went to his room where Ileus was playing with Jun''s antlers. He knew he had to give husband and wife their space.


    Dmitri placed her on the bed and sat beside her. He wiped Adrianna''s tears after covering her with the blanket. He caressed her until she was stable. "What happened, darling? Please tell me. I am worried."


    "I killed Ziu''s father," she revealed with trembling lips.


    Dmitri was stunned "What?" he asked with wide eyes. "He was one of the Council members. You killed him in the Northern Mountains. Do you realize what kind of penalty that would incur? This is a place for peace, not for our personal battles. And why did you do that?"


    Adrianna turned away. Her breathing became ragged. She knew all the rules of the Council but she didn''t have an option. If she hadn''t killed them, they would have killed her family.


    Dmitri got up from there and scraped his hand through his hair. They were in deep trouble. He turned to look at her and upon seeing that she was quiet, he became irritated. He was planning on taking up the position of the Head in the Council and his wife came up with the news that she had killed the King of Serpents in the Northern Mountains. They would now be expelled from the Council. Niiya would leave no stone unturned to go against him. "Can you tell me what happened?" he almost spat at her.


    Adrianna got up to sit. "If you want to know, you will have to see yourself what happened."


    "Then take me there," he demanded gritting his teeth.


    "Come sit with me," she said tapping the mattress near her.


    "Sit with you? We are short of time here and you want to sit with me. Adrianna this is a serious situation!" he scolded her. He was pretty mad.


    "I will take you inside my cell. You will be able to see everything yourself."


    Dmitri narrowed his eyes. "How can you do that Adri? I thought you could only enter other people''s cells but entering your own? That''s bizarre. Are you fooling me?"


    "No Dmitri," she sighed. "Please come and sit with me. Trust me."


    Dmitri exhaled loudly. This was too much. Shaking his head, he sat down beside her. Adrianna held his hand softly. "Close your eyes," she said, "And remove every thought that is in your mind."


    Dmitri closed his eyes and focused on a dark spot. He remembered the darkness he was surrounded with when Vikra had possessed his body. Within seconds he found himself propelling into a vortex. He felt like shouting but no voice came. Suddenly when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the small cave where Adrianna was talking to Yanga.

 Chapter 538 - The Council Head (6)

    Adrianna took Dmitri to every part of her memory that was related to her encounter with Yanga.


    When Dmitri came out of Adrianna''s cell, he found himself lying on the bed. She was sitting next to him and stroking his hair gently. His eyes went to her face. Her facial muscles were tight and she was biting her lower lip. Her eyebrows were still wet with all the tears she had shed. He raised his hand to her face and whispered, "Sorry darling. I didn''t know that you single-handedly saved us all from such a huge calamity." He caressed her cheek with his fingers as she leaned into his palm. Dmitri got up and hugged her. He was so mad at her moments ago and now he was thanking all the wolf spirits that she was safe. His fear of losing her returned. In times like these only the two of them were together. "What do we do now Adri? What do we do?"


    She exhaled a long breath. Her mind was all muddled up. In an hour or the inn would be thronged with a number of visitors��the representatives of other realms whom they had invited to have a talk with. They had to collect themselves for meeting them. Absence of the King of Serpents would be noted in the Council. How would they even cover it?


    Dmitri closed his eyes. He knew that if the Council came to know about it, they will definitely penalize and will hold a trial. It is possible that they would expel the Werewolf Realm and Wizard Kingdom from the membership. That would create numerous issues. They won''t be allowed to interact with humans or any other realm people. He removed himself from her. "Adri, stay quiet about it. Do not speak a word," okay?" he said.


    Biting her lip again, which was red and swollen, she nodded.


    He pressed his thumb on her chin and forced her to take out the lower lip. He caressed it and said with a smile, "If you like I can bite that for you."


    She smiled and lowered her eyes.


    "Don''t mention your encounter with Yanga. If need be, we will tell it to them but we will say that it was self-defense," he advised her.


    "Okay," she rasped.


    "In the meantime, wash your face, shove that memory at the back of your mind and dress up. More people will be coming soon and we need to negotiate. Just think of this like any other day."


    "What if the King of Serpents comes back to life? I am assuming that he is dead. What if he is just unconscious?" Adrianna listed her concerns.


    "If he comes back to life, do you think he would come out of that worm-cave and seek you? No! He would rather start masticating the mountain. He would rush into it. And if that happens, everyone will come to know about his nefarious activity," said Dmitri tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.


    She squinted her eyes as she stared at him. "That would be dangerous Dmitri." Her mind raced at all the possibilities. Her mood plunged. "What do we do?"


    "Right now we can''t do anything Adri. So stay put. Do not talk about it to anyone. Behave normally," he insisted.


    "Okay."


    "Good. Now go and take a bath. I am sure Ileus must be looking for his mom."


    Adrianna nodded and went to take a bath. When she came out, she noticed that Dmitri wasn''t there. She changed into a light green A-line dress with a white minx fur coat and same material boots. She had tied her hair in a bun. Giving herself one last look in the mirror, she went out to fetch Ileus. When she reached Ed''s room, she found him so cranky that Ed was having a hard time.


    "Sorry Grandfather," she said as she took Ileus from him.


    "It''s okay Adri. I hope you are feeling better," he said looking at her intently.


    "Yes I am," she croaked and took Ileus out of the room. Ileus slept as soon as his stomach was full. She placed him on the bed and covered him with a soft blanket. When she was about to leave him, Jun came inside. Without saying anything, she padded near the bed and sat on the ground. "I am here," she communicated mentally. "You can go and meet others."


    Adrianna''s eyes were wide with surprise, not because she was there for Ileus, but because she knew that Adrianna was here to meet people.


    "You forget Adrianna �C I am a magical beast of this land," Jun answered her unspoken question. "I know everything that is going on here."


    Adrianna pursed her lips.


    "And I would be more than honored if Ileus accepts me as his wand," she added.


    Adrianna''s skin tingled. She smiled at her lovingly. The beast was ready to sacrifice herself for her son. "Thank you," she said.


    Jun turned her head away and rested on the ground.


    Adrianna left.


    The inn was abuzz with mild activity. Adrianna observed that Dmitri was sitting with people who had huge hairy bodies. The bear-shifters. She joined them.


    Over the next few hours they met with representatives from five more realms.


    The people she had met with were still divided. Two were of the opinion that Niiya should be given a second chance but three agreed with her. Although they all expected a position in the newly formed Council''s structure. She didn''t promise that she would do that. Instead she said that the positions should be given on a rotation basis.


    However, those for whom she was waiting for weren''t there. They were supposed to carry a lot of weight and many of its people were Council''s Heads previously��the Elves. And that is where Haldir had gone - to meet his people in the Elf Kingdom.


    That day Haldir came in the evening but representatives from his kingdom didn''t accompany him. He reported it to his Queen. Dmitri and Adrianna were in their room when he knocked.


    "Come in," Adrianna said. She was tired of meeting people the entire day and had come to take rest when she heard the knock. She had waited for the elves. None of them arrived, which marred her hopes.


    So when Haldir walked in, she was excited.


    Haldir bowed to her. "My Queen." Then he continued, "I tried to convince them. They listened to me but they didn''t say anything. They have reserved their comments. And I am afraid��" he paused. He turned his face away from her.


    "What are you afraid of Haldir?" she asked with a frown.


    Haldir took a deep breath. "You see I had left the Elf Kingdom on my own volition because the woman I loved rejected me to marry the one who was in power. I was shattered mentally couldn''t take it. I came to the Wizard Kingdom and the ruler at that time gave me refuge. It has been more than five hundred years since. When I went back, my family was ecstatic. They welcomed me with open arms and have asked me to come back. However, I can''t," he stopped and looked away as if a pain had choked his throat. He gulped down. His Adam''s apple bobbed. "I have a blood bond with you and am tied to Ileus and Inyanga. When I explained that to my family, they said that the blood bond can be broken and that I can bring Inyanga to my realm because she is my mate."


    Adrianna was aghast. Her face became ashen. Was he going to do that?

 Chapter 539 - From Fae Realm

    Dmitri watched how the muscles on Adrianna''s face became taut with tension. He could feel her anxiety. She was quivering on the inside. Haldir was an important person for the Wizard Kingdom and she depended a lot on him for her Kingdom''s safety. Dmitri puffed his cheeks and exhaled a long breath. "So what do you plan, Haldir?" he asked, holding his chin up.


    Haldir looked down at his toes. "I don''t know��" he said after a pause.


    The royal couple didn''t have the heart to dissuade him. It was his home that he wanted to return, to his people, to the place where his kind lived. He no longer had to hide his unusually handsome features, white long hair and pointy ears from anyone.


    Adrianna was very anxious internally but like a Queen she was, she didn''t stop him. "Let us know your final decision," she said.


    "Okay," he murmured.


    "What about the mission I had sent you for?" she asked with grit.


    "The man who my lover married is the third prince to the Crown and he is currently the representative of the Elven World in the Council. When I went to meet him, my lover was also there. It was an awkward moment but she could feel that I had found my mate and no longer had feelings for her. Finding your mate is rare because you can well imagine that I found mine here, in this world. How many of us even come out of our world?" Haldir stopped looking out of the window towards the snow-clad mountains. "I could feel her jealousy over this matter. Although I didn''t say anything and was very matter-of-fact, I did put forth my proposition in front of the third prince. He listened to it carefully but I suspect that his decision might be affected by his wife."


    Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She wondered why a married woman felt jealous about something that happened so long ago? That was outrageous and was it that she still harbored feelings for him. If that was the case, then her proposition might fall flat. She pressed her knuckles to her mouth as if thinking deeply. After a short moment of silence, she asked, "When is he coming here?"


    "I hope by today evening," said Haldir, not really sure.


    Adrianna nodded. She communicated Dmitri mentally, "Should we tell him about Yanga to Dmitri?" She was sure that he would refuse but his answer surprised her.


    "Of course!" he replied.


    Adrianna frowned. "Are you sure?" she affirmed her doubts.


    "Yes Adri. He is your Military General. You have to tell him," he assured her.


    Adrianna took in a deep breath and then narrated the encounter she had with Yanga. Haldor was shocked. His mouth fell open. "That was not the right thing to do my Queen," his voice carried fear. "This carries a penalty and you may be expelled from the Council."


    "I agree," Dmitri replied. "But this was an act of self defense. If Adri hadn''t done it, we would have been dead by now."


    "True, but she should have gathered help instead of doing it all alone," Haldir was angry. "That way at least we would have got some witnesses to the incident."


    Dmitri couldn''t refute that. Even he felt that Adrianna acted in haste. "We will see what happens next," he growled. He didn''t like Haldir''s tone.


    "Yes, my King," Haldir bowed. He understood that he had crossed his line this time. No matter how much he would do for his King and Queen, he would never be a part of their family or friends. He would always be their Military General and he would always be made to remember his position. "I am sorry, my Queen," he said.


    Adrianna sighed. "Let''s just forget all about it and meet the next group," she instructed. Ed had communicated to her through mind that the Faes were waiting for her in the inn''s main hall. They refused to come to her room.


    The three of them got up and went to the main hall. What they saw there was so surprising that they didn''t have words for it. Almost everyone had surrounded the two Faes out there. Adrianna made her way through the small crowd and found two most beautiful, almost angelic people, a man and a woman, sitting by the table with their wings folded and tucked at their back. Ed was sitting opposite to them with his mouth and eyes open like wide cornfields.


    Adrianna was hit by a bolt of lightning when she saw the two of the. She had never seen such beauty. Were they the new members? How come she never saw them earlier? She hadn''t even invited them. She was expecting the people from dark realms �C the demons or the orcs.


    The male Fae smiled and got up from there. Like the perfect man he was, he pulled a chair for Adrianna and she sat almost mechanically. "H- hello?" she stuttered. By that Dmitri had come to her side. Even he was struck by their gorgeousness. They were wearing regal clothes, which spoke volumes about their heritage.


    The most striking feature of the couple was their pointy ears, which were even pointier than Haldir''s. They were both tall. The male Fae was taller than anyone else in the room while the female Fae was as tall as Dmitri. Adrianna felt like a dwarf in front of them.


    "I am the High Lord of the Winter Court." The male Fae introduced himself with a bow, "And this is my wife."


    The Tae female rose from her place and bowed to them. They returned the favor. It was simply mesmerizing. Adrianna''s gaze fell on her left arm that was covered with tattoos right up to her shoulders. A tiny insect was tattooed on her forearm, which flapped its wings much to Adrianna''s shock. The Fae female noticed her face and chuckled. Adrianna''s reverie broke and she looked up at her. What was even more captivating were her eyes. One was blue and the other was green. Adrianna blinked her eyes as if trying to reassure that she wasn''t dreaming.


    Ed got up and dispersed the crowd. Then he turned to them and said, "If it is okay, would you like to proceed with the meeting in my room?" He knew that everyone in the inn was now extremely interested in knowing about them or talking to them.


    "Sure," The High Lord replied with a smile.


    The Fae couple was glowing. When The Fae Lady got up, Adrianna noticed that she was wearing loose clothes. That intrigued her all the more. Was she pregnant?


    Upon reaching Ed''s room, their eyes fell on Ileus who had crawled and sat down next to Jun. He was now trying to climb her back. The Fae couple beamed at him. "Is that your son?" she asked.


    Adrianna nodded with a smile and picked him up.


    She came up to them. Ileus stared at her with his golden yellow eyes. She held his tiny hand and whispered, "Thank you for helping us fight the war." Ileus looked at his mother coyly and then buried his head in her neck.


    "What war?" she asked. The mystery was thickening. How could her little child help them in a war? Confused as hell, she darted her gaze to Dmitri who was captivated by the looks of the female Fae and her companion. "Hopeless!" she shouted at him mentally but he disregarded her.


    Suddenly Adrianna remembered what Elder had said when she went to meet him in the Mountains of Tibris when she used to have an urge to drink blood - "Ileus has traveled through time and has gone to save the parents of his mate in the future."


    Her heartbeat raced.

 Chapter 540 - The Council Head (7)

    The Fae lady smiled at Adrianna who was so stunned by seeing the Fae couple by now that she was speechless. Ileus had buried his head in her neck and like a little baby he was kicking his tiny feet into her stomach.


    "What is it Adri," Dmitri asked bemused by her behavior.


    The High Lord laughed. He patted Dmitri''s back.


    "Please be seated," Adrianna said softly overcoming her emotions. Her skin tingled at the thought that she was meeting, no, the parents of her son''s mate had come to meet her. This was destiny or was Ileus wanting this? Befuddled at the thought, she didn''t know how to explain it to Dmitri.


    Dmitri''s impatience rose to a high level. "What is going on?" he asked again.


    All of them sat down in the room. Once seated, Adrianna made Ileus sit near Jun. He began to pull her antlers and resumed trying to sit on her back. The Faes watched him lovingly.


    Adrianna gulped and then turned to Dmitri. She told him everything right from the beginning. Shocked, Dmitri was bereft. He looked at his son and only one thought crossed his mind. "So he is a time traveler apart from being a wizard and a werewolf?" Dmitri''s mind raced upon the possibilities of Ileus'' magic. For a moment he became afraid for his baby. That was the reason why the spirit from the Land of Gaira was after him. It meant that he had to be protected all the more. He looked at the two Faes. Why were they here?


    As if understanding his thoughts, the High Lord said, "Our people had been invited by the Council to be a member, however, we had declined it from a long time, however, we have come to join it now because of Ileus. We have to protect the child, no matter what. And we are there with you."


    Dmitri exhaled loudly and a smile erupted on his face. This was so reassuring. "Let''s do this together," he said excitedly. His hopes that they would be able to remove Niiya from the position of the Head of Council, rekindled strongly.


    The Fae couple stayed for an hour and then left. They said they would meet them after the Council meeting is over.


    The entire next day went by in meeting people from various realms and telling them their proposition.


    Dmitri and Adrianna were ready for the Council meeting. The headquarters were pretty far �C almost an hour from the inn. Adrianna embarked on the journey along with Dmitri on her broom. The two only revised their plan on the way.


    When they reached the headquarters, they noticed that the gates were wide open. People had started pouring in. All of them headed to the main hall. Niiya had already arrived and a battalion of people surrounded him. Adrianna saw the Fae couple at the far end of the hall. They looked at her and nodded in acknowledgement. Niiya didn''t even look at the two of them.


    Adrianna noticed the Elves representative. He was sitting on the left side of Niiya. His face was stone cold.


    The meeting started as per the time. Everyone seated in his or her chairs around the large oval table and Niiya was sitting on the head of the table. He looked daunting, reserved and very guarded. Adrianna and Dmitri sat together on the right side after ten people.


    Once the members were apprised of the agenda of the meeting by the staff, Niiya opened. "My dear fellows, I had remained absent for a long time due to personal reasons. However, now I am back and I will serve you all as best as I can." He was about to speak further when he was interrupted.


    The bear shifter said, "This is not the first time you have been absent. What is the guarantee that you wouldn''t do it again?"


    Niiya took in a deep breath. He was ready for the questions. "I promise upon that," he replied.


    "Sorry, Niiya, but the Council doesn''t run on promises," came the attack.


    Another member from across the table voiced his objections. "Do you realize how much we had to wait for you? There were so many tasks that had to be shifted only because you decided to go on a long leave. You didn''t even assign anyone else to take the decision."


    More and more people joined.


    "That is right. We have suffered because of your issues."


    "You must resign and make someone else the Head."


    "We will vote on who would be the next Council Head. This cannot go on."


    "We are in favor of Niiya''s removal."


    "I would like to propose my name for the position."


    Niiya was angered by now. His face became red and his muscles tensed. He didn''t anticipate this kind of rebellion.


    Adrianna was quiet. The people she had met with were opposing Niiya but people whom she hadn''t met were also opposing him. Overall, none of them were happy with him and they really wanted him to step down. She looked at Dmitri who had folded his hands across his chest and appeared pretty satisfied with the way things were going on.


    After some time, Niiya stood up and with both fists, thumped the table. "Shut up! All of you!" The members became quiet amongst murmurs. He looked around at every member. "Maintain the decorum of the place. If you won''t I will be forced to expel you."


    The members became absolutely quiet.


    "Where is the King of Serpents?" asked Niiya.


    Adrianna''s heart raced. She was dreading this moment, this question.


    "I saw him enter the Northern Mountains two days back," the birds'' representative said. "I was flying to reach the Council headquarters when I saw him along with another one from his realm. They were slithering in their serpent form on one of the slopes. It was hard to miss their black and green bodies on the pristine snow."


    Adrianna''s body froze. Dmitri held her hand and caressed her mentally. "Look normal," he said.


    Niiya frowned. "That is strange." He called a staff member and whispered something to him. Then he turned to the audience and said, "I have asked him to find the King." The way he spoke, he sounded very suspicious. "In the meanwhile let us continue."


    "Should I reveal everything?" Adrianna asked with fear.


    "No, just keep silent," Dmitri chided her.


    The two of them looked at the Fae couple on the opposite side. ��ine stared at her and slowly moved her finger to her lips motioning her to not say a word.


    Adrianna gulped and looked down in her lap.


    Dmitri listened to Niiya for some time and then interrupted him. "I would like to present my opinion."


    Niiya clenched his jaws. He knew what Dmitri was about to say. He hoped that someone else spoke and he would get him or her a chance but all members only became silent. They wanted to listen to him. "Sure," he replied, narrowing his eyes.


    Dmitri turned his gaze around at every person. "There is a lot of dissent amongst us and so we should have a vote on whether we want to continue with Niiya or not."


    The members thumped the table in agreement.


    Dmitri continued, "If the vote goes in his favor, we will let him continue. However, if it doesn''t, we will elect a new Head."


    "Yes, we should vote," all agreed.


    What happened next was something they never expected.

 Chapter 541 - The Council Head (8)

    Every member on the table agreed to his proposition. "Yes, we should vote," all agreed.


    Niiya looked clearly upset but he didn''t have a choice. "Okay," he replied.


    On his cue the staff members of the Council distributed small leaflets of paper around the table. "You are supposed to write a cross or tick with the tip of your fingers," they instructed. "The ''Yes'' is in favor."


    A stroke became red or green according to what the member traced on the paper.


    When the voting was done and the staff collected the papers and magically the entire ''Yes'' and ''Nays'' piled in two neat columns. The ''Nays'' stack was four times higher than that of ''Yes''.


    This was not the first time such a situation arose in the Council, but it was an unpleasant one. Niiya expected it. To say that he was devastated was incorrect. His hopes dashed against the cold attitude of the members, of Adrianna who was his friend and those who were at one time in his favor. He was very impatient while the voting was going on but as soon as the results were out, he was embarrassed and humiliated. Only one-fourth of the members voted in his favor. Even though on the inside he was disappointed, on the outside he controlled his emotions and said with his head held high, "I accept the Council''s decision. Let us move forward and vote for the next Head."


    He hated Dmitri. He hated him a lot. He didn''t comprehend his emotions for Adrianna. She was sitting quietly over there, subject to her husband''s decisions. He took in a deep breath.


    What happened next surprised the people.


    Before the next round of voting began, the Elf rose from his chair and said in a very authoritative voice, "I would like to stand up as a candidate for the honorable position of the Head of the Council."


    A murmur started amongst the people around the table. This was unexpected. However, elves had been previous Heads of the Council too, so it wasn''t new that he stood as a candidate. His aura was commanding and they feared him. He looked like a natural born leader. They knew that the elves had been asked to become the Heads for a long time but they haven''t accepted the position only to favor the Humans.


    Adrianna''s fear returned. She held her head in her hands. If the elf were chosen, he would never help them because of Haldir.


    Dmitri furrowed his eyebrows but there was little he could do. He knew where elf''s urge for candidacy stemmed from and he was a formidable opponent. His only solace at the moment was that at least there was no other contestant. His thoughts were the same as his wife.


    "What do we do?" she asked mentally.


    "There is nothing we can do. Just watch," he replied coldly.


    The elf looked at the two of them for a second before sitting.


    Dmitri got up from his chair and announced his candidacy, "I would also like to stand for the position of the Head Council." Before he sat, he gave a confident smile to the elf.


    The next round of voting started. The members were once again given tiny leaflets of paper, on which they had to write W or E �C Werewolf or Elf.


    As the hall fell silent, Adrianna became mentally apprehensive about the results. She started twisting her wedding ring in her finger.


    "Relax," Dmitri said in a gentle voice. "There is little we can do."


    Adrianna touched her face and then glanced at the doorway. She had already cast her vote. Soon every member had cast his or her vote. All the leaflets rose together in the air and glided to the middle of the table. Over there they stacked in neat piles of two columns. People watched their votes flying. Since there were many papers, it was hard to keep a track as to who voted for whom. This process made sure that secrecy was maintained about the choices.


    The W pile began to rise. It rose and rose while the collection of E stopped soon.


    When all the leaves settled, the results were evident and Dmitri jumped with excitement! "Yes!" he whooped. Adrianna''s complexion became ruddy. She had been so anxious a while back. She got up and was literally bounced on tiptoes. There was lightness in her chest. She enjoyed the energy that she could feel from other members.


    Everyone congratulated Dmitri. It was a huge moment for him. Dmitri hugged his wife and stayed in that position for a long time before turning to the members and accepting their messages. He could now imagine a safe future for his son. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the elf had got up and was going out. His face was still stone cold.


    The people came to Dmitri one by one and congratulated him. The Fae couple was amongst the first ones to do that.


    The staff asked everyone to sit back in their chair. This was an important moment and the formalities had to take place. At the Council''s Head, Dmitri had to take every vow that came with it and that process could take an entire day. Dmitri was more than ready.


    As for Niiya, he had to live with those vows for the rest of his life.


    Every person seated back. There was fervor amongst them.


    Adrianna smiled. Her plan to meet some of these before the meeting worked beautifully. There was a lot to be done. After Dmitri''s vows, he had to make amendments and create positions. While she was thinking about it, suddenly the meeting was interrupted. A messenger walked in and announced, "It is suspected that the King of Serpents was killed." He was looking extremely nervous.


    Once again silence consumed the room as each person stared at the messenger.


    "What?" Niiya said loudly. "How can that be possible?" His gaze darted to Adrianna whose face was pallid.


    Adrianna clenched her jaw. Her fists became tight as anxiousness again rose in the chest. Dmitri held her hand and squeezed it. He was also very nervous. He had just been declared as the Council''s Head. If they came to know that it was Adrianna who had killed them, they would be expelled.


    Niiya narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted to Dmitri and then back to Adrianna. They were both sitting straight with their back stiff as ramrods. He scoffed. "Isn''t that interesting? Just before the voting begins, an important member of the Council is killed."


    "This should be investigated," the representation of the dark world, said.


    "What else did you find?" asked Niiya to the messenger, not shifting his eyes from the royal couple.


    "We found remains of a woman buried under the debris, and half-burnt skins of serpents hanging inside of a small cave," the messenger replied. He was panting and his eyes showed fear.


    A murmur erupted. "Who was that woman?"


    "We believe that the woman was a witch because we also found a broken cauldron. The cave smelled of putrid meat. When we cleared the debris we found bones and burnt flesh."


    Adrianna closed her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. She did it all in self-defense. She had to tell them the truth.


    The messenger said, "We have come to the conclusion that the witch killed the King of Serpents. She had somehow found her way inside the Northern Mountains."


    Dmitri held Adrianna''s hand and stopped her from getting up. This explanation was superb. He laughed internally and Adrianna could listen to him. She sat back, as guilt gnawed her. She bit her lip.


    Niiya stared at the messenger with a gaped mouth.

 Chapter 542 - The Council Head (9)

    He got up from his place and shouted. "What do you mean that a witch has killed the King of Serpents? How is that even possible? And how did she gain entry in the Northern Mountains?" Niiya asked. He looked at Adrianna and then continued, "Was it that someone gave her access?"


    Adrianna didn''t move. She didn''t return his stare. At this point, her stomach roiled inside. With the way Niiya was pressurizing the members for an investigation, it wasn''t going to end well.


    All eyes were on Adrianna now. This was sensational information. She had to answer it. There were two options: either she told the truth or she gave a vague answer. If the truth came out, it was highly likely that Dmitri would be asked to step down and she would be debarred from entering the Council forever.


    So Adrianna chose option two. She pushed her chair back and stood. Even though Dmitri berated her mentally she knew she had to answer. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have no idea how the witch gained access to the Northern Mountains. This is new to me because gaining entry into this place is not easy. I would like to question the guardians of the Northern Mountains about this severe lack in security on their part. This kind of lack in security poses risk to all the members of this Council. As you all know that there are four Wizard Kingdoms, I will have to make a thorough investigation on who this witch was and how did she murder the King of Serpents. Allow me some time. I will let you know in the next meeting."


    Her speech was so convincing that all of them agreed with her. They now blamed Niiya for the lack of security. Niiya simply glared at Adrianna. She had smartly gotten out of the situation.


    Amidst a unanimous consent, Adrianna sat down. Dmitri had a smile on his face. Now the entire focus was back on Niiya.


    The birds'' representative said, "In my opinion let us first continue with the ceremony of appointing the Head of the Council. He can carry investigations later."


    Once again there was consensus. The members were asked to go to the next hall for dining and then they were supposed to come back to the same place.


    Dmitri was appointed as the Head of the Council in the ceremony, which mainly consisted of vows that he had to take and the blood bonds that had to be made mandatorily. It lasted the entire day. Dmitri was made to sit in a small room where each member came and created the bond. His left palm was soaked in blood and there were now lots of gashes on his forearm. He was extremely tired with so much blood flowing out. But the staff knew how to take care of it. They would make him drink potions in between, which healed him and made him ready for the next bond. Eventually the ceremony ended.


    Niiya left the meeting and went back to the Human Realm almost immediately after creating the bond.


    Members had started to leave one by one. In the end only Adrianna and Dmitri were left. The moon was out.


    ??Congratulations darling," Adrianna said with a victorious smile. She held his bruised hand and brushed it lightly with her fingers. A flurry of small sparks of white light covered it. They floated around the skin. It soothed him.


    "Let''s go back Adri."


    "Yes," she replied.


    Everything was on track. Nothing could go wrong now. With Dmitri as the Council''s Head, he would know about every activity that took place in all the realms unless it wasn''t under the shades. Ileus'' future was protected.


    That night, they came back and slept peacefully with their child.


    Adrianna knew that she had to talk to Niiya and explain to him the reason behind why she did all that. She hoped that he would understand.


    The next morning when she woke up, she found that Dmitri wasn''t there. She heard Ileus'' giggles from the outside. It was time to go back to her kingdom and rule in peace.


    She got ready and packed her things. When she went outside she saw that Dmitri and Ed were both playing with Ileus. She chuckled. "Grandfather, why don''t you come with us for a few days."


    Ed got up from there. He had a huge grin on his face. "Adri, I can''t tell you how happy I am for you. I am so proud of you. You managed so well all your life. You never went astray, which was my only fear." He held her hands and kissed them. "My little Adri has grown up nicely and my heart fills with pride. I think I can say that I raised you well. One day I will tell this to the world."


    Adrianna hugged her Grandfather, the only person who was close to her when her family mistreated her.


    Ed stroked her hair. "I would love to come but not now. There are few things that I have to take care of. In fact I have to go and meet Howard. Isidorus and I have a game of chess that needs to be completed. He cannot bear that he had lost the last time and so he has challenged me again."


    Adrianna smiled. "Are you happy here Grandfather?" she asked.


    "I am, my dear. I feel a purpose in my life over here," he replied.


    Adrianna looked up at him. "Okay," she nodded. "Isidorus is looking for a long holiday. Maybe he is going to join you soon."


    Ed laughed. "That old bastard."


    "I love you Grandfather," she said with affection.


    "I love you too, Adri," he replied with a smile on his wrinkly face.


    Dmitri and Ileus were waiting outside along with Haldir when they came out. Adrianna had to talk to Haldir also about his final decision. She bade goodbye to Ed and Jun and they walked into the portal created by Haldir.


    They stepped right into the main hall of the palace. Dmitri took Ileus inside their bedroom. Adrianna was left there with Haldir.


    "What are your plans?" she asked. "Do you want to go back to your realm? Because the offer you received is great and I won''t stop you for my selfish reasons."


    Haldir said, "My Queen, my plans are just the usual. I will stay here as the Military General of your Wizard Kingdom till I die or as long as you will allow me. I do not wish to muddle up this situation I am in. I wish to get married to Inyanga by the end of this year and I hope you would give me a week''s vacation after my marriage."


    Adrianna was stunned. At first her mouth fell. She looked at him without blinking and then she said, "Haldir I am honored to have you as my Military General."


    Haldir bowed. When he looked up he asked, "What about my vacation after marriage?"


    She roared with laughter and said, "Granted."


    A rare smile appeared on his face. "Thank you My Queen."


    "What about your family and the Third Prince with whom your lover is now married to?" she asked.


    Haldir shrugged. "My family is going to be sad but they will understand my decision. As for the Third Prince, who is bothered? I don''t even think of my lover and I have no reasons to stay near her. In fact the further, the better. I don''t want her to target Inyanga in any way."

 Chapter 543 - Decision About Ileus

    Adrianna was extremely relieved to hear about Haldir''s decision. She smiled. "In that case, you can live here as long as you want to. I will be honored to stand with you and fight all the wars against my Wizard Kingdom. If you wish any other special demand, let me know, and I shall grant it," she said with confidence and pride in her eyes. She knew that Haldir was one person who would never betray her trust.


    Haldir bowed. "Thank you my Queen." He had accepted her as his queen a long time back. Her child had attracted his attention and special place in his heart even when he wasn''t born. Even if the blood bond were broken, he wouldn''t have left the child. Haldir had an inkling that Ileus was much more than the eye met. And he wanted to see him grow, wanted to see his magic unfold. At the same time he was scared that Ileus would be a power beyond anyone''s control. His energy had to be channelized and he also hoped that Adrianna would give him a chance to tutor her baby. It was important.


    Adrianna got up and left. When she reached her bedroom, she found Dmitri and Ileus on the bed. Dmitri was sleeping and Ileus was looking at his hand that still had scars on it. His entire forearm was covered in scars. She went near them. Ileus looked up at her and then went back to his Dada. With his tiny finger, he traced a scar and to Adrianna''s shock, the scar disappeared. It was as if it wasn''t only there. Her mouth fell to the ground. How could this be possible? She noticed that Ileus traced another scar with his finger and just like that even it smoothed out like a crease on a cloth smoothens after ironing it. She was standstill in her place. Her mind stopped working. She had never seen anyone like that. Where was this magic coming from? Was Ileus a healer too?


    After tracing about four lines, the little child felt drowsy and he slumped right next to his Dada.


    Adrianna hurried and held him in her arms. "Ileus!" she said aloud, scared as to what happened to him. But the child slept. Was he using his internal manna to heal his father? Goose bumps lined her skin. The child was too small to even understand what he did. He was doing it naturally.


    She opened her blouse to feed him and like the baby he was, he immediately cupped her breasts and sucked milk. When he was well fed, she placed him near Dmitri and lied beside him. She caressed his hair until she fell asleep.


    She told Dmitri what she saw when they woke up. Dmitri was also stunned to see the visible changes. "Adri, don''t say anything about Ileus'' power. He is using his inner energy to heal me."


    "I know," said Adrianna with a worried expression. "But Dmitri we need to protect him. If someone comes to know, our child is in grave danger. What do we do?"


    Dmitri took in a deep breath. "I don''t know," he communicated mentally. He got up from bed and went to get dressed. He had a lot of things to attend to in the Werewolf Realm.


    In the next few days, Ileus would trace four to five scars of his father and heal him. Even though Dmitri never wanted this because he was scared that Ileus'' health would be affected but the little baby never listened. He stopped only when all the scars were gone and his hand was like before. His Dada was fine.


    In the next year, things smoothed out in Wizard Kingdom. There were zero threats from the outside. The subjects lived with peace. The proposition of the witches and wizards to go out and mingle with the humans was downright discarded.


    Adrianna had talked to Niiya and explained him everything. He continued to be on the Council, although his relationship with her wasn''t the same as before. He focused on his business.


    In the Council, new positions were created and more people were brought into the Managerial positions so that the job could be distributed nicely. Every Managerial post was known as ''Siit Amet''. Each Siit Amet had several realms under their purview and all of them reported to the Head. This way one person wasn''t burdened entirely and at the same time people from other realms were happy that they were included in the mainstream. The new change did bring in some resistance, especially from the elves, but it was overall welcomed. Niiya had refused the Siit Amet position.


    Dmitri had a close watch on all the realms. He came to one conclusion. Even though everything seemed calm, there were instances of revolt. It was impossible to have complete peace in all realms. He made up his mind about Ileus.


    When Ileus was two years old, Dmitri had a very serious conversation with Adrianna.


    "Adri, I am getting very worried about Ileus. His powers are growing with each new day. Soon it would be difficult for us to maintain our secret. I have decided that as soon as he starts school, we are going to send him to different realms and keep his identity secret every time."


    "What?" Adrianna shouted. "No! I will not part with my son." She had stomped out of the room after hearing Dmitri''s preposterous thoughts.


    She was so angry that she didn''t talk to him for the next few days. When things eased out, Dmitri took her to his safe haven along with Ileus. For two days and nights, they were there. He tried to convince her and gave her the plan. "If we don''t do this, Ileus is going to be a target of everything vicious in this world. Don''t you remember how that spirit came from the Land of Gaira? I have the news that someone has disturbed those lands again, someone is trying their best to get inside those lands. In fact I have the news that one of the dissent Faes had tried to bring them in their home. Do you want them to come after Ileus too?"


    Adrianna''s mind became numb at the information. She looked at Ileus who was playing with Seashell, who had become his pet. Seashell looked at Adrianna and said, "He is right. We have to protect Ileus. I will accompany him wherever he goes."


    Adrianna pressed her hand to her mouth. "So where will you send him first?"


    "To the Human Realm," Dmitri answered. Dmitri held her hand, which was trembling. If this were to happen, when will she even see her child again? This plan was not correct.


    "How are we going to live without him?" she asked in a hoarse voice.


    "Also we can''t send him to so many realms that don''t have good relations with us. He would stand out and be easily spotted," she argued.


    He said, "I agree. Hence I have chosen only seven realms where he would go. And if he likes any world, he can stay there longer. Isidorus will accompany him everywhere and so will Howard, Fleur and Liam."


    Suddenly the lion roared and before he knew, it was purring like a cat as it had turned into one. Ileus rolled on the floor with laughter.


    "See that?" Dmitri said. "Can you fathom his magical powers?"


    It was true that Ileus was unable to control his powers. He had already turned the entire Western garden of the royal palace into an upside down world.


    Reluctantly Adrianna had to agree. She threw her condition. "I will meet my son every evening."


    "Oh! That goes without saying," said Dmitri. He was planning on doing that.


    They came back to the palace. It was decided that Ileus would leave the royal palace at the age of five.


    A year later, Haldir and Inyanga got married.


    Fleur and Liam adopted Darla.


    When Ileus was five years, it was time for him to leave.

 Chapter 544 - A New Era Was About To Begin

    Although the servants were standing at Ileus'' disposal to pack his things, Adrianna did it herself. She could have wielded magic and it wouldn''t have taken much time for her to pack her son''s belongings, but she was choosing everything one by one. She didn''t want him to leave anything behind.


    Ileus was sitting on his bed and watching his mother packing. Seashell was sitting by his side. He stroked Seashell''s mane and said, "Mom, would you come to see me every evening?"


    Adrianna was already tearful. She hated the day she agreed to Dmitri''s decision. Her throat choked. "Yes darling, I will try my best," she said and folded a shirt. She placed it nicely in his suitcase and walked to him. Embracing him tightly, she said, "I will be there every evening to check your progress. So be a nice boy. Don''t allow your magic to flow unnecessarily. Practice it nicely. Don''t use it unless required and never, never, NEVER use your time traveling gift. That is one thing that needs a lot of experience and training."


    Five year old Ileus listened to his mother attentively. "Okay," he said as he pressed his face in his mother''s tummy, which was now bulging a little. Suddenly he heard the baby inside. It kicked. "Mommy, I think the baby kicked."


    Adrianna chuckled through her tears. She was four months pregnant and she couldn''t feel the kicks of the baby but Ileus was too enthusiastic about it. According to him, the baby would tumble and kick and even talk to him. Although she had decided that she wouldn''t have another baby, Dmitri insisted. At first she was wary, but seeing Ileus'' enthusiasm about having a small sibling encouraged her. When they first announced him about his sibling, he had stared at her. He didn''t speak and word for the rest of the day and had closed himself in his room with Seashell. Finally when he came out, he just said, "Mommy, this is unfair. I want the baby. Put her in my tummy. I want to play with her." He had cried a lot and both the parents had no explanation as to why couldn''t the baby be transferred to his tummy. "And that could be a baby boy," Adrianna had chuckled. Ileus shook his head. "I want a sister." It took a few days to console him.


    Pinching his rosy cheeks, Adrianna replied, "Silly, the babies don''t kick so soon."


    Dmitri came inside the room. He saw the two of them talking to each other and shook his head. "Adri, we need to leave early. Meeting with the school''s principal will begin at 10AM. It is already 8. If you have packed everything, we should get going."


    The first realm that Ileus had to go was that of Humans. He was being sent to an elite boarding school in Switzerland.


    Even though Howard, Isidorus, Fleur, Liam and Darla were going with him, the White Witch, Enya had declared that she would be his local guardian. Adrianna and Dmitri were overwhelmed.


    None of them were allowed to visit Ileus during the weekdays but it was more for his protection. Adrianna had instructed Isidorus to stop Ileus at every time he would misuse his magic. He was too young to understand control.


    Adrianna sighed. "Okay," she said and then waved her hand in the air. All the clothes that she had chosen flew around, folded themselves and got packed.


    They took Ileus out of the royal palace where everyone was waiting with their things packed.


    "Ileus!" Darla squealed and ran to him. She held his hand and blinked with both her eyes, which was the closest to a wink she could form. "I am bringing one full packet of candies for us. We can eat them any time," she whispered.


    Ileus'' eyes'' shone. "Okay!" he said. "Don''t tell anyone."


    "No!" she almost shrieked.


    The werewolves around them shook their heads.


    Haldir was standing with the group. He smiled at Ileus and created a portal using the coordinates he was given. They stepped in it. Seashell also entered but when he stepped out, he was a cat. Ileus picked him up and said softly, "I will smuggle you inside the school. Stay there with me in my room."


    The golden yellow cat, Seashell purred, looking into his Master''s golden yellow eyes.


    Weather was beautiful in Salzburg. Soft breeze was flowing. It was so quiet and balmy. As soon as the wizards stepped out, they disappeared. Adrianna, Dmitri, Liam, Fleur, Darla and Ileus walked to the school, which was only five minutes away from their location.


    Ileus left the cat on the ground. He scurried inside the school.


    The meeting with the Principal went well. Ileus and Darla were asked to join the school immediately. They were sent to their first class. Adrianna and Fleur accompanied the kids there. It was a new world for both of them. It was a new adventure for Ileus. His eyes were wide when he saw so many children of his age. On the other hand, Darla was ecstatic. She left his hand and rushed to meet them.


    "Go Ileus," Adrianna coaxed.


    "Leave him there," the teacher said with a smile. She came and held his hand. "Come Ileus," she said, "The whole world awaits you and your potential. This is where you start."


    Ileus looked up at her and the teacher thought she would never be able to leave this child.


    Adrianna and Fleur left the kids with heavy hearts. While returning, Adrianna was in tears. She didn''t know how to express herself.


    Dmitri and Liam had already talked to the Principal. An hour later, after completing the formalities, they saw a group of children coming out in the garden. Ileus and Darla were there. Ileus turned to look at his parents. He stopped and waved them goodbye and then ran to join his group.


    Dmitri caught Adrianna''s hand and squeezed it. He will be fine, he communicated with her mentally. They went to the cottage that was bought for the group to stay. Surprisingly Enya was also there. Adrianna hugged her warmly. Seeing her in tears, Enya said, "Don''t worry." She caressed her tummy. "Wish you all the best for your second baby."


    "Thanks," Adrianna smiled.


    Dmitri came next to her and wrapped his arms around Adrianna''s shoulders. He kissed her head and then looked at Enya. "Thanks Enya. I am sure Ileus would love to have you as his local guardian."


    "My pleasure," she nodded. "Ask all here to get a valid passport and visas if they want to reveal their faces. This is the Human World and we have to live by their norms."


    There was a sigh from the back. Isidorus didn''t like the idea. He was already playing chess with Howard.


    They were assured that their son would remain protected as long as no one knew where he was.


    Adrianna and Dmitri left soon after. They had pressing matters in their Kingdoms.


    A new era was about to begin.


    ---


    "Dear Readers,


    Thank you so much for completing this journey with me. Your comments and reviews made it possible for me to come this far. I am a little nostalgic ending it but I was exhausted. I am sure you will understand it.


    I am writing a new novel, The Silver Crescent Prince and I hope you all are reading it. Support it with your love.


    My other novel, The Blue Butterflies �C I am still rewriting it and making changes. I hope to update it soon. Sequel of this novel will soon follow.


    See you on the other side. If you have any questions, you can always join me on Instagram, Facebook or Discord.


    Much love,


    MishaK