The Rise of the Wereheretic

CHAPTER 4.1

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

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

“Don’t worry,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

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

His eyebrows furrowed, “You sound surprised….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Y..Yes…”

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

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

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

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