Chapter 3
1908 Words
Sophia
“Sophia, you have to wake up.”
Who is that?
An unfamiliar voice found its way to my ears. As badly as I wanted to respond, I couldn’t. All I heard was the sound of someone humming, and all I could smell was a campfire.
What had happened?
That’s right. A Lycan attacked us.
Eli was dead. All of them were dead.
“While you rest, let me tell you a story.” The female voice from before spoke.
“This is a story about a supernatural king from a land far away, a kingdom called Acrasia. He was known to be cruel and cold—with the most handsome looks. He lived a lavish life and had all the money and maidens one could’ve ever wished for.”
Come on, Sophia.
Open your eyes!
It seemed like a hopeless case as I squeezed them shut even more.
“Still, the power he wielded was merely not enough for him, and after hearing there were creatures named Lycans or the chosen ones in neighboring kingdoms, he desired more.” The woman continued. “He pleaded with the Moon Goddess to grant him strength, but she could see through his ruthless heart and refused.”
“One day, a witch approached him and told him the secret to the power of the Lycan.” I felt like shivering at that word. “A single rose kept hidden in the Moon Goddess’ garden. That rose was the last key to the moon goddess, her strength.”
I had to wake up.
“The witch and the Lycan made a deal. A few petals would go to him, while the remaining petals would go to the witch.”
“The king stole the rose from the garden and transformed himself into a Lycan, becoming the most powerful creature alive.” I had no choice but to listen to the story. “He didn’t hold the end of his bargain and gave the remaining petals to his closest allies in the castle.”
“The Moon Goddess found out he had stolen from her garden, and the witch was furious.”
Hopeless, I made another attempt to open my eyes, and a soft groan left my mouth.
“As the Moon Goddess grew weaker, she had put a curse on the immortal Lycan. She had given him 124 years to heal his selfish heart and find his true love mate, and if he didn’t succeed by that time, she would wipe away his kingdom and all of its memories—leaving him to wander the earth by himself in his shifted form.”
Come on.
“The witch who had gone into hiding couldn’t accept the weak punishment and scratched the handsome king’s face. That way, no one could ever love him.”
“The king had brought maiden after maiden to the palace, looking for true love—but even with his mask covering those hideous scars on his face, no one dared to get involved with him.” The woman continued. “Meanwhile, the Moon Goddess struggled without her full strength and realized some things were beyond her control. She needed someone on land to keep an eye out for her—someone even stronger than a Lycan, someone she could trust.”
“100 years later, she had used her last bit of strength and blessed a humble dragon lord she trusted and his interfile wife with a child—the Vespera, and only she was granted the power to control a Lycan and to decide over their lives.”
Just open your eyes, Sophia.
I felt my heart beat out of my chest.
“Six years had passed.” The story continued.“When rumors spread about a wonder child with enough strength to control all of them, residing in a village, and the other supernaturals found out about her existence, they were livid and vouched to end her life.”
Why couldn’t I open my eyes?
“Witches, Fairies, Elves, Vampires, Lycans, werewolves—and so on. All had united to take down the girl.”
“Only the Dragons, who obeyed their lord—stood behind her.” It seemed like the story was finally reaching its end. “When all the Dragons were wiped out, the Dragon Lord instructed his young daughter to create a portal, not knowing where it would lead.”
At last my strength had slowly but surely returned to me.
I gasped for air as I took a small breath, and slowly opened my eyes.
“Her name—“
“Sophia!” I sat up straight with my eyes wide open. “Ma’am, my name is Sophia, and I need your help!”
Taking in my surroundings, I could tell we were in the middle of the woods, in a tent that. It belonged to a witch, there was no doubt about that.
Turning my head, I met eyes with a gorgeous woman who carried a warm smile.
Her long red hair fell over her shoulders, and the cap over her head brought extra attention to her emerald green eyes and red lips.
“Oh, dear child.” She sighed, using her hand to brush through my hair. “You’re finally awake.”
“Where am I, and who are you?”
“My name is Magdalene—Maggie for short.” The mysterious witch introduced herself. “You’re the one who has called upon us.”
“What?”
“You have summoned the witches.”
“No, I didn’t.” I scooted backward, remembering the strange events from earlier. My hands were glowing, and I had no idea how. “I don’t have any power like that. I’m just a werewolf. I don’t even have my wolf yet.”
Magdalene chuckled, slightly lowering her head. “So she really doesn’t know.” She whispered.
“What?”
Her head shot up, and she forced her hands into mine. “You’re more than you think, Sophia!” Her eyes were full of hope.
“How do you know my name?” It was the most stupid question to ask a witch. “M-My pack, m-my mate h-he’s—“
A hand rubbed my back. “I know, sweet child.”
“There was a Lycan and…and…”
Oh, heavenly goddess, my mate was shredded into pieces.
Loud sobs left my mouth, and tears rolled down my face. That look he gave me in his final moments, I would never forget that.
Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around Maggie and cried in her shoulder. “He’s dead!”
“I know, Sophia.” The woman patted my back.“Lycan Castiel has been causing a lot of trouble for centuries.”
“Castiel…is that his name?” I pulled away, wiping my tears. Now was not the time to cry. “You’re a witch—you can fix my Alpha!”
Witches were powerful, and there was nothing they couldn’t do. Those creatures had the power to fix an ant if they wanted to.
To my dismay, Maggie shattered my last bit of hope. “I, unfortunately, cannot do that.” She whispered.
No…
“Although there is one way.” Maggie pulled me closer. “Legend has it that if you kill the Lycan who has killed your loved ones—time can be restored, and everything will go back to normal.”
“H-how?” My eyes grew big. “I thought it was nearly impossible to kill a Lycan.”
“Not completely…there is one way.”
“What is it? Please tell me—I’ll do anything!” If there was a way to bring back Eli, bet I would use every last bone in my body to make sure of it.
“You’ll do anything?” Maggie tilted her head. She looked at me as if I was insane, and maybe I was. I didn’t need to know the conditions. I simply had to know what to do.
“Yes, anything!”
“Will you be able to keep your promise?” Maggie asked. “Are you that desperate?”
Determined, I focused on her green eyes and nodded. “Yes. I’ll do anything!”
Maggie rolled back her shoulders as she took a breath. “Somewhere hidden deep within the palace walls, there is a book with instructions leading to the forbidden dagger.”
Palace?
“So what? You expect me to walk into Buckingham Palace just like that?” I snorted in disbelief, surprised something like that could make me laugh after everything I had just went through.
“Not that palace, Sophia.” Maggie slightly rolled her eyes, not losing her smile. “Are you willing to travel back in time?”
“How far are we talking?”
“Hmm.” Maggie squinted her eyes, most likely thinking of a way to bring me the bad news. “Many years, about more than hundred years after Castiel became a Lycan.”
“What year?”
“Some time in the 17th century?”
“I’ll do it!” I didn’t care if I had to travel to the day the moon goddess announced her existence. For Eli, I would do it.
“Maggie, wouldn’t it be smart to send me back before that, when he was still a werewolf?”
Maggie grinned, twirling her hair. “I’m afraid those are not the rules.” She told me. “I can only send you back and bring you back once—and I do not want to take any chances.”
“Right.” I agreed, not asking further. She was a witch, and I would not question her. I found it strange that she hadn’t told me her request or that a stranger would be that willing to help me—but I quickly dismissed that thought. “Where do I find Castiel?”
“You’ll find him…” Maggie tapped her chin with her finger. “Someplace?” She winked. “Fate will lead you to him.”
“What about the book inside the palace?”
“Fate will lead you to it.”
“How long will I have?”
“One year, and no longer than that.” She had made it clear. “If you do not return within one year, I’m afraid I can’t help you find your way back. You’ll have to stay there…forever.”
Despite her beautiful, long, fairytale story—Maggie was not a woman of many words.
“And you’re telling me all I have to do is kill him with the dagger and come back within a year?” I swallowed. “By doing that, I can bring back the love of my life and my pack?”
“Yes.” The witch pursed her lips, shrugging her shoulders. “Once you complete your task, I’ll bring you back.” She clapped her hands. “You just have to trust me.”
Trust a stranger?
Without Eli, I was nothing, so be it.
“When will I leave?” There wasn’t any time to waste. The faster I could travel back in time, the faster I could kill the Lycan and bring back Eli.
A sound of laughter came from Maggie’s mouth as she threw back her head and twirled her finger. “Now!”
- Writer
