Blood Secrets

Torn

Joana was skeptical about the plan but she couldn't do anything other than follow what Aedion tells them to do. She had the right to question is choices, of course but this time, she chose not to. The wolves in the pack are indeed growing restless. Ilang taon silang payapang namumuhay sa kabundukan. Ito ang unang pagkakataon na nagambala sila dahil sa problemang wala naman silang dapat kinalaman. The situation of the young wolves added fuel to the fire. Alam niyang galit ang mga lobo sa nangyari. Alam niyang naghihintay lang ito ng salita ni Aedion. She knows these wolves. They may be calm and had been calm for so many years but wolves are vicious. Especially when provoked. Her guess is that it will only be a matter of time before someone from the pack rallies the others to attack. Hopefully, Aedion can do something before it happens.

Hindi naman sa wala siyang tiwala kay Aedion. Hell, she would trust him her life. She witnessed the fear in his eyes that time Lorcan's hand was wrapped around her heart. That's when she knew Aedion would do anything to protect her. To protect the pack.

She'd like to think more about it. About how caring and thoughtful Aedion is towards her. However, she knew better. She knew that Aedion would do the same if another person was in her shoes that time. He's the Alpha. He cares for the pack equally. She has been trying to shove those kinds of thoughts away but it's been hard especially when he's always in her thoughts almost every day. Seeing him every day did not helo. Every day adds another reason for her to admire him more.

Of course, Aedion doesn't know about it. About she feels towards him. She was about to tell him about it after the full moon. Then everything happened and she never got the chance. Not now.

She's furious. Furious how the wolves got involved with the vampire problem. Julian Cestmont was an ambitious man who doesn't know his limitations. He was no match for the hybrid and the Sylvaines for that matter. He was not a formidable enemy. The witches are.

The night Julian was cornered, she wished she was there. She would have delighted in seeing him suffer. In fact, death was too easy a punishment for what he did. If it were up to her, she would have taken her time making him suffer. Then again, that would probably be the most dangerous thing to do considering that Julian had done the spell to make him stronger than a hybrid.

But he was weak. The witches know it. They made Julian believe that they were on his side but Julian was just a means to an end. The real enemy of the Sylvaines as of the moment are the witches.

The rogue witch Isabela is going to meet with Aedion somewhere. Habang sila ng mga kasama niya ay papunta sa kung nasaan si Esmeralda. Isabela had grown stronger and managed to sneak a note into their camp despite the barriers Esmeralda had placed. She's tasked by Aedion to find out exactly how it happened.

"I dont have a good feeling about this, Jo," saad ni Tanner sa tabi niya.

"Everything we have done so far since we got involved in this mess doesn't feel good," sagot naman niya.

The quiet streets of the city was calming. Noong mga nakaraang araw lang ay napakaraming tao ang narito sa kalsada dahil sa selebrasyon. She prefers the quiet street more. Maybe because shes used to the quiet in the mountains.

Esme's shop is a few blocks away from the main street. Nakita naman nila agad ang hinahanap nila and yet the shop was closed. Nagkatinginan sila.

"Does anyone of you have a means of contacting Esme? I don't think she's here," saad ni Henry.

"What do you need from Esme?" said a voice behind them. Agad naman nilsng hinarap kung sino iyon at nakita nila ang isang babae. Sa pagkakaalala niya, Leila ang pangalan nito.

"Leila, where is she?" tanong niya. The woman's dark eyes pinned her on the spot. Witches do have that effect on other supernatural beings. They balance the supernatural world, after all.

"She's on the run. We are on the run."

Kumunot naman ang noo niya. And before she could ask her, Henry did it for her.

"I dont see you running," he said. Tumingin naman si Leila kay Henry at alam niyang ganoon din ang epekto ni Leila sa lalaki.

"I came here because she told me you'd be looking for her. So I will ask you again, what do you need from her?"

Nagkatinginan naman silang apat hanggang sa siya na ang nagsalita.

"Why are you on the run?" It wasn't supposed to be the question she should be asking but something doesn't feel right.

Nakita naman niya angtakot at lungkot sa mga mata ni Leila bago pa man ito magsalita kaya naman alam niyang hindi magiging maganda ang sasabihin nito.

"Esmeralda is no longer the coven leader," she started. "The ancestors...the ancestors stripped Esmeralda of the title and they made Isabela the new one."

She gasped. Bad news indeed. She doesn't know much about how covens work because it is not their pack's nature to care about other's business but she knew at least that when witch ancestors get involved, it is either very good or very bad. Nothing in between.

"How do your ancestors decide that, anyway? Arent they...dead?" Phil asked.

"They are dead but we are witches. We balance this supernatural world. That means we have perks such as having access to the other side and being able to communicate with our dead ancestors. They help us restore nature's balance. They lend us their power."

"That's scary." Phil bristled.

"The other side has all the supernatural beings who are dead. Our dead ancestors manage the other side too. And it is in chaos."

"What do you mean it's in chaos?" Henry said.

"The other supernatural beings there—wolves, in particular, are rallying. The wolves on the other side have seen what the witches did to your pack. They are furious. They blamed our ancestors for it. The vampires couldn't care less."

"Our ancestors told them that the wolves in your pack will be cured. They made Isabela the coven leader and she's now negotiating with your Alpha. They wanted the Sylvaines dead. The wolves on the other side want the same. But the vampires on the other side don't want it to happen."

"So the other side is basically a chaos of dead supernaturals," Phil said snd the way he said it sounded so simple.

"Why would the vampires want the Sylvaines alive? Aren't they mad at him?" Henry asked.

"It's true that the Sylvaines sent a lot of vampires to the other side. But if you kill Lorcan Sylvaine, it would need a powerful spell. The spell used to make him a vampire but reversed."

"Wait, wait. To kill the Sylvaines they will have to make them not vampires?" Tanner is as confused as her.

"Sebastian and Eleanor are humans before they were vampires. Lorcan on the other hand was a wolf. If the other two die as humans, they will not exist in the supernatural purgatory. That would mean all the vampires they sired who are now on the other side are going to disappear. That's the reason why the vampires on the other side don't want the Sylvaines to get killed."

"Are you saying that Isabela is trying to undo the spell that made the Sylvaines vampires? Is that even possible?"

"Our ancestors are lending their strength to Isabela to do the spell. All he needs is a wolf's venom that would weaken the Sylvaines' vampire side. When they are weak enough, Isabela will perform the spell to remove their vampirism completely."

"A wolf's venom?"

"Isabela only needed your Alpha's venom and she might have gotten it already in exchange for her removing the curse on your young wolves."

Hearing it made her heart leap. The situation was in their favor. The wolves are fine, Aedion gives them some of his venom, and the witches and vampires are once again on their own, leaving the wolves alone. But somehow, she doesn't feel right. Something feels amiss.

Napatingin siya kay Leila. Thoughts run inside her head and before she could even figure it all out, a searing pain lanced through her body that made her kneel. Ganoon din ang nangyari sa mga kasamahan niya.

Napatingin siya sa gawi ni Leila at nakita niyang nakataas ang kamay nito. She was doing something to them. She knew somethibgs wrong. She wasnt just smary enough to figure it all out.

"Leila," she croaked but she choked on her scream as the pain got worse. It felt like she was being burned from the inside. Rinig din niya ang sigaw ng mga kasamahan niya.

She could see the sorry look on the witch's face as though she couldn't stand what she was doing to them. As though she didn't have any choice.

"I'm sorry," Leila said, her face was close to crying.

Then she heard footsteps coming closer. Doon niya nakita si Eleanor.

Umiiyak si Leila habang nakatingin sa bampira. Eleanor was looking at them.

"Good job, darling," Eleanor said and tapped Leila's shoulder. "Esmeralda would be proud."

Doon niya naintindihan ang sitwasyon. Eleanor needs something from them and used Leila to do what she wants. To make Leila do it, Eleanor must have taken Esmeralda as a hostage.

Naglalakad papalapit sa kanya si Eleanor ngunit kay Tanner pala ito papunta.

"You three are not necessary," she said.

"No, no." She knew what Eleanor is planning to do and she will not allow it to happen. Hindi maaari.

"Please," she croaked.

"Dont beg in front of this woman, Jo," hissed Tanner. Nakita niya ang ngiti sa labi ni Eleanor at alam niya ang ibig sabihin niyon.

She heard the snap of his neck before she could even say another word. Napapikit siya nang mariin at nakahinga nang maluwag. Napatingin naman si Eleanor sa kanya.

"They're lucky I like their faces," she said, "They'll wake up soon enough."

Alam niya iyon. To kill a wolf, its heart needs to be taken out. For a moment, she thought Eleanor would kill them.

Nanatili siyang hindi makagalaw dahil sa kung ano ang ginagawa ni Leila sa kanila. She then noticed Eleanor crouching down in front of her and tipping her head up.

"You'd make a wonderful hostage," sabi ng babae sa kanya and before she could even comprehend what she was trying to say, Eleanor snapped her neck.