Fire, smoke, red and ashy colours filled the sky. Men and women were bound in chains, while children ran around screaming in pain. A man wearing a mask stood over the crowd. He held an arrow in one hand, and a sword in the other.
"What is this?" Maria asked shakily.
Freye turned from the wall and faced her. "It’s another vision. It is revealing how Veilwood would look when the forger is done destroying it and other werewolf lands too."
"What!" Maria looked closer at the scene that looked real in front of her. "Trevor and his brother have a hand in doing all these?" She asked in disbelief.
"They helped in recruiting women for the forger in exchange for whatever he promised them, so yes, they do."
Maria gritted her teeth angrily at Freye’s confirmatory statement. She couldn’t believe that her mate, and the man who she had started to fall in love with would have a hand in such a disaster.
She hastened towards the door, ready to confront him this night to spill the truth concerning whatever he was doing with the forger.
"And one thing," Freye said, causing Maria to halt at the door. "I hope you become a great leader to your people of Veilwood."
Maria nodded her head, before she could respond, the image of Freye vanished into thin air. Only Aria, her glowing wolf, followed. Since Aria couldn’t enter into her body yet, she had to follow Maria and it was even better that Maria was the only one who could see her because she was a seer.
Maria paused at Trevor’s door and glanced at Aria for some advice.
"Is confronting him really the right step?"
"Let’s just do it. We need to know why he’s working with the evil forger."
Maria took a deep breath and opened the door to the room. She flung it open loudly and Trevor stirred in the bed as a result of the slamming.
"Maria, what happened?" Trevor asked as he sat upright on the bed. The candle light still illuminated the dim room such that they were able to view each other’s faces. Trevor could see that Maria wore an angry look, and her hands were folded across her chest.
"I’m from Veilwood." Maria said as she walked closer to Trevor. "I’m the future alpha of my pack and I also have the gift of seeing. Now, tell me Trevor, did you keep me in your castle just because you wanted to give me to the forger like you did with other innocent women from my pack?"
"The forger?" Trevor repeated unconsciously. His eyes became wider, and all the dizziness was cleared from it.
"How do you know about the forger?" He was already feeling extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t know the explanation that he was going to give to Maria.
"Are you kidnapping my people, yes or no?"
Trevor stood up from the bed and walked towards her. She took a step away from him and gave him a stern look, expecting an answer.
"Yes," he muttered defeatedly.
"I can’t believe this!" Maria exclaimed. "So, all this while, I was a pawn, you could have sold me out too if I didn’t find out."
"Maria, it’s not like that." He brought his hand to touch hers, but she jerked away. He swallowed hard and continued explaining. "I was working for my brother, Triton. He promised me something in exchange for recruiting the women. I don’t know what he and the forger are creating. I only know that if I do his bidding, he will help me."
"And what did he promise you in return?"
Trevor hesitated, he felt like the answer was too heavy to reveal. He took a deep breath and looked at her with weary eyes. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Nove1Fire.net
"He promised me life."
Maria looked at him with a raised brow, not quite understanding what he meant. Before she could ask further questions, he continued explaining.
"I’m not living past the next blood moon." Maria gasped at the revelation. He continued. "I’ve been cursed since I left my pack in Lycanthia. I was born as one of the rare Lycans in my packs. Someone framed me for a crime I didn’t commit and my father kicked me out of the pack. I don’t have much time Maria. That’s why I was overjoyed when I found my mate. At least I get to spend my last days with someone I love."
Maria’s eyes became moist as she grappled with the reality that her mate may be no more during the next blood moon.
"Triton promised me that if I keep helping him recruit gifted females from the pack, the forger would also help to lift my curse. I have no idea why he needs the women or what the forger is doing. The deal was meant to be complete once I captured eight women for him, but Triton just kept on making demands and he came back the last time, asking for more, but I told him I won’t."
He looked away from Maria, unable to face his mate after all the crimes he had committed. "I know I’m a selfish and wicked person, but please forgive me. I’d find a way to stop my brother and the forger."
Maria glanced at Aria who accompanied her and then back at Trevor. "Kidnapping my people doesn’t justify your actions. But why couldn’t your brother do it by himself?"
Trevor chuckled. "Triton would never do anything that would soil his hands, and the forger wouldn’t come into werewolf lands to capture the women by himself. I am a Lycan, and I have advantages that can help me capture women without being traced."
"What advantages?" Maria asked curiously.
"I’m faster than normal werewolves, and I can conceal my scent, so after I capture a woman, even the wolves with the sharpest sense of smell can’t sense me."
"Not even Alice? She told me she’s from Veilwood and she even perceived pheromones from you."
"Really? That’s nearly impossible. But there are no rogues from Veilwood. Veilwood hardly casts people away from the pack."
That was the same thing that Freye said, that Veilwood hardly cast people from their pack.
"Maybe we could talk to her tomorrow and know her real roots, and why she decided to come into the rogue fortress." Maria suggested.
Trevor nodded his head in agreement. The candle was already burning out and almost going dim.
Maria moved closer to Trevor and held his hand, then she placed his palm on her chest.
"Trevor, promise me that you’d fight to release my people from the forger, the same way you captured them."
"I would. If I could promise more than that, I’d do it. I’ve been feeling guilty for a long time, and if my death is the price I have to pay for my sins, then I’d do it."
Maria placed a finger on his lips, hushing him. "You’re not dying Trevor. We’d find a way out of this."
"You’re not angry at me?"
Maria let out a small laugh. "Anger never solves anything, instead it worsens problems. As a Luna of the rogue lands and the leader of my Veilwood pack, I have to think with my brain and not just my emotions. You have wronged my people, but getting angry at you won’t solve it."
Trevor smiled warmly and felt relieved that her first reaction wasn’t to kill him for what he did to her people. His eyes were filled with regret concerning every of his actions.
"I’m so happy you’re remembering about yourself." Trevor whispered to her. By now, the candlelight had already gone completely off, leaving the room in obscure darkness, except for the yellow glow from Aria that only Maria could see.
She smiled and leaned closer to him. "I don’t know why, but I feel like the women are still alive. The forger hasn’t killed them yet, I think he’s harnessing their power, but what are his plans?"
"That’s left for me to find out. Tomorrow, I’d lie to my brother that I want to help him capture more females, but on the condition that he would tell me what exactly the forger is using them for."
Maria nodded. It sounded like a good plan, although she still felt like Trevor may not be safe if they find out his true intentions.
She pressed her head on Trevor’s chest with her hand on his shoulders. He circled his hands around her waist.
"I don’t want to lose you Trevor. We’d find a way to break your curse." She whispered to him.
"I don’t want to lose you either." Trevor muttered.
In the darkness, she leaned her lips towards his and kissed him. He returned the kiss, their mouths tasting each other.
When their mouths separated, she pushed Trevor towards the bed and was on top of his body. She was about to kiss him again, when he held her and whispered into her ears. "You’re in heat. Things may go deeper if we continue kissing."
"That’s exactly what I want." She said in a raspy manner.
Trevor smiled through the darkness. She locked lips with him once again, and they tasted every part of each other’s mouth.
His hand was already working on her dress. He peeled her clothes off her body and tossed it towards the floor.
She leaned closer to him, undoing his shirt and pants and in less than a minute, both of them were naked.
His hand reached for the soft molds on her chest and kneaded them.
"I wish I could see your beautiful bare body." He whispered as everywhere was dark.
He reached for the cleft between her legs and rubbed that loose piece of flesh in an affectionate manner.
Moans escaped the mouth of his mate as he stuck a finger inside and pulsed it gently in her.
She touched his groin region and felt his cock. It was erect and hard for her. She rubbed it and he groaned, bringing his mouth closer to her. She could feel his teeth on her skin, they were sharper than normal.
He positioned her on the bed with her legs spread, and slid his shaft into her. She gasped at first and he filled her entirely and began pumping slowly.
Moans escaped her mouth as what she felt was pure euphoria. He increased his speed and gave faster thrusts, causing her moans to be louder.
He leaned closer to her and kissed her neck. He nibbled the flesh around her neck and she could feel his teeth grating around the skin.
His fangs elongated and he sank them into her neck. She whimpered a bit as she felt slight pain, but it died down when he licked the sore spot gently.
"I love you," he whispered to her as he pumped into her gently.
He reached for her lips and captured them in another kiss.