CHAPTER 81
LOGAN’S POV
I watched her sleep so peacefully, and cursed myself for wanting to be inside her all the time. Now, she barely had any sleep all night, and it was going to be time for the council meeting soon. I could as well be useful, and make her something to eat.
Just as I was about to step down from the bed, I noticed a frown on her face. Fixing my eyes on her face, I watched her turning from side to side, shaking her head in what seemed like refusal. She was having a bad dream.
“Please….” She sighed, still turning her face away from her supposed intruder. “Please….” Tears began to escape from her eyes, and I had no other choice than to wake her up.
“Babe!” I gently grabbed her shoulder, and shook her awake. Her eyes flung wide open, and I could see fear in them. She was struggling from my grasp, and I had to call back her consciousness. “Love! It’s me.”
Slowly, realization dawned on her, and her eyes softened. She released a deep sigh and I hugged her immediately. She held onto me tightly, whispering my name at intervals, until she was finally calm.
“A nightmare.” I muttered, still hugging her, and she nodded. Not wanting to pressure her into speaking, I gently patted her back, wondering what kind of dream would have made her so shaken.
“I don’t ever want to be so weak again.” She suddenly whispered, and I pulled back to look at her face.
“What made you weak?” I asked, and she cleaned a lone tear that fell down her cheek.
“I haven’t had these dreams in a while. I guess seeing him yesterday, had triggered it.”
“Sebastian?” I asked cautiously, and she nodded.
“He had done something to me that day.” She muttered, looking deep in thoughts. “I don’t know what it was, but he held a burning plant to my face. The moment I sniffed in the smoke, I lost all strength. I couldn’t even do as much as lift my arms. It was as if, my spirit had been taken from my body.”
“What?!”
“Yes.” She nodded, and I let my mind wander.
Coming to think of it, I always used to tell myself that Sebastian couldn’t have overpowered and raped Audrey, considering how strong she was. But now, it all really made sense. There had been a witch working with him in the background.
***
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“That is dark magic.” Keturah said. “No witch who practices dark magic, stays in our territory. All dark magic practitioners are rogues.”
“Does that mean the late queen and Sebastian were in contact with rogues, while in the palace?” Alpha of woodland pack asked.
“Yes.” Audrey nodded, and all the officials looked at her. “I remember my first encounter with Sebastian. He had revealed that the rogues who attacked the palace and tried to kill Logan, were all sent by he and his mother.” Everyone gasped in shock. “So indeed, the queen had been in contact with rogues.”
“The most important thing, is getting to know what plant it was. I have a feeling it might be used against us in this coming war.” I said, and they all nodded in agreement.
“I have a hunch, but I’m not so sure though.” The Fae king said.
“Pray tell. Every information is essential.” I encouraged, and he nodded in understanding.
“In my kingdom, there is a plant.” He began. “That plant is very limited, not just because it is very dangerous, but because its specie is quickly going into extinction. So the little of it which was left, we built a greenhouse and stored it there. We only use it in extreme cases of attack.”
“So what does this plant do?” I asked.
“It strips the strength off a Fae. But then, it works strictly on us alone. We use it as a defense, when rogue Faes attack. It’s just like wolfsbane is to werewolves, and vervain is to vampires. The only difference is that it grows in our territory alone.”
“My mate is resistant to all forms of poisons. Wolfsbane inclusive. And according to her, they burned the plant and she inhaled the….”
“It isn’t a plant.” We all looked up to see my mother and Dante walking in. “I’m sorry for interrupting this meeting, but Dante has something to tell us. And I think I also do.”
“By all means.” I nodded. “Please come forward.” I gestured, and they both walked up to where I sat.
“The Rainos.” Mother said, and I gave a look of confusion. “They inhabit the far east. The place where the Tinotaurs first emerged.”
“What are these Rainos?” Father asked.
“It’s a poisonous organism. They take the shape of a plant when they are at rest, and they emit this substances from their bodies, that can burn through the skin of a vampire. It can also strip off the powers of a werewolf, but with the combined power of a right spell.”
“Oh wow.” Father muttered, while my mind traveled far in thoughts.
“How did you come to know of this?” I asked.
“We had stumbled upon that organism years ago, during one of our wildlands explorations. Annabelle and I.”From NôvelDrama.Org.
“Who is Annabelle?” I asked in confusion.
“Isobel’s twin sister.” She revealed, and my eyes fell on Isobel, who had the hardened expression on her face. Isobel had a twin sister?!
“She stop being my sister when she tapped into the dark magic that ultimately consumed her.”
“Wait….. your sister is a rogue now?” I asked Isobel, who nodded.
“Had been even before Brienne married your father.” She replied.
It was slowly beginning to connect. Annabelle had been the one who discovered the Rainos alongside my mother. Now, she was a rogue.
“Why did your sister tap into dark magic?” I asked, and Isobel released a smile.
“She badly wanted to be the head of our coven, which was actually supposed to be her birthright as the first twin.”
“So what happened?”
“I had a lot more magic than she did. So she tried to suck my powers through the use of black magic, but I was too strong for her to penetrate though. So our coven banished her from our territory, for the use of black magic, and also trying to kill me. When a witch loses their magic, there’s a great possibility that they could also lose their life.”
“So you think Annabelle had been in contact with my stepmother?” I asked.
“I think they made some sort of deal, infact. Annabelle was definitely the one who gave Sebastian the spelled Rainos to use on Luna Audrey.”
“But then, Annabelle isn’t the type to give free favours.” Isobel said, looking deep in thoughts. “There’s a possibility that Sebastian had promised her something in return, but I just can’t place my hand on it.”
The whole place fell silent again, and I looked at Dante. Mother had said he had something to tell us.
“Mother, you mentioned that Dante had something to say.”
“Yes.” She nodded, then gently nudged his arm.
“It’s about the bite that almost killed me.” He said.
“Okay.” I nodded, urging him to go on.
“I wasn’t bitten by a rogue werewolf, like you all think. I was bitten by a rogue hybrid.”
What?!
“A rogue hybrid?!” The vampire king questioned in a mix of shock and confusion. At this point, we were all really confused.
“I am certain.” Dante nodded. “He had the features of Alpha Ryan in his beastly form. I had been trying to escape, and ended up stumbling into somewhere I shouldn’t have been. And I saw things I shouldn’t have seen, so I was bitten in retaliation.”
“What did you see?” The fae King asked, and Dante released a sigh.
“There were some rogue werewolves groaning in pain. They held their heads in pain, while bleeding through their eyes and nostrils. I could see a couple of them were already dead on the ground. That was when it occurred to me. They are trying to create a rogue hybrid army that would fight in the upcoming war.” A lot of whispers filled the council room, the moment Dante revealed that. “But I guess they weren’t getting something right, and the wolves were dying, rather than transforming into hybrids.”
“A sire bond can only be created with pure magic. None of the rogue witches can do that.” Keturah spoke up. “They would keep failing at siring more rogue hybrids, without drawing magic from a pure and strong source.”
“Do you think that could be part of the reasons why they kidnapped the witches?” I asked, unsure.
“Well, I can’t be certain.” Keturah muttered. “We would have to speak with the witches when they are more stable. They are still trying to heal from their injuries.” She explained, and I nodded in understanding.
“But there is no time. My blood or Ryan’s should be able to heal them in record time. We need to speak with them as soon as we can. Every information we gather, is very essential for the war ahead.” I reasoned.
“Very well.” Keturah nodded.
“Now, what could we do about this Rainos organism? Clearly, it could cause a lot of harm to werewolves and vampires. It even affected Audrey, who is poison resistant.”
“It affected her because it was laced in a spell.” Mother clarified.
“Is there some sort of antidote against it?” I asked, and mother nodded slowly.
“A very simple precaution, actually.” She chuckled.
“A cloaking spell.” Isobel said.
“Yes, a cloaking spell.” Mother nodded in agreement.
“So how do we fight, when we can’t touch the enemy?” Audrey reasoned, judging from the cloaking spell I had put on her.
“Honey, there are several kinds of cloaking spells, for several purposes.” I explained, and she slightly parted her lips in understanding.
If only we weren’t in the midst of others, I would have done a lot of interesting things to those lips of hers.
“But the spell would have to be particular, and for us to achieve that, we need to get a Rainos.” Mother said. “We would use the poisonous substance it emits, and make a reverse spell with it. That way, our soldiers would be resistant to it, if the rogues use it to attack us.”
“Okay. That definitely sounds like a plan. We would mobilize some soldiers to accompany you and a few other witches, for the Rainos as soon as possible.” I said.
“Great.” Mother nodded in agreement.
“Is there any other thing that we’re forgetting to discuss?” I asked.
“The rogues seem like they have ample information as to everything we do.” Father spoke up. “According to Audrey, Sebastian had attested to wanting to cause a crisis amongst the united supernaturals. He knows that things are going smoothly here. How does he get his information?” He asked rhetorically. “There is definitely a spy in this palace with us, no matter how united we are.”
“So what do we do?” Ryan asked. “Looking for the spy or spies now, may tend to be difficult.”
“That is why we have to keep everything we discuss in here, to ourselves. The enemy would be more prepared, if they know our plans. Just let the soldiers continue their intense trainings. The soldiers who would be selected to accompany Brienne and the witches for Rianos, should be well trusted ones.”
“That makes a lot of sense.” Audrey nodded in agreement.
We talked for a few more minutes, after which the meeting was dismissed.
I remained seated and watched as the officials made their way out of the council room. This was going to be a really tough battle, but I was hopeful. A lot of innocent lives depended on our success, and I was determined to not let them down.
Soon enough, the council room was empty, save for me, Audrey, and Ares. What was the man still doing here? I watched silently, as he stood from his seat and made his way to Audrey. My wolf was already on its toes after this very informative meeting, and any little push could make it lose its mind.
“Ares.” Audrey called out, looking at loss.
“I come in peace.” He raised both hands, and I felt myself getting calm. “I just want to offer a very necessary apology to you and your mate. I may have been bitter about my failure at winning you over, but…..” He released a sigh. “The events that took place yesterday, made me realize you both have been through so much together. I’m sorry for trying to get in the way.”
“Ares.” Audrey whispered, sounding thankful. “I’m grateful.” She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, Ares.” I stood and stretched my hand out to him. He took it and we had a friendly shake.
“Alright then.” He smiled, and made his way out.
“Okayyy…. that was better than I imagined.” Audrey chuckled.
“Indeed.” I nodded, taking her hand and pulling her off her seat. “What do you have planned out for the day?”
“I really don’t know.” She shrugged. “Probably train with my soldiers, then…..”
“Let’s spend the rest of the day at my library.” I suggested, and a small smile made its way to her face.
“To do what?” She asked, giving me a knowing look.
“To read, I promise.” I laughed. “You think my nephew might want to join us?”
“Even more interesting.” She nodded.
“Great then.” I clapped in anticipation of spending the day with my two favourite people. “We should grab an early lunch, go get Logan, and then proceed to the library.”
“Okay. But can we just go check on the soldiers first?” She asked.
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded, eliciting a smile from her. Holding her hand, we made our way out of the council room and headed towards the training grounds.
Just as we got to the training grounds, we met a very shocking scene. There, was an angry Ryan, walking towards a scared looking lady.
“What?” Audrey whispered, pulling her hand away from mine. I looked at her in confusion, and hadn’t lost the look of shock on her face.
Just as Ryan got to the lady, he let out a loud growl at her, while she covered her face with her arms. I was still trying to comprehend what was happening, when Audrey started running towards them. As soon as she got to them, she slide in between them, and glared daggers at Ryan. What was she doing? Who was that lady?
“Mine!” She growled at Ryan, who looked at her and released a humorless chuckle.
“Yours?” He asked. “Indeed.” There was a sarcastic tone to his voice. “I thought I just heard my stupid wolf scream that she is ‘mine!’.” He retorted, and Audrey’s eyes widened in shock.