After too many failed attempts to take Moira Anders down, the Magics had managed to make the transition from a ragtag group of soldiers going at it solo to an organized army, under the orders of ‘King’ Larson, Cora´s father, a war General more than an actual politician. He was smart though, enough to realize that an all out war wasn´t going to cut it anymore. So he signed the peace treaty but kept picking the Werewolves and everyone affiliated with them apart one by one, silently, leaving no traces behind that could lead to him. No one was fooled but, aside from making their defences stronger and be sneaky themselves, there was nothing for the Anders to do without risking the people they had come to protect.
Princess Cora Larson had been born the first year of the war and she was believed to be the most powerful Magic that had ever walked the earth. While most Magics came to their powers in their early preteen years, Cora had been born with them, displaying a massive amount of energy before she had even turned one year old. It had saved her life, but there had been many things at stake that her guileless mind had been forced to realize too soon. The news of her abilities had travelled far, fast, along with the notion that Larson had become even more ruthless and crazy after losing his wife.
No one had heard from Cora for the last five years or so. One would think that Larson was going to use his strongest weapon but so far there was no sight of her or her particular brand of magic. Steven had started to believe that she was a myth or that she hadn´t survived the war after all, but Jen wasn´t convinced. So when she asked him to find her, he took his pack out of the Werewolves´ kingdom for the first time ever and did what he had been ordered. That was his job.
Jen had big shoes to fill but no matter how hard she was trying to keep the peace, it was not an easy task. Firstly, the treaty was falling apart, the Magics getting bolder and bolder now that Moira had decided to retire. But the biggest obstacle came from within her deepest sorrows. Twelve years ago they had kidnapped and killed her mate, causing passionate hatred for the Magics. Wolves mate for life and once you lose that bond you either go feral or remain strong enough to exact your revenge. She chose door number two and became stricter where magic users were concerned. Her new laws against them were of torture and death, and many hotheads had easily adopted them. She was a rough woman, stricken with grief, keeping her family close and everyone else at arm´s length. She often butted heads with her brother but, luckily for the both of them, Steven knew when to back down and follow orders. He had been raised to be a Beta, her second in command, and was doing everything in his power to maintain that role despite his newfound powers. Guilt was a strong motivation and a hard enemy to battle, however misplaced. He had taken another Werewolf´s life and in doing so, he had disrupted the equilibrium within the pack and had created doubts to the people. So if nowadays he tended to keep his head down, it was because they couldn´t afford him not to.
3. A STRANGE GIRL
Steven was wary of how easy the mission had turned out to be. Fearing some sort of trap, he pushed his pack to their limits forcing them to travel swiftly across the country day and night, nonstop, until they could finally cross the borders and be enveloped in the safety of Werewolf lands. The first daylight found them mere hours after they left the warehouse but, under the thick canopy of the forest, they didn´t pay it too much attention. Cora kept hindering their progress, staggering on unpractised legs while trying to keep up with their large strides. Her efforts were in vain and the annoyed Werewolves wouldn´t slow down. She had lost count of how many times she had fallen down, desperate to just stop for a second, only for one of the Betas to pull her back on her feet sporting some new scrapes that made her skin sting. Despite the pack´s impatience though, they were forced to stop after Cora´s reaction when a few sunbeams made it through the dense branches, glistening on the damp underbrush. The girl whimpered in distress as she fell to her knees and brought her palms up to cover her eyes. The sunlight bathed her in a warm white hue, smoothing out the sharp bones over her skinny shoulders while her soft sobs reached her companions´ ears with the intensity of a piercing alarm.
The Werewolves were instantly on edge, creating a wall around the Princess. Ian and Erin let their nails recede and sharp claws took their place while Danny, unable to control the adrenaline passing through his body, transformed fully. Werewolves, when shifted, would keep their human-like skeleton structure but still, there was something that would always betray their nature; their faces would morph into that of a blood-thirsty monster, full of teeth and sharp angles and eyes completely black. Jason dropped into a crouch next to his friends and reached out with his hearing trying to identify the invisible threat. Steven was the only one who remained moderately collected, the only sign he was ready to attack a low snarl coming out of his lips as they curled around his elongated canines.
A few moments passed in high alert and, after concluding that nothing was about to happen, the Betas let their wolves go and returned to their human form, turning to Cora for an explanation. The girl seemed oblivious to the unrest she had caused, still covering her eyes and letting out quiet little snivels as she kept repeating “Please, please.”
“What the hell is wrong with her?” Erin snapped.
“We need to keep moving. Everyone in a ten miles radius must have heard us,” Ian urged his friends, ignoring the witch´s antics.
Jason, unable to let a single person suffer, kneeled in front of Cora and, mindful of her manacles, took her hands away from her face. She kept her eyes shut tight though as she shook her head in discomfort and tried to find cover for her face back under the forest´s shadow. Jason and Steven exchanged an understanding glance which led the Alpha to tear out a piece of his shirt. Reluctant to touch her, he handed it to Jason who took it and tied it securely around Cora´s eyes. She instantly calmed down, finally allowing them to continue the trek home.
Their journey became more difficult after that since they had to take turns carrying the witch on their backs. The extra weight brought with it extra fatigue, which in turn took the matter of stops out of the Alpha´s hands. They only removed Cora´s blindfold come nightfall; better to be safe than sorry. At those moments, she finally had the chance to become fascinated with everything around her, touching whatever came into view and looking at the trees and the night sky with something that strongly looked like wonder. As long as she wasn´t straying too far and kept quiet, they let her be. It wasn´t a hard task considering she was following them around like a lost puppy.
“She is so strange,” Ian disturbed the silence. They had finally entered their side of the fence so they felt safe enough to take a larger break and gather around a fire. They took turns guarding Cora while the rest stretched their legs and caught up on some much-needed sleep. Having the devil on their shoulders for days in a row had taken its toll.
“Why do you think she hasn´t tried anything yet?” Danny asked his Alpha. Steven shook his head and stood up, joining Jason at the edge of the clearing they had chosen to settle down for the night.
“I told you to let him have his dinner first!” Erin whispered and Danny shoved her away playfully. They both ended play-wrestling on the dirty ground while Ian watched fondly.
“What´s wrong? You are on edge,” Steven whispered to Jason, annoyed that the rest of his Betas hadn´t caught up on the mood change.
“Okay don´t be mad, but I kind of untied her,” Jason whispered back and took an involuntary step away from his Alpha.
“You what?” Steven exclaimed but even his raised voice wasn´t enough to draw the others´ attention, either trusting their Alpha to get everything under control or used to his over-the-top reactions.
“She looked so miserable! Besides, she is harmless. I mean... Look at her!” The Beta gestured towards the young witch in indignation.
Steven followed his second´s gaze to find Cora lying on the bank of a small stream, her hand twirling in the cold water. She made an eerie sight, sending shivers down the Alpha´s spine as something dark and unc
ertain flickered across his face. He remained silent as he watched the Princess childishly playing with the water for several long moments. She smelled like pain and it unsettled him because he couldn´t sense a single ounce of blood on her.
“She´s been doing that all the time?” He asked Jason.
“Yup! Hasn´t moved a muscle. You want me to go fetch her?” Jason said, too eager to get back on the Alpha´s good side.
Steven looked at her again and noticed the way her dress ruffled due to the soft breeze, curling around her slight curves and making her more breathtaking than she already was. “No,” the Alpha turned to his friend. “You go ahead and have some food. I´ll keep an eye on her.”
Jason, sensing his leader´s inner turmoil, decided to leave him be, offering the man a little pat on the shoulder in silent support. Steven hadn´t taken his eyes off Cora who had stiffened upon hearing the Beta´s steps draw away.
“I know you are there.” She took a deep breath and visibly forced her shoulders to relax. Steven, hesitating only for a second, walked up to her and sat on the ground next to her feet making sure he was facing her.
“What´s so fascinating about water?”
“Everything can be fascinating when you haven´t laid eyes on it for years.” Her voice was low, concentrating hard to utter the words like she had been out of practice for too long.
“What? No big bodies of water where you come from?”
The girl shrugged. “I´m sure there are but that´s not what I said.” She suddenly sat up and curled her weak fists around his lapels. “What´s your name?”
“Steven. Steven Anders.” His gaze fell on her bracelets.
“Anders. I know that name.” She let her hands drop on her lap. “I´m Cora.”
“I know who you are.”
“You do?”
“You think we just stumbled upon your... home?”
“That wasn´t my home!” The Princess snapped, showing some spirit for the first time. “Wait,” she deflated, “you didn´t?”
Steven raised his eyebrows in question. “How old are you?”
“I´m twenty,” she said seriously, failing to grasp his mocking. “What do you want with me then?”
“Why don´t you tell me?” The Alpha challenged. He couldn´t sense her lying but he was beyond certain at this point that she was playing him.
“I already told you I don´t know!” Cora screamed frustrated into the silent night. Steven saw from the corner of his eyes that Jason had started towards them but he dismissed him with a discrete nod.
“I´m sorry,” the young girl continued, looking downright beaten. “I didn´t mean to yell at you.”
“That´s alright,” Steven placated her. “Why don´t you tell me why you go around acting like you see the world for the first time instead?”
“I haven´t been outside for many years,” she whispered but Steven had no difficulty hearing her.
“Why is that?”
“I wasn´t allowed to.” She turned her penetrating gaze on him waiting for judgement.
“Why?” He looked sceptical. The only one at her side of the border with the authority and knowledge to trap a powerful witch would be Larson, but it wasn´t adding up.
“Because I am dangerous!” She made a show of squaring her shoulders trying to look intimidating only to dissolve into soft, breathy gusts that barely qualified as laughter.
There were only two possibilities in Steven´s mind: This whole kidnapping thing had been a charade and both father and daughter were playing a sick game, or the girl was completely mad, something that could at least explain her confinement. Whatever it was, tomorrow they would arrive at their destination and then maybe Jen could make some sense out of the situation. Hopefully, he wouldn´t have to deal with the strange Princess ever again.
“Go back to your friends Steven Anders,” Cora interrupted his thoughts and lay back down. “I promise I´ll still be here in the morning.”
Steven stood up and made to leave but noticed a violent tremble shaking her entire body. He took off his jacket and covered her, making sure that she would stay warm during the night. “Get some sleep,” he said riveted in place, gently pushing her hair out of her face. He pulled his hand back like he was burned when he heard Ian behind him.
“Sorry boss but it´s time for my shift,” the young Beta said apprehensively. Steven straightened up and saw that Ian was carrying the cuffs with him.
“Those won´t be necessary,” he said and took them out of his hand. Back at the clearing, Erin and Danny were fast asleep, curled around each other for warmth, but Jason was waiting for his Alpha wearing a knowing smirk. Steven raised an angry hand and cut off whatever his friend was about to say. The Beta kept an eagle-eye on him as he turned in for the rest of the night.
4. HOMECOMING
The Anders pack had commandeered as their lair an old abandoned monastery, expanding it to make full use of the surrounding grounds and essentially transforming it into an impenetrable fortress. In front of the main building lay a town of concrete houses and storerooms, crudely reconstructed and repaired -where possible- out of the ruins of a village wrecked by the war to accommodate the large population that had come under the pack´s protection. The pack´s former home, a beautiful three storey mansion that used to house the entire family back when the Werewolves lived in the shadows, had long ago been lost to the heat of apocalyptic battles.
Jen had under her immediate command what was left of the Anders family. Her mother acted more like a guide and counsellor following the surrender of power to her daughter, with her father, John, handling the more trivial affairs of the town. Her parents weren´t a mated pair as it was extremely rare for a Werewolf to find their mate; much more so now after so many had perished. Her maternal uncle, Joe, had become Jen´s right hand the moment Steven stopped belonging in her pack. While most of the time he acted more like a politician and diplomat and often tried to be the voice of reason during his niece´s more vindictive endeavours, he was also the one to do all of her dirty work. During the war, two of the Anders siblings had perished leaving behind only Steven and Jen.
Steven was the first one to set foot into town after the mission, Jason following him closely as the crowd opened a pathway for their Prince´s pack. Cora trailed behind them, lost between fear and amazement at the amount of people that had gathered around to stare. Curling closer to Jason and trying not to touch or be touched by anyone, she kept her head down knowing a wrong look could cost her dearly.
“Witch whore!” A man from the crowd shouted and startled the Princess who instinctively drew even closer to the two Werewolves in front of her.
“Kill her!” A different man yelled.
“Burn her!” A woman agreed.
The Alpha ignored the cursing and the spitting -they were par for the course- but when the first stone was thrown finding his prisoner on the shoulder he took action, fully knowing his sister was waiting to scrutinize his every decision. Ordering his Betas to surround the younger girl, he dropped back and started walking next to her in an effort to tone down the crowd´s reaction. They passed through the market square where the majority of the mob had gathered without further incident and when they reached the main entrance he placed a gentle guiding hand to Cora´s lower back who was failing to blink back her tears.
“Thank god! Your sister has started growing antsy!” Mark, one of the two Human members of Steven´s pack, was upon them the minute they entered the lair. He was lanky but his big steps were confident and he carried himself around with a jolly spirit.
“Don´t be so dramatic!” Lynn, a fiery redhead and the final member of the group, said hot on his heels. She raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw where her Alpha´s hand was resting and he dropped it at once, his face crinkling in vexation at being caught, eyes pinched and his mouth twisting in anger. Jason put him out of his misery by prompting them to keep moving. Lynn was too perceptive though and her gaze immediately fell on Cora´s unrestrained hands. She
opened her mouth to speak up but the other healer stopped her with a soft hand on her elbow.
“Come on, they are in the council room,” Mark said and drew her away. Steven took point and everyone followed behind in measured steps, knowing that Jen would most likely bite their heads off regardless of the success of the mission.
The council room was in reality the old monastery´s dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a huge rectangular table in the middle where the packs held their meetings. A collection of candlesticks was giving the place a warm light, chasing away the darkness of the moonless night. At the north side of the room, three thrones were placed on a pedestal. Jen was sitting in the middle one looking formidable and all regal, her mother on her right and her father on her left. Joe was a few feet ahead of them and to the side, a quizzical look on his face. Steven walked up to them and kneeled before them, the rest of his pack following swiftly. Cora, not actually understanding what was going on and why an Alpha had to kneel in front of anyone, remained motionless until Danny dragged her down next to him.
“What the hell is this?” Jen exclaimed ignoring her brother´s olive branch. She walked up to Cora and grabbed her by her upper arms, pulling her to her feet while the girl tried to squirm away. Everybody else stopped pretending submission and rose to their full height as well. “Where are the cuffs we gave you from the vault?”
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