*Evanora's POV*

As I uncovered my eyes from underneath the covers, I heard the gentle tapping of raindrops against the window. Getting up, I quickly ran towards the soothing sound. The water droplets fell like they simply couldn't think of anything better to do. There was a laziness about them, as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. When I held my bare arm out of the window, the large and soft droplets splattered on my outstretched fingers. Tilting my fingers upwards, I watched the remnants of the drops run downwards like tiny rivers. Above, the sky was dominated by tumbling greys, smoky and silver. It truly was a perfect morning for me. Smiling, I turned around to get ready.

The air was sweet and the breeze cool, a perfect day in late summer. In the dark room, a man was sitting patiently on his wooden chair. Nick and I walked closer to him, observing how hard he was trying to appear brave. Agnor desperately tried to hide how fearful he was. He consciously willed his body movements to be less stilted. But his perspiration gave away his fear and in no time at all, there were two darkly staining patches under each armpit.

"Werewolves are so weak," Nick snickered. Pointing his finger towards Agnor's arm, he said,"I think I can cool it down for you. May I?"

Agnor gulped but stayed silent. Nick strolled leisurely, sending a zap of ice current towards Agnor's arm. A crack tore through the silence of the room, encapsulating Agnor's fingers in an icy coffin. The blue, shiny crystal travelled from his fingers to his shoulders, causing the victim to throw his head back and scream in pure agony. I smiled as his screams became louder, tears incessantly wetting his face. His lips turned blue but his howl of pain didn't stop. He started to writhe intensely while the ice travesered towards his other arm.

"He's crying! How sweet!" Nick exclaimed, fake excitement spilling out of his voice.

"I think he needs a little warmth to feel better. Don't you think so?" I asked, enlarging my eyes to show how concerned I was.

"Yes, of course. That's exactly what he needs!" Nick said, smirking. Agnor started to furiously shake his head," no, please no! I cant tell you everything I know!"

Smiling, I walked closer to him. "What do you know, Agnor?" I asked, staring playfully at the ball of fire in my hand.

"I know many things about them!"

Bending a little to face him, I brought the ball of fire closer to his arm. His face contoured in a pained expression as the ice started to melt. I continued to burn his skin and his wails filled the air. His smooth skin was replaced by torn muscle and blood, as raw as any carcass at the butchers. The skin on his arm was melting rapidly, thick red blood oozing out of his pores.

"What do you know, Agnor?" I asked, smiling sweetly.

"I...red eye snake," he whispered, painting excessively.

"That's it? That's the only thing you know, wolf?" Nick asked, his voice as hard as concrete.

Agnor screamed again as his skin completely melted off. Satisfaction filled my heart, when the scrotch marks on the semi-cooked muscle became visible.

"I have a faster method."

Nick's voice distracted me from my work and I turned around, raising my brows in question.

"I brought this from human realm." Nick reached behind him and took out a black gun, with a short muzzle and ribbed stock. "Let's end this," Nicolai said, curling his finger around the trigger. The bullet spat out of his hand, entering through Agnor's eye socket. Blood trickled down his face; some brain matter exploded from the back of his head and splattered on the blackened basement wall. Agnor's body slumped to the floor like a gangling life-sized doll. The remaining eye remained open, staring blankly at us.

"This is how a traitor is punished, Agnor," Nick whispered to the body.

"Shall we leave?" I asked, looking around the bloody walls.

"Satisfied?"

Conrad's voice reached me as soon as Nick and I entered the pack house. We both nodded, looking at each other with pride-filled eyes.

"That piece of shit didn't even realize that you already invaded his brain!" Nick sneered.

"Werewolves don't feel it, you fool," Conrad replied in a bored tone.

Nicolai sent a current of ice towards Conrad but an orb of fire smashed into his icy current, splashing water on all of us. Nick looked at me with wide eyes. "Did you just use your powers against me?" he asked, disbelief coating his features.

"Stop being so dramatic," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Selene entered the pack house, interrupting him.

"Did you find something, Selene?" I asked.

"Blood magic! They have, somehow, combined dark shadow magic and blood magic!" Selene exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows in worry.

"Is that even possible?" asked Nick, doubt evident in his voice.

"I didn't think it was possible but red eyed familiars are a sign of blood magic. Conrad saw that Angor communicated with red-eyed smoky snakes. Smoky snakes indicate dark shadow magic and rey eyes are the symbols of blood magic. They have, somehow, combined the two," Selene explained.

"What should we so? Is there anything we can do?" I asked, desperation seeping through my tone.

Selene looked at me, eyes softening, she said, "I don't know."

"You don't know!?" Nick cried out, disbelief painted on his face.

"No, we'll need an ancient witch for this," Selene replied, looking intensely at Nick. He stiffened at the mention of an ancient witch and I completely understood his reaction. My heart sped up and my hands began to get clammy at the thought of a certain ancient witch. We didn't want to meet her again.

"Are you talking about Althea?" I asked, praying and hoping that there was another ancient witch.

Selene nodded and a gasp left Nick's mouth. My mouth felt dry; a shiver went down my spine at the mention of her name. It wouldn't end well for Nick and I.

From the room above, a trail of golden dust appeared around us. "Pixie dust!" squealed Nick. The pixies danced around us in a rhythmic beat, swirling like a glorious cloud. The scent of lavender filled the room, making me feel at ease. The air started to grow thick as pixies formed a tornado, hiding the arriving person. When they finally stopped, a huge smile erupted on my face when I saw the new arrival.

"Celeste!" I exclaimed, going forward to hug her.

"Good evening, my lady," she said and bowed.

"Is everything alright, Celeste?" Selene asked, noticing the stiffness in Celeste's behaviour.

"I am here to warn you, Princess. The kingdom has acquired the knowledge of your mate and they are not happy." She stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "I have come here to ask you to officially announce the kingdom you'll be ruling."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You'll have to select, Princess. You can either be the King's mate or our Queen. You can't be both of them. And you'll have to pick one very soon. I'm sorry to inform you, Princess but our people are forming rebellions against you. They refuse to accept Conrad as their King." Celeste explained.

I couldn't believe it. For a moment, I didn't even realise that my mouth was wide open. My problems were getting more tangled rather than being solved. I didn't know what to do.

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