Chapter: 12.
******

Mariana was restless the entire night, even as she led the Omegas and Cubs to their Safety Zone. Another uninhabited Land a good distance away from River Bay and other towns. A forested area filled with trees and shrubbery, with a small clearing at its center. Before now they had begun construction on the land, a place that shall now be called 'The City of Light' and their new home. Upon their arrival, the Omegas began to pick a home of their choice for themselves and their families and the Council took the East Wing of the town, Mariana had her place specially built as the Clan's Lady and for her son. Here they can all settle down and have peace. No more running away from Packs and Clans trying to kill them. They can even say now that they have found their place in this world, and by the Goddess, she hopes it stays that way.

They spent the night settling into their new home and so kept her on her feet till dawn. When she heard the chaos from weeping Tigers who had lost both Mates and children to the bloody battle the night before, Mariana ran into the town center, looking for her son but he was not found amongst the returning Warriors. But, she soon spotted Scott, who was sitting beside his Mate and his injuries were being tended by her. Mariana approached the pair and immediately Scott felt her presence; he got on one foot to welcome her.

"Lady, Mariana..." He began.

But Mariana did not wait for him to continue his speech. "Where is my son?" She asked as she took one look at his face, he had several injuries including cuts and scratches on the skin. One eye was swollen shut and he could barely open it.

"We only noticed he wasn't with us when we were almost here. We even went in search of him but we couldn't find him, the wolves who had attacked us had all fled the scene, and we found many dead and some Weretigers whom we returned home to their loved ones and families but we did not find Caleb amongst them... I'm sorry," Scott said sadly and turned his head away.

Looking at him in disbelief she whispered. "What?" her eyes stink with tears and rage. "You can't possibly be telling me that my son did not make it." You're joking?" She said, still stunned.

"No, My Lady, this is not a joke... I am sorry I failed to protect him, but I tried to warn him, to keep him away from the battlefield but he kept coming closer, didn't even hear our warning of an attack until it was late,"

"An attack?" Mariana asked and Scott nodded. "You're saying he is hurt?" Again he nodded. "How bad?"

He shook his head. "Very bad,"

"Dear Goddess," Mariana gasped.

"So bad he used magic to defend himself," 

She felt her heart sink lower as every fiber in her body became numb. Her mind raced and her eyes started tearing up. How could a weak Omega have survived such carnage? And now he is injured beyond repair. It hurts just knowing that he might be dead already. That he might be dying somewhere in the woods right now. In agony, alone. His magic was weak. He would be exhausted if he used his magic and now that he is injured, without his magic to keep his strength, Mariana feared for the worse. She looked around at the others in the crowd but no one seemed to pay attention to the scene unfolding in front of them. She then looked at Scott, his eyes full of grief and sadness and hers overflowing with anger, pain, and despair.

He then whispered to her. "The Wolves, I think they are-" but Mariana was stalking away from him, ignoring what he was about to tell her. "-Rogues-" He finished and watched her leave and then stood up to follow her. As he walked towards her, she disappeared among the crowd and when he tried to go further he was stopped by his Mate who dragged him home so she could properly tend to his wounds.

Mariana was beyond wrath. She had warned her son, pleaded with him not to go, begged for him to come with them but he had refused, instead insisting on seeing that Lycan. She will make him pay, she will make them all pay for what they have done to her son.

They have incurred her wrath and now they will all be burned by it.

There is a reason she was banished by her Coven.

*******

The little girl rides happily on the back of a Coyote, her laughter ringing through the woods in a joyful melody. She clutched tightly to its neck as if her life depended on it. Her long hair was free like wind blowing over a summer sky and was a shade lighter than her father's black hair. He too had raven curls that framed his handsome features, a nose, and a jawline straight out of the ancient Greeks and as she rode on the Coyote's back, her long black hair flowed behind her like waves of black water. The sun shone brightly in the sky and the breeze blew cool against her heated cheeks and made her hair blow in all directions. She loved riding on the Coyote's back, it made her feel free as if she could fly. Although her mother had warned against such behavior the little witch couldn't help herself. For today she wanted to feel free from all troubles and cares. From the burdens of secrecy, of concealment.

She had been told since birth to keep her Powers a secret. A witch born with natural abilities, she didn't need to attend Coven Heights in other to learn spells and how to use them, she was already gifted with such great magical powers even from the moment she was born, her forehead tore apart and the Mark of Damned appeared, it was a visible scar and her mother made sure to cover it up so that no one else sees and once her hair began to come in, she grew it out so that it covered her scar. The day the little witch asked her mother why she often paid too much attention to her front hair and never wore her hair in ponytails, her mother told her about her scar and how it must remain a secret.

"I can make it hidden so that no one else but you, me, and Daddy can see it!" She told her mother as the woman wondered what she might do, Mariana concealed her scar and wore her hair in a ponytail. She wandered the village the whole day that day and none saw her scar.

Avail knew her daughter was in danger of banishment should she be found out. Scarred witches and wizards were killed upon birth. They never lived a day after birth. In the History of the Blood Coven, every Scarred witch ever born had brought with them death and damnation. But Avail and her husband could not bring themselves to deliver their only child to be killed so they hid her away. It was easy to do since she delivered her daughter all by herself. There were no witnesses to Mariana's birth thus none could tell she was Scarred. Avail went further to educate her child on her power, letting her see reasons why she should remain hidden. Making sure she attends schools like the rest of her pair. They made sure she never used magic she didn't learn from school outside their home but once in a while the little witch would sneak into the woods to exercise her magical strengths and each time discover just how powerful she truly was.

Such great powers should not be feared or kept hidden.

That day was no different. 

First, she restored a dead tree to life then she found a wild coyote and tamed it so she could ride on it as she rode the coyote she enhanced the wind so it gives her the feeling of flying, she had always wanted to fly and this feeling was closest to it until she can strengthen her powers enough to fly. Before she mastered the taming magic she had tried transforming a few wild beasts into much calmer animals but such transformations often led to their deaths and thus killed many animals. Now she has mastered the magic and she can use it well and no more animals need to die.

Her laughter was loud, they filled the woods with such a beautiful sound and through her laughter, she began to summon the birds. All around her birds of different kinds flew in the air, following behind and before her, chirping happily. Her laughter filled the forest, her smile beaming brightly as she rode along the river. She continued on her merry chase through the woods, her eyes shining with pure joy until a voice called out to her, causing her ears to perch up as she quickly slowed her coyote in response to the command.

It was an Elder, she had been discovered.

She had broken her promises to her parents.

Seven Nights was all it took for her punishment to be dealt out to her, and her punishment as she had been forewarned by her parents, was death. But this time instead of being the only one who received this punishment, her parents too were charged with treason.

They had betrayed the Coven by raising a Scarred Witch. Her fate was read to the Council, and through the Mirrors of Infinity, they saw the chaos she was to bring to the Coven in the nearest future. The Witches became afraid and none could wait until the appropriate time of death for the Scarred witch and her parents.

On the night of the Red Moon, the night they were to be killed, her father pleaded with the Executional to spare his daughter's life and the Wizard heed his friend's pleas and instead of killing Mariana, left her wounded and sent her away.

"Run, Run away and never return!" He ordered and she ran and as she ran she could hear the cries of her parents as they were being killed.

The Scarred witch wandered the Dead forests, surviving through her magic. She was alone for many years... A woman before she found him. Kade, the Lone Wolf who suffered Rejection, they were the perfect match, a lonely witch and a Rejected Weretiger, they soon found solace in each other. It was a comforting union they shared but something was missing. While she found herself falling deeply, madly in love with the Weretiger, the Weretiger clung to the Werewolf who Rejected him, and eventually, it drove him away from her and their son.

And once again she was alone.

******

And now, today, a Werewolf has dared to take her son away from her too. He was all she had left. And the Lycan dared take him. Mariana began to put curses on the Lycanthrope, her magic rose to the roof of her spell room, threatening to rip the very ground to pieces but she had no choice but to do it. The last thing she wanted was for her son to suffer alone as she did. Not after seeing his broken form lying on the ground, she had seen his death through her Mirror of Infinity, she saw the Lycan shoot the arrow and she saw her son fall to his death. Determined to make him pay, the Scarred witch cursed the Lycanthrope. She began to weave a dark misty curse, swirling through the air, engulfing the Lycan that stood in her mirror. When it finally reached him and wrapped itself tightly around the Lycan's neck she let the curse begin to eat through his flesh. Slowly but surely, the Lycan died, and the image disappeared from her mirror.

Mariana fell to her knees, exhausted and weeping.

At least her son's death has been avenged.

She felt drained, she has only performed this wicked spell once.

On one rainy night, her Coyote was slaughtered for food by a certain young Werewolf.