"True emotional healing doesn't happen without feeling. The only way out is through,"

~Jessica Moore

Mmmh

Calice hummed while stretching in bed, waking up to a grumpy morning. She looked beside her to the other side of the bed. 

"Must've gone for a run," 

She sat on the edge and was about to get up but stopped. 

"Morning, my lily," 

She widened her eyes slightly as she saw him carrying a tray with fried eggs, a long slender glass of orange juice and some cherries but she was looking at something else. He wore nothing but boxers, his figurine on full display. It wasn't her first time seeing him that way but this was the story of every day. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. 

"Calice? Calice!" 

She snapped out of the ogling part and cleared her throat, gulping. 

"Chris, I thought you went on a run as usual," 

"How could I possibly go on a run when you're in no mood to entertain yourself," 

"Well, I tried to get off the bed for starters," 

She shifted back into bed, allowing him to put the tray down. 

"That is a good start but even if you wish to push others way, I'm not so easy to get rid of here, like you were able to fool Julia into doing so," 

Calice frowned. 

"Oh, I know you didn't fool her to protect her," 

"Yes, now that we got our invites, it's clear," 

Knock knock knock knock

Chris stood up, excusing Calice before putting his pants on. 

"I'm guessing you received the invite?" Chris opened the door to Yoongi.

"Yes, but what are we going to do about Julia?" 

"Well, we know she can protect herself I guess she can get by," 

"Tell me something Calice. Why'd you insist I keep her there?"

Calice frowned, her head drooping. 

"Alright, it's because she's bait," 

"WHAT?!" 

She flinched as they both yelled out in unison. 

"Don't panic I've used her a lot of times before," 

"And she doesn't seem to mind?"

"No," Calice pouted in disregard. 

Yoongi tilted his head, looking at her with an annoyed facade. 

"Alright! Alright! She hates it!" 

"Glad you admitted it..."

Chris looked at her before looking at Yoongi again. 

"...again," 

Yoongi shook his head as he slipped his hand into his jacket before pulling out the invite. 

"Now what do we do about this?"

He smacked it on the table nearby. 

Chris frowned as he took a sip of his tea. 

"Attend it?"

"What do you mean attend it?"

"I literally mean attend it,"

"You mean we're not going to attack them or anything?"

Calice sighed as she got back up. 

"Another pup who needs explanation. Follow me," 

She wore her shrug and pushed her strands back behind her ears. She opened the door to the library, walked up to a random shelf and pulled out a book with a seal that belonged to Nymere. She bobbed her head towards the study and pulled the string that turned the light on as Yoongi stood beside her while she sat. She opened up a chapter Yoonig never thought he'd see in his entire lifetime. 

"The Nymere don't just invite others to places. They attack when required," 

"How are you so sure?" 

One century ago

"So you're staying because you received an invite?"

"Yes Chris, I saved the twins, now go," Calice went on to wisp her way out but Chris grabbed her, clenching her arms from the side. 

"Not every fight is for you alone!" 

"I am well aware but not every fight is for both of us," She wisped away as he stared at her, helplessly. 

Later that evening~

"I suppose Odil has other plans," Calice mumbled, drunk at the bar, her mask on. Yes, a masquerade ball indeed. She wore a royal blue dress with golden embarkments, her hair in a bun, and rosy red lips in view. 

"I didn't know you'd show up, protector," 

"Odil,"

"Calice,"

Odil took a seat beside Calice.

"A bright idea to catch my attention by wearing a dress that's the same colour as mine," 

"You don't need to tell me twice," 

"I'll announce my engagement in a bit now," 

Calice continued sipping her drink. 

"You think inviting me to your engagement ball makes me forget your coven kidnapping my kind and using their blood within the myth market?"

(Note: The Myth Market is a market that uses blood from mythical creatures for illegal purposes. This market is fictional, created by me.)

"No, just that it makes us even for massacring my coven back then," 

"I only did that to protect-"

"A baby?"

Calice sighed as she looked at Odil. 

"Who am I even talking to? You killed your ex-husband and tried to have your child killed for your rituals as well," 

"Well, I don't recall telling you all of it," 

"And I don't recall you having a reason to live,"

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't know, is it?"

"You better watch it, protector," 

"Why? Because you can't do anything to stop me? Because you think you can take my power away for your coven made me what I am today?"

Calice finished her drink and stepped towards Odil. 

"Well let me enlighten you upon something. You can take as much as you want from us because a powerless wolf isn't what you must fear but a pack of raging ones,"

The musicians began playing the music, elegant and serene to the ears. 

"...and I pretty much come from one," Calice whispered before plodding up to the centre and joining the women in the circle, facing the men in the outer circle. The coming steps were followed by an elegant bow, the women joining into union with the men before them. 

"I bet you didn't expect me to be here," 

Calice widened her eyes as she exchanged partners a few times. The voice belonged to Chris. 

"Chris?! What are you doing here?"

"I know you asked me to stay away but I received an invite as well," 

He swayed her to the side, her head facing down before coming closer to her again. 

"Not just us, but there are other protectors here as well," 

***

"You were there too?!" Chris and Calice asked in unison. 

"Yes?" Yoongi frowned, wondering why they were surprised. 

"Cursed protectors can't attend a ball like that,"

"I was Omega back then," 

"Descendants can't either," 

"Did the invite have your name on it?"

"No, it had my mother's,"

"It makes sense now," 

"What do you mean?" 

Chris took a seat, putting his legs on the table before beginning to spell it out for him. 

"She invited you this time because you were finally able to get rid of her for good. I know she barely knew you back then but word spreads fast within the protector territory and everyone knows about the wolf who screwed his mother over," 

"So she invites these 'icons' to her parties? And doesn't even hurt a fly?"

"That is the point," 

Calice placed her book beside Chris, the page visible to Yoongi. 

"The Dance of the Doomed?"

"Yes, the dance that defines doom, meaning she wishes doom upon the phoenix like she wished doom upon my mother," 

"Why did she go after your mother by persuading one of her suitors to place Julia under hypnosis?"

"She was willing to kill two birds with one stone but her coven knew what she was up to and by God's will, some of them didn't wish to continue the massacre. So, they turned the ruling packs of our kind into protectors, not only to protect witches like Billy but to increase the strength of the power that exceeds those corrupted witches," 

"And we can't just kill them as per the balance of nature," 

They nodded towards Yoongi figuring it out. 

"Now she wants Julia, for her powers," 

"Trust me, Odil thinks beyond power, unlike Arya," 

Calice closed the book and trod towards the shelf before placing it back. 

"She wants to be the most powerful being on the orb?"

"No one knows what she wants but when she wants something it's always unbelievable," 

"The hell you mean?"

"She doesn't want power, she wants everyone else to feel powerless instead," 

"Makes sense,"

"Why did she go after your mother though?"

Calice looked down and looked back up. 

"Julia doesn't know this yet but..."

"...our mother was a Lycnathrope,"

~To be continued