"Is there the slightest possibility that they were telling the truth? Is there a way to break this bond? I'm afraid to do the slightest, in case you get hurt. I'm holding myself in training so that the others don't hit me, and you are in pain."

"I don't know. Asher is looking into it. He's become quite an expert in searching."

"What about you? You saved my life, and you escaped from Irkalla. Can't you focus or gather some herbs and make a potion to end this? We will go to a fight soon. We can't fight and be hurt from both our own and the other's wounds."

"I know. I really do." She sighed.

James and Laurel were laying on the grass, staring at the sky like they did the last two nights. They would spend the day together, talking or training, while waiting for her father's friend's response, and at night they would go for a walk and keep talking till they fell asleep into each other's arms.

James introduced Laurel to his pack as his mate and their new Luna, though Laurel was still hesitant about the last part. She thought that things were changing fast, and she had no control over them.

She had the chance to know more about her mate: his habits, his hobbies, and his preferences. She had seen him waking up and rubbing his eyes after sleep or rubbing his back after sleeping on the uncomfortable ground because she didn't know if it was a good idea to sleep so soon in the packhouse.

James learned more about her childhood and her father. She talked a lot about their adventures and the caring side of her mother. He saw her laughing, and her eyes brighten like stars when she was talking about her sister, Thomas or Lena. He found out how her father trained her and how she sliced her leg or hit her head and had to stay in bed for a week.

They wanted to know everything about each other, and they were afraid that their time together wouldn't be enough. They were both worried about the future, but no one admitted this to the other person.

Laurel couldn't forget the curse, and she knew that these happy moments would bring terrible consequences. But she couldn't stop herself. The Huntress had given her heart willingly to him, and she was ready to spend her entire life to find a way to break the curse and live without fear of losing him.

He was lying on his side, his left arm under his head, and he was staring at her. He took a lock of hair out for her eyes and caressed her cheek. She turned around her head, and he put his thumb above her lips, gently touching her. Their foreheads touched, and with her right arm, she reached for his hand and gently squeezed it.

"If only I could stop time and let us stay here forever," she whispered.

"It's up to us to create millions of those moments to hold on to forever," he said and kissed her gently at first and then with more passion. He put his hands at each side of her head and laid on top of her without putting his weight on her. She put one of her hands around his waist, and the other touched his chest, grabbing him from his T-shirt.

They kissed again and again, each time more fiercely.

She slightly moved her head, and he started giving little kisses at her neck and then at her collarbone. A small moan escaped her mouth while her hands grabbed harder at his clothes, and with her legs, she made him lean closer to her. His hands started roaming her body, and she kissed him back, their breaths mingling together, their scents becoming one.

"I want you," he mumbled between their kisses.

"I want you, too," she confirmed and started making him remove his T-shirt.

He took it off and went on kissing her, her hands now touching his bare skin, electrifying him and waking up all his senses.

A phone rang, and its screen lit up next to them.

They stopped moving, cursing their luck.

"It's Alex," he said, seeing the name on the screen. He picked it up, annoyed. "I hope it's important."

"It is. This man agreed for you and Laurel to visit him. He says that there are things that Laurel ignores, and it is high time she knows the truth. Come over to Thomas' house, and we will explain."

They didn't need a second notice. They got up, fixed their hair and clothes, and after kissing one more time, they started running.

"Are you sure about that? It's not too late to take the next flight."

"Don't be scared. I've done it before." She laughed.

They were holding a bag with weapons and some clothes in case they needed to stay there, and they were ready to teleport straight to Japan. She had talked with Max, her father's friend, and he was ready to welcome them. She was minutes away from seeing her sister again. Max promised to tell her the truth about what happened five years ago. James, though, was a little scared, and seeing the usually fearless James scared of something, was very funny to her.

"Okay, let's do it," he said after Liz offered to take his place and teased him in a way only she knew how.

"Don't let go of my hand," she ordered him, and in seconds they disappeared in front of their friends. When they opened their eyes, they saw a dark forest with trees different from what they were used to see and some armed people watching them.

"Right on spot. Good job!" approved the man who seemed to be their leader and introduced himself. "Max is waiting for you. Let me guide you to him."

After a ten-minute walk, a huge, impressive, traditional Japanese house appeared in the middle of the forest. Around the house, there were big gardens with all different types of flowers and herbs.

"My father used to bring me here when I was a toddler. We came a couple more times after Lucy's birth, and then we stopped coming here. I don't know why. Dad said that we had more responsibilities, and he didn't want to cause trouble to Max. He had recently lost his mate, and I suppose my father didn't want to further disturb him. But I never forgot my days here. Max taught me horse-riding and how to use Katana. I wanted to be a samurai. My father used to laugh, but Max always said that no dream is too big. It's people who don't try and give up at the slightest difficulty those who are doomed to fail."

" 継続は力なり。," a male voice said. "Don't give up. Just continuing to hold on will reveal strength and power. Continuing after a setback is a kind of strength. Perseverance is power."

"Max!" she exclaimed and ran to hug the middle-aged man that now stood in front of them. He wore a suit, and his dark hair was carefully combed.

He hugged her back, and they stayed like this for a while.

"I missed you, little samurai. I missed you so much," he said and hugged her again.

"This is my mate, James. James, this is Max. An old friend and a great teacher," she introduced them, and the two men shook each other's hands. "Where is Lucy?" she asked with glowing eyes.

"She's here, but first, we must talk. She doesn't know you are here. Follow me to my office. Please," he said when he saw Laurel being hesitant, but she followed him at last.

They sat around a coffee table, and after they denied his offer for coffee or tea, he started talking.

"I hope you know how much I loved your father and you. I'm deeply sorry I wasn't there for you. I heard about your adventure, but it was already late."

"Why didn't you stop me when I did those terrible things?"

"I had made a deal with your mother. I wouldn't come near you again. It was the only way to secure that Lucy would stay alive. I regret this decision every day because I now see that I should have saved both of you. I thought that she couldn't manipulate you to that extent, that you wouldn't commit all those crimes, but I was wrong."

"What kind of deal? I don't understand," she asked confused.

"I knew something that your mother didn't want you to know. I threatened her, and she almost killed Lucy. I knew how much your father adored her, and I couldn't leave an innocent creature pay for crimes she didn't commit. Believe me, if I could go back in time, I would change some of my actions."

"What was so important that she didn't want me to know?"

"Laurel," he said and took her hands into his, "your father didn't die in an accident. Your mother killed him. She thought he was an obstacle for you. You would never fully evolve as a witch and as a huntress if he was around. When he died, you were almost fifteen. The age most witches start using their powers.

"Your father wanted you to be as normal as possible. He thought that you already had too many duties to carry on your shoulders. He didn't want you to suffer more. They disagreed a lot with your mother. I always suspected her, but I never had enough evidence. I saved Lucy, I silenced and kept the secret from you," he concluded, without looking directly at Laurel.

She took her hands from his and started rubbing them on her pants nervously. Her gaze couldn't focus on a specific place. Her mind was getting dizzy, and questions were running and gathering inside her head. Her father was murdered. Her mother had killed him. How could she kill her mate? How could she be that cruel? Did she ever really know her mother? She felt as if there was no air inside the room, and she was unable to keep breathing. James reached for her and grabbed her arms.

"Hey, look at me. Focus. See how I breathe. Yeah, that's it. Breathe with me," he said breathing slowly and tried to make her breathe normally.

"Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale," Lyra said inside her head. "Hold on, Laurel. I'm here, too."

Minutes passed, and she seemed to breathe better and steadier. There were so many questions spinning around her head, but only one came out of her mouth.

"Why would she kill Lucy? How can a mother kill her little child?" she asked, with pain in her voice.

"I supposed you didn't remember. It turns out I was right," he simply said, staring at her in disbelief and surprise.

"Remember what, Max?"

"You don't remember your father bringing Lucy one day, do you? He found an abandoned baby in the woods while hunting. He brought the baby home with him and decided to raise her as his own. You were only five years old, and your parents never spoke of the incident again. Maybe that is why you don't remember that day. Lucy is not your biological sister. Your father adopted her. She is human, and your mother knew it.

"A human child was of no use to her. She was expendable. Your mother didn't care whether she lived or died. However, after the deal I made with her, I realized that she was way more cunning than I thought. She used our deal to make you believe Lucy was dead. She found a way to use your sister. Making you want to avenge, she turned you into a monster and released your full power to use it herself. I'm sure you thought you were the culprit of this story, but the truth is that you were always the victim."