Chapter 263: _Bane In The Moonlight
Caroline
*****
She confessed.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally confessed to Odessa about her true feelings.
Feelings which she had secretly hated herself for. Out of all the men and women in the pack, why did she have to fall for the woman who was supposed to be her mission?
The woman who she was supposed to ensure her safety from the shadows.
Enough was enough and after Elder Davina’s funeral ceremony, her emotions were all over the place, pushing her to tell Odessa.
And to her surprise... Odessa didn’t act weird about it.
"I’m not going to see you as a different person because of your feelings. I might not be able to reciprocate them but I still cherish you as a person and a friend. Okay?"
Those words still lingered in Caroline’s mind.
Unfortunately, that night, chaos was shown in the form of a guard, Alaric.
The poor guard burned up due to the magic within him... An artificial hybrid.
But Caroline knew there was foul play here and when she saw Marcellus volunteering to help Althea research the body... It all made sense.
Later that night, Caroline snuck to Marcellus’ compound while he was investigating the body with Althea in another part of the pack.
"If my information is correct, he doesn’t have any staff members apart from Cullen..." She whispered to herself.
And Cullen was currently occupied because she had seen him taking two werewolves into the house.
Caroline had only one mission here: Find any compelling evidence that would prove Marcellus killed Elder Davina so she could show it to Odessa and the others.
Currently, the closest thing she had to evidence was a vague letter she collected from Davina’s body:
>I fear I waited too long to act. The signs are no longer silent. There is no running from bloodlines.
I’ve hidden truths to protect her. And now I fear I’ve delayed the inevitable.
Someone is watching. Something dark and chaotic is stirring. If you’re reading this, protect her now more than ever. There are enemies hidden in places you might least expect.<
It sounded like Elder Davina knew about Marcellus before her death. But why the heck did the old woman keep it to herself?
"Now my job is harder than it should be..." She brushed her right hand through her ginger curls before raising her head to what should be Marcellus’ bedroom balcony.
Suddenly, her eyes glowed with a faint silver light and her muscles tightened with more strength.
She leapt forward, managing to land on the balcony with ease. After brushing her hair aside, she scanned her eyes through the room.
Then she glanced back over her shoulders and stared down at the pack below. The people were still out by this time, most of them paying last respects to Elder Davina after her funeral ceremony.
Many murmured about the incident with Alaric, since the sky had literally burned with dark purple flames that were visible to everyone.
Caroline sighed, shaking her head before bringing her gaze back to Marcellus’ room.
But when she did, her heart nearly jumped into her throat.
"Hello there..." A beautiful woman with pale skin, long black hair, black crescent moon earrings and red lipstick like blood was standing just a few meters in front of her and waved with a curious grin.
The woman wore a flowing black gown made of some silky, almost liquid fabric that shimmered like ink in the moonlight. The sleeves were long and slightly flared at the wrists, stitched with faint silver embroidery shaped like runes.
But what truly stole Caroline’s breath was the slit which began at the front hemline and ran upward in a sharp, deliberate line, slicing through the center until it nearly kissed the bottom of the woman’s ribcage—only barely held together by thin silver chains that glinted as she moved.
Beneath the slit, she wore form-fitting black trousers that shimmered faintly, made of some strange fabric that seemed both modern and archaic all at once.
Her black heeled boots clicked on the floor as she stepped closer to Caroline who snapped out of her brief trance and frowned.
"Y–You..." She let out a low growl, tilting her head. "You’re that witch from the Charity Ball. The one who helped Celine make the fake video of Marcellus and Odessa—"
"You seem... Interesting." The woman interrupted, her eyes glinting with a predatory light that also seemed seductive. "But anyway, I’m not a witch. Far from it, darling."
Caroline’s mind reeled as she eyed the woman from head to toes. She swallowed hard as something clicked in her mind.
Her wolf screamed danger and she knew she was right.
An artificial hybrid!
Suddenly, the woman drew out a dagger and plunged it toward Caroline’s throat. The latter’s eyes widened as she leaned back, her back hitting the railing of the balcony.
She proceeded to roll to her left, narrowly dodging the silver dagger which scraped the railing.
Caroline fixed her eyes on the woman who chuckled, swerving her body to face her as she got off the ground.
"I knew you weren’t just an ordinary maid." The woman said amusingly, pointing the dagger at Caroline once again. "So what are you? Witch? Artificial hybrid gone rogue? A true hybrid perhaps?"
Caroline clenched her jaw.
She wasn’t going down... Not like this and certainly not after she’s come so far in her mission.
"Who I am is none of your business." Caroline snapped, kicking her foot against the railing, the force helping her to leap into the air.
She then sent a roundhouse kick aimed at the woman’s head, but the latter smirked mischievously before disappearing into a puff of black smoke.
Caroline landed on the ground as a faint silvery laughter echoed around the balcony, forcing her to look around with gritted teeth.
She didn’t want to use all the abilities at her disposal... But she might have to if this mysterious woman proved too difficult.
"Girl to girl, I’ll advise you to steer clear of Marcellus. He’s... Unpredictable." The woman’s voice sounded so close, like she was breathing down Caroline’s neck. "There’s so much fire in you though... Must be exhausting, watching her love someone else."
The latter panicked, slashing backwards with her claws, but only slashed at air.
That last sentence... How did she know about her feelings for Odessa?
"Who. Are. You?" Caroline growled, calming her breathing as her ears perked.
The laughter suddenly stopped and the wind seemed to still in that moment, sending a cold shiver down her spine.
"Regina. But tonight... You can call me your bane."
Before Caroline knew what was happening, black smoke appeared in front of her and out of it came a dagger heading for her face.