Chapter 33: Hello Aldred!

Adelie

Growls echoed around me, a cacophony of fury and pain. Some werewolves were still shifting, others already wounded, but thankfully none from our pack.

Our adversaries were werewolves too, traitors to their kind, rogues. It made sense they’d align with Aldred.

Rogues are outcasts, banished from their packs for treachery or misconduct. With nowhere else to go, it was almost expected they’d be here, always ready to do the dirty work for a pittance.

Their numbers were overwhelming. We were strong, but they just kept coming. My root creature was battling several at once, but it wasn’t enough. I was the only one in human form, fighting with all the energy the forest had given me, but against wolves twice my size, it was a struggle. I noticed they were holding back, not trying to kill me outright.

“Protect Luna!” Kairos’ mind link echoed. I wasn’t meant to hear it, but I guess he still doesn’t know I can. Kairos was fighting with a ferocity I’d never seen in him, not holding back at all.

I’d already seen him kill four wolves. I never thought he could fight so ruthlessly, like a rogue, focused solely on defeating his opponents.

I wasn’t sure how much longer we could hold out. We were strong, but they were too many. I was beginning to doubt our power.

Suddenly, I was knocked to the ground by a rogue. He pinned me down, not trying to kill me. For a moment, I saw the rage in his eyes.

He wanted to kill me, but instead he was dragging me away from the fight, deeper into the house. Then, out of nowhere, Nathan leapt in, knocking him off me. They wrestled for a few seconds until Nathan bit down on his neck, causing the wolf to howl in pain before collapsing.

I caught Nathan’s eye and mouthed a silent thank you. Looking around, I saw we were losing. Our fighters were battling three at a time. My creature was still fighting, but it wasn’t enough. It seemed like the rogues were never-ending.

Instead of fighting, I ran outside where I could touch the earth. I fell to my knees, hands on the ground, and summoned vines from the earth. As I stood, I guided them inside, where they quickly snaked across the marble floor and wrapped around the rogues’ ankles.

More vines erupted from the ground outside, but the rogues managed to break free. It was only a small help and didn’t last long. I needed to create another root creature, or something.

I was about to summon another creature when my mother’s voice filled my mind. “Don’t waste your energy. You haven’t met Aldred yet.” Her voice was so clear, as if she were standing right next to me.

“I can’t just do nothing. If I can’t use my powers, I’m useless...if they have to protect me, I’m just a burden.” I was desperate to find a solution.

Amidst the growls and roars of the fight, I heard something in the forest. The ground shook, branches snapped. Something was coming. The noise grew louder, the thuds closer. I looked towards the sound and saw a familiar sight.

It became clearer, and I saw Maeve leading the Silver Moon’s pack, with Alpha Archibald at her side. They outnumbered us three to one. They didn’t hesitate, rushing past me into the castle. I followed them inside, and saw the tide of the battle turning in our favor.

I knew I couldn't be of much help here. The best thing I could do was to find Aldred. Seizing the opportunity while everyone was preoccupied, I dashed deeper into the house until I stumbled upon a staircase. I sprinted up, peering through the doors on the castle's front side—the side where I'd seen Aldred on the balcony.

One door caught my attention. It was different, with a silver handle, a clear sign that Aldred didn't want any werewolves entering. I pushed the door open and found Aldred standing there, as if he'd been expecting me. What shocked me was the sight of Jasmin standing next to him, her head bowed, looking so small and vulnerable.

“Jasmin?” I couldn't help but call out to her. “What are you doing here?”

She didn't respond, just shook her head and sniffled. It was Aldred who broke the silence. “Why are you so curious about her presence? She's useless. Couldn't even do what I asked of her. Now I have to clean up this mess. Do you think I have nothing better to do than build this army?” He shot Jasmin a disdainful look.

“Wait, Jasmin was part of this?” I asked, realizing that Jasmin wasn't going to answer. She just kept mumbling something under her breath.

Aldred let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, you naive little girl. Jasmin was supposed to train you and deliver you to me. I promised her the world if she succeeded. Instead, she botched everything. I'm already behind schedule.”

I felt a pang of betrayal. I had trusted Jasmin, and she was nothing but a traitor. Kairos had been right about her all along.

“But... the prophecy... she trained me for the prophecy,” I stammered.

“She didn't train you for the prophecy. The prophecy was just a convenient lie for her. She's as useless at lying as she is at everything else.”

Aldred took a step closer to me. “You need to fulfill your prophecy, right? Bring peace between vampires and werewolves?” He didn't wait for my response. “I'll return the book to the vampires. You can be the one to deliver it.” But I knew it wouldn't be that simple.

“And what do you want in return?” I asked.

Aldred chuckled. “Straight to the point. I like that.” He turned and walked over to his desk, picking up the same box Jasmin had once tried to make me open. “Open it for me.”

My mother had warned me never to open it, that it would unleash something evil.

“What's in it?” I asked. My mother had never given me a clear answer.

“That's none of your concern,” he replied dismissively.

“I'm not opening it,” I declared.

Aldred smirked at me, then glanced at Jasmin. She had lifted her head and was staring at me, her eyes wide and filled with tears. “Stupid, so stupid,” she muttered.

Aldred turned back to me. “So you can open it? Jasmin told me you couldn't.”

Damn! I shouldn't have said that. “Well, that makes things much easier,” he chuckled, but his amusement made my stomach churn.

“Why do you need me to open it?” I demanded.

“DO NOT QUESTION ME, GIRL!” Aldred snapped, his teeth clenched. He strode over to me, grabbing my neck so tightly I knew it would leave marks.

I didn't hesitate. I pushed him back with all my strength, causing him to stumble, but he managed to stay on his feet.

“What makes you think I'll help you instead of killing you right now?” I challenged. What was his game?

“Excellent question, Adelie,” he replied, but hearing my name from his lips made me cringe.

Aldred walked over to a cabinet and opened it, revealing not shelves, but security camera feeds. I could see the battle unfolding downstairs from four different angles.

Another screen flickered to life, revealing a vast room teeming with rogues. Adjacent to the camera feed, a timer was counting down. When it hit zero, the doors swung open, releasing a horde of rogues before slamming shut again. The countdown reset to five minutes.

On the battle screens, I saw the same rogues in action. Hundreds more were waiting in the wings. Winning seemed impossible...

“You’d be amazed at how many rogues were eager to join my cause,” he chuckled, a sickening sound.

I spotted a number pad on the console. “How do you stop this?” I asked, urgency creeping into my voice.

“I have a code. Open the box and I’ll shut it down. Let’s face it, they don’t stand a chance,” he said, and he was right. There was no way they could keep fighting and defeat them all.

I felt cornered. I couldn’t let them die. “Fine, give me the box,” I said, resignation heavy in my voice.

“No!” Jasmin’s protest echoed in the room as she backed away from Aldred.

“Silence!” Aldred roared at her.

“He’s trapped a death angel in there! That’s why he needed the vampire book—to trap it!” Jasmin’s voice was shrill with fear. Aldred lunged at her.

“SILENCE!” His shout echoed off the walls.

“He wants to merge with the death angel to rule the world. He won’t spare you, Adelie,” she warned. “He made me cast a spell on you so you couldn’t contact Death and he wouldn’t warn you.”

Suddenly, Aldred hurled a knife at her. It lodged in her stomach and she stumbled backward, collapsing to the floor. I started to rush to her side, but Aldred blocked my path.

“Don’t!” he barked. “Open the box and I’ll shut down the system. Then you can heal Jasmin.”

Aldred approached me, a box in his hands. “All you have to do is open it,” he said. I took the box from him.

This was it... a death angel was trapped inside. Aldred would merge with it, becoming more powerful than ever... unless...