Chapter 38

(Events happened right after they caught Nicole)

Yuri and Jessica together with Krystal went back to the Lykos with Nicole in tow. They’re all holding back themselves not to kill the traitor for selling out their family. They couldn’t blame her tho- having mates themselves they understand how she was probably manipulated by Tiffany.

Yes, Tiffany.

They still couldn’t believe it. Specially Krystal, they were best of friends. Ever since they were saved from slave traders by her sister’s mate, they have been inseparable. Nicole had told them that Tiffany wasn’t Tiffany. That Tiffany was Hwayoung. The witch who made them lose their golden fur. No matter how Krystal overthinks the situation it was still impossible for Tiffany to be Hwayoung.

Why?

There were instances in that slave traders’ hideout that Hwayoung herself would come and torture them with Tyler while she was sure that Tiffany was right there in her own cage at the dark storage where they all keep the slaves.

Seulgi sensed her mate’s internal turmoil and looked over her, “We’ll get answers, I’m sure Dara can help.” She says as she keeps Nicole who was in between them at the backseat in check. Jessica and Krystal shared a look at the mirror before she made a curt nod towards Seulgi.

*

“I never pegged you to for a traitor Nicole.” Dara said crouching down in front of Nicole who was now tied by chain kneeling down in the middle of her room.

Nicole sneered at her, “You know this wouldn’t have happened in the first place when I begged you on my knees to bring Hyoyeon back.” Dara’s eyes squinted. “I told you; you can’t bring back the dead. Do you think I would even be here in this pack if I could? You’re not the only one who lost a mate Nicole. You’re not the only one who suffers day by day with her absence. What makes you think that you’re the only one who’s in despair?”

Nicole’s face contorted in anguish- probably just realizing now that she has been being manipulated by Hwayoung. “We can’t have them back by doing that. What do you think they’d say to our face if we ruined the law of nature? That we sacrificed so many lives just to bring them back to life? Do you think Hyoyeon would praise you? Do you think she would even look at you if you did that? If you want her back you can pray to your god, I’m sure Leto would smile down on you. You didn’t have to go through all this betrayal plot and have your comrades get killed. Those people who died, Nicole… They had mates too.” Right now, no one was even probably aware that Dara was using something she learned from her mate- charm-speak to expel whatever brainwashing curse Hwayoung has placed on her.

Krystal could’ve sworn she felt a pang in her heart when Dara said she wouldn’t even be with them if she could do that- she wasn’t sure if it was from her or from her mate that feeling was from but she understood all too well that who would want to stay in a family full of people who murdered someone you love so much? She couldn’t if they would ask her.

“So, tell me Nicole. Why did Tiffany- no, why did Hwayoung want Irene so bad?”

Nicole kept mum for what seemed to be a whole minute. Seulgi was about to lunge at her with a punch when Nicole spoke. “They want her for two different reasons…” she said. There were tears threatening to fall on her eyes, “Tiffany wanted her because she said she was her mate. Made by this unbreakable bond spell. That’s what she told me. I’m not sure how that happened or how. For Hwayoung… She said that Irene is all that is left of his memories. I don’t know whose memories she’s talking about; she said she was hers to keep right from the very start, and not yours.” She finished while looking Dara straight in the eye.

Yuri and Jessica were baffled. “you’re saying Irene and Tiffany are in an unbreakable bond? That’s impossible! If they were then my sister won’t even have a chance to mark her let alone make a connection bond with her.” Yuri said to which Jessica asked next. “Did she mark her already?”

“Yes, she did last blue moon.” Seulgi confirmed.

“That can’t be...? If they were in a bond- Irene can’t make a bond with Wendy. You must be mistaken Nicole.” Dara said as she went nearer to Nicole releasing her from her shackles. Krystal was supposed to protest that she shouldn’t be released and that she had to pay for her crimes but Seulgi stopped her midway whispering, “let her, I’m sure she knows what she’s doing” she said while looking over at Yuri for confirmation to which the latter made a nod to.

“Also, what do you mean about that ‘not yours’ what was that about?” Dara said holding Nicole’s shoulder.

“Hwayoung said she wasn’t yours to keep Dara. That Irene wouldn’t even be in this world if it wasn’t for her. That she was her child just as much as she was yours…”

“M-my child?” Dara stammered. She then remembered what Chaerin told her. To find their child and that Jiyoung found a way for them to have a child. “So, Chaerin wasn’t lying when she said we had a child? All this time? My daughter was right there? Right in front of me?”

Nicole made a nod, “she said that Irene was made from magic. I don’t know whom she made her with but she did say that the blood that runs through Irene’s magical body was yours and your mate’s. She said she can’t let you have her since she was hers too. That she was just as much as her mother as you were.”

Dara stopped listening at she was hers and Chaerin’s blood. She scoffed and grin towards Yuri then at everyone inside the room. “I have a daughter. Ha! I have a daughter Yuri!” she said as she excitedly grabbed at Yuri’s shoulder with glee- a glee that was short lived once she realized where her daughter could be.”

“No, no, no! This isn’t the time to be celebrating, my daughter is in danger out there!”

Krystal stepped forward, “I’ll go with Victoria and sniff her around the area.”

“Yes, please do that, Taeyeon has already rushed to them at the cabin and warn them.”

“I’ll come with you.” A figure from the shadows emerged and they were all instantly on guard- ready to attack stand but Dara held her hand high to stop them. “You. What happened to you?” she said while eyeing her up and down when she came to the light. She was bloodied like hell. “Yerim. She has Yerim but she didn’t want me to stay there. She wanted me to help you.” Her eyes looked grim.

“You’re Park Sooyoung from school…” Seulgi murmured. “The ? How long has her plan been going on? You’ve been in our school since grade school.”

“Even longer than you could imagine.”

“You know her?” Jessica asked. “She goes to our school.” Seulgi said.

“No time to dilly dallies, if my sister sent her to help then I can bet my fangs on that she can be trusted. Can you help them find my daughter?”

“I can lead them to the manor, that’s where she’ll want her, if they aren’t in the place you were hiding her. But I doubt three people could stop her.”

“You don’t need to fight her. Just get my daughter out of there and I’ll do the rest. We’ll send back up right away to keep sending me coordinates.”

“Which back ups do you plan to send?” the demon asked casually.

“I was planning to send Yoona and Seohyun, I saw them at the Haridan awhile ago. They’re back.”

“Sorry to rain on your parade but Yoona has you. Hwayoung holds the fey in her hands as hostage. If we don’t hurry now, she might get to them faster than we can.”

Dara looks at the shadows of the book cases inside her room. “My sister broke barriers so you could shadow travel in- do you have enough energy left to shadow travel two wolves to their location?” Dara says not removing her eye on the shadows.

“I can try- but it might end up a bit far from the place I’ll intend to go.”

“That’ll do.” Dara murmured as she puts a hand above Sooyoung’s head, “Adeia eisodou” then hands them a bookmark. “I gave one to Taeyeon a while ago. I think I’ve done enough to make them work under jamming signals. The nearer you are to the other one the clearer it will be.”

Krystal and Sooyoung made a nod then Krystal went to give Seulgi a kiss. “I’ll be back soon. Go help our pack save more civilians.” Seulgi made a nod and smiled, she roared with pride inside her how assuring her mate was.

“Be careful Soojung.” Jessica said worriedly.

“We’ll get Victoria from the big house then bring back Irene and Wendy just fine.” Krystal said looking everyone inside the room before the both of them vanished as they walk closer to the shadows.