03. Troublesome Witch

Sablecrest Pack House

Kieryn decided to go outside today, and seeing as no one was going to stop him, he walked out the mansion to get some fresh air.

In truth, he wanted to know the layout of the land. In case the Alpha decided that she didn't need him anymore, he would have to prepare for when he's kicked out. It could happen at any time, so letting his guard down was out of the question.

He walked along the deck of the mansion, his feet no longer covered by destroyed, old shoes. He wiggled his toes inside the fluffy blue slippers, liking the feel of it on his skin. He was about to step out into the sun, but a blur ran past him so quickly it made him stumble back.

He heard the shouting of some people and later saw them running in the direction of the blur. He looked to the side, seeing a girl with straight blond hair sprinting down the trimmed grass. The people who chased behind her seemed like they were a part of the Pack, some being in what Kieryn recognized as a scientist's coat.

The blonde haired girl glanced back at the tired scientists with a cocky smirk. 'Finally got rid of those guys...' She looked in front of her and saw a figure coming closer to her. And now for the last obstacle.

Adella stood a couple meters away from the runaway, arms crossed with a cold expression on her face. She was dressed in a black long sleeved crop top and a tight black pencil skirt that curved around her body perfectly. Her feet were covered in black platform pumps and the leather shined under the sun.

She looked relaxed as the girl speeded towards her. When she attempted to jump over her, Adella wrapped her fingers around her ankle and slammed her back down in front of her.

"Ack!" The girl sputtered out, pieces of grass in her mouth.

"Failed. Try again next time," Adella says, holding the girl up by her arm. "You need to stop making trouble for my Pack, June."

"Let me go!" June shouted, trying to swing at Adella who dodged her hits.

The scientists came up to the Alpha, bowing respectfully. "We're sorry, Alpha! She ran away again while we were trying to run the monthly test on her."

"Of course," Adella says, not surprised at the girl's antics.

"Fuck off! I don't want to!" She reeled her hand back for a punch, but Adella held her hand and twisted it behind her back.

Kieryn didn't hear anything that was said other than the girl's shouting. Fear crawled into him and he was stuck between whether he should run away or stay still so no one would notice him. He decided to run when all of their backs were turned so he could get away safely.

"Get off me you stinkin' dog!" June attempted to pull her hand free, but the Alpha's strength was greater than that of the puny girl.

And suddenly, the air around them turned unbearably cold. The scientists were alarmed and moved away, leaving the Alpha to deal with her.

They watched as Adella pulled June closed and whispered something in her ear. They didn't know what she said to her, but June's face paled and she quickly stopped spewing insults. Adella didn't release her hold on her arm in case she tried something again.

"I'll take her to her room myself," Adella states.

"It's not a room, it's a prison," June whispers under her breath. But Adella heard it and snapped her eyes towards the girl. She screwed her mouth shut and averted her gaze.

Adella walks off, pulling June with her. She glared at the back of Adella's head, hoping a hole would burn through it. When nothing happened, she sighed heavily.

The scientists followed behind Adella, keeping a close eye on her.

Kieryn held his breath and stayed as still as a statue. His eyes followed Adella, who passed by him without a glance. He let out a small breath, relieved that she didn't see him.

But then, Adella's green eyes snapped onto Kieryn. Her eyebrows slightly raised up in surprise, not enough to be noticeable. Kieryn froze back into place, all thoughts about running away left his brain. The Alpha's eyes burned into them, giving him the urge to blink. However, he didn't– as if his eyes were stuck onto her face, examining all her features in great detail.

His breath caught in his throat, not allowing anything to escape. Their eyes stayed on one another's, as if waiting for the other to make a move.

Adella was the first to look away, breaking their intense eye contact. She walked through the front entrance, hauling June inside with her. Kieryn's eyes lingered on the door before he finally huffed out a much needed breath. The eyes felt like shackles on his ankles, and they finally were free. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling his body shake involuntarily.

Fear.

The woman's gaze elicited fear from the man. He was afraid that she would approach him, which he was not ready for.

The only thing that kept the boy from bolting was the terrifying stare that pinned him to his spot. It stabbed into his chest, piercing his heart.

It was metaphorical, but the intensity of that two second gaze could make that happen.

Kieryn turned around on his heel and entered through the back entrance, making his way down the hallway to find solace in the comfort of his air-conditioned room.

Later,

The elevator doors opened, revealing to Adella all the chaos that has happened.

Ice was everywhere– the walls, the floor, the lab materials. It was also freezing in the room, making the scientists and technologists wrap their arms around themselves as temporary warmth. Adella looked at June with narrowed eyes, but the girl averted hers to the ground.

'This brat,' Adella hissed in her mind, stepping out of the elevator. The panicked scientists didn't notice their Alpha right in front of them at first, but her heels clacking against the ice alerted them of her presence.

Noticing their mistake, they bowed to the woman as she threw June to the ground in front of her.

"So, what happened here this time?" Adella asked, looking around the halls. She already knew the answer to that.

"Alpha," said one of the scientists. "So you see... We were preparing for June's monthly checkup, but she didn't want that and her magic caused the halls to freeze. Her restrictor snapped too, so she froze the exits other than the elevator to run away."

'I'll remember you, you bitch.' June's thin eyes turn smaller as she glares at the woman, who turned her eyes away.

Adella raised an eyebrow while tapping her foot. "Her restrictor snapped?" She asked, glancing at her bare ankle.

"Yes, Alpha. We've concluded that it may have been defective, so we prepared a new one," added another.

"So what I'm hearing is that you gave a dangerous with a defective restrictor? That mistake alone could have cost you your life. If she thought about it, June could have frozen the whole Pack House!" Adella growled, making them turn their gaze downwards.

'Now I wish I thought about that,' June clicks her tongue, disappointed at the missed chance.

"Nurse Ives!" At the sound of her name, a young woman let out a short squeal. She quickly made her way in front of the scientists, which some were silently praying for her. "Where is Doctor Cohen?"

"U-Uhm.." The woman stuttered out.

Ruby Ives was fresh out of medical school in Germany. While she had all the requirements to become an assistant, she lacked mental fortitude. As the new assistant of the Head Doctor, she took care of things while he was gone, but no one told her how difficult it would be. The poor nurse could barely handle the other scientists when they came to her for help. She had fainted once before.

Adella raised an eyebrow, and the tension in the room made her anxiety spike. "Out again?"

"N-no, ma'am. He's trapped in a room," she says, stumbling over her words.

As if on cue, a bang on a door down the hallway made the Alpha's head turn. She sighed, grumbling out words of profanity while walking to the door. It was solid ice, probably the reason why he was trapped inside.

Adella reached out her hand and wrapped it around the doorknob, pulling with little effort until the door opened. The ice shattered onto the floor around her.

A man with messy hair tied back into a low ponytail, a growing beard on his chin, and cracked round glasses looked down at Adella. He bursted into a smile before throwing his arms around the unimpressed woman. "Alpha! You don't know how much I've missed you! June trapped me in here on purpose!"

She pushed the man's head away as tears of joy pricked the corner of his eyes. She turned to the others with crossed arms, her mouth stretched into a thin line.

"I understand, June's making more problems than you can solve."

"Hey!" The girl started to protest, but Adella looked at her sharply to shut her up.

"The equipment I've bought isn't enough to keep her in check. She's obviously too difficult to handle. So, what I'll do is-"

"Please don't fire us, Alpha!" One of the scientists cried, making Adella's eyebrows raise.

"Yeah! We'll do better!"

One by one, they all started to protest. Even Doctor Daniel Cohen, the head of the scientists, joined in. Their complaints caused an oncoming migraine, which Adella rubbed her temple to soothe.

She raised her hand, silencing them immediately. Exasperatedly, she says, "I'm not going to fire any of you. I don't know where you got that idea from."

"Not even me?" Dr. Cohen said, a hopeful expression on his face.

Adella only looked him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, turning back to the group of scientists. "Anyway, like I was saying; No one is being fired. It's my fault for putting you up for this task when I knew it would be overwhelming. And it isn't your fault. So that is why, I'm going to be taking direct care of June now."

It shocked everyone, especially the girl whose mouth dropped open.

"Wait what? You're going to take care of me?" June said, testing the words on her tongue.

Adella turned to look at her. "Yes, June. From now on, you'll be living in a room on the third floor of the House. You'll of course have your monthly checkups, but you won't have to spend everyday down here. Happy now?"

June's slanted eyes become narrow with distrust. "What's the catch?"

"The catch is that you can't be a bitch to my Pack."

June's eyes turned upwards, then she looked at Adella. "Deal."

The scientist that snitched on June said, "A-alpha, are you sure? What if she-"

"She won't. I'll make sure of that," Adella says without hesitance. "I'll make sure to put a restrictor that isn't defective on her."

"Does this mean I can go out drinking whenever I want?" Dr. Cohen's eyes shone at the thought of getting drunk on beer.

He didn't even know if he could get drunk on beer, but he couldn't wait to try.

"No. You'll be managing her monthly checkups. You'll also be handling the technological equipment and studying the changes in her magic and blood, 'cus you know, that's what I hired you for."

Dr. Cohen groaned, mumbling protests under his breath like the man child he was.

Adella then turned to June, who gave deadly glares to a single scientist. She scurried off, afraid that she would find ice sticking out of her.

June Kirton, a Korean-American witch, had an unknown background as well as unknown powers. She can manipulate, shape, and form ice, which was a powerful ability all on its own. The problem was that no one knew her limits and anger was like a stimulant, making her abilities even stronger. The only way to keep her in check was by placing magic restrictors on her.

She found no information about her except for her name, age, and other basic things. No one knew if she came from a Coven, which made sense. She might have ties to the Gladiolus Coven of Greece, which specializes in ice and water magic. Other than theories and observation, she couldn't say there was solid evidence of her background.

Adella spent a lot of money and resources trying to figure out her past before the Pack found her, but it proved a waste of time and she eventually gave up.

As violent as she was, June could actually be an advantage for the Pack. One thing Pack's don't like is another Pack with advantages. Simply put, it was like a game: the one with the most advantages and trump cards wins.

And June might just be Sablecrest's biggest trump card.

Adella will have to give into June's demands while also keeping her in check so she won't get too wild.

She needed her; because this one girl could topple all the pieces on a board game.

Afterwards,

Adella was lost in thought, barely holding onto reality as her mind drifted off elsewhere. She sighed in neither tiredness or contentment, but an emotion far more complex than that.

Beta Madden brought her attention back with a clearing of his throat.

"I don't think you'd want to miss this, Alpha. It's very important."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that?"

"The Hibiscus Coven sent a letter requesting to meet you."

Adella's eyes widened so much that it could have popped out. "The Hibiscus Coven? As in one of the Flower Branch Covens?"

"That's the one," Beta Madden said, crossing his arms smugly.

"Well now I'm listening," she responds, sitting straighter in her chair.

He takes out an envelope with a seal in the shape of a flower. Adella used her nails to rip it open and took out the paper inside. Her eyes skimmed over the neat and cursive handwriting, before setting it down.

"So the leader of the coven is visiting?" She hums, moving the letter to the side. "That's fine. I've been wanting to meet with them anyways."

"Did you read the last part?"

Adella puckered her lips before reading the bottom of the paragraph. A perfectly waxed eyebrow raised up, looking at the man next to her.

"What does he mean by 'external conflict'? I thought the Covens were good with each other."

"It seems like we were all wrong. I assume that by external conflicts, he means problems with the Coven closest to him. Hibiscus and Jasmine are both located in Africa, so they could be in conflict."

She hummed, tapping her finger against the paper.

"Then, what would he want with us? Sablecrest doesn't have any allies in Africa nor do we have any relationship with them."

"That's what I've been thinking. It must be because Sablecrest is the strongest Pack. We have many connections with other Packs in other countries around the world, so they want to use our power to protect themselves."

"What if you're wrong about that?"

"I'm never wrong," he scoffs, lifting up his glasses with his finger.

Adella scoffed back. 'Arrogant bastard.'

She sways her feet off the ground, thinking over his words. He could be right. Many Packs would love to use Sablecrest's power, which would benefit them in the end. Hibiscus would be no different; they were in a predicament and needed help from outside forces.

"Also, Mexico's president is inviting you to dinner. Would you like to reply?"

"Tell that cunning snake to pay his debt first. Then we'll talk."

Beta Madden nodded, walking to the door to leave.

"Oh, and Oskar," Adella called before he left the room.

"Yes?"

"Go buy me some stuffed toys."

Beta Madden slowly turned around, looking at Adella with an expression that asked if she's finally gone crazy. "You want... toys?"

"Exactly."

"Why?"

Adella places her chin in her palm, spinning the pen on her desk. A smile crossed her face, but it disappeared before Beta Madden could process it.

"Christine told me that he likes gifts."

Later,

A knock on the door stirred Kieryn from his relaxed posture. He sat up, eyes zoning in on the door.

"It's me. Can I come in?" A familiar voice asked from the other side.

Kieryn relaxed again, standing up to walk to the door. He turned the knob to invite the person in, but he flinched when something was put right in front of his face.

Four fiber stuffed toys; a puppy, lion, sheep, and pig with cartoonish faces filled his vision. He looked at it in confusion as the stuffed toys moved to the side, revealing the wide grin of none other than Christine. The woman's hair was tied back by a colorful headband with unique designs to keep her hair out of her face.

Kieryn blinked at her and she blinked back, waiting for a reaction from him. When he didn't respond, she sighs deeply.

"This is for you! Come on now, you could've given me a smile or something."

He stepped back as she made her way into his room. She sits on the bench in front of the bed, sitting the stuffed animals on her lap. Kieryn closes the door and turns to her.

He frowned as he studied the toys. 'Why would I like toys for kids?'

Christine sees his frown and sighs again. "They aren't so bad. They're actually pretty soft. Feel them."

Kieryn sighs, walking over to her and taking one of the toys in his hand. He was shocked that she was actually right. It felt like clouds inside his hold, and the toy squished when he applied pressure to it. He squeezed with his other hand, feeling the fibers inside the toy against the fabric.

A faint scent wafted up to his nose, one which he recognized as lavender. Even though he usually hated the smell of it, the addition of cinnamon made him subconsciously relax. He brought the toy slightly closer to his nose so he could smell more of the calming scent.

He glanced at Christine, who plastered a knowing look onto her face.

"By the way, I got those from the Alpha."

The moment was ruined. Kieryn's eyes widened and his hands released the stuffed toy, dropping it onto the floor. He grabbed his hand as if he touched something disgusting.

Christine strolls to him and bends down to pick it up.

"I asked her to buy it for you." Christine holds out the toy to him. "She doesn't want you to fear her and neither do we, Kieryn. If you're going to live here, you'll see the Alpha around more than a couple times. I don't want to be pushy on you, so take as much time as you need."

The man only glanced at the toy with hesitance. He finally pulled it out of Christine's hand and looked at it, the excitement before now replaced with uncertainty. He looked at the toy as if trying to find faults within it, but it was still the same cartoonish puppy.

Subconsciously, Kieryn took the puppy because it reminded him of the scary Alpha. It even had her scent on it.

He looked at Christine, who gave him a confident look. She always had that face when it came to her Alpha.

'If she really trusts her, then maybe the Alpha isn't all that bad...'

Christine takes the other stuffed animals in her arms. "Haylee's been bugging me for one when she saw them in my hand. Now that you picked one, I'll give two away and give her the last one."

She opens the door, waving to Kieryn before shutting it.

Kieryn waves back, but she is already long gone. He peers at the stuffed puppy, imagining it as a mini Adella in form.

'Yeah,' he thinks with a smile. 'You're not that scary at all.'

With Christine,

Ice shards stabbed the stuffed toy, ripping through the material. The head of the lion rolled away from its body and stopped at the feet of an unimpressed Christine.

"The fuck is this?" June scowled. "I'm nineteen, not four."

"Geez, I was trying to do something nice for you," the maid scoffed. She picked up the headless body of the lion, watching the synthetic fiber come out from the inside.

The young witch gave a short laugh. "If you're going to get me something nice, go tell your owner to get me something better. Preferably, a TV. I also want a fridge, too. One of those brand new tech fridges that just came out would be perfect."

"Don't you think that's a little expensive?" she says. She looks at the books laying around the room. "Don't you like reading books?"

"I hate books," June retorted. "Reading is all I do here. And what do you mean 'expensive'? Her bank account has at least ten figures. That excuse is invalid."

"She uses that money to fund the Pack."

June mocks, "Oh really? And what does the Pack need funding on?"

"Technology. All the newest technology costs billions of dollars to buy, ship, and utilize. Adella uses the majority of her money on technology, as well as housing and funding for education of those who can't pay for it on her territory. She barely has much money left to spend on herself."

The girl was silenced by that. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing but a scoff came out.

Christine took the head and body of the stuffed lion, studying the damage made to it.

"She also spends that money on you," she added.

Christine walks to the door, turning her head to narrow her eyes at June.

"I'll go ask for that TV, fridge, everything you want," she says, closing the door behind her and shutting off the cold temperature.

June sits there cross-legged with an unreadable expression on her face. She rolls her eyes with another scoff.

'Whatever. It's the least I deserve when I'm being kept here against my will.'