08. She's Back

Sablecrest Pack House

A car door was pulled open by the driver and stepped back as a woman stepped out onto the stone path. She wore black wide leg dress pants and low heeled sandals. Her cobalt halter top complimented her glowing tan skin and her curly chestnut hair was tied back in a ponytail, a few strands framing her brown eyes and nude lips. Her neck revealed a pearl necklace and her fourth finger had an expensive diamond ring.

She carried name-brand shopping bags in her hand and some were carried by a suited man next to her. She looked back to see the gates closing behind her and the driver pulling away onto the road.

She turns to face the grand, three-story mansion that stood before her, a smile pulling onto her lips.

"I'm back, bitches," the woman sings, spreading out her arms.

In the Pack House,

The House was in chaos.

The maids ran around, rushing to wipe off every last speck of dust per Beta Madden's request. Kieryn's eyes darted left and right, not knowing what was happening. He only came downstairs to find Christine, but she was speeding off somewhere.

On the third floor, the Beta in question was pacing back and forth, something he never did unless it was serious. He ran his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time, trying to pat it down. However, it only became more messed up, making him more frustrated than he already was.

Adella sat on her chair, her legs up on the table as she sipped a cup of tea. A nonchalant expression was on her face as she watched him.

"I think you're overreacting," she says, taking another sip as Beta Madden's eyes snap to her.

"I am not overreacting!" He retorts, groaning once more. "That woman is more of a perfectionist than I am. If there's even a single spot of dust, she'll kill me."

"Ooh, the big intimidating stone-cold Beta is afraid of someone smaller and weaker than him," Adella mocks with a laugh to her tone.

"Her heels are sharp enough to poke someone's eye out. And she would actually poke my eye out."

Beta Madden shivers at the thought. Adella shakes her head and puts her cup down.

"She wouldn't actually," she laughs, walking to the door. She looks back at him with a raised brow. "If you want to hide up here, you can. But there'll be nowhere to escape once she's found you," she ominously remarks before leaving the room.

She walks down the hall to the staircase, hearing the commotion downstairs. 'So, she's here already.'

"Sandra!" Haylee squeals, jumping into the arms of the tanned woman. She wraps her arms around her waist and rubs her face against her cheek.

"It's good to see you, Haylee!" She squeals back while wrapping her arms around the smaller woman, kissing her cheek. "How's things going with you?"

"Great! My new therapist is super nice to me!" Haylee pulls away with a wide grin on her face, excited to see her long-time friend. "She gives me candy everyday and she gives me coloring books."

"That's sweet," she says looking around the empty halls and room. "Where did everyone else go?"

The other maids, except for Soo-Yun, Himari, and Menena, ran for a place to hide. Once Sandra walked inside the House, it became quiet and bare of any life.

"You know that everyone's gone to hide," Menena chuckles, walking up to Sandra.

She gently holds her hands with a small smile. "I heard what's happened to you. Are you alright? Do you want me to check your wrist for you?"

Menena rolls her eyes and places her other hand on her hip. "I'm seriously fine. Allah, why does everyone think I'll drop dead from moving it too much?"

Sandra chuckles and gives Menena a hug and a short kiss on the cheek, pulling away to see Soo-Yun running up to her. "Emily!" She laughs, hugging Soo-Yun and kissing her forehead.

"Why is everyone trying to steal my girlfriend?" Himari huffs, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry, Himari," Sandra says, shooing away her complaints. "I already have a husband to get back to."

She gives Himari a short hug and kiss on the cheek before walking down the hallways, Haylee following behind her. She sees Adella walking down the other hallways and a grin lights up her face.

"Adella!" She yells, causing the woman to turn at the sound of her name. A smile appears on Adella's face as she runs up to Sandra, the two hugging each other with a harsh squeeze. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too," Adella laughs, pulling away to look into her face. "How's everything? I heard you won't get no more than a week off."

"Pssh," Sandra says, rolling her eyes. "I'm the only one the company can come to if there's a situation. Like hell they are only going to give me a week off. I'll work when I feel like working, and they can't say shit or I'll just quit."

Adella shakes her head as Sandra laughs. They hug again and Sandra sighs. "I miss this place. Well, not the polluted air of America, but here. Isn't it strange that we made it to 2304? You'd think there would be flying cars and aliens invading Earth by now."

"Let's thank the witches for that," Adella jokes. "Anyway, if you want to see Oskar, he's in my office. You know where that is."

"Lord, is that man still hiding from me?" Sandra scoffs. "You'd think he'd grow a pair of tits and come to greet me, but no. I'll go see him now, but we should definitely catch up later."

"Yeah, of course. I'll ask the chefs for sparkling red wine sangrias and some white fish dishes."

Sandra's mouth opened. "You still know my favorite drink and food? If only I married you instead of that cowardly man. I wish I could go back in time and change that," she sighs before pulling away.

She places a kiss on Adella's cheek and walks away with a wave. "Bye!"

Adella waves back to her and watches as she disappears down the hall. She looks back at Haylee who looks up at her with a smile. Adella rubs her head and leads her back to the sitting room, where Kieryn walked in from the other side.

They lock eyes and Kieryn is the first to look away, blushing as his gaze falls to the floor. A small smirk rises onto Adella's face as she walks to the two suited men that held Sandra's many shopping bags. Haylee's eyes fill with happiness as she tries to peek inside the bags, wondering if any of them were for her.

"Thank you for waiting," Adella greets them with her emotionless mask. They shivered at her gaze, which seemed to peeled off all of their layers and looked into their souls. She was the Alpha King after all, and her appearance lived up to it. "I'll bring you to where Sandra will be staying."

They follow behind Adella as she leads them down the hallway, giving one last look at Kieryn before she disappears. She brings them up to the third floor and stops at a door. She opens it and allows the men to place the bags on the floor by the closet. They exit and she closes the door.

"I'll have my security escort you out," she says. "If you'd like to stay for dinner, then I'll have my chefs prepare a meal for you."

"That's alright, Alpha Channing." One of the men spoke and bowed his head. "We've already eaten before coming here. We'll be on our way."

Adella nods and watches as they walk down the staircase to the first floor. She travels to the second where she hears Sandra's loud voice, probably yelling at Beta Madden. Her feet take her to the open office door, where she leaned on the doorframe, watching Beta Madden getting chewed out by the woman.

"Like, do I just not exist or something?" She says, crossing her arms. She switches to Spanish unknowingly, something she did when she was angry. "You don't call or even text me during my stay in Pakistan. Do you know how worried I was that something happened to you?"

"I was working, Sandra-"

"Is work more important than me?" Her eyes narrow as sweat trickles down Beta Madden's neck, not knowing what to say.

Sandra rolls her eyes and crosses her arms with a huff.

"Lord, sometimes I wonder why you're my husband," she scoffs, turning her head away from Beta Madden. "You're supposed to kiss me and make it up to me now, you idiot."

The man trudges over to her as she wraps her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss onto his lips with a smile of victory. She giggles and turns her head to see Adella standing at the doorway. She walks over to her and pulls her inside.

'Sometimes I wonder why the Moon Goddess paired them together,' Adella thought.

"Anyways," Sandra says, looking at Adella, "Enough about that. Let's talk about how you and I are going to spend the weeks I'm here shopping and basking in the sun getting our summer tans."

"Aren't you supposed to finish your leftover paperwork?" Beta Madden says, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You and your obsession with paperwork," Sandra huffs. "Who even cares about that? I'm going to be living my best life here, not worrying about work."

Sandra had the same laziness as Adella, which was another reason why they clicked so well. It was hard to believe that this woman was the same woman who found a cure for cancer using magic infused medicine. She would much rather spend her time shopping than working. But, she deserved every bit of that time and money she earned. She was one of the only Supernaturals that did anything to fix the destruction caused by World War III.

Sandra hooks her arm with Adella's. "Ignore my nagging husband. We have things to do, Adella."

Beta Madden only sighs, knowing that there is nothing he can do to stop his wife. He only watches as Adella is pulled away by Sandra as they descend down the hallway.

"I also have some souvenirs for Haylee, but I'm planning on surprising her," she says with a smile.

"Oh yeah, her birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Adella looks up at the ceiling in thought. "You can ask Christine for help on that."

"God, no," Sandra chuckled. "That woman is afraid of me even more than she's afraid of Oskar."

"It's only because you turned the whole House upside down when your favorite pair of shoes were missing months ago."

"I'll always cherish anything my Mamá gives me," she retorts. "Speaking of her, I should invite her here again for another dinner with me and Oskar."

"You know he'd do anything to avoid that woman." Adella chuckles at the memory of the last dinner party.

"Well he better respect her, because everything he got came from her," Sandra said, pointing at herself.

They stop at the first floor, where Sandra lays eyes on Kieryn. Her eyes widen in shock as she looks from the white haired man to Adella. Kieryn freezes at the sight of the unfamiliar woman by Adella's side, unsure if he should hide or greet her because she seemed close with Adella.

"When did you find this new Pack member, Adella," she says, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"That's Kieryn," she says to her, before getting closer to her ear whispering.

Sandra's eyes become as wide as plates and her mouth hangs open in shock. She looks at the man once more before snapping her eyes to Adella.

"How's that possible? I thought you couldn't..." She stops herself before saying any more.

Adella shrugs, glancing at the man who avoids her gaze. "I guess the Moon Goddess wanted to change things up a little bit. I ask myself that all the time."

Sandra nods before strutting up to Kieryn, who takes a step back as she approaches. She crosses her arms and looks him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, making him feel self-conscious.

As if she didn't look like she hated Kieryn a second ago, a smile appears on her lips. She holds her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Sandra Rochella, a close friend of Adella's. I'll be staying here for a while, so I'd like to get acquainted with anyone that will be living in the same space as me."

Kieryn hesitantly reaches up and shakes her hand, knowing that it is a custom greeting. He glances up at Adella, who nods at him, encouraging him to become friends with Sandra.

He turns his attention back to the woman in front of him, who holds his hand with both of hers. A grin stretches onto her lips.

"You should come shopping with me one day. You look like you'd be a fashion model. Hey, I can make you the most popular one in America, just say yes and-" She was cut off when Adella pulled her away from Kieryn by the back of her shirt.

"How about you get to know him first before you let your crazy imaginations run wild, kay?" She raised an eyebrow at the woman. "He's also unable to speak."

Sandra's mouth opens in understanding and she looks back at Kieryn. "Sorry for that. I'm just excited. Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Kieryn. I hope we become good friends in the future."

'She's so nice to strangers but bullies Oskar.' Adella silently chuckles and looks back at the shy Kieryn. 'Yeah, it would be nice if he was friends with my friend.'

Meanwhile,

Sweat dripped down June's forehead as she tried to focus on taming the wild magic inside her. It struggled against her control, refusing to become obedient. Zachary watches closely, making sure she doesn't get hurt in the process.

Paige peeks at the girl next to her, pretending to practice her magic control. She believed herself to be past the level of basic and advanced training, but didn't want her Father to get angry at her. She scans June physically struggling, her shirt damp with sweat. 'She obviously can't do this.'

June groans as she feels her magic fighting back, trying to force her to stop. She wouldn't, struggling against her magic's fierceness.

Inside her body felt like a raging sea that refuses to settle. She was the ship that tried to conquer it. Just a small girl against a seemingly endless ocean, farther than the eye could see. Instead of giving up, she continued to voyage through the angry waves that tried to knock her down.

The man raises his eyebrows, impressed to see June succeeding at controlling her magic.

June traveled through the sea which seemed much easier to sail through. The waves weren't able to hurt her, and it seemed to get smaller and less powerful. Her magic was easier to control as she tried to direct it all over her body.

Until, a massive wave, one which was taller than the ship she sailed in, darkened the grey skies. It blocked her view of the end of the sea, stretching up over her head. It was impossible to take on, and June knew that she couldn't parry it. The wave came crashing down on her ship, sinking it along with her.

"AHCK!" Blood was projected out of June's mouth as she felt her magic fight back, stronger than the last attacks. It sullied the ground as June fell to her side, her lungs squeezing as it found difficulty intaking oxygen. Her belly felt as if it was punched multiple times and she hacked out the blood in her throat.

Zachary reacted immediately, going over to June's side and holding her up. He pressed his palm against her back as she wheezed, clutching her stomach. Paige jumped at the sudden sight of blood, watching as her father's hand glowed in a faint hue.

June felt a buzzing, soothing sensation entering the place Zachary touched. She only wheezed as she was now able to breathe easier. Her eyes closed halfway, feeling sudden fatigue enter her body. Zachary continued to hold her up and turned her head to look at her face.

"Are you alright, June?" He asks worriedly, scanning her eyes for any answer.

'Oh, don't worry about it. My organs feel like they're about to burst and my head hurts like a bitch. I'm totally fucking fine, Teacher.'

June only lets out a weak groan.

'I knew she couldn't do it,' Paige's face went smug. It dropped soon after seeing the pained look on June's face. Her face then turned hard. 'Why are you trying so hard to succeed when the path to becoming a witch is only pain and hardship?'

Even June didn't know the answer to that question.

Zachary hooks his arm under June's legs and supports her back with his arm, lifting her arm. He turned to Paige. "Get the Alpha and Delta. I'm going to the infirmary."

Paige nods, and when Zachary turns to rush inside the House, her face turns cold.

'You didn't even let the nurses back home tend to my wounds. You trained me till I coughed more blood than the normal witch should. I had so many magic fluctuations, ones which could have killed me.'

Paige knew it was because he had higher expectations for her, since she was soon to become Coven leader, but she couldn't help but feel her chest clench with an unknown feeling.

In the House, Zachary rushes to the guards at the front, who are alarmed that there was an injured girl in his arms.

"What is the problem with-"

"Where is the infirmary?" He says, almost tripping over his words. "She needs treatment right now."

"Yes, follow me," one of the guards says, speeding down the halls and to the infirmary on the first floor. They slam the door open and the nurse's eyes widen at the sight of the almost unconscious girl in Zachary's hold.

She stands up and rushes over to the man with frantic eyes, looking all over June's face and body for injuries. The men talk to each other briefly, one leaving and running down the hallway.

The nurse gasps at the blood that stained June's shirt. She takes her stethoscope, putting each earpiece in her ear and checking for her heartbeat. It was weak, almost faint.

"What even happened?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard June's heartbeat slowly getting weaker.

"Long story short, she was practicing her magic control. It went out of control and caused a magical fluctuation."

She looks up at Zachary. "I-I'm sorry sir, but magic science is not in my field of knowledge."

Zachary curses under his breath and goes over to one of the hospital beds, laying June down. He lifts up the bottom of her shirt so her stomach was exposed, and he presses down on it with his hands. Earlier, his healing magic was enough to stop the pain, but not the magic fluctuation. And since he wasn't experienced in healing magic, he could only do so much.

'I can at least try to stop the fluctuation from getting worse,' he thought, injecting his magic into her body.

June's eyes opened slightly, only seeing two blurry figures looking over her. She opens her mouth to say something, but she could no longer produce any words in her state. Only small groans came from her dry lips as she felt the effect of Zachary's magic.

Then suddenly, a liquid bubbled up in her throat. She moved her head to the side and released the contents onto the bed. Dark red contrasted with the white sheets, and the nurse almost gasped out loudly at the sight.

"Oh my God," she whispers, looking around for something that might help her. She grabs a small container that sat on a cart in the corner of the room. She shows the bottle to Zachary. "Will painkillers help?"

Zachary shakes her head. "She'll only vomit all of that stuff out. Magic needs to battle with magic, not small pills."

The nurse nods and puts the bottle back onto the tray, disheartened that she wasn't a witch. She could only sit there and watch as the girl coughed and wheezed.

The door slams open, startling Zachary and the nurse. Adella rushed in, the guard from earlier coming in behind her. She stands at the bed, looking down at June with worry.

"What happened?" She growls out, her head snapping to Zachary.

Her sharp gaze burns into the side of his head, and he feels a cold sweat run down his neck.

"She was practicing magic control and had a magic fluctuation," Zachary says without looking, focusing on healing June.

"I entrust you with teaching her and protecting her, and you allow this to happen?" Adella shouts, her eyes looking back at June's semi-unconscious face.

"I was teaching her how to control that unstable magic inside her," he shouts back, glancing at Adella for a second. "Magic fluctuations are normal in the first stage of training, but I've never seen one this bad. I can only do so much with my healing. She needs something that can remove some of that magic inside her and she can recover it on her own."

Adella thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up with an idea. "I know someone." She turns her head to the men behind her. They flinched at her unblinking, icy stare and removed their hands from their back, ready to hear her orders.

"Get Doctor Cohen."

Later,

June's eyes snapped open at the realization that she was no longer in her soft bed. It was a less comfortable one, which made her groan. Or at least try to. Her voice strained and came out weak and cracked.

She felt like her body was beaten all over as she sat up, looking around the bland but familiar room.

'Ugh, I'm back here again.' Her face turned into disdain as she saw the hospital-like space, with complicated tubes and machines in the corner. She remembers lying atop this bed while staring up at maybe eight doctors, kept down by straps that restricted her movement.

They all looked at her as if she wasn't a person but an animal, one which would bite if they got too close. And yet, they all stuck their face in her personal bubble and speak to each other as if they've discovered a new species.

She shivered and tried to brush those thoughts away. 'No, it won't happen again. Adella already ordered for the experiments to stop.'

But, she couldn't get rid of that sinking feeling in her stomach. Her eyes snapped down to the restraints on the bed every few seconds, as if it would come to life and wrap itself around her.

The sound of a door clicking open brought her out of her thoughts. The heavily secured door swung open and an all-too familiar man with an all-too familiar grin walked up. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his white coat, stepping over to the girl's side.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him and she wished that her body wasn't so sluggish so that she could wipe the grin off his face.

"Hey, June. You look like shit," he states, bluntly.

June rolled her eyes but didn't say a thing, knowing that he got off on seeing her get angry. She peered through the large observation window that multiple scientists gathered around in the past to see the dangerous witch. There were only a few scientists that passed by, hurrying to wherever they were going.

Dr. Cohen slides back onto a chair placed by the wall of the lab room. He spreads his legs unprofessionally and studies June with an intense gaze.

"I heard from the Alpha that you had a magic fluctuation. You were immediately rushed here and we had to remove some of your magic. You probably feel exhausted right now, but your body will naturally recover that lost magic soon."

The girl imagined the scientist standing around her and sticking tubes in her body to suck the magic out. She shivered and kept her gaze on the bed covers.

He realizes that he isn't getting much of a reaction out of her and his happy face falls. "Aw, come on June. At least say something. I'm getting bored over here," he whined.

'The fuck is he– A man-child?' June scowls and rolls her eyes. My throat feels destroyed. The least your useless ass can do is get me some water.

The door once again opens as a woman in a black pencil skirt, white collared shirt, and a clean white jacket enters. Her heels click on the spotless floor and her blond hair bounces with each step. She looks from June to Dr. Cohen, greeting her superior.

June remembers the woman to be Nurse Ives, the nurse who has been taking care of her for much of her stay in the Pack House. She's provided food for her, asked for new clothes for her, and tried to get her comfortable while she was in B3.

Although she wasn't particularly fond of any of the scientists, she had a lot to thank this woman for. Even though she was pretty shy and soft-spoken, she was reliable. June was weirded out by the good things she has to say about her.

Nurse Ives steps closer to June's bed, keeping her distance.

"Are you feeling alright, June?" She asks, almost stuttering at the gaze Dr. Cohen was pointing at her.

June looked at her for a moment, before nodding. Nurse Ives smiles and clasps her hands together.

"I will bring some water and some fruit for you later. I just need to do a quick check-up to make sure your magic is stable." She nods to June and walks to the large computer against the wall. She sits on the chair and starts to type something, multiple pictures appearing on the large screen "The scientists injected a type of chip that will alert us when your magic goes out of control."

June cringes, the fact that there's something in her body not sitting well with her. The nurse laughs at her face, and shakes her head.

"It's not something that will track where you are, if you're worried about that," she reassures, going back to the computer.

Dr. Cohen stands up and walks behind her, looking up at the big screen. "Yikes, that sure is a lot. No wonder why the Alpha wants us to keep a close eye on you."

June turns her eyes to him, glaring at him for his comment. He only chuckles and crosses his arms.

"Mr. Morelli told us that you've been giving a couple days off to recuperate," Nurse Ives said. "You should be fine by two or three days since we didn't take out that much magic."

Nurse Ives clicks the pictures and zooms into them, finding interest in the way her magic was built. It looked like little blue organisms floating in her blood. 'How amazing. I wonder if all witches have this.'

That's when the door opens once more, bringing everyone's attention to the woman that rushed in. Elmarie's eyes lay on June, scanning her body for any signs of injuries. A smile almost broke onto the girl's face when she saw Elmarie.

"I came over here as soon as I could when I heard what happened from the Alpha." She walks to June's side, looking at her face closely. "Are you alright?"

'I'd be better if you get this alcoholic out of here.' She thinks, narrowing her eyes at Dr. Cohen.

June only nods, and Elmarie sighs in relief.

"June's fine. We've taken out some of her magic so she needs some time to recover it," Nurse Ives informes, standing up from her seat.

Dr. Cohen's lips curl up into a Cheshire cat grin. He stifled a chuckle as he saw the way June looked at Elmarie. 'Interesting...'

Elmarie takes one last good look at June' face before she looks at Nurse Ives.

"I need to speak with her," she says, looking at the man. "Alone."

"Ooh, how frivolous." His eyebrows wiggle as he looks at June and back to her.

"I'll go get some food and a glass of water," Nurse Ives adds, walking to the door.

Dr. Cohen follows behind her, stealing a glance at the two behind him before walking out the room with the nurse. He closed the door behind them, watching Elmaire and June through the observation window as he disappeared down a hallway.

Elmarie sighs. "God, that man gives me the creeps."

"Tell me about it," June whispers, shivering.

Elmarie frowns at the sound of her weak voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," June says bluntly, making Elmarie chuckle.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around for a while. The Alpha has been-" June raises a hand to stop her.

"I know that you're the Delta, Marie. You will always have work to do." June tries to give a small smile. "When you're not busy, you can make time to come hang out with me."

Elmarie nods, glad she understood. "Is magic training getting too hard for you? I'm sure the Alpha will understand if you say you want to quit."

June looks at Elmarie, her face stern and unmoving. Elmarie's eyebrows raised at the sudden confidence in her eyes, as if a flip was switched.

"Elmarie," she says, her voice as serious as her face. "I'm not scared or worried about the hardships I'll face during training. I know that I might fall down many times, but only I can pick myself up. I'm training to get stronger, and I won't quit just because of a magic fluctuation."

The woman is quiet at that, studying the girl's gaze. 'She's right. She's an adult and can handle herself. I shouldn't baby her or she'll never survive.'

She sighs, rubbing her temple. "You're right, sorry."

"Thank you for worrying about me," June says, smiling brightly. "But, I need to do this."

Elmarie nodded and smiled back. "Yeah. I'll encourage you from the sidelines. Don't get yourself beat up again, you idiot."

A giggle leaves June's mouth and fills up the bland, empty room. A wide grin involuntarily spreads across Elmarie's face as the sight of June's happiness. It suited her better than the look of hostility. Elmarie was glad that she was smiling more, even if it was only with her.

'Take care of yourself, June. There's not much I can do other than support you. The path to getting stronger will only be unlocked by your effort.'