The Tour

And now, as he stood before her, that ember was flaring to life, burning brighter than ever before.

Walking towards her, "Anyway, thanks for the offer," he said, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

She gestured for him to sit. "How's the plan going?" she asked, her expression serious.

"…Everything's all set," he explained, looking at her.

"Okay, we just need one more thing," she paused, then looked at Vlad, who was now frowning a little. "It's just a matter of time before we can be together again."

Selene, sensing the turmoil within him, reached out and gently clasped his hand. "I've missed you, Vlad," she whispered, her voice husky with emotion.

Vlad looked at her, his eyes intense. "More than you know," he admitted, his voice rough.

The air between them crackled with unspoken words, a potent mix of desire and danger. The chanting of the witches faded into the background, their world narrowing down to the intensity of their gaze, the unspoken promises that passed between them.

Selene knew that their reunion would not be without its consequences. Their forbidden love, a dangerous secret hidden for centuries, was about to be unveiled. And the consequences, she knew, would be devastating.

But looking into Vlad's eyes, she didn't care. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Only how much they meant to each other, the powerful pull of their forbidden love.

…

The cold wind blew as darkness overshadowed the earth, it was pitch black outside, the night was at its peak and you couldn't see a thing. You could hear faint chanting of different voices, like the wind whispering.

She tried to move, but she was stuck, like her feet were glued to the ground. She looked around for a light source, but there was nothing. Then she saw a faint glow in the distance, like a cave opening.

The ground beneath her swayed and she saw herself walking towards the light.

She walked spontaneously towards the beam of light, but the closer she got, the brighter it became, and she still couldn't reach it. It was like a repulsive force hindering her from getting through.

Suddenly she heard that voice, that familiar voice whispering to her ears repeatedly, "there is no other way, the one in grey must die."

….

Rose shot her eyes open and gasped, beads of cold sweat on her face. "another nightmare." she exhaled with a settled frown on her face. Vivid images from her nightmare slowly played back in her mind, from the garden of dandelion and crimson roses to the sanguinary scene of dead werewolves, and now this.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Doris come in. "Young mistress," Doris said, making Rose startle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." she apologized.

Rose grabbed a water bottle from her nightstand and drank it all in one go. "It's okay," she said.

"I brought your breakfast," Doris said, putting a tray on the table.

Rose realized it was morning. "Oh," she said.

Doris left after setting up her breakfast.

After eating, Rose went to the room where Jack was staying. As she opened the door, the ground seemed to move, and she felt dizzy. She almost fell.

Suddenly, eccentric flashes of war flared before her eyes, like a sea of lost battles and antagonism, contorted with the corpulent images from her dream. The red sky, countless corpses, trigonal blade, the agonizing screams, the fall… everything happened in a twinkle of an eye.

 But before she hit the ground, someone's arms caught her.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, sounding worried.

She blinked, trying to clear her head. "Oh, yes, I'm sorry," she said, looking at him. Then she quickly looked away. "Have you had breakfast?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," he said, but he kept staring at her. His eyes flickered red, like the beast inside him was trying to get out.

Rose noticed how he was looking at her. Only she made him act like this. "How about we go for a walk?" she suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "I can show you around the pack house."

He shook his head, like he was trying to clear his head. "O-okay, I'll go get dressed first," he said, stumbling a little. He let go of her and went back to his room.

It was only at this point that Rose realized that they were in a very intimate position.

…

They walked around the pack house for hours, visiting the ancestral hall, council room, and all sorts of other places. Finally, they were on the alley to the training field.

"This is our training field," Rose said, walking into the big open area. There were weapons and workout equipment everywhere, like a giant outdoor gym.

"We train here, but not that often, mostly when we're getting ready for, you know, fights, wars, stuff like that," pauses for a while then continued "Some of us had our first transition here" she explained.

Jack watched her as she talked. For a moment, he forgot everything else, just looking at how beautiful she was. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Some of us can have our second kiss here," he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.

Rose's heart started beating really fast. They were so close; they could feel each other breathing.

"Ahem," Bryan coughed.

Unaware and startled by Bryan sudden appearance they jumped apart.

Rose glared at her brother. "Bryan, what are you doing here?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"You know what I'm doing here," he said, narrowing his eyes. "The real question is, what are you doing here?"

Ignoring him, "This is Jack Tyler, my-uhm…" She didn't know what to say. They weren't officially together, but they were definitely more than friends. And she didn't want to tell anyone he was her mate, especially not yet.

She was still trying to figure it out when Jack spoke. "Friend," he said, holding out his hand to Bryan. "Best friends."

"Bryan Luther," Bryan said, shaking his hand.

Jack was much taller than Bryan on like Rose who was just inches taller than him. Although there wasn't much similarities between the siblings, they had the same eyes and smile.

Jack looked at Bryan for a moment. "Do you train here often?" he asked.

"No, just wanted to stretch my legs," Bryan replied.

"Okay," Jack said.

Looking at his watch, "I got to go, I'll see you guys later" Bryan said, giving Rose a "we've got a lot to talk about look" before dashing out of the training field.

 "So clumsy," Rose muttered, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I agree. All the werewolves here are clumsy." Jack said with a smirk on his face.